Sweden's leading roots music trio, Väsen were voted one of the outstanding highlights at the 2010 Shetland Folk Festival – and are favourites around the world too, due to the sheer class of the performance.

Virtuoso musicians, who are held in the highest esteem by their contemporaries, Maverick magazine said their patina was “richly burnished and deep in tone and polished performance”, adding: “It is hugely rewarding to watch three musicians gel so naturally to produce a sound and style that is both sophisticated and meaty.”

The trio has travelled the world, taking their distinctive music as far as Japan; are big in America (especially in Bloomington, Indiana, where they have named a street after them) and have collaborated successfully with US fiddle and mandolin masters Darol Anger and Mike Marshall.

Mary Ann Kennedy says they are “magnificent” and will record them for BBC Radio Scotland when they play Aberlour; Dirty Linen said they were "a contemporary sounding acoustic tour de force" and others have described them as “hypnotic”, “awe-inspiring”, “entrancing” and “enchanting”.

..If you think that sounds like a bit of a tonic, you’ve got it in a oner!

Thurs Sept 15: Acoustic Music Club, Kirkcaldy
Fri Sept 16: Belfast
Sat Sept 17: The Tolbooth, Stirling
Sun Sept 18: Water Colour Music, Ardgour to record session for Mary Ann Kennedy's, Global Gathering, BBC Radio Scotland
Tues Sept 20: The Old Library, Kilbarchan (almost sold out)
Wed Sept 21: Eastgate Theatre, Peebles

http://www.soundimension.co.uk/media/songs/videos/brookfield/vasen/vasen.html

I'm going to head to Stirling on Saturday. One of the best bands ever imo.

I concur, truly tremendous group. Nae Glesga or Embra dates, though...?

Blues x man - you'd be surprised how many people travel to Peebles from Edinburgh when we put truly world class acts into the Eastgate Theatre - seen as a short drive when something as tasty awaits at the end of the road.
Simon presumably feels the same about Stirling.
The world doesn't start and end in Embra or Glesga. In fact, experience has shown that we frequently get bigger audiences in places like Birnam, Gartly, Brookfield or Kilbarchan - all villages.
We have found Embra in particular to be so disappointing compared to other towns and cities all over the country, that we may well pass it by entirely in future, apart from one place that we love - Douglas Robertson's studio. Now, THAT'S a gig.
Apart from that, this place that many see as the cultural capital, has had its chance.
Glesga had better watch out too.

Far be it for me to interrupt your self-righteous spiel, but I don't drive, nor have a big enough disposable income to travel to Peebles. No biggie, though :)

Did we hit a sensitive nerve there?
Didums!
We know some folks who happily car-share (if they have friends) and some are even brave enough to take the bus.

Unfortunately, the vast majority of my friends don't care much for folk music - let alone the Swedish instrumental variety - and bus fare journeys out of the city aren't cheap, either. Nothing sensitive about it I'm afraid; just the facts.

Just like I said, the reverse is that the majority of our acts don't care to play in places where folks don't bother their arse to come out and enjoy them.
Similar thing I suppose.
As for Väsen - folk?
It's well known that many pigeon-hole them there.
But really?
Is that how you see it?
If you are telling your friends they ought to be seriously considering giving you a lift to Peebles to see a "folk" band from Sweden that they have never heard of, it's maybe not surpirising that they aren't exactly excited at the prospect.
You need to re-consider the "sell" to get the result you are looking for then you might get some takers.

As someone who lives near Kilbarchan, it's nice to have local gigs rather than having to traipse into Glasgow. I greatly enjoyed seeing Catriona Mackay and Chris Stout there. Kilbarchan from Glasgow should be doable. Maybe train to Johnstone and to Kilbarchan by bus- not sure if there is a direct bus from Glasgow.
I don't know, but I'd imagine that many of the village venues are cheaper to hire than city centre ones.

If people are willing to travel from the two main cities in the central belt for these gigs then there must be a reasonable interest to be built on. Maybe BGPR you "need to re-consider the "sell" to get the result you are looking for". ;-)

;-)

((((((((((“Just like I said, the reverse is that the majority of our acts don't care to play in places where folks don't bother their arse to come out and enjoy them.”))))))))))

If, by that, you mean your acts don’t care to play in Edinburgh or Glasgow(?), then I’d say that was incredibly naïve and short-sighted of them. I doubt they said that at all. You’ve also just declared potential customers within Edinburgh and Glasgow as lazy and apathetic. A PR man, tae.

((((((((((“As for Väsen - folk? It's well known that many pigeon-hole them there. But really? Is that how you see it?”))))))))))

Well; the blues, heavy-metal, hip-hop, and indie genres certainly didn’t spring to mind. In any case, Vasen often refer to themselves as a Swedish folk music group. That’s how I see it.

((((((((((“If you are telling your friends they ought to be seriously considering giving you a lift to Peebles to see a "folk" band from Sweden that they have never heard of, it's maybe not surpirising that they aren't exactly excited at the prospect. You need to re-consider the "sell" to get the result you are looking for then you might get some takers.”))))))))))

I haven’t asked any of my friends to seriously consider giving me a lift to Peebles. I’ve played them some of Vasen’s music in the past. It’s not for them, and that’s fair enough. Incidentally, I don’t have to sell them anything. If they have no interest in such music, that’s fine with me: I rarely impinge my musical taste on others. Unlike PR groups, of course.

lol

Edinburgh and, arguably, many big cities can be difficult in terms of attracting audiences for live gigs..... Inverness is notoriously bad, for instance.

It's probable that a lot of these concerts will fare better in areas where there is less competition or(more likely) distraction. So, it's not really surprising that interest is higher in rural areas.
You usually find too that people are far more inclined to make an effort to travel into a city or large town for a particular purpose than the other way around. It's not necessarily unique to Edinburgh.

Scott says

" Maybe BGPR you "need to re-consider the "sell" to get the result you are looking for"

This is a very good point as regards large towns and cities but how do we do it?

I'm not too bothered about trying to pigeon-hole or categorise them, tho' I guess the promoters need to up to a point: I just know I like the sound they make. Last time I saw them was as part of the Dervish 25th anniversary concert at Celtic Connections (2010?), and they did a great set as well as joining in with everyone else.

Peebles or Stirling? Both interesting towns to visit if you've got the time to go in the afternoon, not just for the evening concert. But there's a certain other gig in Edinburgh on the Weds that I was hoping to go to, so maybe Stirling Saturday, if not Douglasdale......???? So much on! Spoilt for choice.

Well I've been enjoying Väsen's music for years and long before the current "salesmen" became interested.

Bought my first Väsen album in 2004 after seeing them in Sweden. Been trying to "sell" them to anyone who will listen ever since.

There's a nice bit of supportive advance publicity in The Southern Reporter about the Peebles gig in today's paper:
http://www.thesouthernreporter.co.uk/lifestyle/life/swedish_trio_prepare_for_nyckelharpa_masterclass_1_1852287

Will you be sending the Southern Reporter a sternly-worded email, BGPR, because they described Vasen's music as "traditional"? Traditional music is commonly used to describe folk music after all. Or was it yourself who wrote the press release the paper obviously re-hashed?

So nice of you to take the time to read that. but a pity it left you feeling so agitated.