A couple years ago, the planets aligned in the Santa Cruz Mountains when Swedes Eva Hillered and Patrick Rydman crossed paths with Janni Littlepage of Pacific Grove. The three musicians – Hillered, a Stockholm singer-songwriter who’s been nominated for a Swedish Grammy; Rydman, a well-known jazz singer from Gothenburg; and Littlepage, a classically-trained musician and dulcimer player – were separately attending the Listening Room International Songwriter Retreat in Ben Lomond. Since the emphasis of the workshop was on co-writing, attendees collaborated with a different songwriting partner every day.
When Hillered and Littlepage paired up, it was like lightening in a bottle had been uncorked: That day, they penned “Floats on Water,” a melody-driven, Americana roots number with a gospel backbone. When they performed the tune for the other songwriters, Rydman was invited to join them and he added a welcome voice to the harmonies and thunder to the overall equation.
“It was such an amazing experience to sing together,” Hillered says. “For me, it was like being in heaven.”
But True North wasn’t officially born until last August in Denmark – two years after they first met and first performed together – when the trio played at the Copenhagen Songwriting Festival.
“We were all invited to play separately but we thought we should do it as a trio,” Rydman says. “We thought we were good and the audience liked it.”
The successful show prompted plans for a nine-show run around the Central Coast that includes a gig at Ed’s Courtside Bistro Sunday afternoon (catch them also at 10:30am on KPIG). The collective has yet to write any songs as a group, so its repertoire includes work from each member’s catalog reinterpreted for an acoustic trio. Impressively, their diverse styles amalgamate as if they were meant to be one. Hillered says each performance is like going on a journey that moves from a serene folk tune to rocking country.
Hillered and Rydman head back to Sweden on Jan. 18, but the trio plans to converge again this spring and tour Norway, Denmark and Germany. And though there’s no funding as of now, they hope to record an album then as well.
“We’ll just dream it into being,” Hillered says.
TRUE NORTH plays 3-5pm Sunday, Jan. 13 at Ed’s Courtside Bistro at Chamisal, 185 Robley Road, Corral de Tierra. $15. 484-1135.
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