MORIAN: Janne Siekkinen interviewed for Suiciderock.com

MORIAN vocalist Janne Siekkinen was interviewed for Suiciderock.com webzine. Couple of excerpts follows:

Suiciderock: Could you tell us a bit more about your band? When was it formed? Who came up with the idea? And where did you get to know each other?
Janne: Morian was found by our guitarist, Sami, in 2002. Though all the members lived in Jyväskylä when the band was formed, there are actually four members in our current line-up that are originally from a small town called Pihtipudas. The old schoolmates met each other again in Jyväskylä and ended up in the same band. What goes around comes around, it seems!

Suiciderock: Did you start just for fun or was your intention to get something serious out of this band?
Janne: Well, I personally wasn't in the original line up, but I have the impression that when Sami founded Morian he was dead serious. There were some line-up changes, though, and currently we have this great line-up where everyone is both dead serious and having a great time! When it comes to music we don't make compromises, but we never forget to have some fun together and drink ourselves silly...

Suiciderock: Does your bandname have a special meaning for you and what is the story behind your band name?
Janne: The name itself doesn't have any particular meaning, nor does it have any story behind it; it was chosen because it's short, hitting and easy to remember. In addition to that, you can pronounce "Morian" easily in many languages… but as I said, it doesn't really mean anything. We're so boring!

Suiciderock: Every band has his own music heroes. Who are your heroes and which band/singer do you want to make a song with?
Janne: It's hard to name any individual bands or artists, but our musical influences are numerous: the members of Morian have played before in various band, the styles ranging from black metal, pop-rock, grunge – and even blues and techno! But who would I want to write a song with? Damn, I'm so self-centered that no one comes to mind...perhaps writing a song with Dream Theater would be fun. I'd like to see the looks on the Morian guys' faces when I would play them the demo tape. "Come on Sami, play like John Petrucci!"

Suiciderock: Please be that kind and tell us how you made the decision to become a musician?
Janne: Well, for me it has never really been a decision. I have lived with music as long as I can remember, singing, listening and writing...I guess you could say that I didn't choose music – it chose me. Ever since my first band performances in my teenage years, I have been sure that this is the reason I am here: writing songs and singing them to people. There is no better feeling than knowing that you've managed to touch someone with your music.

Suiciderock: What is your first musical memory?
Janne: I had just learned to talk (and sing); I was somewhere between one and two years old. We had an old cassette deck recorder with a microphone, and with my mother's help I recorded my first songs. (Not my own yet, though, just some nursery rhymes! He he!)

Suiciderock: Who is responsible for the songwriting and where do you take your inspiration from?
Janne: Basically they are created very much together. Someone brings an idea of the song, a riff, verse and/or chorus, and the song is composed together, each musician bringing in their own instruments and arranging ideas. Usually after this, when the song is already pretty well-constructed, I put the cherry on top by writing the vocal melodies and lyrics.

Read the entire interview at this location.