Reykjavík Grapevine - 09.07.2004, Blaðsíða 18

ON FREE BEER
Grapevine: Are you discussing spe-
cial riders. Need like special M&Ms
for your show tomorrow?
Palli: Nobody asks Icelandic bands if
they want anything… Maybe Nylon.
They got separate dressing rooms for
their June 17th show. But usually,
Icelandic bands don’t get anything.
We do put celebrities on our guest
list though.
Eggert: This is Iceland, you never
know.
Palli: Michael Douglas.
Eggert: The father. You know the
father.
Palli: Yeah, Tony Danza. We always
put him down first.
(Birgir finishes his phone call and
sits down.)
Birgir: Once we asked for 5 cases
of beer. And a few sandwiches. In
Denmark.
Palli: Never in Iceland.
Birgir: You never get free beer here.
Palli: Not unless you have a foreign
band.
Birgir: We’ll have to import small
foreign bands from now on.
ON ICELANDIC CROWDS
Grapevine: You don’t seem to live
a rock n’ roll lifestyle. You all look
young and healthy.
Birgir: We used to be a party band.
Palli and Eggert: No. Not at all.
Birgir: Well, we like to party, we just
do it the right way. We party in the
right way the way we put an album
out the right way.
GV: How is it, then, playing shows
where everyone else is drunk? Last
time I saw you play, at Grand Rokk,
I was sure there was going to be a
brawl.
Birgir: No. It’s fine. No, I don’t
think we’ve ever been afraid of a
crowd.
Palli: There was that one time.
Birgir: But we weren’t afraid. We
made fun of him from the stage.
Palli: Yeah, but…
Birgir: Well, then we ran like hell.
But we made fun of him.
Palli: We had to stop a gig once
because we had security, but the guys
up front were bigger and started
beating up our security. Then our
drummer jumped into the crowd and
started hitting him. But I talked to
the guy who got hit, and he said it
was fine.
Birgir: That guy was pushing the mic
constantly into my teeth.
GV: And your response?
Birgir: Nothing, I’m a pacifist.
ON BIG SHOWS
Grapevine: What are your next big
shows?
Birgir: We have a big show in
Seyðisfjörður coming up. Two shows
there. And then we’re playing New
York.
Grapevine: Where in New York?
Birgir: Central Park. At Summer-
stage in Central Park.
GV: Well, that’s important, right?
Birgir: (Shrugs.) Yeah, we got a
phone call. This woman said she
wanted us to play Central Park. She
said she had been trying to get in
contact with us for a month.
Palli: I mean we have a website.
(Band all joins in to say how easy it
would have been to contact them.)
Eggert: We’re going to stay in New
York for a week with our girlfriends,
though.
Birgir: Ugh. Girlfriends.
ON PLAYING IN THE SAME
BAND FOR 11 YEARS
GV: Why aren’t you more jaded
after 11 years?
Birgir: We started young. We
thought of this like a club. It’s still
like that. Sometimes we talk for 40
minutes and play for 20.
Palli: We just get along.
Birgir: I haven’t slept with any of
their girlfriends yet.
Palli: And we haven’t slept with any
of his ex-girlfriends.
ON DEALING WITH THE
FOREIGN PRESS
GV: This woman tracked you down
for the Central Park show. Is it
nice having foreign fans who are so
interested?
Eggert: (Eyes wide open like a child
in a Christmas card.) Doing this for
eleven years, we don’t think we’re
going to be huge if someone from a
foreign country thinks we’re good.
(He looks at me a few seconds.) Shit
shit shit. (Launches into Icelandic,
asking band mates to explain the
same idea he just expressed well in
English.)
Birgir: Normally, the foreign press
isn’t interested in us. We’re an estab-
lished band. People forget to men-
tion us. It’s only if they hear us on a
cd or something—then we end up
with people writing about us who are
fans. We’ve never had hype. We’ve
never had a spotlight on us.
ON 11 YEARS AS A POPULAR
ICELANDIC ROCK BAND
Birgir: We sell albums like a main-
stream pop band, but we get airplay
with the rock bands. We probably
sell more than the pop bands.
