This is RÚV English Radio with Darin Adam, daily English language radio from Iceland's national broadcaster, RÚV.Hello, this is RÚV English Radio. My name is Darin Adam. Thanks very much for your company today.A few months ago we talked about the Reykjavík Folk Festival in the company of my guest today,who's wearing a slightly different hat today. I'll let him introduce himself again.Yes, hi. My name is Seymar Mattiarsson and I'm a member of a band called Brekk.And of course one of the movers and shakers behind the Reykjavík Folk Festival as well.Before we talk about what's coming up with Brekk, which is very exciting, how did the festival go?Festival went great. We, despite winter weather in Reykjavík that weekend.When was it again?It was in the middle of March or like the end of March.We had one of those winters.Winter blizzards, so like, yeah, but despite that, we were pretty, pretty satisfied with how the festival went.Because when we spoke last time, you did talk about your band Brekk that you're part of and all the work that you do as well.And it is an exciting time because the fifth single from your new album is coming out on Friday of this week.And then there's a gig to launch the album next week as well.So tell me about the single first, because we're going to play this as part of it.It's a conversation.Ah, yeah. Great.You didn't know that, did you?No. Thank you.Thank you. Thank you for that.I could tell.Yeah. But yeah, so we've been working on this album for quite some time.Our last record was released in 21.So and like since then, we've been kind of working on new material and I think even like the firstsingle from this album came out in early 2023.Okay.So this is single number five that's coming out.So there's been quite a long lead up to this, hasn't there?Yes, you can say that.So like the first two songs we released in 2023, actually, so and since then, we've just been busy with other things.But now in the beginning of this year, 2026, we went into the studio and recordednine.Other songs, and since this summer, we've been releasing singles.So this is like the third one this year.And are these songs that you had already written when you went back into the studio?Or did the sound and the songs develop once you went in?It definitely developed.Things always take, sometimes take a different turn when you're in the studio, and then it's the mixing process.And all that.So the single, the final single from the record is called Endless Shore.We're going to play that as part of the conversation.Tell me about this song.Yes, that's a nice song that was written mainly by our guitar player, Johan Inki, and with some lyrics in English, which is not that common in our music.Most of our songs are sung in Icelandic.But like on the previous album, I think we had two songs in English, and that's also the case with the new album.There's two songs in English.And this song actually tells the story of the people coming to Iceland, kind of like the Vikings.The first settlers.Exactly.And telling, like, their story about triumph.But also the bad things about it.Endless Shore, I suppose it would have felt like an endless shore, seeing it for the first time.Exactly.Which was much more.To be run in the Norwegian shores.We came here, we were sure.Home was here at sand.By the Endless Shore.Built a home with pride.Not to be hated.Það er mjög mjög mjög mjög mjög mjög.Mjög mjög mjög mjög mjög.To be ignored side by side.To be ignored side by side.To be ignored side by side.To be ignored side by side.To be ignored side by side.To be ignored side by side.To be ignored side by side.To be ignored side by side.To be ignored side by side.To hold something in your hands that you worked for a long time on is totally different than seeing it on your phone or on the computer screen.Is this a good record to listen to on vinyl?I would recommend it very much, yeah.And just in general, the vinyl format, for me at least, I like that.There's a turntable behind you there in all techniques I can see.So tell me a little about the band then, the history of Brekk, because we've come right up to date with this new record.But how long have you been?Together and how did you meet?So the band was formed in 2018 by Harpa Þóralstóttir, the singer and pianist, and Jóhann Ingi Benedítsson, guitarist and singer.They are from the same area in the northwest of Iceland, around Kvamstangi.So they, I don't say maybe grew up together, but they always knew about each other.But never worked together in music.Until then, they had been talking about it for a while.And when they started meeting and rehearsing, and around the same time, Harpa was starting dating this guy called Guðmundur Alli Pétursson,which happened to be a mandolin player.And accidentally, he had his mandolin.He had a mandolin in the back of his car, one night, and he said, like, hey guys, should I maybe join you?And he's still with the band?Yes, and they're married.They're married, okay.I hope there wasn't going to be some sort of ABBA or Fleetwood Mac style disaster.Not yet, at least.Well, that is good news.That's good to hear.That must be nice to have a married couple in the band.Yeah, it is.But we're all, all of us are very good friends.And, and, and whenever...When we're traveling, it's, it's convenient.They can have one room.And me, and me and Jói usually share