Author: Antonio Díaz

Categories
Albums Music

Shamrain – Goodbye to All That

{mosimage}Third album for the Finnish Shamrain. Quite an unknown band that deserves better luck due to the high quality of their compositions.

Apart from heavy metal bands, the Finnish market has received a flood of bands trying to imitate with better or worse luck the brit-pop mainsteam groups, especially because of the action of one of the most popular independent music brands in the country.  In the overwhelmed market of pop-rock Finnish bands singing in English, it is a fresh and unusual experience  to find a band like Shamrain.

Maybe it is because of that “melancholic touch” that all good Finnish band must have to succeed, maybe the inspiration of the lyrics written mostly by bassist Matti Reinola and guitarist Kalle Pyyhtinen, or just due to the transparent voice of Mika Tauriainen (who is also the lead singer in Entwine, where he can explode harder registers). Clear influences from bands like Placebo or Radiohead, a very high level composition and songwriting in tracks like Shallow Delusion or Evangeline, with a Tauriainen that just for some seconds can remind you of Ville Valo like during the first part of  Stars Will Fall.

We wish the best of lucks to Shamrain and hope that their new collaboration with Spikefarm Records will materialize in the success that this Goodbye to All That deserves.

Rating 4/5

Categories
Books Interviews

When disability turns into virtuosity – Interview with Kaisa Leka

Editor of a yoga publication, graphic designer, cook, politician, teacher, traveler, comic artist… Kaisa
Leka has not had an easy life. She had to take the terrible decision of getting her legs amputated due to an illness. But she has learnt and taught how to see the positive side of life and make the most of it!

Who is Kaisa Leka?

I’m a 29-year old artist, designer, teacher, and politician… a typical freelancer. I live in Porvoo in an old wooden house with my husband and our ridiculously large collection of toys, books and old typewriters.

How did you start to draw comics?

I drew comics as a child, and started again when I was 19. I fell immediately in love with how easy it is to both read and draw comics; it’s a really easily approachable art form. This enables me to deal with difficult issues such as disability and reach readers who wouldn’t otherwise pick up a book about it.

Kaisa Leka

What is different in Kaisa Leka´s comic strips from other authors? Most of the times, there are some characters that appear repeated while having dialogues. Can you explain a bit more about them?

A friend of mine said that my comics are like TV’s sitcoms, and I think it’s a pretty good way of describing them. No fancy drawings, exciting car chases or pretty girls with big breasts, just simple drawings and thoughtful texts. Or at least I hope they’re thoughtful!

I suppose the amputation of your legs it is something quite dramatic and a turning point in your life. Do you want to discuss openly about it? Is your wok I
am not these feet directly aimed at that experience?

I was born with a disability that first seemed to only be a cosmetic one, but turned out seriously restricts my ability to move. I decided to have my feet amputated, with the consent of my doctors. With I am not these feet I wanted to let healthy people take a peek into the life of
disability, and also share my experiences with others who have had to spend time at a hospital. A lot of people have appreciated the way I’m breaking the tradition of silence and shame surrounding
disability and sickness.

You are active in other roles, such as politician. What things need to be improved in Finland for us, the young generations? Is Finland a country that pays a lot of attention to culture?

We have a great system of social security in Finland, but it’s built for people who have traditional 8 to 4 jobs, not for freelancers. Our generation isn’t going to have those jobs, and the system has to be adjusted to our needs. When it comes to culture, I think that the focus needs to be shifted from the masters of the 19th century to today’s artists. Culture is still often seen as something that can be supported if there’s some money left over from the "real investments", and if there is money it’s spent on projects celebrating the works of people like Sibelius
or Runeberg.

Kaisa Leka

I can see that you are also very interesting in cooking and yoga.Tell us a bit more about those hobbies, and the works you havepublished about it.

I used to be the world’s lousiest cook, considering macaroni and ketchup to be a full meal. But then I met my
husband, whose food is the best I’ve ever had. Cooking has become more than just filling the belly, it’s a way of spending time with my husband and our friends, and experiencing new tastes. As a part of my
campaign for the parliamentary election this year I was able to publish a cookbook with two other Green candidates, and share some of our recipes with the Finnish public. A larger cookbook containing
more of them is one of my long-term plans.

Last year I did a book on bhakti yoga, the yoga of devotion, with a friend. As you might imagine it hasn’t been a huge financial success, but as I publish my books myself I can also publish stuff that’s not
aimed at the mainstream audience. We had a lot of fun doing the book, and have gotten some enthusiastic feedback for it from other practitioners of bhakti yoga.

You also publish a magazine, Ananda, with other friends. How is that project going?

