The band name, Alphie, is inspired by Vegard Kvamme Holum’s grandfather, Alf Kvamme. He was a musician and conductor in marching bands his whole life, and received The King’s Medal of Honor for his life-long achievement. He was a big role model for band leader Vegard growing up, and was an important reason for him to pursue a musical career. Alphie is a tribute to this great man, and an attempt to lead his legacy on with a different kind of marching band.
It all started out in Vegard’s bedroom. From here he created music which only existed on his laptop for many years. But in 2014 a small orchestra started to emerge around The Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo, and the music came to life. After playing some exclusive concerts, Alphie went into the studio in 2015 to record their first album.
The music draws inspiration from Radiohead, Little Dragon, Sufjan Stevens, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jaga Jazzist, Bjørk, Weezer and sophisticated American punk, alternative rock, nordic indie-pop and improvised music. Atmospherical surroundings consisting of horns, voice and floating guitars on top of riffs, beats and insistent synths creates dreamy indie-pop with an edge.
The band members consist of eight musicians also playing with (ARY, Astrid S, Ivan Eve, Nils Bech, Bendik, Marit Larsen, Sandra Kolstad) which has gained a lot of attention and experience in a variety of genres. They bring their individualities into the music which creates a multi-layered sound based on the open frames of the compositions.
Band members:
Ina Sagstuen – Vocal/text
Vegard Kvamme Holum – Trumpet/composer
Trygve Rypestøl – Saxophone
Nils-Andreas Granseth – Trombone
Øyvind Mathisen – Keyboards
David Aleksander Sjølie – Guitar
Martin Morland – Bass
Bendik Hovik Kjeldsberg – Drums
Vegard Holum 