Interviews

How are you?

Jonne: Fine... but my bottle is trying to drop. (catches it with his feet)

I'd consider you being one of the most native Finnish bands, using lots of folk elements and joiks (which is the singing of the Sámi people in Lapland ) and also concerning the topic of your lyrics, so why are most of your lyrics in English then?

Jonne: Because it's hard to write good-sounding lyrics in Finnish to me somehow. I write a lot but I put it in the garbage then. I have pretty high expectations on my lyrics, so somehow it's easier. But we have a few Finnish songs on our next album.

Jarkko: The Finnish language has a lot of long words which are hard to put in songs. In English it's so much easier in that sense.

Some questions to Jonne: In your former band Shaman you used the Sámi language in your lyrics. I know that you spent some time in Lapland. What did you do there?

Jonne: Actually I played guitar. We have been playing in that ski resorts every day. It was like a regular work for me there in Levi. The place was HulluPoro, Crazy Reindeer.

I'm always pretty interested in that Sámi language. Do you really speak that language?

Jonne: Actually no, my girlfriend was a Sámi people and I was with them and when we started it she was a singer. And I was just kind of a second voice at this time, so that's why. (laughs)

Which Sámi language is it? Because I know there are three different languages spoken in Finnish Lapland...

Jonne: It is Tunturi Sámi.

About this joiking... was it difficult to learn it?

Jonne: Actually I learned it pretty easily, little by little. Just to ring it with them. Otherwise I didn't do it but little by little I worked it into my own songs and... yeah. (laughs)

At all, what caught your interest in the north? Why did you go there?

Jonne: Actually... I don't know. (laughs)

I mean there must have been a reason for that...

(Jonne and Jarkko talk in Finnish)

Jarkko: Well, I know this story because one of our friends moved to Rovaniemi. It was more like Jonne's friend than mine but I knew him also and then Jonne and another friend of mine went to visit him there. And then they spent like a week or two there and then they phoned home and told them to send our stuff, so they stayed. They just went to see their friend and decided that we're gonna stay here.

And why did you return then to the south?

Jonne: (thinks, laughs) I don't know. It was actually the same kind of situation, you know, there was no serious reason for that.

You just did it?

Jonne: Yeah.

Some live stuff... There were some line-up changes recently. Was it difficult to get together a group that could work together well also on stage?

Jonne: I think it's pretty easy. Some guys just came to the band and other guys left the band. So... I don't know. (everyone laughing)

I've seen you now playing in Lammi at Pellavarock and you even played at the Summerbreeze which is a pretty big festival, and also I saw you playing last Sunday in a small club in the Netherlands. What do you prefer yourselves, playing at big festivals or club shows?

Jonne: Well, I don't know (grins). Well, they are both, I think, great in their own way, but in different ways.

Jarkko: It's always easier to get yourself in a good mood on stage when you are close to the people. But then again it is quite nice to be playing in front of thousands of people of course. That is a different thing. So they are both good. We enjoy both types of concerts but for different reasons.

Jonne: Yeah.

Something I find pretty funny: Who came up with the idea of placing antlers in front of the microphone on stage?

Jonne: We got it from an old Sámi joiker last year in February. Then we put it to the microphone standard and there it is. (laughs) It actually was a joke at first but it looks good.

From this tour – What were your best and what were your worst memories?

Jonne: We don't have any memories of it. (everyone laughing)

Why not?

Jonne: Yeah... (thinks) Actually the worst was that I was sick through a whole show on tour. And gigs are always the best thing on touring. And beer. (laughs)

Jarkko: It was great to see that we have quite a big audience here. That was one of the best things. We were surprised. The concert in the Netherlands was brilliant because the place was full, and the Summerbreeze was brilliant because the band that was playing before us had practically no audience and then when we were putting our stuff together, everybody came there. A huge crowd, which was also a total surprise for us. A great moment, I think.

About the new album "Tales Along This Road". How are the recordings going? You already entered the studio...

Jarkko: We have recorded the drum- and bass-tracks and we will continue with guitars and vocals when we return home in Mid-December.

Why did you start the recordings for the album in the middle of a tour?

Jonne: Because we had to book the studio a year ago, so... the studio got pretty full already and then the tour happened.

Can you already reveal anything about the album? Will there be any strange instruments again like on your previous records?

Jonne: I think pretty the same instruments. Accordion as now we have a permanent player but... but pretty the same.

Jarkko: We don't really know that yet. Because on the last album, I think, it was Hittavainen who played all kinds of different instruments and we don't know what he is going to do and how he has done it.

As we are the a webzine about Finnish Metal bands I have to ask about that scene in general... especially these folk music based bands are pretty popular right now in other countries, like for example Finntroll or Ensiferum. What do you think is the reason for that?

Jarkko: The melodies are quite catchy. It is easy to sing along and stuff like that, I think. Those traditional melodies are so simple and easy. They are sort of similar around the world. There are similarities in different countries. That's why, I think.

Something I noticed on “Voice Of Wilderness”: There is a listing of guest-musicians and there is written Eero and Raimo Järvelä. Who are they?

Jonne: Errr, my dad's brother. So he's my uncle. That is that Eero Järvelä. There is on one song guest-singers, background-singers.

Actually we are almost through. Some last words to our readers?

Jarkko: See you on all the gigs!

Jonne: I don't know. (laughs)

You don't know anything… (laughs)

Jonne: (looking to Cane): Maybe you should say something at this point! That is only for you...

Maybe something intellectual? (laughs)

(everyone waiting)

Jonne: Maybe he is the wrong guy...

Cane: I've got nothing to say.

Okay... Kiitos haastattelusta!