Leiv Reed is not a musical moniker - although many might think that - but it's the name of a young hobo from a small village called Reed, by the fjords in the west of Norway. Performing mainly as a guitarist and songwriter in the traditional way, Leiv Reed takes his inspiration from philosophy, walking, Fernando Pessoa, John Fahey, Incredible String Band (Robin Williamson in particular) and Steve Reich, among other peoples and things.
His songwriting style is a process that starts with recording improvisations, and then removing the unwanted things and fitting the lyrical and melodical structures.
Most of his recorded songs have been produced and recorded selfaccompanied. Some collaborations with Jørgen Sandvik (Real Ones) and Bosse Litsheim (Ai Phoenix) has been caught on tape too, most notably on songs like Lazy, Sweet Mary, Hometown and Reveries Of A Gardengnome. Robert Jønnum did the recording of songs like Reveries Of A Gardengnome, Lazy and The Longer I Walk. Bjarte Johansen was in charge of the sound and the recording of songs like Sweet Mary (Yet Another Reverie), Troubles, and the first proper recoring of Lazy. All these can be found at last.fm, check link-section.
David Chelsom Vogt from Real Ones has called Reed “one of the most promising new songwriters from the Bergen area”, while Datarock’s Fredrik Saroea told Bergens Tidende that Leiv Reed should get Spellemannprisen (Norwegian Grammy).
Reed has opened for fine artists like Micah P. Hinson, Bobby Bare Jr., Alasdair Roberts, Jackie Leven among others, and has had an underground hit in Bergen with the single “Lazy”. |
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