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Albums Music

HIM – Venus Doom

{mosimage}The equally
beloved and hated Finnish band is back with possibly the most internationally
awaited Finnish album (with permission of Nightwish) of the year.

Venus
Doom is the
sixth studio album for the band from Helsinki.
And His Infernal Majesty comes with a stronger and dirtier sound than
the previous one Dark Light, due in great part to the harder and more
predominant guitar riffs by Mikko “Linde” Lindström. But the band of the
heartagram is undoubtedly known overall by his charismatic vocalist Ville
Valo. Valo explores again his darker registers and shouts to the micro,
transmitting the feeling that he feels more confident with his vocal skills now
that in previous years, and that enriches the sound of the album that reminds
for some moments their fist couple of records. But do not get confused. This is
not a heavy metal album even when some want to compare it to Black Sabbath
or Metallica. The “love metal” formula that has attracted so many young
listeners around the world (particularly many new female listeners) must keep
working, and for that heavy riffs have to get mixed in a considerable
proportion with pop style to create a balance that could satisfy (or repulse )
equally to rock and pop fans all over the world.

The album’s
first couple of tracks, Venus Doom and Love in Cold Blood come
out as two of the best to be highlighted, but later the rhythm of this powerful
beginning falls into more monotonous lyrics to rise again with my favourite
song in the album, Dead lovers´ lane with great vocal skills by Valo,
leading to a more than decent final part that keeps the quality up again with Bleed
Well and Cyanide Sun.

Probably we
will never have the same powerful and fresh sound from the first albums of HIM,
but this Venus Doom supposes a good effort to go one step farther in their rock
and metal roots and satisfy some of the fans who had turn the back to the
Finnish band during recent years. Not a bad trick.

Rating: 4/5

Categories
Albums Music

Moneybrother – Mount Pleasure

{mosimage}Moneybrother
(aka Anders Wendin) is the latest rock star in Sweden. His
latest album Mount Pleasure reached the top of the charts in the neighboring country
this summer. No surprise here. This is a very fine album, a good collection of
catchy songs and sweet melodies.

The
artwork, featuring Anders Wendin looking straight at the camera with messy hair
and white shirt, could resemble the cover of Bruce Springsteen album. That is a
pretty good lead of what we will find in Mount Pleasure. There is a Born to Run kind of feeling on it: songs
about teenage loves, growing up, summer nights, working days and break ups. The
music also has an E Street Band influence, especially songs like the opener Guess Who's Gonna Get Some
Tonight, with the sax, the piano, the organ and the melody, it borders the wall
of sound.

But
fortunately, Moneybrother does not try to be the next Bruce Springsteen and his
music explores many other textures. The ballad It Might Aswell Be Known is a duet with Norwegian artist Annie Brun
and it could be one of those murder ballads by Nick Cave. Dance, pop or classic
rock (did I hear some early Wilco or The Jayhawks on It Is Time For Falling
Apart?) also make appearance in Mount Pleasure. Even Thin Lizzy! In his
website, Moneybrother recognizes proudly that Will There Be Music? is a total
Thin Lizzy rip off. It is too obvious to deny it. That song is like Dancing in
the Moonlight part 2. But like Wendin says: “I
absolutely adore Thin Lizzy and I don't want to make an album without a song
sounding exactly like them.” Well done, I say then.

In spite of all the clear influences, Mount
Pleasure sounds fresh and modern. The songwriting is too good to make this
album a failure.

Rating: 5/5

Categories
Albums Music

Sixx:AM – The Heroin Diaries

{mosimage}The Heroin
Diaries is the soundtrack to Nikki Sixx recently published addiction memoir. In
the book Motley Crüe’s bass player shares mesmerizing diary entries from the year he spiralled out of control
in a haze of heroin and cocaine. Surprisingly enough, the soundtrack to the
book does not have much to do with the music of the band that put the bassist
into the spotlight and eventually led him into drug addiction.

According to Nikki Sixx, this album is a
collaborative effort with James Michael and DJ Ashba. The result is an
overproduced pop metal collection of songs with some spoken excerpts from the
book and some touches of circus music. Instead of edgy and dark sounds, The
Heroin Diaries is an album full of soft ballads with sweet melodies. It brings
to mind the music of The 69 Eyes, HIM and other love metal heroes.

Nevertheless, for this style the album has
some good songs, like the rocker Pray for Me, the mid tempo Tomorrow. Perhaps
the most interesting song is the closing track Life After Death, which has some
cinematic qualities and a contemporary Alice Cooper sound.

The Heroin Diaries would have been a solid
debut for a new band. However, one could have expected Nikki Sixx to deliver a
different soundtrack to his darkest memories.

Categories
Albums Music

Uniklubi – Luotisade

{mosimage}Uniklubi, the young band from Tampere, releases their
third studio album, Luotisade,  after having becoming the favourite of many
teenagers in Finland due in great part to their previous hit included in their
first album (and named after that song): Rakkautta ja Piikkilankaa.

Being quite an unusual feature, in Uniklubi  the bass player, Teemu Rajämaki, is the
one who composes most of the lyrics. About the new work, just after a curious
short intro where you can listen to the voice of a child in a lullaby that
could perfectly be extracted from a Tubular Bells album, in Luotisade
you can find good and catchy melodic rock in tunes like Vnus or the more romantic one Luotisade
that gives name to the album.

