PureVolume

From the same neighbourhood outside Oslo, Einar Stokke Fadnes and Inge Srbrden meet through their strong interest for music. Already in early youth they tried out different band projects together, but decided to take a break, move around, get a taste of life elsewhere.

They meet in Oslo again and Inge became aware of the songs Einar had been writing on his travels. They founded Jim Strk, and took the band name after a common hero -
The James Deans character Jimmy Stark in the classical 50s movie Rebel Without A Cause.

Bringing in a drummer and a keyboard player, they spent most of their time in the combined rehearsals and recording studio Supermono. The manager, Kjetil Draugedalen, paid attention to them and invited them to record a few tracks in his studio.

During the fall of 2001 and spring 2002, the tracks grew into an album, and the debut album Ten Songs And Hey Hey was ready for its release in October.
Most of this was the material Einar brought back to Oslo with him coloured by his fathers interest for jazz music and his mothers collection of 70s singer/songwriters like Carole King, Joni Mitchell and James Taylor.
For their debut album, Jim Strk was nominated both to the Norwegian Grammy award, Spellemann-prisen, as Newcomer of the year and Pop-album of the year by the Alarm Awards. When the papers and magazines chose their favourites of 2002 Jim Strk was among Top 10 on most lists.
They went in the studio again, and recorded one of the summer radio favourites of this year, a cover of the Grease-hit Youre The One That I Want, a duet with Norwegian country singer Claudia Scott.
The summer of 2003 Jim Strk left Supermono in Oslo East and took off to a farm at the countryside south of Norway. Here the second album found it shape - recorded live in an old parsonage in the rural south of Norway, No Time Wasted sounds intimate and close, almost as if the listener sits in the recording technicians control room.

Jim Strk continues to refine what they began on their acclaimed debut release: strong, subdued, sometimes understated, emotionally rich and integral songs strongly anchored in the post-Nick Drake tradition. Sure, there are loads of bands out there that attempt to do the same thing but few, if any, come as close as Jim Strk do. A pulsating rhythm section work and rich Rhodes and Piano chords are backing vocalist Einar Stokke Fadnes subtle vocals and the band demonstrate an uncanny ability to hold back and take their time.

New kid in band for the follow up was drummer Tom Rudi Torjussen, a known jazz musician from the scene in Norway.
Again Kjetil Draugedalen produced the album together with the band, and it was released on the bands label, Sweet Recordings. The album came out October 2003, exactly a year after the debut. No Time Wasted was well achieved, and entered # 21 at the album chart. The single Honest (Trying To Be A Man) from the album became a radio hit at national radio through most of the cold winter.
During the dark winter months, Einar continued to write songs. By the end of April 2004, the break through EP Morning Songs was released. The 5 tracks on the EP was spring itself, and showed their growing audience a pop side of the 3-piece. The title-track got heavy rotation on all national stations, and was the biggest summerhit of 2004. Another track on the EP is a version of the Townes Van Zandt song Like A Summer Thursday, from the album Our Mother The Mountain (1969).

Receiving only excellent reviews, "Morning Songs" went straight to #1 at the sales chart. *Morning Song sold Platinum making it one of the most selling EPs in Norway of all times.
When time arrived for the third album, Jim Strk wanted to change and search new inspirations in a new environment. Einar, Inge and Tom went to a castle outside Prague to record.

The single The Word That Makes You Sing was released early 2005 and national radios again put the band on rotation. At the same time Jim Strk won the highly acclaimed Alarm-award and the money, attention and the tour in the Prize made way for the coming album
The band released their third album, Jim Strk, only shortly after, and again at critical acclaim. Jim Strk became one of the biggest pop-bands in Norway. Jim Strk debuted as # 2 in the sales chart, only with Madrugada in front of them. Jim Strk sold 40.000 copies (Platina) and the band toured constantly in Norway, when december came they had done 3 national tours and all major festivals in Norway.
On Jim Strk the band pays more attention to their roots in the American soft rock from early 70ties.
But Jim Strk did not take a break. Early 2006 Jim Strk started to tour in the rest of Scandinavia. In April they again took of, this time to Brazil, to write new songs and record a few of them in AR Studios in Rio de Janeiro.
Jim Strk brought the vibe from Rio home with them, and a new single, Its All Right, will be released this spring. The horns, the rythm section, the vocals and choirs - Einar, Inge and Tom have again moved themselves into a new field, better and stronger than ever.
Its All Right is already predicted to be one of the big summer hits of 2006. Only visiting selected festivals in Norway this season, Jim Strk is spending most of their summer in a studio in south of Norway. A new album is to be expected later this year.
Quiet, soothing, aesthetic many phrases can be applied to Jim Strks music. However, one thing remains certain; you wont waste no time listening to Jim Strk.

Jim Strk is
Einar Stokke Fadnes, vocals & guitar, f. 1975
Inge Srbrden, bass, f. 1976
Tom Rudi Torjussen, drums, f. 1975

Albums
Ten Songs And Hey Hey (BP 2002)
No Time Wasted (Sweet Recordings 2003)
Morning Songs EP (Sweet Recordings 2004)
Jim Strk (Sweet Recordings 2005)