Doing a magazine means a lot of late nights by the computer and long days working for others to finance the magazine. But it seems we’re doing something right since we were just named the Quality Magazine of the Year! A lot of people are interested in yoga now, and we want to offer a deeper look into it, as it’s so much more than just plain stretching. Through our own magazine we can let people who usually are invisible in the mainstream media get their voice heard.

Now other young female comic author, Milla Paloniemi, is getting quite popular in Finland. What do you think about her work?

I’ve only read a few of her strips but, to be honest, it’s not one of my favorite comics. But of course I’m glad
that a comic by a young female author is getting so much attention and making it easier for others to get their work published. I’ve held a lot of comics’ workshops for children and students, and I’ve been happy to see so many young girls doing their own zines and taking over this art form previously reserved only for men.

Kaisa Leka

One of your passions is traveling. You did a comic stripe saga about traveling for us in the past. In how many different countries have you been, and what are your favorite ones after visiting?

I’ve traveled quite a lot in Europe, and also visited USA and India. Traveling is my big weakness, even though I know it’s really un-ecological to fly around the world all the time! I do offset my carbon emissions through www.climatefriendly.com and try to minimize my emissions in my everyday life by using public
transport and saving electricity.

My favorite places are Philo in Northern California and Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh, India. They’re places that I’ve visited with my spiritual teacher and dear friends, and homes to many Hindu temples and monasteries.

The good thing about being a freelancer is that I can work like a madwoman for a few months and then take some time off to travel. I guess I could say that my secret to finding enough time
for everything is avoiding housework at all costs.

I have seen that some of your works can be found in French, but is it possible to find English versions (apart from the stripes you did for FREE! Magazine)?

I’ve published several comic books in English, the newest ones are On the Outside Looking in (2006, 160 pages) and Little Fish Big Fish (2007, 30 pages). I’m also planning to publish a collection of comics that have been featured in different Finnish magazines, but I’m waiting until I can put together a really big book with them. It’ll probably be in English, or at least have subtitles.

What are your future projects?

I’m currently working on a new big book about a friend who gave up his graphic design studies, left his hardcore band and became a Hindu monastic. I’m really fascinated about the way he completely changed his life. I’m also going to publish a series of short stories based on Indian mythology; Little
Fish Big Fish is the first one of them. And I just bought eight new sketchbooks (I was afraid they’d stop selling them so I decided to get a big stash) for my sketchbook blog,
so I guess I’ll also keep doing that for quite a while!

 


www.kaisaleka.blogspot.com

www.kaisaleka.net

Categories
Antonio's blog Blogs

Finland capital of Norway

Categories
Cinema DVD

28 Days Later

{mosimage}The continuation to 28 Days Later features an empty Great Britain trying to be repopulated under the control of US army. But the problems are not over…

{sidebar id=44}Spanish director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo is on charge of continuing the story of 28 Days Later in his new 28 Weeks Later, featuring a new wave of raged zombies wandering the empty streets of London. Basically, that would be one of the few strongest points of the film: the excellent and unusual opportunity of watching the streets of the English capital empty. Because taking into account all the rest, the film turns to be pretty bad. The usually excellent acting skills of Catherine McCormack and Robert Carlyle are totally missed this time, and their characters look ridiculous.

The beginning looks promising, with a group of refugees trying to survive in a big mansion, but the tension soon disappears and it is replaced by the boredom of situations that have been seen one hundred times before in other films. The story does not add anything interesting to the gender neither explores a new exciting approach to the first part; just again scared human beings trying to escape from zombies, with the help (that turns into risk) of the American army. A couple of good visual moments, like the scene when the helicopter is tearing into pieces some zombies in the middle of a field, or the snipers shooting to everything that is on the move in the streets of London, but that is certainly all.

Let’s see if the incoming and awaited I am Legend with Will Smith can spice up the gender again, because Fresnadillo totally failed in his purpose. Do not waste your time watching it unless you are a real fan of the zombie gender.

Categories
Cinema DVD

Meet the Robinsons

{mosimage}Meet the Robinsons is the last product that arrives in DVD from the Disney factory. Follow the adventures of the young Lewis in the future!

{sidebar id=43}Keep Moving Forward is the motto of the Robinsons family, but it could represent very well the spirit that invades Disney factory in their last experiment with animation. The old Mickey Mouse that appears at the beginning of the credits also keeps moving forward to find a world of fantasy were Lewis, the main character, is dragged in his search for identity and love. An orphan and a future genius who still has to learn how to forget the past and focus on the present. For that, he is going to count with the help of a very peculiar family, The Robinsons, but all in all, a family like any other, that shows unity and love when problems arise.

Although the beginning of the film is a bit slow, since Wilbur interferes in the destiny of Lewis everything gets better and better. Hilarious moments and splendid dialogues with that special sense of humour that the guys of Disney know how to show so well.

