Music
We’re proud to welcome local legend Jimmy Devine and the Humans of Tulla, Norwegian trio SAMspill, and singer/songwriter Jenna Greene for your dancing and listening pleasure.
Jimmy Devine and the Humans of Tulla
The Humans of Tulla perform traditional Irish tunes featuring decades-long musicians Jimmy Devine, Teddi Scobi, and Phil Edmonds, and Jimmy's daughter Hannah.
Jimmy Devine (fiddle) has been the mainstay of the Providence Traditional Irish music community since he moved from New York in 1981 and founded the seminal Erinoids.
Teddi Scobi (keyboards and flute) met Jimmy Devine at Slattery's in Dublin in 1977 . From Galway to Providence they have maintained their musical connection.
Phil Edmonds (button accordion and tin whistle) originally from Killaloe, County Clare, performs with several R.I. ensembles, notably The Gnomes. In 2008, Phil revisited "Tulla Land" in east Clare.
Hannah Devine (fiddle) is also a singer/songwriter (winner of the Motif magazine's best female vocalist) and member of the Empire Revue's Sparkling Beatniks. She recently returned from Ireland and continues to hone her passion for traditional music and rock and roll.
The Humans of Tulla are four ordinary humans who love to play and drive the dancers wild and the room screaming mad.
SAMspill
SAMspill ("playing together" in Norwegian) is a Boston-based trio (Arne Just Holm, Luana Marie Jøsvold, Earl Sven Gingras) which performs traditional Scandinavian vocal and instrumental music. The group does concerts, dances, dance instruction, children's programs, and seasonal programs. At Valhallapalooza, SAMspill will play favorite Scandinavian tunes including reinlender, mazurka, pariserpolka, hambo, and more.
Earl Sven (the "S" in SAMspill) is a versatile musician who gives scope and depth to the group. He has played with a wide variety of groups over the years ~ Irish, rock, blues, and more ~ and is now rediscovering his Norwegian cultural roots as a member of SAMspill. He plays guitar, bass, mandolin, flute, keyboard, Eb alto horn, and sings with the group.
Arne Just (the "A" in SAMspill) and Luana Marie (the "M" in SAMspill) played together for 20 years as members of Boston Scandinavian Ensemble before joining with Earl to form SAMspill. Over the years, they have performed at such venues as Epcot Center, IKEA, Boston Museum of Fine Arts, and Scandinavian festivals from New England to Colorado. They were instrumental in starting a children's dance group called Little Viking Dancers and in producing an instructional dance video entitled "Norwegian Dances for Children."
Just, who hails from Ålesund, Norway, studied music at the Kodaly Institute of Music in Hungary. He plays guitar, Bb baritone horn, and sings with the group. He is the group's children's specialist.
Luana grew up in the Norwegian community in Seattle and has been playing accordion since she was six. She spent four years living, teaching, and playing music in Norway. She plays accordion, flute, alto flute, and sings with SAMspill. Luana teaches Norwegian language classes for Sons of Norway in Boston and was the course writer for an audio course in Norwegian course for Simon & Schuster.
At Valhallapalooza, SAMspill will have a 2-CD set with all the dance music from the book Dances from Norway by Daniel Beal; a CD called "Didelideli: Nå er det jul igjen: A Scandinavian Christmas Celebration", and an instructional dance video entitled "Norwegian Dances for Children".
Jenna Greene
Jenna Greene will perform tunes from her release Crossroads.
