 When and how was your band created?
Me(Rami,vox) and Matte(guitar) were listening to something very cool music on a nice cloudy summer day and we just decided to wrote something beautiful and something that wasn’t on the charts at the time.Something that was arrogantly rocknroll but at the same time sensitively pretty.Then we gathered the guys and started a band. Our first rehearsal with the whole band was in May 2001.
Was the choice to become professional difficult to make? Why?
Well I wouldn’t say that we are professional.Maybe someday we will be.
We have our daily jobs and school at the same time as we are playing in AEROFLOP.So we are not professional.
What musicians or artists did have a major influence in your life / work?
Well, musically our basic influences are Brittish or European, but rarely anything American. I think American music (of course there are exceptions like Smashing pumpkins,Foo Fighters,RATM or the Strokes etc…) is pretty sugared and it’s usually too poppy too, not always the music but the attitude is pretty poppy.
Recently I have been listening to Pink Floyd,Led Zeppelin,The Verve,Coldplay and the Beatles.But those are not all the bands that have inspired us, if I would have to count them all, my head would explode. Let’s just say that there’s a lot of good music and a lot of shit.We dig the good ones and try to make ours the best.
What are the positive and negative aspects of being a musician / singer (in Finland)?
Well it’s positive that I can do what I want and I can express my feelings and share my thoughts with people. I think all of our band agree with that statement.
It’s pretty negative if people labels us assholes or if they make rumors or treats us and adores us just like we are somekind of gods..But we haven’t noticed anything like that so that’s not a problem yet and hopefully it will never be.
Also touring in other countries is much more harder to organize and it really is a negative thing. The venues are also pretty small usually in Finland, but that just makes our concerts more intimate and that’s the way we want it to be. So we see the small venues as a positive thing.
How could you qualify your style of music?
Well I think our music is basically melodic britrock.
Have you ever considered the possibilty to change totally your style of music? If so, what style of music would you choose?
Well we’ve thought about it, yeah.But in fact we would like to be only a band that is constantly improving and changing their style just a little bit. For example now I’m pretty excited about progressive rock and music that is made with samplers and machines. So our musical interests can be heard from our music. An example of a good band that grows musically all the time is Radiohead. In that way Radiohead is also among our greatest influences but you can’t really find anything similar between us and Radiohead. It’s just a good band.They’ve got the vibe.
What are stories/topics you tell/treat in your songs?
Well our songs usually tells only about my feelings in this world and the way I think of the things around me.So they are pretty personal lyrics but they usually consists a good and sometimes hidden message about my God or about my faith, ‘cos I consider it as a good and important thing to tell. Our lyrics are also pretty surrealistic poems..At least some of them are.I don’t write anything that doesn’t interest me and I don’t write if I don’t feel like writing. So in that way my lyrics comes just naturally when I’ve been inspired by something.
What is your favorite song in your repertoire and why?
Now it is the Revival song but in fact we haven’t played it live yet..So then my answer would be Afraid of living.It is good live rocknroll with good guitars and good lyrics.
Do you tour regularly? Do you actually prefer performing your music live or in a studio?
Live is better.We don’t actually tour but we do a few gigs in a month.Yeah, usually two gigs in a month or so.Touring in some part of Europe is still in our dreams, but maybe it will come true someday in the near future.
During the process of making an album, what is the moment that you prefer?
Maybe when everything is done.It’s so great when you feel how all the stress falls down on the floor as you hear the first chords of the first song on the album.I like it when it’s all done and you hear your very own CD from your own stereo.But in fact we haven’t made any official records except our 8-track demo yet! So our stress about a full length album is just in the near future.
What kind of music / What artists do you currently listen?
Well I listen to very different music.From hardcore to old jazz. I like very honest lyrics and music that is unpredictable or melodic or both.
What are your actual and future projects?
In the near future we are planning to make a full length album. And to make few gigs around Finland. We are just getting things started and we like to keep our eyes open to different opportunities. The album is the biggest thing we are looking forward to but everything is still a big question (?) mark concerning the recording of the album and studios and financial business and stuff like that. We’ll see what happens in the future.
A stupid question but… what is among all the songs you’ve been listening in your life the BEST song? Why?
Hard question. Not stupid, but hard. Maybe A Day in the life by the Beatles or the complete Wall-album by Pink Floyd. Instant Karma is also a fine masterpiece and Queen has some good tunes also. So I just have to pick A Day in the life, but tomorrow it will be different again.=)
Internet is something interesting for musicians because it gives them the opportunity to touch a larger audience but it is also a threat for them (regarding the copyrights). What is your opinion regarding this medium?