Director Stephen J. Anderson has really won the pools with the creation of the evil character of Bowler Hat Guy. His naïve behaviour provokes some of the best moments I have seen in animation movies during the last years, like the crazy dialogue while mentally controlling the “mafia frog”. A lot of winks to film history (Jurassic Park, Matrix, Goodfellas, Back to the Future…); proof that the creators are really cinema history lovers and some moments that look almost taken out from dreams, like if the hand of Walt Disney would be painting back some magical feelings from works like Fantasia.

The film is available in Finnish and English, with subtitles, so if you are thinking about a good present for the incoming Christmas, Meet the Robinsons is an excellent choice to enjoy all the family together.

Categories
Interviews Music

A man with a past

{mosimage}Marko Haavisto had very clear that he wanted to
become a singer and songwriter since he was 9, when he got his first guitar.
This same determination gained the sympathy of the most famous Finnish cinema
director, Aki Kaurismäki, who has included songs and even an appearance
of Marko and his band in some of his most famous movies.

Marko, you were
a member of the Badding Rockers that was quite a popular band in Finland
a couple of decades ago. Why the decision to separate from them and start with
Poutahaukat?

Badding Rockers just came to the end in 1993. It
was my first recording group. And name of the band made honor to great Finnish
singer: Rauli “Badding” Somerjoki. After Badding
Rockers, I had another band called Geronimo,
but it didn’t got success and recorded just one cd-single (three songs). But
one of those songs, Jäätynyt sade, is
in latest Aki Kaurismäki´s film: Laitakaupungin
valot (Lights in the Dusk).

After Geronimo I worked in
traditional dance-bands, which played evergreens. I got good paid in that job,
but two years was enough for my head. I came again very hungry to write a song
and play them with my own band. So in 1997 I founded Poutahaukat.

The name
“Poutahaukat”, is it true that comes from an Aleksis Kivi´s book?

Yes, Aleksis Kivi has been the first one who has used that word to
picturing a man in a book named Nummisuutarit
(The Heath Shoemakers). But I learnt
the word “Poutahaukka” from my grandmother.

How did you get
in contact with Aki Kaurismäki, and how the collaboration to score music for
his films (and even appearing performing) happened?

I met Aki in 1990 at the film festival in Sodankylä. He had invited Badding Rockers to play there. He
collected a song from us for his film Tulitikkutehtaan
tyttö (The Match Factory Girl). There
in Sodankylä, Lapland, we shook hands for the
first time. From there our friendship began

Are you
planning to continue this collaboration with the director in the future?

I don’t know anything about that. If somebody knows, is Aki, and he won’t
tell until he is pretty sure about what he will make next. And that could be
something else than a new collaboration with me and Poutahaukat. Aki is the one who makes those decisions, not me.

Aren’t you
afraid that people can feel more curious for your band appearing in those
movies than for your music itself, or do you feel proud to collaborate with
Aki?

I am proud and thankful that Aki has chosen my songs to his films. I have
also seen that for example radio stations could say: “we can’t play your music;
it does not fit in our style.”  But when
somebody like Aki takes a song for his film, those stations “start” to love the
song and suddenly it’s ok for them. It makes me sad, but I guess that it is just
the way it goes. Anyway, collaboration with Aki has brought only good things
for me and the band. There are fans who wouldn’t know anything about us without
those films.

{sidebar id=36}What can you
tell us about your new released album Hollolasta Teksasiin?

We made it in the countryside of Finland, in a small village named Sysmä, at my father’s summer place. We
took all the equipment into that cottage and recording there was nice and easy
most of the time. We played, but we also had grilling, sauna and swimming. We made
several sessions there during 2006-2007. 
I was very satisfied when the album was finished.

The title, that
literally means “from Hollola to Texas”,
is it a figurative trip or did it really take place?

It’s figurative. It’s picturing our music and influences; from old Finnish
traditional music (Hollola) to American rock ‘n’ roll-, blues- and country
music (Texas), a mixture of them.

Do you have any
idols in music, Finnish or international artists?

There are many important characters for me. Here are some of my favourites:
Teddy and the Tigers, Elvis Presley, Black Sabbath, Rauli “Badding” Somerjoki,
Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, Kauko Röyhkä, Hank Williams, Johnny Cash …

You have
played quite outside Finland
also, like in Germany.
And how happened that you played also in Japan? How was the experience
there?

Those all have been exciting adventures for us, something that we
couldn’t even had dreamt about it, because our songs are in Finnish. I have
only good memories, the best are from Japan. Part of the success on those
tours has been because appearing on the film Mies vailla menneisyyttä  (The man without a past), but we have
been bloody good special guests for it! Our music has found many new friends.

