Millpond Moon

The evening gave the select audience a beautiful and pure singer/ songwriter concert, put on as part of Buddy’s "unplugged " concert series in Drammen. Some of the very best wines are some times unfamiliar even to the connoisseur, and I would suggest that in Norway, and particularly in the eastern parts of the country, Kjersti Misje and roots veteran Rune Hauge from Bergen, are indeed one of the very finest yet least familiar wines.


Rune Hauge may well be known to some as one of Norway’s leading roots artists, guitarists and singer/ songwriters. When he first got together with Kjersti Misje at the beginning of the millennium they received considerable attention on the radio. But after an extremely successful album in 2001, things have been quiet.


They charmed their Buddy audience with simple, yet excellent and classy vocal interplay and harmonisations, and impressed with playful acoustic guitar acrobatics which you definitely shouldn’t try at home unless you’re prepared to put in thousands of hours of practice. It was as if Loudon Wainwright III and one of the McGarrigle sisters had met up at Buddy that night.
This was American singer/ songwriter and folk/roots tradition of a standard which is rarely produced by artists with a Norwegian passport. They played their only hit "Nation of two", Richard Thompson’s "Dimming of the day", as well as a playful and different version of Rickie Lee Jones’ "Chuck E's in love". Their vocal interplay and guitar playing was so effortless, classy and energetic that the posters’ promise of "superb listening " was fulfilled many times over. However, the sparkle they brought to their jamming, and their ability to play off the cuff, bear witness of a standard which is far from ordinary fare in this country. So, it’s about time the people of Drammen were properly introduced to this exquisite wine.

Johnny Andreassen

- Drammens Tidende

Reciprocated love. Unreciprocated love. The pain of love that’s lost, the joy of new-found love. We’re clearly not dealing with a novel subject matter, but the Kjersti Misje/ Rune Hauge partnership nevertheless adds fresh vitality and life to the age-old theme through their lyrics and music (all tracks are original material). Acoustic and transparent, yet close and gratifying. But then they’ve handpicked their band for "Nation of two" from among the very best of Bergen-based musicians: Frank Jacobsen, Ole Amund Gjersvik, Helge Lilletvedt, Dag Wolf, Per Jørgensen, Arild Seim, Atle Mjørlaug, Geir Rognø and Atle Johannesen, all of them undoubtedly in the premier division and with a safe place at the upper end of the league table.
What makes "Nation of two" stand out among the multitude of Norwegian and international country CD releases? A number of things spring to mind: the evident chemistry between Misje and Hauge, and the vocal qualities they represent, together as well as separately; the likeable, cross-over tunes that never fall into the banality trap, the poetic lyrics, the balanced arrangements and the exquisite, clear sound.
Lend an ear to the beautiful love declaration on the title/opening track "Nation of two", the equally beautiful jazz ballad "If I only knew" with its unmistakable genre ideals, or the groovy, rougher "What happened to you" - and you’ll know what I’m talking about.
Well done to Bergen Records for having spotted the potential of this material and for having dared put their money where their mouth is.
- Hordaland

Reciprocated love. Unreciprocated love. The pain of love that’s lost, the joy of new-found love. We’re clearly not dealing with a novel subject matter, but the Kjersti Misje/ Rune Hauge partnership nevertheless adds fresh vitality and life to the age-old theme through their lyrics and music (all tracks are original material). Acoustic and transparent, yet close and gratifying. But then they’ve handpicked their band for "Nation of two" from among the very best of Bergen-based musicians: Frank Jacobsen, Ole Amund Gjersvik, Helge Lilletvedt, Dag Wolf, Per Jørgensen, Arild Seim, Atle Mjørlaug, Geir Rognø and Atle Johannesen, all of them undoubtedly in the premier division and with a safe place at the upper end of the league table.
What makes "Nation of two" stand out among the multitude of Norwegian and international country CD releases? A number of things spring to mind: the evident chemistry between Misje and Hauge, and the vocal qualities they represent, together as well as separately; the likeable, cross-over tunes that never fall into the banality trap, the poetic lyrics, the balanced arrangements and the exquisite, clear sound.
Lend an ear to the beautiful love declaration on the title/opening track "Nation of two", the equally beautiful jazz ballad "If I only knew" with its unmistakable genre ideals, or the groovy, rougher "What happened to you" - and you’ll know what I’m talking about.
Well done to Bergen Records for having spotted the potential of this material and for having dared put their money where their mouth is.
- Hordaland

