{mosimage}The Tampere based metal band strikes back one year ago after their release of the great Sleep with another superb album.
Being the current one only the third album of the band, and after a short time of having released their follow-up full length, I must admit that Masterstroke must be probably the young metal band that has advance and improved more quickly in the super-competitive national metal scene. As days grow darker sounds compact, rounded, well produced, with excellent and sharp riffs and with the lyrics and voice of Niko in perfect shape. The album is overall shiny when the band goes full speed and accelerates the rhythm like in the demolishing Walls of my temple or in the blowing intro riffs of the album for Wait for the fail.
After having opened the gig of Scorpions in Madrid last year and featuring this superb new work, I am sure that we will be hearing many more good things about Masterstroke in the following years.
Rating 4/5.
Related article (Interview with Jussi, keyboard player of Masterstroke):
{mosimage}Produced by Daniel Ray, here comes the fifth album of the pussy gang!
Nashville Pussy, the Atlanta based band, is back. It seems incredible that their first album Let Them Eat Pussy has already been for more than 10 years in the market! The 2 boys and 2 girls, led by singer Blaine Cartwight are all what you want to desire from an American bar band; anthems about sex, whisky, drugs, fights… And also provocation like in the catchy and funny Lazy Jesus, not forgetting some real kick ass riff guitars like in From Hell to Texas.
Nashville Pussy is kind of the dirtier version of Aerosmith, but they really work their butt hard to be at the top of hard rock American scene. They would definitely be perfect counterparts for a tour with Los Bastardos Finlandeses, if they ever come to Finland in the near future. A great album if you like the Jack Daniels side of rock!
Rating 4/5.
{mosimage}Third full length for the Finnish bands, counting with a new vocalist: Jani Ala-Hukkala.
A new studio album for Callisto since 2006 and great expectation to see how the debut of the new vocalist, Jani, would affect the band. With a very experimental sound, this Providence is certainly pretty enjoyable. Maybe for some hard-core fans, it can sound pretty different to what was done before, but it is good to change from time to time, isn´t it? Maybe here they sound less brutal, and more mellow and progressive than before, but I have personally nothing bad against that. Harsh vocals are mostly disappearing, and Jani exercises more his vocal skills than his predecessor, but since I am more into more melodic tunes, I still see this as very good. The instruments still create an appealing gloomy and dark atmosphere, but the album can really reach a more mainstream audience.
All in all, I think Callisto has changed for the best, and although like in every change, there will be people and old fans who will not accept this, we welcome the new face of Callisto as a good improvement!
Rating 4/5.
{mosimage}Poppy is a woman who seems never to lose her smile.
I had checked in imbd the rates for this movie, and I had great hopes after seeing that the punctuation was above 7. So after the first 15 minutes of movie, I thought maybe it would have a “slow” start. I continued thinking that after the first half an hour… and then when I was dead bored after one hour, I realized nothing would improve. The main character, Poppy, and her friends and relatives look not funny but retarded. There is no humour in the movie, no message, no decent plot… Basically nothing much interesting happens, and Poppy turns to be really annoying with her attitude.
I suppose director Mike Leigh wanted to give a positive message of hope for the people around their thirties, but the result is really poor. I felt more like slapping Poppy than identified with her philosophy of life.
Honestly, one of the worst movies I have watched in 2009 so far. Maybe I am wrong and the other thousands of people who voted more than 7 in imbd saw something that I was not able to, but my advice is to skip this film and search for something better somewhere else. Bad movie.
Rating 1/5.
{mosimage}The best: the scene with Poppy´s sister and the husband who is not allowed to play Playstation.
The worst: …where to start…?
The detail: Sally Hawkins, the actress that incarnates Poppy, has appeared in 4 chapters of the popular British series Little Britain.
Nevermore is an American metal band created in 1991 in Seattle, Washington. Since then, they’ve been on the road with seven albums and a legion of fans around the world, mainly in Europe. Jeff Loomis is the impressive guitarist and main songwriter for the band.He auditioned for Megadeth when he was 16 years old, was listed as one of the fastest guitarists of all times by “Guitar World”, has his own signature Loomis guitar by Schecter and will soon have his own signature distortion pedal. To top off the successful career, he just released his first and very inspiring solo album, Zero Order Phase, by Century Media. I had the pleasure of speaking with a laid back and funny Jeff Loomis and my interview with him can be read below.
In September of 2008 you released your first solo album, Zero Order Phase, was that something you always planned on doing?
