128: Malin Pettersen
On Episode 128, I'm joined by Norwegian singer-songwriter Malin Pettersen for this episode. She has this new album called Wildhorse that's officially out Friday, October 16. I really enjoyed this conversation with Malin about the writing and recording process of Wildhorse, which takes a pretty big leap sonically from her previous release, the 2019 EP Alonesome. As the title alludes, that EP was a bare-bones acoustic effort. With Wildhorse, she really returns to a warm, rich full-band sound. It's really one of the album's strengths. Recorded in Nashville, Malin and company--an all-star cast of notable Nashville players--capture a gorgeously warm and vibrant album that draws from '70s Countrypolitan, sunny California & Laurel Canyon country-folk, and the rich moods and tones of the South in a Bobbie Gentry Delta Sweete kind of way.
During this interview, we talk about writing and recording the album, traveling back and forth between the US and Norway, the cultural exchange of traditional ballads and folk songs, the personal growth found within Wildhorse, being a voiceover actress (she was recently Kacey Musgraves in the Norwegian version of Scooby-Doo).
This episode's presenting partner is Desert Door Texas Sotol and The Blue Light Live.
Interview Transcript
Note: Transcripts aren’t always accurate since they are computer automated and haven’t been edited for spelling, grammar, etc.
Thomas Mooney 0:02
Everyone, welcome back. This is new slang. I'm your host music journalist Thomas Mooney. We're kicking off this week being joined by Norwegian singer songwriter Malin Pettersen. I watched a YouTube video where she introduces herself like four times try to get it right because it's so easy just to you know, Americanize Her name is Malin Peterson. So anyways, she's releasing a new album called Wild Horse. That is out October 16. I really enjoyed talking with Marlon about the record and her being from Norway and, and being introduced to Americana, quote unquote, Americana and country music. And obviously this new album here wildhorse, it is a great listen. But I do think there is some added value in her not having that typical country, Americana artists background, it would most certainly be a good album, still, if she was from, you know, California or the Carolinas or something. But her having that atypical background being from and living still in Norway. I think it contributes to this earnest love and appreciation for country music that sometimes we don't see as insiders. You know, it's easy to take things for granted when you're surrounded by them. And it's only whenever someone else points them out that you actually can see that beauty. You hear that in a lot of these songs that have this like really rosy glow to them. Songs like California or Arkansas or wild horse dream, or Let's go out. And of course, at the same time, I think it's important to hear artists like Marlon because they are a testament that even when you're you can, you're from another part of the world. There's that universal truth within this music and that we can all relate to these things, regardless of where you're from. They're an essential aspect of the human condition. And as I've said about 100 times now being genuine is way more important than being authentic. And Marlon has that in spades. I really consider this album to be kind of a journey album. There's that physical movement in traveller songs like California and Arkansas. But then there's that age and growth in songs like the closing standout song Queen of the meadow. And then of course, like there's other examples like hometown or wild horse dream that are really in both camps. And through it all. There's like this beautiful richness to the album Sonic palette, there's a warmth to the songs that that's captured. You fill the room and the bleed between instruments. I think you can hear that. California Laurel Canyon sunshine on songs like let's go out and Arkansas. While there's more of that iconic Nashville sound on songs like hometown or Mr. Memory. This is just a really great record. It's out this Friday. Today's presenting sponsor is desert door Texas Soto. If you know anything about me, it's probably that I'm from the heart of West Texas and absolutely love everything about West Texas. And that's really why I love desert door so much. You may be asking yourself what exactly SoTL is, well, it's a premium spirit that's similar to a tequila or a Moscow, but for my money. It's a little bit more refined and smooth. There's a sweetness and faint hints of vanilla and citrus and it's also as versatile as your garden variety vodka. At its core desert door is authentically West Texas, they go out and harvest Soto plants from the wild and bring them back to their distillery over in driftwood, Texas. So next time you're at your local liquor store, get a bottle of desert door. For more info, check this episode's show notes. If this is your first time listening to new slang, I strongly suggest hitting that subscribe link. If you just did, I'm giving you a virtual High Five right now. New slang is over on iTunes, Spotify, Google podcast, Stitcher, radio, and basically any and everywhere you listen to podcasts. Go check out the new slang merch store. Grab a koozie some stickers, buttons and magnets. Any bit helps, I'll throw a link into the show notes. And if you're into playlist, go check out Tom Rooney's cup of coffee and the neon Eon playlist over on Spotify. The neon Neon is for all your nostalgic 90s country needs, which there's going to be more neon Eon related stuff coming your way pretty soon. And then Tom mooneyes cup of coffee is a regularly updated mix of new Americana and country music. It's also a really great hint as to who I have coming up on the podcast. So yeah, go follow those. Right. I think that wraps it up here. Let's get on to the interview here is Marlon Patterson.
You have this new record coming out here in just a couple or next week. I'm gonna say a couple weeks but it's literally next week. And yes, um, yeah, so like, this year has just been so strange. I have been starting all these off with how has the pandemic switch made you like switch gears and adapt for releasing an album?