another room.So, but we're not married, but...No.I came into the band a little bit later, in 2020, kind of right before the pandemic.And I always say that this band, like, got me through the pandemic, musically and socially.And, yeah, that's the gist of it.That's the story of how you...You all met and got together.What inspires the music that you make, then?I would say the thing is we, all of us come from a very different background, musically.And that blends together and makes up the sound of Brekk.I come from a jazz background.Studied jazz in New York City.Harpa, she started opera singing in Austria.She's not singing in an operatic...She's not singing in an operatic style in this band.But, and then Gummi, Gummundur, the mandolin player, he's kind of like a, a self-taught bluegrass geek.And then we have Jóhann, which is the, the, the farmer boy from, from the farm.And the singer-songwriter, the storyteller in the band.And then, and we mix kind of this all together in our own little sound.So there's a mix there.So not just musically, but also in terms of being self-taught and having those like yourself who've studied music as well.Yeah, you can say that.Plans then for 2027, you'll be glad to have this record finally released.Are we going to hear it live?We are hoping to tour as much as possible.You know, we're going to play this release concert next week.And then we'll do some smaller shows around Reykjavík, maybe during the winter.And we usually always take a, do an Iceland tour.In the summers, we just did one in kind of like a pre-release tour this August, kind of.And we're hoping to do next summer.And then it's always the question about international touring.Yes, I was going to ask you, is that on the cards?Sounds like it's something that you want to do.Definitely.We've been like, we have, we've done some trips.I would say tours.We've played some festivals.Showcase festivals and others before.And now we're hoping to expand on that.Maybe on the mainland, like Germany is a good market for folk music.The other Nordic countries, Canada maybe as well, for the kind of music you make perhaps.Canada is a very exciting market.And so that, we'll definitely look into that for sure.How do you think the live?Music scene is in Reykjavík?Because there have been concerns with venues closing.We know that Tónabíður has now reopened, which is great news.But is it something as a musician that you are concerned about?Could more be done?Should more be done, do you think, for the live music scene in Reykjavík and indeed other parts of Iceland?It's a very good question.Because I'm actually working on my master's thesis.Exactly about this subject.Okay.Ask the right person then.Hopefully.I only just started.But I'm looking mostly at the jazz scene in that sense.But I think it's, when you look at the numbers, there are more concerts actually happening, more events, in the last four years.Especially.Especially last year, there was a lot more concerts, but still there was a lack of venues.Yeah.So there's definitely something wrong there, maybe you can say.Definitely a thing or a subject you really have to focus on and go deep into to see what's happening there.It sounds like you're going to with a PhD.Yes, hopefully.Well, best of luck with that.Best of luck with this new record as well.We'll put a link up to the ticket page, I guess, for Saljurinn, for the gig that's taking place at the end of next week in Kuppervor.The album coming out at the same time.Will you have those physical copies to sell at the gig?Oh, yes.Like I was saying, the CD is here and the vinyl is coming this week, so we'll have the physical copies for you and everybody who's interested in it.Interesting.And we're only about half a year away from the next Reykjavík Folk Festival, I think.Yeah, we're hoping to do it in the spring of 27 and going back to a little bit later in the spring, in the beginning of May.Okay, well, just to avoid the tail end of winter, I guess.Yes.Well, listen, I think we'll probably talk again about that next year.For now, best of luck with the record, best of luck with the gig.Thank you, Darren.This is Ruf English Radio.My name is Darren Adam and you can get in touch with us any time we are English at RUV.is.There is more from Ruf English with all the news from Iceland in English at RUV.is slash English.Ruf English Radio is a daily English language radio from Iceland's national broadcaster, Ruf.Ruf English Radio is a daily English language radio from Iceland's national broadcaster, Ruf.Ruf English Radio is a daily English language radio from Iceland's national broadcaster, Ruf.Ruf English Radio is a daily English language radio from Iceland's national broadcaster, Ruf.Ruf English Radio is a daily English language radio from Iceland's national broadcaster, Ruf.Ruf English Radio is a daily English language radio from Iceland's national broadcaster, Ruf.Ruf English Radio is a daily English language radio from Iceland's national broadcaster, Ruf.Ruf English Radio is a daily English language radio from Iceland's national broadcaster, Ruf.Ruf English Radio is a daily English language radio from Iceland's national broadcaster, Ruf.Ruf English Radio is a daily English language radio from Iceland's national broadcaster, Ruf.Ruf English Radio is a daily English language radio from Iceland's national broadcaster, Ruf.