It was an idea I had in mind for quite some time, it was just that there was never enough time to do it because of all the touring that we were doing with Nevermore. When the touring cycle ended for the "This Godless Endeavor" tour I knew we would have a lot of time off, so I called Neil Kernon, my producer, and we got the project going. I called my friend Mark Arrington, who actually played on our very first self titled CD, to play drums on it and he was more than happy to do it. One of the really cool things about recording this CD was that the majority of it was done right in my own house. We recorded the drums at a studio down the street, but everything else was done in my basement. This really made the whole project very relaxed without the feeling of being rushed like you would normally be in a real studio environment. I've been a fan of instrumental music for a very long time, so I’m finally glad I had the opportunity to show a different side of my playing to Nevermore fans and fans of experimental music.
Does the album reflect exactly everything you intended it to reflect when you first started the project?
I think it exceeded my expectations. I knew it was going to be very cool once I had made the initial demos, but once we started recording, things really started falling into the right place. I think it was just a matter of the right people being together at the right time for the whole project. I was really fortunate to be able to work with a lot of talented people that made this recording a reality. Neil was a big help with many of the arrangements and Mark was the glue that made everything cohesive and sound like one entire piece of flowing music. The entire CD is a big journey of different musical soundscapes (laughing), that may sound like a weird way of describing it but it's the best way to explain how it sounds, sonically speaking.
How has the response been so far? Nevermore has some very passionate fans, how has their reaction been to your album?
The response has been very, very good. Most of the reviews have been excellent and the fans seem to really like it. I think I’ve gained a bit of a new listening audience as well, which is really cool. To be honest I really just wanted to make this CD for myself, just to see if I could pull something like this off. I didn’t want to make a CD just to show off some fast guitar riffs. My intention was to make a CD of a wide array of different musical styles that incorporated many elements of my playing intertwined. I'm always playing very aggressive stuff with Nevermore, so it was cool to be able to experiment with different approaches to writing music on Zero Order Phase. I also know that the fans want a new Nevermore CD…we have been together as a band for 15 plus years, so taking a break from that was a very healthy thing for us to do. It will just make us come back stronger with new music and a fresh start. We are working on a new CD right now as a matter of fact!
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If you were to describe Zero Order Phase in three words, what would they be?
Relentless experimental “riffage”.
Do you normally listen to your own music at home, like when you're cooking or doing laundry?
After the final mix I listened to my solo CD quite a bit…but if I’m cooking or cleaning usually I’ll be listening to other stuff for whatever mood I’m in at the time. It could be Classical music or Cannibal Corpse!
In the end of last year Nevermore released the DVD The Year of the Voyager and you guys are already working on a new album, what else can the fans expect from the band in 2009?
Yes we are finally working on the new stuff. Yes it will be heavy and yes it will be very melodic too. The fans can expect a new CD and a world tour in the very near future. Our first show will be the “Wacken Festival” this summer in Germany. From there on out we hope to be on the road for a long time. I have about 7 songs written for the new CD. I can't give you any working titles yet, but I can guarantee it will be some of our best work yet.
I know that you were very moved by the guitar playing of legends like Jason Backer and Marty Friedman. Is there any new guitarist that blows your mind?
There is a guitar player from the UK by the name of Guthrie Govan who is just amazing. I really come from the old school of guitarists that I grew up with, such as Brian May, Eddie Van Halen and Yngwie Malmsteen. These are players that really inspired me to play and stay in my room practicing hours a day. I love Fredrik and Martin from Meshuggah as well, these guys are doing some killer stuff that I love listening to. Jason and Marty are my all time favorite players. I got a chance to work with Marty last year in L.A., I played a guest solo on his new CD called Future Addict. He's an incredible musician and composer and a very nice person. It was a total honor to be able to spend some time with him and learn a few new things about his approach to guitar playing.
One of the coolest times was being on tour with the band Death" – Jeff Loomis –
What have you been listening to lately? What was the last album you bought?
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I've been listening to this crazy band called The Faceless. They are kinda like a combination of Cannibal Corpse meets the Jazz guitarist Alan Holdsworth. It's strange but works so well together. I like Blotted Science too. I can't remember the last CD I bought! I think it was the new Soilwork CD, I’m a huge fan of those guys too and I'm very happy to hear that Peter Wichers is back in the band.
Do you have any musical guilty pleasure? Something that you only listen when you're alone, that you're not proud of listening to and would not tell your friends about.
I think that Natasha Bedingfield is cool…I saw a live concert of hers on TV and she has a really strong voice and has some catchy tunes too. I don't mind saying that at all. As a matter of fact, I have a close friend who likes Beyoncé! Oh, and I almost forgot that I’ve listened to ABBA a few times too. Cool production and great vocal harmonies. I think I got that from hanging out with many Swedish friends on past tours.
In your opinion, what were the most important moments in Nevermore's career? Why?
