Vazelina Bilopphøggers were a Norwegian band founded in 1979, in

Gjøvik Gjøvik () is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the Gjøvik (town), town of Gjøvik. Some of the villages in Gjøvik include Biri, Norway, Biri, Bybrua, ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

Store norske leksikon The ''Great Norwegian Encyclopedia'' (, abbreviated ''SNL'') is a Norwegian-language online encyclopedia. It has several subdivisions, including the Norsk biografisk leksikon. The online encyclopedia is among the most-read Norwegian publishe ...

They are known for their comedic re-interpretations of old

rockabilly Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music. It dates back to the early 1950s in the United States, especially the Southern United States, South. As a genre, it blends the sound of Western music (North America), Western musi ...

songs, where they re-write the lyrics in their own dialect. They have had several hits in Norway and have worked with many Norwegian stage artists and comedians. They have also been interpreted through comic books and computer games. In 1991 they provided the music for the Norwegian version of '' Rock-A-Doodle'', and also provided the voices of some of the characters in the Norwegian dub; Viggo Sandvik voiced Chanticleer, Eldar Vågan voiced Patou, Jan Einar Johnsen voiced Snipes and Arnulf Paulsen voiced Stuey. In December 2000 they starred in a Christmas revue on TV 2. They are one of the active groups in Norway that have been playing the longest. The name, as the myth goes, was improvised on the phone, when they needed a band name in their first competition, where they won. ''Bilopphøggers'' is a variation of the Norwegian word for auto wreckers, and drummer Arnulf Paulsen ran a

wrecking yard A wrecking yard (Australian, New Zealand, and Canadian English), scrapyard ( Irish, British and New Zealand English) or junkyard (American English) is the location of a business in dismantling where wrecked or decommissioned vehicles are brou ...

on the side. In September 2019, the band announced that they would call it quits after the farewell concert "40 år med vondt brenn'vin (40 years of bad liquor)" in

Oslo Spektrum Oslo Spektrum is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in east central Oslo, Norway, that opened in December 1990. It is currently owned and operated by Nova Spektrum, formerly Norges Varemesse. Oslo Spektrum is primarily known for hosting major e ...

in March 2020. The concert was sold out in 3 minutes, and an extra concert was added the day before. The concerts were postponed three times, and the farewell concert was finally held on 8 October 2022.

Current members

Eldar Vågan Kongsberg Jazzfestival 2017 (170609).jpg,

Eldar Vågan Eldar Vågan (born 30 August 1960) is best known as the songwriter and guitarist in Vazelina Bilopphøggers. Previously he was a guitarist in the rock band Baiage. Vågan has also developed his own solo musical career as well as being a published ...

–

guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

accordion Accordions (from 19th-century German language, German ', from '—"musical chord, concord of sounds") are a family of box-shaped musical instruments of the bellows-driven free reed aerophone type (producing sound as air flows past a Reed (mou ...

(1979-2022) Arnulf Paulsen Kongsberg Jazzfestival 2017 (170632).jpg, Arnulf Paulsen –

drums The drum is a member of the percussion instrument, percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophones, membranophone. Drums consist of at least one Acoustic membrane, membrane, c ...

(1979-2022) Jan Einar Johnsen Kongsberg Jazzfestival 2017 (170520).jpg, Jan Einar Johnsen –

saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to p ...

organ Organ and organs may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a group of tissues organized to serve a common function * Organ system, a collection of organs that function together to carry out specific functions within the body. Musical instruments ...

(1979-2022) Kjetil Foseid Kongsberg Jazzfestival 2017 (170808).jpg, Kjetil Foseid –

singer Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define singi ...

(2006-2022)

Live members

* Tor Welo – piano and keyboard (1990-2022) * Terje Methi – bass guitar (1991-2022) * Even Finsrud – percussion (2015-2022)

Former members

* Asgeir Hoel – bass guitar (1980) * Hallvard Høynes – choir (1980) * Torbjørn Nicolaysen – bass guitar (1980–1981) * Bjørn Bogetvedt – choir (1980–1981, guest appearance 2022) * Bjørn Berg – vocalist (1980–1981, guest appearance 2020 and 2022) * Espen Røed – bass guitar (1981) * Rune Endal – bass guitar and double bass (1981–1991, guest appearance 2020 and 2022) * Viggo Sandvik – trumpet accordion vocalist (1981–2006, guest appearance 2020 and 2022)

Former live members

* Lasse Hafreager – piano and keyboard (1980–1989, guest appearance 2022) * Tom Berg – saxophone and flute (1988–2008) Their

and

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz musical ensemble, ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest Register (music), register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitche ...

er, Viggo Sandvik, quit in January 2006 after being an important band member for 25 years. He was then replaced by 34-year-old Kjetil Foseid. Besides playing in the band, the

drummer A drummer is a percussionist who creates music using drums. Most contemporary western music ensemble, bands that play Rock music, rock, Pop music, pop, jazz, or Contemporary R&B, R&B music include a drummer for purposes including timekeepi ...

, Arnulf Paulsen, A.K.A. "Høgger'n" ("The Chopper"), also runs a

and used automotive spare parts shop in Hunndalen, a few miles west of

Discography

* 1980: 24 timers service * 1981: Slitin i knea * 1982: Blålys * 1983: På Tur * 1984: Fem fyrer med ved * 1985: 5 års jubileum * 1986: Musikk tel arbe * 1987: Gå for gull * 1989: Tempo * 1990: Full behandling * 1992: 11 år uten kvinnfolk * 1994: Rock-a-doodle * 1994: Gammel Oppland * 1996: Hææærli' på toppen ta væla * 2000: Hjulkalender * 2005: Bedre hell' all medisin! * 2007: Bensin på bålet!

Allusions

* The album '' Gammel Oppland'' is named after a Norwegian aquavit by the same name. The original cover of the record was a mock-up of the beverage's Gammel Oppland's label, but was later changed, due to protests. * The cover of their album '' Hææærli' på toppen ta væla'' is a mock-up of the cover of

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

' album ''

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band ''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'' (often referred to simply as ''Sgt. Pepper'') is the eighth studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. Released on 26May 1967, ''Sgt. Pepper'' is regarded by musicologists as an early concept ...

''.

References

External links

Official homepage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vazelina Bilopphoggers Norwegian musical groups Musicians from Gjøvik