Notes From the Grid is a bi-weekly column about the Columbia County music scene written by Rob. It is featured every other Friday in the "On the Scene" supplement of the Hudson Register Star. See all »

August 21, 2011

Vikings

The Vikings have descended upon Hudson. Real ones, with names like Sverrir Rúsínurassgat Ásmundsson and Ragnheidur and Elvar. They began arriving in early July on the Amtrak rather than invading from long boats. At last count there were nine visitors from the island staying Hudson, all of them either members, friends or relations to the band Hellvar, who has arrived for their third visit to Columbia County. Back in the good old days it was the Irish, the English, a good part of continental Europe, Greenland and Newfoundland who benefited (heh) from Icelandic tourism. Today it is Hudson, New York. They come, they change their funny fishy kroner into American dollars and they spend a lot of money here. At last count, nine Icelanders have been sighted, roaming the streets of Hudson, eating the White fish roe and Burgers at DA BA attending the Monday night showcase at Helsinki, licking cones at Lick,behind the counter at Musica and providing their own version of an economic stimulus plan at the Red Dot, The Spotty Dog.

At this writing, the popular Icelandic band Hellvar has played a number of formal and informal gigs around Hudson, the most significant being an very special concert in support of their new recording “Stop That Noise”  at the Hudson.Water.Music.  series at the Henry Hudson Riverfront. There was a huge crowd that night and it was a mix of the curious and the converted. I noticed that there was an inordinate number of inquisitive musicians in the crowd and that CD sales were brisk partly because the packaging contained a little smear of volcanic ash.

Wait. How did this happen? Why are they here and why aren’t they ravishing and pillaging and jaywalking? It’s a long story, but I can make it short. About five years ago this writer purchased a few CD’s in the Reykjavik Airport. The sales clerk claimed to be in a band, we e-mailed and decided an American tour was in order and arranged some gigs. Since 2006 Hellvar has played various venues in Albany, Troy, New York City, Chatham and of course numerous times in Hudson. Since their first visit, the band has become particularly enamored with city of Hudson and their visits have become more frequent and longer each year. They have also hosted a number of people from this area in Reykjavik and Keflavik.

Enough. I’m sure you’re wondering why a curious person from an exotic island would want to spend so much time in conventional old Hudson. I’ll let them speak for themselves, starting with Heida who is quite fond of explaining things -

“There are lots of things to consider when you are a stranger in a strange land. I walk down Warren street in Hudson and notice things that most people don’t see anymore, because those people actually live here. A hidden passageway here, a nice looking bench over there. These are the things that completely blend into the environment when you live somewhere, and take everything for granted. I was in real need of the bench when I found it as I was so warm from the sun and the heat. I wanted a shortcut to get out of the heat with my son when I came across the hidden passage. This is what being away from home will do to your senses. In a new environment everything will seem a little magical, and actually noticing things no-one else does anymore, because they take them for granted, is really like something taken out of a Harry Potter book.
The fairytale of Harry Potter can be just as alive as anyone wants if they will only take a moment to really look at their surroundings, their everyday lives. The cold Nordic Iceland where I come from fills with tourists every summer who wander around the city in ave of all the beautiful benches and hidden passageways spreading around the city, and I walk around totally clueless, ignoring those wonders. They are so clear to me here, though. This is the magic of being away from home, but this could also be a valuable lesson in being in the now and appreciating your own magical things. I tend to go back to my own surroundings, richer and wiser, because I got to experience the Hudson magic. I know that there is something wonderful going on here that has something to do with the feeling of having all the time in the world to do all the things you always wanted to do but had no time. Now if I could only take that feeling with me back to Reykjavik, Iceland, I would be forever grateful. If all else fails, I’m going to have to come back here on a regular basis to learn how to notice benches all over again.”
Heida Eiriksdottir

I love Hudson! It’s beautiful, calm and a lot of music. I’m glad I get to stay here in Hudson. This is my first time in the states and I have been here for almost three weeks, and I’m glad. Hudson is a wonderful place!”
Irena Lilliendahl

“Staying here in Hudson is a different pace of life for me. Here everything moves slower than back home. It could be partly because of the heat, but I feel that people here are not in so much hurry to get things done, which is not necessarily a bad thing.
I like to observe the community that has formed around Musica. From actually living there for a short while I get to meet a lot of interesting people coming in for guitar lessons, buying some strange instruments no one has ever heard of or just hanging out playing every instrument at the shop.”
Sverrir Rúsínurassgat Ásmundsson

We have a saying back home that goes: The guest has a keen eye. Me being a guest of Hudson I kind feel it’s my responsibility to point out some of the lesser-phenomenon I came across while hanging around the greater Hudson aria. The reason for that is that I live in a strange country, I mean it’s only 300.000 of us so no matter what we do it’s always going to seem odd to the rest of the world. Our guest always point out what they love about our country but the never really complain about anything. We have loads of problems you know, so do you. If nobody points that out, how the hell are we going to make things better. So here goes it’s not allot, and I’m doing it for love:
There is to much blues in America. There’s to much music in Hudson, some of you will just have to get a job. You should get rid of your Wallmart, it’s killing the soul of your city. (Some of the musicians might consider stop playing and opening up a grosery store you can get to on foot)

Elvar Sundbolti Saevarsson