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Bernhoft: A Norwegian Hard Rocker Dives Into Funky Soul

Norwegian singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jarle Bernhoft.
Courtesy of the artist
Norwegian singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jarle Bernhoft.

Back in 2005, Norwegian musician Jarle Bernhoft was known for a hard rock sound: His band at the time, SPAN, was sort of like Norway's Foo Fighters. But Bernhoft, who plays multiple instruments, in addition to singing and composing, had a nagging feeling he wanted to make a totally different kind of music.

"This friend of mine gave me a Sly & the Family Stone album, and I couldn't really come down off that wall; I was nailed to it," Bernhoft says. "So it was a profound need to try and do something in that vein."

Since then, Bernhoft has been living that ambition. He recently stopped by NPR's studios in Washington, D.C. — with an armload of music gear — to speak with Weekend Edition Sunday host Rachel Martin and perform a few songs live. Click the audio link to hear more.

Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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