There is also space for heavier sound as you can
find in the seventh track Varjoon Juuttunut. Singing all the songs in
Finnish language, the bands market gets reduced basically in a great extent to their
native Finland.
Uniklubi faces quite a tough competence in this national market against other bands
with similar style and more experienced as Apulanta (many guitar riffs
sound exactly the same), Technicolour or Negative but album after
album the “Tamperelaiset” boys achieve quite a personal sound and own style
that undoubtedly will make them gain positions in the band list of future
summer festivals.

Categories
Albums Music

Turbonegro – Retox

Turbojugends
of the world, rejoice! Get your asses ready! The best fat gay Norwegian punk
metal band has a new album out and it is a helluva album. With Retox,
Turbonegro goes back to the basics, gets heavy and deliver its best album since
the classic Apocalypse Dudes (1998).

Turbonegro
returned from hiatus in 2003 and since then the band has been very active,
touring constantly, while the fan base of Turbejugends grew and show the
Turbonegro official uniform across the planet. Retox is the third album since
the comeback and it is somehow different than the previous Scandinavian Leather
(2003) and Party Animals (2005). While those were pompous productions, full of
clichés and easy wow-ooh chorus, Retox is a return to form with a raw and edgy
sound.

The album
sounds furious and energetic since the very beginning with the explosive We’re
Gonna Drop The Atom Bomb. There are some heavy riffs and many songs are metal
flavored: Welcome to the Garbage Dump, Boys from Nowhere, Hot and Filthy, You
Must Bleed/All Night Long.

Apart of
the violent riffs and chords, there’s a bit of sex obsession: No, I’m Alpha
Male is one of the most outstanding songs in the set and probably one of the
best ones Turbonegro has recorded since Apocalypse Dudes. And of course, there
is a tremendous sense of humour which characterizes the band. Singer Hank Von
Helvete takes a look at the mirror and laughs at himself in the songs Every
Body Loves a Chubby Dude and Hell Toupée, which is the great hymn to male
baldness every written: “Spent my life fighting off the
pigs, drinking beer and smoking cigs / stealing riffs and a blowing gigs, but
now I'm stuck googling for wigs / Skin is glowing, dome is showing, my
bio-clock is ticking so fast / And it's gonna be Hell Toupee”.

The album closer is the eight-minute prog/metal/punk
suite What is Rock? This is a three-part song which brings the best of
Turbonegro and which in its last part answers to that philosophical question.

Less glam,
more metal, 100% Turbonegro!

Categories
Albums Music

Hanoi Rocks – Street Poetry

{mosimage}Any new
album by Hanoi Rocks has to be celebrated. After so many years, it is a wonder
that Michael Monroe and Andy McCoy are still doing music together. Some might
even say that it’s a wonder that they are still alive. But indeed, they are
very much alive and Street Poetry is their best album since they reunited as
Hanoi Rocks in 2001.

 

 

{sidebar id=16}Street
Poetry sounds like a band’s effort, instead of individual parts put together,
with Conny Bloom and A.C. completely integrated in the group. Actually that is
how the recording was done in a studio in Suomenlinna. The whole band playing
together live in the studio. There are not many overdubs, synthesizers nor
artificial effects nor experiments like Reggae
Rocker. This gives a very fresh feeling to an album that sounds like good
old rock and roll.

Indeed,
Street Poetry sounds very classy. Conny and Andy deliver a good amount of rock
and roll riffs and the guitars don’t sound so metal as in the previous release
Another Hostile Takeover. There are some good rockers, like the opening
Hypermobile, Tootin’ Star and Powertrip that includes some good guitar licks
with slide. There are even some retro sounds: Teenage Revolution has all the
qualities of a classic Alice Cooper tune. Even its chorus features the vocals
of the 6th graders of the Suomenlinna elementary school. The new single, This
One’s For Rock ‘N’ Roll, is a classic rock and roll anthem that could have been
penned by Ian Hunter and his Mott The Hoople.

But after
all, this is Hanoi Rocks and in Street Poetry we find the mark of The Muddy
Twins: the catchy choruses, the riffs, Michael Monroe playing sax… even the song
Transcendental Groove has the same vibe as the classic Taxi Driver.

Street
Poetry is 13 songs and 45 minutes of good rock and roll. It will be a real
treat to see them played live. Indeed this one’s for rock’n’roll.

1. Hypermobile

2. Street Poetry

3. Fashion

4. Highwired

5. Power of Persuation

6. Teenage Revolution

7. Worth Your Weight In Gold

8. Transcendental Groove

9. This One's For Rock´ Roll

10. Powertrip

11. Walkin´away

12. Tootin´Star

13. Fumblefoot and Busy Bee

Categories
Albums Music

Suomipoppia 10

Just look at the names in the list: Apulanta, Hanoi Rocks, Ari Koivunen (the young heavy metal singer, last winner of Finnish idols) Viikate, Liekki, Sunrise Avenue, Uniklubi or Tea gives some good examples of how healthy the hard rock scene is nowadays in Finland, while new names like Hanna Pakarinen (the Finnish representative during last Eurovision song contest) can be compared with other female top dogs in Finnish music scene as Jonna Tervomaa.

As in most of the cases with this kind of albums, Suomipoppia 10 turns to be the perfect album in situations like finding that hit from the Finnish radio that you liked so much and did not know the author, as a present to a friend or relative or as a good first introductory step to get immersed into the fascinating music scene of Finland. Although next time, for avoiding misunderstandings among the buyers, we will have to see if the guys of EMI can make the difference between pop and other music styles.