Well, one of the coolest times was being on tour with the band Death. Being able to hang out with Chuck Schuldiner was a great experience. He had asked us to come out and tour with them in 95. I was really bummed out that I didn't get a chance to see him before he passed away. He wrote some great music and he was a genuine friend that I will never forget. We also got a chance to play the “Dynamo Festival” in Holland that same year in front of 150,000 plus people, it was an unreal time that I will never forget.
Do you get anxious/ nervous before a live performance? Have you ever performed under any bizarre circumstances? What were the most remarkable gigs of your career?
I still get nervous. I guess something would be wrong if I didn’t get nervous, it's just a natural thing. We've had to perform with the tour bus rolling into a gig just a few minutes before doors were open many times due to bad traveling weather. I don't know how our roadies and sound people pulled it off, but those were some of our best gigs! Aside from the “Dynamo Festival” I would say all the shows we do in Greece are just always great because the crowds are so loud…at times they are louder than the PA!!! And the now legendary “Wacken Festival” is always incredible. The one we will play this summer will be our 3rd appearance.
What accomplishments in your career are you most proud of? Is there something you would do differently if you could go back in time?
I am happy with the accomplishment of the longevity of the band. Many bands break up after just a few recordings. I've always felt most comfortable onstage with Nevermore and would not change anything or do anything different from the past. The way we have done things in the past has made us who we are today.
In the end of last year Guitar World put you as one of the 50 fastest guitarists of all time, having Born, from This Godless Endeavor, as your signature song. How does it feel to figure in the same list as Marty Friedman and Jason Becker? Would you pick Born as your signature song?
It is a great feeling to be up there with the names of some of the best guitarists as one of the fastest players. I didn't know what to think of that when I first saw it in the magazine…I always thought there were faster guitar players than me. I've always concentrated on playing with equal parts of speed and feel and everything in between when it comes to guitar playing. One of the tunes that really showcase some of my best playing would have to be The River Dragon from the Dead Heart in a Dead World D, a heavy tune with some cool lead sequences that are part of my signature style.
{mosimage}Did you always dream of becoming a "guitar god" and an influence to new players? Did you have a career plan B? Are your parents proud of you?
No, I never thought about it like that. I just always new I wanted to be the best I could be when it came down to good songwriting. I would rather be able to write a great piece of music than play a million miles an hour all the time. That can be a very limiting thing to a guitar player and can only take you so far. I never had a plan B either. I always knew what I wanted to do and just had a very concentrated mindset. If you put all of your work into something, it can happen for you if you don't give up. I was really lucky to have very supportive parents as well. They are both retired teachers, so they could have surely said to go to college and get a real career, but they always pushed me to do what I loved. Music is something that's been inside of me for a very long time and I never intend on doing anything else as far as a career goes. I don't know if it will always be Metal…I would love to write movie soundtracks one day, which would be a cool goal to shoot for in the near future.
I've been asking you everything that I ever wanted to know. Is there anything you would like me to ask you and I didn't?
Hmmmm…oh, you could have asked me if I plan to record more instrumental CD's. That answer would be yes, I signed for two more with Century Media. You could have asked me if I have any new gear coming out. That answer would be yes, I have a new distortion pedal I’m going to work on with a company that I can't mention yet. And, hmmmm, you could have asked me about my signature Loomis guitar model. It is still available through Schecter (laughing)!
Now, to wrap this up, give me an inspirational quote, a few last words of wisdom…
Be an innovator and listen to ALL styles of music. There is much out there to be heard. Thanks for the awesome interview, I look forward to seeing everyone on tour real soon.
Photos by Stephanie Cabral and Karen Mason Blair
{mosimage}The lovers of the Spanish speaking mysterious woman are back with another superb studio album!
Since I saw them live at Tuska festival in Helsinki a couple of years ago, I am totally convinced that 45 Degree Woman is one of the best hard rock/metal bands in Finland. They have everything to succeed: a great vocalist, good feeling on stage and union and connection among them and also with the audience. For all the reasons mentioned above, it is also a pity that they do not seem to explode and cross the border between the mid-size venues and the secondary stages at summer festivals and doing something really big. Let´s see if with Revival things continue improving for them. Because what you have here is certainly another pearl of Finnish rock scene.
A great and polished production, guitars that sound raw but clean, the voice of Viman mastering every track of the album like if it would just be a cat playing with a plastic mouse, and really catchy songs. If I have to highlight one, I got especially fond of Close to me, but basically every one of the 10 tracks that compose Revival is good enough to be a single by itself.
You can enjoy also at our home site an exclusive interview with vocalist Miko Viman where he tells more things about the new album and the plans for the band. I honestly hope that they won´t only bright at Finnish festivals next summer, but also start to find their own space abroad, because they deserve it!
Rating 4/5.
