ONE AND APART 2014-2023. A JOURNEY COMES FULL CIRCLE. One and Apart had landed in my desk drawer and might as well have been sitting there forever. But there were too many good recordings with too many good musicians for it to end there. True to the spirit of the album, it became a longer journey and, ironically, a return to the starting point. Release date: February 17, 2023

You are in a long Scandinavian winter wondering where Summer could be. Then you’re in the blistering California heat wondering when Summer might give you a break. Our pleadings to Summer fill a lifetime and span the spectrum. Sooner or later, each of us is bowing down in deference to that which is beyond us. Summer - like the whole of nature - can do what she wants. The new single “Summer (She Can Do What She Wants)” from To Wake You is a catchy, hummable tune about all of this, with a steady beat to tap your feet to, and a delicious sonic landscape of harp and guitars to lose yourself in. “Summer (She Can Do What She Wants)” is the latest chapter in the musical marriage between Denmark’s Karoline Hausted and California’s Mark Davis (Hausted, a Danish Music Award nominee for her song Alarm and Davis, receiver of an Album of the Decade award for You Came Screaming from The Los Angeles Times). It was recorded in San Luis Obispo, California before the couple managed to hop over the Atlantic to spend the pandemic year working on a new home in Denmark. Final touches and mixing were then completed remotely with engineer Damon Castillo of Laurel Lane Studios. And so, as an expression of the coming together of California and Scandinavia, and as a celebration of nature’s beauty and mystery, To Wake You brings you “Summer (She Can Do What She Wants)”.

WINTER AND THE SACRED TREE - A live concert recording

The Tree has always been a powerful symbol in spiritual imagery around the globe, reflecting the grandeur and mystery of nature, both rooted in the earth and touching the heavens. As we know, the Tree has become an integral part of winter iconography, particularly as seen with the Christmas tree.

It was while living in California that Karoline, with some distance from her native Denmark, was drawn into a deeper reflection on Nordic mythology. Winter’s going and coming of the sun was one central theme. Most poignantly, the World Tree of the North, Yggdrasil, appears to be intertwined1 with the decorated trees of the Christian tradition. Our exploration of these mysteries soon gave birth to songs, and eventually grew into this Winter and the Sacred Tree concert.

Not only a manifestation of Scandinavian roots and a love ode to the Nordic light feast, these songs also reflect a personal exploration through various traditions, a journey that we are sure resonates with many people. It has been very enriching to write and offer these songs to European as well as American audiences.

The original compositions integrate several ancient sources that have helped vessel and expand our reflections - How deep do our own roots go? How far can we dare to expand our connectedness to all things and to each other?

From the beginning, we imagined the concert as a communal celebration - an opportunity for people to come together. We decided we would request that the audience not applaud between songs, but rather, stay in quiet reflection - that is, until the final song, when everyone sings along.

The recording itself took place on March 9, 2019, in Damon Castillo’s Laurel Lane Studio in San Luis Obispo, California. Two concerts, two takes, with a live audience. It was essential that community was there to help us capture the presence, the concentration and the magic of the moment. We are deeply grateful to those in the room for the energy they all added to the recording.

To Wake You is a dance between the band’s two members, Danish Karoline Hausted and American Mark Davis. The songs on the new EP, Beauty In The Smallest Things, were written while the duo lived miles apart, preparing for a life together in no small part through musical dialogue and collaboration.

While there is contrast between the two writers - the expected feminine/masculine interplay, Hausted’s lilting Scandinavian folk influences meeting Davis’ rumbling American folk-rock sensibilities - the songs still live on the same planet. Beyond simple love songs, there is something else going on here, something pointed toward in the dreamy, layered quality - both sonically and lyrically - that unites the tracks. We’re in the land of wonder, of mystery, of the subconscious (think The Swell Season with a dash of Radiohead). It’s music to close your eyes to and travel.

Whether one is migrating into a new love or a new land, taking the plunge into the unknown brings both excitement and fear; one can feel suddenly awake, emotions open up, nature sparkles and speaks, yet it isn’t always a comfortable ride. To Wake You brings songs here that contain both these sides, but ultimately this music is an invitation to find beauty that wasn’t noticed before. It’s an offering from the romantics that we will be all right in doing so.

Shadowland’s ethereal folk pop sound combines the voices and instruments of four experienced songwriters. With musical roots in San Luis Obispo, Southern California and Denmark, Shadowlands is an expression of the universal language of music, the love of good songwriting and tasteful arrangements. Karoline Hausted’s distinctive piano and voice, Mark Davis’ solid guitar and vocals combine with Bob and Wendy Liepman’s expressive vocals, guitar, cello and mandocello. Accolades as separate artists include SLO New Times music awards, Album of the Decade and nomination for a Danish Grammy.

“This group writes literate, evocative, lovely songs…Prepare to be amazed by these award-winning songsmiths!” – Glen Starkey, New Times SLO “Your concert was one of the most beautiful soul stirring, heartfelt concerts I have ever been to. The words were so real, sweet, penetrating and soo much more. The instrumentation was woven together like a fine Turkish rug. The vocals and harmonies were Heaven sent – going straight to the heart.” – Valerie Johnson, a fan “This band is ready!!” – Alton DeHaan, KCPR Cal Poly Radio

Sweeping, intoxicating, dramatic and alluring piano-pop

All songs by Karoline Hausted © 2013 Karoline: Vocals, grand piano, keyboards, beat prog., track 2,4,6,8 Kent Olsen: Drums, beat prog., track 1,2,3,5,7,8 Søren Bigum: Guitar. Omnichord, track 9 Morten Jay Jakobsen: Bass Michael Gersdorff: Bass, track 3 Andreas Birk: Violin, bratsch, track 3 coL: Beat prog., track 5,7

Produced by Karoline Hausted and Kent Olsen Mixed by Kent Olsen at Safe and Sound, Copenhagen Mastered by Jon Astley at Close to the Edge, London With generous support from: DJBFA and MobileMusic Photos and Artwork by Daniel Taylor

Silence is the new loud

The new batch of songs from Karoline Hausted ‘Jeg tror jeg drømmer’ has come to be through years of honing a universe of subtle melancholy. ‘Jeg tror jeg drømmer’ features Danish lyrics, unlike her previous full album. But in the case of these beautiful soundscapes language quickly becomes a secondary factor, and one can easily submerse oneself into this music and simply let the lyrical content add to the haunting flavor.