Tracklist 

1. IRINA Miksi hänkin on täällä
2.  UNIKLUBI Vnus
3.  ARI KOIVUNEN On The Top of The World
4.  PMMP Joku raja
5.
JONNA TERVOMAA Läpikulkumatkalla
6.  HANOI ROCKS Fashion
7.  APULANTA
Viisaus ei asu meissä
8.  YÖ Satukirjan sankari
9.  SUNRISE AVENUE
Diamonds
10. KRISTIAN MEURMAN Lapin kesä
11. ALEKSI OJALA Koditon mies
12. HANNA PAKARINEN Leave Me Alone
13. VIIKATE Ei enkeleitä
14. SIR ELWOODIN
HILJAISET VÄRIT Rouva Fortuna
15. BLOODPIT Wise Men Don´t Cry
16. LIEKKI
Marie
17. KALLE AHOLA Nämä päivät ovat meitä varten
18. JUHA
TAPIO Sitä jotakin
19. TEA Si-si-sinä Mi-mi minä
20. JUKKA POIKA Hän
haluu huussin

 

Categories
Concerts Music

Pleased to meet you

{mosimage}They are
very close to the Steel Wheelchair Tour 2010, but on Wednesday The Rolling
Stones confirmed once again that they are the majesties of rock and roll. As
usual, the Stones put an extraordinary show supporting an unbeatable collection
of songs that can hide any defects (which are many) of their playing.

 

After a
stormy and cold eve, the good weather and the sun did not want to miss one more
Rolling Stones concert in Finland: a nice summer evening welcomed an audience of
35,000 people at the Olympic Stadium. The band came on stage around 9pm with a
big bang of fireworks and the famous riff of Start Me Up and everyone stood up.
It was a rocking start in which the band adventured into an odd succession of
songs, which included not so popular songs such as All Down the Line, She’s So Cold
or Love Is Strong and ended with the country rock ballad Sweet Virginia.

This was
the most outstanding fragment of the show. All the special effects were put
aside and on stage there was just an honest rock and roll band with all its
virtues and defects. Although focused on the show more than one could have
expected, Keith Richards’ playing is nowadays more erratic than ever, hitting wrong
notes or just stopping playing. But that’s Keith Richards, anyway. Ron Wood showed
some nice slide guitar playing, Charlie Watts played a solid beat as usual and
Jagger held everything together.

{sidebar id=2}
This first
part of the show manifested the curse of the Stones. The tremendous popularity
and the stadium do not seem to allow them trying new things. Of course, they
just do not need it, although the music would improve if they would bother to
dig deep into the band’s repertoire or to explore the country influence that has
been present in many of the Stones albums. Sweet Virginia sounded sweet, with
Jagger laying down some good country vocals. They could easily deliver great
performances like the ones that were compiled in the magnificent Stripped album.

After the
extended jam of Can’t You Hear Me Knocking and Keith’s moment (he sang amazingly
clearly You Got The Silver and he looked amusing hugging his guitar in I Wanna
Hold You), the concert became predictable: all the hits. But there is not a
better collection of rock classics. It’s the greatest hits of rock and roll. It’s
the time for the visual show: the trip to the back of the stadium with a moving
stage, the giant balloon tongue on the stage… Sympathy for the Devil is the
great “golden god” (or better evil) moment for Mick Jagger. Dressed in a red coat
he stood on top of the stage. But that’s what deserves. He is the best frontman in
rock and so it showed in Helsinki: dancing, running from one side to the stage
to the other, speaking Finnish to salute the crowd…

During the
last segment of the show, the whole band sounded tighter, louder and rocking.
They played a terrific version of Paint It Black that was probably the most acclaimed
song of the entire night. The encore of Brown Sugar preceded the fireworks and everyone
was happy.

There were
no surprised, but again… it’s only rock and roll!

 

Toots &
The Maytals

Introduced
as the greatest reggae band opening for the greatest rock and roll band, Toots
& The Maytals were indeed a good opening act. The Jamaican band played a
short set based on from its first album: Pressure
Drop, Funky Kingston and even the cover of John Denver’s Country Road. It was
just a pity that a stadium is such a big place for an unknown legend like Toots
Hibbert and his band and the crowd did not pay the deserved attention.

The only bad
thing of the evening was the tight security. One wonders if it is really
necessary to have one security guard for every 100 people during a seating concert, with a
mainly mellow and aged audience. Indeed the security did not help at all to create
an enjoyable atmosphere, especially when the guards would not allow anyone to
dance or move more than ten centimeters from his place. After paying tickets costing up
to 100 euro, the audience deserves some right to enjoy the show and not be
observed and watched like a flock of sheep. After all it was just a rock concert,
not a mob convention.

Categories
Albums Music

Maija Vilkkumaa – Ilta Savoyssa

After her big success with the last studio albums Ei and Se Ei Olekaan Niin, now Maija offers a special present to the fans with this
double album, Ilta Savoyssa (and not Ilta Savoyassa as appeared funnily
in some Internet music shop services) that registers her live performance in
Savoy Theater, Helsinki, during last March gigs.

The album starts with a funny intro, where with good sense of humour
we listen how the managers are looking for somebody to replace Maija since she
does not show up for the concert, and go to ask to…Maija faking being other
person who sings awfully.

Musically, the album consists of 22 tracks where Maija sings one after
another her greatest hits. The atmosphere for singing in Savoy is slightly
different from a summer festival, and Maija takes advantage to explode her most
intimate side in tracks like Mun Elämä or Ei. In general the tone
of the album sounds more pop oriented than usual, with a bit excessive orchestral
flourish accompanying Maija’s voice.

