Tempest

Although the name Tempest might conjure visions of leather-clad metal enthusiasts with a penchant for aggressive riffs, the ensemble delivers a far more expansive sound rooted in traditional Celtic forms yet propelled by rock energy. Drawing from blues, American country, Cajun two-steps, Arabic modalities, and echoes of old San Francisco psychedelia, the group forges what frontman Lief Sorbye terms “Celtodelic.” Live and on record, Tempest pursues an even split between time-honored material and fresh compositions, guided by Sorbye’s deep engagement with Irish, Norwegian, and related folk lineages. He recognizes that unperformed traditional songs risk oblivion while strict replication breeds staleness, so the band honors folk practice by reshaping ancestral melodies into new pieces and crafting originals that feel steeped in older idioms.

Born in Oslo, Norway, Sorbye began teaching himself guitar at age seven and spent his high-school years in rock cover groups. That trajectory held until his early twenties, when exposure to an Incredible String Band album shifted his focus toward a folk-infused psychedelic vision. Immersed in Irish traditional music, he performed jigs, reels, and ballads, drawn to their inherent truth and beauty. Unable to persuade his bandmates to “go acoustic,” he spent several years performing for tips on streets across Europe and North America before settling in the San Francisco Bay Area.

In Oakland he connected with Paul Espinoza and Margie Butler, fellow devotees of the Incredible String Band. The three formed Golden Bough, which soon headlined folk festivals throughout the United States and Europe; Sorbye’s command of guitar, mandolin, and additional stringed instruments proved a central attraction. After eight years and six albums he departed to launch Tempest, aiming to fuse the force of Celtic heritage with folk-rock drive. The group took its name from the traditional Irish dance tune “The Tempest Reel.” Tempest debuted onstage in 1988; after initial lineup adjustments the core settled around Sorbye on lead vocals, bouzouki, and electric mandolin, Cuban-born drummer Adolfo Lazo, guitarist Rob Wullenjohn, and bassist Ian Butler. Their first three independently issued recordings—Bootleg (1991), Serrated Edge (1992), and Surfing to Mecca (1994)—blended Sorbye’s, Butler’s, and Wullenjohn’s originals with traditional Irish pieces. On Surfing to Mecca, Lazo incorporated Arab and broader world rhythms into his drumming, while Sorbye introduced a custom double-necked electric mandolin/mandola to expand his solo range and intensity.

Maintaining a rigorous touring pace that often exceeds two hundred dates annually at clubs, colleges, and festivals, Tempest advanced from a regional California folk-rock act to a regular presence on international folk circuits. In 1996 fiddler Michael Mullen joined and the band signed with Magna Carta, distributed by WEA International, elevating their global reach. Turn of the Wheel (1996) introduced a harder, metallic edge, yet The Gravel Walk (1997) restored a more classic folk-rock texture. Personnel changes have continued throughout the band’s history, though Sorbye, Lazo, and Mullen have remained the steadiest members; the group’s inventive arrangements sustain a consistent standard of musicianship. Balance (2001) introduced progressive-rock elements, Shapeshifter (2003) incorporated traditional American tunes alongside Celtic and Norwegian folk-rock, and The Double Cross (2006) featured material from Finnish and Scottish sources. Another Dawn (2010) ventured toward crossover territory with a rendition of the Grass Roots hit “Let’s Live for Today” while remaining grounded in heritage through “Jomfru,” among the oldest songs in the Norwegian vocal tradition.

Sorbye still joins occasional Golden Bough reunion performances and appears with various fiddlers in the duo Caliban, which explores the acoustic dimensions of traditional Celtic and Norwegian music. Since 2006 Tempest has also organized its own annual celebration of Celtic music and arts, the Karfluki Fest, though the 2010 edition was suspended amid the economic downturn that began in 2009.