Reykjavík Grapevine - 10.10.2014, Blaðsíða 62

T H E R E Y K J A V Í K G R A P E V I N E I C E L A N D A I R W A V E S S P E C I A L10
DELIVERED RIGHT TO YOUR DOOR
DOMINO’S APP WWW.DOMINOS.ISTel. +354 58 12345
DELICIOUSNESS
It’s not an unusual sight to see cel-
lists trundling their case up and down
Laugavegur in a mad rush, or someone
running around with a xylophone tucked
under their arm, or a snare bag and drum
sticks sticking out of their back pocket.
Or for some lunchtime barbershop off-
venue to start a few minutes late after
one of the players has come sprinting up
the stairs straight from their last show.
The stages of Airwaves are brought to
life by an army of multi-tasking Icelandic
musicians—drummers, bassists, guitar-
ists, horn sections, string players, and
sound-makers of pretty much any type
one could think of. And because creative
exploration and cross-pollination be-
tween bands is a big part of Reykjavík’s
unique music culture, anyone who pays
attention to the players at Airwaves will
come to know certain faces particularly
well.
This year, festivalgoers might see the
faces of our cover stars more than any
others. These five people are in a com-
bined twenty-four bands and will play
more than fifty shows over the five festi-
val days. They are the busiest musicians
of Airwaves 2014: Arnar Þór Gíslason
(aka Addi), Silla Gísladóttir, Birkir Rafn
Gíslason, Magnús Trygvason Eliassen
(aka Maggi) and Hrafnkell Örn Guðjóns-
son (aka Keli). And we somehow man-
aged to get them all together for a chat.
It seems unique to Iceland, and Air-
waves, to have so many bands on the go
at once, and so many musicians playing
multiple shows. What’s up with that?
Arnar: It’s a tradition that started with
the first Airwaves—everyone being in so
many bands. It’s that way since it start-
ed, pretty much. It comes naturally.
Silla: It’s just a lot of fun playing music
with your friends, or family, in some
cases [points to Árnar and Birkir, who
are married to sisters Lára and Margrét
Rúnarsdóttir. They all play together in
Rúnar Þórisson (Lára and Margrét’s fa-
ther’s project)]. It happens naturally. For
example, with Low Roar, I sang a song
on the album, and then it was so much
fun, you just end up joining the band.
With Boogie Trouble, they were so
much fun I was just like please, please,
please! I’ll just do backing vocals! I’ll do
whatever!
Is music a full-time job?
Maggi: Yeah…
Arnar: I have a daytime job working
at a music store in Reykjavík, and a
family too.
Birkir: I also teach music to kids, on
the side.
Maggi: That’s still a musician job!
Birkir: But I’m also a banker. Nei, djók.
Do you have to turn stuff down?
Maggi: I have to turn a lot down, but the
bands I play with I really want to be a
part of.
Arnar: I had a big dilemma the other
day, when I had to turn down a project I
really wanted to join. It was just impos-
sible to say yes. I just wouldn’t be here!
Birkir: Why, where would you be?
Arnar: I’d be at home in the foetal posi-
tion! We had just had a baby, so I had to
say no. But it was really difficult! Two of
my main bands are not even playing the
festival!
Oh, so you guys have other bands that
aren’t at Airwaves?
Silla: Yes! That’s a whole other question!
Maggi: If we’re counting all of the bands
that aren’t playing Airwaves, it would
actually take me quite a while to figure
out how many they are. You end up for-
getting about people who you’re work-
ing with if they’re inactive. I’ll, uhm…
fax it to you.
Okay, I’ll buy more paper… so, how do
you manage so many practices?
Arnar: By practising way too little!
Maggi: I actually practice quite a lot
with all those bands.
Silla: You do?
Maggi: Yeah! Moses Hightower is writ-
ing six new songs for the festival, we’ve
already done four. We need to start re-
cording in December, we have some la-
bel pressure...
Silla: I tend to forget to practice my solo
stuff. I go to so many band meetings and
meet people, and then I’m like, oh fuck!
You have to remember to practice it also.
When you’re playing by yourself, you
can just do it whenever, so it also gets
postponed and postponed...
I guess playing in so many bands is
musicianship practice in itself, so it’s
more about… rehearsal?
Keli: Yes, when you’re playing a lot on
tour, that’s kind of a practice for you—
you get into a rhythm of knowing it all
so well. But then you have to show up for
practice with your other bands, even if
you’ve been out playing every day! That
becomes a thing—fitting it all in.
Arnar: It’s very important, I think—to
keep it up.
On the record for the most Airwaves
gigs:
Silla: Did you know that Maggi holds
the record?
Maggi: No, I don’t! Ragga Gunnars has
the record.
Silla: Is she the one running around
with the trumpet?
Maggi: Yeah—I’m a single show behind
her!
Everyone: NOOOO WAYYYYYY!
Silla: That’s crazy! Just one show.
Maggi: Two years ago, including all
the KEXP sessions, I played twenty-
five shows. And then, I forgot to get a
replacement for a weekly jam session
afterwards. I got a call at half past eight
on Sunday evening, ”Where the fuck are
you?” and I was like, “I’m at home!” and
they said, “You’re supposed to be play-
ing this three and half hour jam session
at Faktorý!”
Silla: I remember that year of 25 gigs.
You would run into the venue, white in
the face, sweating all over, then run on-
stage sit down… and then play perfectly.
Maggi: That year had the worst
weather ever.
Silla: Oh yeah! My case was like a sail, I
have quite a diminutive frame, I thought
I would fly off...
Arnar: Those windy Airwaves…
Maggi: That is the reason for me not
playing so many off-venues any more!
Are you warming up? What are you
doing in advance of the festival?
Maggi: Nothing! [laughs] Watching TV!
Arnar: Nothing. [pause] Which is a mis-
take I think. The week before the festi-
val everyone will be like, well, we have to
rehearse! And they forget we’re in a lot
of other things—so it’ll be three or four
bands rehearsals a day.
And do you have plans for after?
Birkir: I’m going on tour. On the Sunday.
Arnar: How long?
Birkir: Five weeks!
Everyone: WOOOAH SJÍT MAÐUR!
Do you have favourite venues to play?
Arnar: I’m happy anywhere. Every slot
has its own charm. Whether it’s 7 o’clock
at Frederiksen, or wherever—I just love it.
Maggi: I used to fucking hate Amster-
dam. The PA was absolute shit.
Silla: It was a difficult room… all that
glass…
Maggi: Yeah, and the sound was horren-
dous. The PA was making this sound—
not feedback—just a ‘BEEEEEEEEP’.
Absolute. Horse. Shit.
Silla: Have they fixed it up? Is it still an
on-venue?
Arnar: Yeah. They have fixed it up now,
it’s called Frederiksen.
Birkir: That whole area is getting really
nice now—Húrra, Gaukurinn, Frederik-
sen—that might be the cool place to be at
Airwaves this year.
Silla: I agree with the first speaker!
Maggi: I like the first speaker!
Keli: For me it’s great to be at as many
different venues as possible I think—to
experience as many different places
across a four-day period as possible.
Silla: Yeah, you see different sides to the
music, different rooms, different atmo-
spheres.
Downtown Reykjavík during Airwaves is something to see. Ev-
ery shop seems to sprout a sound system, and live music is every-
where. Amongst the happy throng are the musicians making it
happen, many playing the festival multiple times, running from
venue to venue to make it to their own shows and still trying to
catch their friends play, too.
Iceland Airwaves:
Most Wanted
INTERVIEWED BY JOHN ROGERS
PHOTOS BY BALDUR KRISTJÁNS