We caught up with Melkeveien ahead of the next appearance at Jaeger this Friday.
Photo credit: Magnus Eidem
Melkeveien are back at Jaeger with a new lineup and few more records under their belt. Since their last appearance, they’ve been releasing about a single a year, while they continue to develop their live show. With Kris Møller Johansen in the driving seat, and an ever evolving lineup featuring John Birkeland Johannsen and Embret Johnsen, Melkeveien have kept transforming into an all-encompassing live act.
For their next show at Jaeger, the lineup has grown to include guitar virtuoso Marius Lien, with the four piece bringing an extra dimension to the live band. Between the live- and sequenced electronic elements and the musicians, Melkeveien bridges an interdimensional gap between human and machine.
Breaking out with Peter Pan Death Wish back in 2014 as part of what was becoming known as the Skwee movement in Norway, Melkeveien emerged and soon found an international audience. Today, Peter Pan Death Wish has clocked up over a million streams on Spotify, but the group’s reluctance to simply recreate the formula saw Melkeveien quickly outgrow their Skwee skin for a sound that touches everything from Hip Hop to electronica.
Ahead of their live set this Friday, we caught up with the group to find out more about this upcoming show and follow up from our last interview with Melkeveien.
It’s good to have you back at Jaeger. There’s usually some kind of reason like a new release for your live appearances at Jaeger. What was the impetus for this occasion?
Thank you, that’s very nice to hear, and it’s also very good to be back at Jaeger. I would say the reason is to showcase a new lineup, and of course to also play several new tunes.
You’re bringing Marius Lien with you for this one. How did this collaboration come to be and what is it about Marius’ playing and music that drew you to him?
John (drums) introduced the band to Marius. They had been playing and touring Norway together in Henning Andersen’s band, and John suggested that we should stunt a show with Marius. So we did that at a festival in Jessheim last fall. Marius had barely heard Melkeveien, but his improvisation and understanding of music was extraordinary so it worked out really well. After the show I asked him if he wanted to do this again, so he joined us for our annual xmas-show in Hamar and now this show at Jaeger.
What do you think it adds to the Melkeveien sound?
I think it adds a beautiful psychedelic twist and playfulness.
Tell us about the rest of the band.
Well, the rest of the band playing Jaeger is John Birkeland Hansen on drums and percussion, Embret Johnsen on keys and Audun Røberg jr. on electric bass guitar. Three amigo’s who love to laugh and play.
John Birkeland Hansen and Embret Johnsen have been there since the start of Melkeveien’s live adaptation. What do those two bring to the music individually and how does it change what Melkeveien sounds like from the record?
They bring a lot of energy and driving licences. Haha! All three of us have known each other most of our lives, so it’s easy to communicate with love and also “fight” without big drama. John has an enormous stage presence during live shows, hammering away like Animal from The Muppet Show but more dynamic and way tighter. Embret has, like me, a more shy persona on stage, but his performance is sublime.
Will this still be a combination of live and sequenced stuff, and how much has changed in the live setup from the last time you played here?
Yes, it will. I use an MPC to sequence and play loops.
It has come a long way since the Peter Pan Death Wish days. What is still at the underlying heart of this project that has been there since that first track?
Keeping it fun!
Looking back at the success of that first track, what are your feelings toward it today
That’s a track that still keeps on giving. Still my most streamed and most licensed tune 11 years after its release.
Where do you feel you’re at musically right now, and how is it informing what Melkeveien is and will become?
Faster! Harder! Melkeveien!
What is next for you and Melkeveien after this show at Jaeger?
The band is playing a couple of festivals this summer, and we are currently working on booking shows for autumn. I’m also co-running a semi-monthly club concept at Gregers in Hamar with Pål Strangefruit, Are Krishna and Vildun Mathisen. Our next club night is on March 14 with Prins Thomas as headliner. Strangefruit will DJ and I´ll do an all electronics solo live set as support. Hamar is the place to be!
Oh, and also there’s a new EP coming very soon!