A rare record. A very rare record. You keep discovering more of Rune Hauge’s musical spice every time you listen to it, just as you keep extending the list of emotions you’ve found Kjersti Misje to be expressing through her microphone. A symbiosis of American and European folk traditions and the classic love ballad - well suited for after-midnight listening. Many of the musicians come from jazz circles, and even if the instrumental sections tend to have that unplugged feeling, ”Nation of two” is far from being purely acoustic. This is a record you’ll come to appreciate more and more, ideal for late night listening, as it disseminates just that calm and harmonious atmosphere that many of us are longing for as we go through the hustle and bustle of daily life. Recommendable!
- Drammens Tidende

A rare record. A very rare record. You keep discovering more of Rune Hauge’s musical spice every time you listen to it, just as you keep extending the list of emotions you’ve found Kjersti Misje to be expressing through her microphone. A symbiosis of American and European folk traditions and the classic love ballad - well suited for after-midnight listening. Many of the musicians come from jazz circles, and even if the instrumental sections tend to have that unplugged feeling, ”Nation of two” is far from being purely acoustic. This is a record you’ll come to appreciate more and more, ideal for late night listening, as it disseminates just that calm and harmonious atmosphere that many of us are longing for as we go through the hustle and bustle of daily life. Recommendable!
- Drammens Tidende

Kjersti Misje (vocals), Rune Hauge (vocals and guitar) and a magnificent team of musicians (Frank Jacobsen, Ole Amund Gjersvik, Helge Lilletvedt) are behind the newly released Nation of Two. It is a CD which offers much to enjoy. Some of the tunes are clearly country-inspired, others are pure jazz, here’s ballads and quiet songs, and some of the tracks can even pass as pop.
More than anything else, Kjersti Misje convinces as a skillful lead singer, and Rune Hauge as an equally competent and perhaps even more exciting co-singer. The record shows us a couple who dares to vouch for their own material - all songs are signed by either one or two of them, and original material of this variety and even, high quality is not easy to come by.
Variation and contrasts are typical of the record, ranging from the really groovy What happened to you, and the quiet, reflective and increasingly jazzy If I only knew, the latter being a real treat, allowing Kjersti Misje to excel as a jazz singer. This is a challenging and satisfying crossover production for anyone who is curious about the paths that take you off the beaten track.
- Fedrelandsvennen

Kjersti Misje (vocals), Rune Hauge (vocals and guitar) and a magnificent team of musicians (Frank Jacobsen, Ole Amund Gjersvik, Helge Lilletvedt) are behind the newly released Nation of Two. It is a CD which offers much to enjoy. Some of the tunes are clearly country-inspired, others are pure jazz, here’s ballads and quiet songs, and some of the tracks can even pass as pop.
More than anything else, Kjersti Misje convinces as a skillful lead singer, and Rune Hauge as an equally competent and perhaps even more exciting co-singer. The record shows us a couple who dares to vouch for their own material - all songs are signed by either one or two of them, and original material of this variety and even, high quality is not easy to come by.
Variation and contrasts are typical of the record, ranging from the really groovy What happened to you, and the quiet, reflective and increasingly jazzy If I only knew, the latter being a real treat, allowing Kjersti Misje to excel as a jazz singer. This is a challenging and satisfying crossover production for anyone who is curious about the paths that take you off the beaten track.
- Fedrelandsvennen