BardSpec recently released their song, “Eternity” – written by Ivar Bjørnson (Enslaved) – as a single, via By Norse. Earlier this Summer, they gave the track its live premier, at the Fire in the Mountains festival, in Blackfeet Country, Montana. Hear it in the article below and read more.
Stream/buy “Eternity” here: https://bardspec.bandcamp.com/track/eternity
Ivar Bjørnson shares: “Going to Fire in the Mountains on Blackfeet land for the first BardSpec live performance since before the pandemic I had a feeling that there would be music waiting for me there. So I left spaces open in the set to allow for this. For me that trip connected me to people and land and water in a profound way that felt like being granted a glimpse of a peaceful eternity. Nick’s voice is the guide on that journey. For me “Eternity” is wading into TwoMedicine Lake nǎatōokyōokǎasii with old and new friends and family talking and laughing in the White Eagle grass behind me on the shores. And tens of thousands of years of Blackfeet children, youth, adults and elders living life with and in nature. Over and over.”
Nicholas Rink, a member of the Blackfeet tribe, accepted the invitation to lend his voice in Blackfoot to the song; and “Eternity” was ultimately premiered as the closing song of the BardSpec set during the festival. Rink adds: “I first met Ivar with an invitation – join us in Blackfeet Country and share your heavy music with us; our youth are uniquely distressed and we believe your heavy music can help! While I was part of the incredible story of bringing Fire in the Mountains here to the Blackfeet, I never expected to be part of the music as well. Seeing Ivar and all my new friends on the shore of Two Medicine Lake late in July was something I had only imagined and signified the reality of our hopes and plans actualized. It was overwhelming, and when Ivar asked me in that moment to offer him some words in a recording for his music, in my mind I imagined a far off project he would be working on back in Norway. I didn’t have time to prepare, or even organize much of my own thoughts because of the intensity of the festival, and it took a few days for Ivar to get me alone in the woods just to speak a few words into his iPhone. I said what came to mind and tried to speak from the heart.”
This single-release springs out from the evolving collaboration and friendship between BardSpec/ the By Norse family, the Blackfeet tribe, the Firekeeper Alliance and Fire in the Mountains. “Eternity” can be found on the By Norse Bandcamp page, where you can purchase the song and donate any amount you want to. All the proceeds from this track will go to the Firekeeper Alliance. This non-profit aims to prevent suicide among indigenous youth in Browning, Montana. The track can also be found on all digital streaming platforms.