Palli: It’s brilliant playing around the
country.
Eggert: We get to play our own
songs for one and a half hours and
hear people singing along.
Palli: Some Icelandic bands want
to go straight from Iceland to New
York.
Birgir: But that’s impossible.
GV: How many shows have you
played in Iceland, do you think?
Eggert: Exactly 270, I think.
Birgir: It helps that we’re self-suf-
ficient.
GV: What does that mean?
Eggert: We don’t have an agent or
anything.
GV: Isn’t that why it took the
woman from New York City a whole
month to track you down?
All of Maus: Yeah.
Birgir: Fuck. We’ve wasted 11 years.
Palli: Hey, sorry we didn’t have the
drummer here.
Eggert: Yeah, he usually says the
funny things.
Maus will headline a show at Grand
Rokk on Friday, July 9, and they will
perform two shows the next week in
Seyðisfjörður. For more info, check
their website.
Museums
ASÍ. Art Museum, Freyjugata 41, 511-5353
Árbæjarsafn Folk Museum, Kistuhylur 4, p: 557-1111
Ásmundarsafn, Sculpture museum, Sigtún, p: 553-2155
Culture House, Hverfisgata 15, p: 545-1400
Einar Jónsson, Sculpture museum, Einarsgata, p: 551-3797
Gerðarsafn, Kóparvogur Art Gallery, Hamraborg 4, p:551-3797
Hafnarborg Art Gallery, Srandgata 34 Hafnarfj, 555-0080
Hafnarhúsið, Reykjavík Art museum, Tryggvagata 17, p: 590-1200
Icelandic Institute of Natural History, Hlemmur 5, p:590-0500
Kjarvalsstaðir Art Museum, Flókagata, p: 517-1290
Museum of Medical History, Neströð 170, p: 561-1016
National Gallery of Iceland, Fríkirkjuvegur 7, p: 515-9600
Nordic House, Sturlugata 5, p: 551-7030
Reykjavík City Library, Tryggvagata 15, p: 563-1750
Reykjavík Elestrivity Museum, Rafstöðvarvegur, p: 567-9009
Reykjavík Museum of Photography, Tryggvagata 15, p: 563-1790
Reykjavík Zoo & Family Park, Engjavegur, p: 575-7800
Saga Museum, Perlan Öskjuhlíð, p: 511-1517
Sigurjón Ólafsson Sculpture Museum, Lauganestangi 70, p: 553-2906
Galleries
101 Gallery, Hverfisgata 18a
Gallery Kling og Bang, Laugavegi 23, p: 822-0402
Gallery Fold, Rauðarárstígur 14-16, p: 551-0400
Gallery Hnoss, Skólavörðustígur 16, p: 561-8485
Gallery i8, Klapparstígur 33, p: 551-3666
Gallery Meistari Jakob, Skólavörðustígur 5, p: 552-7161
Gallery Skuggi, Hverfistaga 39, p: 511-1139
Gallery Tukt, Pósthússtræti 3-5, p: 520-4600
Handverk og Hönnun, Aðalstræti 12, p: 551-7595
Safn, Laugavegur 37, p: 561-8777
The Icelandic Printmakers Association, Tryggvagata 17, p: 588-7576
Other
Hallgrímskirkja church, Skólavörðuholti, p: 510-1000
Klink og Bank, Brautarholt, p: 822-0402
Perlan, Öskjuhlíð
Kringlan shopping mall, Kringlan 8-12, p: 568-9200
Volcano show: Red rock cinema, Hellusund 6a, p: 845-9548
Salurinn Concert Hall, Hamraborg 6, p: 570-0400
Theaters
Light nights, Iðnó Theater, p: 551-9181
Restaurants
Apótekið, Austurstræti 16, p: 575-7900
3 Frakkar, Baldursgata 14, p: 552-3939
Hornið, Hafnarstræti 15, p: 551-3340