Malin Pettersen 5:19
Oh, wow, it's, you know, I was looking at a pretty busy year. And when everything kind of happened really fast I was in the States. I was in New York, and on in one day went from Yeah, sure, just stay and, you know, go to Austin and do I was supposed to do South by Southwest and I had decided to go there, even if the festival was canceled, before you know, stuff really started getting bad. And then one day went from Yeah, sure, it's gonna be fine. Just be careful till you need to come home. Right now, when I did it, and you know, as I was on the flight, Trump started shutting down for international travel to the states. So that was like probably one of the last planes that actually came to pick people up. And then I went home and just stayed indoors with my two kids and my guy for like, four months, which was crazy. And what was good for me, I felt really fortunate, because instead of, you know, having an album release that was supposed to be in April, which would have been just, I would have had to change gears really fast. It was kind of, Okay, this is happening, I do have singles coming out, but I can promote those online. And you know, do interviews like this. And I still have a lot of time to plan for a different kind of album release. And so that's kind of what I tried to do. I, I'm not really good at change, when when there's like, huge change like that. And I know that with about myself. So I decided really early on that you cannot think about or dwell with the fact like, what if I did get to go to South by Southwest? What if I did meet all of these people? And what if I could go out on tour? She's like, you can't you cannot think about that at all. You just have to switch gears right now and start, you know, just acting what the situation is. And for me, I think that was important.
Thomas Mooney 7:41
Yeah, it's so weird, because obviously, with especially like in music, everything is tied, more so to touring than anything else now. And, you know, it's like, we used to go on tour because you released a record and now you release record. So you can go on tour, right? You can. So it's so weird. Like, I remember you. Like the whole south by thing, right? Whenever, like the quote unquote, official south by was canceled. Yeah, it was such a like, Oh, I can't believe they've done it. And now looking back, you're kind of like, Oh, they were like, ahead of the game on that. And know that. That's just kind of like, because I remember, I was interviewing some friends here in Lubbock. They're playing a show at the blue light. And like, I guess probably about an hour or so before we started talking. That's when they announced and they were kind of like, Oh, I had like so many gigs lined up. And yeah, you know, like, the drummer had a bunch of stuff lined up. And well, I guess there's probably still going to be a south by just because, you know, there. That's just there's so many unofficial shows, and so many unofficial showcases, and parties and all that stuff. And then it just all evaporated within a week. And that's there's no other way to explain it other than it was just, it's just so surreal to think like, Is this real? Like?
Malin Pettersen 9:10
I know, I know. It's like you're like you say it's so weird to look back at. And, you know, reading my I had a post on Instagram, which was like, I'll go and I'll you know, I'll do the best from what it punctuation is going to be. I'll be careful. I'll play for 10 people. I don't care. I just wouldn't go there. And now it's just like, what? Like, what were you thinking? But we didn't know right? We did not know how crazy it was going to be.
Thomas Mooney 9:40
Yeah,
Malin Pettersen 9:40
I'm just glad I got on that plane because that was like I could have been stranded. Yeah,
Thomas Mooney 9:48
that would have been probably like one of those like bottom 10 stories as far as like, How much? Yeah, everyone's pandemic quarantine sucks, but like You being stuck here in the US without your family just like I guess probably having to rent some kind of Airbnb apartment or that's so weird to think about what that would have been was a desktop. Why would that would have been your first south by experience or
Malin Pettersen 10:18
would have been Yeah, it would have been my first official showcase. I've been to Austin While South by has been going on. And but I have never actually attended or been showcasing earnest. But I've always wanted to do it like ever since I was a kid and people told me about it. And I the one of the first people that I or the first person that I met that I became friends with from the States was Brendan Lee. And she used to live in Austin at the time. And he or she would talk about Austin, and then I would meet Beth Chrisman and the people that she played with the Kurt Carper family, Melissa Carper. And Jen, and it was just it sounded like a magical place to me. And I was like, they have this huge festival, I want to go I need to play there. Like I need to go and just live in that atmosphere. And now it was finally going to happen.
Yeah, no,
Thomas Mooney 11:17
but it's also I guess, like what? For you, I know you're you're an established artist, and you've been playing for forever. But for the American audience, you're very much still like breaking in. And like, I was talking with this girl the other day about her moving to Nashville, and like, you know, releasing our first EP and like, you kind of just scrape away all those things that you took for granted that you moved to Nashville to begin with, and it feels like I guess like you your awareness raises where for someone like me who goes, Oh, you know it like South by is actually still important for artists like you who are coming in and are playing for larger crowds and, and just getting a lot more have the American experience, I guess I don't know, like playing in like the Americana fest stuff, the like, all those kinds of more industry pushing things like those.
Malin Pettersen 12:22
Yeah, and I think, you know, when I, when I tweeted that, like, Oh, it's canceled, and I'm not gonna hide it, I am really sad about it. Somebody tweeted back being like, Well, you know, it's not that important. Like, it's not an important thing anymore, kind of or something like that. And I was like, wait, well, for me, I wouldn't I don't get to meet those industry people all like, I don't live there. I don't they don't come to Norway all the time, I can't randomly, you know, meet some pretty important person that maybe, yeah, it's not going to break me, or, like, make me be able to pay my rent. But it's still like, you can meet people who can help you with, you know, booking or to further develop what you're trying to do. And that's why it's important. And that's why it's really important to be in the states and have a presence there. And you know, meet all these people that back here. I need all these people here. But that's because I I live here and so if I want to do the same somewhere else, I need to also be there and meet those people in person and make connections. Mm hmm.
Thomas Mooney 13:31
Yeah. It's it's like one of those things. Where are you going to meet that person? And they're going to make you a star? No, probably not. Because like, that's just, it's so random like that, but meeting that person and getting the face to face. later down the line. Like when you say Do you know this person? You can go? Yeah, I met them at and like it just, I think those little those little, even a five minute conversation can go a long way to giving that face. Like, I don't know, so it's a I, I know that for myself, like, since south by has been just kind of like in the backyard. And you kinda like, go there, and you go and you're like, oh, the crowd is awful. And like the traffic's awful Who are all these people? You can get turned off by all that but then like something like this, you go oh, you know, like Actually, this still is still is important. This is still like a Yeah, something so um, yeah. So like, obviously you've been home. You I think like if you asked every songwriter what they need, or what they would want. This time last year, they would go Oh, just time to write. And then of course, you're granted all this time, but it's not the same. It's not like so like, what I guess like what is that been like for you as far as adapting to a time where like you do have, quote unquote free time. Back in the house family, raising kids, all that stuff. But then I guess trying to fit in songwriting and art in general.
