7 august - The Reykjavik Grapevine

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Art, Music & Nightlife
Information from the
people that know
Reykjavík like the
back of their hands.
Open 12 - 22
Laugavegur 11
know. Is there a chance that this
session will permanently change your
sound or style? Suddenly Bang Gang
will involve screaming?
Barði: (laughing) Probably not at all.
Krummi: (laughing) Why would it?
I seriously doubt that Mínus is going
to bring in a string quartet.
Barði: Maybe a banjo player.
Krummi: Maybe when we’re really
old and sick of doing records we’ll
bring in a string section and have
Barði arrange it.
Grapevine: Okay, this is almost
disturbing. You’re both happy and
easygoing. Isn’t this the end of the
recording week? How many hours
have you spent together? Shouldn’t
you be fighting or at least moody?
Barði: Well, I do now have a lot of
tattoos. I’m covered in them.
Krummi: Hanging out with me 15
hours a day, he’s now into Black
Metal. But this is how we get by,
emotionally and physically. Of
course we get annoyed and jaded but
it only comes out in the music not
on each other. We just get up and let
it all out. Let the dick hang out.
Grapevine: Yes. You refer to your
crotch a lot.
Krummi: That’s where it all
happens, Bart. The life cycle all
comes from right here. (Pointing at
his crotch.)
Grapevine: True. So this session has
been easy.
Krummi: We didn’t know how
things would work out, but when we
got together we were really happy
about it. If you don’t enjoy working
in the studio, you should go handle a
cash register at Hagkaup.
Barði: The tour bus, that’s different.
Krummi: Yeah, then people really
get on each other’s nerves. But then
you have shows to get everything
out.
Grapevine: I’ve heard only two
tracks off of what you’ve recorded
so far. One was extremely heavy,
and you said it was atypical. The
other had a very Kiss Dynasty disco
feel, with a vocal range that I didn’t
expect from Krummi.
Krummi: There is some Kiss
influence. Maybe it could even be
a Kiss song from when they were
doing 4/4-time.
Grapevine: Given the success, what
Krummi demonstrates his
phrenological expertise.
happens when people want to hear
more?
Barði: If they want to hear more,
they’re unlucky.
Krummi: We just wanted to write
good songs. We’ve accomplished
that.
With that, our time is up. All in all,
including off the record comments
about the local music scene, a brief
studio tour and getting to hear a
few tracks from the new record, I
have had an hour with two of the
most successful young musicians in
Iceland. Barði Johannesson has been
taking note of this, apparently.
“We’ll send you a bill for one hour
of studio time,” he tells me on my
way out.
By Bart Cameron