Music & Arts
My Bubba: Captivating Listeners with a Gentle, Yet Powerful, Sound
The harmonies of a Swedish-Icelandic female folk duo are so gentle and vulnerable, and their performance so personal, that you feel almost intrusive listening to them.
But once My Bubba snares you with their voices, you simply can’t help yourself. (The artists even invite you to be part of the intimacy by hawking a bottle of their own bacteria on their website.)
My Larsdotter (pronounced “Me,” but Anglicized for the band name), a Swede, and Bubba Tómasdóttir, an Icelander, met in Copenhagen. Larsdotter was looking for someone to share her apartment, and came across Tómasdóttir. The roommates started playing music together in the evenings, and at an open mic night, they met a vacationing Italian with music connections. That led to a tour in Italy and their first album, “How It’s Done in Italy” in 2010.
“We just like adventure and tend to say ‘yes’ to things,” Larsdotter said in a 2015 interview at Ohio’s Nelsonville Music Festival.
Since that first adventure, the singer-songwriters have toured with Damien Rice, co-written music with Matthew E. White, recorded with Noah Georgeson, done an NPR Tiny Desk Concert and performed at many U.S. and European music festivals. AXS even named My Bubba one of the “5 rising stars at the 2016 Americana Music Festival.”
Most of time, only an acoustic guitar and sometimes a table harp back up their stirring, often playful, lyrics. For “Dogs Laying Around Playing,” there is nothing more than perfectly synchronized handclaps and snaps to adorn the vocals. But at the core of it all is that same whispery-soft quality, with minimal vocals and instruments.
“There’s a lot of power in the quietness and in the fragility,” Tómasdóttir said in an NPR interview this April.
The band is about to launch an additional leg of its U.S. tour this month. For more on the band, and to buy tickets (or bacteria), visit www.ohmybubba.com.