Malin Pettersen 15:15
It's been a weird adaption thing where in the beginning, I was very optimistic. I was like, Yes, I'll start writing a new album, like, I'll, I'll really get into it. I'll learn all these cool things on guitar, and it'll be amazing. And then three weeks later, I was like, I haven't even picked up my guitar, like I, it just, there was something about well, first of all, you know, the kids were home, and I needed to put glitter on stuff with them. And then it was kind of, you know, in the way that I work, I seldomly get to take actual time off. Like, even time off is potentially time where you could get some important email that you need to answer or something that you need to fix somebody you need to call to make something happen, or blah, blah, or you know that there's always something that you should do to further promote what you're doing. So it was like, I couldn't even do that, like, there was nothing to promote, there was no show, there was still like, the first single from the new album was still a long ways away, it wasn't happening yet. And so I was suddenly here with all this time, and not really, I think my brain was like, wait, you can now just take time away from your everyday life, which is writing music and doing music, and thinking about music 99% of the time. And instead, I kind of started getting all of these other creative ideas. So I started buying, like, DIY, things like things to make with my hands, and started to think about merge ideas and how to make my own merge, instead of printing and making stuff that you know, is what you normally do, which I probably will in the future too. But I was trying to kind of make something of my own. And I suddenly had time to, to like, listen to books, as I listened to them. I haven't really read much. But I listened to a lot of books, listen to books about philosophy, and science, which is like are huge themes that I'm very interested in. And I started drawing. And so suddenly, I was finding all of these sites to myself that I haven't really explored since I was maybe in my early 20s. And it felt really nice, it felt like I was able to be a whole person, again, with several interests and several things to go into, instead of just the music part. Because in my everyday life, that's kind of all I can afford to really put a lot of energy into. So that's been really nice. And I what I have done is I've learned some songs that I've been wanting to learn for a long time, like some classic country songs, and I have rehearsed a little bit of like guitar technique. And I but I what I can feel now as I'm starting to soon play some tiny shows again, and releasing the album, I can kind of feel inspiration coming back again, and I hope, but there are a lot of interesting thoughts and ideas that have been, you know, filling up that are just magically come out now and turn into great songs.
Thomas Mooney 18:48
Yeah, yeah, well, it's interesting to see like, a lot of people who have kind of, I hate to call it writer's block, because I think if you if you if you challenge yourself enough, you can get past the writer's. But it's very easy to kind of just waste time and like, stress, or like, you know, just be stressed out about what's around us, that whole thing that you're talking about, like we're there's so many things that are out of your hands now. And it's been nice to see a lot of people go back to these original kind of inspirations. You mentioned drawing and stuff like that. Like, that's been. I think a lot of people have started doing that too, to just find another outlet. And yeah, it all kind of I think like if you start working with your hands usually, like that's usually the time whenever you're able to find these ideas that because you're just kind of just thinking, right, you're just stuff that you can do that you that you're not like super thinking about whatever it is. But you can just Daydream, and think Seems like that all plays into
Malin Pettersen 20:04
I totally agree. And I also, what I found is, even though I know that, you know, music and doing this is always going to be a huge effort, like, it's always going to, you know, cost money and time and effort and really hard work. I've also found that it's okay to maybe also do something else. And I want to try to save more time for that. If society you know, eventually here in Norway has started to open up a bit more, because we've had low numbers, though, it's starting to spike again. So you know, there might be a lockdown again. But I kind of want to try to remember what it felt like to have nothing to do. And just keep that feeling with me. So that you know, every now and then when things starts getting busy again, I can maybe sit down in the couch and think you know, just for tonight, just relax. Forget about the other stuff. Draw drawing like it doesn't have to be good. It doesn't have to be anything just like, do something else and let your brain relax and use some other part of yourself. Because that's been really, it's been good for my health. Yeah.
Thomas Mooney 21:25
This episode is in part brought to you by the blue light live here in Lubbock, Texas, there is a way to help a support blue light, and B, get a sense of that normalcy by visiting blue light, loving, calm, clicking on the merge tab, and getting some koozies a vast array of T shirts and caps, and yes, even a blue light flag. While it is such a bummer that live music is still on hold right now. I'm telling you, by getting some blue light live merge, we're gonna feel better, it just feels better wearing a T shirt and ballcap and helping support your favorite bar. Again, that's blue light lubbock.com. Click on the merge tab, get some merge. All right, back to the episode. A lot of the songs It feels like this is like a traveling record. Right. And like a journey album kind of, especially I guess, using the America as like a lens for journey for a journey. Obviously, you're you've recorded this in Nashville. Yeah, I guess for starters, like, were you? Did you get everything done before the lockdown happened and everything like that before having to go?
