The Band

TooRaLoo was formed during spring 2005: Six fellows from different backgrounds and quite diverse musical traditions, but all sharing a common enthusiasm for folk

rock. Tim Challman (flutes and saxophone) is primarly a jazz musician, Leif Egil Andreassen (fiddle) is a music teacher and a professional folk musician, Royer

Larsen (bass) and Rudi Høynes (drums and vocals) has played rock n' roll most of their lifes, Viggo Berg (guitar, mandolin and vocals) has performed with dancebands

and has been, along with Geir Remen (guitar, banjo, bodhran and vocals), a member of a cabaret show group for the past decade. All six make their homes in the

Vesterålen islands of Nothern Norway. 

                                                                                                    The Music

TooRaLoo has found much of their repertoire in the Celtic folk rock tradition, with interpretations that range from poignant ballads to hard folk punk. Many of these                             are more recent compositions, but at the core is the good old Irish folk music  characterized by a very high party factor. For change of pace, the group playes a number                    of rocked up Scandinavian folk tunes.

Here are a few of our forefathers and sources of inspiration: Fairport Convention, Lindisfarne, Steeleye Span, Bob Dylan, The Band, Great Big Sea, Steve Earle, Clancy                     Brothers, The Dubliners, The Young Dubliners, The Fables, The Pogues, Folque,  The Tramps, Hedningarna ..          

                                                            .

                                                                  This is a copy of  a carving from the early middle ages in Vesterålen. A connection to celtic culture....                      

"Celtic cannon fire!"  -  and  -  "Magic Moments!", were one critic's comments appearing in the local newspaper  after TooRaLoo's debut concert in March 2006.                  Here are  a couple other perspectives taken from newspaper reviews  about the group: "TooRaLoo plays folk rock so the walls shake, and it sounds good.                            Well done!" "There were     spontaneous circle dances in all varieties. Could it be that primal instincts were awakened?"

Mrs. Jamiesons Favourite, A Pair of Brown Eyes, Dorothea Polska and Lucky's Boat. All of these recordings were made live at gigs, and you can listen to brief                     sound clips of the tunes from the repertoire on the "music-page". There are also some other clips on TooRaLoo Myspace:  

                                                                                          Click to The Music Page

                                                                                             MYSPACE

ooRaLoo.net