Karina Rykman is a name that is often brought up in conversations discussing everything from “who is next ” to “who is doing it best” with good reason. Growing up in New York City and never adhering to a single band or bending the knee to one musical subculture, Karina breaks down genre barriers naturally. Charismatic and upbeat, Karina’s live music experience provides a sense of togetherness during a time of intense isolation and separation. Karina Rykman’s music defies perceptions by providing a big sound with few bodies on the stage.
Karina is currently hitting the road with her power trio featuring Adam November (Guitar/Looper/Effects) and Chris Corsico (Drums). Destinations will be throughout the Northeast and begin in Upstate New York. She’ll be performing at The Upstairs in Ithaca on November 30th and at Albany’s Lark Hall on December 1st. Karina’s live show provides nourishment for the brain with technical hypnotism while simultaneously allowing stress relief with an attitude heavily weighing on the side of fun.
Opening the night in Albany for Karina Rykman is Burlington, VT-based Quiltro, who bring a psychedelic sound reminiscent of Circles Around the Sun. Their 2020 debut record has been described as the soundtrack for a dystopian sci-fi film that has yet to be released. Featuring Mark Taylor (guitar/keys), JD Hoffmann (drums) and Mike McKinley (bass), their Lark Hall performance marks the first hometown show for the Albany-native McKinley. Get a taste of what’s in store with their performance of “Antilla,” filmed at Autochrome, a community studio space in the south end of Burlington.
Karina took time to chat with Em Walis about her upcoming tour, creative process, oysters and the metaverse. This conversation took place the week after filling in on Seth Meyers for the second time and before playing a few shows with Marco Benevento. Karina gave insight on how growing up in New York with parents in academia led to a mindset framework for discovery and integration.
Em Walis: Where are you right now?
Karina Rykman: I’m home actually. Unbelievably, I’m home. I will play with Marco tomorrow. It’s nice – a little hometown vibe then off to Connecticut followed by Massachusetts and then home on Sunday. Then Thanksgiving week, and then on to the next. We’re going to enjoy this time. It’s pretty crazy. Last week specifically I thought “oh my god, I have a weekend at home to dial everything in”. I’m really trying to prepare in a big way.
EW: And some recovering I’m sure.
KR: Oh, definitely and in a super big way because my October was so slammed and just, just crazy. I spent two weeks on the road with Marco on the West Coast. And the first weekend of the month my band did a festival in Virginia, and a festival in Pennsylvania. It felt as though I was just on the road the entire time; flying, driving, planes, trains, automobiles. November was going to be chill, rehearsing with my band, and just one weekend with Marco, and then I get a call from my buddy Eric, who’s the producer on Late Night with Seth Meyers asking “Hey, are you around this week?” “Oh snap. Yes, I AM around!”
EW: Stars aligning is awesome.
KR: Crazy, crazy. And then I did last week and it was amazing. It was on guitar. The last time I publicly played guitar was last December at the Capitol Theater. I played two tunes on guitar for this Headcount benefit. It was with Larry Campbell and so many incredible players. In the past I played guitar on the Today Show, backing up Julia Michaels in 2017. So anyway, all I’m trying to say is there have been very few and far between guitar gigs. I got that call late Monday night, and they asked for me to come in on Wednesday and Thursday. That Tuesday was Election Day, so I was voting and then practicing, just trying to become a confident guitar player again. I just want to do such a good job and I don’t want to let anyone down, almost to a fault. I over prepare and over prepare.
EW: This can be good. Even if it’s just a visualization or something. I would be curious how you manage all of the hats that you wear? In switching head spaces from Marco mode to solo mode to, you know, selling guitars on the side. Haha
KR: Great question. It definitely requires patience with yourself, as well as actively recognizing that you’re switching gears and shifting hats. When I work with Marco it’s really fun for me because I am a hired gun who’s not in charge of anything.
EW: And he’s really fun.
KR: Oh, he’s the most incredibly fun loving, hysterical, wonderful band leader and mad scientist. He’s just incredible. So all of that combined, results in not a lot of stress for me in the same way that my solo band is. The solo stuff is more pressure on me because it’s my band, it’s my name, I book the hotel rooms and rent the van and figure out all the logistics, and everything. It’s my music. So you’re kind of putting yourself out there in a big way
EW: On all sides of music, from every angle, it seems we all have this similar internal story going on or a question of how safe is this space for me? Just emotionally and with that, you know, there are different levels. Sometimes it’s totally chill and at other times, as you said, which I think is great. Just a little more active noticing where am I? What’s the actual thing that’s at stake here? Why is everybody here? Sometimes you’re in situations where you feel a little more pressure or more scrutinized. Depending on the venue or if it’s a festival with strangers.
KR: Especially this TV gig, you know? Those nerves never quite go away. Working on a new thing, or taking a new gig, or launching into some sort of uncharted territory, I’m often thinking “I’m so nervous, why do I keep putting myself in these situations?” But honestly, those are the moments where you know you’re doing something cool as shit, because you feel that way. There’s something worth suffering over. And then you overcome it. You’re like, wow, learn from that.
EW: Absolutely. I’ve been curious about what brain scans of musicians might look as compared to extreme sports dudes. We are acclimated to these huge buckets of epinephrine and dopamine being poured all over us. It seems as though in those down moments, when we can remember that one time that you were home. We look at our laundry. It’s not all the excitement, tea cups are worth of satisfaction from that. I don’t know if that’s worth it.
