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Interview
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z #


Stam1na



Our responsibility is to keep fun in the band!



Prologue
Stam1na is a Finnish band, not very popular in Russia, but deeply loved in Finland. Before the show at Tuska Open Air we met with the singer Antti Hyyrynen and the guitarist Pekka Olkonen to talk about the new album «Elokuutio», the upcoming anniversary of the band, to learn some Finnish and get a piece of good advice.
Stam1na
Well, let’s start. The first question is about your new album named “Elokuutio”. You keep repeating this word almost in every song. What does it mean to you?
Antti: Well, for me it pretty much sums up the whole idea of the album. “Elokuutio” is “eloquence” in English, I think it’s kind of a manner of speak, polite speak. There is a story on the album and it contains this miracle device which is Elokuutio, and it’s quite gentle, but in the end it’s a little bit evil so it’sa dystopia kind of story.

One of the main idea of the album is media and technology in our life, am I right?
Antti: Yes.

And what is their part in your own lives?
Pekka: Well, the same as everybody’s of course. We need our phones and computers and stuff, and there is no way to hide from it.
Antti: We do it as a profession. We have to keep contact with people and social media update and so on. Everybody has phones except me, I have this old Nokia, it doesn’t even have the Internet.
Pekka: But actually my other profession is a psychologist, so I’m not sure how good it is for people. They use so much time with their iPhones and stuff,being in a social media. It’s not necessarily a good thing.
Antti: So you can compare it to religious stuff, what’s going on… so this is a kind of an album story, too.
Pekka: And of course it can be an addiction.
Ant
Stam1na
ti: Yeah.

Tell us a little bit about the recording process. What was the general mood and the atmosphere back then? Any funny stories?
Antti: Well, we recorded the album near Joensuu, it was quite far actually in the east and it was areally beautiful small place near the river, and we had a beautiful sauna and beautiful snow there, so it was quite calm, and we stayed there for a month, and I think it was really easy to do.
Pekka: Yeah, it was really relaxed. We knew Janne the producer. And… we got to go to bars and it was always too relaxed *laughs*
Antti:A couple of times.
Pekka: Yeah, but it’s kind of part of that.
Antti: It was quite nice to live in the studio on the balcony, and we had a small kitchen where we were sitting every evening and cooking, and if somebody… Pekka was playing the guitar solo, and everybody else was in the kitchen just cooking and watching some Netflix.
Pekka: Funny stories… hm…
Antti: Were there any funny stories?
Pekka: The last couple of days were quite outrageous, because we had some friends coming over and one guy with camera, and we did finalizing stuff, it was quite relaxing, everybody was singing and cooking… I think that final days were pleasant.
Antti: A couple of beers…

A couple?
Antti: A couple *smiles*

In Pienet Vihreät Miehet you talk about
Stam1na
politics, for instance, the Crimea situation. Why did you decide to write about it?

Antti: Well, at that time I was developing a story besides of the social media and Internet and negative influences concerning that. We also had this kind of disturbing news from different parts of the world. I think that green men walking in the other country were quite disturbing and it stuck in my mind, being kind of science-fiction idea…Well, it’s a little bit complex to tell, because everything is sung in Finnish, so it’s a long story how those guys ended up there, but mainly it’s an idea of UFOs coming to our territory.

How does the smartphone app project relate to the concept of the new album?
Antti: Of course, nowadays we have to give people much, we have to come up with these new ideas, not just the music. We need something more, and this time because it was so mobile-oriented, the whole story, it was a good idea… I don’t remember who came up with that, but we had a couple of friends who were able to code different applications and they did “Elokuutio” application. I think it’s really cool, you can actually… Have you used it?

Yes.
Antti: Ok, so…
Pekka: So it’s like a real Elokuutio.
Antti: So it’s really cool that you can do this kind of stuff with your phones nowadays. And we got the chance to include the bonus track of the album that you’re only able to
Stam1na
hear if you have the application.

