Red Top Recordings

After years in the background with his guitar, Per "Flamman" Westling finally takes the step forward as singer/songwriter and guitarist in his own band Flamman.
— During the years I've been playing with other people I also have been writing my own songs, but it was not until a while ago that I realised that I actually could sing them myself… I simply haven't had the courage to sing earlier, but suddenly it all fell into place.

In the company of the band Flamman we travel to an American rock and roll landscape, with people like Neil Young and Tom Petty lurking about at the backroads, while some lighter pop melodies are blowing around in the dusty wind. The bands in Per "Flamman" Westling's past didn't necessarily belong to the same tradition.
— I have played, and in some cases sometimes still play, in several different jazz constellations, with Gothenburg singer/songwriter Dan Viktor, with Stockholm pop band The Virtues and with Elvis tribute act Uncle Jam, "Flamman" explains.

But while listening to his own songs it is obvious in which company and world "Flamman" feels most at ease.
— Sure, my musical influences mostly come from people like Neil Young and let's say, Creedence, but I think I add some pop to the sound as well, "Flamman" says.
— I often listen to softer pop such as The Shins or Elvis Costello. The thing is that I listen to music non stop, everywhere and all the time and I never get tired of it. When it comes to singers I admire for example Neil Young (sorry for repeating myself), Tom Petty and Lucinda Williams. They are all awesome singers and I would never dare even trying to compare myself to them.

Other Flamman band members are long time companion Johan Håkansson on drums and legendary bass player Nikke Ström, with whom the band leader enjoyed a "musical love at first sight experience" when they met a couple of years ago. Together the guys form a dynamic trio, taking the songs from the songwriter's bedroom recordings out into the great wide open.
— It is quite challenging to be only three people on stage but it is also easier to improvise. We have a certain way of "finding" each other which makes one feel a great amount of freedom, "Flamman" says.
— I like to think about our music not as static, but rather as "this is what we sounded like right there, that moment", he continues. In another environment, with other musicians, my songs would have come out totally different. So even if the songs are mine—the person "Flamman's"—they sound like the band Flamman.

After a few local Gothenburg gigs Flamman are now ready to meet the big audience. On their new album Surprising Sun and on stage, which is where they prefer to be.
— I am really looking forward to playing live. I have been living with these songs for so long… and even if it is hard to beat the feeling you get when you finish writing a good song or when you are satisfied with a recording, I think playing live actually beats everything. And it only gets better and better!

Flamman lists three albums:
Neil Young - After the Goldrush
Joni Mitchell - Blue
Any Bob Dylan album

Flamman lists three concert:
Sonic Youth at Accelerator was fantastic.
Tom Petty -92 when I was 15 years old.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse at Globen in Stockholm.

Per Westling - Vocal & Guitars
Johan Håkansson - Drums & Vocal
Nikke Ström - Bass

Flamman - Surprising Sun
CD-RED001
2006

The samples are full length songs in Mp3 96kpbs / 44kh / Stereo quality:
Flamman - Caught with a smile [1.9 mb]
Flamman - I know [2.1 mb]
Flamman - No promises [2.4 mb]

To save pictures to your computer, right click on the link and choose Save target as... Or click on the link and after the picture has loaded, right click and choose Save picture as... All Flamman pictures by Rose-Marie Westling

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Flamman

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