TROMSØ: With rocked yoik, sensible elektronica and seducing fiddle playing Vajas is going to Bergen and to by: Larm in February.

    – It is a bit nice, says Kristin Mellem.
Now by:Larm is to come in Bergen from 12^th to 15^th of February. Together with around sixty Norwegian bands, Alarmprice-nominees and ZOOM-winners a whole weekend with concerts, seminars and branch get-together is waiting.

– Enormous response
In addition to Kristin Mellem Vajas is Ánde Somby and Nils Johansen. They have been playing together only since last summer, but have reached attention far beyond the city's borders.
    – We just intended to have one concert. We had that for a conference her in the town. The response was enormous, and people started immediately to ask for a CD, Mellem tells us.
    There will be a record, but the trio doesn't know exactly when. Vajas has got a little grant from the Norwegian the Fund for Sound and Picture (Fond for Lyd og Bilde).
    – We discuss how vi should do it, but nothing is decided yet. We work a lot with some loads of material that we already have and some new tracks as well. We rehearse a lot says Kristin.

– An important get together for the branch
Vajas made its debut on a big stage during the NANA festival at Driv, a concert that lighted admiration from both the audience as well as in the press.
    – After the concert several persons encouraged us to submit an application in order to get the chance to appear at by:Larm, Mellem tells.
    – It is the most important get together for the music industry in this country, and there will be people who are looking. There one will be seen and heard by more people, including the press. Things that happened here up in the north doesn't have the biggest interest the press in the capitol, says the musician.
    Vajas is going to perform with two concerts like most of the bands that are chosen to be at by:Larm.
    – We are going to make sure that we promote ourselves, but at the moment we don't know exactly how, she tells.

A different bird
with its particular mix of traditional Saami Yoiks, folk music and the electronic rhythms of Johansen, and with songs like Beartracks, The Yoik of the Tromsø Island, The Yoik of the Peace Servant and Robbers Chief Vajas is going to be different in the load of bands.
    – We aren't exactly teenagerchickens, Mellem giggles.
    – We are different. Our expression is varied and different. And it is good that there is something else than the mainstream things, and that one stands for the expression that one have, she says.
    She tells that she met and played together with Nils Johansen when they were small.
    – Later me and Ánde played together as a duo, and we thought a lot whom we would like to play together with. We liked the thought of playing together with Nils. He has an enormous artistic openness, at the same time as he is very tuned. He is of course most famous for his work with Bel Canto, but he also has worked with both film music og music from India. He has an open ear and a brain that is awake!, Mellem says.

Tromsø foremost in the track
She is surprised for the low interest for by: Larm in northern Norway.
    – It is quite extraordinary, something that I have thought about. Tromsø has carried the reputation of being «foremost in the track» since the old punkbands. The musical society has to ask itself what is going wrong. But these things goes uphill and downhill, she says.
    Vajas on the contrary are both interested – and good enough for the industry's get together. Together with Washington they are setting their course to Bergen and by:Larm in the middle of February.