Hedvig Mollestad Trio

Hedwig Mollestad Thomassen is a Norwegian guitarist, composer, and improviser. She leads the Hedveg Mollestad Trio, who has released albums like 2013's All of Them Witches and 2016's Black Stabat Mater. Her sound is comprised of equal parts hard rock and heavy metal elements -- influenced by Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin -- as well as the avant-electric jazz of Sonny Sharrock and James Blood Ulmer. 2019's Smells Funny was recorded live in studio. A year later, Ekhidna showcased Mollestad leading a quintet that included Elephant9 drummer Torstein Lofthus and Portuguese trumpeter Susana Santos Silva. In 2021, the Hedveg Mollestad Trio celebrated its tenth anniversary with the release of Ding Dong. You're Dead. She followed in November with Tempest Revisited, a studio recording inspired by her performance of Arne Nordheim's ballet suite Tempest. A year later she teamed with the Trondheim Jazz Orchestra to release Maternity Beat.