Magnus Wiik - mandolin, 5-string banjo, tenor banjo,dobro, guitar Espen Bjarnar - guitar Aksel Jensen - double bass Ola Kvernberg - fiddle on Yee-Haw and Delayed Response Stian Carstensen - 5-string banjo on Fiver For A Tenor, accordion on Keeps The Audience Away

Open String Department’s debut album recorded in 2014, the album contains eight originals by Wiik and one by Jensen. The album caused a bit of a stir before it came out, the label being contacted by several reviewers who had heard about it from colleagues and wanted a copy. Featuring two long-time heroes of the band in Kvernberg and Carstensen, the album puts a definite spin on how bluegrass grows in Norway.

In media:

Whip smart, virtuosic album of improvised americana - unusually original - well worth checking out – Tim Goodall, Songlines

A warm, virtuostic, funny and playful record – Petter Petterson, Romsdals Budstikke

The record is a tribute to the wonders of interplay – Peter Sjöblom, Tidningen Kulturen

The urban jazz tradition shines through in improvisations and surprising twists and turns – Trygve Lundemo, Adresseavisen