MHOO

'MHOO' is a Norwegian band founded in 2007 by Oda Dahl and Miriam Kjølen, the duo is joined by Per Kamfjord on base and percussion, as well as violinists Line and Mari Berulfsen. Mhoo are greatly inspired by Country music, folk, bluegrass,gypsie music. The duo, often joined by musicians Per Kamfjord, Line and Mari Berulfsen, have made a habit of playing concerts on some quite untraditional stages, internationally and in the most remote locations all over Norway. Be it a small festival on an island off the northwestern Norwegian coast, a local festival in southern France, a mountain raised high above a stunning fjord or even at open sea, Mhoo takes their passion for music to unique locations, playing on unusual and eccentric stages have become part of their trademark. To this date the duo have played more than 700 concerts in a plethora of cities and remote locations. Oda and Miriam are the founding members and artistic force behind Mhoo. After meeting at Thor Heyerdahl High School, where they both attended the program for music and performance art in 2007 they quickly became High School rivals. Both girls were pursuing a focus on vocals and guitar. Their rivalry quickly turned to a strong friendship as their common artistic direction, strong work ethic and a desire to compose their own music brought them together, building on their common dreams, Mhoo was founded. In 2009 the duo began writing their own music, they were soon joined by two new members, adding contrabass as well as a backing vocalist to their group. In 2009 Mhoo performed at a national competition for young musicians in Norway, 'UKM' with their track 'Mary Jane' they won the crowd and were soon sent to the national finals in Trondheim. In Trondheim they won the national competition and were sent to the "Imagine Festival" in Brussels. Their success in this defining musical competition was quickly followed by hard work in the studio, Mhoo were inspired to create new material and were soon booked as an opening act for "Holly Golightly & the Brokeoffs" at Maskinistenes, a venue in their hometown, Tønsberg where the band had their base for several years. The ball kept rolling and quickly after booking this opening gig in 2010, they were booked to play at Slottsfjellfestivalen, which has grown to become one of Norway's biggest festival. In 2010 Mhoo were among the first bands announced to the indie music festival By:Larm in Oslo, this lead to several TV-appearances and critical acclaim, notably Mhoo received a brilliant review in the large Norwegian newspaper, 'Dagbladet' where they were praised as a promising new act on the Norwegian music scene. Following this successful performance they were signed to 'Sony Music Norway' and booked for a plethora of Norway's biggest festivals, Øyafestivalen, Trænafestivalen, Raumarock, Vinjerock and were asked to return to perform at Slottsfjellfestivalen. In the spring of 2011 Mhoo released their debu "Talking in the Streets", which was produced by the "Soundtrack of Our Lives" member Kalle Gustafsson. Their first album was welcomed by critics as a success and Mhoo were sought out as an opening act for acclaimed artists and bands such as Jeff Beck, Jethro Tull, First Aid Kit and Lissie. After several years of perfoming together, two of Mhoo's members left in the winter of 2011. Oda Dahl and Miriam Kjølen had no intentions of leaving their musical projects in Mhoo behind, determined to continue pursuing their passion and to seek out new inspirations, in 2012 the girls got on a plane to New York, booked an RV and toured through the East Coast, through parts of the Midwest and southbound, making stops in areas that have become the defining cities of many of their musical idols. During their month in the US they traveled by road from New York City through Nashville, Memphis, Atlanta and the pulse of the south, New Orleans, playing concerts in each city. Several thousand miles of American interstates, thriving musical scenes in iconic American cities and new impulses birthed their second album, "Home is Where you Are", which was written in large part during their travels in the U.S, and while traveling in Brazil. In May 2012 they were joined by three new members, together they toured all summer, playing festivals across Norway, traveling in an RV, sailboat and a vintage van. "Home is Where you Are" was recorded at the bands breeding ground, "Haugarock" in Tønsberg. "Home is Where you Are" was produced by Seigmen member Alex Muklebust, and co produced by Axel egelbo. The album was released on their own label "Mhoosic Label", their second album received positive reviews and was listed on the radio, The band toured with their newly released album across Norway, playing many festivals, they also brought their music on tour in Russia, as well as in France. In 2014 Mhoo went on a temporary hiatus and took a break from touring. Now they have returned and a new album is currently in the works. On june 15th Mhoo are releasing their new single "Us Against the World" -a track about the challenges and rewards of a lifelong friendship. mhoomusic@gmail.com