Malin Pettersen 22:40
Yeah, we were very, I'm so happy that we did. Like it's very, very, you know, that would have been horrible if we were like, halfway done or something. But yeah, it was done in two batches in 2019. So in February and September 2019. And, yeah, it's definitely it's kind of a journey album. And I did not know that at the, like, when we started recording it. But it was very clear, as we were moving through the songs, that it was, and that a lot of the songs that I had been written lately, and a lot of the songs that I chose to take into that session word songs that in some form, talked about, you know, traveling, if it could, you know, very specifically be like being on a plane, or driving through California, but also, you know, my journey through life with you know, battling a lot of thoughts that I think a lot of young people and also older people can struggle with. I know I still do, but that you know, that you also learn a lot of things through that journey, which you know, can help you as you grow older. And, and the final song on the album is about my own funeral. So that's kind of that's the end of that journey. But yeah,
Thomas Mooney 24:08
yeah, that song right there. I read that like a lot of it was also inspired by your grandparents, right? Yeah, I think like that's such a especially like the queen in the meadow, like on your gravestone and all that stuff that is such a I don't know like it's just like a beautiful lasting image and, but it also feels like it's, it ties back to like a time where we had more like open landscape and stuff like that, or the meadows and fields. Yeah,
Malin Pettersen 24:41
that's that's the beautiful thing about where my grandparents lived and where my dad grew up, which is a tiny island. It's you're not allowed to drive a car there are just tractors and like four wheelers. And there are wild flowers everywhere. And Queen of the meadow is if you because there's a little fairy that you have to take to this island. And when you get off of that ferry, if it's at the very right time during summer, in July and early August, you'll be kind of met by the smell from this flower, Queen of the meadow, which just grows everywhere. And I didn't, I started kind of researching this flower because I wanted to write something about it. And now I've learned that you can make like drinks from it, and you can make ice cream and jello and stuff like that. So I started to kind of make stuff that I hope that I can sell as very luxurious mirch luxuries, meaning just that it's going to be few items. Yeah.
Thomas Mooney 25:55
Yeah, what does it taste like? What's? Well,
Malin Pettersen 25:58
it's it's like an all mini vanilla. But still some some taste and smell that's very unique to that specific flower. It's different, but it's like, sweet, but also a little stinky. I don't know. It's great. It's like the best smell in the world. I personally think at least
Thomas Mooney 26:26
Yeah, I love that. Like we, you can't drive a vehicle on the on the like, here in Lubbock. If they outlawed trucks tomorrow, you could still do that, because everyone has a tractor or a four wheeler. Or the amazing the, you know, the cliche, everyone could ride a horse somewhere, like, very much like people would bitch about, like not having their trucks in their cars. But yeah, they would be able to make it easily.
Malin Pettersen 26:58
That's amazing.
Thomas Mooney 26:59
So I've just really also loved like, seeing America through like a different lens, a different perspective, because like, obviously, you didn't grow up here. And I think that so often, when you're not from a place, or when you're when you are from a place, you take everything for granted. And then it's like not until someone from an outside perspective can point out the cool things are like the, like the romanticized aspects of it. And I really love some of those. Those things that you point out in throughout this record as far as like, looking at America. So especially like, you know, obviously that opener, like that's like, not just you as, as now like, that's kind of like your lens through as a as a child as
Malin Pettersen 27:52
well. Yeah. Yeah, that was California is definitely a song where I had been to, you know, I've been to Texas, and I had been to New York, and I've been to Nebraska, but I'd never been to California until four, three years ago. And I didn't really know what it was like, I thought it would be servitudes and La ish. And we went, like, we drove for three weeks, we went to San Francisco, Yosemite, LA, of course, and all the way like, in between. And I was just, I was blown away by the nature. I was it felt like several countries and one state I was, I was Yeah, it just really it literally, not literally, that would have been crazy, but it really blew my mind. And, um, and also a lot of American history is so present there. And we went to different sites where the history and you know, the the culture of Native Americans were was very present. And it was very easy to imagine what their lives might have been like, before the Europeans came and did what they did. And it just, it there was so many emotions, and there were so many things that that I just felt like I needed to write something about and try to describe and I'm very one I'm very, very happy about when it comes to that song is the way that the guys in the studio and how we were able to kind of wrap that into the warm kind of soundscape that they created, which I feel helps to paint kind of that golden surrounding that I wanted to have that lyric be bathe in kind of.
Thomas Mooney 29:55
Yeah, like this, this record very much It feels like that. That kind of like that. Mid 70s not necessary, like that wall of sound but like where you are surrounded by the I kind of like think about it like as like some tall grass and like you got the overhanging trees and like yeah, like that richness of, of the, um, I guess like what a lot of people would consider country music like that brand of like the the Bobbie Gentry kind of Glen Campbell. Yeah, more that kind of stuff.
Malin Pettersen 30:30
Yeah, I, it makes me very happy when when people say that. And that's what I really wanted. I love to record live when I do band stuff. And we were in a pretty small room and recorded. Every, you know, most of all the songs were recorded live, also the vocal, we have to do some vocal afterwards as well, because of like, tired voice and stuff like that. But the fact that we were in the same room with not a lot of space between us, makes every instrument very tied together in all of the mics. And it makes the sound very, I think, very rich, and also very, kind of present in the same moment and the same, you know, going the same place, because we're naturally like following each other. And I don't think we consciously went into it being like, we want it to sound like a 70s National Country Album. But I do think that that studio is very much a 70s kind of studio. And we love, we really love the warm sounds that we got from every instrument. And so we went with that. And I think the, you know, one of the words that we use the most when we try to describe what it feels like or sounds like his vibe, like it's a vibey thing. And that's not a very specific word. But it's, it's kind of the best one that I can come up with. And I had listened to a lot of Bobbie Gentry before.
