Gealdýr Interview

RavenzCraft Arts Interview Project 2019 presents 

Gealdýr

Gealdýr is a Nordic folk/Viking inspired project created by the Dutch Singer-Songwriter and producer Jonathan Barendsma.

A young artist on the rise who takes inspiration from the legends of this genre today, we have a feeling Jonathan will go a long way in the music scene, his natural talent and ear for good music will turn him onto an amazing path in his musical career. 

We look forward to seeing what he has for us on his new upcoming album in the works...

Hello and welcome!  I want to thank you for participating in the RavenzCraft Arts interview project ..it means a lot to us to be able to meet new artists and learn about their experiences in life ..it is also an amazing thing to help bring attention to them to help get discovered. ...There are so many great artists and musicians out there hidden within!

1.Well first,  I would like to ask you to tell everyone about your backround, where you are from, and a bit about the meaning of the title and expression of your music project Gealdýr...

Hello RavenzCraft Arts, it’s a huge pleasure for me to do this interview with you! So my name is Jonathan Barendsma and I live in a village in the Netherlands surrounded by a lot of water and beautiful forests.

I started the music project Gealdýr last summer around June.
The name Gealdýr is a combination between the Gaelic word Geal (White) and the Old Norse word Dýr (Deer).

It’s an interesting story how I came up with this name. At the time that I developed Othala (My first song) I still didn’t had a name.

One day I was walking in the forest with a good friend of mine and we were talking about my music and what could be a good name. Faith chose it that we came across a white deer while talking about it and from that moment I knew I wanted my name to be White Deer in a ancient language. My music is a combination of Nordic Folk and Celtic elements so that’s why I came up with a name combined of two ancient languages. 

2. So how were you first drawn to music? 

Was it schooling or a particular person who inspired you?

  a lot of us have artists and musicians that we clung to and where inspired by greatly as a young child. What particular songs albums or artists really inspired you musically right from the start? 

So I discovered Wardruna in a very difficult time period of my life. Their music really helped me through it. I started to understand the healing power that music can have on the mind, soul and body of a human.

I started to look into the Poetic Eddas and I found a lot of ancient old wisdom that most people have been forgotten these days. I already played guitar and piano, but I got so inspired that I started to create Nordic Folk music myself. I never had any singing lessons or what so ever. I just taught myself how to play instruments and how to sing. From there it went on and here we are now today. 

3. Where you involved in other small musical projects in the past or is Gealdýr your first "official" project?

Not really. I played guitar for a song for a friend of mine. He needed someone who could create a studio recording so that’s what I did, but nothing too serious.

4. I also wanted to compliment on the Gealdýr logo design...amazing artwork.. can you tell us about the artist who created it and how the design came together? 

Yes of course… Camila Maldonado (also known as Skadi.Knotdrawing on Instagram) made the beautiful Urnes deer around my bindrune. It all started when I first created the bindrune together with my friend Étaín (Who plays flute and sings the back vocals in Sær) She has a lot of knowledge about runes and the old ways. After we created the bindrune I came in contact with Camila and through good communication we ended up with the current logo. 

5. Do you have any other interest or hobbies outside of music that you still peruse or work on from time to time? 

I love history a lot. It’s besides music one of my passions. Nowadays we live in a very complicated world. I believe very much in cycles. Every society/empire, you name it has a beginning and an end. It fascinates me every time to see that through history every empire has fallen. To understand life beter is to understand what once has been and was so we may understand what will be or become. 

6. What about your spiritual interests or following? Obviously you have nordic, pagan theme to your music ...is their any old literature or books you can recommend that you have read that inspired your following and interest in your path?   

Spirituality is a very deep topic that is not easy to answer in one question. To keep it simple for your question…. I believe that we are spiritual beings living a human experience. Life and death is just a cycle that we are all are going through. It’s neither a beginning or an end it’s simply the start of a new journey as I see it. 

Norse mythology goes very deep and it has a lot of wisdom in it. For me creating songs inspired by the Poetic Edda means a lot because it’s spiritual knowledge and wisdom that never should be forgotten. All the stories stand for a deeper meaning. 

If I can recommend a book to read according to this topic I would highly recommend ‘’The Poetic Edda : Stories of the Norse Gods and Heroes’’ by Jackson Crawford. 

7. So tell us about your process of creation,, do you have a small recording studio or area? Or do you just create within your own personal space? 

Yes so basically I love to work in very small places. I create everything in my own house at the moment. I have a special recording area so to say. I worked a lot with Jiří Hájek for my music project Gealdýr. He plays Tagelharpa, Didgeridoo and many other instruments. He is a very talented artist. He also creates the music at his own home in a recording area. 

8. So Have you ever recorded outdoors or by natural sounds such as rivers or in forests to capture specific effects for your music? 

Yes I did. At the moment I need beter equipment for it, but I have done that in the past yes. For the future I want to record a lot of nature sounds myself to use that for my upcoming songs.

9. So what about online platforms?..such as facebook, instagram, bandcamp etc...

What are your favorites to use for sharing your content and viewing others music? 

I personally really love to work with Youtube, Instragram and Facebook. All Online platforms are amazing, but with these 3 platforms I keep most contact with my fans/listeners. 

10. So i understand some things come more naturally to others but truthfully , how difficult is it being an artist? 

I personally know getting things perfect and replaying songs and editing over and over can be exhausting..do you do all this on your own? 

Yes I totally get your point. I arrange all my recordings on my own. I have had the honor to be part of Fimbul Records now. So the publishing  and promoting part goes through them and that’s an amazing opportunity for me as an artist. 

I am a perfectionist myself so when I create a song I only publish it when I am 100% happy with it. Writing a song is one thing, but producing one is a whole other story. I have a lot to learn, but when I look how I have grown these last months as an musician I can say I am very happy.

11.So if you dont mind id like to share something to the audience about a personal conversation me and you had prior to this interview...

This is a very interesting thing i have found out personally as well..

I’ve discovered that a lot of successful or great artists a lot of time have personal issues , such as physical or mental health problems or ailments that seem to hinder our ability to work and perform, but in some cases this often creates a drive in you that pushes you to go even harder then normal ...to overcome the odds and the setbacks..imagine the things we could create at full health lol...Can you explain your own personal struggle with this? 

Yes so I have been struggling with a severe autoimmune disease over the last 6 years that made me mostly house ridden for the most part of it. This has been quite a battle, because many doctors didn’t know what it was exactly… In this time I learned immensely much to appreciate everyday like it is your last. live life fully as much as you can… I also noticed that as a person I have been living so out of contact with nature at the start of my sickness.
Earlier in one of your questions I said how Wardruna helped me through a hard period and I was talking about this health issue. reconnecting with nature helped me a lot to become more in balance. To create music now and being able to see how other people get touched by my music is just so inspirational for me. 

12.So on a lighter note lets talk about your new partnership with Danheim and Fimbul Records...amazing collaboration with him on Odin by the way..tell us how you connected and where you a fan of his music beforehand? 

Thank you so much! creating the song Óðinn together with Mike (Danheim) has been an amazing experience. I have been a huge fan of Mike’s (Danheim) music before we worked together. He inspired me a lot to start creating my own music aswell just like Wardruna inspired me. We came in contact with each other when Mike created his music label Fimbul Records. 

13. So can you let us in on anything new? Something that may be upcoming or plans of things to come for Gealdýr and your partnership with Fimbul records? 

Possibly any more collaboration projects?

At the moment I am really busy with creating a full album. It will be my first album and for me it’s quite something special. I will take my time with this one. So far the whole process of creating this album has been amazing and I think my fans will like it a lot. I am currently working on the 4th song of the album and this whole journey of creating a full album is just amazing to me. 

14. So if you could travel anywhere in the world where are some places you may visit? Have you, or would you ever visit the U.S?

I have traveled quite a bit over the world, but for me there is nothing better then Northern Europe to be honest. I love the weather and nature so much. I just feel home. I love Sweden a lot for example. the forest and calmness is amazing there! 

I would love to visit the U.S. one day! You got such beautiful nature over there that I would love to see! 

15. Have you ever been to any live music performances, concerts or events that you really enjoyed? 

To be honest I’ve not been to many live performances. I still have to see Wardruna live and that one is first on my list.

16. So im not sure if you are able to do so but in the future would you be open to creating a collaborative music video or single music track with an upcoming similar artist of your genre?

I am always open to collaborate with an artist from the same music genre. It’s very important that there is a good chemistry when you create. Creating a song is not possible with just everyone. In my experience you really need to have that connection with each other so to say. 

17. So in your career so far have you made contact with any other great musicians or artists besides the great  Danheim of course 😀  ..you would like to mention? 

If not, Is there anyone in particular you would like to eventually meet one day or learn from? 

If I can dream it would be an amazing honor to meet Einar Selvik (Wardruna) one day. His music has helped me so much through a heavy time. I hope to be able to tell him that one day. 

18. So not many are as open as you and we don’t always get responses from artists we try to reach out to we thank you for that...what do you think about RavenzCraft Arts? Is their a main reason you accepted the interview project ? 

Well I really liked to see that RavenzCraft Arts has done a lot of interviews with amazing artists in the Nordic folk music genre! So I didn’t need to think twice when you asked me! 

19. So I will leave this question open to you my friend... is there anything you would like to mention or say to all the followers and fans out there? 

I want to thank everyone so much from the bottom of my heart! Since day one that I started posting my music online I got supported by so many who believed in me and what I am creating! I met amazing artists on the way that I could collaborate with and this whole journey has just been one big adventure for me. 
Everyone who send me messages made me believe more in myself and what I could create with my music. One of the most beautiful moments for me was when a lady contacted me who explained her struggles and health issues what she is going through and how my music helped her to get through that all…. Knowing where I came from with my own health and hearing how my own music helps people now… That’s what I wanted to achieve… Creating music that heals or help people. Music can be an amazing medicine. 

I want to thank you a lot for asking me for this interview! It has been an honor for me and an amazing pleasure to answer all the questions that you had for me. I hope that all my listeners/fans have a bit better picture who I am and why I started this musical journey. 

Special Thank You to Jonathan for taking part in this project and for creating such amazing music!
Follow and listen to his amazing talent here at these links below:

Bandcamp

https://gealdyr.bandcamp.com/

Facebook Page

https://www.facebook.com/gealdyr/

Youtube channel

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYnYyTyzM-1xDYx53SOB13A

This is the official music video introduction featuring a track called Lívstræðrir for the upcoming written interview release with Jonathan Barendsma the creator of the musical project from the Netherlands Gealdýr

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mv6Sb7oso9M

New music video releasing soon!

Follow us at RavenzCraft Arts on facebook at 

https://www.facebook.com/RavenzCraftArts/

Christopher Juul Interview

RAVENZCRAFT ARTS INTERVIEW PROJECT 2019 PRESENTS CHRISTOPHER JUUL

Christopher Juul is a very talented composer and musician with many inspirations, he has been a part of the Copenhagen music scene for many years 

and a part of many projects such as Heilung, Songleikr, and is the owner of his own recording studio 

Lava Studios Copenhagen

We have been a fan of Chris and his work for a few years now and we never knew he had part in so much awesome music! 

We are honored and excited to welcome you and conduct this interview we thank you for being a part of RavenzCraft Arts 2019 interview project !

1.So for those of us who dont already know about your work,  please explain to us a bit more about where you are from, how you got started.. and your role in the music industry today ..

Im Danish, born and raised in Copenhagen, from a musicians family, I’ve been privileged and encouraged to make music and art since i was very little. For the majority of my adult life I've been working with the same on professional level, full time. My father is a musician, craftsman and “gode”, which in some ways can be considered a sort of priest in the older nordic believes. 

Since childhood, in company with my family, I’ve been traveling to viking reenacting/living history markets all over Europe, which has inspired me until this day in my daily work as a composer, musician, producer, filmmaker and artist. 


Im the founder and owner of Lava Studios in Copenhagen, that mainly deals with historical music and arts, and in addition; the bandleader of Heilung and Euzen, and also musician/producer in Songleikr, Stoi, Mykur Folkesange, and the late Valravn. 
  

2.When was it that you 1st were really inspired to create and take part in a music project on your own ?

I cant remember, but it was before I was able to speak. Instruments were always accessible in the house, and it seemed natural to play on them. In my teens I spent the most of my time studying music and art on the school bench, in recording studios, drawing/design studios, at home etc. On a serious level within my own projects, Euzen and short after Valravn, were the first to gain notably attention from the outside world. 

3.I always ask this question in all my music artists interviews because i believe early inspiration has alot to do with what you create later on down the road....

What artists or music did you enjoy listening to as a young kid that still sticks with you to this day..?

When I was very young, I was 100% focused on classical music, as this also were part of my education. At around 12 my eyes (and ears) started to shift towards folk/world music and also electronic music.
 Ive actually never really been directly inspired by other contemporary artists. dont get me wrong, I do like much music, but when it comes to what I create myself, I gather my inspiration from a completely other place. Very often this place starts as a non-arty-..thing, that in my mind transforms into sounds and images, that I then, as fast as possible and when its still clear, try to recreate for others to enjoy. 

4.So obviously Heilung and your collaboration with Maria Franz, and  Kai Uwe Faust is what most people know you from and is one of my personal favorite projects of yours as well ...can you tell us how you met up and how this project started to transpire ? 

My girlfriend, Maria Franz, and I met as vikings in Iceland. Since then, our minds have been synced in love, music and arts. We both know Kai from living history-markets around Scandinavia. Kai is the owner of “Kunsten på Kroppen” in Copenhagen, that within tattoo arts deals with many of the same aspects from early nordic iron/bronze age that I likewise deal with musically at my studio. 

In the beginning Kai and I made a deal: Kai would record some of his poems and shamanic rituals in my studio, and I would get a tattoo. Quickly it became clear that there were a lot more to discover in our collaboration. Poems became soundscapes, soundscapes became music, we were amplifying history. Maria joined inn on some songs and after a year or so, Ofnir was born and Heilung were a reality. However, no ink has to this date been injected to my skin. 

5.So tell us more about your personal aspects as a creator...In one article i read about you .. You talk a out being able to "disconnect from what is now" can you explain a bit more about this? 

Its not uncommon that many people, artists and listeners, try to link the past to “now”, in order to have it all make sense. In some cases that can result in a rather distorted viewpoint on our history. Dots there never were intended to be linked are suddenly being connected to accommodate a modern political or religious agenda. 

This I highly try to avoid in my work. one way of doing so is to completely shot of the present and only look at what actually were the thoughts and lives of the people walking the earth so long ago. 
My inspiration comes directly from the source, and it never gets transformed or altered by anything that happens politically on the world stage today. This is because the world, and its inhabitants, were very different from what we see today. It doesn't mean we cant learn from history, of course we can. But the earth has now spun so many times since our prehistory that its meaningless to even attempt to draw direct parallels between now and then. Because its no longer the same. 

6.so can you let us in on any current new updates on projects you are working on?

Perhaps a bit more info about working with Myrkur? 

Ive just finished producing her first “Folkesage” album. Im looking very much forward to join her lineup live, whenever I have time to do so. 

7.I did some research and i see you are involved in many other side musical projects as well such as Euzen and STOI_im impressed you have created quite a bit of content ...

Can you tell us a bit more about these and some of your favorite past projects?

Thanks. Yes, its impossible to stuff inn all your inspiration into one single project. Therefore a natural solution is to have many projects. Where Heilung takes inspiration in the past, Euzen takes inspiration in the future. Where are we going? what will we become? I dont have a favourite project. Im just forever grateful to work with such talented minds on a daily basis. 

However, projects like Euzen and also Valravn, made it possible that we could present Heilung on a big stage in front of rolling cameras. We didn't have to play a thousand small venues and build it up. that ground work were already made with past projects. 
Stoi is a new project between Jonas that also sings live with Heilung and me. Its an attempt to draw inspiration from world music, not limited to nordic, without directly actually playing world music. How to keep, within a modern framework, that exact same feeling. And hence maybe develop a new sort of world music. 

8.So the music industry has really changed in the past 10 years ..being able to create studio quality content and share it with the world with a few clicks of a button is an amazing benefit ...

What do you like best about being a creator today ? What is something you dislike about it?

Being an owner of a professional recording studio for more than 10 years I can confirm that the world has changed. Its now possible to get a very long way in your own living room. You basically just need a decent smartphone and you can become recognised all over the world. Physical releases has for the most part been replaced with digital, and often free alternatives. 

That also means that all levels of the music industry have been forced to adapt to this new climate. However the reintroduction of vinyl and the fact that many studios still survives, proves that people choose quality when they listen to music. Maybe this is because people, when listening to their favourite music, seeks sounds that are out of this world. If all music sounded like it was recorded in your living room, then it wouldn't be out of this world, but rather “in” this world. 
We all need to escape reality once in a while, and recording studios are still the only forum where this, in my view, can happen fully. Probably because, every time advancements happen at the home recording stage, ten times the advancements are being made on the professional level, rendering the possibilities within art greater than one single mind could ever wish to grasp. 

9.So Anything new on the rise for you personally or professionally?  or any projects or artists that you would like to mention or give a shout out to? 

Im pleased to see how the awareness towards the history of my little corner of the globe is rapidly growing. It really feels, for the better or worse, like a movement. New bands, music festivals, films, series, conventions and computer games inspired by our history comes to life, all to celebrate culture and lore of something that have been on my mind for the most of my life. Im furthermore happy to learn that Heilung inspire other artists to create their art. Its working. 

10.Can you tell us about some of your most memorable moments in your career? Anything that stands out in mind that you will never forget?

There are many. However, since we are talking a lot about Heilung. Playing our first concert at Castlefest, which later became our live release LIFA, is definitely a moment to remember. Also our ritual for the people over (and under) the mounds in Borre at Midgardsblot needs a mention. These two shows were the ones to prove to the world, and ourselves, that Heilung is a thing. Both festivals is run by people we deeply care about, and it only made sense to launch Heilung among friends and family. 

12.so this question is for all the self creators and upcoming artists out there..any info on good software or favorite equipment to use to create or produce with? 

For example music editor or video creator or producing programs you like to use? 

Try them all. Only then you know which one is the best.

13.so obviously you are big on history and keeping old traditions alive..can you tell us a bit more about why you are creator?

 What is one of your goals you want to achieve and express with your career ? 

I foremost do it because i wouldn't be able to do anything else. Its a very pleasant surprise that it has gained followers and attraction around the world, and thus making it possible for me to afford food and a roof. But its not the reason why I do this. I do this because I love it. I have no idea where this will lead, but im looking forward to see what path has been drawn for me. 

13.Any bucket list adventures or activities or places you would like to visit or travel to in the future ?

Yes, my own house. I wish to have more time at home. But right now we are traveling a lot, its fun!

14.As far as live events what are some of your favorite places or events to return to and perform at ?

Midgardsblot 2019? Any updates or updates about that you can share?

We are very shortly releasing info on the matter. Just follow us on social media and you'll know. I look forward to all of it!

15.So i really appreciate you talking with us here we have attempted to conduct this interview a few times in the past and im honored you are participating in this project ..anything you would like to say or mention to all the readers and followers out there ? 

Remember, that we all are brothers

All people, beasts, trees and stone and wind

We all descend from the one great being

That was always there

Before people lived and named it

Before the first seed sprouted

Special Thank You to Christopher Juul for taking part in this project and for sharing a bit of his personal life and experiences as an artist and creator today

Interviews like this give insight and inspiration to artists and fans all over the world!

Follow Listen and Support Christopher Juul and his many projects here below at theses links:


https://www.facebook.com/amplifiedhistory/

Heilung 

https://www.facebook.com/euzeniverse/

Euzen

https://valravn.bandcamp.com/

Valravn

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