I must admit that I prefer
Maija when singing for wild audiences in student parties or festivals, and she
shows her rock and roll side, usually linked with a wilder behaviour on stage
that makes her connect deeply with her audience. Songs like Kristiina does not sound as powerful in this live album as they should be, but
nevertheless, Maija’s singing skills, with her soulful voice,
work well enough to delight our ears and it is exciting to hear once more
performing Satumaa Tango as a big end to the album.

A slightly different album that shows new features in Maija’s
repertoire. Recommended for those who are already fans. For the new ones, try to
approach the older albums first.

Categories
Concerts Music

Metal veterans look back

{mosimage}Metallica, the elder statesmen of trash metal, misters Hetfield, Ulrich, Hammett
and Trujillo, put up a solid show at
Helsinki Olympic Stadium, the second to last gig of their Sick of the Studio
'07 tour. Once again the middle-aged metal gods proved their mastery of
machine-gun-riffs and face-melting licks in the face of a worshipping crowd of
metalheads. Hard core fans and casual enthusiasts each got their fill from a
set which combined the best parts of Metallica's long career: the early days'
trash metal genius of staccato riffs and breakneck transitions, and the more
mainstream metal from 1991's Black Album
onwards.

The band seemed to be in good spirits and appeared happy to
be playing older songs. Fan favourites from the past dominated the setlist,
only a few post-Black Album songs were played, and none from 2003's St. Anger. Instead, the first  three albums were well represented. Rob
Trujillo, who wasn't around when most of the songs were first composed, seemes
to have reclaimed his place in the ranks of the Metal Militia. Following Trujillo's
bass solo the band payed homage to deceased original bassist Cliff Burton by
launching into Orion, a meandering
instrumental bash-a-thon written by Burton. The main portion of the set finished
off with the crowd chanting to a thunderous Master
of Puppets, followed by a raging Whiplash.
The band  returned to deliver the
necessary crowd-pleasers from Sad But
True to One, this time with added
fireworks and pyrotechnics to boot. Cheap tricks, sure, but who cares, they
worked. With Enter Sandman out of the
way, the band came back once more to play Am
I Evil? and finally obliterated the venue for good with Seek and Destroy.

It's good to see Metallica at ease with their past and
performing with such energy. With a set leaning towards their early career,
they sounded – in a good way – like they might as well have performed in a
dingy basement club. Still, mr. Hetfield is a enough of a showman to grab
an  audience, and he has the skill to
bring out the dramatic arc in a byzantine metal-oddyssey. While the concert
offered nothing really new, it was an entertaining and well executed
cross-section of the career of one of the most important metal bands ever.

On a side note, certain Finnish tabloids have been following
HIM's ordeals as Metallica's
warm-up act, and apparently for a reason. They were just all wrong for the
situation. Sandwiched between first opener Diablo's
aggressive piledriver metal and the colossal main act, HIM's synth-heavy and
melodic rock seemed completely out of place. The band's poor performance didn't
help either, or the fact that a large portion of the audience was still queuing
to the stadium during the opening acts. Then again, it was hardly a total
disaster: at least people applauded politely after every song.

 This show and all the shows of the tour are available for purchase and download at:
 http://www.livemetallica.com 

 

SETLIST

15 July 2007 – Olympic Stadium, Helsinki 

Creeping Death
The Four Horsemen
Kirk Doodle #1
Ride The Lightning
Disposable Heroes
Kirk Doodle #2
The Unforgiven
And Justice for All
The Memory Remains
No Leaf Clover
Rob Doodle
Orion
Fade to Black
Master Of Puppets
Kirk Doodle #3
Whiplash
Sad But True
Kirk Doodle #4
Nothing Else Matters
One
Enter Sandman
Am I Evil?
Seek and Destroy

Categories
Concerts Music

Where is Sly?

{mosimage}One of the
big days at Pori Jazz 2007 was marked by the performance of the reunited Sly
and The Family Stone. In 2006, the reclusive Sly Stone decided to come back and
hit the road again. After years of retirement, drug abuse and erratic behaviour,
there was a big expectation (and doubts) of what the seminal soul, funk and
rock combo could offer. 

 

A jam,
which served as a sound check, and the hit Dance to the Music opened the show on Friday night.
No sign of Sly Stone on stage yet. Perhaps several people at that time wondered
if the artist was even in Finland. But soon, he is introduced and Sly appears
on stage in an oversized hoody, a baseball cap and dark glasses. He joins the
band playing keyboards, he sings a little bit with an old and worn out voice
and after a couple of songs he leaves the stage promising that he would be back
after a while.

That while
was a bit long and meanwhile the band played most of the Family Stone hits. To
make things more complicated, showers started and the audience rushed to put
the raincoat on. Ironically the band was playing Hot Fun in the Summertime at
that moment. This is Finland, indeed!

The Family
Stone delivered the classic funk sound that made it between 1969 and 1972 be
one of the most of exciting live acts in America. But those days are long gone
and without several original members (specially missed is the presence of
bassist Larry Graham) the band plays a correct and safe show supported by one
of the most impressive repertoires a band can have.

Little sister
Vet Stone and Rose Stone’s daughter Lisa Stone, who showcased the most powerful
and beautiful voice of the night, took lead vocals during the most part of the
night with Skyler Jett doing Sly’s part when the old man was not around. In the
group’s family tradition, Sly’s daughter also made a brief appearance for a
short rap that will not be the most memorable moment of the festival.

The band
leader came back to the stage and sang a touching Family Affair, which was a
highlight the show. He also stayed for I Want to Take You Higher, but half way
the song, he left the stage once again with the promise of coming back,
although he never did. The total time of Sly on stage in Pori did not exceed 15
minutes.

The show
finished with an extended Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) that was a
crowd pleaser, although a large part of the audience already had already left
because of the rain. There was no encore and the final result of the show was a
bit under par. With no rain, a smaller place and above all, a more inspired and
motivated Sly Stone, the performance could have been legendary. But it wasn’t.

Front page photo by Maarit Nissinen / Pori Jazz

Categories
Concerts Music

Rock dreams on

{mosimage}If you live for rock and you weren’t in Hartwall Areena last Saturday you missed out a lot: Aerosmith rocked! Aerosmith is one of the most remarkable rock bands in the world and their 140 million sold albums make sure that everybody knows their songs. On Saturday 7 July they played hard rock and ballads non-stop for 2 hours for 10000 Aerosmith fans. People in audience were standing up or dancing during the whole concert. Especially when they played Cryin’ people went crazy!

It’s amazing (same than the title of another of their greatest hit), how after all of these 37 years on top, and yet first half of them spent on drugs, they all are still fit, good looking and rocking like there is no tomorrow. Especially Steven Tyler is very charismatic and entertaining singer. He definitely got that certain something! 

Because the date was 07.07.07 and the most wanted day to get married, for obvious reason, Steven noticed the married couple in audience, all dressed up and having the time of their lives, and congratulated them. In addition to the most popular day to get married, there were several Live Earth concerts arranged around the globe on the same day. Just before the song Livin’ on the Edge Tyler reminded all of us to really think about what’s going on in the world. And then he sang: “There is something wrong with the world today…” 

It has been a decade since these rock stars were in Finland, few years after they released the massive hit album called Get a Grip, which was the soundtrack of every teenager’s life in the nineties. We Aerosmith fans just hope it won’t be that long for the next time!

Walk This Way The same day it was released the Finnish translation of the band's autobiography Walk This Way. The book is very honest talk about the history of Aerosmith; including lot of sex, drugs & rock n roll, but also a great biography of the members of the band.

More information:  http://www.like.fi/kirja.php?detail_id=4072 

 

SETLIST

7 July 2007 – Hartwall Areena, Helsinki 

Love In An Elevator
Same Old Song and Dance
Cryin'
Eat The Rich
I Don't Want To Miss A Thing
Jaded
What It Takes
Back In The Saddle
Baby Please Don't Go
Hangman Jury/Seasons Of Wither
Dream On
S.O.S. (Too Bad)
Livin' On The Edge
Think About It
Stop Messin' Around
Sweet Emotion
Draw The Line

Encore
Walk This Way 

Categories
Interviews Music

Sister Mary Breaks Her Silence

{mosimage}Pamela Moore is the voice of “Sister Mary” on Queensryche’s 1988 concept album Operation: Mindcrime and it’s sequel Operation: Mindcrime II from 2006. Pamela and the band have been bringing the Mindcrime story to life on stage with a stunning live performance that features everything from costume and set changes to sharing the stage with live actors.

Pamela can be seen on Queensyrche’s upcoming CD/DVD Mindcrime at the Moore which captures the band’s live performance of both albums last October at the Moore Theatre (no relation to Pamela!) in Seattle, WA USA. In addition to her work with Queensryche, Pamela also has a new album of her own entitled Stories From A Blue Room.

The latest Queensryche tour of the States was essentially a hard rock Broadway production. The crucial difference of course, is that you and the band performed each night in a different city. How are you able to do it every night without letting the stresses of being on the road affect your performance?

It was a challenge! The show consisted of three hours of music, acting, costume changes, and media! Some [venues] were not big enough to handle our full stage production so we had to improvise, which at times became a little tricky. By the end of the night, I was very happy to finally get on the bus, head to my bunk, and collapse! It really took a lot out of us all, physically. Life on the road can be a lot of fun but you need to do everything in moderation or you will be sorry. I try to eat right, get plenty of rest, drink lots of water, and take vitamins.  It takes a lot of discipline but in the end you are happier for it…physically and mentally!

It must also be very demanding emotionally, playing such a tragic character night after night. The story is certainly not a happy one although it does ultimately end on an uplifting note.

I suppose you can say it was a bit grueling having to portray yourself every night as a helpless prostitute turned drug addicted nun who kills herself!!! [giggling]. But at the end of the day, the brightest light for me was meeting the fans after our shows. The appreciation I received really boosted my morale and gave me the support and love I needed to keep things going.  Besides, I was really only "play acting" … thank GOD 'Sister Mary' isn't the REAL me!

I was actually at the shows in Seattle last year where you and the band recorded the new live CD/DVD (you guys did a great job!). Did you feel nervous knowing that the cameras were there or did you just treat it like another show?

It was a very different experience to perform the show in front of cameras and camera men and a very exciting experience for me as well. Just the feeling of knowing your performance is being captured live on stage elevates or heightens your awareness and concentration.  There was something magical about it for me…I want to experience it again someday!  I can't wait to see the finished DVD! It will be my first glimpse at what the show actually looked like but with those great close ups, etc.

You have a much more prominent role in Operation: Mindcrime II compared with the original album. Did you enjoy getting back in the studio with the guys after so many years?

I loved going back into the studio again with Queensryche. I guess you could say they have become my second family. I love and respect them so much and I feel the respect back from them as well.

It’s funny how life can take you in unexpected directions sometimes.  Your whole connection with the band began because they heard you singing on a local radio commercial and thought that your voice would be perfect for the character of Mary in their new concept album that they were recording.

Yes, I am constantly reminded of the old saying "I was in the right place at the right time". It has afforded me [my career] wonderful exposure and opportunities that I am very grateful for.

