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]