Motorvei til månen – The Contenders

The Contenders are back!
The Contenders were formed in 1988 and solidified their lineup of original Solør members in 1990. They began as the house band at the legendary Cruise Café in Oslo, inspired by the Americana and roots wave of the time, and as a Norwegian version of NRBQ, Sir Douglas Quintet, the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Los Lobos, Dr. Feelgood, and Rockpile. Their repertoire was a mix of “American Southern music”; New Orleans rhythm & blues, Texas blues, and honky-tonk country-rock – initially well-known and lesser-known cover songs, but with an increasing number of original tracks.

In 2024, the band is making an album comeback, releasing «Motorvei til månen» on vinyl. The album has 12 tracks, 9 written by brothers Stein and Bjørn Kulseth, as well as a Norwegian version of Nick Lowe’s classic “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love & Understanding” and Texas legend Doug Sahm’s “Dynamite Woman.” It was recorded at Kitchen Studio with producer Kim Edvard Bergseth (Amund Maarud, Bill Troiani, Malin Pettersen, Adam Douglas, among others).