Interviews

Hi Timo, thanks for agreeing to take part in this interview.  We’re a quarter of the way through 2007 already… how has the year been so far for you?

Very hectic but also very interesting! This album, Serenity, has taken most of my time to be honest. I worked on it from home, in Finland; got the deal worked out for it, mastered it, organised the artwork, the whole lot. Only then was it possible to make time for everything else… you know? eating, sports, drinking.  Now we've just been touring as well!! Hmmm

You've just released the new album last month but the first single, Sleep Well, has done very well in the charts too, which must make you very proud? Can you tell us a little more about that and its relationship with Serenity?

Of course. The single was really only a taster for Finland. It was originally an idea that came from a movie (Wares 2) which was coming out at home and it was the theme song. At the time I didn't have an international deal but it was the perfect vehicle to set the ball rolling. The director and I go back quite a long way to an original film he made several years ago so it was a very natural thing to do. I was actually a little disappointed it only made No 5, but it was a great way to introduce Serenity so I guess I can't complain. Tuomas Wainola, my guitarist, and I came up with most of the music - there's actually an acoustic version of the album track After the Rain on there sung in Spanish too which I hope people will check out, but it was quite a different song to the rest of the album so people need to look at the whole too.

I really do believe that this is the best Kotipelto album to date...I know all artists say this, but for me, it's true because for the first time I actually sat down with a finite band and wrote an album with them. On my previous two albums - Waiting for the Dawn and Coldness - there were fourteen guitarists or ten keyboard players, just friends doing parts, that kind of thing, but for Serenity it was just Tuomas, Lauri, Janne, Mirka and my voice.

The songs are really catchy too. I don't consider myself the best singer in the world, or even the best composer, but here there's a really strong collection of really good melodies and with the help of this band we've come up with some truly great ideas. For me, melodies are sometimes more important than the riffs. I'm not a Prog musician... there should be a strong chord going through the record that holds it together, and Serenity is just this way!

Can you describe the song writing process when you are working on your solo albums?   Serenity is vastly different from, say Coldness?

It is and there are several reasons for that. Not only is that because Tuomas was there from the beginning as I mentioned earlier but there's also a much more positive side to this record which was not there on Coldness. All songs start on this (Timo holds up a mobile phone)... I basically hum melodies into the phone and then give them names before transferring them to the computer. Next comes the basic music. I started out as a drummer so I can get an idea of the rhythm - but I'm not so good on the guitar - so it takes time but the basics can be done quite easily. I try to recreate the feelings that led to the original idea and go from there....

I then make mp3's and send them out to friends, haha! That sounds crazy I know but when it leads to the kind of interaction Tuomas and I very quickly started to have, I think it doesn't sound such a mad idea? Tuomas had some very good ideas, the other guys all had one or two and it just clicked. I think we only really rehearsed once before recording the record. You see, the playing ability of these guys is so strong that I really didn't need to force anything or put pressure on anyone.

Also, my own strength of mind was much better on this record. Coldness was recorded in a very dark period of my life where my personal life was a shambles. Now it is much better and the record reflects this. The songs all have their own life. The last written, The Last Defender has Tuomas written all over it. A lot of his ideas finished up in that song and it's a great personal favourite of mine... Sleep Well is completely different, yet they all compliment each other.

Can you write whilst you are on the road or do you need the solitude of being at home / in the studio?

Not really. You can turn little ideas around in the studio, vocal melodies or whatever but we had everything pretty set by then. And where my melodies come from, who knows? I can be anywhere really and an idea can pop into my head. Some of these songs came about in strange places, places which are definitely not everyone's idea of solitude but that's just me. If I sit down to compose something, it's really hard work!

I just believe in recording everything and occasionally one gold nugget will come out. You want to know a song? OK, King Anti Midas. This song was originally only called Wacken Open Air I think because the melody came to me whilst having a p*** backstage at Wacken one year. If you could hear the mobile, there's me pretty drunk singing into the mobile phone, blah, blah, blah, and after polishing it and working on it, it became a song!!

Who, or what, influences or inspires you the most when you write for your solo albums?

My musical influences are pretty wide; Rainbow, Dio, Whitesnake, Iron Maiden, that kind of thing but, Stratovarius too of course, although I don't think this record has anything to do with Stratovarius at all because that's very much Timo's band writing wise, but there's a balance between the music, history, nature, what I've experienced, travel, the whole thing. I'm very lucky. Stratovarius has been around the world many times now. I have been to Japan and one of the songs, City of Mysteries is actually about that because it's about big cities like Tokyo or Mexico City. There aren't many that have that same obsession with neon light and show. Travelling really opens your eyes. A lot of phobias disappear. I laugh at myself a lot too. I mean I'm not young anymore and at nearly 40 now, a 40 year old guy standing on a stage screaming, hitting those high notes - that's not 'normal' no? But, you know, you should be able to do this too.

Obviously they are two very different things, but which do you prefer, writing and recording or touring? And why?

That's easy. I love singing live. Singing in the studio can be hard work and occasionally very frustrating. For this album it wasn't so bad, it felt more natural than has been the case sometimes before - but live you really get the biggest kick. You're there with the audience and you feed off the emotion that comes from them. It's a magical experience.

As the vocalist of Stratovarius, you are part of one of the best known, if not THE best known, metal bands in Finland. Do you think this has helped or hindered your solo career so far?

It's a bit of both, really. Of course, without Stratovarius it would be impossible for me to do these albums. I mentioned the immense effect that the band has had on my outlook on life and I wouldn't have the same connections. I wouldn't have the experience or the 'ability' I'm blessed with, if I can say that? But, also people who don't know my music would naturally assume that it's going to come from the same, more bombastic angle that Stratovarius moves in and I certainly don't think that is the case.

