oleask

OLE ASK

Birth, teens and early days of music.

I was born in 1964 in Kongsberg in Norway, a city famous for its silver minds for about 330 years ending 1958.

The day I saw this beautiful world for the first time was October 28 but I was not like most babies/children I was born with one leg and music in heart and soul.

My auntie told me once that I loved music even as a little child 3-4 years old, she told me I used to listen to lp-singles all the time when she was babysitting me. And the funny thing is that I always put on my favorite music, even though she tried to hide it in the stack I recognized the album covers, and I knew my favorite music was in there. So music was already there....I think I'm born with music within me.

My life with a handicap and growing shorter than average has been a bit complicated and troubled, especially as a teenager and in my early 20's.

I think I can say I was a very angry young man, but most of all very frustrated. I have always been a fighter and I made it through the hard times, and came out a little stronger each time.

However music had an important role in my life even thou I'm not from a musical family. I got my first guitar when I was twelve and started out with 2 and 3 cords, Mick Jagger once said that rock 'n roll is 3 cords and energy. What made me wanna play guitar was from listening to my favorite bands like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan they where the first artists I paid attention to, plus lots of other bands air-played on Radio Luxemburg.

Learning how to play guitar as a twelve year old gave me the idea of three cords and what that means in music. I started to write songs, I guess because I thought I was good at it or just wanted to do it.

I was always the one who had to do the singing, not because I was a good singer, but I was the worst guitar player and somebody had to do the singing.

From the mitt 80's up till late 80's I had a numbers of bands with names such as Dawson, Zpekk and Grete & Guttene.

Those where fun days and sometimes a little wild, remembering one time our car just accelerated in a crowd of people, luckily no one got injured as the driver panicked trying to stop the car.

Going to America, Egypt, Malta and the 90's.

In 1993 I had my first trip to the US and Canada, I crossed the Atlantic chasing my dream. I had 14 new songs and a demo in my suitcase, and I was gonna be a star ..still working on it.

I ended up in Toronto and Minneapolis, in Mpls I met my first label guy Tim Bradach and he later signed me up for a 3 CD contract. It was a giant leap for me leaving Norway to work my music in the US.

That meant a change of atmosphere attitude and style, and I learned a lot the first years working the American way with Americans.

I traveled to numerous of countries in the 90's it was kind of a busy decade for me when I think of it, expoling the world... at least parts of it.

I remember going to Malta playing for food and drinks in 89/90 in restaurants, I also got to know the General of Malta the Brigadier John Spiteri who used to work for queen Elisabeth, I remember John gave me Whisky and he said "this is a gift from queen Elisabeth to me" (John Spiteri) so drink up . . .and I did.

I also went to Egypt ..fabulous, I was stunned by the history and so historically touched when I walk inside of the pyramids and the unbelievable wealth and the power that the Faros had.

It struck me all the poverty you find in Cairo, I actually got lost in the ghetto in Cairo that was kind of spooky, it made me sad to see that the big differences between rich and poor.

If I ever get the opportunity I will help and stand up for what I think is a good cause.

Since 1995 I've had ha few performances in national TV and radio shows in Norway and I've been working with great Norwegian musicians throughout the years. In 1995 I was changing the band name from Ask the Band to Ole Ask & Ask the Band ...and later just Ole Ask

There were many gigs in small bars and medium sized bars and a few gigs in "hot places" in the Norwegian capitol Oslo.

I remember a gig in Oslo years ago I think it was a release party and we even did have a TV station following me from the early morning till the end of the show. The place called Smuget was packed and the expectations for my new album where highly present.

The band and I did a good show and then we celebrated and got hammered, someone who liked my music later on that night/early morning ordered me a limo to take me back to the hotel, to bad I don't remember the limo drive back to the hotel....later on I've been told Ian Hunter was in the crowd that night as well.

The greatest moments in the period of 1995 till 2001 was recording in the US.

I remember a few great moments in the 90's such as working with the folk legend "Spider" John Koerner.

We sat in the studio recording one of my songs "State Of Mind" John and recorded the song sitting towards each other playing live, and I realized what a great moment that was. John started out his career playing in a duo with Bob Dylan, and now he was sitting there recording with me.

I also had great moments working with Willie Murphy who where Bonnie Raitt's first producer and the leader of her backing band Willie and the Bees.

Also working with Bruce McCabe ex songwriter and piano player for Johnny Lang, I remember finding it weird that he even wanted to work with me, .....I felt so proud.

Today we are all very good friends and I belive we will have long lifetime friendships, I have only great memories from the Mpls days.

The new Millennium

Me and my Norwegian band recorded my fourth album Still Fallin' in a two year period from 2004 till 2006 It came out pretty good, must say I hope other artists record my stuff some day.

From 2006 people really started to compliment my music and telling me how much my music meant to them in different ways, how my music made them cry and helped them through hard times, I was stunned over the effect my music could have for some people.

In 2008 I followed up with an acoustic solo project that I called Nine To Go. It was the right time for an acoustic album and a lot of people had asked me to do an acoustic album, so I did.

Magic To Me

I was about to quit the music business in 2008 I had 5 albums and was quite satisfied.

However things started to happen late 2008 someone in Texas wanted me to make a new album, so in January 2009 I started to write songs for a new album, I wrote 11 songs from January till April and I had a take off to Texas 5^th of May.

I was in Forth Worth for about a month and nothing that I was promised by the so called "management" came through, so went to Minneapolis.

After a week in Mpls resting and thinking I took off to Los Angeles, it was like a dream when I got there even thou I had been there in 2004 as well, but this time it was different. I was going to record my album in LA, and it all happened because of my friend Peach Reasoner who stood up and helped me out.

All of a sudden I was surrounded by great musicians who had played and plays with my big idols ,like The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Pink Floyd, Tom Petty, Neil Young and Stevie Nicks, The Knack, Rod Stewart, Billy Idol, Lou Reed, David Bowie etc. etc. And for the first time I had someone producing my album Richard Bosworth

Richard and I decided to record 10 out of 11 songs since I had a very limited budget and that also meant we had to work pretty fast, because I had no money to pay him more.

When we started recording I had a feeling that the guys where a little surprised over my songwriting skills. Me I was overwhelmed by having Phil Jones on drums and percussion, Al Ortizon bass, Berton Averre and on guitars, piano and keyboard , Lorelei McBroom on vocals and Paul Litteral on trumpet, and they all working in the studio playing and singing on my songs, later on in the process Suman Laha came in and did his thing on Venna and Tambura. It felt great working with those guys.

Magic To Me got a new CD cover in 2012 artwork by: Veronica Waters daughter of the great Roger Waters

Signature

Signature is a compilation album released in 2011

Peace

Ole Ask

Myspace: www.myspace.com/oleask

Facebook: www.facebook.com/oleask

www.oleask.com

Signature - 2011

Magic To Me - 2010 - 2012

Nine To Go -2008

Still Fallin' - 2006

Flight 653 - 2001

Turning Point - 1999

ASK - 1997

God helg!

Have a great weekend!

Check out my songs on Spotify

You find links on my web side to purchase my music on iTunes, Spotify, CD-baby, Napster, etc.

www.oleask.com

Dette er den første posten på min nye blogg ;)