About Gangar
Are you ready for a Norwegian folk music party? Gangar is a Norwegian folk rock cannon ball of young and wild energy you won’t forget anytime soon. Gangar arrange traditional norwegian instrumental tunes and songs resulting in a new sound that includes everything from rockabilly to djentrock. With inspiration from Hoven Droven, Shining, AC/DC and Meshuggah they make the oldest Norwegian folk repertoire more accessible to a varied audience without compromising the original material.
Frontman and fiddle player Mattias Thedens has a long background in folk music and dance, and with that experience in addition to the other band members’ breadth of genre including, jazz, funk, pop, soul and heavy metal, Gangar creates new and innovative sound. Combined with an electrifying stage show, Gangar deliver a musical package of high quality that will make the audience struggle to keep their feet off the dance floor.
In 2022 Gangar played two concerts at Viljandi Folk Music Festival in Estonia, in addition to concerts at Noorderzon Performing Arts Festival in Groningen, Netherlands, at Delsbostämman, Nordic Folk Alliance, and Live at Heart in Sweden, and multiple shows in Norway. In 2023 Gangar will showcase at Folk Alliance International in Kansas City. Gangar released their EP on Heilo Records in the autumn of 2022, and will follow up with their debut album in 2023.
THE BAND
Mattias Thedens - Fiddle
Oskar Lindberget - Saxophone
Richard Max - Guitar
Jonas Thrana Jensen - Bass
Henrik Dullum - Drums
Mattias Thedens
Our trusted front-figure, badass fiddler and founder of Gangar. Mattias was raised with American old-time-, and Norwegian folk-music from an early age, and his musical talent is broadly recognised in both scenes. His idea to create Gangar was influenced by the Swedish band 'Hoven Droven', and he wanted to push the envelope even further by combining folk-music with even heavier elements from metal, rock and jazz. His stage-presence and crowd-control is greatly inspired from rap-concerts.
Photo: Knut Utler
Oskar Lindberget
Saxophone-player and Jazz-connoisseur. Oskar gives Gangar its sense of virtuous sophistication by implementing tasty licks, improvised solo's and inventing some of our heaviest riffs. His talents reach beyond the art, having both linguistic and numerical finesse making him the prime director of Gangar's economy and application-writer.
Photo: Kasper Aae Nystrøm
Richard Max
Guitarist and outcast of the bunch, being the only one of Gangar lacking a musical degree. Richard is heavily influenced by metal, djent and tech making him a certified geek. His contribution to Gangar is high-gained guitar-riffs and syncopated rhythms as well as playing the occasional shreddy guitar-solo.
Photo: Torfinn Lysne
Jonas Thrana Jensen
Bassist and Optimist. Jonas' bass-skills and ability to stay happy no matter what is outmatched. With a background in funk-music he brings dance and pure joy to the band and audience. After seeing him perform many people state that he is their new spirit animal. He is also the youngest member of the band.
Photo: Kasper Aae Nystrøm
Henrik Dullum
Drummer and Master of Aesthetics. The only member with origins well outside of Oslo, having his roots in Trondheim. Henrik is the true energy-provider, and he won't play any softer if you tell him. His Rock n' Roll-spirit radiates from stage and his attention to detail and visual expression is vital to Gangar's look.
Photo: Kasper Aae Nystrøm