Interview with Peter Stahl of Leidungr

LEIDUNGR is a Nordic Ritual Folk project formed in 2010.

 LEIDUNGR quickly grew into a unique separate entity with visual assistance found in Freki Wodenswolf, a talented artist known his unique handcrafted creations, made from natural materials as leather, wood, horn, bone and metal. Perfectly in tune with the project’s inspiration and Nordic roots, Freki has provided much of the artwork that accompanies LEIDUNGR‘s outputs. The band made their debut via the limited edition “Hell Eder Asar” 7″ EP, released on Fronte Nordico in 2011, which quickly started to build anticipation surrounding the release of a full album. 

First I just want to thank you for your patience, and welcome you to the RavenzCraft Arts Interviews Project, 
It is an honor to speak with you and learn about your music and  what inspires you and your process of creating..

1.So lets start off by you explaining a bit about your musical project Leidungr, 

When did you first officially start and can you briefly explain what Leidungr is trying to express and create with this project? 

  Hello my friend and thank you for your kind and generous words.  We started Leidungr in 2010, wanting to create a project that was inspired in large part by old Scandinavian culture and lore. 
We wanted to make music worthy of these themes, a soundtrack if you will, to this kind of stuff. It always striked me as stupid that you should have to settle for just pop or rock music if your a historically and philosophically interested person. 
You should have music that can match your interests and temperament... This is the type of art and music that we like to make.

2.The next question I would like to ask is about your interests and people you were inspired by and looked up to as a young child, what sparked your interest in music? anyone or any project in specific that made you decide to start creating and producing your own music?

As long as I can remember I have always been a philosophical person. I wanted to know more and learn more. I was curious and fascinated by the unknown, by what lied beyond immediate perception. 

I liked music that delved into these matters. When I got older I discovered neofolk/martial industrial, musical genres that explored  concepts like mythology and ideology on a much deeper level than metal had ever done. 
There was also a freedom from a kind of formal orthodoxy here ( for example that you must use drums, guitar and bass to make music). What mattered was not how the music technically was being put together, but the IDEAS that were manifested through lyrics and sound. This is where I creatively and spiritually felt at home.

3.I notice your music is mainly Nordic and folk genre, can you share with us your personal interests in your own spiritual or traditional path ? Do you have a certain following that inspires your music?

Im very interested in culture, not just Nordic culture but also generally interested in various forms of mythologies and philosophies. With that being said, the Scandinavian history and myths holds a very special place in my heart because they are part of my heritage, my history and identity.

4.Can you tell us a bit about your "creation process" how do you begin creating a song,?

any programs, recording equipment or anything you use that you have had progress with that you can mention to others out there looking to create their own music as well?

 We use a mixture of folk instruments, ambient elements and industrial ingredients. The main thing here are the ideas behind the music, not to follow some dogmatic scheme of how it should be done. People that obsess over what instruments are being used are in my opinion missing the whole point. If the right spirit is there, it simply does not matter how its done.



6.So living in the Sweden must be amazing,.. can you tell us anything you do for fun or inspiration out there?, any places or events you attend that you may want to mention or share that you have been to or done in the past?

 There are lots of interesting historical places to visit of course, like castles and rune stones, old churches and so on...  But the Swedish people are not taught or encouraged to be interested in or to take pride in their history. 
This is one of the things that we try to change with Leidungr. There is a war going on, not waged with bullets or swords, but with words and ideas.

7.Have you traveled to any amazing or historic locations in the world for content or to see someone perform, or anywhere you went just to visit personally?

 Just the nature in itself in Sweden is quite incredible. 
You got deep and dark snow covered forests that goes on for miles and miles. Breathtaking and majestic wilderness.

Unspoiled nature is truly a beautiful and wonderful thing, and its with great sadness and anger that we witness the destructive effects on nature because of human stupidity and greed.

8.I also notice you are connected and support with other music artists and projects like Arditi , have you had any collaborations or people you have met that you were excited to have the opportunity to work with ?

 I have done several guest appearences for Arditi and its always an honor to do this work. Of course Leidungr is very closely connected to Arditi.

10.So who are you a fan of? can you share a few artists or people you have interest in currently? who is in your current playlist?

 Sagentoeter is a very overlooked neofolk band I think. The same goes for the apocalyptic folk band Changes in my opinion. 
They started in the 1960s and have put out some amazing songs. 

I also support bands very similar to Leidungr like Wardruna, forndom and Heilung. Lets make this music big! 
Remember good music is good because its good, not because its "underground". And music that sucks doesnt suck because its mainstream, but simply because it sucks. Its the good stuff that deserves to reach the masses and become "mainstream culture".

11. So I really like your style of music and art, and i just recently heard your new release Nordlandens Odefjall, Do you have anything planned or any upcoming ideas you can share with us that we may not have heard about yet?

We are currently working on a lot of new stuff so keep your eyes and ears open!

12.This is sort of off topic of music, but i notice you have a sort of meditative feeling and vibe to your music,  do you have interest in Runic art and or the mysteries behind the uses of the nordic Runes and historic folklore of magical practice in your area or any part of the world?

