Eivind Opsvik is a Norwegian musician who’s been living in New York since 1998. His main instrument is the upright bass, but he also spends time playing lap steel guitar, old keyboards and drums, composing music, recording, mixing and producing (he has a studio in the basement) and running a record label.
His main projects are Overseas, Opsvik & Jennings and his solo project.
'Overseas' is the name of Eivind's band. The band was formed in 2002 and is Jacob Sacks on piano and organ, Tony Malaby on saxophone, Kenny Wollesen on drums and most recent addition, Brandon Seabrook on guitar. Eivind plays bass and writes all the music. Four records have been released; Overseas (2003), Overseas II (2005) and Overseas III (2008). Overseas IV was recorded in the summer of 2011 and released on Loyal Label in April of 2012.
Opsvik & Jennings, the experimental pop duo with tunesmith and guitarist Aaron Jennings, released their third album in 2009 on CD and Vinyl; “A Dream I Used to Remember” (Loyal Label).
Eivind is currently working on a solo album, it will be an audio/visual release in collaboration with photographer Michelle Arcila where each song will be accompanied by a photograph. Expected release in 2013.
Eivind also performs with a plethora of other bands and musicians:
Tony Malaby's Paloma Recio, Nate Wooley Quintet, Jesse Stacken Trio, Skuli Sverrison's Seria, Two Miles A Day (record featuring: Jacob Sacks, Mat Maneri, Paul Motian), Jeff Davis Trio with Russ Lossing, Mary Halvorson's Reverse Blue, Rocket Engine, Plainville, Kris Davis Trio, Håkon Kornstad, David Binney with Brian Blade and Craig Taborn, Rocket Engine, Tone Collector, Jesse Harris' Cosmo, The Interaction of Non-Interaction (w Ben Gerstein), Poor Pluto ...and more
Peter Margasak, Reader music writer, is obsessed with …
Eivind Opsvik,Overseas IV(Loyal Label) On its latest album the band Overseas, led by New York-based Norwegian bassist Eivind Opsvik (with saxophonist Tony Malaby, keyboardist Jacob Sacks, drummer Kenny Wollesen, and cranky electric guitarist and mandolinist Brandon Seabrook), drifts far from its postbop roots. Though the performances make use of jazz harmony and improvisation, the compositions and arrangements draw from all kinds of musical traditions. Two recent additions to the band—Seabrook joined the lineup and Sacks began playing harpsichord—provide gripping, unusual timbres to go with the heavy and sometimes elliptical grooves.