Doomed Confessionary: Luka Kiseljak (The Freak Folk Of Mangrovia)
Photo by Sanja Prodan
The Freak Folk Of Mangrovia is a psychedelic/space rock collective from Rijeka / Pula, Croatia.
The band just released »Dancing In The Dunes«, the second single from their upcoming album »Tales From Beyond The Firmament«, and a follow-up to the previous single »Astral Nomads«. »Tales From Beyond The Firmament« is set for release on June 28th, 2024 via No Profit Recordings.
The Freak Folk Of Mangrovia are Lena Crnković (drums), Dina Ivas (bass), Ivo Juričić (guitar) and Luka Kiseljak (guitar, synthesizer).
Can you say a few words about your band?
Four weirdos making music they want to listen to.
What was the biggest challenge for the band?
Since two of us are from Rijeka, and two of us from Pula the biggest challenge is probably getting together and practicing, but I think we’ve been quite successful at organizing ourselves so far.
What can you be most proud of so far?
We’re quite proud of how our new album turned out.
What was your biggest regret?
I don’t think I have any as far as music goes.
What was the best concert/tour so far and why?
Even though The Freak Folk Of Mangrovia has been active since 2016 and had many line up changes we haven’t had that many concerts, so each one was very special and dear to me.
What was the biggest surprise on the music scene for you?
I’m not sure about this one. I find bands that surprise me with the quality of their music almost on a regular basis, so I’m not sure if that’s a surprise anymore. 🙂
What is currently in your heavy musical rotation?
There are a few albums that I’ve been completely hooked on for some time now: Sergeant Thunderhoof – This Sceptred Veil, Ritual King – The Infinite Mirror, Mr. Bison – Echoes From The Universe, Dozer – Drifting in the Endless Void, Slift – Ilion.
What was the best advice you’ve ever been given as a musician?
My friends Mihael and Marko with whom I’ve played in a prog rock band Balathon gave me a lot of great advice and taught me a lot of things and I’ll forever be grateful to them for that.
What are your guilty pleasures?
I don’t like feeling guilty about my pleasures, but I guess there’s some music I like that some might consider cringy. For example I love Journey (especially the early pre-Steve Perry era, but also some later stuff) and Toto, as well as a bunch of 80s pop/pop rock and disco. A lot of people consider Dave Matthews Band to be the ultimate cringe, but I just love Carter Beauford’s drumming.
Can you say something more about the music scene in Rijeka / Pula?
Rijeka has had that weird “City of Rock” status since the eighties. I don’t really know what to think about that, part of me thinks it’s old glory and part of me sees that there really are a lot of quality bands here that don’t often get the recognition they deserve. It seems to me that our whole scene fluctuates too much and that there are periods when nothing is happening and periods where everything is bursting with activity. I hope that now, with the reopening of the iconic club Palach, we’re on the verge of a new era of alternative music in Rijeka. As for Pula, I think that the scene there is more consistent and a little more creative, but also not sufficiently recognized in the rest of Croatia.
Where can we see you live this year (concerts/tours)?
We have plans, but no set dates currently.
What are your plans for the future as a band?
Have fun, play live, record new music. In that order.
How can people best support your band?
Come see us live, buy our shit, follow us on social media, streaming services and Bandcamp.
Do you have any message for your listeners?
We hope you’ll like our new album. Stay tuned for concert announcements and come party with us!
Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well