Á Móti Sól
Encyclopedia
Á Móti Sól is an Iceland
ic pop
band formed in the fall of 1995 by Þórir Gunnarsson and Heimir Eyvindarson. Stefán Þórhallsson joined the band in the spring of 1997, Sævar Þór Helgason in the spring of 1998, and Magni Ásgeirsson
in the fall 1999.
and Selfoss
, about 45 km SE of Reykjavik. The band has released 8 albums, 6 of them with Magni, with two albums going gold in Iceland. The band's original lead vocalist was Björgvin Hreiðarsson. Björgvin appears on Á Móti Sól's first two albums, but quit in mid-1999. The band subsequently recruited Magni Ásgeirsson away from the band SHAPE to replace Björgvin. Magni was just 20 years old at the time and was also working as a baker in Egilsstaðir
in east Iceland. His first record with the band was the Christmas song "Þegar jólin koma" ("When Christmas comes" in English), first released in 1999 and also appearing on the album ÁMS. The albums 12 íslensk topplög and Hin 12 topplögin, featured songs written by a variety of well-known Icelandic songwriters. The band released a greatest hits collection, Á Móti Sól Í 10 Ár, in 2006; the album is a look back at their greatest hits of the previous ten years, including re-recordings of songs from the 1995-1999 era, such as "Djöfull er ég flottur" and "Sæt", with Magni's vocals. In November 2009, the band released their first studio album of original songs in six years, 8. Recorded over three years in Denmark and Iceland, the album includes the six singles the band released in 2008 and 2009. One of those singles, "Árin," reached number one on the Iceland radio chart. Keyboardist Heimir Eyvindarson is the band's primary songwriter but other members, particularly Magni and lead guitarist Sævar Þór Helgason, have also contributed to the songwriting, alone and in collaboration.
Á Móti Sól is a fixture on Iceland's sveitaball (country dance) circuit and performs extensively throughout the country, performing in clubs as well as school dances. In August 2007, the band was a headliner at Þjóðhátíð, one of Iceland's most popular music festivals, in Vestmannaeyjar, and performed before a crowd of nearly 50,000 on the main stage at the annual Menningarnótt
(Reykjavik Culture Night) festival. The band has also toured extensively, including performances in Denmark, Germany, Norway, Luxemburg and at the famous Cavern Club in Liverpool, England where The Beatles
played in the early 1960s.
The original song he performed on the show, "When the Time Comes", is an English version of the Á Móti Sól song, "Þegar tíminn kemur", off the album Fiðrildi. He also informally released English versions of two other Á Móti Sól songs, "My Pain" ("Hver einasti dagur") and "It's Not About Us" ("Hvar sem ég fer"), on his MySpace. Magni released a solo album in English internationally in 2007 and is working on his second solo album, while continuing to front Á Móti Sól.
In 2010, Magni's record label Spectra Records released two albums by Á Móti Sól. Those albums were "8" and "í 10 Ár" (The Best Of).
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
ic pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
band formed in the fall of 1995 by Þórir Gunnarsson and Heimir Eyvindarson. Stefán Þórhallsson joined the band in the spring of 1997, Sævar Þór Helgason in the spring of 1998, and Magni Ásgeirsson
Magni Ásgeirsson
Guðmundur Magni Ásgeirsson , is a singer, songwriter, and musician. He is also currently the frontman for the Icelandic pop band Á Móti Sól. Outside of Iceland, he is most famous for being a contestant on the CBS reality show Rock Star: Supernova.-Biography:The third of four children, Magni was...
in the fall 1999.
Records and Performances
Most of Á Móti Sól's members come from, and continue to be based out of, the south Iceland region that includes the towns of HveragerðiHveragerði
Hveragerði is a town and municipality in the south of Iceland located 45 km to the east of Reykjavík on Iceland's main ringroad, Route 1.The river Varmá runs through the town. The population was 2,316 on 1 January 2011.-Overview:...
and Selfoss
Selfoss (town)
Selfoss is a town in southern Iceland on the banks of Ölfusá river.It is part, and seat, of the municipality Árborg. The Ring Road runs through the town on its way between Hveragerði and Hella...
