Seven Days: Vermont's Independent Voice

Finnish Lines

Helsinki-based band Frigg may evoke a stand-in for a common cussword, but its name actually comes from a Norse goddess. Furnishing a new generation of Nordic folk, the talented seven-member ensemble features two sets of siblings from prominent Finnish and Norwegian fiddling families. But the Scandinavian folk scions don’t reproduce traditional tunes note for note — instead, their creative fusion arrangements add mandola, dobro, cittern, double-bass and guitar to a massed-fiddle lineup and shouted vocals. The result? Lilting, off-kilter melodies that mix music from the land of the midnight sun with country western, American Appalachian and Irish influences. (Frigg’s most recent album, Economy Class, even includes a polka-and-zydeco tribute to Louisiana.) Watch the northern lights come out this Saturday — and hear them, too.