When listening
to the album or even seeing the design of the cover and back cover, Marko Haavisto and Poutahaukat gives me
a (bit romantic) feeling of a road band, a band that spends a lot of time on
the road, traveling from bar to bar and always on the road. Does that really
happen with you, guys?

Some of the stories are just product of imagination; some are straight
from true life. But I won’t tell you which one is true and what’s just
fairytale, because that could spoil the whole thing, you know.

Photos by Nauska

www.markohaavisto.com

www.myspace.com/markohaavistopoutahaukat

Categories
Cinema DVD

Call the bet!

{mosimage}Lucky You portrays the high stakes poker world, with Eric Bana and Robert Duvall in a twisted father and son relation.

{sidebar id=41} Since Rounders, it has been long time that the exciting world of poker is not deeply depicted in a film. Director Curtis Hanson (winner of an Academy Award for L.A. Confidential) puts the cards on the table with Lucky You, a wonderful and accurate description of the poker world and the gamblers. The scenario has been meticulously copied, with almost exact replicas of Bellagio casino and Binion´s Horseshoe, emblematic places to play poker.

Eric Bana as Huck Cheever shows film after film that apart from having a great physical presence in front of the camera (remember him in Troy, as Hector), he is also a great actor, for those who could have any doubt after seeing him in Spielberg’s Munich. The action is pretty much focused on him and his relation with his father and also poker professional player, incarnated by an always superb Robert Duvall (L.C. Cheever). Drew Barrymore appears sweet and fresh as usual; it is amazing how she can always look so youthful year after year. Robert Downey Jr. has a short but interesting intervention as Bana´s friend. His appearance nonetheless is pretty wasted. It would have been great to see him more often during the story.

Many of the professional players that are sitting on the poker tables are real ones, who were recruited to give advice and help planning the scenes. They are one of the strong points in the movie, since the most interesting feature of poker games usually is to analyze the individuals, and see their special looks and behaviour. Hanson has made one of the best poker films of the history, with a great balance between the curiosity and excitement that the poker game awakens and the deep analysis of human relations between the two main characters, Duvall and Bana. More than one will go to Internet to play a couple of games after watching this movie. Do not get much addicted!

Rating 4/5

Categories
Antonio's blog Blogs

Good and bad promotion


I was having a
cup of coffee this afternoon with Andres,
one of the members of Bullfrog Brown,
the most internationally recognized Estonian blues band. Andres belongs to that
selected and admiring group of people with a very good background and
journalistic and musical knowledge, but difficulties to find a good job that
really could reward his skills. Even though, he dedicates a lot of effort
and even his own money to his passion:
his band and the music.


As one of the
creators of FREE! Magazine, a
publication that walks on the thin line of the professionalism (by studies and
background of the editors) and amateurism (since we do not get basically any
economical reward for doing this, neither any official support), I find a
special pleasure and connection when chatting with another person who shares a
similar vision of life and circumstances. There is almost a special kind of
guilty pleasure in putting all the efforts in something that maybe will never
bring recognition (at least in economical terms).

The point is
that we go through many topics and stories, and one that comes is the lack of
professionalism of some promoters. I don´t want to give any particular names,
but sometimes you must really make an effort to understand how bands so much
needed of promotiong and help by the journalists ignore the basic rules of the
game. Few weeks ago I was denied by a promoter the possibility to meet for a
face to face interview with a band that was exceptionally geographically very
near me , while some days later their label company, whose responsible is
usually more accurate and effective professional, offered me the chance to meet
them, writing me… from far England. Well, too late, I had just sent a
questionnarie, the basic solution in these cases…that was sent back by the
promoter quite late, giving some vague exuses and provoked more than one
problem for the editorial team. A perfect example of throwing stones against
your own house.

If something I
learn day after day, is that you should show respect and interest for
everybody, no matters the first impression that can give to you, since you
never know whom you can offend with a non right atittude. Baltic or
Scandinavian countries are not so big, and often you meet the same people from
the same industry sooner or later. But well, I want to believe that it is a
question of time that attitudes will improve. My advice for the so many new
bands trying to find their space in the market: if you have a promoter or
manager, try that he gets the shit properly done. And a nice relation with the
media is essential. Sometimes a couple of nicely sentences in an email can make
the difference for a future business and promotion relation.