KR: It’s so funny. I find that especially in the last few years, having adjusted to no gigs for a minute there. Now, with them coming back, you’re in a constant state of readjustment – you’re either adjusting to tour life or adjusting to home life. And honestly, if you do it as much as I do it, you don’t have the time to be fully adjusted to either, but as soon as you do, you have to go home and then you are a total circus freak at home for a minute with this misplaced adrenaline that hits you at midnight when you’re supposed to go to sleep and you’re thinking, ‘Wait, where’s my show? Where’s the show? Where are the people? Where are my friends?’
EW: I was curious about your creative process and how you manage or if you have any recommendations for those that are newer in this back and forth. Do you have anything that helps you get into it?
KR: That’s a great question. I’m very lucky to have such a great producer and writing partner whose name is Gabe Monro, whom I’ve written almost all my tunes with. I can’t speak too much on this, but I have a whole record that’s going to see the light of day next year. I’m so much more of a social creator, if that makes sense. I don’t go into my bedroom and come out 12 hours later with the greatest song – I find that when I work with Gabe or I work with my band, we make the creative process sort of a communal thing and that elicits better results. For lyrics though, I do need to be alone. Gabe and I have this process where we basically write what we refer to as ‘seedlings’, which can be just an A section and a B section or whatever it might be, but it’s just a vibe. I bring that home with me and if I always know that, if we work in the studio all day and then I come home with a seedling that I’m so geeked on, it’s two in the morning and I HAVE to listen to it, you know that it’s worth developing and worth sticking to. But sometimes you have seedlings and then you listen back the next day, and you’re not inspired at all. So it goes.
EW: We’re not seeing roots. We’re not seeing a little leaf pop out on that paper towel.
KR: Totally. It’s amazing to have folders and folders of seedlings that maybe in a year or two I can go back through them and be like, ‘Oh my god, there was something here! This is an inspiring moment.”
EW: What’s your view on the balance between a purist straight plugged in sound versus effects driven sound?
KR: I am a big fan of both things in moderation. With my band specifically, I really love the fact that with Adam November on guitar, he’s so much more than just a classically ripping guitar player. He is a complete mad scientist over there with multiple loopers and effects and crazy stuff going on. I don’t even know what to call it or what it is, but I think that’s very specific to us. That is a big part of the sound.It’s obviously a trio, but we are larger than the sum of our parts. I don’t want you to come to my show and think that you’re seeing a measly three piece – you’re seeing a power trio. You’re coming to see a full, lush sonic experience.
EW: I was wondering if you ever, in perhaps middle school years, had any particular musical identity commitments?
KR: You know, from the jump I had very diverse tastes, I had my metal friends, my jam friends, and beyond. I was a sponge. I never pledged allegiance to one style or genre. I would see Slayer on Saturday and Phish on Sunday.
EW: I think sometimes it gets forgotten is that you can you can belong in multiple spaces and be welcomed into multiple spaces and your status or validity does not come from your commitment to one particular scene or your amount of shows on your spreadsheet or you know, which you know which special event with that special seat and you happen to be present for that. There’s so much more.
KR: I never pledged allegiance to one style or genre. I would be at Slayer on Saturday and Phish on Sunday.
EW: What was music the relationship with music in your house growing up?
KR: Well, my parents are both academics.They both teach at Columbia University. They are so supportive. They’re so thrilled, and can recite to you every lyric of every song I’ve ever written. They’re at every show that they possibly can be at, but there was very little music exposure in my house growing up. My dad would listen to Goldberg Variations (Bach) on CD while he was writing, but they didn’t show me the Beatles, The Stones or Led Zeppelin, or any normal stuff, and I’m super grateful honestly. I was able to form these absolutely insane bonds with the music I enjoy, and it was such a desire of my own and not a desire of somebody else’s. Those were all my own discoveries. I really appreciate them for that.
EW: Beautiful. Correct me if I’m wrong, but it seems your parents provided a framework to pursue a curiosity and manifest a passion. Maybe there wasn’t literally music in the house, but there were many curiosities being pursued.
KR: In a big way. My dad writes books and gives lectures, he’s a philosopher, and for me growing up, I saw this guy wake up every day, sit on his yellow chair and write and write. And then he goes for a walk, and then he comes back from a walk and, you know, in his super jovial, hilarious manner, has all these thoughts that came to him on his walk, and he runs back to his yellow chair and writes them all down before he forgets them. And seeing his complete dedication and commitment and joy for what it is that he’s interested in, gave me the utmost permission to do the same, and it allowed me to explore the stuff that did it for me in that exact same way.
EW: Thank you again for taking the time. My last question is from Dogs In A Pile. They would like to know what your favorite gas station snack is while on tour?
KR: Chex Mix Bold Party Blend. Thank you!
Karina Rykman Late Fall 2022 Tour Dates
NOV 30 The Upstairs Ithaca, NY TICKETS
DEC 1 Lark Hall Albany, NY TICKETS
DEC 2 Soundcheck Studios Pembroke, MA TICKETS
DEC 3 Nectars Burlington, VT TICKETS
DEC 7 The Press Room Portsmouth, NH TICKETS
DEC 8 Sun Tiki Studios Portland, ME TICKETS
DEC 9 Park City Music Hall Bridgeport, CT TICKETS
DEC 10 Pearl Street Warehouse Washington, DC TICKETS
