Biography

birds of prey was formed in the summer of 1991. Tor Kristian Berg and Tor Olav Lien, having earlier played in a band called The Buoyant Outbackers (sic!), decided it was time to start playing some serious Rock'n'Roll again. They called on their old mate and former band colleague Torbjørn Lie to come in as second guitarist. Torbjørn had for the last couple of years been playing with Tor Olav in an Irish folk music group called Pick Up Band. The three of them then went on a hunt for a drummer. Though drummers of any quality is hard to come by in the little community in Telemark the guys hail from, they knew of this young and talented drummer called Patrik Andersson and they asked him to try out for the band. Patrik didn't disappoint them one bit and he was promptly hired to fill the drummer spot. And so birds of prey was born. They decided that unlike their last project, this time they would concentrate on own material and proper arranging. They wanted the band to sound tight and not all over the place as before. Professionalism was, and is, the key word! After a while they felt the need to add something extra to their music and called on their old friend Gjermund Graver to come in and play keyboards. That worked out really well, and Gjermund added another dimension with his inspired Hammond/Leslie sound. By this time quite a few people had heard the name birds of prey, and they began getting gigs locally. The best of them probably at Rjukan in the spring of -93 at the annual 'Return of the Sun' celebration.

Come the fall of -93, Torbjørn left the band. He was moving to a town in the south of Norway to settle down with his girlfriend and pursue a career in the offshore industry. The band continued as a four-piece until Christmas, when Gjermund decided to call it quits. birds of prey did actually do their first gig as a trio that same Christmas. Present at that gig was Øyvind Lurås, the man who was to join the band as lead guitarist a couple of months later. Øyvind was renowned for his flashy guitar playing, and this diminutive man became the missing piece of the puzzle. The band was now really beginning to find that b.o.p-sound they'd been searching for. At some point in -94 they made a recording of a rehearsal now jokingly referred to by the band as 'The Hegnun Tapes'. They recorded it in the living room of the house Kris lived in at the time. With two microphones plugged into the left and right channels of a tape deck situated in the kitchen, the boys played their hearts out in the living room! The result is, if somewhat lacking in sound quality, a fine example of a band in progress. It features early versions of later to be live standards such as 'Mary's on the Road', 'Alchemy' and 'Break of Day'.

Not much happened in the band until they a couple of years later were asked to contribute to an album showcasing local artists. They recorded The song 'Break of Day' for the project, and the cd was released locally in '97 under the telling name 'Tinn-musikk '97'. birds of prey's feelings towards the whole thing are in hindsight well and truly mixed. Though they relished the opportunity to get the chance to spread their music in a more 'professional' way, the result didn't please them one bit! The production of the song is lacking in every aspect, making it a not so good example of what this band is about. For one it lacks any power whatsoever, turning what is supposed to be a quite overwhelming wall of sound into something that sounds like someone releasing a whiff of air out of a bag! And if that wasn't enough the speed has been increased so what used to be a song in E is now a song in F#! According to the band, their own recording of the song on 'The Hegnun Tapes' lends the song a lot more justice even if the sound quality leaves a lot to be desired. The good thing to come out of this project was an absolute determination to never again be completely left out of the mixing and production of a birds of prey song!

Over the next couple of years the band kept rehearsing and writing new material all the time. In terms of live work there wasn't really too much to write home about, and now Øyvind was beginning to experience health problems which has lead birds of prey into becoming a trio. Although Øyvind has never officially left the band, his shoulder and stomach problems has made his appearances at rehearsals few and far between. He still remains a great friend of the band and also contributes to songwriting, and if (when) he recovers from his problems there will always be a place for him in birds of prey

2002 was to be the best year for the band. It started with a 3-hour marathon gig in January, showing the locals of Tinn-Austbygd that this was a force to be reckoned with! Pictures from this gig can be found on the 'Pictures' page. This then lead to them being invited to play at 'Rjukan-Rockfestival' in May of that year. Here they lined up along side big names such as Poor Rich Ones, Meldrum, Peepshows, Peer Gynt and several other bands. birds of prey played a monster of a set and received huge appraisals afterwards. This furthered the band's enthusiasm and in October they recorded a 3-track demo to use for self-promotion. You can download mp3's of the three songs here. And just to finish the year off they were once again invited by the people behind 'Rjukan-Rockfestival' to support Norwegian alt.country stars 'Midnight Choir' at their Christmas gig at Rjukan. This was to be the biggest success in ages in the town with a packed house and great receptions from audience and press alike! Please check out 'www.rjukan-rockfestival.no' for pics etc.

So this is the story so far. What the future holds is still a mystery. Let's hope it is something big...

ROCK'N'ROLL!!!