Another issue
that I discussed with Andres is that I do not understand the attitude of some
DVD distributors in Finland, with their “palautus” (return) policy for the film
sample copies. That means you have to review a film and send it back to the
house in a few days. FREE! Magazine cannot track or send the dvds back, since
the collaborators take care of them, and even though keeping the copies is
needed in most of the cases for future articles. But I wonder : what is the big
deal for companies that spend thousand of euros in promotion, not making the
little effort to give some more copies of dvds that can cost 10-15 euro per
unit? For me, it is an awesome good deal for those companies, that get
promotion and potential customers for that minimum cost. The record companies,
thanks god, do not follow the same trend. A good digipak edition of a cd can
cost perfectly around 20-25 euro in any shop, more than many dvds, but so far,
the film companies are the only ones following that policy. Once more, I just
advice the people to invest a bit of time and energy in good relations and
smooth communication with the new media, instead of  the silence for an answer.

Categories
Cover story Misc

The grandchildren of Bodom

{mosimage}In the summer of 1960 three teenagers were savagely murdered while
camping by the shore
of Bodom Lake, in Espoo.
47 years later, the case is still unsolved, but not at all forgotten by the
Finnish public opinion.

 

Catchy name for a metal band

For most of the people, especially the non-Finnish readers and those
living outside Finland, the tragedy of Lake Bodom is known mainly by the huge
popularity of Finnish metal band Children of Bodom; while searching for
an adequate name in the offices of Spinefarm, their record label, in
Helsinki, somebody advised them to relate the band’s name to Bodom (the band
members lived near the area and had heard stories about the Bodom legend since
their childhood). Of course the quality of the music did the rest, but it
cannot be denied that their particular name got them immersed in a much
appropriated mystic aureole that would involve their music in a dark and
mysterious spirit. The band dedicates in every album at least one song to the
events happened almost 5 decades ago, and amazingly they had never been sued or
received a formal complaint by any relatives of the victims about the use of
such a macabre name. 

But probably, many of you cannot have much clear idea of what really
happened there, apart from the fact that some youngsters were killed. The
number of victims was 3:  Maila Irmeli
Björklund and Anja Tuulikki Mäki, both 15 years old at the time and Seppo
Antero Boisman, 18 years old at the time. There was a fourth young guy camping
there: Nils Wilhelm Gustaffson, 18 years old at
the time, who survived with notable wounds, and did not remember much of what
happened when woke up at the hospital days later.

 

Many hypothesis, not clear answers 

Police never was able to solve the case, and there have been theories
for all tastes: a person who was working in a kiosk near the murder scene
alleged just before dying that he had committed the crime, but he had a clear
alibi that night. In 2003 Jorma Palo, who had worked at a hospital when
the murderers took place, published a book where he accused Hans Assmann,
a German spy with residency in Finland
that appeared with some strange injuries and blood in his clothes some days
after the Bodom´s tragedy, and whose guilt was never investigated by an
overwhelmed police corp.

Some others have developed even weirder ideas just like the hand of more
than one killer, or the participation of non-human creatures that would inhabit
near the lake. The bomb really exploded when in 2004, 44 years after the
murderers, Nils Gustaffson was arrested on the suspicion that he committed the
crime. But the accusers could not prove anything, and it was hardly to believe
that he was able to self-inflict so many injuries as he had when being found
just without losing consciousness first. The trial was massively followed by
the yellow press, as it could not had been otherwise, and at the end the
Finnish state had to pay a big sum of money to Nils for the damage and pressure
he had to face being trial for something that (supposedly) he did not commit,
far from his previous quiet life as bus driver in Espoo.

 

{mosimage}The legend of Bodom once more 

End of the Bodom case? Not a chance. Not guilty killer has been found,
no soul of the victims can rest in peace. The last approach to the case has
just been released in DVD under the title Bodomin Legenda (literally: The
Legend of Bodom). A Finnish film in black and white directed by Tapio
Piirainen and produced by YLE. Not the greatest film in Finnish history,
since sometimes looks more like a parody than like a real representation of
true events (the characters look so over-stereotyped: the bald mean Russian
spies from the Embassy, the ambiguous German Hans with mental problems who
seems to be drunk during half of the movie… ), but it serves you to jump back
to the 60s and live an unique period in Finnish history with president Urho
Kekkonen feeling the breath of the Communist neighbours behind his neck. Forget about finding much veracity and clarifications for the Bodom Lake´s case, and focus 
better on some special and very Finnish details, like the friendship expressed with
just a few words but strong actions between Police Chief Oiva Keto (Juha
Muje) and his partner Ilmari Hallanheimo (Pekka Huotari), or the
simplicity of decorations and dialogues that can make you feel for some moments like watching a new Aki Kaurismäki´s movie. The DVD counts with
English subtitles, so it is easy to follow for the non-Finnish speakers, but
probably it will be not so easy to understand for those foreigners who have not
lived a period of time in Finland. A movie mostly aimed at the local Finnish market.

