Story of the Blues!

   The Blues Overdrive is a Danish blues band formed in Nykøbing Falster, Denmark in June 2000 by  frontman, songwriter, guitarist and vocalist Martin Olsen. Known for their modern interpretation of the blues, the band has gained international recognition, performing across 17 countries and earning multiple European Blues Awards, Danish Music Award nominations, and international critical acclaim.

Formation and Early Years (2000–2004)

The band was founded in June 2000 in Nykøbing Falster, Denmark, by Martin Olsen under the name Martin Olsen’s Blues Overdrive. The name was quicky simplified to The Blues Overdrive. Initially, the group performed in local venues across the Sjælland region. The band consisted of Martin Olsen, Brian Christensen, Daniel Herman, Morten Frederiksen and Thomas Lund (soon after replaced by Lars Peter Wallfält).

In 2002, they played internationally for the first time at a festival in Liepaja, Estonia. On October 8, 2003, the band made their debut at the legendary Mojo Blues Bar in Copenhagen, a milestone in their growing reputation within Denmark’s blues scene.

The following year, they won the Mojo Blues Bar’s Blues Battle, outperforming groups like Rosewood Bluesband, Rainy James & His Bag of Blues, and Claus Toft Trio. The victory led to their first studio session at Yellow House Studio in Nørrebro, Copenhagen. Though the session was never officially released, it featured three tracks: Staying Out Late, Feelin’ Kinda Blue, and a New Orleans–inspired version of B.B. King’s Help the Poor. Also in 2004, the band was included on Copenhagen Blues Session Vol. 2, a compilation released by the Copenhagen Blues Festival, which was presented at the international MIDEM music business Expo.

Lineup Changes and First EP (2008–2010)

In 2008, Thomas Brick (bass) and Lars Heiberg (drums) replaced Daniel Herman and Peter Stryg Nielsen, respectively. Later that year, guitarist Andreas Andersen joined, replacing Morten Frederiksen. This new lineup led to the recording of their debut EP, EP09, at Ulf Taube’s Pre-fade Studio. The EP was released digitally and featured four songs: I Was Wrong, Out in the Country, Stayin’ Out Late, and Done Tryin’.

I Was Wrong was later featured on The Copenhagen Blues Sessions Vol. 5 – Blues from Denmark in 2010.

Breakthrough and International Success (2011–2014)

Between 2011 and 2012, the band recorded their debut full-length album, The Blues Overdrive. The record, featuring ten tracks (nine originals and an unreleased J.J. Cale composition, I Got Myself a Woman), received international airplay in over 20 countries. The German Indy music magazine Wasser Prawda awarded it “Debut Album of the Year” in the blues genre.

Securing the rights to release I Got Myself a Woman involved direct negotiations with J.J. Cale’s label, Audigram, ultimately resulting in permission for the band to publish the song, which have the band a lot of attention across the european roots/blues scene.

The album’s success led to international touring, including shows in Germany, Poland, the UK, Sweden, Norway, and beyond. As of 2025, the band has performed in 18 countries.

Second Album and Recognition (2015–2016)

In 2015, The Blues Overdrive released their second album ‘Clinch!, recorded at their own Cherry Recording Studio in Copenhagen and engineered by drummer Lars Heiberg. The album featured nine originals and a cover of John Németh’s Daughter of the Devil. Notably, Németh discovered his song had been covered when attempting to purchase the album at the Copenhagen Blues Festival in 2016.

Guest appearances on the album included Chicago lap steel guitarist Joel Paterson (on Cherry) and American blues legend Duke Robillard (Fabulous Thunderbird, Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, Roomful of Blues) who contributed lead guitar to two tracks. Robillard, recently off tour as Bob Dylan’s guitarist, made his very first post-tour recordings with the band.

The album was awarded “Album of the Year” at the 2016 European Blues Awards, announced during the London Blues Festival at the Royal Albert Hall.

Live Album and Continued Success (2017–2020)

In 2017, Louisian Boltner replaced Lars Heiberg on the drums. The same year the band played SmukFest for the third time—Denmark’s second-largest music festival. A live recording from that show was released as Overdrive Live! and included previously unreleased track Everybody Was Rockin’. Louisian Boltner mixed and mastered the album.

The live album went on to win “Album of the Year” at the 2018 European Blues Awards, announced during the Manchester Blues Festival at the O2 Arena. In the summer of 2019 Thor Boding joined the band and debuted as new bass player during the bands performance at the Dichis’n’Blues festival in Tulcea, Romania.

From 2018 and onwards the band also collaborated and toured with Danish blues guitarist Ole Frimer in a special tribute show honoring the late Peter Thorup, performing selections from Thorup’s repertoire and celebrating his legacy within Danish and European blues.

Recent Projects and Collaborations (2021–present)

In recent years, The Blues Overdrive has performed special concerts with Danish Hammond organ legend Kjeld Lauritsen. In 2022, they began touring with UK blues and roots legend and multi awardwinning artist Ian Siegal, continuing the collaboration into 2023 and 2025.

In 2025, the band contributed two songs to a tribute album backing Ian Siegal – honoring the late Swedish blues artist Sven Zetterberg. Both tracks were recorded at Black Tornado Studio in Copenhagen. The songs were based on lyrics written by Sven before his death, but never was released.

In April 2024, the band was featured in a one-hour concert special on Danish TV channel DK4, recorded in Aarhus, DK, which received widespread acclaim and repeated airings.

Their next release, Live Slices, is scheduled for late 2025 and includes selected performances from the DK4 special.

Discography

Albums

The Blues Overdrive (2012)

Clinch! (2015)

Overdrive Live! (2017)

Live Slices (expected 2025)

EPs

EP09 (2009)

Compilations and Features

Copenhagen Blues Session Vol. 2 (2004)

The Copenhagen Blues Sessions Vol. 5 (2010)

Awards

Winner of Mojo Blues Battle competition – Mojo Blues Bar (2004)

Debut Album of the Year – Wasser Prawda (2012)

Album of the Year – European Blues Awards for Clinch! (2016)

Album of the Year – European Blues Awards for Overdrive Live (2018)