Thomas Mooney 32:10
Yeah, like, what a lot of like that live presence is where you, you do have that bleed over from other instruments. And, you know, there's not, you can't go back and take that out. It's just it's part of it. And obviously, like that, that creates, it helps create all that warmth. But also I what I always kind of go to is, you know, you guys are in the same room and there's the the eye contact, there's being able to read one another is so, so important. It's it's as close to kind of playing like a live show as possible. So,
Malin Pettersen 32:48
absolutely. And with all these songs, like we didn't know what songs we were doing, until we met up in that studio and kind of decided what song to start with. So we figured all of these songs out as we went, like, we took each song, played it a little bit, tried to figure out what to do with it and recorded it from the very beginning what we did, and so what i what i kind of hope is that even though people can point a finger at exactly what's creating the feel of it, I hope that what they're hearing is a bunch of people or five people in a room, kind of, you know, if somebody did a small mistake, or if somebody like, fell over something that we all kind of laughed silently and nobody, like, the small you know exactly what you're saying, like the eye contact, the fact that we were looking at each other and, and, and really following each other and moving towards the same place. And for me, I every time I listen or hear one of the songs from the album, I'm directly put back into that room. And I can you know, I can smell it and see it and feel it. And I hope it can create some kind of place in other people's minds to
Thomas Mooney 34:05
wait. Okay, so you mentioned how you, you more or less didn't know, like, Oh, these are the 11 songs we're doing. And this is how we're doing all that kind of so there was not a whole lot of the pre production aspect of it. It was more spur of the moment. Okay, so like, how, how many songs did you start out with that you that were maybe in the basket that you went like, Okay, and now let's we're slowly dwindling him down to a record.
Malin Pettersen 34:35
So I think because I sent some songs and the guy sent some songs and this is actually the first album that I'm doing where I'm doing two non original songs, but some of that to the other guys wrote. And so I guess I sent them like a folder with maybe maybe 20 songs. 15 No. 20 I think maybe up close. Started 20. And some of them were just ideas there were they weren't done. And I guess I got like, maybe 10 from them from there. So there was quite a big batch of songs. And then when we met up in the studio, we kind of wrote, or Aaron, and I think maybe the guys have done this before I came there, that written out kind of a place to like, these are the songs that are the easiest to kind of start out with just to see like how we're getting on and to set all the sounds and stuff. And they start out their favorites. And they had some different favorites. And I had some favorites. And we just started kind of on top of the list where somebody had a favorite song. And like, let's just try this. And then we would jump from kind of favorite to favorite. And so some songs would naturally not be tested because they were nobody's favorite. And some songs that were maybe somebody's favorite didn't get tested, because you know, we ended up working a lot on the other songs. And so that's kind of how we just went on doing this. And I had also said before we started that, because it was kind of a pressure to go somewhere else that's so far away, and have a goal to finish an album. So I told them that let's just see what we end up with. Like it can be one song, it can be an EP, it can be an album, but let's spend as much time as we feel that we need on every song. And then kind of what we ended up, end up with. And towards the end of the first batch of recordings. That was in February 2019, we saw that we were close to having enough songs for an album. And that made us kind of like, okay, we have to make that happen, because we're very, very close. And I decided to come back in September because I was going back for Americana fest. And I had written a small batch of new songs, because I felt like you know, maybe we need this or that. And and I was very fortunate to go back and finish everything together with guys in the studio. But it was very much of a like, let's try this song and see what happens. And yeah, there's a lot of fun. And also the guys were before I went there. Misa who was one of the producers, he called me he was like, so what's like, what references do we have here? Like, what do you want this album to be? Like? What should we listen to before we go into the studio, and I had been in that studio once before, a full night of just jamming out with those guys. So what I said was, I just want us in that studio, together, play music. And that's just kind of what was the goal?
Thomas Mooney 37:59
Yeah, it feels very organic. And it feels like a very organic process. I think like what what's really, because I feel like okay, so obviously, this is a destination record, if you will, a destination recording process. Yeah. And, like you said, like, putting the parameters on that, by itself can create a bunch of pressure as far as like, if you say, like, I'm recording a record, and we got to get it all done in these days, x days. And then, you know, you feel like, the The time is just clicking by so rapidly. You kind of saying like, let's just approach it, if we get one song out of this, if we get an EP kind of like takes all the pressure out of the room. I feel like probably in hindsight, that has to feel like one of the key decisions that kind of helped create those vibes.
Malin Pettersen 38:59
Yeah, I think you're right. And I'm not. It's not often that at least I get that luxury of going in the studio and not really knowing what I'm making. Because you know, it's, it costs money. And if I go in the studio here, it's very much, we start at 10 we're done at six. And we're go back at it tomorrow. And we need to do this song and this song and blah, blah, blah, blah. And so one of the kind of fortunate things too, was while I'm going here, it's going to cost money anyways because, you know, the flight, the place to live and the studio everything's already paid for and it's going to be it's as a you know, personal journey and experience as well as a professional one. This was a an important journey for me and an important thing for me to do to kind of get better at what I try to be. And so it was like it's it's this is going to be I'm very cliche, but the process is the goal here, not necessarily getting a new album to, you know, promote and release. But I'm very, very happy that it did end up with an album. And I do think the relaxed atmosphere around it was very much a helpful thing to make it as creative. And as Yeah, yeah, creative as it turned out to be?
Thomas Mooney 40:27
Well, also, how much does it help where since previous projects, you're essentially you're going back home, it's close, always kind of probably in the back of your mind, is that sense of home sense of, Oh, you know, I gotta, like, did I pay the water bill? Or, you know, whatever, you know, that kind of thing? How important was it to that? You know, you are you go to Nashville, and with that soul thing in mind, and like, it's, essentially, that's all you're there for, is we're cutting a record, how much did that help, just like, just were, that's the Our intention is to cut songs. So I'm not necessarily worried about other things.
