Reykjavík Grapevine - 15.08.2008, Page 28

28 | REYKJAVÍK GRAPEVINE | ISSUE 12—2008
INTERvIEW BY SveInn BIRkIR BJöRnSSon — pHoTo BY gAS
For Gavin Portland, simple things like getting to-
gether to practice can be a major difficulty. For
one thing, singer Kolli currently resides in the UK,
occasionally making the trip across the Atlantic
to join his bandmates for practice, and the odd re-
cording session. For another thing, guitarist Þórir
is fostering a thriving solo career under the moni-
ker My Summer As A Salvation Soldier, in addition
to playing in various other bands, such as Dormah
and Deathmetal Supersquad. Third, bass player
Addi is also a member of Celestine, another band
with a hefty schedule. I was relieved to be able to
get two of them together in a room for a little talk.
THE PILGRIMAGE TO ABBEY ROAD
For reasons stated above, IV: Hand in Hand With
Traitors, Back to Back with Whores, the follow
up to 2006 III: Views of Distant Towns has been
long awaited. Finally, everyone has a cleared their
schedule so the band is heading to Massachu-
setts, USA to record in Godcity Studio, with owner,
producer and Converge guitarist Kurt Ballou. “He
records all the best stuff in hardcore in the US,”
says Þórir of the man who in the last few years
has spent his time away from the band recording
such acts as Modern Life is War, Blacklisted, My-
sery Index, and last but not least Converge. “We
sent him a few songs, which he liked, so he agreed
to work with us,” he continues, adding “for us as
a hardcore band, this is a great opportunity – to
record in the best hardcore studio in the world,
but this is also a pilgrimage for us, because all our
favourite albums where recorded in this studio.” A
smile appears across Kolli’s face. “This is our Ab-
bey Road.”
EGOS HELD IN CHECK
“The reason we wanted to work with him is that
he is a producer. He works with us, brings ideas to
the table and gives us feedback. We can be a bit
full of ourselves, and I think it will be good for us
to have someone from the outside to keep that in
check,” Þórir says about the reasons behind their
collaboration with Kurt Ballou.
With band members living in two countries,
finding time to write new material can be difficult.
“We wrote half the album in February,” Þórir ex-
plains. “Since Kolli came back this summer, we
have changed those songs a lot, and worked on
new material.” Kolli adds: “I came back July 20,
“There’s no Pressure”
Gavin Portland returns to the studio to record a sophomore release
GAvin portlAnd: GeArinG up for Another Album.
and since then we have hardly left the practice
space.”
CONfIDENCE TRuMPS PRESSuRE
The band’s last album met with a very warm wel-
come from the Icelandic music press as well as in
Europe. This means that the band is now record-
ing under the watchful eye of the media, opposed
to recording the first album in relative obscurity
from anyone outside the small hardcore-scene
in Reykjavík. “We never expected anyone to like
that album apart from maybe twenty of our best
friends,” Kolli states, while Þórir adds: “I half-ex-
pected [record label] 12 Tónar to back out. I don’t
think we are an especially accessible band for ca-
sual rock fans.”
But the label stayed the course, and now
it is up to Gavin Portland to prove that it was the
right decision, but not a one-time fluke. Does that
create added pressure for the band? Kolli feeds
us me the standard rock cliché: “No, we don’t re-
ally care what people think.” Þórir gives us a little
more straightforward answer. “Like I said, we can
be a bit full of ourselves. We are just so confident
in what we are doing, that I am not even worried
about that.”
THE IMPORTANCE Of BEING HARDCORE
So, how does a band approach its second album?
Is the process different? Is the material different?
“The material is heavier,” Þórir explains. “Our roots
as a hardcore punk band should be a little more
obvious in this album. Our last album contained
more indie-rock influences, but this is more based
on hardcore.” Kolli adds: “I don’t think there is one
catchy song on this album, but than again, I didn’t
think so last time either.”
Þórir says it was important to the band to
make an album that would showcase their true
roots as a hardcore band. “Although we don’t play
traditional hardcore punk, it was more of an issue
for us now to make a hardcore record so people
don’t misconstrue this album. And its probably go-
ing to sound a bit different because we are record-
ing it in a studio that is built for hardcore punk,
whereas our last album was recorded in the stu-
dio that [‘60s pop band] Hljómar built.”
BEING GAvIN PORTLAND
“We are creating music that we know is never
going to make it into daytime radio rotation any-
where, and that has never been the point of be-
ing in a band for us. Of course we’ll be pleased if
people like it and get what we are doing, mostly
because that will help 12 Tónar, who took a big
chance when they signed us,” says Kolli of the
band’s expectations of the outcome. For Gavin
Portland, this album is the labour of love, not a an
attempt to recreate the success of their last album.
Þórir: “Well, there is no one in Gavin Portland un-
der the illusion that we will ever make a living off
of this. It is more like we are trying to make a living
so we can be in Gavin Portland.”
Gavin Portland will play two farewell shows be-
fore disappearing into the recording studio. On
August 14 at Kaffi Rót with Tentacles of Doom
and Dys; and August 19 at Organ with Skítur
and Muck.
The hardcore punk band Gavin
Portland surprised many with
their debut album, Views of Dis-
tant Towns, released last year to
much critical acclaim. The album
scored favourably among review-
ers, both in Iceland and abroad.
Now the band faces the daunt-
ing task of living up to their own
shadow.