Peter Bate questioned SALVATION STREET's Oddi.

Salvation Street

Peter: What's the inspiration behind the name Salvation Street?

Oddi: I was given a one year contract with the Lutheran Free Church, so it was a project. I wanted this project to have a name and when the name Salvation Street came to mind it served several purposes:
· I would be on the road
· It is about people's salvation
· The Christian life is a motion or a process so it fits with the road picture. My hope and my vision are to see a generation in motion for Christ, rather than a generation of Christians sitting still.

Peter: What are your musical influences/inspiration?

Oddi: I've always been attracted to and moved by music, but I guess my first big influences were Roxy Music and Bob Dylan. My favourite producer, or at least one of them, is the Canadian Daniel Lanois. He has worked with artists like U2, Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris and Robbie Robertson. I've also listened a lot to Smashing Pumpkins, Bruce Springsteen, Radiohead and Johnny Cash. Of the Christian artists I like Delirious? and Julie Miller very much. If you ask me to choose one favourite artist it would be the band Talk Talk.

Peter: How did you become a Christian?

Oddi: I grew up in a Christian home, but as a teenager I left both God and the Church. I then sang in a rock band and lived a life that I won't recommend to anyone. At the age of 21, at a dance club in Stavanger, a girl came up to me and said: "Look at who you have become! You're not the Oddi I knew any more." These words burned their way into my heart. I cried all night and that night I found redemption at the foot of the Cross. This u-turn was the start of my new life with Jesus. A few weeks later I was introduced to a Lutheran Free Church in Sandnes (Stavanger and Sandnes are in the south-west of Norway) and that has been my spiritual home since.

Peter: Tell me about the recording of the Salvation Street album.

Oddi: The album was recorded in three weeks. Drum and bass in three days! I had to raise the money myself, so I had to trust God completely. It was a lot of money for me personally, so I was a bit frightened, but I believed that God wanted me to do this. One day on my way to the studio I had a call from a man who said he believed God had told him to give me half of the cost. I drove the next five hundred kilometres praising God. Studio time obviously was busy, but still there was a good atmosphere, and I think everyone did a brilliant job, considering the time and resources we had. But next time we will have more time.

Peter: Choose a song that is significant to you

Oddi: "Prayer" - I think this is my favourite. I never get tired of it. Jon Arne Nygard wrote the lyrics a few years ago, it immediately grabbed my heart and I feel that the melody works very well with the words. This prayer sums up my heart's desire. Jon Arne is a good friend and we've been working together for five years, making songs.

Peter: What's a Salvation Street concert like?

Oddi: It's harder, faster and more intense than on the album. But we still want it to touch people's hearts. That's the most important thing for us - that people can be met where they are and hopefully take one step closer to Jesus.