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Ugh! Hello, I'm Tomi Joutsen from a band called Amorphis.
You are watching KaaosTV.
Hello everyone. We are once again in bar Hullupullo at Vaasa, Finland.
This time Amorphis is performing in here today -
and our guest is -
vocalist Tomi Joutsen. Hello. How are you guys doing at the moment?
Fine, thank you. Tonight we should play on that stage.
We haven't played for awhile in Finland. In New Year's Eve at bar Nosturi last time. Not that long ago.
Small break anyway, so let's see how we get our engine running.
I checked your show list and it looks like you have four -
sort of warm-up gigs before you go again tour the Europe.
What do you think about touring in Finland?
Does it feels like a holiday since you can visit your home quite often?
There is good aspects, because it's easy to -
tour in Finland since everyone speaks same language.
I think that if there is some rapidly changing matters these will work out -
faster in Finland than abroad. I don't know.
It's always fun to play in Finland -
and abroad it's a bit different. Not always as fun as in Finland, -
- but I don't complain. - You play tonight here at bar Hullupullo.
- When was your last time in here? - It's not that long time ago.
I don't say anything so I don't lie, but I believe we've played few times in here.
This is familiar place and nice small club. It works.
What do you think about, -
well this is perhaps one of the smallest places where you play in Finland, -
but do you enjoy more in small or big venue?
And if you compare club gigs and festivals, which do you prefer more?
It's hard to tell about the size of the place. It doesn't matter that much to me.
Of course a big club might have -
better serving and conditions at backstage -
before and after the gig. So that might vary. But when you get to the stage, -
there is a lot of audience and -
all technical things are okay, then it doesn't matter that much where you play.
If I compare club gigs, inside gigs to -
playing outside at festivals...
It varies a lot. Many festivals might be during the day in the sun -
and sometimes those are...
I don't know is it me or what, but sometimes it's hard to get to the right mood.
At its best, a good festival is when people came to see us, -
all have good vibes and everything works. That's best.
- So nothing to complain in either gig places? - No, but of course sometimes it's not that fun.
That associate to all things. Sometimes -
schedules sucks, you need to cut many songs from your setlist, -
monitoring sucks, can't hear anything clearly, you are upset and tired, you had early flight.
Usually in summer you start a day around half past four in the morning by flying to somewhere.
After that you drive few hours at the Germany countryside in a small van.
Then is your gig, you can't hear what you sing -
- and audience doesn't help you... - Not that glorious profession at that point.
Then you just need to, -
by using sport terms, find your own level and do what you can.
It's not always that fabulous, I'm not going to lie about that.
Sometimes I'm so pissed off, but fortunately most gigs are okay.
Of course your own attitude and approach to things has a a big role in it.
Your new album "Circle" have been out quite a while -
and it brought you the album of the year nomination at Emma gala.
What does that mean to you when you get this kind of nomination here in Finland?
That your album get nominated at some gala?
Quite conflicting vibes, because I have never -
followed Emma or any other galas. So I can't rise it -
high on my emotional level.
I don't say that it's meaningless to me. Of course it's great -
and it's some sort of indicator how much people listen and appreciate your music.
In a sense great, but then -
I personally follow slightly different things, so perhaps I don't know how to proportion -
it right. It doesn't mean that much to me. At least in emotional level.
So not that big deal to you.
Honor in a sense, but it -
doesn't ruin your daydreams if you don't get nominated?
Yeah. It feels, -
when I started to follow metal scene it was quite marginal music, so it feels -
very funny that metal music can be nominated in something like Emma gala.
I still haven't really understand that metal is -
- so... - Popular music in Finland.
In a sense, yeah. It's so popular and not marginal music anymore.
So many people like it, which of course is nice, but -
my own basis is when metal music was more underground and mysterious.
Now when it's so popular it has -
lost some of its magic.
Though there is still bands, which want to stay mysterious.
For example "Ghost" and "Slipknot" also first tried that.
Somehow nowadays people have compulsive urge to find out their real identity.
Of course this popularity is good.
Also we do this, because we want as many people as possible to like us and come to our gigs.
Of course we want to be as big band as possible. I think every band strive for that.
Well perhaps everyone doesn't want to be the biggest, but probably all want -
that at least someone listen and like them. That's the reason we all perform.
Everything has its benefits.
Underground always born somewhere -
with new interesting things. Then they develop and they are mainstream. It's -
always been this way, and it always will.
If you think how popular -
some genre is now, for example metal core.
If you would have played that in the 80's, it would have been...
- It wouldn't have made a breakthrough. - Yeah, or it would have been world -
the most marginal and non-commercial music. But if you look now those bands in the US, -
- well not perhaps in the charts, but... - "Of Mice and Men" -
sold 65 000 albums during first week. They are metalcore band.
So metalcore albums are selling pretty good.
We just talked with our guitar technician, by the way, greetings for you there.
He said that he has invented a new music genre.
We'll see, hopefully it sometimes makes a breakthrough.
I don't dare to reveal it here, because someone might stole the idea, but it was quite exiting.
Just a bit more about those genres.
Nu metal was the big deal before metalcore. Including "Limb Bizkit", "Korn" and other bands.
I think bands are going back to that direction -
in the United States. Usually trends spread from there to -
- up here North at least to some extent. - Metal genres are a bit -
strange stuff, so they might begin from something else than the States.