It’s a very good application. I spent the whole evening with my phone and my album. I didn’t understand a thing, but it was great!
Pekka: I see. Excellent!

Most of the time you play in Finland. Do you intend to do a European tour promoting the new album? And how about going to Russia?
Pekka: Sure, if we get the chance. It’s not up to us, really.
Antti: I think we have said as a band that we are willing to go to places like Russia, Saint Petersburg would be perfect, but it’s a difficult business, and they try the best to balance us doing tours in Finland, which is of course our main area. But also if we have money and the time, then we are willing to go anywhere. Trip to Tokio was like dream come true, and tours in Europe... it’s a dream stuff.
Pekka: If someone reads or sees this interview, we are happy to come to Russia, too.

We are waiting for you!
Antti: It would be cool.
Pekka: If there are some organizers, we are willing to come, of course.

Antti, does it bother you that some fans don’t pay enough attention to your lyrics since they don’t understand Finnish?
Antti: No, no. Actually, this is a funny thing because almost everyone is not a Finnish person… they are not bothered by the fact that we sing in Finnish, they don’t mind.
Stam1na
They send us messages or e-mails or Facebook texts like “Thank you for the music, we don’t know what you are singing about, but it doesn’t matter” so they are just happy to feel the… you know, feeling.
Pekka: Yeah, the energy. And of course, if you want to translate the lyrics, it’s possible. It’s not the same, but you get the picture what the songs are about. Probably *laughs*

It is difficult to translate, I actually tried.
Pekka: Yeah, I’m sure, but to catch some kind of idea…
Antti: Yeah.

Stam1na is going to have its twenty years anniversary this year. Are you going to make a special DVD or something?
Antti: Should we? *smiles*

Yeah, I think so!
Pekka: I don’t know, but at least two gigs in Lemi where the band was startedin 1996, it’s actually the same place where we had our first rehearsal place and the first gigs that we played were…
Antti: It’s really a small place, for 200 people. But all the tickets which are sold there… they are going to the…What is the word?
Pekka: Charity work…
Antti: Charity work.
Pekka: …for young people.
Antti: Yeah. For troubled young people. It’s kind of cultural feedback from us.
Pekka: We were supported as we were starting, and we want to continue this tradition. Actually, there are two gigs, there’s probably going to be former members of S
Stam1na
tam1na coming to play some songs, maybe some guests and also warm up bands for each night. It’s gonna be great. I’m pretty sure somebody’s gonna film it, but I don’t know where it’s gonna end up.
Antti: But we didn’t plan any DVD stuff.

What is the secret of your stability as a band?
Pekka: It is probably the long history. When we started the band we were friends, so this was like… We were just…
Antti: …fooling around and playing…
Pekka: “Yeah, let’s start the band! We should start the band!”
Antti: Exactly. He actually said those words twenty years ago.
Pekka: I was 15.
Antti: And we’re still a band.
Pekka: I was talking to a little band, and my cousin who was the first bass player in Stam1na, and I was a little bit drunk, of course, and I met these guys and said “I know that you guys listen to heavy metal like I do. We just should start the band” and after that… Well, in twenty years it’s almost the same line up.
Antti: I think we didn’t want to be really, really famous or do it as a profession, it was just a good time.
Pekka: That’s the main point.
Antti: And the same atmosphere has been going on since then.
Pekka: Yeah, we did it just because it’s fun. And actually I feel like it’s our responsibility to keep this fun like every band, because if there’s no fun there’s no point in doing it.
Antti: And we don’t like fighting.
*everybody laughs*
Pekka: Yeah, that’s true.

Like in “Likainen Parketti”?
Antti: That was a bad, bad video…Evil.

You have worked with different famous Finnish musicians. Are there any bands or musicians you would like to work with in the future?
Pekka: Well, there are plenty of good musicians and bands in Finland, but actually I was thinking… When we started out we had few gigs in Lemi where we were warming up for Children Of Bodom, and actually touring with them would be a dream come true.
Antti: Yes.
Pekka: We kind of know the guys, and of course it’s one of the biggest metal bands in Finland, but tour with them would be like the best option for us.

