Meet The SXSW Band: Eydis Evensen

Somehow we are a very short week, or really less than a week, away from SXSW kicking off and a flood of amazing artists coming into town. This week we are planning to hit you with a whole bunch of amazing previews, interviews and possibly even a playlist. I am excited to kick the week off with another interview from Icelandic artist Eydis Evensen. Being that she is from my second home, this is a true pleasure to share. Hit the jump for everything.

What’s the name of the band/group? Where are you from?

My name is Eydis Evensen and I come from a small town in the north of Iceland called Blonduos.

Describe your group’s sound using only adjectives or superlatives.

I am a classically trained pianist and my music sits within the genre, post-classical music.
I compose mostly for piano, but also compose music for string instruments, brass, woodwind and vocals. My music is deeply personal and inspired by Icelandic landscapes as well as my personal emotions and experiences. It’s honest, raw, and an emotional rollercoaster ride.

What was your most recent release? Any planned releases for 2023?

I just released a piece called ‘Tephra Horizon’, which will be included on my upcoming sophomore album called ‘The Light’ which will be out in May this year.

Why play SXSW? What’s the draw for the band? What about this festival will bring you to Austin?

I have always been fascinated by SXSW and was fortunate to have been invited for the Iceland Airwaves showcase on 16th March at The Driskill. I am extremely excited to be performing at my first showcase festival in the states and to be introducing my music to a new audience at SXSW.

There are tons of bands coming into town, but if you could create your own perfect festival, who would you have playing? Would it have a sick name? Where would it take place? Feel free to disregard the rules of time and space.

I’d love to be able to create a genre-fluid festival which I think I’d like to call ‘Flow Festival’. Ideally it would take place upstate New York, whereas electrical, americana, post-classical and classical artists would take us on a flowing journey with their performances. There’d also be yoga classes, meditation sessions and vegan food feasts shared with like minded people throughout the festival.

What has everyone in the band been listening to, or, what plays in the tour van/car/bus

My musical taste spans from jazz, ambient, classical, electronical, rock and other – Therefore there’d always be different music playing each day compared to my personal mood of each day.
To mention a few artists that are my current go to, that would have to be Led Zeppelin, St. Germain, Pink Floyd, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Rachmaninoff, Philip Glass and Johann Johannson.

Obviously you have seen or heard about the issues coming up this year about fair pay for artists at SXSW? Care to offer any insight or comment?

I strongly believe that all artists participating should have equal pay during all showcase festivals, but I have not introduced myself enough to this particular discussion for SXSW to be able to make further comments.

We’ve been seeing more and more artists get into the food and beverage game, whether it’s pierogies from Pavement or Deftones’ beer. If you ever got into the game, what would be your food or beverage and what would it be called?

I’d love to be able to have a juicy vegan Icelandic style hotdog and an Icelandic herb inspired beer to go with it, which I’d call the Naughty Nordic Combo