Staying present amidst the whirlwind: Friko reflects on breakout year and Lollapalooza
It's been a banner year for the up-and-coming indie rock band Friko. Fresh off acclaimed performances at Japan's Fuji Rock Festival and two sets at Lollapalooza, the group is still processing the intensity of the past year. From the release of their debut album "Where We've Been, Where We Go From Here" to playing some of the world's biggest stages, Friko's meteoric rise shows no signs of slowing down. We caught up with the band members Bailey Minzenberger (drums), Niko Kapetan (vocals, guitar), Korgan Robb (guitar) and, David Fuller (bass) after their back-to-back Lollapalooza sets to get their thoughts on this incredible journey so far.
So as I’m speaking to you right now, this is immediately post-performance of Fuji Rock in Japan, and there's also such a rush of Lollapalooza. How are you guys feeling? What were your highlights of being in Japan?
Bailey Minzenberger: There have been so many wonderful experiences packed next to each other that, the emotions started to catch up to me, just yesterday. And so I've been kind of, you know, processing everything, and it's all been very positive, it's kind of started to hit me. One of my favorite moments in Japan was when Korgan and I went and got food together, just the two of us. It was a restaurant on this tiny little street where you walk down and there are restaurants on every side, and each restaurant can fit like, six or seven people, and so we sat at this little bar and had this delicious food on skewers. We were talking to the chef directly, and I took this really cute polaroid of Korgan smiling really big at the restaurant and the chef in the background with a peace sign up. That was a really special experience. The food was really good, too.
David Fuller: It's been very intense ups and downs. Well, not too many downs. Traveling from Japan was really tough with the time change. So the jet lag is there, but we’re recovering. But traveling to Japan has always been a bucket list item for me, and I was able to take my dad with me. It was beautiful, just getting to see the world through his eyes for the first time in a very different way. It was a really great moment as a son.
Lollapalooza is a massive deal for any band to play, but especially for you all as Chicago-natives. What do you remember about your first show in Chicago? How would you compare it to now?
Niko Kapetan: I mean, there's like no comparison. I feel like it's just really fun now to play shows where people know the songs, and that's amazing because, honestly, in the end, if people know songs the songs at the shows, it makes it fun for us.
With everything going on, it feels like it’s a million degrees, this is one of your biggest performances yet, among so many other things happening: how are you managing to stay present on days like today?
David Fuller: I'd almost argue it's easier to stay present in the moment. I would put it like this: say you're running and your foot starts to hurt really bad, but you have a finish line; you've got to hit it, right? So you're thinking, ‘Alright, I gotta lock in, and I have to ignore everything else’. I feel like it makes you physically tap into that animal inside you.
What is something you wish you could tell yourself a year ago now that you’re playing on some of the world's biggest stages?
Niko Kapetan: I would say that I could take some things a little bit lighter. But as we keep doing stuff, like, and as you just go through life—I mean, we haven't seen that much life compared to other people, but it's hard to have any regrets. So, if I told myself that, maybe we wouldn't be here. We did everything we had to. We locked in.
Bailey Minzenberger: Always make sure to care for your body and your mind. And, as a collective, we all take that very seriously. But it can be difficult when things move so quickly, and you have so many places to be and so many things to do. But also take some alone time. Make sure to eat well and sleep as much as you can, when you can. Just care for yourself, and it in turn allows you to care for other people better, you know?
David Fuller: I would say for me that something that I've talked about extensively in therapy is when I first started playing in Friko, because my first show was Bonaroo, Korgan's first show was Fuji Rock, with him playing guitar the entire time. That’s huge. So I think that, for me, it took a really long time to only worry about things I had control over. I was worried about everything, every little detail. But every little detail, you can't control. So I think that the things that you can control to just make sure that those are taken care of the best that you can. And then, outside of that, you have to take it as it comes. And I wish I could have told myself that a year ago.
Korgan Robb: I feel like letting go a little bit. I feel like I just wanted to do something so bad that I would almost not move. But I just needed to focus on being the best I could be because that's what leads you to where you need to be.