Do you have any pre-gig rituals?
Pekka: Sure.
Antti: We stretch a lot, drink water or gather at... We always pour water on our heads.
Pekka: I don’t know if everybody else does that, because it’s easier to mosh.
Antti: Yeah, it’s easier to mosh and hair doesn’t get stuck in your mouth…
Pekka: It’s kind of our thing.
Antti:..and cools the body down.
Pekka: But of course just relax and maybe stretch your arms and legs and shoulders and just play some guitar, just warm up…
Annti: When we pour water on our heads we call it “mäkkä”.

What does it mean?
Annti:
Stam1na
It doesn’t mean anything, actually.
Pekka: It’s like backwards “mäkkä turaksi tukka märäksi”.
Antti: So it’s like “mäkkä, mäkkä, it’s time for mäkkä” *claps his hands*
Pekka: Well, it’s like “get a wet hair” in Finnish, and it’s just spelled backwards. Mäkkä. But now you know. *laughs*

Antti, tell us about your project Eläköön Elämä. I heard you were planning to start recording the studio, is that right?
Antt: We did it already! It’s a project for… another fun project to do, just punk music for old guys, and we had some spare time, so we made an album. The thing is that every song is about this “Lucky monkeys” restaurant, which is located in Lapeenranta, and all the stories are real, and they are from that “Lucky monkeys” bar. And the only gigs we’re going to do will beplayed there and nowhere else. Eläköön Elämä – it’s fun. Kai-Pekka [Kangasmäki, bass player in Stam1na] is also there.
Pekka: I’ve heard the album, and it’s really, really good and funny *laughs*

Tell us about your hobbies. What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
Antti: Well, on days like these it’s easy to understand that we like to go out and exercise, or go to the lake, that kind of stuff… Actually, I relax by cleaning up my house.
*everybody laughs*
Pekka: I do a little bit sports, and also I have two dogs, so I have to jog them around and take care of them. Then I also teach guitar, that’s like my other profession. I do it maybe ten hours a week, so it’s kind of a professional hobby. But I like it very much.

Antti, is that true that you’re also a pilot?
Antti: A pilot?

Yes.
Antti: No.

Because I have read in one old interview that you enjoy airplanes and all this stuff… Was it a joke probably?
Antti: I’m trying to figure out why I said that… Hm.

It was somehow connected with seagulls…
Annti: That has something to do with my other band Wöyh, there are lots of seagulls. But no, I’m not a pilot, I like to jump off the airplanes. That’s cool.

What was the strangest job you ever had to do?
Pekka: The strangest? Well, I’m from a farm, so I grew up there doing all kind of physical work but… I’ve taken care of children in kindergarten *laughs* for two summers when I was a teenager.
Antti: I was picking strawberries to get some money.
*everybody laughs*
Antti: That was hard work. Lots of strawberry picking in Lemi, and a lot of Russians.

Do you like cooking? Do you have any special dish?
Pekka: Sure.
Antti: Why not?
Pekka: Actually, almost a year I’ve been mostly eating vegan food, not meat like chicken or cow, so any vegan food is right.
Antti: Cooking is nothing special, but just a basic thing. It’s good. I can bake cakes.

Oh really?
Pekka: I can eat them. I’m really good at eating cakes.
*everybody laughs*

They say you have to try everything in life. Is there anything you would never attempt to try?
Pekka: It’s kind of an easy answer: suicide.
Antti: Trying suicide. Well, I don’t know… Bulling. Being violent.

And what would you think everybody should try?
Antti: Bangi jumping.
Pekka: Going to a psychologist or a therapist. That’s not gonna hurt anybody.

Text: Olga Abramova
Photo: Rikka Finn

6 ñåí 2016
the End


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