In this interview, I am humbled to invite Jacob Hee Lund for his first appearance on the Nordic Sound Channel. Mostly known as a member of Heilung, Jacob is actually a man of many, many hats and is a seasoned performer in the medieval reenactment scene in Denmark. In this interview, he walks us through his background, his countless music projects he’s contributed to as a percussionist, and offers advice and reflection for young musicians looking to make a full time career. Also, as a veteran of this music scene over the last two decades, Jacob gives us some much needed perspective on the evolution of this genre we begrudgingly call “Viking music” for want of a more satisfying name. We close with a discussion of his new drum project Thrymskapr and reminiscing on Heilung at Red Rocks. Considering how much we still had to talk about after almost two hours, let’s call it a safe bet that Jacob will be back on the channel before long.
Jacob’s associated bands: Asynje (Viking, electronic, folk); Auroq (folk, early music, fusion); Heilung; Mallebrok (folktronica); Virelai (medieval/ Viking); Fabel (renaissance early music); Fortuna (early, classical music); Huldre (folk metal); Leikarar (medieval); Norerne (Viking music for Moesgaard Viking market 40 anniversary celebration); Wicked strings / Lilly and the wicked strings (gothic metal); Eldjudnir (black metal); Bo-Nordmand (Danish folk music); Maja Kjær si orkester (Danish raw folk music). He’s also a session musician for Efrén López and Eivør.
For those who want to further explore the musicians Jacob mentioned: Jordi Savall (viol da gamba) and Otava Yo (Russian folk)
0:00 Preamble
1:53 Introduction
4:25 Jacobs background
8:20 The drum in early Europe
13:05 Back to Jacob’s background!
34:15 Versatility and working as a professional musician
43:04 Heilung
49:36 Reflections on “Viking” music scene
54:30 How genres evolve
1:06:00 Collective imagining through music
1:13:58 Thrymskapr and knowing your roots
1:26:55 Heilung at Red Rocks
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