Katzenjammer

An all-female Norwegian quartet whose musical style is rooted in both pop/rock and country-folk, Katzenjammer made their full-length debut in 2008 with Le Pop, an album that was both critically and commercially successful. Founded in 2005 in Oslo, Norway, the quartet is comprised of multi-instrumentalists Turid Jørgensen, Solveig Heilo, Marianne Sveen, and Anne Marit Bergheim, who between them play accordion, mandolin, guitar, piano, balalaika bass, glockenspiel, trumpet, kazoo, melodica, banjo, drums, and more. Katzenjammer is closely associated with songwriter Mats Rybø, though they also write songs of their own. The band cites a wide range of influences that include Goran Bregovi, Danny Elfman, Django Reinhardt, and Knutsen & Ludvigsen. Katzenjammer made their album debut in 2008 with Le Pop on Propeller Recordings. In addition to “A Bar in Amsterdam,” which was something of a breakout novelty hit, Le Pop includes the singles “Play My Darling, Play” and “Hey Ho on the Devil’s Back.” Nominated for a Spellemannprisen (i.e., Norwegian Grammy) award for best debut album of the year in 2008, Le Pop was a Top Ten hit on the Norwegian albums chart and was reissued in 2009 with the addition of “Demon Kitty Rag,” a new single. Besides their critical and commercial success as recording artists, Katzenjammer is formidable live act that was booked for major international music festivals such as the 2009 Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival in the United States. ~ Jason Birchmeier