NRK has posted a whole bunch of live streaming stuff from Thomas Dybdahl: http://www.nrk.no/musikk/3650662.html

NRK reports from the Thomas Dybdahl show at SXSW: http://www.nrk.no/musikk/3634030.html (in Norwegian)

MIC Norway has also posted profiles of their SXSW delegates Silver, El Caco, St. Thomas, Thomas Dybdahl, and The Jessica Fletchers: http://www.mic.no/mic.nsf/doc/art2004031010341112612039

The full schedule has been confirmed for Norway's Ole Blues Festival in late April and the lineup is pretty much a complete who's who of Norwegian music. Some of names listed include Fenrik Lane (feat. World Idol champ Kurt Nilsen), Magnet, Sondre Lerche, Thomas Dybdahl, Gluecifer, Datarock, Evil Tordivel, Jaga Jazzist, Kaizers Orchestra and tons more. Full details: http://www.oleblues.net/

Thomas Dybdahl had his laptop stolen from the lobby of Hotel Royal Christiania in Oslo which means that he's lost somewhere near six months of work. He pleads that the person will realize the tremendous value of the harddrive contents and return it to the hotel. No charges will be filed.

The first confirmations for Denmark's Spot10 Festival on June 4-5 in Aarhus: Tim Christensen, Thomas Dybdahl, Mum, José González, Kira & The Kindred Spirits, David & The Citizens, Hush, Mugison, Laakso, Larsen & Furious Jane, Powersolo, Martin Ryum and Sepiamusic. More info: http://www.spot10.dk/

Some of these have already been mentioned, but here's the complete list of acts from around Scandinavia heading over to Austin, TX in March for the SXSW festival: Kristofer Åström (SWE), Alamo Race Track (NL), Bettie Serveert (NL), The Defectors (DK), Demons (SWE), Division Of Laura Lee (SWE), Thomas Dybdahl (NOR), El Caco (NOR), Janne Haavisto & The Farangs (FIN), Hardcore Superstar (SWE), Hell on Wheels (SWE), The Hives (SWE), Holden (SWE), Hush (DK), The (International) Noise Conspiracy (SWE), The Jessica Fletchers (NOR), Junior Senior (DK), Kamera (SWE), The Latebirds (FIN), Randi Laubek (DK), League of XO Gentlemen (NL), Learning From Las Vegas (DK), Erja Lyytinen (FIN), Marynka and Some Lovely Girls (NL), On Trial (DK), Persil (NL), Powersolo (DK), St Thomas (NOR), Silver (NOR), Singapore Sling (ICE), Tasha's World (NL), Venus Flytrap (NL) and zZz (NL). And no matter what they say, Danko Jones is not from Sweden. Read more, get artist profiles and listen to samples: http://www.sxsw.com/music/

Streaming playlist: Singer/Songwriters, pt. 1

Also from MIC Norway comes this short preview of SXSW delegates Silver, El Caco, St. Thomas, Thomas Dybdahl, and The Jessica Fletchers: http://www.mic.no/mic.nsf/doc/art2004020312463613409933

Better late than never, Panorama.no lists their top picks from 2003:

Best Norwegian single:
01. Girls Keep Secrets in the Strangest Ways – Ephemera
02. Lay Lady Lay – Magnet feat. Gemma Hayes
03. Fuck the World – Turbonegro
04. Salt & Pepper – Kaizers Orchestra
05. Et Sunnhetstegn – Johndoe
06. Think Twice – Ralph Myerz And The Jack Herren Band
07. Breaking news – Amulet
08. Skull EP – Martin Horntveth
09. You're the One that I Want – Jim Stärk feat. Claudia Scott
10. Lorraine EP – Lorraine

Best Norwegian album:
01. On Your Side – Magnet
02. The Ghost of Our Love – Ricochets
03. Waffy Town – Julian Berntzen
04. Evig Pint – Kaizers Orchestra
05. It's a Record – Sergeant Petter
06. The Perfect Cure – Lorraine
07. Scandinavian Leather – Turbonegro
08. Stray Dogs – Thomas Dybdahl
09. Hin Bordende Sod og Sø – Ásmegin
10. No Time Wasted – Jim Stãrk

It looks like I can now confirm the lineup for the upcoming Norway/Denmark showcase happening at SXSW this year. It's gonna be Under Byen (DK), Thomas Dybdahl (NOR), El Caco (NOR), Hush (DK), The Defectors (DK) and Silver (NOR). It's set to go down March 20 at Carribean Lights, but remember that big events like these are always subject to change.