If so i have a few artists and researchers to recommend you to...

 Yes of course Im very interested in these things.  Like I said I have a huge general interest in things like psychology, art and religion. But being Scandinavian myself, the Scandinavian religion and culture feels extra close to me. Im always very happy to receive new recommendations on books and so on thank you.

13. So one of our many goals with RavenzCraft Arts is to help other upcoming artists succeed and progress to the next level, which can often be a very difficult thing to do, can you give any advice or things you have learned in your path as a musical artist that you would say to a fellow musician trying to create a project like something similar to yours?

Put up small and concrete goals! Your much more likely to actually get stuff done with this strategy.

14.Well im interested in seeing more of your work and possibly throwing a few ideas at you for possible collaboration projects in the future... if you are open to it, and have time to do so of course,,,

So I Thank you for talking with us, and leave this question open for you to say a closing statement to all the fans, followers and readers out there...

 Thank you very much for your interesting and well thought through questions!
I want to take this opportunity to thank all the people that have supported us! 
The response has been great and there is a lot of new stuff from Leidungr to come in the future.

Special Thank You to Peter Stahl and all the people involved in creating this amazing music!

Keep our History and Traditions alive!

Follow, Support and purchase music from Leidungr at these links below:

https://leidungr.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/leidungr/

Follow and Support RavenzCraft Arts on Youtube 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC95bFF-xNLMcxAzRO7rFiCQ

Our Next Interview features Nils Edstrom of 

Hindarfjall

https://www.facebook.com/hindarfjall.music/?ref=profile_intro_card

*we do not claim any rights to images or logos in this blog. 

All were taken and used from public content

RavenzCraft Arts Interview Project Solstafir

RavenzCraft Arts Interview with 

Svavar Austmann Traustason

 First I just want to thank and welcome you to the RavenzCraft Arts Interview project, 

This is a great honor to talk with such an inspirational musician like yourself....








Hello and thank you for your words,

My Name is Svavar and I am from Reykjavik, Iceland
I play Bass guitar for the band Sólstafir.

2.Lets start off with your early years, When was it that you first became attracted and interested in music? Was there a certain band or person in general that first sparked your passion for music?

My first real connection with music would had been Elvis Presley I might had been eight or nine years old

I used to go through my mothers vinyl collection 
there was BeeGees and Smokie,Queen,YES
just everything we know and love from the 50s to the 80s.

 
Elvis Presley was the coolest in my opinion back then.
later she gave me my own vinyl player
i thought it was so cool of her
i also think this is the first time i ever talked about this
usually people ask me when i first got into metal.....

3.So what about in school, did you attend or take any extra curricular activities for music? 

Band, Choir, any type of special extra training or practice in the arts? 

Or.. did you just take it upon yourself to practice on your own?

I was the art nerd in school and for one year i sang in the church choir,

I got my sense of melodies from there i think it was dreadfull learning notes and sheets i never bothered with it untill now....

 
I was also generally a horrible student unless i was alone being taught math or grammar then i could fly with my brain,but with bunch of other kids i always had to be on fire throughout the classroom and i notice the same elements today.
 

When i am within a crowd of people i can not concentrate on conversations, i am like everywhere and nowhere.

i was about 13 yrs old when i found a bass player who could teach me.
I graciously declined learning notes and strictly went to learn iron maiden songs...boy that was fun. 

Since then ive been doing basically Steve Harris with a little twist to it.
I also learned a bit of classical guitar for about one year.

4.What pulled you towards guitar? was there a reason for choosing this specific instrument, can you tell us about when you first got your hands on a guitar? was it gifted or did you work and save to buy it?

I never really wanted to learn guitar, I wanted something with punch and power something very dramatic and in your face sort of... so i wanted to learn piano drums and Bass guitar sadly i learned a bit of guitar because there was no room or money for a drum kit....

5.What music did you listen to early on, like for example in your early teens and as a young adult,
I have a wide variety of music that inspired my tastes, can you tell us about some of the music you enjoyed when you were younger? and what about today? if we pulled up your current playlist for music what would we see on the list?

Along with the whole taste in american death metal in my early teens i would listen to judas priest,guns and roses,fleetwood mac,Elvis Presley,Kiss Swans,Metallica were my heroes,Megadeth,AC/DC,Bubbi Morthens,Blue Oyster cult, Neil Yong (the dead mans soundtrack) i hated it but enjoy it today. Jon Bon jovi,Steve Vai,Megadeth,my dying bride,paradise lost,anathema and british goth.

6.So lets talk about the times leading up to joining Solstafir, were you ever in a start up band

or group before being "official" any experiences that you had with performances or shows?

Yeah I was in a band when I joined Sólstafir... we did 3 or 4 shows then I think Dimmu Borgir released "Enthroned Darkness Triuphant" 

I decided to quit it since it was 90% of what I wanted to do with that band and no reason to carry on with that I thought.  I was also stubborn..

 I never wanted to do what others do or follow any clichés today, im the opposite, im all for clichés,.. except i can not do riffs and and fifth chords "except on bass" you know!? Lemmy and all.... something i share with Aðalbjörn.