For those of you who live near Helsinki
area, Lake Bodom is quite an accessible point, just
22 kilometres from the centre. If not for the macabre happenings that took
place more than 4 decades ago, it can be worthy to visit just to spend a
relaxing camping day (with no knives disturbing the peace). The tragedy of
Bodom marked forever a nation that during many decades, never saw safe enough
again to let their young children camp and wander the lakes and forests without
the fear settled deep inside their hearts. Probably, as in most of the
mysterious killings all over the history, the real murderer will be never
revealed, unless that the science will prove the opposite, but what is
undeniable is that Lake Bodom killed not only 3 children, but a big part of the
Finnish nation’s innocence.

Categories
Misc News

Discover Giotto, the first great Italian master painter, in Annantalo

Sculptor and architect Giotto di Bondone
(c.1267-1337) is considered not only as one of the first Italian, but one of
the first European master painters that would have a great impact on future
generations. All around the chapel, you can assist to their images where joys,
pain, betrayal, good or evil are depicted always in a religious environment;
All involved in the painter’s characteristic blue background.

 

Useful Information:

Annantalo Arts Centre

Street address: Annankatu 30 Helsinki

annantalo.info@hel.fi

 

Exhibition: The perfect circle of a master –
Giotto’s fresco cycle in the Arena Chapel in Padua.

18 August – 4 November 2007-10-28

Free admission.

The exhibition is open to the public
Mon.-Fri 1-8 p.m., Sat.-Sun. 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

Open to groups Mon.-Fri 9 a.m.-1 p.m., advance notification requires as of 20 August by phone.

tel. +358 9 310 37168 (weekdays 10 a.m.-1 p.m.).

Categories
Interviews Music

H.O.G. is in the game

{mosimage}There is heavy metal at the other side of
the Baltic Sea! House of Games has many
bonds with Finland:
they have toured with The Rasmus, recorded with famous producer Hiili
Hiilesmaa and are visiting Helsinki
to unload their music for 2 consecutive gigs.

Erik Meremaa,
the singer and main composer of the Estonian band, kindly attended the
questions of FREE! Magazine about their first steps, the new album
recently released and the incoming concerts that will include touring again
with WASP in United
Kingdom.

For some of our readers you can be quite
an unknown band. Can you explain a bit the origins and roots of the band?

The roots of HOG go back to the year 1993,
when young musicians hoped to make the band that enables them to satisfy the
hunger to make music. Of course we all wanted to make it right and in “very
special way”. Thinking now back to these years and to the skills we had at that
time – well, it makes me smile. Now we know how to analyze better the music we
did. But every brave start is positive, a developing experience.

Finland is living a golden era in rock and heavy metal bands with
international projection. Why in Estonia things are so different,
being geographically so near? Do you think that Estonian bands will begin to
break out in the international rock scene in the near future?

First of all there are 4 to 5 times more
inhabitants in Finland
as there are in Estonia
(we have only around 1, 4 million).

Secondly, Estonia regained independence on
1991 – up to that time we were occupied by Russians and the life was more (very
much) complicated. The borders were closed, there was an iron curtain hanging
over us. Now, as we have been only 16 years free and we live in very (!!)
liberal society, the situation is different. Finland declared its independence in 1917 – so
there is a huge difference.

About the very
strong  metal and rock bands in Finland – well,
the soil seems to be very fertile for this genre. This suits them very well.
And when comparing them to the rest of the music scene around, Finland seems to
be the most powerful rock and metal empires in the world. I am sure that there
will be internationally very strong Estonian rock and metal bands. It is only
very hard to predict when it all will happen.

How would you define the musical style of your band?

In general it is possible to classify House
of Games as melodic rock band, but we don’t like this classification, the
“framing” system. And we definitely don’t know what will look like and sound of
our next album. Music means us the movement of sound – without boundaries and
limits.

The lineup of the band changed last
spring, and you added a new bass player and a drummer. Why those changes?

Evidently sometimes somebody ‘s strength
will end and the everyday life generates some kind of void – that happened to
our ex-bass player and ex- drummer. It is very sad, as it all happened just
before the more positive and progressive changes we faced in our career (the
European release etc). We grew up and tight together creatively,
as we played music together for 7 last years.Yes, it is all sad, but that ´s life and
there is nothing we can do about it. For sure we remained friends.

How
was the experience of recording some songs in USA with Kevin (Caveman) Shirley?
How did you get in contact with him?

All these experiences are very tutorial and
instructive when you have possibility to work with the producer from such a
league as Kevin is from.

But in general it is very hard business to
find the producer – the “outsider”, who is able to adjust to the band and to
take and change etc ones “child” – as music is very delicate matter and the
concerned parties’ views can be very different. 
Sometimes band can ´t accept the changes the producer makes.

Fortunately that was not the case with us
and Kevin. The co-operation with Mr. Caveman 
 was positive and we hoped to
mould and form HOG songs with him some day in future.

