Ruth Marie @ Multe Music

About me:

Hjartelig velkommen!

I am the host and producer of MulteMusic, a weekly hour-long audio show (with a blog and a YouTube channel) exploring the roots, shoots and fruits of Scandinavian and Nordic traditions.

Contact me at:
Multe Music
c/o KYMN Radio
200 Division Street South, Suite 260
Northfield, Minnesota 55057-2079 USA
Email: multemusic (at) gmail (dot) com

Connect with me at:
Multe Music
Facebook
Last.fm
MySpace
Twitter
YouTube

Those pictures of me? That's not really me. It's one of my great-grandmothers. She is generously representing me on the Internet. Not surprisingly, if I dressed in the typical garb of Norwegian peasant farmers from the late 1800s, I think we'd would look very much alike.

My heritage is 100% Norwegian. I don't have a choice. I'm stuck with it. It's a good thing I like it. All of my grandparents immigrated to the USA, settling in Swift County, Minnesota in the early 1900s and in Bay Ridge / Brooklyn, New York in the early 1920s. My family lines come from Lier in Buskerud, Lesja in Gudbrandsdal, Breim in Nordfjord, Fræna and Hustadvika in Romsdal, Rennebu in Sør-Trøndelag and Lindesnes in Vest-Agder.

I grew up in the USA. I have lived abroad for extended periods in the Middle East and Scandinavia. I have traveled to almost 40 countries.It's no surprise, then, that my professional work has followed a path that involves international educational exchange and cross-cultural understanding.

I'm a musician and dancer. For almost two decades, one of my passions has been traditional Nordic dance and music. I love the energy of the music and the complexity of the dances. I've been selected for the Minnesota Folk Artists Directory, the folk artists juried directories in three other states. I've performed at festivals such as Nisswastamman and Norsk Hostfest, among others, and have been teacher/performer in the Hostfest In The Schools program since 2001.

I play and sing in a band called Multe that came out of our local Nordic Jam night in Northfield, which I started in 2002.

What started as a hobby is now a full-blown research interest and now an audio show, blog and YouTube channel. I am very grateful to the musicians and dancers from Nordic countries who have given me the opportunity over the years to study and learn their rich, beautiful traditions. A number of them are among my MySpace friends.

[J]Eg kan [ny]norsk -- og ofte kan forstår svensk eller dansk!

I am happy to receive promo CDs and recordings from Nordics artists in any musical genre. You can reach me by regular mail at:

Multe Music
c/o KYMN Radio
200 Division Street South, Suite 260
Northfield, Minnesota 55057-2079 USA