What do an acclaimed jazz pianist, a death metal vocalist and a five piece band have in common?  The answer is, not surprisingly, Tom Waits.  Seven Norwegian musicians from Trondheim’s metal, rock and jazz scenes have come together to form the traveling show titled “Earth Died Screaming (while I lay dreaming of Tom)”, a tribute to Tom Waits.  What comes from this union of Trondheim’s various music communities is an experience that is truly greater than the sum of its parts.  The single disappointment: that the group is sticking to Norway (as far as Years For Beards knows).

When I first heard about the show, I became immediately excited, and then immediately wary.  I continued to waver between hope and skepticism up until the minute the show – put together by the Bø jazzklubb – started on the sixteenth of October, 2009.  The small stage at Grillen (“The Grill”, a pub in Bø, Telemark, Norway) was a mess of instruments.  There was even one man whose sole task was sitting on the floor playing with a pile of percussion instruments around him.  The band began clapping and stomping layered rhythms, leading into an amazing rendition of – what else? – “Clap Hands”.  Every moment a new instrument or voice joined in was a new surprise.

Marita Røstad (vocals, piano) was amazing, and she is known in the area for her solo jazz album and performances.  The main band – consisting of Stian Omenås (trumpet), Daniel Elide (drums), Kurt Sprenger (electric guitar), Magnus Mortensen (contrabass) and Allesandro Elide (percussion) – was amazing.  Each and every one knew their parts and their instruments inside and out.  Of course, what you are undoubtedly most curious about is the part played by Stian Leknes, the man singing most of the Tom Waits lines.  Would he sing in his own voice?  Would he sound like an idiot trying to imitate Tom Waits’ decided growl?  Any doubts about a Tom Waits cover band’s legitimacy were instantly put to rest the moment Stian Leknes opened his mouth.

Leknes, who serves as the vocalist in Trondheim-based metal band Manifest, found the perfect balance between emulation and tastefulness.  His experience screaming in a metal band has most certainly prepared him for the part.  At times, Leknes sounded just like Waits, but never in a bad way.  It was easy to tell that Leknes was singing with a very natural voice, and not forcing the Tom Waits style too much.  Never once did it seem overdone or out of place.

The band played two sets with a short intermission in the middle of the night, so there were more Tom Waits songs than I could list.  Despite the long list of Waits pieces, none of them felt rushed.  Every song was carefully tailored to the band’s strengths, and it was easy to see that the band is passionate about both the work of Tom Waits and the show they are traveling with.  I am a huge Tom Waits fan (and he ranks in my top three artists of all time, easily), but what I am about to say may be blasphemy, so brace yourself.  Though most pieces were really wonderfully made, some songs actually came close to sounding better than the originals.  Any fan will, of course, always prefer Mr. Waits’ original compositions.  But it must be said that the band’s versions of songs like “Singapore”, “Clap Hands”, “Rain Dogs” and the titular “Earth Died Screaming” were simply breath-taking.  The band took already amazing pieces created by one of the best artists alive today and turned them into ten minute jazzy noise-rock epics.  And for that, I must give this band a ton of credit.  Their final piece was the song the show is named after, and it was the most fitting end to a show I have seen in a long time.  It was during this finale that the normal bar patrons – who had earlier been rudely yapping away – finally had no choice but to remain quiet and listen.

Besides the fact that the show was a full night of surprisingly high-quality entertainment, it was the cheapest show I have seen during my time here in Norway.  The shows I have seen advertised thus far in Norway have often ranged between $35 and $80 per ticket, whereas this show cost just over $15 (100 NOK).  Definitely a great deal, and hopefully this is an indication of the ticket price at other stops on the tour.

It is hard to find information about this traveling show online, but there is some basic tour date information available with a little searching.  If you are lucky enough to live in Norway, I highly recommend you check out “Earth Died Screaming (while I lay dreaming of Tom)” at your earliest convenience.  It is hard to say how long this band will be traveling, but it would be a shame if they did not remain together as a band after the tour is over.  Judging by their individual talents and accolades, one would hope that the band could write some quality, original material.

Here are some photos taken from the band’s facebook page: