Vazelina Bilopphøggers

Vazelina Bilopphøggers is a Norwegian band founded in December 1979, in Gjøvik, Norway. They're known for their comedic re-interpretations of old rockabilly songs, where they re-write the lyrics in their own dialect. They've had several hits in Norway and have worked with many of the most important Norwegian stage artists and comedians. They've also been interpreted through comic books and computer games. In December 2000 they starred in a Christmas revue on TV 2. When they started up, thet were a six piece band, featuring Eldar Vågan (guitar, vocals), Arnulf "Høgger'n" Paulsen (drums), Bjørn Berg (lead vocals), Torbjørn Nicolaysen (bass), Jan Einar Johnsen (organ, backing vocals - later also saxophone and various other instrumets as well) and Bjørn Bogetvedt (backing vocals). After the release of their quite successful debut album "24 Timers Service" in 1980, Berg, Nicolaysen and Bogetvedt left the band, and the remaining trio hired bassplayer Rune Endal and singer/trumpet player Viggo Sandvik. This lineup is considered their classic, and they released many successful albums throughout the '80s ("Slitin I Knea" in 1981, "Blå Lys" in 1982, "På Tur" in 1983, "Fem Fyrer Med Ved" in 1984, "Musikk Tel Arbe'" in 1986, "Gå For Gull" in 1987, "Tempo" in 1989, and "Full Behandling" in 1990 - all of them have sold in great numbers in Norway). In 1990, however, Rune Endal left the band, and the band decided to officially become a four piece. Terje Methi has played bass with them ever since that. This lineup has released some quite successful albums ("11 År Uten Kvinnfolk" in 1992, "Rock-A-Doodle" in 1994 (soundtrack album to a cartoon movie), "Hææærli' På Toppen Ta Væla" in 1996 and "Hjulkalender" in 2000). The biggest shock in Vazelina Bilopphøggers' history to date came in 2006, when their singer, and for many the band's face, Viggo Sandvik left the band. New singer became Kjetil Fosseid, and this new lineup has released one album to date, "Bensin På Bålet" in 2007. They are one of the active groups in Norway that have been playing the longest. The name, as the myth goes, was improvised on the phone, when they needed a bandname in their first competition, where they went and won. Bilopphøggers is the Norwegian name for auto wreckers and one of the guys, is in fact running a wrecking yard on the side. The hearty humour of their lyrics applies to most people, from the youngest to the eldest. They excel in performing sketch-like lyrics, in a way that really swings.