Internet is a good thing, but I think that everyone should see us live first and then just decide their opinion about our band.
But Internet has opened many doors so I’m not against it. And for the starting bands Internet is very good media, but only if you know how to use it wisely. If somebody steals something from us, like songs or a name or anything, then he won’t get anything from us. That’s the way we see it.
Do you use computers or home studios during the process of making an album or a song?
Making an album..yes. Making a song..no. I just make the songs with my acoustic and we play it together as a band and arrange the song to it’s final shape. Our mind is the only computer we use when making a song.
January 17th, 2007
 When and how was your band created?
Ahava was put together when rehearsing for our first concert in March 1999.
I collected the musicians.
Was the choice to become professional difficult to make?
After beginning to study singing and music, it has been quite clear to me to become a professional singer and musician. Of course there must be enough talent and courage behind that choice.. basically, I always thought I will manage.
What musicians or artists did have a major influence in your life / work?
There are so many different influences and they have varied from time to time. First, I think, it was mainly classical music that inspired me, then some pop singers and as I became more familiar with jazz I first listened to Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan and Keith Jarrett.
What are the positive and negative aspects of being a musician / singer (in Finland)?
Same than almost everywhere if you represent “minority music”. In Finland we just don’t have enough people to listen to different styles of jazz and new music. In others, music-making can happen at very intimate stages, which is nice.
How could you qualify your style of music?
Today’s music inspired by jazz, Finnish folk and other ethnic styles.
Improvisation. Timeless stories, symbolism. Classical dynamics, modern harmonies, breathing rhythm. Some would say shortly: nordic jazz, I could say: Finnish jazz.
Have you ever considered the possibilty to change totally your style of music? If so, what style of music would you choose?
There is no possibility for that, because I am creating music which reflects my own personality -it’s not easily changeable. But I love e.g. soul music which is very different from my own style.
What are stories/topics you tell/treat in your songs?
The stories are often symbolic expressions, almost dream-like stories and visions about nature and people (and other living forms in fairytales).
What is your favorite song in your repertoire and why?
To me there is not a favorite song forever, it depends on the situation, time and place. Any song from my repertoire (cd) could be the favorite one.
Do you tour regularly? Do you actually prefer performing your music live or in a studio?
I love to work in a studio and I love to perform. the possibilities for both are rare. So I would not say I tour regularly but as often as possible.
During the process of making an album, what is the moment that you prefer?
I love every moment, it really is a dream coming true, when I have a possibility to sing, perform and record my own music.
What kind of music / What artists do you currently listen?
Many styles from jazz to classical music. Like nancy Wilson, Joni mitchell, Betty Carter, Keith Jarrett, Chet Baker, David Liebman, Maurice Ravel, Rachmaninov etc.etc.
What are your actual and future projects?
Arranging a tour for Ahava, recording with an a cappella jazz vocal group and to perform Ahava music with a small chamber-orchestra.
A stupid question but… what is among all the songs you’ve been listening in your life the BEST song?
There is not such as the best song. But ten years ago I would have named Keith Jarrett’s My Song to be probably the best. Today it could be a Vince Mendoza-arrangement of Maurice Ravel’s Pavane recorded by the WDR orchestra, solos played by David Liebman and Charlie Mariano!
Internet is something interesting for musicians because it gives them the opportunity to touch a larger audience but it is also a threat for them (regarding the copyrights). What is your opinion regarding this medium?
Well, I just hope it could give more than take. I am not much interested in computers and the possibilites of the internet, but still hope that somebody would find the website of Fiasko Records and Ahava, www.fiaskorecords.com, and perhaps would listen to the tracks of Ahava and then order a cd via internet or book us to perform at a festival somewhere and so on.
Do you use computers or home studios during the process of making an album or a song?
I use computer only for working out texts. For composing I need a real piano.
January 17th, 2007
 When and how was your band created?
When started playing together with Jamie (drums) somewhere ’round mid 90’s with punch of different people. Dino (bass) and Saku (git) came along later, sometime before the end of the last century. Four of us have been “Bridget” ever since. We’ve always been friends first and after that band mates, if you know what I mean. We’d see each other and hang around anyway, even if we weren’t playing music together. It’s just something that happened: Hey, are we a Band? Nah! Really?
Were is the name of the band coming from?
Well it could be seen as a kind of a feminist shout out for the girls. Like “we’re with you, not against you”. It’s a man’s world and even what I just said sounds patronizing. Or maybe the name just looks and sounds good.
What musicians or artists did have a major influence in your life / work?