Entwine has a new and kicking studio album, Painstaned. For celebrating this, we had a great chat with Mika Tauriainen, vocalist of the band, a few minutes before they played at Klubi in Tampere. While Mika kindly invited us to a beer and cigarettes, there is time to talk on and off the record about almost everything: yoga, philosophy, football, religions, reggae… and of course a lot of heavy metal! Tired of the eternal comparisons with other Finnish bands and the twisted ways of the music business, Mika is just back to the same position of 10 years ago when he started with Entwine, caring just basically about enjoying purely the music!
Thanks for your time Mika. So the hottest piece of news for Entwine is the recent release of the new album, Painstained. I know you do not like analyzing much the lyrics, but otherwise what can you tell us about it compared to previous ones?
I think this is a bit more organic and dynamic. We wanted to find something new in the sound. That is why we took Hiili (Hiilesmaa) to produce it. It is hard to explain. We got out of the Finnish metal sound; guitars are kind of rustier.
In the past you already had comparisons with other Finnish bands like The Rasmus or H.I.M. and now collaborating with Hiili (who has produced the previously mentioned bands), I suppose you knew that people were going to come back to the some topic again…
Actually we did not think about it so much and I am not thinking about these comparisons anymore. If people want to compare with other bands, it is their thing, I do not give a shit, really, because I know where we are standing and I try not to care about it. So the whole feeling of the album is different than before, from my point of view. It is maybe a bit harder to get into it, it does not open so easily than others before.
Why do you say that, because I have heard it and I think that maybe it is more catchy and easy listening than previous Entwine´s albums?
Well, the whole album sounds a bit rawer. It was not so produced than before. Well, of course it was in a way more produced than before, but I am talking for example about when recording the vocals, it did not take a hundred takes to get something good, it was coming more natural and that is why it sounds fresh you know, that is why I like it, it is more rock!
There were a couple of weeks of delay in the release. What was the reason?
No comments… I was pissed. The thing is that we had the releasing party the 17th of January, but the album was not even out when we had it. We actually put the whole album out at MySpace from the 14th to the 17th so we had something for the fans there and they could have the possibility to listen to the songs.
You use MySpace quite a lot to be in contact, you also did a quiz to give away merchandise for the fans. Do you believe about these social networks being effective to keep contact with fans?
It is a very good way to find people, it is free advertising!
I am not a rookie anymore. I do not need to be the typical rock asshole" – Mika Tauriainen –
How were your beginnings as a metal musician?
I played drums for 5 years and actually the second guitar Jaani was at that band too; I started my career with him. We had a band called Billy Goes. it was kind of Seattle rock style, a good band, if you know a band called Iconcrash from Finland, the singer played drums at our band at that time and he is a fucking great drummer still.
And what was the reason to change the role and become a vocalist? You do not feel tempted to switch in some gigs the position with Aksu (Entwine´s drummer who plays vocals in Tuomi)?
Hehehe no. Sometimes I feel like well, I would like to play drums but in general I am happy singing. I used to play the rock classics, Led Zepellin, Deep Purple, old school stuff. When I started to think about singing is when the entire Seattle wave came. Bands like Alice in Chains or Pearl Jam. The thing is that I jumped from behind the drums because I wanted to be on the front of the stage. I just wanted to sing. I never took singing lessons, maybe only ten and a half hours in total, some breathing exercises and so on. But nowadays I do not like singing much with “pure voice”, many Finnish power metal singers sing just very high and very clean and I think it is boring. Some of those singers sound just the same.
{mosimage}Now that Finland is a more metal country than ever, do you feel the scene different than a decade ago when you started?
Of course it is different. It is not so glamorous anymore. Sometimes it feels more like “work”, but I can´t say that I feel it like pure work, because after all it is fun. If we are talking about album wise, I am not thinking anymore “if it hits the charts or how much is going to sell”. Before with previous albums I could be like “ok, now it is going to be the time” and then when maybe it did not hit so big it was bad, but now I feel calmer, I enjoy music more purely, maybe in the end it takes some time to realize that it is only music. Now in that sense I feel like ten years ago, it is fun and leave the rest for the record company. If they do good job great, and if not, well, it is not my fault. At least I get to make albums and play live, and that is the main thing for me.
The only female member of the band, the keyboard player Riitta, quit a few months ago. What were the reasons?
She had a kid and she started school at 2007, so she had to stay at home, because her parents live far away and she did not have so many possibilities to go on tour and things like that. Maybe we would do a couple of shows with her, but not likely that she is going to be part of the band anymore because the kid is her priority number 1 now.
