Published in LT 11th of June 2014

This year marks Hallströms workshops 100 years, and it should be celebrated with music. A custom metal concert to be precise.

The percussionist Petter Berndalen has been commissioned to write a work for the company’s Fall Jubilee. The instruments will consist of products and materials available in the workshop. Ventilation ducts, fittings and pieces of sheet metal, in various sizes, thicknesses and dimensions.

– On September 13, I and four workers from Hallströms convey concert together on a stage in the workshop. It will be great! says Petter Berndalen, which is used to going outside the musical framework and explore alternative instruments.

In his work, Northern Lights, he created such an amazing sound by making use of 21 handmade lights from the Kingdom of Crystal in Småland. Concert first performed at Småland Culture two years ago.

– Rhythm is something original and therefore percussion music usually genrelös. It’s so awesome, says Petter Berndalen.

Sara Strömberg
063-15 55 28
sara.stromberg @ ltz.se

Published Östersundsposten 10th of June 2014

– This is better than Christmas.
So says drummer Petter Berndalen, entrusted with creating a piece of music using the vent pipe from Hallstrom’s Workshops.

Pipes from floor to ceiling. Big, small, wide, thin, with strips of rubber or without. Here, on Hallströms Works of cities stock in Nälden goes drummer Petter Berndalen around and looks, feels, beats and beats.

From a large cardboard box he picks up a big plate ring. He drums on it with your fingers.

– Do you hear the sound? Amazing.

Hallströms Workshops celebrating 100 years this year and in the fall they invite to Open Houses on the premises in Nälden. For the celebration has Petter Berndalen hired, an internationally recognized percussionist that even won the Musical Academy Folk Music prize. He comes from Bollnäs but lives in Stockholm, where he also studied at the Royal College of Music.
Petter Berndalen is known for creating music on things that are not considered instruments. Among others he has previously created a piece of music using 21 lamps.

– I think this way, all musical instruments became sometime. The guitar, for example, it was created when someone found out that you could pull strings in a box. Before that there was no guitar. And where are we today, we create instruments. Do we not then there is a whole shop here with the artisans who produce them, he says.
Petter Berndalen is on his very first visit to Hallströms. He appears around, seeing the premises, inventory among the tubes and plate, and in this way pick out what he might need to create the music of the workshop’s main content – ventilation solutions in sheet metal.

– This is my first encounter with the plate. I’ll try to find some materials in various shapes and sizes that can send email to me so I can start writing the music, he says, and grabs a large drum of metal lying on a pallet.

– This will be impressive, each part has its own sound, he says.

– Listen, he asks his companion Andrew Nyman, and snaps to the plate with your thumb.
Andreas Nyman listening to the tinkling sound and nods. He works at Hallstrom’s and is one of four employees who will perform the musical composition together with Petter Berndalen.

– I play some music as a hobby and we were asked if we wanted to join in and play. It will be fun, says Andreas Nyman.
The idea to hire Petter Berndalen to 100th anniversary comes from Janne Strömstedt. Janne Strömstedt is perhaps best known as a musician in the folk band Triakel, but he also works as an event maker and he has been commissioned to help Hallströms with the anniversary celebrations.

– When I was here in the factory, I thought that there were so many cool sounds, they would be able to do anything of. Then I realized that we could engage Petter Berndalen says Janne Strömstedt.

September 13 is scheduled for Open House. Besides Petter Berndalen so include Hoven Droven hired to entertain the visitors.

Anna Carin Aronsson
063-161618
annacarin.aronsson @ op.se

This is How we Fly begins to build up a fan base in France. We play at Eurofonik in Nantes on 11 April, in Paris on 12 April and at the Festival De Bouche à Oreille in late July. I just did an interview for the French music magazine Trad Mag before our trips there. I’m really looking forward to meeting the French fantastic audience.

Here is a video of the soundcheck before Northern Lights, solo concert for 21st lamps, which I played at Småland Culture Festival in Sweden 1st November 2013. Really looking forward to doing the concert again. It fits so very nicely in this dark part of the year.