In the fall of 1997 Idar Kvaal, the great son of Elvran, got the bright ide… Read Full Bio ↴In the fall of 1997 Idar Kvaal, the great son of Elvran, got the bright idea of starting a band…

He got involved with Kay Jonny Kristiansen, and together they gabbled away on the banjo, accordion, guitar and mainly all the instruments they could find. In the beginning they played French – American Cajun, Irish jigs and reels and (God forbid) some of that notorious Norwegian “Gammeldans”.

After some time they realised that to make this really swing, they needed more instruments. That’s when Ann Helen Stamnsve came in to the picture, with her big smile and untuned violin (Or was it the other way round?). Thereafter the new band members where picked with special concern. Roar Nygård became the new lead singer, Per Ivar Moum with his bass guitar and last but not least Odd Annar Aasan on the drums. Idar threw the banjo, and bought a mandolin, Ann Helen invested in a new blue electric violin, and then Lassie n the Lads was up and running.

The music can best be characterized as Irish inspired folk rock, or folk n’ roll as it’s often called. In addition to their own and other band’s arrangements of the good old Irish and Scottish folksongs, the band also play their own material. The themes of their songs can usually be categorized within three major groups. This being drinking, war and of course lost love.

After several good gigs in the vicinity of Stjørdal, (Skogtun, Vårtun, Elvatun, Trudvang, Skatval amongst others) Roar had to leave the band. The band was now one lead singer short.
But time showed that there was no need to worry. Marching in from Fredrikstad came the officer Øystein Berntsen. You could almost come to think that this man was born and bread on Irish whiskey and Guinness (Just listen to the man!). Lassie n the Lads had a new Lead singer.

In the winter of 2004 Odd Annar Aasan left the band, and Lassie n the Lads had to find a new drummer. They brought in Kjartan Klingen from Kolvereid. He filled the space exceptionally well, with his funky way of playing and enormous musicality. In December 2005 Idar Kvaal came to the conclusion to scale down his music. This lead to the culmination that Lassie n the Lads became a five piece band. Now hiring a mandolin player for each gig.

Through the years it has been a lot of gigs in pubs and clubs, and two demo CD’s has been produced. They have played at various festivals: The Accordion Festival in Tydal, The Summer Festival in Selbu and the Tunø and Skagen Festivals in Denmark.

If you’re having a real Irish party night, with stout beer, whiskey and lot’s of hustle and bustle, this is the band for you!