I managed to catch up with Brother Firetribe just as work on their latest albim 'Heart Full of Fire' was in the can.

(Suzi) Hey guys, hello from Australia!

I want to thank you all very much for taking the time out to speak to me. Congratulations on the new album! The teasers you've put up on your My Space page are terrific. Thank you for responding to my plea for an interview, I hope you can have some fun with it and give us a deeper insight into the crazy world of Brother Firetribe!

 

Pekka Ansio Heino (singer): Many thanks for your kind words, good to hear you dig the new stuff!

 

Suz: So, how are you all?

 

PH: We´re doing great, thanks. The new album "Heart Full Of Fire" is in the can and we´re really satisfied with the result. Can´t wait for people to hear it.

 

Suz: How did this band get together?

 

PH: It all started out back in 2001. Me and Tomppa had played in the same band previously and that band had just slowly being put to rest. We were really tired of the musical climate at the time and really didn´t feel like banging our heads against the wall anymore. Then suddenly Tomppa came up with the riff that ended up being the main riff on "One Single Breath". That song started the whole thing, and Jason and Emppu were more than happy to hop along as soon as they heard the demo. Kalle joined in during the recordings of our debut "False Metal". We never had any intention to put out an album as we were sure nobody would sign us…we were wrong and here we are!

 

Suz: How did you come up with the name 'Brother Firetribe'?

 

PH: It´s sort of an inside joke. It´s a straight translation of Veli Paloheimo, who was a Finnish tennis professional back in the day. A mutual friend of ours came up with that in a drunken haze during a long party…We thought it was too stupid to waste!

 

Suz: Your music is strongly inspired by the great rock acts of the 80's, who was your favourite 80's star growing up?

 

PH: There are so many but I think we all share our love of KISS, Van Halen, Bon Jovi, Journey, Malmsteen etc.

 

Suz: Tomppa; what bands were you in before Brother Firetribe, and how did they prepare you for this experience?

 

Tomppa Nikulainen (keyboards): I played keyboards for many years in a band called Cashmir and before that I played drums in several "not so great" bands. Actually Cashmir kind of prepared me for BFT cause Pekka was the singer of the band and we realized that both of us really loved the hottest sounds of 80´s and it would be superb if we could do something in the same vein.

 

Suz: What made you decide to go for an 80's sound?

 

PH: We never sat down and decided about anything. This was the kind of music that came out naturally. There were no calculations of any kind, we went after what we thought was cool, and it just happened to be something we all grew up with.

 

TN: I think that everything I have ever done with keyboards just sounds very 80´s. I can´t help it. And I still can´t believe that now we "are allowed" to do stuff like this and there are people who really love what we do! That is just so great.

 

Suz: What first inspired you to take up music?

 

PH: Digging music like crazy is naturally the main thing. Next thing you know, you´re dying to buy a guitar and form a band ´cause that´s the coolest thing ever. I remember listening to all those albums when I was a kid and dreaming of being able to play in a band, just like millions of others.

 

TN: I think it was my father who plays keyboards as well. He built his own Hammond organ when I was about two years old and after a few years of practicing to play that great instrument with a wooden hammer my parents took me to real piano lessons, heh.. and I also remember that when I heard Van Halen´s Jump I realized that keyboards is the instrument for me. In my opinion that song includes everything what a great song needs. Period.

 

Suz: What made you choose this lifestyle where a career in music is generally considered a high-risk option?

 

PH: It all comes down to doing something you sincerely love, simple as that.

 

Suz: How difficult is it recording indepentently and in seperate studios?

 

PH: Today´s technology makes it very easy. Files are flying back and forth and suddenly you have a high quality demo in your hands. Then at some point it´s time to try it live in a rehearsal, which is always the most exciting part of the whole thing.

 

TN: It´s actually quite easy. Everybody knows their instruments and we have the same vision on what we do. That´s basically all it takes.

 

Suz: How tough is it to keep the music fresh when two of its members have other band committments?

