Green Island is a little band from Sweden, and they played a song by Dire Straits in one pub called “Pennibridge Arms” on June 15, 2019, in the city of Orebro.
Amanda Nitsing which is the lead vocal of the band has sent us the video of their gig. We are really glad to share the video with all our fans, and of course, we asked her a couple of questions for Dire Straits Blog.
Below you can read the full interview and watch their video, enjoy.
Hello Amanda (29), can you tell our fans something more about the Green Island band?
“Gunnar Hagstrom (54) started the band five years ago, in December 2014, and he is also our guitarist who also sometimes sing. We are all from Orebro, the city in Sweden and we are working together in the band on live gigs since 2017. For now, we are only five persons in the band, Gunnar on the guitar, Axel Jakobsson (32) on the piano, Fredrik Foppa Forsberg (47) on the drums, Lars Rostedt (56) on the bass guitar, and I am on the vocal.”
What is the music rhythm and genre of the band?
“Green Island is a band that has a lot of fun when we are playing live in front of the audience. The rhythm and style of the band is a mix of soul, funk and pop music. We play our own songs and we are making good cover songs with a special sound.”
What is the connection between your band and Dire Straits?
“Well, we all like Dire Straits in the band. Dire Straits has made such wonderful songs during the years, and it is absolutely amazing that Dire Straits has made so many good albums of great quality for so many years since the start from 1977. With a few words, DS is a top-class band with top-class musicians. For us, DS is an important source of inspiration. One thought the band had with the song ‘Sultans of Swing’ is that we can use a powerful female voice in front of the lyrics. It definitely gets special in some way, and it is also a challenge to play the rhythm and solo guitar. Mark Knopfler is a God-blessed guitarist and of course a great role model for us!”
How many videos covers the band have and what are the plans for the future?
“Until now we have five own songs and eleven cover songs on Spotify and YouTube. The plans for the future are to play more live, to record more new own songs and good cover songs we like! We have harmony and faith in the future.”
What is the motto of the band, the meaning of the band name, and who are your biggest influences?
“The motto of the band is to play the music that makes people happy because we are a happy band. For the name, I can say that Green Island is a fresh name, and remains of green plants for example. It is also a love for great music from Ireland like Think Lizzy and Gary Moore. Our biggest influences are Dire Straits, Pink Floyd, Donna Summer, Gloria Gaynor, and Nile Rodgers,” she finished.
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