We get acquainted with Kevin in classical
way – HOG wanted to work with him, Kevin listened to our songs, he liked them,
we agreed the timelines – he had just ended the album producing for John Petrucci
(Suspended Animation), the guitarist from Dream Theater and there
was the possible recording period for us before he went to UK to produce Iron
Maiden.

What the listeners can expect from your
recently released album, Rise and Shine?

I hope – we all do – that people get
positive load from our songs. They are ALL made from the deep of our hearts. It
is worth mentioning, that there are actually tracks from the period of 6-7
years time. There are plenty of different musical and creative movements.

As Spanish, I could not be less than curious
when I listened the song Spanish man, about Cortés, the conqueror. Is it
a trend you want to continue, similar to other bands like Iron Maiden, where
historical events have always a strong role in the songwriting?

Probably it is interesting for you to
observe the song like Spanish Man, as it speaks about Spaniards. I
really hope that we didn’t insult anybody’s feelings. Spanish Man is the
song that dates back some years ago and doesn’t have any contact and connection
with other songs. The message of this song is somehow important for me – as the
history itself. Thos particular track is one of a kind on our album Rise and
Shine. This is no trend for us.

You seem to have quite many links with Finland. You
have recorded the album at Suomenlinna with the famous producer Hiili
Hiilesmaa. How this collaboration came out?

As you definitely know, Estonia and Finland are
very close to each other. Connections arise very easily and smoothly. And it is
the same story with Seawolf Studio. We have recorded there many times
and we are always very satisfied with the results and as well with the
atmosphere there. With Hiili Hiilesmaa we met years ago in Finland and we
spoke about the co-operation. But at that time nothing specific. Then later
when we started to record Rise and Shine, we wanted to see and hear his
hand on our songs.  Unfortunately he was
very busy (he is always) and booked with many projects ahead. Luckily he
contacted us later and he managed to make the arrangements in his working
schedule and it suited with our schedule ideally. We are very and very
satisfied with his work – and definitely we’ll work together in future.

 

And you have also shared tour with The
Rasmus a couple of years ago. Was it a nice experience?

We all remember the tour as very pleasant
one. The guys and their team are all very friendly and pleasant people. As well
their manager, Seppo Vesterinen. We definitely look forward to meet with
them on the road again. 

Last year you toured with the legendary
band WASP, and it seems that they must be very happy with the experience, since
you are going to repeat tour with them in the following months during Crimson
Idol tour. What are your feelings about it?

 It seems yes, that our co-operation was good and smooth. And now in October – November we tour
together on the stages of UK.
We wait for this trip, as UK
is very good place to go be around. Very pleasant country with warm people. We
hope that audience and we all will get positive emotions from that tour.

What can the Finnish audience expect for
your incoming gigs in Helsinki?

What we always wish they’ll get: good music
and good emotions.
 

23.10 – London Pub, Helsinki – 10pm
24.10 – Semifinal, Helsinki – 10pm

www.houseofgames.org

Categories
Albums Music

Viikate – Marraskuun Lauluja

{mosimage}If Marraskuun lauluja I was released on last January, it was normal that the second part would not find any other better month to hit the market than November.

Viikate's fans have not had to wait very long for getting the second studio album of the band during 2007. Arvo, Ervo, Simeoni and  Kaarle  deliver more of the same formula that have made the band achieve a personal and idiosyncratic style in the Finnish music system: melancholic lyrics and poetry turned into music with constant references to the past and the loneliness. Great instrumentation work in the songs and the always particular voice of Kaarle turns this into another album 100% Viikate.

An excellent album if you want to go deeper into the melancholic spirit in Finnish music and Finnish society in general when November comes and the light turns to be a precious luxury to enjoy for only few hours a day. Understanding Finnish language can be a great help for capturing the essence of the band, although not essential, nevertheless music and feelings are universal. Hallamaat or Ensimmäinen runo (a great cover from Amorphis) are some of the highlighted songs of an album not made for those used just to easy listening music.

If winter makes you feel depressed, maybe wait for a better occasion to discover Viikate's work; but if on the other hand, coldness provides you with an exceptional occasion to work harder at home, enjoy a good glass of wine and listen some good Finnish music in the background, do not think it twice and get both volumes of Marraskuun lauluja.

Rating: 3/5

Categories
Albums Music

McQueen – Break the Silence

{mosimage}The female rockers from Brighton release their debut studio; a good dose of punk/grunge/rock.

Named after their idol, actor Steve McQueen, the British McQueen can feel proud of having toured, since their formation in 2003, with bands such as Foo Fighters, Juliette & the Licks, (my particularly beloved) Aerosmith, WASP or The Almighty. Do not expect to find much place for softness here, because these four young girls really mean the title of their album: Break the Silence. Songs that go from grunge in the introductory Neurotic, to garage rock in Dirt or more classic hard rock guitar riffs in Numb. Leah Duorsin, the vocalist, shows that she can explode many vocal registers, for some moments tender and melodic while reaching at same other points in the album really hardcore levels that could remind you of an enraged Phil Anselmo, in tracks like Break the Silence or Bitch.

Maybe the first time you listen to the album you can feel surprised by the rawness of their rock, but give you some time to appreciate that there is a real big musical spirit rocking behind this debut album. Aggressive vocals, aggressive riffs and aggressive lyrics for a band that is not afraid to carry the torch previously lighted by Vixen or The Donnas. I cannot wait to see them on live, since I have the impression that the songs will work even better with the four girls on stage.

Rating: 4/5

Categories
Albums Music

The Hives – The Black and White album

{mosimage}The smartest rock band on Earth are back. Swedish The Hives know how to wear a suit on stage while make the people shake their assess with their direct rock and roll better than nobody else. I still remember their last appearance in Provinssirock, where I can admit that it was the gig I had the best time during the whole festival. After the huge success of Tyrannosaurs Hives (2004), it was about time to come back. For that, they have counted with the help of international acclaimed producer Pharrel Williams.

The band members claim that this album offers very new aspects in their music and more reflected melodies. Well, hard to believe when you go to explore the track list and get immersed in the album: songs of 3-4 minutes, straight to your head. A good dosis of rock and roll shot straight to blow your brain. But why should it be otherwise? The formula had worked before, and works again. From the starting Tick Tick Boom or the irreverent Hey Little World, you just feel like your feet cannot stop moving.

The Hives recorded good part of the album in Mississippi, and the American sound is very present all over the album. Not much time for Nordic reflective approach to music. The bass this time has a more notorious role that in previous albums, so Dr. Matt Destruction, the bass player, can feel happy about it. The Hives are back and they sound great again!

Rating 4/5

Categories
Albums Music

Apulanta – Eikä vieläkään ole edes ilta

{mosimage}Half a year after
Apulanta released their new studio album: Eikä vieläkään ole edes ilta,
here comes a new double album in version digipak that includes a live concert
added to the studio version.

Great design
for this digipack version, with a second booklet where you can follow a diary
handwritten by the members of Apulanta. In the 15 songs of the live album you
can find all the ones that compose the studio album, although some of them with
a new approach, shorter and straighter to the point, trying to find a closer
contact with the audience. A contact that Apulanta usually achieves, being one
of the Finnish bands that keeps a better relation with their followers. The
connection with the fans is clear when you hear the live album, although
sometimes Toni’s vocals fail a bit, like in Karmaan Laina while other
times works pretty well like in the acoustic version of Koneeseen Kadonnut.

But the band
has enough experience to offer a good and consistent show that mixes perfectly the
raw punk rhythms of their beginnings with softer melodies. For those of you who
already bought the studio album, maybe there is not much point in pursuing this
new extended version, but for those who were not yet decided, and want to
discover Apulanta´s music, this is an excellent opportunity to experience their
direct melodies and honest attitude towards the audience. It comes indeed a bit
too soon after the release of the studio album.

Rating: 3/5

Toni and Sipe talk about Eikä vieläkään ole edes ilta.

Read the whole interview with FREE! here

Toni: The greatest thing with this album… well, with Kiila, the eight
album, was the biggest commercial success, nobody expected to be so big, and
with this one the big surprise is that …we did not write the same album again.
Of course it sounds like Apulanta, but it s at same time very different. It is
like revitalizing shot you can take. And it is great punk.


Sipe: I like the most the opening song: Viisaus ei
asu meissä.

Toni: I think that is the kick ass punk rock song. Sometimes when you
get it, you really know it, and well, when you write something, you really know
“hey this is good shit”, everything feels so right and it is great to make a
video for it. We went to Rovaniemi. We shot the video outside, in t shirts, and
it was freezing… Sipe was feeling it in the fingers for a couple of weeks. That
was a hardcore video! But it turned out absolutely great. Viisaus ei asu
meissä is the best video after 16 years. I had not been so happy about a
video like with this one.

The first single: Koneseen pudonnut is a lot better in the album.
For me it does not work as a single, I don’t know why, it does not reflect the
feeling of the album.

When we decided the first single there were only 5 songs done. Sometimes
choosing the first single is something you have to do with a limited amount of
material. I think it does not represent the album well, but I cannot complain.
The track that ends the album, Ylijäämävalumaa
is my other favourite

Sipe: And one thing in Apulanta is that we try not to have “fillers”
tracks in the album.