See more pictures from Bragdøya here: The Crawlin' Kingsnakes at Bragdøya Blues Festival 2004

In the weeks before the gig at Bragdøya The Crawlin’ Kingsnakes did a gig at a private party. Then they did a short tour in Germany, playing three gigs there. The band was in good shape for Bragdøya, to say the least. The tour in Germany was a great success and there are plans for more touring in the future. The band is also looking forward to tour in the US, which might be possible in a couple of years.

The Crawlin’ Kingsnakes has a lot of unreleased songs from recordings made in the 90’s, and some of them might be rehearsed in the months to come. It is still not decided what the band will do the next year, but they will for sure play at different places in Kristiansand during the fall. Have a look at pictures and stuff from one of the places they played in Germany, The Blues Bunker.

2003:
The Crawlin’ Kingsnakes played at a Gram Parsons tribute concert in Kristiansand, Norway. Gram was a close friend of Keith Richards in the beginning of the 70’s, and had a great influence on songs like Wild Horses and Dead Flowers. The Crawlin’ Kingsnakes did some Stones songs in Grams honour. Gram is often called the father of the country rock music.

2002:
The Crawlin’ Kingsnakes played their first concert since Saturday 03.15.97. They played at Arbeideren Saturday 9^th of November 2002. Together with Ritas Lolitas and Marquee Band they paid tribute to The Greatest Rock’n Roll Band InThe World: The Rolling Stones! It was 40 years since The Rolling Stones started out, and Kingsnakes played solely Rolling Stones numbers.

Two new members were included in the band that night. Oddvar Michaelsen is the bands new drummer, and Trond Breen joined as the bands third guitarist. The Crawlin’ Kingsnakes has got an even rougher sound than before, and they really rocked the place!

The Crawlin' Kingsnakes' members 2002 - :
Kåre Ørnevik, vocals
Niklas Dimitri Halseide, guitar, vocals, percussion
Geir Åge Vågane, guitar, harp, vocals
Trond Breen, guitar, vocals, percussion
Hugo Vimme, bass
Oddvar Michaelsen, drums

The members of The Crawlin' Kingsnakes through all times:
Niklas Dimitri Halseide, guitar, vocals; 1990 -
Geir Åge Vågane, guitar, harp, vocals; 1990 -
Hugo Vimme, bass, vocals; 1990 - 1996, 2002 -
Kåre Ørnevik, vocals; 1990 - 1995, 2002 -
Oddvar Michaelsen, drums; 2002 -
Trond Breen, guitar, vocals; 2002 -

Erlend Sørensen,percussion; 2002 - 2003
Geir Christian Bøe, drums; 1992 - 1997
Magne Winge, bass; 1996
Arne Fosseli, vocals; The last few weeks
Jan Berhus, drums; 1990 - 1992

History:
In the fall 1988 Niklas Dimitri Halseide contacted Geir Åge Vågane regarding putting a band together. They started rehearsals immediately, and Soffi Westin was their first drummer. They put an ad in the paper to get hold of a bassplayer and Hugo Vimme came to the audition. He was 16 at the time and he got the job the same evening. After some time a Hans Olaf Lohne joined as a new drummer, and Bernt Halseide joined as the lead singer. The band was named The Human Laboratory in the end of 1988, after Keith Richards nickname which he got during his days as a heavy drug addict.
The Human Laboratory had their debut on the 28th December 1989, as the support act for Marquee Band at CB Hard Rock Cafe. The band rocked the place and they played quite a lot in Kristiansand and nearby places. Unfortunately the band split due to internal problems.
In the spring of 1990 Bernt Halseide was replaced by Kåre Ørnevik and Jan Berhus got the job as tha bands drummer. The Human Laboratory changed their name to The Crawlin' Kingsnakes and lots of rehearsing was done to be able to present new songs. After a couple of years Jan Berhus quit the band and his replacement was Geir Christian Bøe. All the way to the start of the recording of the CD Pearly Whites in 1995 this was the lineup. Days before entering the studio Kåre Ørnevik left the band. From then on Geir Åge, Niklas Dimitri and Hugo shared the job as vocalist. The band quit in January 1997. During the very last weeks they tried a new vocalist, Arne Fosseli but that was just a couple of weeks.

Music:
The Crawlin' Kingsnakes a down to earth rhythm & blues with no compromises made. The band developed a special sound based on a straight forward r&b philosophy. The Crawlin' Kingsnakes had great sucsess and their fans thought their music sounded fresh and exciting. They played their own stuff for the most, but they also did songs by Albert Collins, Little Walter, The Rolling Stones and ZZTop live.

Releases:
In the beginning of December 1993 The Crawlin' Kingsnakes released the CD Have A Bite. The CD contains 11 original songs and one cover tune. Have A Bite was the bands debut on the record marked. It got great reviews in the music press. The distributor of Have A Bite is M & R Playtime ANS in Kristiansand.
The bands second release, Pearly Whites, is a CD containing 5 original songs and was released in May 1995. The distributor is M&R Playtime ANS.

Norway:
During their seven first years The Crawlin' Kingsnakes played a lot of gigs in the southern part of Norway. They played Kristiansand Bluesfestival, where the band participated in 1991 and 1992. They also played at Quart-festivalen in Kristiansand both in 1992 and 1993. In 1994 they played at Notodden Bluesfestival and did several gigs in Oslo, at clubs like Smuget and Rebekka West. The band also did gigs in 1995 at Rebekka West and in 1996 at Gamla, also in Oslo.

Denmark:
The Crawlin’ Kingsnakes played a lot in Denmark the last five years of their carèer, and they got themselves a faithful crowd in most of the biggest cities. They did great gigs in well known blues and rock clubs in cities like Copehagen, Århus, Aalborg, Silkeborg, Fredericia og Hjørring, to name a few.

Germany:
The Crawlin' Kingsnakes made their first gigs in Germany in August 1994 and was very well received by the public. Their manager in Germany, Norbert Fuhrmann got them lots of gigs in nice clubs, but the definite highlight in Germany was the gig they played in Berlin the 22nd of July 1995. It was a big motorcycle event with 50.000 visitors. The Crawlin' Kingsnakes was at the end of a twelve day tour in Germany and that day they played for 10.000 people. At the time when The Crawlin' Kingsnakes disbanded they had plans for touring the old East Germany, but of course, and unfortunately, they had to cancel that tour.

The pictures show The Crawlin' Kingsnakes in Berlin the 22nd of July 1995.


Hugo and Niklas Dimitri in Berlin the 22nd of July 1995.