I Curse the River of Time: A Norwegian American Tale

Rife with drama about family secrets and small town mysteries, musician Ed Pettersen weaves a fascinating tale of locating his famiy in the Arctic circle of Norway interspersed with charming anecdotes about growing up in the seaports of New York along with musical and other adventures through modern day Norway. in his quest to unveil long sought missing pieces of his identity Pettersen travels to Norway for the first time as a professional musician armed with family documents and a burning desire to discover where his grandfather was from and why Edmund Marius refused to discuss his country of birth and family. Pettersen's journey traverses several years, a new Norwegian band and an adopted town full of musicians. A wonderful amalgamation of Norwegian American culture, the narrative draws on the Norewegian literary scene for inspiration as well as Pettersen's own observations of small town life in Norway. Pettersen is a Nashville based singer/songwriter and producer and the entire book is an extended liner notes of sorts for the full length music CD tucked into the back envelope. It is also a beautifully bound hardback book of colorful design showcasing reproductions of Norwegian paintings by artists that befriended Pettersen in his journey. The enclosed music CD has its roots in contemporary folk and Americana with hauntingly beautiful melodies supported by a stellar backing Nashville band and Norwegian guest musicians. The song lyrics and themes on the other hand are the direct product of Pettersen's journey through Norway. The song Psalm at Journey's End draws on the Eric Fosnes Hansen's book of the same title to pull in a character from the band on the Titanic (the band went down playing). In Siste Reis Pettersen combines the American genre of murder ballads with the story of a young Norwegian girl who trusts in the wrong stranger. Outstanding co-writes include Pettersen pairing up with pop star Freedy Johnston for the gorgeous ballad Harbor Road and with award winning Norwegian songwriter Henning Kvitnes for I Curse the River of Time, the title track of the album. This limited edition hardbound book is a collector's item for the high quality art and materials, the unique music tie-in, and for the personal connection one makes with Pettersen and his art.