Date Signed: May 2022
Label: Kitten Robot Records
Band Members: Annie Kuchenmeister, guitar, vocals; Oskar Kuchenmeister, bass, vocals; Nissa Kuchenmeister, drums, vocals
Type of Music: Punk/Grunge
Management: Self-managed
Booking: Ryan Smith - [email protected]
Publicity: Chris Treacy - Reybee, [email protected]
Web: lokisfolly.com
A&R: Bruce Duff
Minneapolis sibling punk trio Loki’s Folly forged its path to a deal with Los Angeles label Kitten Robot Records by playing live and, crucially, appearing on Performance Anxiety, a popular podcast. The members were also connected with Soul Asylum frontman Ryan Smith, who produced Sisu, the band’s debut. After opening for Steve Albini’s Shellac, Loki’s Folly was invited to tour with Smith’s Grammy-winning collective.
Podcasts can often have a long and enduring reach, which is likely why Smith pitched Loki’s Folly to Marc Shea’s Performance Anxiety. A short time later, the band was invited to appear on the show. “Our friend, music teacher and mentor Ryan Smith had been on it with one of his bands about a year ago and he told us how great it was,” guitarist Annie Kuchenmeister recalls. “He sent our then-unreleased record to see if they’d want to have us on.
“When we did the podcast last year, Marc [Shea] was super supportive of us and said that ‘Any way that I can push your band, I will,’” Kuchenmeister continues. “A few months later he emailed us and said that he’d had Bruce Duff, part owner of Kitten Robot, on and told him about us. Not long after that, Bruce reached out to set up a meeting.”
"I appeared on Performance Anxiety and after we finished recording, Marc asked me about Kitten Robot and told me that he’d interviewed Loki’s Folly,” Duff adds. “He gave me a bit of their backstory, I looked them up and thought that the band was a great fit for the label.”
True to the punk ethos, Sisu was released in multiple formats including lemon-yellow vinyl. “We’re all fans of vinyl and love to go record shopping,” Kuchenmeister explains. “Getting to listen to something physical is special."
"It’s also underestimated how you can find community by going record shopping.”
Sisu dropped in February with a guest performance by Soul Asylum guitarist Dave Pirner. The band aims to tour later this year. Given the youth of two of the members―Oskar is only 12 band’s parents will accompany the three. – Rob Putnam
