Dark Season Blues is an annual

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

music festival A music festival is a community event with performances of singing and instrument playing that is often presented with a theme such as musical genre (e.g., rock, blues, folk, jazz, classical music), nationality, locality of musicians, or h ...

in late October, at 78 degrees north in

Longyearbyen Longyearbyen (, locally �lɔ̀ŋjɑrˌbyːən "The Longyear Town") is the world's northernmost settlement with a population greater than 1,000 and the largest inhabited area of Svalbard, Norway. It stretches along the foot of the left bank ...

(

Svalbard Svalbard ( , ), also known as Spitsbergen, or Spitzbergen, is a Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean. North of mainland Europe, it is about midway between the northern coast of Norway and the North Pole. The islands of the group range ...

) in

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

, and marks the beginning of the dark season when daylight and the sun is about to leave Svalbard for four winter months. The festival lasts four days, and features local, Norwegian and international musicians performing in most of Longyearbyen's venues. The festival is based on voluntary work in order to carry out the event. The economic goal is to break even, and any surplus is transferred to next year's festival. The first Dark Season Blues festival was arranged in 2003, and has run without interruption until the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

resulted in the cancellation of the 2020 and 2021 festivals. It started out as a small intimate festival, and presented 15 bands spread on 17 events in 2010.

Past performers

2011

Dark Season Blues 2011 * Bryan Lee (US) * Mike Zito (US) * JW-Jones (CA) * Tina Lie (NO) * Mike Andersen Band (DK) * Micke & Lefty feat. Chef (FI) * T-Bear & The Dukes of Rhythm (SE) * Eric ‘Slim’ Zahl & the South West Swinger (NO) * The Douglas Group (NO) * Blåmyra (NO) * Bright Side Five (NO)

2010

Dark Season Blues 2010 * The Reba Russel Band *

Victor Wainwright Victor Lawton Wainwright, Jr. (born February 4, 1981) is an American blues and boogie-woogie singer, songwriter, and pianist. Wainwright's musical style was described by the American Blues Scene magazine in 2013 as "honky-tonk and boogie, with ...

* Cadillac Kings * Grainne Duffy *

Knut Reiersrud Knut Reiersrud (born 12 February 1961) is a Norwegian blues guitarist. His work also incorporates elements of Norwegian traditional music and African music. Reiersrud has recorded and played with David Lindley, the Blind Boys Of Alabama, Rickie ...

Rita Engedalen Rita Engedalen (born 17 December 1971) is a Norwegian blues musician (vocals, guitar) and songwriter. Rita Engedalen and Margit Bakken were top billing at the Sunflower Blues Festival in August 2015 in Clarksdale, Mississippi, United States. ...

Margit Bakken Margit Bakken (born 8 April 1967) is a Norwegian musician (vocals, guitar) and songwriter. She is one of the most established blues musicians in Norway, and often performs with Rita Engedalen as the duo Women in Blues.Tuva Syvertsen Tuva Livsdatter Syvertsen (born 16 July 1983) is a Norwegians, Norwegian musician (vocals, hardingfele and accordion). She was born in Oslo but grew up at Brønnøya. Syvertsen is known from a number of album releases and cooperations with Hilde ...

& Susanne Hansen * Dave Fields *

Noora Noor Noora Noor aka Noora (born 8 July 1979) is a Somali-Norwegian neo soul singer. Career Noor started early on her musical journey, performing locally from the age of 8. She got a recording contract with Warner Music at only 15. She then began wor ...

* Ledfoot /

Tim Scott McConnell Tim Scott McConnell aka Tim Scott or Footless (born March 23, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and 12-string guitarist who performs since 2007 under the artist name Ledfoot and created the music genre Gothic blues. He calls himself the ...

Linda Gail Lewis Linda Gail Lewis (born July 18, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter and pianist. She has recorded with Stephen Ackles, Van Morrison, and with her brother, Jerry Lee Lewis Jerry Lee Lewis (September 29, 1935October 28, 2022) was an A ...

* Bill Sims Jr * Westby Band * Deadwood * Longyearbyen Storband * Blaamyra

2009

Dark Season Blues 2009 * Bobby Jones * Jackie Payne & Steve Edmondson band * Billy Gibson feat Dave Fields * JT. Lauritsen & The Buckshot Hunters *

Kirk Fletcher Kirk Fletcher (born December 23, 1975) is an American electric blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. To date, Fletcher has released four studio albums and one live album. In addition, he has variously been a member of the Fabulous Thunderbi ...

band * Hemisfair * Tinal Lie * Groovy Company * Joakim Tinderholt Express * Blaamyra

2008

Dark Season Blues 2008 * Super Chikan * Billy Gibson * Sherman Robertson * Greasy Gravy * Bedrock Bluesband * Monika Nordli m/band * Rita Engedalen & Backbone * Little Jenny & The Blue Beans * Dr. Bekken * Blackbirds * Billy T Band * Howlin’ Huskies * Blaamyra Bluegrass

2007

Dark Season Blues 2007 * The Mannish Boys * Dr.Bekken * Spoonful of Blues * Orbo & the longshots * Trond Ytterbø Band * Little Jenny & The Blue Beans * Billy T Band * Little Victor * Steinar Albrigtsen & Monika Nordli * Howlin’Huskies

2006

Dark Season Blues 2006 * Sherman Robertson * Sky High * Vidar Busk * Kåre Virud Band * Buzz Brothers * Rita Engedalen & Margit Bakken * J.T. Lauritsen Band * The buzzers * Varpen

2005

Dark Season Blues 2005 * Paal Flaata * Frode Alnæs * Peer Gynt Band * Reidar Larsen & The Storytellers * Rita Engedalen & Backbone * Mitch Kasmar *

Rick Holmstrom Rick Holmstrom (born May 30, 1965) is an American electric blues and rhythm and blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. Holmstrom has previously worked with William Clarke, Johnny Dyer, and Rod Piazza. He is currently the bandleader for Mavis ...

* Arsen Shomakhov * Peter Price * Spoonful of Blues * RC Finnigan & The Blue Flames * Billy T Band

2004

Dark Season Blues 2004 * Amund Maarud * Kid Andersen * RC Finnigan * Erik Bergene * Noise Pollution * Fingerprint * Good Time Charlie * Dark Season All Star band

2003

Dark Season Blues 2003 * Knut Reiersrud * JB and the Delta Jukes * Allen’s Pit

References

{{Reflist

External links

Homepage Dark Season Blues

Facebook page
Music festivals established in 2003 Longyearbyen Blues festivals in Norway Folk festivals in Norway Music festivals in Norway 2003 establishments in Norway