Interview: Kristian Melom of Minor Kingdom

Minor Kingdom mastermind Kristian Melom’s taste is wider than yours. Sure, he specializes in introspective, barely-plucked folk songs, but he’s more than willing to enter the oft-forgotten aisles of the record store.

“Lately I have been listening to a lot of Gillian Welch, Harry Nilsson, Peter Wolf Crier, Erykah Badu, and Al Green to name a few…[I’ve] been toying with the idea of doing on electronica remix of sorts. If anyone wants to auto-tune one of my tunes hit me up!” His favorite Nick Drake album is Pink Moon, of course, and he was down with Uncle Tupelo way before Being There dropped, but he’s a product from a capacious number of influences, especially present on his distinguishing debut, My Back Will Bend.

Recorded over a period of two years, My Back Will Bend took form in some of the darkest corners of the world.

“One of my favorite moments happened in my friend’s parent’s bathroom,” Kristian says. “It was getting close to my deadline and I was feeling kind of rushed and bummed about the whole recording process. I decided to bring my gear and a little whiskey into their bathroom for a change of scenery (and sound). I ended up using that bathroom take for ‘Holy’ and I think the acoustics ended up being great for that song.” That being said, the record hardly feels cramped, but open, as if dug up from his native Midwestern roots.

Which brings us to Minneapolis, hardly known for being a musical bastion, but shadowy folk acts are continually excavated from the region.

“I feel like there is definitely a strong musical force that has been brewing for a few years now. I can’t say how we compare to other cities because this is really all I know, but bands here are finally starting to get recognized on a national level, which is great. Grain Belt’s [Records] motto is basically invest locally, work hard, and believe in the music around you, and the rest will fall into place. This scene is exactly where I want to be.” And if anything, Minor Kingdom has proven that any particular ‘scene’ shouldn’t be written off — especially in this well-connected world we call home.

“I am honored that anyone is paying attention,” Kristian remarks, “Music is so accessible now, but there will always be so many amazing artists that most people won’t ever know about. If anyone takes a second to stop by my MySpace page, or actually listen to a song — that’s enough for me.”

Verbicide Free Download: Click here to download “Perfect” by Minor Kingdom