Youth Pictures of Florence Henderson came to be when a group of four classmates Morten (drums), Gjermund (guitar), Torbjørn (guitar) and Audun (bass) at the Bodø University decided to start a band in 2003. Their first demo, recorded in early 2004, consisted of everything from pop, via country and punk, to long and dreamy post-rock tunes. They decided they liked the latter genre, represented by the song “A List Not To Be Read At Your Wedding”, the best, and thus started making more songs similar to that one.

Facts

1: A Brit named Zachary was the first to leak our latest album onto the internet.

2: We run our own label, How is Annie records, which is funded entirely by selling Ypofh-records.

3: We google our band ’s name quite often.

Questions

What is the biggest inspiration for your music?
Our friend Sjur says it’s our northern gloominess and melancholy. Sjur is seldom wrong.

How and when did you get into making music?
Morten: Skatepunk in 1996.
Støy: My dad playing the Velvet underground and Nico in 1999(or 1998).
Toby: Playing along with folky Beck in 1996
Elling: My mother took me to music school when I was 3 1/2 years old, playing the cello. I made a song about my grand pa’s tractor. John Deere.
Audi: Buying a bass in 2004.
Gjermund: Seeing a concert on tv, from my couch. Kiss, of course.

What are your 5 favourite albums of all time?
Morten:
American Football – S/T
Christe Front Drive S/T
Weston – Got Beat Up
Small Brown Bike – Our Own Wars
Appleseed Cast – Mare Vitalis

Øystein:
Mogwai – Young Team
My Bloody Valentine – Loveless
American Football – S/T
Radiohead – Amnesiac/Kid A
Eiafuawn – Birds in the Ground

Anders:
Cursive – Such Blinding Stars for Starving Eyes
Pinback – Blue Screen Life
City of Caterpillar – s/t
Appleseed Cast – Mare Vitalis
The American Analog Set – Promise of Love

Toby:
Sigur Ros – ( )
Neutral Milk Hotel – In an aeroplane over the sea
Small Brown Bike – Our own wars
Christie Front Drive – s/t
Explosions in the sky – Those who tell the thruth shall die…..

Elling:
I constantly find myself getting tired of the music I used to love some years ago. I used to say Refused’s The Shape of Punk to Come was my all time favourite, but it can’t be, as I really don’t want to listen to it. Guess I’m not a grown-up yet.

Audi:
Something with Sigur Ros, Karate, Neutral Milk Hotel or Do Make Say Think. And Nada Surf of course. Notwist. Stavros. It’s too many to mention.

Gjermund:
Guns n Roses – Chinese Democracy. Led Zeppelin – IV. Kiss Alive. And all of Eric Clapton.

What do you associate with Berlin?
Morten: Hippies and art-students.
Øystein and Anders: Curry Würst and Walls.
Toby: Class mates getting arrested for theft. And doing stupid things like putting out my cigarettes in my own hand s. I was 18.
Elling: Michael Jackson showing off his baby. Holding hand s at Brand enburger Tor.
Audi: Failed art-careers. A restaurant where you can eat “blind”.
Gjermund: A couch.
Audi: The seabath.
Gjermund: My couch.

What’s your favourite place in your town?
Morten: Asia Kitchen.
Øystein: The Sauna @ Tøyenbadet
Toby: The street outside my bedroom window. Childrens laughter, tecno music and couples arguing. Never a dull moment.
Elling: My balcony. I can spot the Rockheim museum!
Anders: The forest!

If there was no music in the world, what would you do instead?
Morten: Write.
Øystein: Make out and watch TV.Toby: The dishes.
Elling: I’ve tried it, living one and a half years in Bodø (far north). I generally just watched far too many DVD series.
Anders: Sleep more. Listen to old Radioresepsjonen (Norwegian radio talk show (very funny)) podcasts.
Audi: Gone fishing.
Gjermund: Stay on my own couch. Eating pizza.

What was the last record you bought?
Morten: Look Mexico – This is animal music
Elling: Local Natives – Gorilla Manor + The Morning Benders – Big Echo (bought at exactly the same time)
Øystein: The Horrors – Primary Colors
Anders: Perfect Future / Reaching Away – split 7″
Toby: Marathon – s/t
Audi: Fool’s Gold.
Gjermund: The best of A-HA

Who would you most like to collaborate with?
Morten: We are seven people in the band , so I guess that’s enough.
Toby: But of course, if Florence Henderson herself would like to do something I don’t think we could resist.
Elling: I kind of liked that guy playing melodica and Casio keyboards on our Denmark tour in 2006.Audi: Tom Jones, because he’s very central in our specialmade cardgame about the ancient Egypt.

What was your best gig (as performer or spectator)?
Morten: Hot Water Music in Oslo 2001 was pretty great. And Explosions in the sky in Kristiansand in 2004.
Øystein: Broken Social Scene and Stephen Malkmus in Oslo sometime around 05/06.
Anders: Cursive in Oslo in 2003. The first concert I went to together with the girl I’m living with today. The band was good, too.
Toby: Sigur Ros in Oslo Concert Hall in 2006
Audi: Do Make Say Think in Oslo 2009 (?)
Gjermund: My very first Kiss-concert

How important is technology to your creative process?
Morten: We need electricity for our guitars and delay pedals.
Anders: We send about 200 e-mails to each other every day.
Elling: I don’t think e-mails are concidered hi-tech anymore. I need a DI-thingie to enhance my cello signal. I think that’s what it does.
Toby: I use the wheel to get me to rehearsals.Gjermund: A decent fan to cool me off when I’m in the couch.

Do you have siblings and how do they feel about your career?
Morten: We all have siblings, and everyone is proud and regularly visits our concerts. My brother shares the passion for old school emo and post hardcore.
Elling: They really don’t know if there is anything to be proud of. Except one of my brothers. He’s proud, i think.

Our Favourites:

I’d rather listen to Weston