Jómfrúin, Lækjargata 4, p: 551-0100
Rossopomodoro, Laugavegur 40a, p: 561-0500
Tapas, Vesturgata 3b, p: 551-2344
Tjarnarbakkinn, Vonarstræti 2, p: 562-9700
Tveir Fiskar, Geirsgata 9, p: 511-3474
Við Tjörnina, Templarasund 3, p: 551-8666
Vox Nordica Hotel, Suðurlandsbraut 2, p: 444-5050
Cafés
Bleika Dúfan, Laugavegur 21, p: 517-1980
Café Árnes, by the harbour, p: 551-5101
Café Paris, Austurstræti 14, p: 551-1020
Café Roma, Laugavegi 118, p: 562-0020
Grái Kötturinn, Hverfisgata 16a, p: 551-1544
Kaffivagninn, Grandagarður 10, p: 551-5932
Mokka, Skólavörðustígur 3a, p: 552-1174
Ráðhúskaffi, City Hall, p: 563-2169
Segafredo by Lækjartorg, p:
Tíu Dropar, Laugavegur 27, p: 551-9380
Café, Bar and Bistro
Ari í Ögri, Ingólfsstræti 3, p: 551-9660
Bar 11, Laugavegur 11, p: 511-1180
Café 22, Laugavegur 22, p: 511-5522
Café List, Laugavegur 20a, p: 511-1420
Café Victor, Hafnarstræti 1-3, p: 561-9555
Celtic Cross, Hverfisgata 26, p: 511-3240
De Palace, Hafnarstræti 18, p: 551-6780
Dillon, Laugavegur 20, 511-2400
Dubliner, Hafnarstræti 4, 511-3233
Glaumbar, Tryggvagata 20, p: 552-6868
Grand Rokk, Smiðjustígur 6, p: 551-5522
Hressingarskálinn, Austurstræti 20, p: 561-2240
Hverfisbar, Hverfisgata 20, p: 511-6700
Jón Forseti, Aðalstræti 10, p: 551-0962
Kaffi Kúltur, Hverfisgötu 18, p: 530-9314
Kaffibarinn, Bergstaðastræti 1, p: 551-1588
Kaffibrennslan, Pósthússtræti 9, p: 561-3600
Nelly’s, Þingholtsstræti 2, p: 551-2477
Prikið, Bankastræti 12, p: 551-3366
Sirkus, Klapparstígur 30
Sólon, Bankastræti 7a, p: 562-3232
Thorvaldsen bar, Austurstræti 8, p: 511-1413
Vegamót, Vegamótastígur 4, p: 511-3040
Clubs
Gaukur á Stöng, Tryggvagata 22, p: 551-1556
Kapital, Hafnarstræti 17, p: 511-7007
Leikhúskjallarinn, Hverfisgata 19, p: 551-6010
Mojito, Austurstræti 16, p: 575-7905
Nasa, by Austurvöllur, p: 511-1313
Pravda, Austurstræti 22, p: 552-9222
Fastfood
Bæjarins bestu, Tryggvagata, p: 894-4515
Bernhöftsbakarí, Bergstaðastæti 13, p: 551-3083
Eldsmiðjan, Bragagata 38a, p: 562-3838
First Vegetarian (Á næstu grösum), Laugavegur 20b, p: 552-8410
Nonnabiti, Hafnarstræti 11, p: 551-2312
Pizza 67, Tryggvagata 26, p: 561-9900
Pizza Pronto, Vallarstræti 4, p: 517-5445
Reykjavík Bagel Company, Laugavegur 81, p: 511-4500
Vitabar, Bergþórugata 21, p: 551-7200
ADDRESS BOOK
H
.S
.
WE ARE ON A MISSION
FROM GOD
YOU WILL NEVER
DRINK ALONE
LIVE MUSIC
Sm
ið
ju
st
íg
6
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p:
5
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UPCOMING
EVENTS
Friday July 9th
Radiostation X BBQ night: Bands
playing tonight are; Maus, Hudson
Wayne and Manhattan
Saturday July 10th
Band Vax
Friday July 16th
The Keflavik Invasion; Bands playing
tonight are; Æla, Tokyo Megaplex & the
great Heiða & Heiðingjarnir
Thursday July 22nd
Band Tube
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