As Kotipelto then – the solo artist – can you describe your sound for those who have yet to hear you?

Well, I think there's definitely more of a hard rock influence there. A band like Rainbow but maybe without the pomp? I don't know. It's just a more down to earth type of music to what people might expect from me. At home in Finland I'd like to think I'm pretty down to earth. I do this work for MTV you might have heard of presenting their rock programme and that has given me a lot of very special experiences but I just like to play rock music, that's it. I still have my idols but along the way we've all had our bit of luck as well.

I'd say, if you combine a bit of Whitesnake, a bit of Rainbow, a bit of the hard rock we do have in the background to Stratovarius, you might be able to pin my music down. Basically, I rock the metal!

As with many bands these days you have a strong web presence, with your own webpage and myspace page. How important do you think maintaining a presence like this is?

Myspace and that stuff is really a double edged sword. Sure, the feedback is quicker and more direct than the old fan mail, but you have to be realistic and careful when you use it because it can be harmful to you as well. The fans are very loyal, people always seem to want to support the bands - I don't really have a problem with the whole downloading thing, only when the gangs in Eastern Block countries and South America sell it, but myspace is a strange concept. You have to have a thicker skin than you had to have in the past because people can now have access to you without using their own name. A friend of mine calls it 'whore-space' because when you go on tour suddenly you get some of your so called friends calling the tour manager to get on the guest list or whatever. Hmm… that's an argument we could go on about all day!

You've just been out on a short European tour with Chris Caffrey. Will you be coming out to the UK at any point with your solo shows?

Sadly, not at this point but I hope it will be possible in the life of this album. We'd probably only be able to play London but I would certainly consider it. The tour with Chris was only a very short trip around the key territories but in the future we hope to be able to support a bigger band, and you never know?

You’ve founded your own record label, High and Loud, can you tell us more about why you did this and who you have signed to the label so far?

Well, the reasons for this are many but the main one is a thirst for knowledge really. I wanted to know how you do these things like international deals and merchandising, stuff like that. My partner is a guy who runs a company on the distribution side so it's a natural process for me. If I'm honest, it's a lot more stressful than I thought it would be and you cannot complain about what the label is doing for you because it's you, but it's rewarding too. There are a couple of bands coming through - an Italian Prog Metal band and Ancara which is Hard Rock - but I really only want to keep it small and build it slowly because fundamentally, I'm still a performer and that has to remain the priority.

Ok, now for some random questions…

Have you experienced any extreme fan behaviour? If so, can you tell us about it?

Haha! Yes, and I guess it's not so funny either. In Brazil with Stratovarius, there's this crazy female who seems to find the hotel where we're staying every time. The first time, I was nice to her, hugging her, whatever, but she starts shaking and hands me a letter in Portuguese; crying, throwing things like ashtrays, she gets very upset. The last time we were there I tried to avoid her and I heard she was ejected from the hotel because she was furious.

Then, there are the myspace messages. Some women on myspace think I'm a shrink or whatever. I'm really not, but it's best to avoid them really. I don't want to be observed!!

Which album / artist do you listen to most at the moment?

Actually, one of the new bands that will be on the label, Ancara. I'm not a huge listener actually. At home, I almost never put music on, only in the car. Right after this I'm driving to my parents which is like four or five hours drive and AFM have sent me loads of their stuff to listen to, so that'll be interesting.

The Finnish metal scene is known for having some of the best bands in the world, both up and coming and established... have you heard any bands lately that you think people should listen out for?

If I had then I should be signing them, right? Haha! Finland is a small, tight little scene really and it's quite a good, friendly environment to be in. Doing the MTV thing has really helped to open my eyes up to new bands actually. There's one, Swallow the Sun and Machine Men? They've got an excellent singer!!

If you could be anyone else for the day, who would you be and why?

Oh… I don't think I'd really want to change with anyone. My life has been an interesting journey and I want to see it to the end. Maybe just climb inside Ronnie James Dio's head for a day or possibly Kimi Raikkonen the racing driver? He doesn't say much but it would be fun to experience the feeling of speed he experiences every day for just one run.

You started out playing drums and then moved on to singing… do you have any regrets about not going further with your drumming?

Haha! Not really. I have actually thought about buying an electric kit because it might be fun to play drums again on the composing side of this but as to actually trying to become professional with it? That's not really possible. When I played drums I was 13 / 15 / 16 and I haven't played properly for years. Where I grew up there weren't many musicians so I tried singing and playing drums. I wasn't very good at either then!!

Which is your favourite gig that you have performed, with Stratovarius or as a solo artist?

Possibly the last gig Stratovarius did last year in Venezuela. It was the first time we'd been there; if you're lucky everything works, but this time it was brilliant. There was a huge queue and I actually thought a bigger band was playing above us. It was amazing! No sound check, the guys still building the PA, all that stuff but it was a huge success. 6 - 6,500 people singing all the words, all knew the melodies… man that was really special. I remember 6,000 in Sao Paulo, 4,000 in Chile. Then, there's when you play at home too. We played my old home town; my parents were there, even my Granny heard us play from the balcony of her Residential Home. Fabulous memories!

And gig you have attended by another artist?

Dio in Helsinki in 1996 / 1997 or Metallica on the Black Album Tour at Helsinki Ice Hall 1992. Dio because I actually got to meet him which was incredible; Metallica because they had the snakepit - this was before I got into Stratovarius I think, and the feeling was really intense.

Do you have a message for your UK fans?

Seriously, if we can get to the UK, I hope people will come and check out the band. The singer is what he is, but the band is good, haha! ROCK THE METAL!

Thank you Timo, we look forward to seeing you over here soon!