And how do you feel with so many metal bands in Finland nowadays. It seems that one of every three guys is in a metal band…
Yeah, and especially in Tampere. Everybody is in a band! Well, I am not really thinking about it, I know of course that there are many other bands, but I am over that. It is not about competition for me. I am doing my job, and if somebody likes it, it is good, and if somebody does not, I do not care. Maybe it is because I am not a rookie anymore, I am not 20 (Mika is 34) so I know my place. I don´t need to be the typical rock asshole, like I see with some other people.
What is coming next for Entwine? I know you will be playing more in Finland and other places like Russia, so then…?
There are plans to go to play to USA, I don´t know exactly when, but maybe in autumn hopefully. We were talking also about going to Spain. Let´s see what is going to happen. In Moscow I have been once before…and basically we were drunk the three days we spent there. We had a release party and then took the train for 12 hours and when we arrived, we had a great hangover. I slept probably 2 hours in 2 days. I was totally fucked! Now I suppose it is going to be a bit more relaxed than that time.
Q&A with Mika Tauriainen
{mosimage}Favorite place to play in Finland?
Qstock in Oulu last summer, best show in Finland ever!
Best concert abroad?
In Barcelona last year we had a great show! People started to shout asking for the encore like if it would be a football match. I was touched and very close to burst into tears.
Who is the guy who drinks the most in the band?
Uhm..It is Aksu, I think so. I try to keep up his “good” work…
Hobbies?
I like sports, I play tennis and badminton and football. But I have had problems with my back for the last couple of years.
Favorite drug?
Nothing hard. I only like “natural” things that grow from the earth…
Last CD you bought (not downloaded)?
I have never been collecting albums. Of course I love music. I do not remember the last one I bought, but the first one I can tell you that was Yngwye Malmsteem´s Rising Force. That album was fabulous!
For more information about the band visit:
{mosimage}Ben Granfelt Band offers a great album of rock with a twist of blues that sounds deliciously great!
Ben has a really long career, having played in many bands and projects including the legendary Finnish Leningrad Cowboys. He started his debut project in 1993 and what you have here is no less than his 10th studio album. And luckily they will keep coming as good as this one. Because what you have between your hands with Kaleidoscope is a little masterpiece. Adding a new keyboard player, Kasper Martenson (who previously played with metal band Amorphis) the band sounds better than ever. A great kicking off for the album with Julie is followed up by the great instrumentation displayed in Because we can and the great cover from David Gray Dead in the water. Basically every track could be a single just by itself, although if I have to choose a song, my highlight of the album goes for What comes around goes around.
Ben Granfelt and his Finnish fellows are able to complete a superb album that will provide with endless hours of satisfaction to the lovers of good blues and rock. Pretty enjoyable!
Rating 4/5.
{mosimage}After splitting up with Sunrise Avenue, it is about time for their former guitarist Janne Kärkkäinen to show what he is able to do in a solo career…
Cyanide Skies is the debut album for the solo career of Kärkkäinen after his departure in 2007 from Sunrise Avenue. Counting with the collaboration of his friends from the also Finnish band Poets of the Fall, Janne is not only able to state that he had enough talent to start alone a new career, but he delivers an amazingly good album. The record is composed by ten hard rock tracks easy to listen, with good quality, great production and excellent lyrics; in fact the album surprises quickly being very catchy and offering a good vibe in most of the songs. If I have to choose, I would highlight Perfectly Good Day, Carry Me (with an intro riff that reminds me of Pearl Jam) or the heart-lightening Hey You.
For those who thought that Janne’s career will be over after his departure from SA, here comes a frontal kick on their face. Cyanide Skies is powerful but measured, the perfect product to reach big audiences without losing the essence of good hard rock. No wonder that just after releasing it has hit the Finnish charts in a very top position. A nice surprise indeed!
Rating 4/5.
{mosimage}Debut album for another amazing Finnish rock band. It seems that the resources to give birth to great bands are never ending in our dear Suomilandia!
Founded at the beginnings of the decade by vocalist H-P Poikonen, the band has been around in Finnish and other international stages (like in Estonia) for a few years, gaining experience and having a few changes in the formation until it seems they have reached enough maturity to release a full length debut album. And the result is quite astonishing. This Take your time exhales quality from the first blowing track Burning Bridges. Poikonen´s vocal skills are some of the best I have heard recently in “new” Finnish singers and the orchestration sounds compact, with a very well produced sound, and an amazing artwork (really, the CD cover must be the most beautiful one I have seen in Finnish releases for a very long time!). The quality of the melodic rock played by the Finnish does not decrease with great other tunes like the first single Ordinary Special (that reminds me of the British band Uninvited Guest) or the touching ballad Love is dead.
