Reykjavík Grapevine - 05.08.2005, Page 18

Grapevine: This is the cleanest
studio I’ve ever seen. And that’s an
accountant’s lamp you’re writing
under. I was expecting more rock
and roll—but why are you dressed
up?
Krummi: (Shrugging.) This? This is
casual wear: just black t-shirt, black
pants. T-shirt, trousers and shoes.
No underwear though.
Grapevine: Oh. Well, now I know.
And what are you writing?
Krummi: The chorus for the song
I’m going to record as soon as you
leave.
Grapevine: I think a lot of readers
familiar with Mínus are curious
about what will come out on this
record. Having seen some recent
shows, you seem to be presenting
more raw material, and yet here you
are recording with the most refined
stylist in the country, Barði.
Krummi: Yeah, well we just played
our whole set list for our fans. And
they shouldn’t be surprised about
me playing with Barði—we’ve been
friends for a while. We always
wanted to work.
Barði: And this film is a good reason
to get together.
Grapevine: The film is a fictional
account of a national gay soccer
team. Are you saying you got
together because you believed in
promoting the social significance?
Or did you see the rough of the film
and like it?
Krummi: We knew there was
humour. We liked that. But we
didn’t think too much about it,
because it would put us in a corner.
Grapevine: And why combine Bang
Gang and Mínus?
Barði: They wanted something
between our two bands, so we got a
studio and made it work.
Grapevine: But the gap between
Bang Gang, an ultra-smooth
melodic, relaxed European club
band, and Mínus, a tooth-and-nails
hard rock band, seems enormous.
Doesn’t that leave just about every
type of music that includes vocals in
the middle?
Krummi: They wanted something
fresh. What you have to understand
is, only musically is there a difference
between us.
Barði: We play in the same league,
but different teams. We’re both the
national team.
Grapevine: You’re saying you both
have an understanding of writing
music that is similar?
(Silence.)
Barði: Something we have in
common is that neither of us care
about selling records in Iceland.
(Krummi pours a dark brown, non-
bubbly substance from a Coke bottle
into a glass and drinks.)
Grapevine: Okay. Krummi,
are there drugs in that glass or
something? Liquor? That looks like
a big glass of flat Coke. But, is there
something more rock and roll in it?
Krummi: No, it’s just flat Coke. It’s
better for the voice.
Barði: Because he’s singing in G-
flat.
Grapevine: Dear God. But I should
point out, you’re here doing this
soundtrack when both of you could
be out making a lot more money
touring or recording your own
music. Barði, you’ve just toured
successfully in France, and your Lady
and Bird work is attracting a lot of
international attention. Krummi,
you’ve obviously been doing well
touring on the last album, Halldór
Laxness.
Krummi: True. But we’re doing this
because it’s something fresh.
Barði: We both agree on that.
Krummi: And we like the romance
of the film. And it’s fun working
together. It’s always fun getting away
from your band style and trying
something new. And if you think of
soundtracks, some bands really come
up with something strong. Like the
AC/DC soundtrack for Maximum
Overdrive.
Grapevine: True, that is a great
album for a movie I don’t really
The Professionals: A Very Expensive
Hour with Barði and Krummi
If you know the public images of Barði Johannesson and Krummi, the words stone sober music
geeks probably don’t come to mind. The Grapevine visited with the front men two Bang Gang
and Mínus at a studio in Hafnarfjörður as they completed work on their first, and according
to them last, collaboration: a soundtrack for the Róbert Douglas movie Strákarnir Okkar,
(English title Eleven Men Out). What we found was an extremely clean suite of rooms, and
two quiet musicians that you’d never expect to get on stage.
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