 

PH: It´s always fresh because of the way we write which is really spontaneous. We have a natural way of complementing each others ideas and we know exactly what this band should sound like. It doesn´t matter what other commitments we have.

 

TN: It hasn´t been hard at all. We´ve been able to do much much more with BFT than anyone ever expected. Of course now we have a little problem cause we are not able to do any gigs to support our new album but I promise you that day will come!

Suz: Pekka; how are things with your other band Leverage? Do you find yourself with a loyal fanbase who follow and support both bands?

 

PH: Things are great, thanks! The new album "Blind Fire" just came out and it´s gaining rave reviews from all over the world. Leverage and Brother Firetribe seem to have formed a nice little symmetry which is cool. Torsti Spoof from Leverage mixed BFT´s new album.

 

Suz: What is your favourite song to perform live and why?

 

PH: We haven´t performed songs from the new album yet, so I can only comment on the songs from the debut. "Valerie", "I´m On Fire" and "One Single Breath" always went down a storm. Basically I like all of them.

 

Suz: In a world of sex, drugs and rock and roll, what's your moral standpoint? What message do you hope to bring through your music?

 

PH: Abslolutely nothing…This band is not about preaching or sending out our political views. Our main point is to have fun with our music and hope people can relate to that. What comes to sex, drugs and rock´n roll, all I can say is be careful out there.

 

Suz: Emppu; having seen Nightwish perform live from the front row at a small venue recently, I was impressed by the intimacy and interaction between the band and its audience. From your perspective, what do you get out of the smaller gigs compared to the large arenas?

 

Emppu Vuorinen (guitar): It really doesn´t matter what kind of venues I´m playing, I´m always trying to have fun on stage…By having fun there´s a bigger chance that the audience is enjoying themselves too.

 

Suz: If you could choose any band in the world, living or dead, to tour with, who would it be?

 

PH: Van Halen probably…Would be a humbling experience, I can imagine. That would be awesome.

 

Suz: Where do you see yourselves in five years?

 

PH: I think we´re still making music, no matter what.

 

Suz: Kalle; you only officially joined Brother Firetribe for the new album 'Heart Full of Fire'. What attracted you to Brother Firetribe?

 

Kalle Torniainen (drums): Actually I joined the band already during the sessions for the debut. Emppu originally asked me to come along and I was really thrilled as soon as I heard the material. It was the kind of music that hadn´t been around in a while, it sounded fresh. Plus the chemistry within the band is incredible.

 

Suz: Any good tour bus stories you can share?

 

PH: It´s always a mayhem when we´re out there…After parties tend to get out of hand every now and then. Our road crew takes care of most of the mayhem to be honest! Some of the stuff is better left unsaid…

 

Suz: What's the most played song on your I-Pod?

 

PH: Right now it seems to be the songs from Leverage´s Blind Fire. I listened to them a lot before we hit the road last month just in order to get a grip of the lyrics and stuff. IPod is probably the best thing since sliced bread, I never leave home without it!

 

 

Suz: Jason; It's very difficult to find you on Google (because we all know the world revolves around Google), what would you most like your fans to know about you?

 

Jason Flinck (bass): Well, all the basic stuff about me you can find from our website, but…butt...
Maybe the fact that I´ve got a weird sense of humour? Hell, ask me anything after few ones!

 

Suz: With all the side projects you guys have going on, do you get much time to just chill out and unwind? What do you do when you get spare time?

 

PH: BFT is all about chilling out! A perfect way to spend some spare time would be hanging with these guys, having a few brews, throwing some frisbee and making some music on the side…

 

Suz: Thanks so much guys, I appreciate u taking the time out of your hectic schedules for me. Have an awesome party at Pekka's 'summer house' - if you haven't already! All the best with the new album, I hope to chat to you again.

 

PH: Thank you, the pleasure was all ours. Now that you mentioned, we´re actually still recovering from the party…