I could say that this Take your time is one of the best surprises of the last month in the Finnish hard rock scene, but it seems I repeat the same every few weeks due to the big amount of amazing titles that we receive from new talented bands. So resuming, I just can say that if you like good melodic rock, you cannot miss listening to Pin Ion and checking out their live concerts. A superb debut album that hopefully will be followed up by a great success story!
Rating 5/5.
{mosimage}The fathers of grindcore, the British brutal metal band from Birminghan is back in better shape than ever!
I must honestly confess that grindcore is not one of my favourite metal genres. Maybe I find it “too much” for my taste. I usually find more enjoyable classic hard rock and metal. All in all, I must not less than recognize the merit of Napalm Death. They still sound like youngsters full of rage, not easy for a band whose members are around their 40s.Far from resting on their laurels, the album is again incendiary but catchy at the same time with a sharpened sound and Greenway´s still in great shape as vocalist.
With 28 years of career and 14 albums released, you could not ask for much more than what the British offer here; an album that will please the hardcore fans at the same time that opens a bit the door for other kind of audiences that not necessarily are into grindcore to get to like them. Definitely again a good work!
Rating 3/5.
{mosimage}Welcome to the year 2707. Forget about civilization as we know it. This is about surviving the mutant invasion!
Visually, the movie is certainly shocking. From the first scenes in the trenches, you can smell all around an atmosphere very steam punk, where and old aesthetic gets mixed with the future time. Some people will find it weird and some people will love it, but well, remember that this is a sci-fiction movie based on role games, so it does not necessarily need to be much realistic with how the future could be in seven centuries, although the mix of I World War equipment, mutants and high technology can turn dizzy to more than one watcher.
Ron Perlman makes a more than decent role, although the undisputed star of the film is the tough soldier Mitch Hunter (Thomas Jane). What was a bit surprise for me is the short intervention of Jon Malkovich, who appears in the cover of the DVD (obviously just to hook a few more watchers expecting a bigger role from him). The quest through the destruction of the machine that is turning humankind into mutants has some good moments, but in the end it does not make me feel new sensations.
Honestly, I was expecting a bit more from the movie when I read the plot and watched the pictures. The mutants seem to be a copy of the zombies of 28 days later, and the members of the team that has the task of saving the world are falling so quickly one after another that there is not even time to develop a higher degree of relations among them.Not a bad science fiction movie, but it could have been better with a little more “spicy” plot and risky storytelling.
Rating 3/5.
{mosimage}The best: the magnetic Devon Aoki holding again a deadly sword.
The worst: Jon Malkovich appears for less than 5 minutes on screen.
The detail: The movie is based on a pen and paper role game.
I meet Finnish accordion player Kimmo Pohjonen in the cafeteria annexed to the Vanemuise Concert Hall in Tartu (Estonia), the venue where he will be playing one hour later together with Samuli Kosminen and Proton String Quartet. Pohjonen is a very popular character in Estonia and people really love him, nevertheless the venue is totally packed and sold out to see live this talented and unorthodox musician. Opposite to the stereotype that hangs on Finnish people, Kimmo is talkative, happily speaks up his mind when reflecting about his life and work and… he is also hungry! The previous sound check took a bit longer than expected because they have a new guy debuting with the lightings and Kimmo devours mercilessly a plate of fish and potatoes while answering my questions minutes before the show:
Thank you for your time Kimmo. You have just recently released the second studio album with your band KTU, Quiver. What can people expect from it and what are the differences with the first one 8 Armed Monkeys?
The first album we recorded it pretty quickly, during the first gigs and the material was made in a few days; Lots of improvisation on that first album. So for the second one we wanted to make more a “studio album” and differently, my goal is that I wanted to get more “colors” from each person, each of us had so many good things they could make an album alone so this was about putting all that together. There was more dialogue here, I would say that in the first one it was like altogether talking at the same time and here we have work from everybody and then sometimes we shout. I like this record a lot, with some records you have the feeling that it could have been better but I am very happy that we did this as we wanted.
Samuli Koskinen (who is also an active member of the Icelandic band MUM) is not an active member of KTU anymore, although he has collaborated in some songs of the new album. What was the reason for his “departure”?
Samuli has a very busy family situation, he has a small baby and he really wants to be home. And then he also works with MUM and they try to take it easy with MUM also. So when it was found out that he was so busy it was natural that he was a bit put aside, meaning he won´t be playing in the live gigs. So in a way we are now only three so something happened for the band also, we became more communicative and maybe with a different energy than before. But when we made the recording we sent all the material to Samuli and asked if he wanted to mix something and play so… his shadow is there with us!
Is there a chance that he could come back in the future?
