Steed Lord
| Steed Lord | |
|---|---|
 From the left, Demo, Mega and Kali. | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Reykjavík, Iceland |
| Genres | Electronic House |
| Years active | 2006 - Present |
| Labels | Self-distributed |
| Associated acts | Crookers, Peaches, Chromeo, Jack Beats, DJ Mehdi. |
| Website | www.SteedLord.com |
| Members |
Mega Demo Kali |
Steed Lord is an Icelandic musical group known for energetic live performances. The group is made up of three members, Svala (currently known as Kali), Mega and Demo.
Music career
Inception
Before the group was formed, singer/songwriter Svala Björgvinsdóttir had become a household name in the Icelandic music scene, especially after releasing her 2001 album The Real Me. A year after she had stopped performing, she was given a house beat as a birthday present from friend, Eðvarð Egilsson and the beat evolved into the band's first song; "You". Svala took on the stage name Kali while Eðvarð took on the name Demo. Also joining the band was Eðvarð's brother who took up the name Mega. The band would then write and record their second song Dirty Mutha, a week after releasing You.
Touring
Steed Lord started performing all over Europe and North America. Starting in 2006, they played a few shows in their native Reykjavík, and within months they were being booked to perform all over the world. They have played in Portugal, France, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. During their tour of North America, they performed in concerts with artists such as Chromeo, Girl Talk, Vampire Weekend, Klever, and Does It Offend You, Yeah? in cities such as Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Las Vegas, Austin, Dallas, Atlanta, Toronto, and Chicago. In the fall of 2009, Steed Lord was asked to open for Peaches for a run of dates in Southern California which included shows at The Glass House in Pomona, Canes in San Diego, and The Wiltern in Los Angeles. Additionally, they have performed at festivals all over the world including Winter Music Conference in Miami, Electronic Betas Festival in Austria and South By Southwest in Austin, Texas.
2008 Car Accident
On April 9, 2008, Steed Lord was involved in a near-fatal car accident en route to Keflavik International Airport, whence they were about to depart for a tour of Norway and Sweden. Their car collided head-on with another car coming from the opposite direction on a narrow and icy road. Kali, Mega, Demo, their brother, and father were all taken to the hospital and placed in the intensive care unit. Mega suffered life-threatening internal injuries and had to undergo multiple surgeries to recover; Kali had internal bleeding, broken ribs, and minor back injuries. Demo had to undergo surgery for internal bleeding. By the end of July 2008, still not entirely recovered from the accident, the band set out on their first proper tour of the United States and Canada.
Current Status
In 2009, the band moved its headquarters from Iceland to Los Angeles. They currently reside in Silverlake, Los Angeles.
Clothing Line
In 2007, Steed Lord was commissioned by Sweden-based retail giant H&M to design a line for their Divided (label) label. The Steed Lord / H&M designs were available in more than 50 countries worldwide. Additionally, Steed Lord is part of WeSC's “We Activist” program, and is featured in the print and video campaigns for the Swedish streetwear brand.
Discography
- Albums
- 2008: Truth Serum
- 2010: Heart II Heart
- 2012: The Prophecy pt. 1
- Remixes
- 2009: The Truth Serum Remix Project
- Mixtapes
- 2008: Beats & Blues: Live From The Big Apple
- 2008: Mixmag's Ed Banger Menage-A-Trois
- EPs
- 2012: Precognition EP
- Singles
- 2013: "Viva La Brea"
- 2014: "Curtain Call"
Criticism
The band's first album, Truth Serum was reviewed in the Icelandic paper, Grapevine, which gave the album a poor review, saying; "The vocal effects and movie samples can’t quite disguise the fact that Steed Lord’s bark is a lot harder than their bite, and their desire to be stylish and relevant a lot more powerful their drive than to write a good song, which is kind of a shame; their song writing, in the moments it does poke through, is pretty good. The fact that they still manage to be more interesting than the other bands of their scene just says more about how useless their scene is." Slugs frontman Eldon also criticized the song Dirty Mutha as a ripoff of their track MTHRFCKR.[1]