Krauka: Nordic Music From the Viking Age

By Matt Leingang
Contributing Writer
With the ever-evolving Internet community, finding like-minded musicians can be as simple as the click of a button. One hour of perusing Craigslist’s “musicians” section could yield the forming of a raucous thrash band hell bent on revenging Dimebag Darrell’s death. What once took months of planning and auditioning can now be completed in an afternoon at a coffee shop. For Denmark’s Krauka, this haphazard experience will never be a possibility.

Krauka melds traditional Nordic music from the Viking Age with modern instrumentation and electronic elements. The group draws influence and inspiration from Nordic mythology and climate, nature, and sagas and stories of the Viking Age. The influences and inspirations culminate in a truly unique sound that has before and since remained unexplored except by the quartet.

“We did the research ourselves, because you cant buy Viking instruments,” member Jens Pedersen said, “We have made our lyres and found a way to string them, tune them and play them.” Pedersen plays the lyre, flute and drums and is joined by Aksel Striim (bowed lyre, shawm, clarinet), Gudjon Rudolf (lead vocals, drums), and Soeren Zederkof (bass).

In the beginning the group was a mix of storytellers and musicians who formed to play an event in Greenland celebrating the one thousand year anniversary of Leif Ericson’s discovery of the islands that would eventually become the country. “The idea was not to continue, but it happened,” Pedersen said “Suddenly we had enough material to record an album.” The album led to opportunities to play at various schools around Denmark.

After releasing three albums with the lineup of Pedersen, Striim and Rudolf, the group began to veer away from their traditional folk-style opting to record a new album that blended modern electric instruments and introduced bass into their sound. “We began to feel a bit locked because of our primitive instruments. We wanted more possibilities,” Pedersen said, “We also sometimes felt that we were missing a button so we found Soeren, who went in to it with good energy.”

The energy is apparent on the group’s fourth effort, Odinn, though they are currently pursuing both the traditional “folky style” and the “more heavy style.” They recently embarked on a U.S. tour with dates primarily in California and Minnesota. Interest for the group’s music is highest in areas with a large population of those of Nordic descent.

Krauka’s return to Fargo-Moorhead marks the third time the group has traveled to the area having played the Scandinavian Hjemkomst Festival in 2007 and performed at several venues in 2009.

“Our impression [of Fargo] is that its a very open and interested audience,” Pedersen said, “People are warm and welcoming, and we’ve only had good experiences.”  The group is scheduled to perform Sept. 29 at the MSUM Underground, Sept. 30 at the Hjemkomst Center and Oct. 1 at The Aquarium.

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If You Go

What: Krauka
Where: Hjemkomst Center, Aquarium
When: Sept 30, 7-9pm; Oct 1, 9pm
Info: 218.329.8893