Here's most of the nominees for the Spellemannprisen, Norway's answer to the Grammy:

Female pop soloist:
Lene Marlin - "Another Day"
Karin Park - "Superworldunknown"
Bertine Zetlitz - "Sweet Injections"

Male pop soloist:
Julian Berntzen - "Waffytown"
Thomas Dybdahl - "Stray Dogs"
Magnet - "On Your Side"

Pop group:
D'Sound - "Doublehearted"
Ephemera - "Air"
Number Seven Deli - "Falkner Street"

Electronica:
Snuten - "Welcome to the Jungle"
Ulver - "Teachings in Silence"
Xploding Plastix - "The Donca Matic Singalongs"

Rock:
Amulet - "Danger! Danger!"
Ricochets - "The Ghost Of Our Love"
Thulsa Doom - "And Then Take You To a Place Where Jars Are"
Turbonegro - "Scandinavian Leather"
We - "Lightyears Ahead"

Blues/Country:
Vidar Busk - "Love Buzz"
Amund Maarud - "Ripped, Stripped and Southern Fried"
Tumbleweed - "Once More, With Feeling"

Metal:
Dimmu Borgir - "Death Cult Armageddon"
Enslaved - "Below the Lights"
Old Man's Child - "In Defiance of Existence"

Hip-Hop:
Diaz - "Velkommen Hjem Andres"
Equicez - "State of Emergency"
Paperboys - "The Great Escape"

Jazz:
Atomic - "Boom Boom"
Toe Brunborg Quartet - "Gravity"
Karin Krog - "Where You At?"
Christian Wallumrød Ensemble - "Sofienberg Variations"
Håvard Wiik - "Postures"

Open class:
Anne-Lise Berntsen/Nils Asheim - "Kom Regn"
Hallvard Bjørgum & Co- "Free Field"
Motorpsycho/Jaga Jazzist Horns - "In the Fishtank"
Niko Valkeapää - "Niko Valkeapää"
When - "Pearl Harvest"

Music video:
Diaz - "Hvem er denne karen"
Folk og Røvere - "Utadæsjælåpplevelse"
Kaizers Orchestra - "Evig Pint"
Thomas Dybdahl - "Cecilia"
Bertine Zetlitz - "Girl Like You"

Best newcomer:
Julian Berntzen - "Whaffy Town"
Equicez - "State of Emergency"
Rebekka Karijord - "Neophyte"
Kurt Nilsen - "I"
Karin Park - "Superworldunknown"

Best song:
Maria Arrendondo - "In Love With An Angel"
David - "Wild At Heart"
Folk og Røvere - "Utadæsjælåpplevelse"
Lene Marlin - "You Weren’t There"
Kurt Nilsen - "She’s So High"

Go here for the rest: http://www.nrk.no/musikk/3399677.html

Adressa's top 10 Norweigan CDs of 2003:

01. The Ricochets - The Ghost of Our Love
02. King Midas - Romeo turn
03. Magnet - On Your Side
04. Thomas Dybdahl - Stray Dogs
05. Johndoe - Rastløs Rock `n Roll
06. Julian Berntzen - Waffy Town
07. Sgt. Petter - It`s a record
08. Dipsomaniacs - Praying Winter
09. Motorpsycho & Jaga Jazzist - In the Fishtank
10. Lionheart Brothers - White Angel, Black Apple

Read more: http://www.adressa.no/kultur/article.jhtml?articleID=462217

It's not too dissimilar from the Dagbladet list (see 12/09), but here's the top 21 records of the year from Norway's Aftenposten:

01. Equicez - "State Of Emergency"
02. Magnet - "On Your Side"
03. Thomas Dybdahl - "Stray Dogs"
04. King Midas - "Romeo Turn"
05. Vidar Busk - "Love Buzz"
06. Turbonegro - "Scandinavian Leather"
07. Ephemera - "Air"
08. Rebekka Bakken - "The Art Of How To Fall"
09. Tord Gustavsen Trio - "Changing Places"
10. Supersilent - "6"
11. Enslaved - "Below The Lights"
12. El Corazón - "El Corazón"
13. Karen Jo Fields - "Chase The Blue"
14. St. Thomas - "Hey Harmony"
15. Dimmu Borgir - "Death Cult Armageddon"
16. Bertine Zetlitz - "Sweet Injections"
17. Kaospilot - "Kaospilot"
18. Cloroform - "Hey You Let's Kiss"
19. Kaizers Orchestra - "Evig Pint"
20. Jaa9 & OnklP - "Bondegrammatikk - The Mixtape"
21. Ricochets - "The Ghost Of Our Love"

Dagbladet's top 10 Norweigan albums of the year:

01. Magnet - On Your Side
02. Equicez - State Of The Emergency - Generation Equiz
03. Ephemera - Air
04. King Midas - Romeo Turn
05. Thomas Dybdahl - Stray Dogs
06. Sergeant Petter - It's A Record
07. Atomic - Boom Boom
08. Turbonegro - Scandinavian Leather
09. Vidar Busk - Love Buzz
10. Kaizers Orchestra - Evig Pint

Now the question is whether any of these will hold up to international scrutiny, now that Norway is said to be the "new" Sweden, whatever that means. I'm sure frantic record execs are busy scrounging for someone to place their bets on now that the buzz has been started. I'm not sure any of these guys fit the bill either. Kaizers Orchestra is my own personal favorite of the bunch, but they sing in their native tongue, so you can scratch them from the list. Turbonegro is great, but they have waaaaaaay too many homosexual undertones for middle America. But what do I know? We'll see what happens. Read more: http://www.dagbladet.no/kultur/2003/12/09/385705.html (in Norweigan)