I can't tell what is popular in the States. I don't follow their charts or others, -
but I do know something what happens in Finland. I think -
Norway has been a pioneer in metal music.
Like Germany and partly Finland.
I don't know... We try to do our own thing in our case. We have -
many elements from the marginal music, especially in our history.
If you listen songs from our newest album, -
you'll notice that we also ride on the mainstream wave.
We'll see what happens in the future.
You was on the "Only death" -parody from the "Only life" TV-show.
Your episode was released today. How did you end up to this project?
I saw Keijo Niinimaa when Medeia was touring with Children Of Bodom in Europe.
We were playing at the same festival. Keijo had got, -
apparently a bit sloshed, a great... Well, I don't know was it his idea.
Perhaps Jonne Soidinaho was the father of this idea, but Keijo was excited about it.
A bit sloshed he started to explicate it and asked me to join.
Apparently he had thought a while does he even dare ask me -
join. But he did and he is so legendary guy so if he ask -
I had to join. At that point -
the whole concept was unknown, but I did knew that it wouldn't be anything serious.
So of course I join to the fun.
Actually I thought it would never happen, because the idea was so absurd.
But luckily there were professionals. Perhaps it turned out well -
due to the good camera crew and also...
Well there were hardly any script to it,
but there were guys who had done music videos and others.
If we would done it with non-professional -
support crew it would be much more worse than it is. Though it is already really bad.
What do you think about your own episode which was released today?
Can you comment in any way?
It looked very good. I saw it first time today and it was awesome.
I am proud of every moment.
What kind of feedback have you got from your friends or others regarding to this series?
I've read comments in our Facebook page.
Some people say they have been waiting this show, some were disappointed and some said -
it's very good joking and they laugh to all episodes. Show have divided opinions.
Actually I don't care. Topmost idea for the show was to promote bands.
In my opinion we succeeded in it. We got -
over 10 000 people to our Facebook group. I think -
our goal to present bands gigs in Finland was achieved.
Yes it have been spreading these bands message.
This has been a quite working system for instance promoting "Stam1na's" new album.
I understood it was the main idea, but of course at the same time we laugh -
to this "Only life" show.
In fact hardly no one had seen it. Few -
people who I talked to about our show -
said that you can notice we haven't seen the real show. If we had watched it -
and thought things more, we would have got -
really good jokes. Now all is done on a whim.
But it was fun.
All guys... Actually Jonne I hadn't -
seen before, but others were nodding acquaintances, so it was -
a fun day to spend with friends.
- You get to know each other. - That's right. It was fun when all...
Well I don't know do we Finnish differ in any way from foreigners, -
but it was nice to see that no one had -
any difficulties to laugh to their own -
- public image. - No one was too staid.
Yeah, I tried to find -
my most biggest cliches and stupid things to which people are probably laughing.
I tried to bring those things forth as much as possible, but I don't know how well I managed.
At least I tried to make myself a total clown and laugh to my own mannerisms.
It was my goal in there.
Let's have a look what questions we still have left.
I'll ask this one. In summer there is quite many festivals in Finland.
If you had to arrange a festival and you could choose -
headliners for a three day festival, which band would you choose and why?
Really though question.
It would be probably wise to book bands which aren't -
in many festivals, at least in Finland, during that summer.
People who will go many of these big festivals could easily see -
some certain band several times during summer and that might be a bit boring.
If I could decide, I'd probably -
try to seek -
well not something for everyone, but not only metal or -
rock music. I don't remember what bands are in Ilosaarirock this summer, but at least -
"Portishead" is there. I think at -
Ilosaarirock have a good set of bands. But if I had to choose something now...
I'd say Portishead could be tough, -
of course "Turbonegro" and then...
What could be...
What could be nice to see... I would like to see "Entombed", but -
it looks like they don't know at the moment what is their...
- Situation. - Their situation at the moment.
- Let's just say "Xysma". - Okay.
- This was your choice. - Yeah and of course many other bands.
Those would be just the headliners and in addition all kind of good music. It would be -
nice to have different kind of stages and different music here and there. And of course -
- cheap prices and relaxed atmosphere. - Like in Central Europe.
Here Finland those beer prices aren't usually very cheap at festivals.
Arranging festival is very difficult in here, which in a sense -
is a good thing if you think safety and all.
But I feel sorry for all restaurateurs and all who try arrange things, because legislation...
- Make it so difficult. - Downright impossible.
It feels like people can't have fun and legislation have to interfere everything -
and there has to be regulations for everything. I think -
with a bit more common sense and if some things take a few steps back -
- then everyone would had much more fun. - That's true.
Final question. In this year there will be released -
many albums from different bands.
Do you have some albums which you are looking forward to hear?
I don't know any upcoming albums, I haven't followed this at all.
I personally wait new "At the Gates" album.
They announced that they are doing an album after a long brake.
I also wait a new "Machine Head" album.
Now that you mention, I believe "Mastodon" is apparently releasing a new album -
and that would be one. At the Gates -
has always gone over my head, I don't understand it at all.
I don't know why. But let's say Mastodon.
At least that one I'm going to check out.
Thank you for this interview and good luck for tonight gig and to your future.
Do you want to say something as a closure for KaaosTV viewers?
- Stage is yours. - Thank you for watching.
Indeed, we are playing today at Vaasa, -
and if you haven't check out "Only death" yet, go see it.
In there people make a fool of themselves. Thank you.