Single I Spoonful Of Blues – Young Man
The new single “YOUNG MAN” by Spoonful Of Blues is set for release on June 13th. “Young Man” marks the transition to the new edition of Spoonful of Blues on a record for the first time
The heralded band, Spoonful of Blues, from Notodden, Norway keeps on moving and grooving. Since founding member and guitar player, Morten Omlid, passed away on the day of the release of their latest album, ‘Songs From Notodden Norway,’ in November 2023, founding member, vocalist and harp player, Jostein Forsberg, long time members Eskil Aasland on drums and Tony Caddle on bass has kept the legacy of the band going.
They brought in Morten Omlid’s former guitar students, Øystein Ytterbø and Jens Fjelle to keep the band going. As founding members Omlid and Forsberg, they are both born and bred in Notodden, and they are both sons of touring musicians. Neither Øystein nor Jens know about a life without their fathers touring and making music. Now they keep up the family tradition by touring and recording with Spoonful of Blues. The Spoonful of Blues fans have really embraced this Mark III of the band with the twin guitars and a fuller sound. With two younger members on guitars Spoonful of Blues keep their live shows fresh and they play sell out shows everywhere they go.
Now Spoonful of Blues is releasing a new song “Young Man.” The song didn’t make it onto their last album ‘Songs From Notodden Norway’ because the songwriter team of Morten Omlid and Jostein Forsberg felt that the song wasn’t quite finished. They decided to keep it off the album, just to work on it some more and finish it later. However, later didn’t come for the band’s “glimmer twins” of Omlid and Forsberg.
Now Jostein Forsberg has finished the song by bringing in the new band. Forsberg rewrote and rearranged parts of the song according to how Omlid and he had already discussed. Hen then let the new band members, Øystein Ytterbø and Jens Fjelle, finish the guitar parts. Øystein Ytterbø and drummer Eskil Aasland also added background vocals to what Morten Omlid already had laid down. So, what you hear on «Young Man» is the magic of both the old band and the new band.
Ytterbø and Fjelle comes in after Morten Omlid’s fantastic and last statement of a recorded guitar solo and finish up the song. This part of the song was rearranged so Tony Caddle also came in and added new bass.
«Young Man» has kept the spirit of the original recording and unfished mix, and Omlid’s choice of guitar sound for the track has been kept as it was.
«Young Man» is about growing up in the factory town of Notodden and tries to decribe how it was and what it was like beeing a teenager at a time now long gone. A time when both Forsberg and Omlid became interested in music – especially blues music, started playing in local bands and took on jobs at the local factories after finishing school.
«Took a factory job, soon as I got out of school» Forsberg sings over Omlid’s heavy hitting guitar riffs. The industry background called for music with powerful beats, riffs and statements. Still the lyric also consists of a love story that, for Forsberg, lasts until this very day.
It is a story about growing up in a town, in a certain time, finding a life, trying your best to fit in, falling in love, and looking back; making a family and staying a lifetime. That is the true and real story of both Jostein Forsberg and Morten Omlid.
Little did Jostein Forsberg and Morten Omlid know, when they were restless teenagers and started out, that music and playing in a band was the way they would end up making a living – for the rest of their lives.
Finishing up «Young Man» with both the old and the new band is showing that Spoonful of Blues will keep on moving, determined to play the songs, staying creative and true to the fans and keeping the band’s musical legacy going.
Spoonful of Blues is well on the way in a new chapter for the band with two young guitar players from Notodden that, like Omlid and Forsberg, chose play music, chose to stay, start a family and chose to contribute to the local community to the best of their ability.
This is the spirit of Spoonful of Blues. A spirit of love, community, belonging and respect for the common man that Eskil Aasland, Tony Caddle, Øystein Ytterbø, Jens Fjelle and Jostein Forsberg IS carrying on. A band that keeps on playing, touring, entertaining and keeping it real. Always to the very best of their ability. The only way they know how.
“I am so happy that I could finish this song. “Young Man” is the first recording with the new edition of Spoonful of Blues. It will not be the last. I hope that our fans will enjoy this new recording. That they can feel our spirit and that we are keeping it real. This is Spoonful of Blues to the bone. The band and the legacy of Spoonful of Blues is very much ALIVE.
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