By Stephanie Eisemann, news staff
Bastille’s North American tour reached the Agganis Arena at Boston University on Columbus Day, featuring emerging electric rock group Grizfolk as their opening act.
While the venue was large and there were still empty seats, the anticipation of the crowd during Grizfolk’s performance, and the enthusiasm during Bastille’s, filled the arena.
The event used impressive lighting and film effects that enticed the audience into the show, and the personable performances had the crowd jumping and dancing. During slower ballads such as Bastille’s “Overjoyed,” music lovers lit their phone apps for a uniting event.
The event pulled a surprising range of attendees. While the majority of concert-goers represented the college-aged demographic so prevalent in Boston, children and white-haired enthusiasts were just as present and active in the experience, which made for a moving group to appreciate the music.
Fredrik Ericksson, guitarist and vocalist in the five-man band Grizfolk, explained how he and fellow band-mates ended up on tour with Bastille.
“We share the same label as [Bastille], Virgin Records, so that’s how we all met,” Ericksson said. “We did a few dates with them in January in the states, then they had us out to open for them on their European tour this spring, also. All of this led up to us going out on tour with them this fall.”
Rounding out Grizfolk are Billy Delia, drummer and vocalist; Brendan James, bassist and vocalist; and Sebastian Fritze, keyboardist and vocalist.
“We’ve been a band for about two years and we all met in Los Angeles,” Delia, a Berklee alumna, said. “The band started as a writing project between Adam, Fredrick and Sebastian, and the full lineup evolved from there to include Brendan and [myself].”
Ericksson and Fritze were previously producers in Sweden and met Roth when they moved to California. Grizfolk will continue touring with Bastille until Oct. 24. After a fair showing for the opener and an enthusiastic crowd for Bastille, Grizfolk joined the headliner for their encore performance of the hit single “Pompeii” in the energetic closing of the concert.
“[Grizfolk is] heavily influenced by electronic music, and also folk music, but at the root of it all, we are an alternative rock band,” Delia said.
The group draws influence from artists like Justin Vernon, Bon Iver, Shouting Matches and Aerosmith to create “a distinctive sound that forges sharp, raw vocals with edgy electronic textures and heavy guitar and drums,” according to their media bio.
Earlier this year, Grizfolk released an EP entitled “From the Spark” and has received acclaim for the single “Hymnals” featured in the collection.
Despite the popularity of the song, Roth mentions another as the standout track from the EP.
“‘Vagabonds’ is one of our favorites,” Roth said. “We wrote it with a vision of performing it in big venues, and hearing the fans sing along on the Bastille tour is definitely a dream come true. “
Ericksson concurred that touring with Bastille has been a profound experience.
“It’s been amazing [with] loud and passionate crowds. Playing at Radio City Music Hall was a dream come true for all of us,” Ericksson said.
However, their success comes at a price. Roth described balancing life on the road as challenging.
“Some of us have girlfriends back home in LA,” he said. “A lot of phone calls and Skyping is key. We have family and friends come out to some of our shows, which is always fun.”
While the rising band is still far from bringing down the house, if the few hardcore fans scattered across the venue are any indication, Grizfolk is beginning to build a dedicated fan base, giving members the opportunity to devote more time to the music.
“We all have had side jobs, everything from bussing tables to working on fishing boats. Grizfolk is our full time job now,” Roth said.
Those who have caught onto their sound will be excited that the band has no intention of slowing down.
“We are finishing up our full length album right now. We are very excited to share it with y’all soon,” Roth said.
Perhaps the most intriguing part of Grizfolk is how its members are driven by their own passion.
“Honestly, we don’t know [why we enjoy playing],” Delia said. “It’s something rooted deeply inside of us that we can’t understand, but we just know that we can’t do anything else and that we love music truly and deeply.”
Photo by Stephanie Eisemann
