There’s something special about filming a session in a new city for the first time. Oslo did not disappoint for one minute. On the third day of filming in late September, Norwegian folky americana quartet Silver Lining walked into the setup and immediately made it feel like I’d been recording there for years. Live Miranda Solberg (also known as Louien), Stine Andreassen (also known as The Northern Belle), and Halvor Falck Johansen played as a trio for this session, and they have that kind of presence; warm, unhurried, and completely at ease with their craft.

They played three songs, Gillian Welch’s One Little Song, Merle Haggard’s If We Make It Through December, and their own I Can’t Stay. What struck me most was how naturally they moved between these songs, making the covers feel just as personal as their original material. Their harmonies have that quality where one voice complements the other, and their guitar work is understated but incredibly effective. It felt like I was simply witnessing a group of friends doing what they love and they more than invited me – and now you as well – to join in for a song or three.

Live Miranda Solberg doesn’t mind explaining her love for Gillian Welch: “I love everything about Gillian Welch! Her songwriting is so on point, so simple but still hits hard every time. This song in particular says something about being a songwriter in my opinion: sometimes you feel like everything’s already been said and sung a million times before, and you feel stuck. I love how she’s written a song about that!”

“I want to play Christmas tunes all year round.”

Every December, Silver Lining transforms into Silver Belles, for a couple of Christmas concerts (julekonserten) at Kampen Bistro – one of Oslo’s finest venues. So, it comes as no surprise they covered If We Make It Through December in this session, Stine Andreassen explains: “I just love Christmas. It brings me so much joy and reflection. I think I love the idea of Christmas most of all, even though Christmas eve can be the biggest disappointment of all. What I love is the excitement, the lights, the colours, the food, the warmth, the dress-up, hot chocolate, Christmas movies and music, the snow, family and friends.”

“Christmas music has always been a big part of my life. I want to play Christmas tunes all year round. I love that Christmas songs can bring up the raw sides of Christmas like missing your loved ones that are no longer here, loneliness, the emotional rollercoaster a family Christmas can be and the darkness that some people feel. And on the other hand I love the songs that bring me back to my childhood, the excitement, the smells, my grandmother’s house, my great grandfather dressing up as Santa and all the colourful lights between their houses.”

Andreassen concludes: “I love Merle Haggard’s way of writing songs and the way he could tap into different sides of society and its hardships. Sometimes all you have the energy to do is to ‘make it through December’. The song is really sad, but the guitars are so happy and energetic. I love the contrasts.”

Four little songs

Silver Lining released an EP of covers on Friday October 3rd 2025, and their song choices reveal a lot about what drives them as musicians. Alongside the Gillian Welch track and the traditional song Make Me A Pallet On Your Floor that have been part of their live set for years, they tackled Waxahatchee’s Right Back to It (featuring MJ Lenderman) and Jason Isbell’s If We Were Vampires.

They came to the project with a few different songs each. “We get inspired by new artists as well as good oldies, and it felt like a good time to work with some other songwriters that we love. Waxahatchee’s sixth album is already an alt-country/indie-folk classic. She writes poetry and can both strike hard and be soft at the same time with her words. The song Right Back to It is such a gem and MJ Lenderman makes it even better. It sounds like two old friends playing together and like it’s how it’s always been. Jason Isbell’s song If We Were Vampires is such a beautiful and heartbreaking love song. It’s just goosebumps in a jar.”

“For one thing they’re really good artists, and their songs are fun to play. Also they are all heavily invested in the lyrics and they always make the words shine in the most beautiful way with their arrangements. One common factor is also that they make guitar-driven songs, something that we love, and that it’s magical to add harmonies to.”

How do you experience being in Silver Lining together, compared or in addition to your own projects?

“Silver Lining has always been a band with a very important focus: having fun! The whole thing kind of started as a happy coincidence, and we’ve tried to keep that in mind ever since; whatever happens happens, we don’t push too hard and focus on making great music. It’s worked very well so far!”

Silver Linings new EP Four Little Songs is out now on Die With Your Boots On Records.

Photos

Keep watching

Thank you for watching and enjoying this session. You’ll probably like some other sessions from The Influences’ archive too, like these earlier ones we filmed with Norwegian musicians.

2025 acoustic session Americana Norway Christmas songs folk duo folk harmonies Gillian Welch covers guitar driven folk Halvor Falck Johansen if we make it through december jason isbell live miranda solberg live music Norway louien Merle Haggard covers Nordic folk music Norwegian acoustic music Norwegian folk music One Little Song Oslo music session Oslo sessions Scandinavian Americana silver lining Stine Andreassen The Northern Belle Waxahatchee