Lýðskrum Releases “Bláberja Tom”
In 2005, the musician Guðlaugur Hjaltason was in Denmark with his friends Jón Magnús Sigurðsson (Chernobil) and Þór Sigurðsson (Deep Jimi and the Zep Creams), where they had founded the band Tundur. With a Danish drummer, their collaboration spawned an amusingly memorable song, "Blueberry Tom," inspired by the drummer's comically lame excuses for missing practice.
"One evening he told us that his son was sick and he couldn't attend," recalls Guðlaugur. "We emotional balls in the band showed sympathy until we found out that his son was 16 years old and had a little cold," Guðlaugur explains with a grin on his face.
These continued excuses became a running joke within the band. During one rehearsal where the drummer did not show himself, Guðlaugur humorously said: "He needs to be beaten." "Yes, blueberry him!" Þór shouted then, and thus "Blueberry Tom" was born.
Guðlaugur went home that evening with "Blueberry Tom" stuck in his mind and ended up writing a song about the drummer. He brought it back to the band and together they recorded it at T.C Electronic's studio. "I have to admit that I never told Tom what the song was about and we loved having this silly little humor to laugh at every time Tom started singing the song with us," says Guðlaugur.
Now, 19 years later, "Bláberja Tom" is finally seeing the light of day, a re-recording with some of Iceland's best musicians. Harald Þorsteinsson, with the best bass players in the country and Guðlaug's trusted friend, adds his expertise to the song. Ásgeir Óskarsson, with the leading drummers in the country, brings his talent and genius, while Pétur Hjaltested, who is in charge of keyboards and recording, completes the band.
The song is released by Lýðskrum, which has taken the music scene by storm in 2023 and 2024 with the songs "Dagskrá", "Fjandin laus" and "Verðvvlivandin", all of which have their own unique sound and powerful lyrics.
Guðlaugur Hjaltason, who played the guitar, sang and wrote the song, reflects on the joy surrounding "Bláberja Tom": "No one was hurt during the making of this song and no drummer was beaten.
"Blueberry Tom" stands as a testament to Tundur's humor and creativity, transforming a drummer's ridiculous excuses into a beloved rock song.
