Hedvig Mollestad Weejuns on Musk

Hedvig Mollestad Weejuns: When the riffs roll and the music knows no boundaries

In recent years, Mollestad has really managed to make a mark as a guitar hero without a filter. She has toured the world with her solid trio, stolen the show at festivals and cracked the codes for both jazz and rock. She has also won Spellemann awards in the Open Class two years in a row, and in 2023 she was Artist in Residence at Moldejazz. No wonder people talk about her as one of the most important voices on the Norwegian music scene. Weejuns, her latest project, kicks from the first chord!

Weejuns is a trio that sets the standard for the extreme. On the team is the legendary Ståle Storløkken, a keyboard master who has played with everything from Terje Rypdal to Supersilent, Sunsanne Sundfør and Elephant9. On the drums we find Ole Mofjell, one of the best drummers on the European improv scene – so we're talking about a dream team that delivers the goods.

The songs? They are far from standard! It's all about freedom, but it's not free jazz. In Weejuns there are long, hypnotic parts that pull you into a musical universe where anything can happen. Here time and space are bent, the traditional song structures are unleashed and replaced by an open landscape filled with sparkling interplay. It's as if you step into an irresistible nightmare and wake up to a glimmer of light of riffs and rhythms. Rypdal, Deep Purple, Soft Machine, Mahavishnu Orchestra – you recognize the genres, but with a new twist, like a trail through the darkness.

So are you looking for something to turn up the volume on, or are you ready to give your ears a buzz with something that both shakes and pumps? Then Weejuns is your ticket to a musical journey you won't soon forget. Just hang in there – the solos are long, the riffs come at the end, and they come hard and something so improbably good!

HEDVIG MOLLESTAD WEEJUNS

Hedvig Mollestad Thomassen – guitar

steele stroløkken – organ

Ole Mofjell – drums

About the debut album:

There's a lot of golden age prog and jazz rock here, adventurously searching and flowing, but with a unique ability to fall into irresistible grooves and riffs that call for rock music. Dagens Næringsliv

It moves relentlessly forward, challenges borders and approaches. It's brilliant. Lira (SE)

Mollestad has always had to barrel hoop her energies to bring form to her eruptive powers (…) but with Weejuns, the corsets are off. This live double album captures the trio improvising extensively, with written-in hooks and riffs keeping the three oriented. Jazzwise (UK)

The encapsulating live double album comes as a welcome return for one of the most perplexing and original contemporary artists in Europe today. Presto Music (UK)