As I said earlier….The buzz surrounding Fredrik is approaching deafening levels.
The latest Swedish imports (which are a side project of the BYT approved The LK)have a new album out on DC’s own Kora Records and are playing DC9 tonight, for Kora’s fourth anniversary. If you go and see this sextet now you can say you knew them “when”.

To set the tone, we asked them 10 (but really 15 questions) and got a great new video for you to look at.

Fredrik - 11 Years from The Kora Records on Vimeo.

1. Welcome back. First off, tell us what exactly are you doing right now, aside from answering this interview. Be specific.

Right now we’re folding and numbering sleeves for our new hand-made EP “HOLM” which will be out soon in Sweden. You know, working for the man.

2. How is did Fredrik come to be? Introduce yourselves.
3. What does Fredrik allow you to do that the LK did not? How is it different and why is it different?
3a. How do the two bands coexist? Who takes precedence?

I, Fredrik the person, started out with a few-song like ideas in the fall of 2006. Pretty soon Lindefelt joined and we started sketching on the album Na Na Ni. Since then, Fredrik the band has grown to be like a third person with a life of his own. A bit like Frankenstein’s monster. He always whispers, is unintentionally arrogant, loves wooden boats and crooked trees that grow extremely slow, smokes a pipe and has been at the gates several times. I’m not like that.
The LK is more like the two of us in a white room, drawing lines with a ruler, later standing back and discovering that it’s actually a picture of an extinct flower.
Both bands need to be pet at least once a week

4. (not to answer my own previous question but…) Fredrik, as a six-piece is much more human/actual instrument reliable than the LK. Is this something you’ve always hoped to do but did not have enough people to do it with? What was stopping you before?

No no, it’s just different.

5. Who is the ideal Fredrik consumer? Describe in detail.

I think we’re definitely aiming at someone with two ears, a head, possibly some hair and a heart.

6. You’ve already toured/played US and gotten a bunch of good press. did you hope for it? Did it come as a surprise? Did anyone at all have anything bad to say about the record thus far?

I’m sorry. We don’t read reviews.

7. With Kora being in DC, you are almost honorary city dwellers now. What are some of your favorite things/least favorite things about the city?

The L. Ron Hubbard house qualifies for both. The giant rat up on V- Street that yelled back at Lindefelt the last time is another favorite, not to mention the very nice guard at the lost and found at Hirschhorn.

8. The year is almost over, so lets play some wrap up stuff:

-3 favorite albums you’ve heard this year

Stephan Mathieu - “Heroin”
Lubomyr Melnyk - “The Voice of Trees”
Sybille Baier - “Color Green”

-3 favorite live shows you’ve heard this year

Wildbirds and peacedrums did a great show in a huge circus tent at the Malmo City Street festival. Also, Lindefelt can’t stop talking about a Black Dice gig he saw. But that wasn’t this year. Tentet Octet, a band The LK played with in an abandoned toy factory in Detroit, were totally amazing.

-3 artists you wish more people knew about

Teiji Ito, who made impossibly beautiful music for Maya Deren’s films.
Our friend Henrik Wallin who makes incredible, billowy kraut improv, looks like Joey Ramone, and always wanted to be a florist.
The 65 year old mime artist here in Malmö who does an excellent dancing sheep.

-3 things you’d want to do if you weren’t musicians

Reveal magic tricks, rename animals and recreate famous libraries.

9. What is your favorite song /songs on the record and why?

We wouldn’t give that away for less than a million money.

10. What is next?

We’ve started working on The LK album “Periodika”, we’ll release Na Na Ni and vs. the Snow in Japan and we’re about to put out an EP trilogy with Fredrik. After that, who knows.

want more:
Fredrik on myspace

Fredrik on Kora Records

show TONIGHT @ dc9.

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