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Album
Westin, Anders
House By The Lake
(Millhouse Records)

Price: 100 SEK

Anders Westin tells the story:

During the fall of 2010 I’m meeting up with the legendary Swedish bass player Tommy Cassemar at a concert at Katalin in Uppsala. We’re sitting in the bar after the show and talk about music and Tommy asks me if I play an instrument. I feel a little bit unsure what to say since my musical identity and self-image is mainly as a sound engineer and producer. A bit reluctantly I tell him that I play guitar and write songs. He asks me what kind of music I play. In my mind I’m searching for the label best suited to describe the kind of music I write, but I’m coming up short and instead I explain what I like to listen to. I might have said something generalizing about the greatness of Townes van Zandt… Tommy becomes very enthusiastic and he asks me if I can’t send him a demo. He gives me his address and phone number and I promise to send him a CD.

A year later in September 2011 I receive a text-message from Tommy. A message that would affect me and my music more than I realized at the time. It reads: “I have listened [to the CD] and I’m really impressed! Damn this is good! You have to get this out!!!” I sit quietly and stare at the text-message for several minutes not knowing what to think.

Just over a month later I meet Tommy again and we discuss how to move forward with the music. I need a drummer. Tommy then suggests Peter “Korre” Korhonen, currently playing with Sophie Zelmani. We agree to meet up and record the basic tracks of the songs. Without having any experience of playing together with these two great musicians I’m slowly starting to realize how amazing the result could be. At the same time, I feel like a phony. Who am I? Are these songs really any good? Can I make this happen?

I finished writing the songs and in the autumn of 2013 we’re finally at Studio Löten in Uppsala. Tommy, Korre, myself and Andreas Runeson who, is there to help out with the recording. I am excited and a bit tense at the same time. The atmosphere in the studio is very laid-back and during the recording session it suddenly strikes me that this is almost too good to be true.


About the production:

The musicians on the album “House by the lake” have all contributed in their own way to help shape the music and turn the songs into the personal stories they have become. There has not been any right or wrong, just different ways to interpret an idea or express a certain feeling. The lyrics on the album are based on personal experience. They reflect memories from early years growing up as well as going through the motions of break-ups and the inevitable experience of aging. A canvas painted with simple brush-strokes and mellow colours.

The idea from the start was that the arrangements should be as simple as possible. Only a few instruments recorded at the same time. The listener should experience the feeling of sitting on the porch in the evening sun and hearing the music being played live. However, it took a while before the songs found their true identity and in the process the music evolved in different ways until finally all the pieces of the puzzle fell into place.

Anders Westin: Guitar, lapsteel, vocals
Peter Korhonen: Drums
Tommy Cassemar: Bass
Klara Hellgren: Violin
Daniel Kurba: Hammond A100
Andreaz Hedén: Grand piano
Nicke Widén: Pedalsteel
Andreas Eklöf: Ambient keyboard
Mia Runeson: Vocals
Elisabet Målqvist: Vocals

1. Carpenter’s Daughter’s Son
2. Reminiscence
3. Grandpa’s Toolbox
4. Faded Summer
5. Lullaby
6. Tom Dowd
7. House By The Lake
8. Horred
9. Long Way Back Home

Other albums by Westin, Anders: