Loki’s Folly brings their raw, punk energy to the holiday classic Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, blending childhood nostalgia with rebellious spirit. We dive into their creative process, inspirations, and festive message.
1. What
inspired you to cover Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer in such a raw and punk
way?
Christmas and the holiday season has always been a big part of our childhood
and something we’ve always shared as siblings. We picked Rudolph specifically
because when Nissa was younger it was her favorite movie. She even had a
Rudolph themed birthday party! Even with her birthday being in April. It seemed
like a match made in heaven to combine our own raw sound with our holiday
favorites from our childhood.
2. How did the opportunity to be part of A Punk Rock Christmas come about,
and what does it mean to you to contribute to this compilation?
A Punk Rock Christmas is being put out by Hygh Tension Records which is owned
by Ryan Smith. We all started learning our instruments in lessons with Ryan and
he is a huge part of all of our lives as musicians so to be a part of this
compilation feels very special.
3. As a band of siblings, how do you balance family relationships with the
creative process?
Getting to be siblings in a band can actually be very fun! Since we all live
together we can practice or discuss anything anytime we want and we already
have our whole lives of friendship to keep us going.
4. Your music draws comparisons to Sleater-Kinney and incorporates influences like Swedish kulning. How did these unique inspirations shape your sound, especially in this holiday track?
We all like to listen to any kind of music and sound we can find and look for interest and inspiration anywhere and everywhere. Spreading that interest across three people can bring a lot of fun sounds together and we like to keep all of those ideas and influences in how we play and write. In this holiday track it can be heard in the obvious punk influences, trying to replicate the ramones in a holiday special. But when we were describing some of the other sounds and coming up with ideas we thought of trying to recreate the sound of a family singing different lines and verse or a german beer hall which we did by adding multiples of layers at the beginning of the song and in the fun additional lyrics in the verse in all styles and volumes.
5. Having been featured in First Avenue’s Best New Bands showcase and playing with acts like Shellac and Soul Asylum, how have these experiences impacted your growth as artists?
These experiences are ones that we all feel so lucky to have and really exposed not only to new people but also really showed us what is possible as musicians and how to perform in a professional setting. Without these experiences we wouldn’t be the musicians we are today and we are so grateful to have gotten the chance to learn and perform.
6. The holidays are often about tradition, while punk thrives on challenging norms. How do you reconcile these themes in your cover of Rudolph?
While maintaining tradition is a common theme of the holidays, the core of the story of Rudolph is a reindeer who is different and outcast from society finding his place and that no matter who you are you can succeed. This underdog story is a common one throughout the history of punk and is hopefully one we highlight by covering this song.
7. Soul Asylum’s Dave Pirner played guitar on your single Appease the Girl. What was it like collaborating with such a legendary figure, and did he influence your approach to Rudolph?
It was an absolute honor to get to work with Dave Pirner and we feel so lucky to have gotten the chance to work with him. Getting that opportunity definitely influenced us overall as artists and his approach to music and writing is one that we can definitely aspire to in our own performances and writing.
8. You recently toured nationally with Shellac. What was the most surprising or memorable moment from the tour, and how has it shaped your music?
I think some of the most memorable moments from the tour are the smaller everyday things, watching Steve Albini restring his guitar while we soundcheck, catching up and telling jokes with Todd Trainer in the green room, and seeing the pre-show meals Bob Weston would make for the band. Seeing people we’d admired and looked up to for so long be normal people with habits and rituals just like anyone else really made everything we wanted to do with our music and band feel that much more real and achievable.
9. What was your process for reimagining Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer? Did you have a clear vision from the start, or did it evolve as you worked on it?
We definitely had a clear vision from the moment we picked it, we knew we wanted to take it and make it sound as much like the Ramones as possible stylistically.
10. You’ve been celebrated by Minnesota’s music veterans. How has the Minneapolis music scene supported your journey, and what makes it unique?
The Minneapolis music scene has been so incredibly kind and welcoming to us and I think that is one of the hallmarks of music in Minneapolis. Since it’s a relatively small city with such a high concentration of musicians everybody knows everybody and it makes it such a supportive and plentiful scene.
11. With the compilation rolling out and a vinyl release planned for 2025, what can fans expect from Loki’s Folly in the coming year?
We have some new music in the works and a number of new singles almost finished up. We’re hoping to put out another album or ep in the very near future!
12. What’s your holiday message to your fans, and how do you hope your cover of Rudolph will be part of their celebrations this season?
This holiday season is coming in during a very stressful time for a lot of people on a global and personal scale. We hope that for the holidays everyone can find peace and respite for a little while and have some joy and fun with Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer!
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