It's funny that you say that you want to be the backbone because you’re also the namesake of the band. How’d that happen?
DR— Well, we realized Torma was not a good band name and I've always liked the name Iceland. But then Frankie was like, “It’s Ben’s last name, why don't we just do Denmark?”
BD— I was kind of like the Tony Soprano of the group. All I do is eat prosciutto and have panic attacks.
DR— But Ben also brings the energy. I've always learned about energy and onstage presence from Ben, growing up and just seeing him.
BD— The funniest thing is that I learned that shit from you, bro!
FF— I didn’t know anything about performing until we started playing together. These guys really taught me everything, especially with guitar and being able to play on time. I thought I was pretty good at guitar before we started playing. I could technically play, but I wasn't able to play with other people. This is my first time playing with anyone else. If it wasn’t for you guys, I wouldn’t be able to do what I do.
Aw.
BD— Frankie, you sexy little devil.
BD— Another one of our biggest influences is Dan Stein. He taught David bass— for how long again?
DR— When I started playing bass, we started at our summer camp and then I started taking lessons with Dan. He's taught me not just literally how to play but how to think about music. He's also the guy who mixes and masters, he's also taken keys on a couple of songs, and he's played with us live a couple of times.
BD— He’s a really big part of what we're doing right now. So I just wanted to shout him out. Sexy guy. That's on the record. And he’s got a sweet mustache, real German style. Either way, my fingers are going up there—
In the mustache?
BD— I mean… [laughs] I'm not talking about German scat or anything. That's not what I was talking about. On the record!
FF— German scat?
DR— Oh, you mean when you're just scatting but it's in German, like jazz and that stuff.
What are you focusing on the most when you perform?
DR— Being tight. We always talk about being in the pocket. That's our pre-show chant— “we are the pocket.”
Explain the pocket.
FF— It’s being together. Not necessarily on time like a metronome, but in time with each other and—
DR— having the same feel, having the same type of like anticipations,
BD— having the same dynamics,
FF— having the same flow!
DR— There’s playing for yourself and then there’s playing for the music, and especially playing for the band. For example, if you’re the drummer in a band, but you want to show everyone that you’re the best drummer in the world, it’s not going to be good for the band at all. Being in the pocket, it’s not just timing. It’s also playing together and playing stuff that compliments the other stuff that's going on. It's a big problem when I see very technically skilled musicians only playing to show off how technically skilled they are. When I switched from learning how to be a good soloist to learning to play chords well and supporting people— that’s when I really learned how to play music.
In your shows, your songs take on an entirely different life every time. I think that's pretty incredible.
BD— Our goal is to have our live sound and our sound on the record be as similar as possible. We want the authenticity of our live performances to come through on the recording, but we want the quality of our recorded version to be reflected in our live performances. In your earbuds, we want to be the same quality musicians that we are live.
You want the energy of your performance to come through in the studio version, and you want the skill of the studio version to translate to your live performances.
DR— The performance of such is a big part of it— there's no better feeling.
FF— Ever since I was a little kid, long before I ever knew how to play guitar, I just would listen to music and imagine myself and my friends playing in front of everyone. It's the dream. Nothing makes me more excited and amped up than imagining that, especially because I never even thought that it could be our music. Just playing music that we wrote, in front of people that have either never met us before or love us and are our friends, it’s the best feeling. It’s just showcasing all the work that we do.
BD— Honestly, I just love playing music. Not even just for the massive crowds of all 40 people who come [laughs], but just for the feeling.
DR— Exactly. Plus, I don't even see the crowd when I’m up there! It’s just knowing that, if I don't give these people the best performance that I possibly can, I'm just going to feel depressed afterward.
FF— My vision goes red. I don't see anything. I don't hear anything. It’s just me and the music.
DR— And playing with people, there’s the energy we put out and the energy that comes back to us. It’s so emotional.