Your new album Stories From A Blue Room is a bit of a departure from the music you’ve done with Queensryche. It still has that hard rock/metal element but there’s also this cool pop & electronica vibe. What’s the reaction to the album been like?

Reaction has been VERY positive. In fact, two songs I released off of Stories From A Blue Room did very well on the Australian charts! The record also received an award for the best regional record for 2006 by Northwest Beat Magazine and the record was voted #4 out of the top 10 independent releases in the Chicago-land area!

You wrote the album with guitarist Benjamin Anderson. Have you worked together before?

Ben used to be in an industrial rock band called Rorschach Test and I worked with him for a bit at a popular Seattle night club called The Fenix Underground. At the time, neither Ben or I had been doing any music projects and I approached Ben about the idea of writing together. He was up for it and the result is Stories From A Blue Room.

Your cousin Terri Nunn (lead singer of the 80’s band Berlin) makes a guest appearance on the song “Satisfied” on your new album.

Yes, what a privilege that was too. We had always wanted to sing together and this opportunity finally opened up for us. I'm very proud of her and very honoured she wanted to sing with me on the record. The song Satisfied is one of my favourites actually.

Any plans on doing any touring this year to support Stories From A Blue Room?

Yes! In fact, after my tour with Queensryche is over in Japan, we are planning shows for this summer and fall.

Since this magazine is for readers living in Finland, I was just wondering if you got the chance to visit the country during your travels with Queensryche on any of their recent tours.

Yes we did! I believe we played Helsinki, Finland and I remember a very responsive and appreciative crowd. The venue was called "Kulttuuritalo" (I think?). I also remember how different it was to experience the sun shining ALL DAY AND NIGHT!

What are your plans for the next year or so?

I will begin writing material for my next record after my tour in Japan with Queensryche has concluded. I've also been chosen to be the voice of a cartoon character which is at the moment “in-development” here in the States.  It's always been my dream to be the voice of a cartoon, so I’m really thinking positive about this one…should be a lot of fun!

www.pamelamoore.net
www.myspace.com/pamelamoore
www.queensryche.com
Pamela’s CD Stories From A Blue Room is available online at: www.cdbaby.com/pamelamoore

 

Categories
Interviews Music

Henry Rollins

No big
plans. Producers asked me if I was interested and then we found a tv station
interested in the program. After the first season, they asked me do you want to
continue and I said yeah, so we did another season that just finished in the
US.

 

It wasn’t
even my idea. I never thought about doing a tv show, but I like doing different
things. It keeps me awake. Now it takes quite a long time of my year and it
needs detailed planning. It is not easy. To make good interviews to people it
burns a lot of calories.

 

List of
guests

I pick the
guests. I’m interested in a lot of people, so my wanted list is huge. We call
them and most of them say no for various reasons: “I’m not interested. Henry
Rollins? I hate that guy! We are busy, we live on Mars, we cannot make it”.

Someone you
really want

Tons of
them. Bob Dylan, Al Gore, Keith Richards, David Lynch, Martin Scorsese, Brain
De Palma… There are a lot of interesting people in the world, doing great
things from art to reporting. For example, there is a lot of investigative
reporters, like Greg Palast and Christian Miller. I’m interested in all kinds
of people.

Live
performance of bands

There’s a
couple of bands I didn’t pick. Since it’s not my money, I don’t get to make all
the choice, so there are some bands that stick out for their MTVness. Nice
people, anyway. They showed up, they played well, but I have none of their
records. The rest of the bands I either know them and love them or I have
toured and played with them. I’m fan of them, I play their songs on my radio
show. In the seasons we just finished we had Iggy Pop and The Stooges, Peachs,
Manu Chao, who made his first American TV appearance ever. He’s huge all around
the world, but not in America. He’s a wonderful guy, very humble. He came to
play at the Coachella festival and all the tv stations invited him, but he say
no to all of them and yes to us. Why? I don’t know. We were lucky. The Good,
The Bad and The Queen played also. That was a highlight for me. I walked into
to the studio, turn around the corner and there’s Paul Simmons, the bass player
of The Clash. I was wow!! Also Fela Kuti and Tony Allen… I was, yeah! I love
this job.

Conan
O’Brien is very popular here.

I think
he’s good. It’s a very normal kind of interview show. They interview pretty
famous people about being famous and pretty. I think Conan is very talented and
funny. He used to write for The Simpsons. He’s very funny guy, but it’s not the
kind of TV show I watch. I don’t care about an interview with half of the cast
of Friends. I fall asleep. I don’t care.

Events in
Europe.

Somewhat…
but quite honestly and I’m not trying to devalue what goes on in Europe. I
think that America could learn a couple of things from Europe, but I’m very
concerned about the current Administration in the US. I primarily focus on and
research on the daily catastrophe in Iraq. I try to understand our relations
with Iran and Syria and what the president is doing to destroy our
Constitution. Right now Europe is not a priority for me because I’m watching my
own country going up in flames.

Tour for
the troops

Yes, I did
it. I disagree with the policy, but I don’t disagree with the troops. They go
where they are told. My argument is not with the soldiers is with the
Administration, with Dick Chaney, Donald Runsfeld. It’s not with the soldier,
he’s only 22. He’d rather be home. I’ve been in Afghanistan, Iraq, Kuwait,
Qatar, South Korea, and few others. I go far for these people.

Different
disciplines

Writing is
very hard for me. It’s the most time consuming. The talking shows are also very
difficult. There’s no script. It requires lots of concentration on stage. It’s
all difficult, just different levels of intensity and concentration that you
have to give. When you are writing, you have to make it clear. When you are
editing, you are trying to make it better, you have to be aware of the words.
When you are on stage, you need a lot of preparation. When I interview people,
I do a lot of back checking on the interviewee, so I know what I’m talking
about and I don’t disrespect that person. All it’s a lot of work. Nothing is
that fun for me. I don’t understand fun. I’m a very nervous person. I get
stress out very easily, very much for a long period of time. I don’t sleep very
well. I’m always thinking something needs to be done. I’m a little crazy all
the time.

Industry

The
business aspect is way more unpleasant. I have my own publishing company to
publish my books, my records. I have a two-person staff. The insights of the
business can be very disturbing. For instance, the distributor of my books just
went out of business, with a lot of my inventory in his warehouse which was now
seized by the government. I cannot get my property and the guy even owns me
50.000 dollars. Guess what? I will never see anything. What is difficult is the
artist who has to become the business man. I have to be the boss and the artist
guy. It’s different to make that separation. I don’t bring the art into the
business meeting and I don’t bring the business into the art.

Solitary
man

I live
alone. I don’t have any family. I don’t have any kids. I don’t hate people, but
I’m very busy. I write a lot and that takes a lot of my time. Nobody is going
to make it for you. I also travel a lot to places where having someone next to
you could be a liability, like parts of Africa. I don’t want a woman traveling
with me. It’s not that women are not strong and cannot defend themselves, but
in Morocco I don’t want to turn my back when the woman is not look out, because
she can get in danger. Also when I come back from a two-month tour, I don’t
want anyone waiting for me. I don’t want to have to call someone and ask what’s
that with the tone of your voice… I don’t want to have that conversation. Also,
I’m a pretty crazy man and I have seen many awful things and those things have
had a very substantial impact on me. A friend had his heads blown off next to
me. I cleaned his brains so his mother didn’t have to see it. I’ve seen some
things that your shouldn’t seen.

Most
dangerous.

The Black
Flag experience was physically dangerous. I still have a lot of scars from that
period. I got punch. You got stitched up. You heal. I hit back. I broke a lot
of people’s noses. Never women, only men. But I’ve beaten the hell out of a lot
of guys. Pretty substantially. No regrets. But I think it’s more dangereous
what I do now in the present climate. To say what I’m saying about whom I’m
saying it. I think you can suffer.

Something
for the future

I cannot
think of anything specific that I haven’t done. Perhaps catch up with some
reading or get a full night of sleep.

You like
reading a lot.

Yeah, I
cannot read as much as I want, but I think you should always have a book going,
you should be reading something.

Categories
Interviews Music

Trendy beats of change

{mosimage}Gocoo are a group
of seven female and four taiko drummers from Tokyo who manage to be super
trendy in a wide variety of music circles. Breaking with deeply rooted
traditions, they use taikos (Japanese drums) and other traditional acoustic
instruments to create a modern, free-spirited taiko music sound full of primal
beats and complex poly-rhythms, often accompanied by Japanese didgeridoo
virtuoso Goro. 

Very atypical
for a taiko group, Gocoo debuted at a techno festival, Rainbow 2000. They
reached cult status in the club scene of Tokyo, while at the same time gaining
respect in more traditional taiko music circles. They have since performed at a
wide range of events and venues, from major open air rock festivals like Fuji
Rock to rave parties, from Tokyo's cult clubs to the National Japanese Theatre,
and from big blues & roots events to traditional taiko festivals.

Gocoo
became
known internationally after they met and worked with British trance
trio Juno Reactor and were featured on the soundtracks of two Matrix
films. They performed in Europe for the first time in 2003, each year returning
for a more extensive tour, this year taking their exciting, energetic drum (and
light) show for the first time to Finland.

Kaoly Asano is the lead
drummer and founding member of Gocoo. She is by now one of Japan's most famous female
taiko drummers and also runs her own taiko school in Tokyo. Before kicking off their
European tour in Helsinki on July the 11th and 12th, she
was kind enough to give an interview to FREE! Magazine from Japan.

Many
people here in Finland are familiar with more traditional taiko music in the
style of for example Ondekoza. Your style is quite different, and you have even
played at rock festivals and techno events. Your music is sometimes even
referred to as 'trance-taiko' or 'techno-taiko'. Can you tell us a bit more
about the difference between more traditional taiko music and your taiko style?

The
style of groups like Kodo or Ondekoza, which seems to be more
traditional, is not so old. In fact it was created between 1950 and 1970. These
groups transformed taiko performances held at traditional festivals into a
formal stage art performance with theatrical elements. Gocoo's style however overcomes formal boundaries which leads to a more
natural music performance. As for trance, I would like to say, that there were
times when festivals and trance were the same. So I have the feeling that
playing trance music with the taiko is just natural. I admire the beauty of
stage art performances, but I have the feeling that there are limitations and
restrictions. For example, the performers often do not show emotions while
playing the taiko. Gocoo's performances are much more
emotional. We freely bring any rhythms into play that groups considered to be
traditional would probably not use. 

"By using the softness of
the female body, we found our own taiko style" – Kaoly Asano, Gocoo

Besides the fact that your taiko music is quite
unique and crosses several different musical boundaries, traditionally, taiko
drums used to be a men's thing. Gocoo is made up of seven female and four male
drummers, with you personally clearly playing a 'leading role' in the group. During the ten years of Gocoo's existence, what effect do you think your success has
had on traditional views in Japan? Has there been a change in general attitudes
towards women playing taiko drums?

