Fika (2013)

Tasty traditional tunes from Sweden on fiddle & nyckelharpa. Our very favorite quintessential Swedish tradition, "fika" is about pausing to enjoy coffee/tea and treats, and sharing them with friends. It is nearly always time for fika! We are very excited about bringing you these favorite tunes from our year in Tobo.

If you enjoy learning tunes from transcriptions or from simpler slowed-down recordings, see also our tunebook below, which contains all of these tunes.

Featuring:
lydia ievins (5-string fiddle, nyckelharpa)
Andrea Larson (fiddle, voice)

1. sample Polska efter Skrap-Olla [fiddles]
2. Slängpolskor [fiddles]
3. Kärleken i världen [voice, fiddle]
4. sample Schottis till Tom av lydia ievins & Andrea Larson [fiddle, nyckelharpa]
5. Polkett efter August Bohlin [fiddle, nyckelharpa]
6. Skänklåt efter A.G. Jernberg [fiddle, nyckelharpa]
7. sample Karl XIIs vals [fiddle, nyckelharpa]
8. Härjedalsschottis [fiddle, nyckelharpa]
9. Polska efter Tulpan [fiddles]
10. sample Halling från Härjedalen [fiddles]

(Total time 27:52)

Trip to Tobo: the digital EP (2012)

We created this digital EP as a reward for supporters of the Kickstarter campaign that made our year in Sweden possible.

Featuring:
lydia ievins (fiddle, viola, nyckelharpa)
Andrea Larson (fiddle, voice)

1. Laurel och Tristans brudpolska [fiddles]
   In August 2006 Andrea was warming up to play for a wedding and this tune hopped right into her fingers. She made it a gift for the happy couple, the daughter and son-in-law of a favorite student.
2. Örebro engelska [fiddles]
   This is the first Swedish tune Andrea learned by ear, from the playing of Isabell Svärdmalm of the band Klintetten. Trad. Örebro.
3. Sommarens schlager [voice, viola]
   This is one of our favorite polska tunes to play together — or, in this setting, to sing and play. Trad. Rättvik efter Pers Olle.
4. Schottis från Högfors [fiddles]
   We learned this tune from our friend Stefhan Ohlström. Trad. Västmanland efter Ivar Bergman.
5. Holevvalsen [fiddles]
   Traditional Danish tune, which Andrea learned from virtuosic fiddler Harald Haugaard in 1999.
6. Great Falls [fiddle, nyckelharpa]
   A majestic-sounding tune that lydia named after her home village in the town of Montague. She originally thought it would want to be a polska, but it seems to have an identity crisis. Maybe it's a polonäs?
7. Ursulas hambo [fiddles]
   Ursula is a small cheerful bear who will be accompanying lydia on our adventure in Sweden. She wanted her tune title to be in Swedish (hence the lack of apostrophe).
8. Spelmansglädje [nyckelharpa, voice]
   Deservedly the most famous tune in the nyckelharpa repertoire, by the late great Eric Sahlström. We offer it here in honor of Eric's 100th birthday this year, and of our travels to study at the Institute that bears his name.

(Total time 19:23)

Northlands (2010)

New fiddle tunes in traditional Scandinavian styles: a collection of original tunes by Bruce Sagan and lydia. Andrea doesn't play on this record, but it does feature lydia's waltz for her, "Waiting for Andrea", on twin nyckelharpas.

Featuring:
Bruce Sagan (fiddle, nyckelharpa, hardingfele)
lydia ievins (fiddle, nyckelharpa)