Roar Dons would be over 60 before his album debut. Today, the new single "Unik" is released, written in collaboration with EDVARD award winner Ragnar Olsen - and with Anneli Drecker on the choir.
/ 22/02/2019 / Willy MartinsenRoar Dons would be over 60 before his album debut. Today, the new single "Unik" is released, written in collaboration with EDVARD award winner Ragnar Olsen - and with Anneli Drecker on the choir.
Name: Roar Dons
Age: 64
Current with: Single release on "Unik" Friday, February 22nd
TONO member since: 2017
What is your musical background?
I've always played and sang, at least as long as I can remember, but I don't have any formal musical training. As a kid, I stole my dad's guitar and snuck out to a garage in the neighborhood where the big boys played in bands. And I forced my older sister's boyfriend to teach me how to play. My first concert was when I was 12 years old when I played "The Times They Are A-Changin'". I was very proud of my vocals, guitar and harmonica, but I had no idea what I was singing about. I still have the newspaper clipping from back then!
What was the name of the first song you ever wrote, and what was it about?
"The Paris of the North". It is about the city of Tromsø, the nature, the culture and the people there.
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How do you work today? How does your music come about?
I like to make music in collaboration with others. I have a very good and close collaboration with Kjetil Holmstad-Solberg, who is a songwriter and vocalist in the band Violet Road, and with the poet and singer Ragnar Olsen. Kjetil and I spar on songs and content, and develop songs together. Ragnar has translated some of Kjetil's lyrics into Northern Norwegian. In addition, I have two producers in New York, Chris Cubeta and Gary Atturio at Studio G, with whom I have, among other things, made the latest single "Unik" together.
You have a slightly different story than most other new artists the public gets to know. How was your path into music?
I played a lot when I was young, and was actually named "Mayor of Vocals for Rock Bands" at the age of 13 in Tromsø in 1967, with the Pussycats themselves as judges. It was huge! When I got a little older, I traveled around Europe as a street musician one summer, and when I studied in Berlin for three years in the 80s, I actively played in underground clubs there. In the 90s, I was part of the vocal quartet "Plagiacci", and did many live and TV jobs. But everyday life and family life took over, and the idea that you have to have a "proper job" made me train as a physiotherapist/manual therapist, and later also made a career in the real estate industry and urban development. But the music was always there...
Then, when I turned 60, my wife challenged me to get going again. She organized a sold-out concert – “Roar Dons and Friends” – at Bastard Bar in Tromsø. I never had any doubts, and I haven’t looked back since. The concert featured, among others, Steinar Albrigtsen, who I played with a lot in the 80s. My “exchange brother” from the US, John Wright, who I “toured” Europe with in the old days, was also there. The concert was also released as a live album.
After that, things started moving quickly. I was ready to record my own music, and in February 2017 I recorded my first album "Natta er over" at Kysten studio in Tromsø. In the spring of 2017 we toured Northern Norway with the album, and also played a gig at The Thief in Oslo.
In the spring of 2018, my wife and I spent five months in New York where I met producers Chris Cubeta and Gary Atturio at Studio G in Brooklyn. Initially, the idea was to record 1-2 songs at Studio G, but we ended up with 11 songs, and in November 2018, the two producers visited Tromsø where we laid down the final vocal tracks at Kysten studio.
What kind of song is the new single?
The melody was written in New York with producers Chris Cubeta and Gary Atturio. I wrote the lyrics in collaboration with Ragnar Olsen here in Tromsø. This has been a long process, and the song is very special to me. I had a special person in mind when I wrote it, but the song is universal and applies to all of us. It is simply a love song to oneself. We all have challenges on different levels, physically or mentally, but you have to love yourself to find a way out of the challenges. So simple and at the same time so difficult! Even though everyone knows that "you are good enough as you are", it is still difficult for the person concerned to understand it. And I am very proud that Anneli Drecker sings "backing vocals" and Paul Simon's saxophonist, Andy Snitzer, plays the saxophone solo on the song.
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What does 2019 bring for you?
I'm currently working on a new album that will be released in the fall of 2019. All the songs were recorded in New York and Tromsø, and so far we've released two singles from the album. Hopefully there will be a tour as well, either in the fall or next spring.
What is the musical career highlight so far?
Getting to record my own music in a studio in Brooklyn was an absolutely amazing feeling. But also being on stage and touring here in Norway has been a highlight for me. It's absolutely amazing to be allowed to play my own songs for the audience.
Do you have an instrument or other equipment that is indispensable in the writing process?
The guitar is always by my side, but I also use the piano extensively in the process.
What do you do when you're not making music?
Having fun in Tromsø or traveling, and usually with the guitar too. I like skiing, being active, listening to music and enjoying good food and wine. I'm probably what you could call a bon vivant!
What is your greatest musical experience?
A little aside; when I proposed to my wife at a James Taylor concert in Berlin in 2012 (with Steve Gadd on drums)!
Is there anything we should have asked you about?
What are you doing for next year?
And what is the answer to that question?
I'm on tour with my new album!
Listen to Unique here: