Munknörr

RavenzCraft Arts Interview Project 2019 
presents Damian Schneider of 

Munknörr

Hello Damian, it is an honor and we welcome you to the RavenzCraft Arts Interview project!

We appreciate your time and willingness to share your experiences and perspectives with us

1.So first thing please, can you tell us a brief introduction about yourself and where you are from, and about your musical project Munknörr? 

Hello, first of all thank you for inviting me to the project, I think it's great that you are doing these interviews with the artists of this type of music ,since it is not so easy to reach people...

Now, I introduce myself, my name is Damián Schneider Peña, I was born in Radolfzell, Germany and I lived there until I was 6 years old, I traveled to Uruguay and here I stay now. 

About my music project.

The Munknörr project began when i was doing all kinds of music...orchestral, soundtrack and of course norse and celtic too. Then i realized that i was more attracted to nordic and celtic music and i started to make only nordic and celtic music. So, munknörr was born, just less then a year ago.
I think the main reason for being attracted to nordic and celtic culture was the place where i was born....beautiful landscapes , mountains, far from the city. Then i fell attracted to the vibe of shamanism so... Munknörr becomes a mix of Norse, Celtic ,Shamanic and Mongol elements with a mysterious vibe .

2.Please tell us what are a few things  you enjoy doing most in life and how did  you get started on the idea of becoming a musical artist yourself?  

I enjoy a lot of things in life, one of them is to spend time with my daughter, play with her , see how she is learning things so fast . I also enjoy stay in contact with nature  and travel when i can do it of course , i wish i had more time to do that but soon . And of course one of the thing i love the most is to compose , another moment its when my daughter hum my songs haha , that is beautiful. Another thing that i enjoy a lot is to eat pizza and drink beer haha,really.....

My idea started when i was playing guitar , just for fun, guitar its my main instrument , i play guitar since 10 years old, classic music pieces, blues , neoclassical metal, i was playing alone in my home because i never felt comfortable to be in a band, thats the main reason i started to try instrumental music on my computer, i always imagined music on my mind and just with the guitar is not enough to "play it". 

3.Was there any specific artist that inspired you? Or a person in your life that encouraged you to become involved in music? 

The person who encouraged me was my best friend Guillermo, but he never could drag me into a band haha . Now he is playing bass in a in a  power metal band called Crystal Gates (you have to listen that band, amazing!) . And my grandmother too , always telling me not to stay way from music, and of course people i have met on the way too.

About the artist who inspired me ...in this project i have many influences but not any specific artist , i have influences of all kind of music . From new age and epic music to Wardruna , Heilung.  But my biggest influence is just the necessity to express my feelings about nordic and celtic culture , landscapes , runes .
In my music i do not follow any specific line for composing , music just comes from inside and i put it into my mind and then into the program. 

4.Can you tell us some of your favorite musical artists from your past that you really liked as a child? 

And today can you tell us a few artists or groups that you personally follow or listen to? 

From my childhood mmm wow , a lot haha.... I used to listen to Metallica , Korn , Slipknot , Iron Maiden ,Guns and Roses, in my mtv and metal times, then when i was older i began to listen and play stuffs from Satriani ,Steve Vai , Yngwie Malmsteen , then i was bored with so many notes and i started to play and listen jazz ,blues and funk , Pat Metheny , John Scofield , Bonamassa.  

Now im listening all kind of stuffs , from the nordic and celtic music ...Harald Foss, Wardruna , Heilung ,Runahild , Loreena Mckennit , etc , but i dont listen only nordic and celtic music.  I also love listen piano music like Chopin , Ludovico Enaudi, Yann tiersen , other bands like Radiohead , Pink Floyd. As you see im really open to all kind of music haha , but nordic and celtic music its different, i feel attracted to this music in a different way, deeply.

5.So tell us a bit about your creative process? Your recording equipment and How you go about putting together a song? 

My creative process its a little strange i guess  haha, i have to feel in a composition mood and i just sit in my computer and it flows like the music always been there.  I use my computer for the recordings ,i have a home studio. In my compositions i use sounds of nature that i record my self (like sticks , steps , sea, birds) and i have some microphones to record percussion and of course voices, i use vst too because there are sounds that i can make recording stuffs.