In terms of 
the relation between women and taiko in our group and the influence on
traditional views in Japan, Gocoo created a completely new and original female
drumming style that did not exist before. In other words, by using the softness of the female body, we found our own
taiko style. The traditional relation between the taiko and women was
limited for example to women dancing to the sound of the taiko. Later women
used to be limited to play the taiko either in an extremely feminine, elegant
way or in the same way as men, masculine and brave. Not only at my taiko school
Tawoo, but all over Japan the number of women playing the taiko is increasing
rapidly. I believe that today the concept of the taiko being a man's thing doesn't exist anymore. Gocoo has contributed its share in the fact that different ways of female taiko play are getting
more and more accepted. 

You have performed with the legendary Kodo
taiko ensemble. What was that like?

We performed with two members of Kodo, Ryutaro
Kaneko and Tusbasa Hori. Since I have the feeling that both of them
belong to the "innovative wing" of Kodo, I think our session was quite different from how a performance
with all members of Kodo would have been. I have the feeling that if we mixed
Kodo's traditional style and Gocoo's style, spent more time together, created songs or shows together and
inspired each other in this way, there would have been very interesting
results. I very much would like to work together with them again.

You already mentioned your own taiko school,
Tawoo Taiko Dojo in Tokyo. What do you hope to achieve with the school?

Tawoo is a place where everyone, no matter how
old, male or female, can learn to play the taiko. The door is always open for
anybody, anytime. I want Tawoo to be a place where all of us can meet and
experience our own real strength (energy, ability, loveliness, health,
possibility, straightforwardness as a whole) through the taiko.

Is the main focus in the teachings at the
school also on less traditional, more free-spirited taiko music like that of
Gocoo?

At Tawoo as well as with Gocoo I focus on an
unconventional drumming style. By allowing my students to play the taiko freely
and move their bodies freely, the restrictions which they have absorbed while growing
up begin to dissolve. In this way a mental liberation takes place, and their
real self appears. The amazing thing about the taiko is that we are able to
meet our self by playing it. And this leads us to face other people. We are
able to establish a deep communication with our self and with each other.

Do you have many female students?

70% to 80% of my students at Tawoo are female.

"We were able to meet
Juno Reactor because of a strong thunderstorm" – Kaoly Asano

In 2002 and 2003 you co-operated with Juno
Reactor, with whom you worked on the single Hotaka and later on
their CD Zwara EP. You also recorded the tunes "Tea
House" and "Tetsujin" with them for the soundtracks of The
Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions. How did the collaborations with
Juno Reactor come about?

We met Juno Reactor at the Hotaka-sai
festival in August 2001 where both of us were performing. Juno Reactor were
watching our show that day. A few days later they asked us to take part in a
recording session. We then spent three days recording at lake Yamanakako, close
to mount Fuji. A few songs were created with the recording material. One of
them is "Tea House" which was later used for Matrix Reloaded.
Actually, if Gocoo had performed at the Hotaka-sai festival as scheduled, it
would have been very unlikely that we had met Juno Reactor. Their show was
scheduled for the next day. But due to a strong
thunderstorm at the evening of our show, our performance was postponed to the
next day and we were able to meet Juno Reactor. To show that there is a
connection between our acquaintance and the Hotaka-Sai festival, Juno Reactor
named one of their pieces "Hotaka".

{mosimage}Do you have any future plans with Juno Reactor
or any other well-known artists?

We don't have any particular plans
right now, but we would love to work with them again one day. And not only to
record some tracks, but also to perform on stage with them. I liked Juno
Reactor's music before and we are fond of their productions
and arrangements. Gocoo's tunes, that were used for
songs like Hotaka, Zwara or Tea House, are
also very popular at our concerts. This year in October, we will work together
with Richard Yuen, a famous musician and music producer in Shanghai. In
Shanghai we are going to work together with Chinese musicians.

Your music also features on the soundtrack of
the popular role-play computer game Gothic 3. Are you yourself a game
enthusiast?

I personally almost never play computer games.
But besides Gothic 3, Gocoo's music is also featured in
other computer games sold in Japan, such as Sengoku Basara. Usually the
soundtrack of computer games is also computer generated. So I am very happy
that some producers find it interesting to include the sound of real music
instruments into their games.

Can fans expect more collaborations from Gocoo
with well-known game manufacturers?

If we have a chance, we would love to work
together with other game manufacturers again in the future. 

"Taiko music can be
enjoyed just in the same way as rock or pop music" – Kaoly Asano

Since 2003 you have been on tour in Europe
every year. This year, for the first time, you will also perform in Finland.
What has performing in Europe been like for you?

In
Japan there are sometimes prejudices about taiko music. The taiko is often seen
as an instrument for traditional events, not suitable for popular music.
Although this prejudice recently became weaker, the idea emerged that only
taiko as a stage art is something that can be appreciated. 

I believe that taiko music can
be enjoyed just in the same way as rock or pop music. In Europe our audience
easily senses this and enjoys our music. The taiko is for sure a traditional
Japanese instrument. However its purpose is not only to keep traditions alive,
but to create good, modern music. To perform in Europe is a very exciting
experience for us.

Have you ever visited Finland privately?

Unfortunately not. This will be the first time.
Friends who have visited your country told me that Finland is a wonderful
place. I am very much looking forward to visiting it.


Gocoo

Wednesday 11.7, 7.30 pm

Thursday 12.7, 7.30 pm

Savoy Theatre, Kasarmikatu 46-48, Helsinki

Tickets: 38/35 e

Gocoo – Official website for Europe