Sondre Lerche
By All Music Guide
By All Music Guide
Born and raised in Bergen, Norway, Lerche was weaned on the 80s pop that emanated from his older siblings rooms. Compelled by a defining fascination for bands such as a-ha, the Beach Boys, and Prefab Sprout, Lerche began formal guitar instruction at age eight. Not satisfied with the lessons at school, he experimented with original tunes on his own, eventually penning his first song, Locust Girl, at 14. Lerche performed acoustic gigs at the club where his sister worked while he was still underage, and was discovered by Norwegian producer HP Gundersen. Under Gundersens mentorship, Lerche was exposed to diverse music genres, including psychedelia, 60s pop, and mainstream Brazilian music, broadening his appreciation for eclectic music styles. Around this time Lerche also met up with Oslo-based manager %Tatiana Penzo, leading up to a deal with Virgin Norway.
The songs from Faces Down had been completed before winter 2000 but postponed for release until Lerche fulfilled several academic requirements. In the interim, he was named Best New Act at the Norwegian Grammys (Spellemannprisen) and performed locally in support of major acts such as Beth Orton. Faces Down was officially released in Norway in September 2001 and gradually throughout all of Europe. Lerche toured with various acts, including a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to share the stage with his longtime idols a-ha in Oslo. Autumn 2002 saw the release of Faces Down in America and Lerches first major tour of the United States. He treated fans with the live/studio collection Dont Be Shallow EP the following year. Lerche got personal for his sophomore effort, Two Way Monologue, which appeared in spring 2004. For next album, Lerche took a stylistic diversion and recorded an album of low-key, jazz-influenced tunes with a small mostly acoustic version of his Faces Down band. Duper Sessions was released in 2006 and reached number five in the ~Billboard Top Contemporary Jazz chart. While touring that year with Elvis Costello, Lerche was inspired by Elvis energy and interaction with his group. This led Lerche and the Faces Down to record a batch of short, punchy ock songs for 2007s Phantom Punch. ~ Roxanne Blanford & Tim Sendra,