Well, we feel now very comfortable as a trio. If the day comes in the future that he wants to come back, we will have to see what is the situation but at the moment we continue just the three because it really works. I thought, ok it is a pity that Samuli is not with us but then when we started to play we felt like “ok, but it is a great move also”. There was also so much stuff coming from everybody so in a way now with 3 guys talking, it is easier to keep the speed.
Are there many crashes when everybody is so creative?
Well, of course we have too many ideas and we have a process where sometimes we are having arguments; it would be stupid if it would not be like that. That is the thing when 3 artists are working and they put the 110% there so sometimes we crash but it is also wonderful to solve these things.
And you are a bit different than the average Finnish guy, not keeping your mouth shut!
Yeah, as Pat says, the sign that this is made is when Kimmo is happy hehehe. I thought we were kind of sharing but then I think…umm maybe it is me! But well, anyway, it is an interesting process. I like also that we have some duets there in the record opposite to the first one where everybody is just playing, giving now more air and space.
We are very comfortable as a trio now in KTU" -Kimmo Pohjonen-
How were your beginnings as musician? I know you started quite early playing as a child.
It was a long path, a long process. I was playing folk stuff first and then playing just normal accordion music and then going to lessons, I was supposed to be a classical musician and that was at that time my really big goal, to play in big concert halls some classical material as a soloist. I thought I did not want to play accordion anymore.
So how was the experience in Sibelius Academy?
I was supposed to go to classical music department but then I changed my mind at the last minute and I heard about Folk Music Department and it changed my life upside down again. I liked the idea that it was about world´s music, it was everything, and with many different instruments. Then at the end of my studies I found “my instrument” again.
You were also learning to play and travelling around the world in Tanzania, Argentina…, weren´t you?
Yes, that was also part of that idea that I was in love with the instrument, that thumb piano in Tanzania and in Argentina with bandoneón, but then when I realized the guys playing bandoneón, they were born for that, they are so good! For being at the same level, I should have been born there or training 10 years and maybe I would not be as good as they were. So I thought, ok maybe I should turn back to my instrument, accordion. But I wanted something different, with more electronics, more improvisation, I wanted also do solo, I did not want to think about other people if they liked what I do or not.
I met a couple of years ago dancer Tero Saarinen, you have collaborated also with him. It was interesting that for him, same for you, he likes freedom and experimenting with his dance; he traveled and studied in Japan… Do you find that it is important for a Finnish artist to travel and opening the eyes abroad?
It is more about that when you are young and you are studying, it is important to be into different things: to go to concerts, to see dance, theatre, movies… But then you have to find your own way to do your own thing and forget about the rest. Like Tero did. I learnt Tanzanian music, Argentinean music, etc but now when I do my thing I realized I did not want to put any of those things into my music. I improved learning those things but it was also about all the life before learning these things. Before you build the house, you must have the materials, and then you build your own house. I would suggest to every young guy, hey go and see different things and enjoy them but when you start to do your own things, maybe it is not so good anymore to follow those others and follow just yourself and find your own way.
How did you feel when starting to play the accordion? How do you describe the relation?
It has been rolling upside down all the time. When I really remember that day when I remember “this is now my instrument and I know what I want to do with this instrument”. That day was 24th of June, a day I was doing my first solo at Sibelius Academy. I had a good sound system there and when I was packing my instrument, I heard new sounds from my instrument with the echoes. I thought “this is the thing for me”. Finally I heard something I had not heard of anybody doing. After that I continued that dialogue with my instrument and I did not have any doubt with my instrument. It is very difficult to develop the instrument because not so many guys have done it, but then for 10 years I have been very happy with the instrument, no problem at all. When I was a young guy I was kind of ashamed of playing accordion and now I am so happy I did not start playing guitar or something like that, because with this instrument you are always radical or innovative going on stage while with guitar everything is already done. It is not that I want to do different things just to do things nobody did before, it is just that I want to please myself with new ideas and that keeps me going.
I want to please myself with new ideas and that keeps me going" -Kimmo Pohjonen-
I heard also that you have broken many bellows in your career…
Yeah, that is a perfect example that I was so frustrated and then in an interview I told about it and somebody read it and called me and told me that he could build better bellows, and after that no more problems, I can play several concerts with the same bellows. That is how it goes, you struggle and then you find the solution.
You project a bit of a rebel image; your look for example is out of the stereotype. Does it has anything to do with having had strict teachers in the past and then trying to act later totally the opposite than expected?
No, I remember in the 80s that I hated all the hippies with the BMWs and so on, and I did not want to have the same look, so in a way that is being rebel. I don´t know if something to do with music but with my personality. I wasn´t afraid of being different. That was not so easy. When you are under great teachers and then you start to do something totally different with confidence. In arts people are studying, but at same point they have to kill their “teachers” and do their own things, and some students do not have enough confidence to do it. It was like that with the first solo concert I did, I did not want to please my teachers or my father, just myself. Of course it is great if other people like it too but that is not the first thing. If you see the music people are doing nowadays, it is done just to please audiences, radio stations, buyers… I want to be totally against that thing. If there are no people in the concert, then hey I play for two people.