Also i use the beautiful voice of a talented  singer of Greece , Aethelwyne, she record the voice there and then send it to me and i get the arrangements. Her voice fit perfect with my music and the important thing is she really enjoy to be part of this.

For example for Ansuz

So, i like to use sounds that i record my self , sometimes its with my hand recorder and sometimes its at home with other microphones. 

When i begin a composition im thinking in the composition all the time in my mind , so when i get home i can do the arrangements and put the new things i thought in the day , until its finish. I listen my progress many times on monitors and headphones , in my home , in the bus , at my job so I can go thinking what else I want to have the song.

6.Uruguay must be a beautiful country to live in,.. Can you tell us about some of the things you enjoy most about being there? And possibly a few things you dont like? 

Yes , Uruguay its a beautiful country.  Here the climate is temperate , and you can enjoy parks and going to the beach in the summer ,  Montevideo its a beautiful city but i enjoy green spaces the most ...so...i miss the place where i was born because the landscapes , mountains, tranquility. 

One of the things i enjoy the most here is being with my daughter , she is my number one fan, she hum and dance all my songs at the age of 5 years old!

7.So back to the topic of your music, i noticed and enjoyed your last few "Rune song"  projects, very interesting ..can you tell us about your interest of the runes?  And a bit about your spiritual following and how this plays into your music ?

I found runes full of energy , just looking at them you realize the power. When i began to be interested in reading about runes i was surprised for all that deep meanings and the use they had in norse culture.  I connected quickly with my mood to compose giving music to the runes .

About my spiritual following , i believe in nature and the energy that this involves, i guess thats the reason because i love norse and celtic culture and mythology , the gods were so connected to the nature in ancient times, so i dont follow and specific path or god , i believe in many of them because they are related to nature .

From what  I have read I also believe that norse people were connected to shamanism more than what is said and is well know that shamans have a deep respect for the nature, shamanism is based in nature. 

8.We have just recently discovered your music and are excited to hear more, can you tell us about any upcoming projects or your new albums on the way?

My upcoming project is my next album, Futhark. I have released some songs in the EP  , and as you said its about runes with a nordic-shamanic vibe . For this album i take elements from Nordic,Celtic music  music and then put Shamanic sounds ,percutions, vibes , chants., even mongolian sounds .

Odin is the first composition of Futhark , like an introduction , take place when odin sacrifice himeself to acquire the knowledge of the runes, the Ansus , Laguz and Uruz are together because the meaning of ALU ,an ancient nordic ritual  word used like a spell of protection . 

I have been working hard on this because many of the compositions has different vibes and i used many different instruments and percutions for this album, also all the runes involve a different meaning so i have to conect with the rune there, read, think about the meaning, for example Hagalaz will have tellings about the Fimbulvetr .

 And recently i become part of Fimbul Records so im happy for that , there are great artist, and probably i will be make some composition with collaborations(I was talking with Johnatan from Gealdyr about this).

9.What are your goals with Munknörr? Can you tell us some of the things you like most about being a musical artist? And some of the hardest or things you dislike or find difficult about it?  

My main goal with Munknörr its just to make music  that i love to make ,so the people can listen.
One of the things i like the most of being  a musical artist compose (that is obvious haha) and let my imagination fly , that feeling of you dont know what is next in the song is amazing. 
Refering to the people , another thing i really like is when someone tells me that my music make them feel things , that is beautiful.  

One of the things that i really find difficult is to find nordic instruments here in my country , that is near impossible, and of course a very small number of people listen to nordic music here. , but in this times  is easier than before because youtube, ig , fb , you can make music about anything and share it to the world easily.

Another thing that i find difficult sometimes is to find some time when i want to compose, because my job and my daughter but im getting use to it . 

10.What about future collaborations? Have you or would you be open to collaborate with another artist on a single or small project? 