I’ve always been a music fan more than a musician. I grew up in the 80’s listening heavy metal like most kids did at the time. My first LP was Destroyer by KISS, and I still think it’s one of the best albums ever. Late 80’s, early 90’s I heard Bad Religion for the first time wich was a real eye opener: simple, short songs with DIY punk attitude and great melodies. So that kind of directed me from heavy rock towards more pop, song oriented music where I’ve been ever since.
What are the positive and negative aspects of being a musician / singer (in Finland)?
Like I said before, I don’t really consider myself as a musician. I write songs and play them with my friends and that’s it. We’ll one thing that comes to mind is the lack of rehearsal rooms. There isn’t really gov. sponsored rehearsal space at all in Finland, so you have to find and do everything yourself. Especially for the young bands it’s often difficult to find a place and to pay the rent from their weekly pocket money.
How could you qualify your style of music?
Indie pop. If (and when) it has to bee labelled that’s it.
Have you ever considered the possibilty to change totally your style of music? If so, what style of music would you choose?
We’re not musicians enough to make that kind of choises. We just play what come’s naturally. I know that’s a cliché but we’ve proved it to be true: we’ve tried some different styles but we always end up sounding like us. What can you do?
What are stories/topics you tell/treat in your songs?
Just basic (but always important) stuff like frindship, love, lonelines etc. I don’t usually tell stories. I just try to capture some moment, feeling or atmosphere as seen from my personel point of view.
What is your favorite song in your repertoire and why?
Well we have bunch of new songs that are so fun to play. They are not completyly ready yet and they are evolving and devoloping each time we play them, so that’s a fun proces. To name a few I’d say “Champagne”, “I’ve Never Been In Spain” and “DJ’s”.
Do you tour regularly? Do you actually prefer performing your music live or in a studio?
We’re actually pretty lazy considering playing live shows. We should do that more often to push the band forward musically. But somehow our musical ambitions lay purely in songs and not in technical virtuosity. It’s always fun to play live, especially because we do it so rarely, but working in a studio is great too. They are two completely different worlds so you can’t really compare them.
During the process of making an album, what is the moment that you prefer?
In a studio we usually have the song and most of the arrangements ready in our minds. Still we are open for new ideas and experimenting. So I guess inventing new tricks for old songs during the recording process, the kinds of that really turn the piece into something different, unexpected and much better is unbelievably rewarding.
What kind of music / What artists do you currently listen?
The new Red Carpet (from Helsinki) album “Halfway” is awesome. And Weakerthans from Canada is just unbelievable, great tunes, beatiful lyrics, what more can you ask?
A stupid question but… what is among all the songs you’ve been listening in your life the BEST song?
Being a life long music fan I can’t answer that. I’m about to flip just thinking about the question. But anyway one of the greatest songs this year, especially lyrically is “Plea From A Cat Named Virtute” by the Weakerthans. It’s written from a cat’s perspective to it’s owner, and being a room mate of two cat’s myself, that song really made an impression.
Internet is something interesting for musicians because it gives them the opportunity to touch a larger audience but it is also a threat for them (regarding the copyrights). What is your opinion regarding this medium?
I think internet is great. It has helped us an enabled some projects that otherwise would have been impossible. We can and have reached people from Asia, Australia, Asia etc. That would be otherwise impossible for an indie band of our scale.
What are your actual and future projects?
We’ll we’re just about to star recording our first album that should be out sometime next spring. Also a new label from New York, Secret Crush Records is about to release a cool compilation cd featuring Bridget. But currently our main project is the recording of an album, and when it’s done we’ll go out and play for people!
January 17th, 2007
 When and how was your band created?
Our band developed during the late 80´s. Three of us had been playing together for a couple of years and the rest joined little by little. We played our first gig as ´Suurlahettilaat´ sometime in -89
What musicians or artists did have a major influence in your life / work?
I personally have always been a big fan of David Bowie, but I´ve always listened loads of all kind of music. I´ve never really cared who or what band is playing as long as I like the song.
What are the positive and negative aspects of being a musician / singer (in Finland)?
Well, the most positive aspect is that I´m now doing the thing I always wanted to do when I was a kid. The travelling is not that hard inside Finland and I imagine the music business is not that rough as elsewhere.
The negative side is of course that we are working in a small business in a small country and nobody else understands our language. Thus, it´s surely not very lucrative in anyway even for me as a song writer. So, it´s hard work with not that much money.
How could you qualify your style of music?
I guess it is rock/pop music with influences from soul, funk, and even bossa nova from time to times.
Have you ever considered the possibilty to change totally your style of music? If so, what style of music would you choose?
Yes. I´ve actually written some songs that are totally different from Suurlahettilaat in other project I work on whenever I have time to. It´s called ´Taxi´ and these songs are in english. Nothing have been published yet, but I hope other people will hear of it sometime.
What are stories/topics you tell/treat in your songs?
Most of the songs are about different aspects of ordinary life like, of course, love in it´s various states, friendship, happiness, sadness..you name it.
What is your favorite song in your repertoire and why?
it has always been impossible to name one. At the moment I do enjoy performing a song called ´Rahat on loppu, muttta myydaan volvo´, roughly translated, ´There´s no money left, but let´s sell the volvo´. It´s a bossa influented song about toughness of life told in warm, gentle way.
Do you tour regularly? Do you actually prefer performing your music live or in a studio?
Yes, we tour regularly, making the total of approximately 80 gigs per year. Playing live is the greatest thing I know of, not counting sex, of course.
During the process of making an album, what is the moment that you prefer?
To listen the song fresh from the mixing table and knowing that you really don´t hear anything that should be fixed or changed and feeling totally shure and confident about the song. That´s it. It does not happen often, though.
What kind of music / What artists do you currently listen?
My current favourite is a norwegian acoustic duo called `the Kings of convenience´. Their album`Quiet is the new loud´ is best I´ve heard for a long time.
What are your actual and future projects?
At the moment we are writing songs for our next Suurlahettilaat album. It should be in the shops next march. Also, the Taxi project will go forward, I hope, in the near future.
A stupid question but… what is among all the songs you’ve been listening in your life the BEST song? Why?
Tough question. First that I can think of is `Space Oddity` by David Bowie. It´s just so great song. It has it all.
Internet is something interesting for musicians because it gives them the opportunity to touch a larger audience but it is also a threat for them (regarding the copyrights). What is your opinion regarding this medium?
It is great that anybody can have his/her music disseminated there, but you should also be able to prevent your music from free downloading there, if you want to. It´s a powerful media and it´s getting bigger all the time. I think in the future music business is even less about making albums than making just individual songs and then selling them. More and more via the internet.
Do you use computers or home studios during the process of making an album or a song?
Yes, I have a small mobile combination of a laptop and some hardware that I use at home.
January 17th, 2007
 When and how was your band created?
Giant Robot started in the mid-90s, going through various names before settling on Giant Robot. It was just three or four people jamming on simple hip hop riffs for 15 minutes at a time. Three of the original members are still in the band: Petro, Tuomas & Aleksi. It used to be a loose collective with anything from 8 to 15 members…nowadays it’s more of a band with 6 members and a couple of satellites.
Was the choice to become professional difficult to make?
Well, Giant Robot is not a professional band in that we do not make any money from it, as of yet. The decision to be serious about it was never one that was made consciously. Things just evolved to the point we’re at now. Serious music made for the sake if making music. It isn’t a job. We all have other things we do to support ourselves.
What musicians or artists did have a major influence in your life / work?
Me personally…I started playing guitar because of the blues (Muddy Waters, Hound Dog Taylor, Albert Collins, etc). Punk bands like Bad Brains, Clash, Black Flag were a major thing. Funkadelic/Parliament was an important discovery, as was Public Enemy and, through them, hip hop in general. I also like a lot of older country music, stuff like Tom Waits…this list could go on forever.
What are the positive and negative aspects of being a musician / singer (in Finland)?
Positive: due to the relatively small and isolated nature of the market, musicians here tend to make music for reasons other than a desire for stardom. We have no real rockstars. Maybe a few people will pretend, but they are full of shit.
Negative: Making a living playing music is hard, which means that you can’t concentrate on it as much as you’d like.
How could you qualify your style of music?
I couldn’t really. We take elements of hip hop, dub, electro, r’n'b, space rock, etc. and meld them together.
Have you ever considered the possibilty to change totally your style of music? If so, what style of music would you choose?
We don’t consider anything in Giant Robot. We let the music take its course. We convey it. I do other things that interest me in other bands, as does everyone else in Giant Robot. Robot is a very organic process.
What are stories/topics you tell/treat in your songs?
It varies. The last album, as a whole, dealt with spaces (both time and location based) that are out of the ordinary. Like a weekend. It’s a hiccup in the continuum of the mundane. Geographically, this is represented by airports. Everyone there is going somewhere else, either away from their normal life or back towards it. And for some people this movement represents normalcy. Rock festivals embody this idea in terms of both time and space.
The last album deals with the life cycle of a relationship within this frame. If you take out the first song, the rest of them tell a cohesive story.
What is your favorite song in your repertoire and why?
The song Superweekend. I think there we have managed to bring together all our varied influences in a very elegant manner. It takes the dub esthetic and applies it in a different context. Simple, effective and epic.
