Interviews

1. First I'd like to start this interview with thanking you for allowing me to interview you. Okay, so I want to go ahead and ask if you could describe Hybrid Children to people who have never heard of your band.
What makes you guys Hybrid Children?

Our racket is solidly based on vocal melodies and harmonies although
some call it metal, some call it punkrock and some just loud guitar-driven rock music. We've always been kind of in-between all cathegories: not enough metal for heavymetal fans, and not enough indie for indiefans and not
enough punk for punk-rockers ...mainly for image reasons too, heheh: we've
always had long haired guys and headbanging on stage etc. so that has made people even more confused when they have listened to our music first and then seen "what the fuck, these are some hippies, aren't they?" and vice versa.

What makes us what we are...hmm...same kind of humour, and on the
whole: same kind of view of life when it comes to rock'n'roll -business.
Meaning that our attitude is really honest: we don't do this for money, if it would be so, we'd quit after the first album back in 1993. I do this because i HAVE to do this for my own sake. Someone has to paint art, someone has to do bodybuilding, i have to write songs and play them to people to feel myself somehow worthwile.


2. What should us fans expect from Hybrid Children for 2006?

I hope we get a 2weeks italian tour organized in May. Some gigs in
autumn.
After that hopefully some new songs on tape and maybe early next year
new album out. That just depends on money, basically. We're on a small
label and recording/mixing/mastering and releasing a record is expensive if you wanna do it right, as we want to, and we're still on minus from a last one,
heheheh..cruel world, but what you're gonna do!


3. Can you tell me what lead you to punk music? And as the years pass by will you guys continue on with making punk music? Or do you think
you'll grow out of the whole punk scene? I'm sorry, I'm just trying to answer
some questions here for some other Hybrid Children fans. We really want you guys to stay!

I saw Sex Pistols on finnish newsflash when i was a kid. They were on a national evening news cause some stupid prejudiced youth organizations and councils thought they were "bad influence for finnish youth" and they
refused their work-permits so Pistols couldn't come here to play.  So they
showed a quick flash of "Pretty Vacant" -video and I was hooked immediately.
I thought: that's it, that's what i wanna be when I grow up. They looked so
cool and sounded cool and NASTY. The youth organizations' plan backfired BIG TIME: here I am exactly 28 years later writing an interview for you guys...with a Sex Pistols poster on my wall. I've never regretted my choice,
not a single day.

I guess that story covers up pretty much all your questions, right?


4. Define the type of rockstar you are.

A rockstar? Me? heheheh, Gimme a break!

5. What is your most favourite phrase or saying to say to friends; something that they usually get annoyed by?
" mmmm, could you buy me a drink, please?"


6. I want to ask you this question because you guys are in the studio. While creating music, which do you guys focus on first; lyrics, melody, or riffs? Or do you guys just work on them altogether without focusing on one to begin with?

It varies. If i have come up with really good lyrics, even one good
catchphrase will do, the music can come quite easily. You know, it's easier in a way if you have lyrics before you start to write the music: you get the rhythm from the words and you don't have to stretch difficult words for the sake of some already written melody line, but on the other hand: it may be that it becomes more ordinary music-wise cause you tend to concentrate on words and their rhythm. So: You didn't get any wiser from this answer didn't you ;)

There's absolutely no "right order" what comes first: riff, lyrics or melody. it can start from anywhere, for example from a good drum-fill.
There can be a good one seconds rhythm-vibe and suddenly you remember that: "YES, i got this 5 years old verse that hadn't somehow worked, but NOW i know what was wrong: we should play it with that drum pattern and change it this way and..."

For me it's most of the time a kind of jigsaw-puzzle: some riff, verse, chorus and some stupid guitar "pling-plong-pojojoingg"-nonsense just click together some day and: there you go, suddenly those pieces work together and you got a brilliant song!! And of course sometimes you got those good individual pieces but they never click with each other.

7. I'm going to go ahead and name some famous names, and I want you to give me a word that describes them in your own opinion.


 - Metallica?
Really big influence for me back in 1984-1989. I just loved them. When
Master of Puppets came out, I think we listened ONLY that album maybe
for a year, heheh. They also got me into Misfits cause they always had these
misfits' shirts back then. And no wonder why!

- Ozzy Osbourne?
A very loveable old chap. I really like Ozzy's honesty and down-to-earth
attitude. He's very street-wise. He's my idol.

- Sex Pistols?
Well, this i already explained, did I ;) They will always be the biggest icon for me. Definitely.

- Kurt Cobain?Brilliant songs. I remember when i first heard them in our original
drummers' car while he was driving and "Breed" from Nevermind came on
the stereo: i jumped up and shouted:"THIS IS IT!! This is what i've been
waiting for! What the hell is this band??" You know, at that time there had
only been this speedmetal aftermath and really shitty music going on for
maybe about 2-3 years and Nirvana brought the melodies and simple songs back to LOUD music.

 - HIM?

They deserve everything in this goth-scene. Ville invented this whole thing
and HIM were the first to do it. They should get the respect, and they will,
I'm sure. I'm so bored of all these Him- clones. You know, if you'd been
listening to Him since the first gigs back in..well..i cant even remember,
1995-1996, as we've pretty much HAVE  because you can't avoid hearing
Him in finland, you'd feel SO FUCKING TIRED and ASHAMED for these thousands of goth-losers who try to do that same song all over and over again..that one which HIM wrote ten years ago, heheh. You get my point? We've heard all about 666,Heart,Death,Love,Darkness,Sorrow,Tears and for the 10.000th time that LoveAndDeathEvil666 that: please, if you have a band and you've got nothing else to write: QUIT NOW, please. We've had enough here;)


8. Now for those who are in bands themselves; is there any type of advice you would like to give? Maybe some personal experience that you went through in the past?

1.advice: Take a look at last sentences of previous question :D
2.advice: Don't fake. Eventually people notice it and then you're
fucked.
3.advice: If you're after money, you get it much easier doing a normal
job.
4.advice: Always remember that this is supposed to be FUN.
5.advice: Maybe the most important one: Learn to laugh at yourself,
otherwise you're career will be really short.
..and my mom's advice never goes wrong: Be polite to everyone.
9. In 2005 were there any memorable fans who have done something outrageous to gain your attention before, during, or after a gig, or maybe just out in the streets?

No. Heheh.
But they offer me drinks quite often, which i really appreciate!


10. What do you want people to gain from listening to your music?
Good vibes. Even though some of the songs are not that "shiny happy
people laughing" -stuff, but still get some uplifting spirit from them. You
know: even though everything sucks, we still have to keep going on, have to
believe that life's worth living.

11. What do you think seperates American music from Finnish music?
I don't think it's necessarily different in some certain way, i mean, nothing specific. They do dark music under California sun as well as in finland some bands write happy and poppy surf songs.... It's a bit of a trap to start to find some "one definite answer" to this one. Cause there isn't any, I think.

12. And now to end this interview I would like to ask you guys a question that we here at FMIM ask every band; is there something you guys would like to share with all your lady fans?

Heheh...Sure we have! We can share our Lauri;)!!

Cheers+thanks!

-Jasse,