7.How did you end up meeting and joining Solstafir? 

Did you know band members before hand?
How did this all come about, were you approached? 

I lived at a recovery home for addicts and alcoholics,
Aðalbjörn and Guðmundur "former Drummer"its been my main demon in my existence i knew them from partying down town
i was at odds i had no idea what they were about came knocking one day it was september 1998 i think they asked if i could play the basoon
basoon? yeah i might learn that hahahaha they were always joking around and we were always so silly these were good times.


8.So if you can explain to us a little more about what Solstafir is all about, Can you tell us the message or story that Solstafir is and represents? I have been following you guys for about 2 years now, very awesome raw style i have to say, What image and message do you look to portray?

In its core Solstafir are 4 other worldly people
we are for some odd reason sensitive to melodies and harmonics arranged but people non the less who eat shit and sleep like the rest of you we rent a an industrial space where we plant our gear and sit down and write music,..

i guess we want to tell everybody to get strong with certain type of air to it as if pink floyd were writing a film score for madmax and spaghetti western taking place in the north atlantic. 

we sort of have seen lots of loved ones passing away at young age and it effects you tremendously sometimes
is there any specific place that you would suggest or like to mention about this amazing country? smile towards the harsh winds when they blow up your face and just fucking keep going. 

9.So tell us about Iceland, does living there inspire your music? how is it to live or visit there? It seems like a beautiful place to be,...

Iceland is my home and the place i grew up in and a place filled with mysteries. Ive lived in usa and uk but you know how it is there is no place like home. it can be either the best place to live or the worst but its all in your head your own perception of what feels good and what feels bad or wrong

10.can you share with us a bit about the creative process for Solstafir, Any favorite hang out or spot you guys like to frequent?

I get inspired by everything basically events or some nice scene or movies and music and interacting with other people we mostly use our rehearsal studio for talks and ideas and creation coffee and cigarettes and vape in the hangout area..

  I am a gear addict and computer nerd,
our fav place is in the living room drinking coffee while listening to vinyl....
I also just upgraded my home studio and am starting laying templates for ideas we also got nice recording station in our rehearsal studio and we use protools i personally like to use cubase as a writing tool..  so gear is inspiring...

  sometimes we would visit for dinner in a more fancy meeting. we dont party or go to bars anymore 

11. I know you have been to many events and festivals, what are you/solstafir looking forward to this year? anything special you can mention or are excited about looking forward to?

We are doing some big festivals like Wacken and 

summerbreeze and hellfest and few more.
i mostly am looking forward to the icelandic shows 
we have not played here for awhile.

12. So upon doing my research of the band pages on social media I noticed a random post about the new star wars,...
you seemed to dislike it looking at your post, Can you tell us any movies that are out that you do approve of? 

any new ones or classic movies that you really enjoyed? any favorite director or creator? I like scifi entertainment tv shows or movies this starwars movie should never been made... I loved the action and the whole mystery around the force awakens he is quite good and i like what he did with star trek. but this movie was just crap to me. J.J.Abrams should had directed it

I got the original starwars soundtrack by John Williams london symphony orchestra first edition vinyl very hard to find. but its just my opinion on the new movie i wont cry or die its just an entertainment that did not do it for me.

13.Tell us a bit about the life of a career musician, many people want to be artists but dont understand the difficulties and problems you face and have to get through..., 

I dont think this is an awesome career,..

I am stubborn, so it is bound to happen because i want it. a It is out in the cosmos and the universe is on my side.

there is no money to be made and when there is it barely pays your bills i collect most of what i make and i buy instruments and studio gear so that i can make it alright.. 

I got a job as a caretaker for disabled people and im studying I.T. and want to get a job in IT at some point..

 Ive been offered a few times but had to decline because of tours,

 I think ill take the next job ill be offered,.. it is difficult but i want to entwine my music career and IT career.

15.So this last question is open for you to say anything you want to mention..., any words for the fans and followers of Solstafir? Any legendary closing parting words, or anything you want to say to upcoming aspiring artists and musicians trying to make it out there today? :]

Words of wisdom...
stay with your both feet on the ground...

The only true recognition that is worth attention is listening to what your own heart tells you.
you see i dont need any of this touring,popularity or recognicion all i need is to create my music and thats my ZEN "the creating process is my main outlet" i am in the rest of this shit cos i got friends with me on it and its cos they are like family some of them are like extension of myself,..

 i believe it is called love,..

 I try not listen to my ego and fuck my insecurities... i can do scripting in Powershell and i channel all my personal crap in doing cleans jerks and snatch in crossfit. 

please dont waste your time drinking and partying there is nothing there except quick fix of shit that gets you nowhere pretty fast.....take care.

Special Thanks to Svavar Traustason

and Solstafir 

Follow and Support Solstafir at these links below 

https://www.facebook.com/solstafirice/

https://www.solstafir.net/

Solstafir music intro here 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZCt4d5eYpY

[We do not claim any rights to images in this blog, they are taken off google and facebook public sites]