Drakkar Sauna
| Company type | Musical duo |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 2003 |
| Defunct | 2015 |
| Headquarters | Lawrence, Kansas , United States |
Key people | Jeff Stolz, Wallace Cochran |
| Products | Music albums and singles |
Drakkar Sauna was a musical pair originating from Lawrence, Kansas, active between 2003 and 2015, composed of Jeff Stolz and Wallace Cochran. Their sound combined influences from country, bluegrass, and folk genres.
History
The formation of Drakkar Sauna occurred when Stolz and Cochran collaborated on the soundtrack for Blood Feud, a B-movie directed by Cochran himself. Following this project, they continued their partnership and released their first album, Rover, in 2004, which reflected a range of inspirations such as Mandy Patankin and the musical Guys and Dolls. They followed up with albums like Drakkansasauna in 2005 and Jabraham Lincoln in 2006.
In 2008, they unveiled War and Tornadoes, an album that included nine covers of songs by the Louvin Brothers, who significantly influenced their vocal approach. Their 2009 release, 20009, drew on themes of space exploration, inspired by Cochran’s literary work The Moon For Its Citizens. The duo ceased activity in 2015 when Cochran moved to Maui, Hawaii; their last show took place on August 7 of that year. They briefly reunited in 2017 to produce the album Very Much Cologne.
Style
Drakkar Sauna’s distinctive style and lyrical themes attracted consistent attention from critics. Paste characterized their music as "...highly idiosyncratic and intricate," while Jason Harper noted their "playful oddity" in folk tunes about subjects like bears, spears, and lesser-known historical figures such as John Surratt. Nikki Miller-Rose described their sound as "a blend of country folk bluegrass with an old-timey feel," comparing them to "They Might Be Giants meets Alison Krauss". Joshua Klein from Pitchfork observed that they approach American folk, bluegrass, and country traditions from an outsider perspective, highlighting the eccentricities of Old Weird America with a subtly subversive tone.
Studio albums
- Rover (Marriage, 2004)
- Drakkansasauna (Marriage, 2005)
- Jabraham Lincoln (Marriage, 2006)
- Wars and Tornadoes (Marriage, 2008)
- 20009 (Marriage, 2009)
- Very Much Cologne (Bandcamp, 2017)