, about 45 km SE of Reykjavik. The band has released 8 albums, 6 of them with Magni, with two albums going gold in Iceland. The band's original lead vocalist was Björgvin Hreiðarsson. Björgvin appears on Á Móti Sól's first two albums, but quit in mid-1999. The band subsequently recruited Magni Ásgeirsson away from the band SHAPE to replace Björgvin. Magni was just 20 years old at the time and was also working as a baker in Egilsstaðir
Egilsstaðir
Egilsstaðir is a town in east Iceland on the banks of Lagarfljót river.It is part of the municipality of Fljótsdalshérað, the county seat of Norður-Múlasýsla and the largest settlement of the Austurland region with, as of 2011, a population of 2,257 inhabitants.-Overview:Egilsstadir is located at...
in east Iceland. His first record with the band was the Christmas song "Þegar jólin koma" ("When Christmas comes" in English), first released in 1999 and also appearing on the album ÁMS. The albums 12 íslensk topplög and Hin 12 topplögin, featured songs written by a variety of well-known Icelandic songwriters. The band released a greatest hits collection, Á Móti Sól Í 10 Ár, in 2006; the album is a look back at their greatest hits of the previous ten years, including re-recordings of songs from the 1995-1999 era, such as "Djöfull er ég flottur" and "Sæt", with Magni's vocals. In November 2009, the band released their first studio album of original songs in six years, 8. Recorded over three years in Denmark and Iceland, the album includes the six singles the band released in 2008 and 2009. One of those singles, "Árin," reached number one on the Iceland radio chart. Keyboardist Heimir Eyvindarson is the band's primary songwriter but other members, particularly Magni and lead guitarist Sævar Þór Helgason, have also contributed to the songwriting, alone and in collaboration.
Á Móti Sól is a fixture on Iceland's sveitaball (country dance) circuit and performs extensively throughout the country, performing in clubs as well as school dances. In August 2007, the band was a headliner at Þjóðhátíð, one of Iceland's most popular music festivals, in Vestmannaeyjar, and performed before a crowd of nearly 50,000 on the main stage at the annual Menningarnótt
Menningarnótt
Menningarnótt or "cultural night" is a yearly event held in Reykjavík, the capital of Iceland, usually on the first Saturday after the 18th of August...
(Reykjavik Culture Night) festival. The band has also toured extensively, including performances in Denmark, Germany, Norway, Luxemburg and at the famous Cavern Club in Liverpool, England where The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
played in the early 1960s.
Magni Ásgeirsson
Magni has also become known as a solo artist in the U.S, Canada and elsewhere outside of Iceland, as a result of competing on U.S. television show, Rock Star: Supernova, in the summer of 2006. Magni made the finals of the show, finishing in fourth place.The original song he performed on the show, "When the Time Comes", is an English version of the Á Móti Sól song, "Þegar tíminn kemur", off the album Fiðrildi. He also informally released English versions of two other Á Móti Sól songs, "My Pain" ("Hver einasti dagur") and "It's Not About Us" ("Hvar sem ég fer"), on his MySpace. Magni released a solo album in English internationally in 2007 and is working on his second solo album, while continuing to front Á Móti Sól.
In 2010, Magni's record label Spectra Records released two albums by Á Móti Sól. Those albums were "8" and "í 10 Ár" (The Best Of).
Albums
| Album Name | Release Year | Notable Tracks |
|---|---|---|
| Gumpurinn | 1997 | (Djöfull er ég) flottur, Reykjavíkurborg |
| 1999 | 1999 | Sæt, Viagra, Ég er til |
| ÁMS | 2001 | Eitthvað er í loftinu, Afmæli |
| Fiðrildi | 2003 | Keyrðu mig heim, Drottninginar |
| 12 íslensk topplög | 2004 | Traustur vinur, Rangur maður |
| Hin 12 topplögin | 2005 | Þú og ég, Afgan |
| Á móti sól í 10 ár | November 2006 | Hvar sem ég fer, When the Time Comes, Hver einasti dagur |
| 8 | November 2009 | Árin, Sé þig seinna, Ef þú ert ein,Dagarnir |
Singles
- 66,50 (1998)
- Á þig (1998)
- Ekkert mál (2000)
- Langt fram á nótt (2004)
- Mamma gefðu mér grásleppu - with BuffBuffBuff may refer to:* Buff , a pale yellow-brown colour* Buff , a multifunctional article of clothing produced by Original Buff, a Catalan company* Buff * A form of Status effect, a temporary beneficial effect in some video games...
(2009)
External links
- Á Móti Sól (in Icelandic)
- Á Móti Sól's blog (in Icelandic)
- Official musician page on Facebook (mostly in Icelandic)