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CD
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RCD 2133CD
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This is the third solo album on Rune Grammofon by Norwegian experimental guitarist Stian Westerhus. With The Matriarch and the Wrong Kind of Flowers, Westerhus not only challenges and stretches the limits of his instrument but also comes up with an extraordinary piece of music that has more in common with modern contemporary music than just being a left-field "guitar" album. In spite of having studied jazz in the UK as well as in Norway, he also has a remarkably non-academic approach to making music. It's not imperative for Westerhus to make the guitar sound like anything other than a guitar, it's simply his instrument of choice to express himself musically. At the age of 13, he saw Jimi Hendrix on TV doing "Star Spangled Banner" at Woodstock and since then, there's been no looking back. His way of working is very intuitive, both when recording and playing live. Nothing is planned and he tries to avoid thinking about what's going to happen. He is probably one of the hardest-working musicians in Norway, also finding time to record and play concerts with other projects like Puma, Monolithic (with Motorpsycho drummer Kenneth Kapstad), his duo with Sidsel Endresen and as a member of Nils Petter Molvær's trio. He's also an in-demand producer after having produced Pelbo's Days of Transcendence and Nils Pettter Molvær's Baboon Moon. Most of the material on this album was recorded at the Emanuel Vigeland Mausoleum in Oslo, a tomb sonically known for its 20-second natural reverb, generally known for enormous wall paintings about the circle of life. The temperature inside is kept at 5 degrees Celsius to preserve the paintings in the best possible way. With The Matriarch...Westerhus has taken a great leap forward and produced a unique record that, together with his international activities, should get him the recognition he so thoroughly deserves. Stian Westerhus: guitars and voice.
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RLP 3133LP
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LP version. This is the third solo album on Rune Grammofon by Norwegian experimental guitarist Stian Westerhus. With The Matriarch and the Wrong Kind of Flowers, Westerhus not only challenges and stretches the limits of his instrument but also comes up with an extraordinary piece of music that has more in common with modern contemporary music than just being a left-field "guitar" album. In spite of having studied jazz in the UK as well as in Norway, he also has a remarkably non-academic approach to making music. It's not imperative for Westerhus to make the guitar sound like anything other than a guitar, it's simply his instrument of choice to express himself musically. At the age of 13, he saw Jimi Hendrix on TV doing "Star Spangled Banner" at Woodstock and since then, there's been no looking back. His way of working is very intuitive, both when recording and playing live. Nothing is planned and he tries to avoid thinking about what's going to happen. He is probably one of the hardest-working musicians in Norway, also finding time to record and play concerts with other projects like Puma, Monolithic (with Motorpsycho drummer Kenneth Kapstad), his duo with Sidsel Endresen and as a member of Nils Petter Molvær's trio. He's also an in-demand producer after having produced Pelbo's Days of Transcendence and Nils Pettter Molvær's Baboon Moon. Most of the material on this album was recorded at the Emanuel Vigeland Mausoleum in Oslo, a tomb sonically known for its 20-second natural reverb, generally known for enormous wall paintings about the circle of life. The temperature inside is kept at 5 degrees Celsius to preserve the paintings in the best possible way. With The Matriarch...Westerhus has taken a great leap forward and produced a unique record that, together with his international activities, should get him the recognition he so thoroughly deserves. Stian Westerhus: guitars and voice. Includes free mp3 download of the whole album.
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RCD 2099CD
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This is the second solo album on Rune Grammofon by Stian Westerhus -- the most exciting guitarist on the Norwegian experimental music scene. His vinyl-only release Galore and this album shows a musician challenging and stretching the limits of his instrument beyond the normal confines of the electric guitar, balancing raw expressiveness against virtuosity and melodic instinct. Stian is a founding member of Puma and the Monolithic duo with Motorpsycho drummer Kenneth Kapstad. He was, for a short period, a member of Jaga Jazzist and played on their One-Armed Bandit album and is currently a member of Nils Petter Molvær's new trio. Stian Westerhus: electric guitar.
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RLP 3099LP
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TLRC 001LP
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Reduced pricing, originally released in 2009. The Last Record Company is a vinyl label set up by Rune Grammofon. Each release is limited to 500 copies only and comes in a lavish, thick, individually hand-numbered gatefold sleeve with artwork by Grandpeople. Each release also includes a 16-page art-booklet. The music is exclusive to this release and will not be available in other formats until the vinyl edition is sold out, possibly not even then.
This is the debut solo guitar recording from one of Norway's hardest-working young improvisers, currently a member of Jaga Jazzist, Puma, Monolithic, and more. More recently, Westerhus has put more energy into challenging the electric guitar alone on stage. Blessed with little or no respect for the instrument, his performances balance raw expressiveness, virtuosity and melodic instinct with his Norwegian heritage and growing up listening to Slayer. Sinewy guitar-menace. Mastered by Helge Sten aka Deathprod.
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