Malin Pettersen 41:15
It definitely, definitely helped. And, you know, the, the I, me and my guy, we talk a lot about this, whenever I go to the states to work, we, instead of trying to make work, and a family vacation happened together, at the same time, we've kind of established that it's better for me to go and work. And then for them to come after, and to have 100% family time. And as much as I know that it's not an easy thing to be home alone with two kids and everything that that, you know, contains it really, it's very important for me to make the time away, count. So if I'm going to go away for two weeks, I need to make those two weeks really count. And that means trying to not think about anything else, while not trying to just not focusing on like you say like, did I pay that bill? Or did I remember to buy bread? And of course, you're always going to miss your family and keep in contact with them and make sure that they're all right. But you need to kind of focus on what you do. Because if not, you would just be leaving them for and waste time. That's like that would be unfair. And so I think it's worked out really well and it's it's made it so that I could use that time in the studio more effectively and be in the studio for longer days than I would have if I weren't away.
Thomas Mooney 42:59
Yeah, I feel like it's it's all those little things like I need to go get gas I need to go grocery shopping. I do the dishes I need to take the trash out. All those things are what's what you just need to cut out
Malin Pettersen 43:11
right? Absolutely. I do remember I do remember having one thing that was kind of on my mind, but that was very much an us thing because I don't at the at the when I was there to record I didn't have a driver's license. I just got mine. And there's you know, I was living off of a street off of Gallatin pike or Avenue. I can't remember Gallatin and, and I didn't have a car so I couldn't go to like a nice cafe and get food or to buy like, nice breakfast and stuff like that. So I had to like walk to a Kroger. And just like get some plastic packed weird food before I went to the studio and people like have you eat and I was like, yep. This is pretty gross rap that was dry and weird. But yeah, I've had food. And yeah, that was kind of that was like an everyday challenge for me. Yeah, I
Thomas Mooney 44:13
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Malin Pettersen 45:23
oh, they're there?
Thomas Mooney 45:24
I'm sure there's big things. But I'm sure like, what are some of the smaller little like,
Malin Pettersen 45:30
Oh, I just, I just think, you know, the infrastructure is very, is very different. We have a lot of buses and trams and subways and ways to get around, that's very easy to like, if you're in the suburbs, or in like, there's going to be a cafe or something very close to you where you can, you know, go grocery shopping, or go and get some food or coffee and stuff like that. So that's it's been very convenient for a person that doesn't drive. And you know, being there and I remember also living at the same place, they were like, yeah, you know, the Legion is like two blocks away, but you cannot walk there. I was like, okay, like, you will get, like, assaulted. I don't know if that's true. I don't know if that's true. But it was still like it was a very different you know, I had to kind of adapt and my, my, my lift bill was very high. But yeah, and also Oh, hard seltzer. That was like, that's the thing, where it's I think it's just kind of came to Norway. I've never Yeah, hard seltzer was a weird.
Thomas Mooney 46:42
We'll see. What's so funny about that, too, is like, it was that it's a new thing for us to like, yeah, the last few years, which is so like you just like hard. White claws just kind of became a thing. Yeah.
Unknown Speaker 46:54
Yeah.
Thomas Mooney 46:55
What is this? Like? Okay, I guess like water.
Malin Pettersen 46:58
But with alcohol.
Thomas Mooney 47:00
Yeah. And I guess like we were familiar. We've had like topo, Chico and like, yeah, that kind of water forever. People have been mixing drinks with that forever. But all of this. The hard seltzer explosion is such a Yeah. strangeness in in this time, too. It's I need to get a sponsorship. There's plenty of Yeah, testers out there to sponsor so. Yeah, so one of the things I was wanting to talk to you about too, is talking with a lot of American bands who go over to Europe, they always talk about how crowds are usually a lot more attentive, they're a lot more intentional for, if you're going to show you're going to a show and watching. And I'm assuming a lot more like theater type of shows more intimate type of smaller shows, or, you know, the bigger festival type of things. While here in America, so many venues are tied to, to to bars, and hockey talks, and dives and all that kind of stuff. So like, what is it like going the other way around? Like the was there? I don't know. I don't want to say like a learning curve. But was there like a sense of like that coming vice versa?
Malin Pettersen 48:22
Oh, I definitely. And also, you know, it's, it's different when, you know, when I play a show here, I normally know, kind of what kind of crowd, there's going to be at the show because I know, the general, I'm going to call MMA person ish, what they're going to be like and what they're going to like, I mean, you never know 100%, but you kind of know that that's the crowd that's going to be there. Whilst in the States, unless you're playing, you know, the Legion, which, you know, they're going to be country fans, of course. Or if you're playing at some other place where, you know, that's kind of the main thing. You it's, it's difficult for, at least for me as an outsider to recognize kind of social markers for like, what kind of person are you what kind of like, do you do like talking in between songs? Do you not is that frown like a bad thing? Or are you just quite kind of type or, you know, it's reading people is a lot different. So when you're in that kind of like a bar environment. Here in Norway, I would know if it was a bar where you would tell people to be quiet, if they're talking. Or if it's a place where you kind of know that people are just going to get really drunk and talk over the music and you kind of just have to accept it. If you're going and you know, not just in the States, but anywhere else you don't know that about the venue that you're playing. You don't know if people suddenly you know start dancing and screaming and hollering and you can't really like Say, Hey, is this kind of weird? Like, do they not like us or because maybe that's just what they do for, like, any concert that they go to. Yeah. But I also will say that unless you're traveling on work visa, you can't really play that many shows in the States, you know, I've done, you know, showcases and stuff like that, and things where you can't really make any money. So I also think that I have a lot to, I still have a long, you know, a pretty steep curve, that hopefully, I was working on my working visa before COVID. And so hopefully, when things start opening up again, I'll start working on that and actually doing like, a proper tour. And, and I'll report back to you.
