What's in Your Fridge: Rykka

What’s in Your Fridge is where the Straight asks interesting Vancouverites about their life-changing concerts, favourite albums, and, most importantly, what’s sitting beside the Heinz Ketchup in their custom-made Big Chill Retropolitan 20.6 cubic-foot refrigerators.

On the grill

Rykka

Who are you

A self-described “fierce, electro-alternative pop-rock powerhouse”, Rykka splits her time between the land of maple syrup and the land of high-grade chocolate, living part-time in Vancouver and part-time in Zurich. A breakout 2013 saw her take home top prize in the Peak Performance Project, as well as release the darkly delicious Ryan Guldemond–produced Kodiak. Watch for Rykka this summer at the Squamish Valley Music Festival.

First concert

The first concert I ever went to was the Spice Girls at GM place in 1997. My mom took my brother, sister, and I. To be a Spice Girls fan it was imperative to decide which Spice Girl you were. I was always Sporty Spice, but for this concert I switched to Scary Spice because I didn’t want to wear a tracksuit and Scary had rad style. 

I have more than sweet '90s jams to thank the Spice Girls for. Platform shoes became the new fad in my early teens—my mom called them “Spice Girls’ shoes”. I did end up breaking an ankle (on a separate occasion), but after school one day in the parking lot I had the sweet idea to drag my foot out of my mom’s moving station wagon to magically get my foot run over sideways by the same car I was in. The Spice Girls shoe shot out the back like something at a batting cage and I pulled my foot back into the car.

The platform of the shoe was the perfect height to lift the entire vehicle so I could yank my mess of a foot back to safety. My foot was the size of a bowling ball, and I needed a skin graft and I was not stoked about missing my figure-skating competition, but all is good now, so thank you Spice Girls.  

Life-changing concert

After I gave Nelly Furtado my Grade 9 school photo from the front row at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in 2001, I started telling people that I was gonna be a rock star when I grew up. A couple of years later it dawned on me that I should probably know how to play music, so I got a job at Swiss Chalet at the takeout window and with my first paycheque I went to a pawnshop in Whalley and bought a parlor guitar and an alto sax. I joined band, and sucked so bad at sax the teacher put me into the broom closet to practise. I still suck at sax.

Top three records

Steve Miller Greatest Hits  Throughout my life this album has been one of the most prominent. Growing up, my dad always had to have music going. There was a radio—always on—on the back porch. My dad gave me Steve Miller. I watch Full House when I’m feeling homesick, I listen to Steve Miller when I’m feeling particularly awesome.

Rykestrasse 68 Hanne Hukkelberg  This album is me living in Toronto for the first time—in winter. Riding my bike with all my laundry in a plastic bag, sneaking into my cousins’ shared house to do it for free. The record was written and recorded in Berlin, so I moved to Berlin for four months. 

Pat Metheny The Way Up  I would sit and listen to the whole thing with headphones with my eyes closed. Guilty of having a boyfriend at the time obsessed with Metheny, but this album changed a lot for me. I also remember a time when Pat Metheny was coming to Vancouver on the Way Up Tour. A few days before the show my mom (feisty as she is) literally emailed Pat Metheny asking if I could go backstage. He replied within the hour and I got to meet him after the show. The years following that meeting, I sent him a lot of music, which he critiqued—such a kind dude. Might I add that my mom is awesome also?

All-time favourite video

Ramona Falls “I Say Fever”  Directed by Stefan Nadelman, it involves characters in a showdown shooting at each other with birds as ammunition. The birds proceed to tear “masks” from the heads of everyone  to reveal their true animal identity. I really dig the concept, it’s a great story, and it’s beautiful to look at.

What’s in your fridge

Maple syrup.  When in Europe, maple syrup is worth more than gold. Any wrong is forgotten if you have maple syrup to trade for it. It’s also sooo detoxifying.

Super-spicy dark chocolate.  The only reason why it’s there is ’cause it’s too spicy to eat all at once. 

Mustard.  ’Cause it’s easier to make salad dressing with it. Grainy is best. One day I want to have a reality TV series where I make the best salad dressing ever using random things people have in their kitchens. I travel on tour a lot, so this is real life for me and I’m realllly good at it.