Reykjavík Grapevine - 10.10.2014, Blaðsíða 63

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When did you play
your first Airwaves?
How do you feel ab-
out how it’s changed
over the years?
Arnar: I played the
first one, and I think
every Airwaves since.
One of them wasn’t
exactly an… on-venue.
In Dr Spock, we played
on a flatbed truck, go-
ing around the streets,
with this fire guy…
Silla: Are you the only
one who’s played at
every Airwaves?
Arnar: I don’t know,
I couldn’t say that for
sure… I love it now, I
love the smaller ven-
ues, not such big han-
gar spaces and “big
names”—I like the
way it has turned out.
Smaller bands, newer
bands, a nice vibe.
Silla: They keep it as
festival that’s about
discovering new mu-
sic. So you might as
well go and see some-
thing, anything—it’s
all about running
around seeing a
bunch of shows, see-
ing something new,
rather than what you
already know you like.
They have stayed true
to that.
Maggi: In the last few years I have
played so many shows that I haven’t
really seen anything. What I’m looking
forward to doing is
meeting up and hav-
ing coffee with all the
roadies at Harpa. I’m
not kidding! It’s really
good fun! They are
as stressed as we are,
running around being
all like, “Who’s next
on?” It’s fantastic!
Keli: I can never re-
ally see what I’d want
to see. So one of the
“thrills of the festi-
val” for me is that,
given I can’t really
pick, between those
crazy moments, I just
go to a random venue
and see a random
band. I’ll just point
at something and see
anything. That’s pret-
ty cool, I look forward
to that.
Birkir: The weather
is so much worse
now—the wind, the
cold—since it got later.
People who come
here from elsewhere
get very taken with
Airwaves as a spe-
cial festival. Why do
you think that is?
Arnar: I have a hard
time answering that
because my experi-
ence of it, of any fes-
tival, is very different
from the people com-
ing to listen. I can imagine it’s unique to
come here to Iceland, to all these small
venues, these tiny bars…
Maggi: I kind of look at it as a gathering
of a lot of my friends and people I know.
Musicians. I tend not to go to shows be-
fore I play, or even sometimes after—if
I’ve played four shows in a day, I don’t
really have the attention span left to
watch a whole show. So it feels like me
sitting backstage, smoking a cigarette
or drinking a coffee with people I know
and my fellow musicians. I really enjoy
that. I do see shows, though, of course,
on occasion.
Silla: You can’t really do much more. If
you’re constantly giving it out, it’s hard
to take it in. I too listen to one or two
songs then I have to leave. It can be a
little too much stimuli.
There are 41 new Icelandic bands pla-
ying this year, and they broke the re-
cord of rejected local acts—200. Have
any news bands caught your ear?
How do you feel about the health of
the scene?
Silla: It’s in great shape! It’s a healthy
beast!
Maggi: There’s a band Keli is in that
caught my eye—Young Karin. I’ve only
heard you online, I haven’t seen you
play yet...
Keli: Come to Gaukurinn!
Arnar: This new band Himbrimi that
Birkir is in has caught my eye…
Silla: Hmmm, do they have to be play-
ing the festival? I really like this band
Cryptochrome—a husband and wife,
twisted hip-hop… super good. And
Soffía Björg also, a singer-songwriter—
she’s really, really good. Great songs, and
a great voice.
How does it go with the scheduling?
Figuring out your own trajectory
through the festival?
Arnar: Egill Tómasson sent me an
email asking what bands I was in. He
does a really good job of it, I don’t know
how he does it.
Keli: Nobody knows!
Silla: I’m never playing twice on the
same day, too, except off-venues.
Maggi: Two years ago he called me, an
emergency call. I forgot to tell him about
one band I was in, and it was crazy, action
stations—he called me up and was very
nice, and said, “Can you come into the of-
fice?” So we had a two-hour meeting like,
just scheduling my schedule. Well—an
hour of talking about sports, and then an
hour of talking about schedule.
Arnar: I have an idea for next year, for
when Keli is playing another 50-some-
thing gigs, there should be an app where
people can just follow him around.
Silla, to Arnar: No, to follow YOOOOU!
Maggi, to Silla: No, to follow YOOOO-
OU!
Arnar: Maybe Grapevine should do a
booklet with Keli’s face on the cover?
Arnar: You know, the five of us have
formed a band out of this.
Silla: There are three actual drummers
here... so I’m gonna be the drummer.
Maggi: I’m going to do the desk and the
PA. Front of house guy.
Birkir: I’m the manager.
Keli: I’ll be the roadie.
Arnar: I’m the... dancer.
Silla: So it’s just me drumming, and you
guys… around. And Arnar dancing.
Arnar: We’re called Front Cover. Watch
out for us. It’s gonna be the craziest off-
venue of the festival...
WEDNESDAY
20:50 Silla: Mr Silla,
Harpa Silfurberg
21:40 Birkir & Arnar: Lára
Rúnars, Norðurljós
21:40 Keli: Agent Fresco,
Gamla Bío
21:40 Maggi: Kippi Kaninus,
Harpa Silfurberg
22:30 Keli: Steinar,
Frederiksen
23:20 Birkir: Lay Low,
Harpa Norðurljós
00:30 Maggi: Moses Hightower,
Harpa Silfurberg
THURSDAY
20:00 Maggi: Geislar,
Harpa Norðurljós
22:30 Birkir & Arnar: Rúnar
Þórisson, Frederiksen
00:20 Arnar: Pétur Ben,
Kaldalón
00:20 Birkir: Himbrimi,
Frederiksen
FRIDAY
20:00 Maggi & Silla: Snorri
Helgason, Fríkirkjan
21:00 Arnar: Mugison,
Silfurberg
21:50 Maggi: Moses Hightower,
Reykjavík Art Museum
22:00 Keli: Young Karin,
Gamla Bío
00:20 Birkir: Klassart,
Frederiksen
01:20 Keli: Úlfur Úlfur,
Húrra
01:30 Silla: Boogie Trouble.
Iðnó
02:20 Keli: Agent Fresco,
Gaukurinn
SATURDAY
20:00 Arnar: Íkorni,
Iðnó
21:00 Silla: Low Roar,
Gamla Bío
01:10 Keli: Young Karin,
Þjóðleikhúskjallarinn
01:10 Maggi: Cell7,
Húrra
02:00 Keli: Emsjeé Gauti,
Þjóðleikhúskjallarinn
SUNDAY
23:00 Birkir & Arnar: Lára
Rúnars,
Gaukurinn
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 L 11
Who
They
Are
Sigurlaug Gísladóttir
(aka Silla)
Airwaves Bands: Mr. Silla, Snorri
Helgason, Low Roar, Boogie Trouble
Total active bands: 6
Shows: 11
Birkir Rafn Gíslason
Airwaves Bands: Himbrimi, Klassart,
Lay Low, Lára Rúnars, Rúnar Þórisson
Total Active Bands: 8
Shows: 11
Hrafnkell Örn Guðjónsson
(aka Keli)
Airwaves Bands: Agent Fresco,
Young Karin, Steinar, Emmsjé Gauti,
Úlfur Úlfur
Total Active Bands: 11
Shows: 14
Magnús Tryggvason Elíassen
(aka Maggi)
Airwaves Bands: Cell7, Geislar, Mo-
ses Hightower, Snorri Helgason, Kippi
Kanínus
Total Active Bands: 11
Shows: 11
Arnar Þór Gíslason
Airwaves Bands: Pétur Ben, Íkorni,
Mugison, Lára Rúnars, Rúnar Þórisson
Total active bands: 10
Shows: 9