Thomas Mooney 50:47
Yeah, I know, like, I've a lot of bands who have gone over to the European tours, they always talk about just how typically attentive a crowd is like, they're just intentionally listening. And here, you can play and what's weird is like, I know, there's plenty of places where the difference between a night as far as like a week, like if it's a Wednesday, yeah, to a Thursday, can make all the difference in the same exact place.
Malin Pettersen 51:21
Yeah. And I think you're it also depends on if the band if the benzo region, I think people, you know, it's more of an everyday thing, like, yeah, we're going to this show, and it's gonna be cool. But it's like we can we can hear these people the next time they play in, in Oslo, too. So you know, but if it's an American artist, or an artist from some other country that you, you know, that like, wow, this person or this band is coming here, you don't buy a ticket to that show, and then talk over the show. Like, there's going to be kind of a different kind, I think of, of expectation from the audience, that that kind of thing for like us to be quiet. And we're gonna listen now, because this is the one chance
Thomas Mooney 52:09
Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. Now, actually, now that you say that make sure. Well, you know, like, also, what I was wanting to talk to you about is like, the so this has probably been the thing that I've been thinking about most, as far as what I knew I was going to talk to you. And that's like, I guess exchange of, of I'm going to use, quote, American music because, you know, like, 90% of American music is based off of African and European music. And like, you know, obviously, it comes here, it morphs and transitions and blends, and it goes off into these different things and becomes American music. But you know, there has to be a lot of stuff that you kind of recognize as, as far as like, Oh, you know, that traditional country song sounds a whole lot like this traditional folk song that people here have been playing for 100 years? Yeah, is there a lot of that, that you can like that, that if you go if you if you do I guess enough homework or if you're well in tuned enough that you that you can make a lot of those connections. Um,
Malin Pettersen 53:29
I think you can definitely do certain connections, I think that you would have to you would have to research it to find those very specific examples. But I have I talked about Beth Chrisman earlier, and I remember her telling me, she's from Alaska. She's a fiddle player. And she told me that when she was when she start, you know, learned fiddle and went to this, fiddle Master, and Alaska are no cold. She was she would actually learn, you know, songs that originated from, I think, specifically Norway, and also, you know, the Nordic countries. And that would that, you know, that blew my mind. It was such a specific example of how music traveled, and how you know, now keeps traveling. And I also have a friend and colleague, she plays what's called the hard muted fiddle, which is a specific kind of fiddle that has like double layers of strings. And I asked her about this, like, do you know if there are there are a lot of kind of crossover and she said that there were what we call spend them playing people who went to the states immigrated, and that you can still you know, find traces of different fiddle tunes. And also I have a radio show on channel here in Norway. About country and Americana and American music and that's made me look more into this. And I have to say it's I, I wish that a lot of the history and the things that you find as soon as you start reading about it, I wish that was more known, like, not just about European music or Norwegian music and American music, but about the African. Like, the how important the African music was for what's been thought of weirdly as a white genre. Right. And I just feel like it's so if we can, you know, talk about that more openly, and, and which I feel is happening, you know, at the moment in the world, I hope that people can feel that it's not as far between us as a lot of people maybe have thought.
Thomas Mooney 55:50
Yeah, well, obviously, like the banjo that originates in Yeah, in like, the the heart of Africa. Right. And, you know, it's I think it's this weird thing, where so much of country music is tied to tradition, but it's like, a certain tradition, and it's like, kind of the whitewash tradition. And it's Yeah, but but at the end of the day, too, it's like, also, if people just didn't know who was playing it, they'd go, Oh, this is the same thing. Like, and, yeah, yeah,
Malin Pettersen 56:22
I even read. And that was, you know, I felt so naive. And rightly so, when I read this, that someone said that, you know, even when white people and black people had bands together, mid century, a lot of festivals, and places where you could play would be segregated. And if not, by law, it would be so socially. So you know, even if you had a band where they were either, you know, all black, or if they had a black member, they wouldn't be like they wouldn't want, like, they wouldn't be welcome. And that the same thing for the audience. If they maybe wanted to go to these festivals, they didn't feel safe. And so, you know, the white musicians prospered and went on tours, and, you know, did all of these things and played all of these places and went to all of these festivals that as as an audience, and looked at each other and went, you know, oh, yeah, this is a white jar. And I was like, No. Yeah. And I, that's not I feel like, yeah, that's something that needs to be communicated.
Thomas Mooney 57:23
Yeah, well, you can just tie that down to, you mentioned the infrastructure aspect. If I can, like, go on tour and rent a motel room, and go eat at a restaurant and all that kind of stuff. And you can't, yeah, well, who's going to be going on tour. So it's, I find that all all to all interesting as well. And, you know, I have a friend here in Lubbock who he is, his name's Andy hedges, and he is what you would call a songster, which is, he's, he doesn't write songs, even though I think he's written a song or two. But he basically plays like old cowboy songs. And he talks about how, yeah, a lot of these songs are all old trail songs or old songs that you can tie to being an old Irish ballad, or English folk song, or whatever the case. A lot of times, these songs are also where they'll split up, and you can see where or they'll split off, or you'll see other songs where they've merged together. And a lot of times, there's like, you know, there's the blues version, there's like, occasion, middle version. And those all come from somewhere and from certain, from all kinds of people, even though you'll think of them as I can't think of anything specific, but like, it's, it's, well, you know, same song, but like, just 1000 by different people. And
Malin Pettersen 58:55
I think I remember that fascinated me. Yeah, of when I started listening to bluegrass and old time music, that was something that I found very fascinating, like, little Maggie. There's so many versions of that song. And I was very young at the time. And I was like, Wait, can you just change the lyrics like that, and I didn't understand, like, how that song had been molded into these different versions of that song. And it's so fascinating. And, and I remember, when I started playing, country, music and bluegrass, I was very conflicted about being Norwegian and playing that kind of music because I, I was like, I did not grow up in, you know, the Appalachian Mountains. And I didn't, I don't have all that history. And then, and I wrote songs about that, like, I have to just, you know, be myself and trust that I can do this blah, blah. And then now as I'm older and have more knowledge about it, it's like, well, those people came from somewhere. And the music traveling back again to us. It's the most natural thing The world. And the fact that the, you know, America as it exists in at the moment is because of things traveling and people taking culture that, you know, from where they went and do where they ended up going. And that's something that, you know, is a beautiful thing. And I think that will. It feels like it matters because you can do it. Even if you're not tied to like a specific place. As long as you love the music.
