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What can happen when two guys meet in prison and learn to play synthesizer? Kalifornia-Keke and Stiletti-Ana formed Jesse while doing their time in Sörkka prison in Helsinki. With their first album, KAIKKI!, they are on the cover of the most important music magazines in Finland and they show off their metal-electro-AOR. From Megadeth to Toto to Kraftwerk, everything is possible with these synthesizer heroes.
What is the concept behind your music? There seems to be on it as much heavy metal attitude and electronic sounds too.
We try to put together all the stuff we dig. We don’t think, we just play. That includes AOR, Metal and electro. Our main element in the music is the almighty synthesizer, in which we trust above all.
How did you meet and start making music together?
We met back in the days in Sörkka prison. We hanged together and listened to some fusion jazz & stuff. Then our fellow inmate Jesse showed us how to play synthesizer and make songs. He’s kinda amazing dude. After we got out we formed Jesse in honor of king Jesse. We made few songs and put them to Myspace. People went nuts and now we are pretty big.
How was the recording of the album?
Ummm, ahhh, we were kinda drunk. We have a studio in Helsinki and we spent many months there playing around. We used synthesizers and sequencers to put the songs together. We’d like to buy some drum machines to get more drum sounds, but we don’t have the money yet. Basically we made the songs first and then wrote a story based on our life. And now we have it ALL on KAIKKI! Album. Please buy it.
Your image seems to represent the hillbilly side of Finland? Do you think it’s the true image of Finland?
What do you mean?!! I don’t know. I guess we are all just folks… like dudes. We are what we are, but different people come together at our gigs. Like metalheads, punks, electro guys and babes.
In a way, Jesse represents Finland in the same way Markku from Finland does. Do you know him personally? Have you worked together with him.
No we don’t know him. Though we’ve seen him on telly.
Why did you call the band Jesse?
As I mentioned before its after our hero Jesse. He’s a dude from Sörkka too. And he’s got mad skills on instruments. So our name makes honor to him.
With the release of your album, you started appearing on the cover of several magazines, like Rumba. How do you feel about that?
It’s nice to be in the magazine. We get to say things to a lot of people. We like to tell people to use more synths in their music. And sort of guide them to better behavior. We’d like to do a Jesse poster for chicks, so they could put it on their walls.
What are you all time favorite Finnish artists?
Popeda, Op:l Bastards, Imatran Voima, Stone
Jesse will be touring during this summer around Finland.
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http://www.myspace.com/haistakaa