Im always open to collaborate. At the moment im working with  the amazing female singer Aethelwyne from Greece that helps me a lot in various compositions of Futhark , is really an importatn part of Munknörr. Also im making some music for her project that i think it would be finished after i release the new album. 

11.So have you attended any musical events, concerts, or performances in the past that you can tell us about?  Or any events that you would like to attend if you had the chance? 

I attended to various concerts and musical events here in Uruguay but always related to local rock bands, there isnt nordic folks band here , only a few celtic bands with bagpipes,i have seen a celtic musical event with bagpipes this year but it was the only one. 

I would like to see  nordic and celtic folks band like Heilung , Wardruna , Faun , Loreeena Mckennit , Omnia,  maybe next year because im planning traveling to Europe ! 

12.What things do you enjoy to do besides music? 

Hiking, photography...any hobbies sports or interests that you would like to tell us about?

I enjoy play with my daughter , see animation movies with her( and see the movie 3 times haha), she dance with my compositions too!.  

I enjoy traveling here in my country when i have the time, spend time in quiet places or the sea, i often go to a garden near to my home , its my place to escape from the city a few hours.

13.So random question here.. how do you feel about the world today ..with all the technology and all these changing laws and current events today? 

Do you follow or have interest in any certain controversial topics or things happening in the world  today? 

We are surrounded by technology, and technology is a double-edged sword. We have to take the good part of it , in my case is the music. Today we have the great advantage of being able to make music from where we are and show it to the world easily. The bad part is when we abuse of technology and we neglect important things .

I try to not watch the news, because i believe that many times it makes people  more afraid so many times i do not know what is happening but if its an important event the news is on facebook , also i often read ambiental topics on facebook . 

14.Im always interested in whats happening around the world...Can you tell us of anyting unusual or interesting headline events happening in your part of the world recently ? 

There were controversial political events in latino america ,and here in Uruguay the election of the president is near and everybody talks about politics but i really dont care about politics haha. 

15.Are there any historical places or any of your personal favorite places to visit in your country? Any recommendations or places to not go..if anyone were to visit there? 

I like to visit a place near to my home, is a museum with a beautiful nature surrounding. I go there with my daughter when i pick up her at the school. This is a very particular museum because was the house of a cruel dictator that kills a lot of people there. So this place has a special energy , but its still beautiful.
Another place that i like to visit is the Botanical Garden , is the quietest place of the city surrounded by nature, birds , water sources, this is the place where i recorded a lot of sounds for my compositions , like sticks, leaves, wind. I will recommend those places to visit , and also the beaches of Rocha department like Valizas , a beautiful place with street musician in the night an amazing landscape, i recorded the sea for Laguz there.  

16. So we look forward to helping you promote your music and bring more awareness to your talent for sure ..and we hope we can stay in touch and create a few small projects in the future.

we are looking to do a few special projects for RavenzCraft Arts one of them being a multi episode series about personal perspectives on runes, spiritual workings and magic, 

would you be interested in possibly submitting content or music to the project? 

Thank you for promoting my music and of course that would be awesome!!

17.Is there anything you would like to say or mention to all the new followers and fans out there?

I want to say thank you to all , for the support , i read every comment on the social media and makes me happy to see all those comments and opinions about my music.  This is just the begining of Munknörr, i have a lot of ideas on my mind so....stay in tune

18.Any words of advice or encouragement for fellow artists and musicians on the rise? 

Be yourself and never stop doing music!. We live in fast times and there is a lot of music everywhere , the important thing is just constancy and to be yourself ,and then comes out the originality.

19. Well we want to thank you again for sharing a bit about yourself and your inspirations behind your music...

We look forward to seeing more from you and appreciate you taking part in this project ..We will talk again soon! 

Thank you! 

Special Thank you to Damian for taking part in this interview project 

Follow and Support him and his musical project Munknörr and the rest of Fimbul Records crew

at these links below

https://munknorr.bandcamp.com/

https://open.spotify.com/artist/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClh4dGAZyu5deTJ3pL7lxwg

https://www.facebook.com/munknorr/

https://www.fimbulrecords.com/



Listen to the full EP of Futhark here
https://youtu.be/_1TEHPmetZg








Follow RavenzCraft Arts for more Interviews and projects
Thank you!

