Grizfolk: A Conversation with Frontman Adam Roth

Brianne Nemiroff

Over the last 25 years, songs that have become a worldwide sensation often have one thing in common: they were created by Swedish producers. Among Max Martin, Rami Yocoub, and Sebastian Ingrosso, you have the masterminds behind Britney Spears, Katy Perry, Pink, One Direction, Robyn, and more. And while Sweden has brought the world sounds such as Lykke Li and Little Dragon, artists hailing from Sweden in the last several years have been electro-house and electro-pop groups such as Swedish House Mafia and Icona Pop to folk/indie-pop princesses, First Aid Kit.

It may be something in the water, but what the Swedes do in the studio works and they know how to make a hit. So what happens when you put two Swedish producers and an Americana singer/songwriter with Pensacola Beach, Florida roots together in the same room? Grizfolk is born, a band from Los Angeles by way of Sweden. Grizfolk’s lyrics tell stories from the diary of a vagabond, while their music takes you on an electro-pop dance journey, leaving you wanting more. The five members of Grizfolk are Adam Roth, Fredrik Eriksson, Sebastian Fritze, Bill Delia, and Brendan Willing James, and though they may be from different parts of the world, Roth says their formation was a natural progression:

“We started it as a project. We weren’t really starting a band when we starting writing, but I met Fredrik (Eriksson) a few years ago; we were writing songs for other artists. Then we met Sebastian (Fritze). We wrote a song or two and realized that we could turn it into a band. Originally, my nickname was Griz Adams and [from that] we came up with Grizfolk, a name to encompass our fans and the whole folk things we’re doing. It’s a name that we just threw out there, but we wanted something that didn’t exist; it was [another] way to be creative.”

Their decision to become a band was only as recent as 2012, but they have been on a non-stop ride ever since the beginning. They have been on tour, most recently, promoting their EP From the Spark that was released last February. Roth explains:

“We’ve been on the road pretty heavily since it came out. We’ve been all over the world. We toured the US, then we went all over Europe with Bastille, and played all the major markets. It was our first time playing arenas. Now we’re out with Wild Cub, doing some headlining shows, [and traveling] all over the US again.”

Bastille had an amazing year with the astronomical success of their single, “Pompeii,” but while opening for them on their European tour, Grizfolk seems to have a wider audience in terms of the range of ages in the crowd.

“It’s interesting. When we’re out with Bastille, it’s definitely a younger audience. But as we traverse through the US, [throughout] the Midwest, I don’t really think that we have a specific demographic. [Everyone from] 40 to 50-year-olds, to college kids, and even 16-year-old girls [attend our shows].”

Grizfolk will also join Bastille’s North American tour this fall after they wrap up their tour with Wild Cub. This time around, it will be even more special for them. According to Roth:

“We’re definitely checking a few things off of our life bucket list [such as performing at] Radio City Music Hall, performing in Montreal playing for [around] 23,000 people, stuff that we’ve always dreamed of doing, and now we’re actually getting a chance to do it. It’s really an interesting time for us.”

While touring, Grizfolk doesn’t have much of a chance to record in the studio, but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t working on their upcoming album; they always write when the inspiration strikes.

“We write all the time. Sometimes it’s just an idea with a beat; sometimes it’s just an idea with a melody. But, it’s always different. We’ve been working on our record while working on the road since we’ve been gone for so long. We’re self-contained and produce a lot of the [songs] ourselves on our laptop in hotel rooms and in our van. When we’re back in LA, or wherever we find a studio, then we record the live instruments, drums, bass, vocals.”

While inspiration can happen anywhere, Roth says it can be difficult when you have so many different influences and options, but he loves it all the same.

“[The album will be from] a plethora of all of our influences. That’s been the hard part, just trying to make everything work cohesively. It’s definitely going to be all across the board. [Because of] our palette, we can do a lot of different things and go in a lot of different directions. It’s exciting. We’re not bound to an acoustic guitar and live drums. We can have a programmed beat, a synthesizer, and a distorted guitar. I think [our sound] is limitless.”