Thomas Mooney 1:00:33
Yeah, well, it's like this, like long game of telephone, you know, like, where you explain one person's a year and then like, 15 people down, it's something totally different. But still, like, maybe a seed of truth in there. Yeah. One of my I don't know where I got this from. I don't know if it was one. I don't think it was one of my friends. But I think it were, but I think it rings true is that. Like, I think it was on a YouTube video actually. These these guys from Mongolia, were playing and they're playing, like these old Mongolian instruments. And it was just like, you know, they're singing like, essentially, like cowboy songs, like old songs about like, riding horses and like, having courses and stuff. And yeah, I think one of the comments was about like, how mountain music is still mountain music, even if it's a different mountain. And I think that's very, very true is like, a lot of times like, mountain music's gonna sound the same. Yeah. Because like, that's just how, what, what, it's something about the mountain and not necessarily the people. I don't know if Yeah,
Malin Pettersen 1:01:46
yeah, absolutely. Yeah.
Thomas Mooney 1:01:50
I was gonna ask one last question here that we're gonna, I guess, close out, I saw that you had posted that you do. Like you've done a lot of voiceover work. And yeah, like doing the Kacey musgraves. Okay, like, I need to hear about this, like, well, how did how did this start out? And like, what how did this even what is the like,
Malin Pettersen 1:02:10
What a weird career right? Yeah. range? Um, well, you know, it started out like, I've been doing this for I've been doing it for 20 years, when I was 10. A friend of my mom, she, she was a voice actor. And they just needed kids for this series where they had like, 15 kids, and they needed someone to fill supports. And so when I got one role in that series, that was just like, there was a new kid in every episode, so they just needed, you know, people to come in. And that kind of got me started. And I've just, it's been such a great thing to combine with making music enjoying music, because it's freelance work, you can, you know, do it when it's a good time for you and the studio, you can go in and, and do it. And I've been it's been what's been funny now, after kind of things have been going better with the music is that I suddenly, you know, get typecast for Kacey musgraves, or delta dawn and the neutrals movie. who's also a cowboy or cowgirl. And I have a lot of fun doing that kind of thing, where I feel like my music work kind of melts and with the voiceover work, that's
Thomas Mooney 1:03:33
Yeah, yeah. Yeah, I'm sure like, okay, so I'm sure it's like you get an email, or like a text message or a phone call. Kacey musgraves, is doing a Scooby Doo episode, we need you to be Kacey musgraves.
Malin Pettersen 1:03:47
So they didn't even tell me that it was her. They're just like, yeah, we need you for Scooby Doo. And I came in and they were like, you're being Kacey musgraves. Today. I was like, okay, that's fun. I think I also, you know, was like Gigi Hadid and stuff like that there were several ones but Casey was the one that we you know, that was the most fun. Yeah, it's a funny job to have. I remember the first time that I went to the States, it was me and my guy and he's a, like a physician, a doctor, person, Doctor, what you call it? Yeah. And we were like, pulled to the side. And they asked us what our profession was. And I knew that I couldn't see musician because I wasn't going there to play and I didn't have a working visa. So maybe they would like even if I wasn't playing, they would start asking me questions. And so they asked him first they were like, what's your profession is like, I'm a musician, and I'm a doctor. And they're like, okay, and I'm like, What? What's your profession? I was like, I'm I do Norwegian voiceovers for cartoons. He was like, can you please step your luggage into this room? We just, we're just gonna do you know, it's just we're just gonna do a sweep here. like crazy to say something else next time because I don't think there's a real Job.
Thomas Mooney 1:05:00
Yeah, that's funny though. It's I mean, like it. Whatever. I guess I was scrolling through your Twitter earlier just to like, Yeah. Is there anything like I'm missing here? Yeah, I get like, I get paranoid and stuff like that. But I was like, Wait, what? Okay, I saw that Casey had done that Scooby Doo episode. And then like, I was like, Oh my gosh, this is Yeah, I'm gonna have to bring this up. So, yeah, yeah. Yeah, it's been really great talking with you today about about this new record and everything. And hopefully, within a year or something, when, when the camera gets gets a little bit more normal, will pass will cross pass here in the States. I really
Malin Pettersen 1:05:42
hope so. And I also want to say that I've been wanting to like, talk to you talk to you ever since I found out that you did those playlists, and I've listened to the interviews that you've done. And I just think you're doing such great work. So thank you for everything. Yeah,
Thomas Mooney 1:05:57
yeah. Well, likewise. Yeah, I'm gonna have to watch to find the Scooby Doo. Yeah. Something like that. To watch it. Yes, that's exactly what I'm talking. All right. That's it for this one. Big thanks to Marlin. Be sure to check out wild horse out this Friday, October 16. Check out our presenting partners over at Desert door and the blue light live. And yeah, I'll see you all later this week.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai