Reykjavík Grapevine - 13.07.2007, Blaðsíða 14

B6_RVK_GV_INFO_ISSUE 10_007_INTERVIEW/MUSIC
The next big thing to casually walk all over the
Reykjavík music scene is undoubtedly bright-
eyed Retro Stefson. Fresh from middle school
and already two years into their game, the
eight-piece is being nursed to stardom by some
of the Reykjavík music scene’s biggest names.
Grapevine sat down with Unnsteinn, Þórður,
and Þorbjörg after their gig at Herrafataverzlun
Kormáks & Skjaldar to discuss their climb up
the under-aged ladder to success.
What were your intentions when you were
starting out?
Unnsteinn: First it was to win the Samfés (the
national youth club organisation of Iceland)
singing competition.
Þórður: Yeah we started with that. We didn’t
make it to anything in the competition but we
were allowed to play at the dance. And then
naturally we needed to practice.
Þórður: We put together a few songs and it
went pretty well.
Were there all eight of you then?
Unnsteinn: There was a completely different
line-up on the instruments. Þórður played the
drums then and now he plays guitar, and all
kinds of stuff like that.
How does that change, are you always
moving around the instruments or?
Unnsteinn: No, not anymore. Now everyone
plays his or her own instrument.
That they know best.
Unnsteinn: Yes, exactly.
Þórður: It was only last summer that the band
formed with the line-up we have now.
Þorbjörg: We got Gylfi also as our drum-
mer.
Unnsteinn: Then we were invited to play at
Airwaves and we decided to change things
around a bit. We buffed up the band and then
everyone was able to play his or her desired
instrument.
What is the process like with such a large
group as far as writing music and lyrics?
Are you all involved or are there a select
few who do most of the composing?
Unnsteinn: I’ll maybe come up with like a
base, and then the first person who gets to
hear it is maybe Þórður. Then Logi, who’s my
little brother, gets to say his piece. He’s been
learning music theory for the past year so he
always comes up with something that’s really
logical but that doesn’t necessarily end up
working. He has strong opinions about how
the music should be. But we don’t really end
up following what he says.
What do you think most affects you when
you’re writing lyrics?
Unnsteinn: We just write something, what-
ever occurs to us. We write in many different
languages. Maybe if we want to create a sort
of southern atmosphere we’ll speak a southern
language in the song, I think it’s more like that.
And if we want to have sort of a cool song
then maybe we’ll write it in English. Then of
course we have a lot of influences in the music
itself. Like for example just what we’ve been
listening to, what me and Logi’s parents had
us listen to when we were little, which is this
sort of world-music, like Brazilian jazz.
How has the reception been from others in
the Reykjavík music scene? You are playing
music that is quite different from what
other people your age are doing. How
much influence does that scene have on
you and how you make music?
Þórður: Quite a bit I think.
Unnsteinn: We’ve been very well received,
maybe because this is sort of new or maybe
different from what has been going on here
before.
Þórður: It depends. Some people don’t really
get it, but then there are others who are steady
supporters. Like Steinþór who was back here
screaming earlier. He’s supported us a lot, like
many others, which is great. I think that’s what
drives us most, this kind of strong support
from individuals.
In other bands then?
Þórður: Yeah and then just people in the music
world in general.
Unnsteinn: Like for example Benni Hemm
Hemm loaned us his guitar for our first concert.
And Bóas, the singer in Reykjavík!, encouraged
us to form an official band to play these songs
we had been writing.
What do you think about the exportation
of Icelandic music? That music is becom-
ing a product whose purpose is mainly
to be sold?
Unnsteinn: I feel it kind of splits in two. You
have for example Iceland Airwaves and Mr.
Destiny. They’re holding these nights abroad,
these Iceland Airwaves Nights at some mu-
sic festivals, where young bands just like us,
although we haven’t yet gone to one, get a
chance to go abroad and play. But then on the
other side there’s Garðar Cortes and Nylon for
example. I think that music has become a prod-
uct. These methods are similar, but as far as the
music goes, there’s more ambition in a lot of
what the first sort is producing. Like you take
Nessun dorma, which is a very famous opera
song, and then all of a sudden you’re hearing
it with Garðar Cortes and a drum machine and
a symphony. It’s a little bit strange.
Are you guys recording at all?
Unnsteinn: Yeah we’ve been trying to record
little by little but it’s not going too well.
Why not?
Unnsteinn: I think it might just be laziness.
Then we’ve been trying to record it ourselves,
and then of course there are so many of us.
Þórður: It’s better to wait about putting out
an album. You don’t really get much out of
it financially speaking. It’s a lot of work and
you need to prepare well for it, and we’re not
completely ready for that now.
Unnsteinn: Plus we think it’s the most fun to
play concerts.
It will probably help you just as much to
put it on the net, because that’s where
most people will hear it.
Þórður: It seems that no one buys CD’s any-
way.
No exactly.
Unnsteinn: Yeah, it’s just download.
Do you ever have trouble playing at bars?
Unnsteinn: It depends.
Þorbjörg: At Grand Rokk when we were play-
ing Airwaves last year Gunni wasn’t going to
let us in.
Unnsteinn: Yeah and then when he had let
most of us in we noticed that Logi my brother
was missing. It turned out he was still down-
stairs.
He’s a little too small.
Unnsteinn: Yeah. So that was a huge problem
and we had to call the festival organisers. But
like at NASA the bouncers are always grabbing
us. They’re completely insane. But I think they
are just really into hassling people in general,
not just us.
For more on Retro Stefson, visit www.myspace.
com/retrostefsonmusic
Standing on the Shoulders of Giants
Text by Valgerður Þóroddsdóttir Photo by Gulli
“Like at NASA the bounc-
ers are always grabbing
us. They’re completely
insane.”
RVK_GV_INFO_ISSUE 10_007_FESTIVAL_B7
682 kilometres from the capital city in the eastern fjords,
the quaint town of Seyðisfjörður plays host to a high
dose of art and culture during its 8th annual LungA, or
young artists’ festival on July 15–22.
This year more than 70 foreign participants from
six countries will take part in the festival that director
Aðalheiður Borgþórsdóttir says she hopes will be “a
melting pot of cultures from all the kids participating.”
The festival’s art program stretches throughout the week
with daily workshops from 9–17, ending in a celebration
with all the festival participants on Friday.
The workshops are tailored to young people between
the ages of 16–25, hoping to attract artistic youth from
throughout Iceland and abroad, and will instruct in circus
performance, urban funk, jazz, & infusion dance, STOMP
(led by Mínus drummer Björn Stefánsson), DJ-Sound
infusion (led by Gísli Galdur of Trabant and Curver of
Ghostigital), animation, clothing design, and visual arts.
In the past, additional activities have included clothing
design competitions, belly dancing for all ages, a song
competition and afro for everybody.
The week will conclude with a huge music event
beginning on Friday, July 20 with a warm-up concert
featuring Without the Balls, Miri, Tony the Pony, Foreign
Monkeys and Lada Sport and concluding on Saturday
with a concert featuring Trabant, Mínus, Jeff Who?,
Bloodgroup and Skátar. This year’s line-up is considerably
shorter than last year’s, which included a hefty eight
bands. Ívar Pétur Kjartansson, one of the festival organis-
ers, says that this year’s concert has been shortened by
an hour and each band allowed a longer set to feature
them more prominently.
Youth In Action will sponsor the festival this year,
making the workshops completely free. However, tickets
to the giant music fest cost ISK 2,800. The concert is
expected to be the biggest single musical event ever
to be held in eastern Iceland. LungA sets a new record
every year.
For more information visit www.lunga.is or www.
myspace.com/lungafest. To register for the festival work-
shop call 861-5859 or email lunga@lunga.is, Tickets for
the concert are on sale in all Skífan stores in Reykjavík,
in Bt stores around the country and online at www.
midi.is.
LungA Young Artists’ Festival
Text by Valgerður Þóroddsdóttir Photo by Skari
Lárus & Lárus
Hey Lárus, how is the
self-portrait coming along?
Not to good, I painted
my twin by mistake.
ALWAYS
NICE
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