After rising through the ranks of the DIY Chicago music scene, one of indie rock’s most exciting new acts, Friko, are preparing the release of their debut album, Where We’ve Been, Where We Go From Here.
Made up of vocalist/guitarist Niko Kapetan and drummer Bailey Minzenberger, Friko’s debut album features whip-smart, frenetic ballads about getting older and growing up. “One of the main things we want to do as a band is talk about what’s happening right now and everything we’re feeling, with an honesty and directness that gets through to people,” Kapetan said in a statement. “I hope that our music helps everyone feel more deeply, but in a way that goes beyond just reacting to the songs.”
Head of the release of their album, which is out February on ATO Records, Kapetan and Minzenberger sit down with Uproxx to talk Modest Mouse, Thai food, and Lord of the Rings in our latest Q&A.
What are four words you would use to describe your music?
Kapetan: Visceral, Cathartic, Dynamic, Fun.
It’s 2050 and the world hasn’t ended and people are still listening to your music. How would you like it to be remembered?
Kapetan: We put all of ourselves into it and it makes people feel youthful and whole in some way.
Minzenberger: I hope it is remembered as being lively and emotional. We try to put our all into every show; I hope that it can be remembered as a space where people can let things go, even momentarily.
Who’s the person who has most inspired your work, and why?
Kapetan: From the beginning probably my dad. He’s the one who introduced me to a lot of music that is still my favorite music and showed me how to play guitar when I was 7 or 8. He was also the only one who heard all the music I was writing in middle and high school ‘cause I wouldn’t share it anywhere else.
Minzenberger: I would also say my dad. Him playing guitar around the house when I was growing up inspired me to start playing myself, and he really kick-started my passion for music (as well as my sister). I have learned so much from both of them.
Where did you eat the best meal of your life and what was it?
Kapetan: Thai Lagoon, it’s our go to Thai place right by us in Humbolt Park and it’s the best Thai food I’ve ever had. We have it like once or twice a week lol.
Minzenberger: A few months ago some friends of mine threw a lovely dinner party in their backyard. They had a beautiful table setup with name cards, flowers, and a full dinner and drink menu. One of the courses was a butternut squash pasta that blew me away. Both the dinner and the company were a dream.
Tell us about the best concert you’ve ever attended.
Kapetan: The Microphones at Thalia Hall was so incredible, they only played Microphones in 2020 and the bass was so impactful, it was the most I’ve cried at a show ever.
What song never fails to make you emotional?
Kapetan: “Bankrupt On Selling” by Modest Mouse.
Minzenberger: “Reason To Believe” by Karen Dalton.
What’s the last thing you Googled?
Kapetan: The “Supreme” Brick.
Minzenberger: “Fritz Glarner”
Where’s the weirdest place you’ve ever crashed while on tour?
Kapetan: There was this hotel that ended up being inside a church and the church was in this boarding school town and we had no idea how we’d got there. This was by Carleton College in Minnesota.
Minzenberger: I stayed in a tiny cabin on a campground that took about an hour or so to find this past summer. We got to the property at midnight and drove around in loops looking for it; it ended up being perched on top of a really thin, steep, gravel-covered hill. We weren’t given the cabin number when we rented it, so we had to look around in the dark with no service. The journey to finding it was the weird part! Definitely an adventure.
What’s your favorite city in the world to perform and what’s the city you hope to perform in for the first time?
Kapetan: Other than Chicago, Urbana-Champaign house shows are always so fun, also New York. I really hope to play Berlin, Germany, or Hamamatsu, Japan.
Minzenberger: Chicago is definitely my favorite, but New York has always been a blast. Chaotic, but a lot of fun.
What’s one piece of advice you’d go back in time to give to your 18-year-old self?
Kapetan: Don’t go to college for one year and dropout, just do the music thing when you graduate high school, it’s just gonna put you in debt and nothing else haha.
Minzenberger: Remember the importance of sleep and real rest!
What’s one of your hidden talents?
Kapetan: I can do 500 juggles with a soccer ball on a good day.
Minzenberger: I can make a water-drop sound by flicking my cheek.
If you had a million dollars to donate to charity, what cause would you support and why?
Kapetan: Right now Doctors Without Borders to help the people and especially children of Gaza.
What are your thoughts about AI and the future of music?
Kapetan: I can only hope its impact will be as minimal as possible. There will be a place for AI as there is with any type of technology, but hopefully not in music.
Minzenberger: I agree with Niko here, as well. AI can be a useful tool depending on the context, but the thought of it being used to create music is worrisome to me.
You are throwing a music festival. Give us the dream lineup of 5 artists that will perform with you and the location it would be held.
Kapetan: Yuck, Sufjan Stevens, The Replacements, Frank Ocean, David Byrne, Held in Vancouver BC Canada
Minzenberger: Westerman, Cocteau Twins, Alex G, The Sundays, Kate Bush, Somewhere near the Smoky Mountains.
Who’s your favorite person to follow on social media?
Minzenberger: My sister! She is a really talented ceramic artist, and runs a studio in Chicago (The Digs). I love keeping up with her work! @zoe.minz.ceramics.
What’s the story behind your first or favorite tattoo?
Kapetan: I’m reallyyy looking to get more the next couple years but as of right now I’ve only got two, and my first one is “xo” which I got in honor of the Elliot Smith album with the same name.
Minzenberger: I have a Clary Sage flower tattooed on my side. I was on a long trip with a good friend of mine a few years ago, and while we were stopped in Portland I impulsively decided it was time to get that tattoo done (I had been thinking about it for a while). The artist that I wanted to get it from was booked out for months, but ended up having a cancellation a few days before we left town. It felt serendipitous, and I love it!
What is your pre-show ritual?
Kapetan: We huddle and do 3-5 deep breaths and hype each other up as much as possible. Also tequila sours right now.
Minzenberger: Yes, the huddle and breaths! It helps a lot to calm down and connect with one another.
Who was your first celebrity crush?
Kapetan: Emma Stone.
Minzenberger: Aragorn from Lord of the Rings.
You have a month off and the resources to take a dream vacation. Where are you going and who is coming with you?
Kapetan: I would take all my bestest friends to Greece (Because I am Greek and have never been).
Minzenberger: I would love to spend time in the Smoky mountains with close friends and my sister! Staying in a cabin and hiking/swimming/camping sounds perfect.
What is your biggest fear?
Kapetan: Falling into a pit of snakes.
Minzenberger: Probably the ocean. It’s beautiful and I have a lot of reverence for it, but it definitely scares me.
Where We’ve Been, Where We Go From Here is out 2/16 via ATO Records. Find more information here.