We are Birgitte And The Dusty Trails – a country band from the Kongsvinger and Hamar areas. Our songs are country with inspiration from both blues and rock. In 2024 we played 42 concerts around the country, including at Seljord Country Festival, Silppufestivalen, Hans Børli Days and Fornebu Safari.
Read more about us below – we hope to see you on the road!
Birgitte
Emma Birgitte Ovlien has played in bands since she was 12 years old, but Birgitte And The Dusty Trails she formed in 2022. Here she is a vocalist, songwriter and frontman. In addition, she plays guitar, banjo and harmonica. Birgitte is known from participating in The Voice 2024 and as the winner of the talent competition Sjøorm 2023 at Seljord Country Festival (the largest Country Festival in the Nordics)
ON
Per Andreas Brinck Strøm plays lead guitar in Birgitte and The Dusty Trails. He also plays Lap-steel, mandolin and choirs. PA is a songwriter with Birgitte on several of his own songs. He started out as a guitarist in a blues band in Nord-Odalen. Later he became a rock band in Bråhast. They released two singles, played at the Notodden Blues Festival and the Dalane Blues Festival, among other places. Now it's country that matters.
Tobias Struggle
Tobias Strid is the bassist in Birgitte And The Dusty Trails. He IS the rhythm in the band and is the arranger when Birgitte and PA write songs. Tobias is an experienced bassist who has played in many genres, from jazz, blues, funk, rock and country. He has played in several bands and on small and large stages around the country.
Johannes Gjendem
Johannes has a background from the Music Department in Molde, the Rock Department in Trøndertun, and is currently working on a Master in Music Didactics at the University of Innlandet. Johannes has become known as "the potato" because he plays most of the time with most people, but has admitted that it is in the country genre that he feels most at home. Johannes has already contributed to releases by, among others, Jacob Simensen, Per Tore Gresseth, Nina Gaarden, Viljar Røysi, and Kenneth Norum.
Einar Lilleengen
A retrained graphic designer who got tired of making money and would rather play the piano. Now he plays mostly jazz and impressionist music while studying a bachelor's degree in music communication at Hamar. Otherwise, he likes to perform as a country pianist at bars, community centers and barns with the rest of the Dustys!
Photo: Geir and Tone Wilsgård