Marriage

This is a picture of Brendon Massei with blue eyebeams.

Great photographs taken by Danny Fonatine.

A little Crosses Movie by Laban Pheidias Music Videos.

Short Description:

Big story arcs that go through several songs with returning themes and powerful dynamics... Viking Moses has toured with and/or supported today’s similar international music artists, such as: Devendra Banhart, Cat Power, Calvin Johnson, Ted Leo, Little Wings, Microphones, Mirah, Mountain Goats, Joanna Newsom, Scout Niblett, Will Oldham, Songs Ohia, and more.

A Little More Press:

From tinymixtapes.com:
Towards the middle of the [Devendra Banhart] set, the band took the time to play a rousing rendition of "Amour Fou"? by Vetiver, and then turned it over to Viking Moses for two songs, who nearly stole the show. Donned with a garland of flowers, his booming voice was truly amazing, as he ran around the stage with his arms flailing. If I would have had any extra money, I would have bought everything he had.

Claremont, CA Feb 2004 by Rebecca Carlisle-Healey:
We were playing in this room in the basement. It was dark and pretty, but there was an air conditioner blasting on the empty side. Viking Moses played a song and then said "wait..." and then we all went out to the hallway. What happened was, at the end of Brendon’s set, he stood up and wandered down the hallway. He did not stop walking, nor did he stop singing, and Kyle [Little Wings] ran after him with sandal-squeak echoing on the tile. There was silence for a few moments, and then Kyle’s voice strides up back through the halls to us, followed by Kyle himself, followed by a shirtless Viking Moses. Viking Moses had earlier in the day said to me, "That is how I want to play my set!" while pointing to a picture of a shirtless brawn. Oh, Naked Moses, you little scamp. I might add that this is one of the best shows I have ever had the pleasure of enjoying.

"Viking Moses’ Golden Apples are Delicious" by Ethan Goldwater, Cambridge, MA:
Viking Moses rose up in the center of the Zeitgeist. His face moved sharp under a scraggly beard, welcoming the Tuesday night crowd to circle round holding hands. "Tonight I’d like to sing you some songs about abandonment," he said. "Everyone here knows that feeling in some way... I would just like to offer some hope and courage to not let go..." The room felt well froze. The feeling he brought felt so old. It marinated for a second then, before his less sober singing voice took hold. "Without Love, life is gone...without life love goes on and on" went the refrain of "Crosses." Many in the circle around him seemed to recognize that song—it is featured in the Golden Apples of the Sun compilation, which was released in conjunction with Arthur magazine last spring.

Viking Moses in Danish

93 Feet East, London
Live
Dato: 15/11-2005
Amerikansk alt.folk-ener dukker uannonceret op og fejer
benene væk under publikum

Det sker kun sjældent, at man som garvet koncertgænger og musikentusiast får benene fejet væk under sig. Det skete dog for undertegnede igår, tirsdag. Helt uannonceret dukkede Viking Moses aka den circa 26-årige amerikaner Brendon Massei op på scenen på Londons 93 Feet East og spillede et ikke blot overraskende, særegent og forfriskende sæt - nej, det var også virkelig godt!

Før i går aftes var min viden om Massei og hans Viking Moses-persona lig nul. Lidt research afslører dog, at han rejser meget rundt for at spille og blandt andet har turneret med Cat Power, Joanna Newsom, Scout Niblett, Will Oldham, Songs: Ohia, Devendra Banhart og The Microphones gennem årene.

Måske det var den totale overraskelse og mangel på forventninger, men Viking Moses – og hvor cool er det navn ikke lige? – gav i går en af den slags sjældne positive "what the fuck"-oplevelser, som indfinder sig, når man konfronteres med noget uventet, men fedt. - Når underkæben hænger nede på brystet, og tankerne farer rundt i hovedet som nytårsfyrværkeri for at forsøge at tage det hele ind.

Og hvordan var det så?

Det var simpelt. Faktisk handlede det blot om en mand og en elektrisk guitar. En slags White Stripes uden trommer (det næste bliver vel solo a capella-acts...). Med en stemme, der til tider mindede om Nick Cave i dennes mest teatralske øjeblikke, sang, hylede og råbte Massei – ofte fra en afstand på omkring en meter fra mikronen – sine fortællinger, mens han bevægede sig rastløst rundt på scenen og på samme tid spillede en omgang løs, skæv og hvad, der virkede ret improviseret el-guitar.

Det foregik ofte i sære små-dansende skridt og med noget, der fra tid til anden mest lignede tvangsbevægelser. Massei virkede sjældent rigtig hjemme og tilpas på scenen, men blev dog gang på gang grebet af musikken – ja faktisk nærmest besat – og rockede ud for fulde gardiner. På et tidspunkt kravlede han således rundt på scenen, mens han på én gang spillede guitar og skiftevis slog sin højre arm og sit knæ hårdt mod scenebrædderne for at lave et beat.

Det var en virkelig intens oplevelse at se Massei spille, og han sugede opmærksomhed til sig fra publikum og formåede at efterlade alle de fremmødte tilhørere stumme ved det fem numre lange sæts afslutning. Det hippie-agtige pandebånd og halvlange hår burde måske have givet en indikation af, at Viking Moses er en anelse excentrisk, men det var umuligt at gætte, at den amerikanske alt.folk-ener ville være af en sådan klasse.

Helt ind til benet, utilregnelig og en sjælden unik fornøjelse. Viking Moses' optræden kan anbefales på det varmeste.

Viking Moses spiller på Café Pustervig i Århus den 28. november. Af Jakob Rosenbak

Artikler & Nyheder: Amerikansk alt.folk-ener besøger Danmark (Torsdag kl. 20:04)

Selected Discography:

Supperbell Roundup - Matchbook Sorrows EP (Recycled Carbon Recordings)
Supperbell Roundup - At Station Four (Side One / Dummy Records)
Brendon Massei - No More Sad Eyes (No Town Sound Recordings)
Viking Moses - Golden Apples of the Sun (Arthur Magazine/Bastet - V/A)
Viking Moses - Sandstorms EP (Nightpass Records)
Viking Moses - Live at the Chez Bippy (Natrix Natrix Records)
Viking Moses - Is Orange Birds (Marriage Records - V/A)
Viking Moses - Crosses (Marriage Records / Happy Home Records)
Viking Moses - Chinese Pavillion 7" (Folktale Records / Nightpass Records)
Viking Moses - Eye Of The Beholder IV (Tract Records - V/A)

Photos of Viking Moses by Danny Fontaine.