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC95bFF-xNLMcxAzRO7rFiCQ

Blot Heathen Interview featuring Orlando Li Mandri

RavenzCraft Arts Interview Project 2019 presents

Blot Heathen

A deep journey into the sounds from the Paleolithic era to the Viking ages, a project that blends ritual, ambient and tribal music.

Blòt was the ancient ritual used by the populations of the ancient Germanic-Scandinavian cults

Blòt Heathen it's a musical solo project by Orlando Li Mandri and founded in 2016 with Leonardo Sorrentino

1. First I just want to thank you for taking the time to participate in this interview project it is an inspiration to myself and many others to have the opportunity to speak with and get to know you and your perspectives on life and creating music,..

Can you first start off with a brief introduction, your name, where you are from, where you are now , band name, artist/performer name and a bit more about the inspiration behind the creation of "Blot Heathen"?

First of all I thank RavenzCraft Arts for giving me the opportunity to participate in this interview! My name is Orlando Li Mandri, I was born in Bologna and I still live here.

The project was born in 2015 when I proposed to a dear friend of mine, Leonardo Sorrentino, to make an album inspired by the rituals of ancient Scandinavian-Germanic populations, starting from the idea of ​​creating a "concept album" that would follow the procedure of a Blòt. Currently the project is solo, the duo unofficially dissolved in 2016, but we are thinking of starting to work together again.

2.What are some of the 1st things that inspired your interest in music and becoming a creator yourself? anyone in specific that inspired you or encouraged you personally? 
Any famous people or bands or even a special person in your life that pushed or inspired you to create ?

Well, since my childhood my parents have always made me feel so much music, from classical to rock, from reggae to folk. Surely bands like David Bowie, The Police, depeche mode, or classical artists like Debussy or Profokiev have certainly influenced my artistic training.

I started playing guitar at 15, taking private lessons for about three years. From 13 to 15 I listened to a bit of everything, but mainly nu-metal and trash-metal, falling in love with bands like Megadeth, Slipknot, Sepultura, Rammstein, Linking Park ...

At 16 I was hopelessly in love with electronic music , discovering artists like the Prodigy and Noisia, so I started to get involved and be fascinated by the Rave culture. From this experience the Predator Tekno project was born, which for some years has been at a standstill, but which I hold dear and with whom I have performed numerous concerts.

In 2014 a revelation came to me: Wardruna and Heilung. These two bands have certainly greatly influenced my recent musical career, and the Blòt Heathen project was born from the sound suggestion of these bands, inspired also by bands like Gjallarhorn, Forndom and Garmana.

3.What about today? who do you listen to? watch or read for pleasure or interest?

 any political leaders, artists , creators or people in the world today that you admire and are following currently?

Today I really listen to a lot of music, and all genres: dark ambient, OST, metal, neo-folk, rock, electronics, noise-power electronica, techno, psytrance ... in short, a bit of everything!

Undoubtedly I follow assiduously some artists like the Prodigy, for which the loss of Keith Flin, symbolic figure of fusion between the world of the rave and that of the punk, symbol of a by now passed generation. In addition to following high-level bands I follow many "small" emerging artists, or niche artists.

With regard to political leaders ... unfortunately I see such decadence and corruption in the world right now, that it is really difficult to identify a charismatic and positive leader, when in countries like the US and Brazil, people who have not come to power other purpose than its own profit and spread hatred and destruction among nations.

4.So if you dont mind lets jump into a more personal topic, your spiritual path, or following, can you share with us your beliefs and persectives of the world ?

does this influence your music or the way you create or express your artwork/music?

can you explain how you incorporate this within your music?

My spiritual path is very personal. I do not consider myself a pagan or an "asatruist", nor a religious. What I can say is that I believe in nature, in its strength and energy. If men gave the storm the name of "Thor", that's fine by me! it's just a way to shape that entity. I also deeply believe in shamanic culture, which I have been studying for some time, and in those forgotten rituals that bind us to our primordial "self", which date back to the origins of man.

All this transpires in my musical productions as a form of research of the ancient, of the ancestral, of the return to a forgotten past that would have to be re-valued. When I create my songs, I hope that the listener feels like a man from the ice age who has nothing but his interconnection forced with nature, with the spirit of survival, with primordial human strength. Or even feel present in an ancient ritual in which the natural forces (or gods) really walk by your side.

5.Does creating music\art help you? as an outlet?...do you want to inspire others with your work?

Certainly, making music is good for me, and I think everyone should do it. Increase sociability, your ability to create and imagination, and of course give great satisfaction, especially when your music is appreciated.

Inspire others? I think it's too much for me! I rather collaborate with others, to see what more minds can create together, combining often very different musical styles. In this regard, I announce that I am working with some Nordic-folk artists in a compilation of collaborations ... we will see what will come out of it!

6.What is the hardest part of being an artist or creator? and the greatest part?

The hardest part of being an artist? Knowing how to sell, promote yourself. it is a part where I am also enjoying myself, as I love taking photographs, making necklaces and making websites ... in short, creating a public image.

The most rewarding thing? Finishing a song or a musical instrument (yes, I'm a violin maker and producing ancient musical instruments like Talharpa and Kantele) and stopping to admire the work done. Sometimes I think I'm a little vain, there are weeks when I just listen to my productions and say "oh how cool am I?
Sure I could do better but ... damn, that's a bomb!"

7..what are your goals with your music and career? plans to take it up another level? new projects on the way?

My goals? Well, definitely try to share all the music I produce and make as many people as possible participate, because I firmly believe in "sharing". before the Blöt Heathen project I always thought that producing music was the most fun and interesting thing, in the last few years I have finally understood how much I love doing live performances, mainly all improvisations. And then, if every so often they bring some money home ... I don't complain!

8. Goals or accomplishments? do you have news or updates to share with us?

I have lots of news for the Blöt Heathen project !!!

First of all, we need to clarify a strong transformation that is taking place in the project: from a project born as a "Viking", albeit with a large scale of sounds foreign to the Nordic world, I am increasingly venturing into the age, in the Paleolithic, in the era of stone and ice. I feel it as an irresistible call to these ancient sounds. In fact I am working on two albums, both of which will be released on CD between 2019 and 2020, inspired by the glial age.

Other news are certainly the release of the album Blòt, the one recorded with Leonardo Sorrentino now five years ago and which represents the purest part of the Blöt Heathen project. Many will find this album significantly different than the rest of the previous productions, and to this must surely be given credit to Leonardo for having inserted his emotions and his instruments (in particular the didgeriddo) into the songs. The album will be released in a special limited edition on an elegant vinyl-style CD, of which we will shortly publish detailed studio photos.

Another announcement is the upcoming release of the "Awakening Gods" album on the Black Mara Records label, which produces CDs with an obsessive care, turning an album into a true work of art ... I love this label!

9.Wow well it seems you are a very busy and creative person, i can relate i am very much the same..so for this last question i just wanted to ask if  there is anything you want to personally share or say to the followers and other creators and artists out there? 

any words of wisdom or encouragement or advice for our future artists and musicians out there who may be listening and trying to create a career or projects of their own?

Listen to yourself, get out of the city, and immerse yourself in nature. Have a couple of days in the woods, in silence. Here, what I recommend to everyone is to practice silence for listening. Listening is something we now do less and less, that silent listening that allows us to feel who is inside us and what is around us.

Always take the time to listen to yourself and others.

Great Advice, I agree you must distance yourself from others and tune in to reach your full potential !

Well we thank you again for taking the time to talk with us and share some of your thoughts and inspiration behind your music
Follow Orlando and check out updates and new content from Blot Heathen at these links below

https://blotpaganmusic.bandcamp.com/album/blot



https://www.facebook.com/blotpaganmusic/



Check out this new music video teaser below


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




Follow RavenzCraft Arts on Youtube here at


https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC95bFF-xNLMcxAzRO7rFiCQ

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/