this week’s opener (9/27) is:

Friko

🔮the vibe…

indie rock duo with a sprinkle of punk and elements of houndmouth

🏡the roots…

Chicago, Illinois📍

📖 the story…

• Alright - I just saw Royel Otis in concert last night (one of our first ‘openers’ of the newsletter…they were rad) and Friko was the opener.

  • They killed. They are very new. But I had to show them some love here.

• Friko began when Niko Kapetan and Luke Stamos met in kindergarten; they later teamed up with Bailey Minzenberger in high school.

• In 2019, the trio officially formed Friko, blending their love of classical music and indie rock, they began playing local Chicago shows.

• They quickly made a name for themselves at venues like the Empty Bottle and Schubas Tavern, drawing a loyal fanbase.

  • Friko self-released their debut EP, Whenever Forever, in 2022 💿

• The album gained popularity and led them to be invited to their festival debut at Bonnaroo in 2023 - a big moment! 🎡

• Momentum caught the attention of ATO Records, leading to them signing their first major label deal

• Then came their first official full album - released early this year

  • The band worked on Where we’ve been, Where we go from here, recording live with friends at Trigger Chicago.

• “Crimson To Chrome” became a standout track, reaching No. 1 on SiriusXMU 🏆

• The band now publicly only lists Niko and Bailey as being members (not sure what happened to Luke) - but they had 4 of them onstage last night and they crushed it.

  • Here is a lil video I took

• Keep your eyes peeled for Friko. They are very early on right now (no songs over 1m listeners) - but they have a sound that WILL catch on

🎙️ the 🔝 performance…

friko (audiotree live) ⬇️

🎧 the 🔝 songs…

crimson to chrome - spotify / apple music

where we’ve been - spotify / apple music

📇 the rest…

• they are currently opening for Royel Otis on their US tour

• IG

📩the word…

spread it - and forward this to that one friend of yours…

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