You have created soundtracks for movies, created music for multimedia projections, for circus, you have collaborated with Ismo Alanko… what is left that you would still like to do?
Luckily there are still many projects I would like to do. If it comes a day that I am tired to do new things, maybe it would be about time to finish with what I do. I have many ideas, but the problem is the time. 8 years ago I wanted to do a project with wrestlers. In Finland there was a tradition from 1920s to 1960s, there were wrestling competitions and when the guys are grappling, they literally farted, so they need music, accordion players, to cover the sound of the farts. It is such a great story! I even talked to some old musicians who had played in those competitions. I wish I would have been there seeing wrestling and accordion playing. Of course I would need to do it again in my own way. Maybe that project could happen next year, it is just one idea. The sound of the accordion is an endless world. I combine acoustic accordion together with electronic accordion in the same instrument. As long as I feel developing the sound and getting different sounds, that is enough for me. When I won´t feel it anymore, that will be the end of my days as an artist.
Have you had guys coming to you interested in learning to play accordion with you?
No, they have asked me to teach, but I can´t teach because I travel so much, but there has not been a guy yet who came and say “hey, I want to explore the sound as you do”. If that kind of guy would come, I would be ready to help and give some guidance. I really wish to see some day that people continue with that work on their own way. But yeah, the time is always the problem because you have to concentrate also on your own stuff.
Some years ago you did a project with Tapiola Sinfonietta, Kalmuk, and you pushed the musicians there to experiment more with their instruments, trying new positions, etc. Have you done very weird things playing the accordion?
I think there are no limits for it. If for example I want to spin around with the accordion, I do it. I want to find new things and that makes me explore. Of course for example when I see the cello musicians I play with, sometimes I can see things like “hey, this guy could do something better with that” so I try to encourage people to do something, even very small things, new for them. It is the whole idea of being human being and then you do not need to do your work exactly the same every day. You can have different rules. You have one life so you have to be carefully not to get stuck with one idea or only one way of doing things. I try to do it with myself and open my eyes and of course I do with other people also.
What can you tell me about the Earth Machine Music Tour? You played some gigs last year in farms and see that this year you will continue with it?
Yes, it is a great project planned to be a kind of “side project”, but now we will continue with it. I did it in England and Finland and now we will go to Australia also. I collaborate with farmers, who have never performed. They are unbelievable! People are not so much into farms or countryside anymore, so when somebody shows interest about what they are doing, they are so nice and helpful! They come there with their machines, you have audience. They come in front of them and they have their machines sound with microphones. Then I sample the sounds from the farm, so basically it is music made for that particular farm. I perform with people who have never performed before, a new thing for them and me. And they really liked it a lot! It is a great reward. Some people in the audience had never watched a concert before. There are many great aspects in that project. I would like to do it here in Estonia some day in the Leigo Lake festival in Otepää.
How do you feel about being in Estonia?
Estonia is definitely one of my favorite countries. There are really always good concert here, and it is easy to come and easy to play due to the short distance with Finland. I have many friends also here.
Do you plan to make gigs with KTU?
Yes, we plan to do gigs in June-July. We have plans to play in some festivals, we still have to confirm. (Phillip, his manager, intervenes at that moment to give some names and locations almost confirmed like Ruisrock in Turku, Czech Republic, German gigs, Tallinn) so hopefully we can come here.
You always said you express yourself the best when playing solo; any chance to have a solo album in the near future?
I have been thinking about it a lot, but there are always so many projects ongoing that it turns to be at the bottom, and I wonder why. I don´t know how to answer this question. At the moment, I know that I won´t do it in a near future because there are so many projects now, but I wish I would do it again at some point.
Photos by Kalle Björklid, Mikko Hannula and Marita Liulia
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{mosimage}The follow up album to his debut in 2006 puts this young but talented Finnish artist against on the scope!
Born in 1976, Koskinen, well known in Finland among other things for his collaboration with Kauko Röyhkä, features his second studio album; a work that flows divided into episodes that count how a day goes for different characters that see the world from different points of view.
Actually, opposite to the trend in Finnish music, full of melancholic and dark feelings, the album sounds bright and light, starting with the splendid Perjantaina and following with other notable tracks like Hevonen.The album has a certain ”hippie” energy from the 60s, and certainly is a fresh breeze into the present Finnish music scene. An enjoyable work, even more enjoyable if you understand/speak finnish to decipher the great lyrics.
Rating 4/5.