Do you tour regularly? Do you actually prefer performing your music live or in a studio?
We don’t tour much, though we like playing live. In the future we will try to play out more.
During the process of making an album, what is the moment that you prefer?
Those moments after 0200 when everyone is tired enough to free associate and just try crazy stuff.
What kind of music / What artists do you currently listen?
To the embarrassment and consternation of my bandmates I have listened to mostly 1970s butt rock this summer:) Allman Brothers, Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, James Gang…also some newer stoner bands like Queens Of The Stone Age and Unida, a Finnish band called Sunride, some doom metal bands like Electric Wizard and Reverend Bizarre.
So lots of heavy guitars.
What are your actual and future projects?
We are trying to get Superweekend released outside Finland. We’d like to do another tour of Europe at some point (we did one in September/October 2000).
We are going back into the studio early next year. Beofre that we’ll do some demo recordings.
A stupid question but… what is among all the songs you’ve been listening in your life the BEST song? Why?
I think this changes a lot. Right now I’d say it’s Billie jean by Michael Jackson:)
Internet is something interesting for musicians because it gives them the opportunity to touch a larger audience but it is also a threat for them (regarding the copyrights). What is your opinion regarding this medium?
I don’t see the Internet as a threat. We have lots of mp3s at the site. I don’t think that mp3s have hurt our sales. In fact, I think in the heyday of Napster, record sales were growing at the considerable pace of 12% a year. I used to use Napster to check out songs before going to buy the record. And I still buy more vinyl than cd. The object d’art thing is very attractive…
Do you use computers or home studios during the process of making an album or a song?
We use Pro Tools. Many of us have home recording equipment, too, for demoing ideas. Mamba and Kimi are both part owners of small studios in Helsinki.
January 17th, 2007
 When and how was your band created?
It was founded at the fall of 2004 in Jyväskylä. Few friends decided to put up a project band but soon it became much more important and we quit our main bands.
Where is the name of the band coming from?
It’s an abtract name which sounds good but later we have heard that red number two also means certain color lipstick!
What musicians or artists did have a major influence in your life / work?
We all have our own favourites, but everyone in our band likes Tool, Oceansize, Mew and Faith No More.
What are the positive and negative aspects of being a musician in Finland?
Nowadays it is positive that everybody knows that being a musician can be regarded as a “real” job and musicians are more appreciated than before.
Negative aspects is that being so far away from the other world makes it more expensive to make gigs abroad.
How could you define your style of music?
Progressive mainstream alternative rock.
During the years how has your musical style changed?
Towrds bigger and bigger sound. There’s no rules anymore.
How do explain these changes?
We realised how we want to sound and learned some tehniques for that.
What are topics you treat in your songs?
A finnish man in the cosmic eternity =)
What is your favorite song in your repertoire and why?
Few new songs under the working titles of “Makyoh” and “Old Grinder”
Do you actually prefer performing your music live or in a studio?
Both have good sides. It has to be a wonderful gig to have such a good vibes that you can get in the studio when you record something new and fantastic.
A good gig still beats up lazy and complicated studio work.
During the process of making a song, what is the moment that you prefer?
At the rehearsal, everybody gives their best shot and finally we create something out of everybodys reach.
A stupid question but… what is among all the songs you’ve been listening in your life the BEST song?
I don’t know the best song, but there was a time when I couldn’t listen Tori Amos’ song called “The Cooling” without crying.
What is your opinion, as a musician, regarding internet?
Excellent tool doing things - good and bad.
Do you have a website?
Yes, http://www.rednumbertwo.com
What are your projects for the band?
Recording the first full-lenght album this year.
What “image” do you have of French music?
Air and Phoenix are excellent…I don’t know any other bands from there…
Is there one French song that you prefer? If so, what song is it?
Air : Vagabond (excellent, excellent song!)
March 20th, 2007
When and how was your band created?
It was originally started 1999 in Riihimäki - which is a small town about 60 kilometres up north from Helsinki - when our singer-guitarist Okko asked Tomi, guitarist as well, to kick out some jams with him. Okko had previously played in a punk band and wanted to do something different, to create beautiful pop music instead of noisy punk rock
There were some difficulties in finding a right guy to play drums and it wasn’t until late 2002 when the band really came together once the drummer Sampo joined the group. Anyway, the final spice to the soup was added in late 2004 when a tall engineer named Matti Olavi Töyli joined the band to play clarinet, saxophone and a little synth named “Nautilus”.
Where is the name of the band coming from?
It’s a bit boring answer, but it doesn’t really have any special meaning, I suppose it just sounds fascinating. Apparently it was Okko who came up with. There were some bad suggestions before, like “Justin’s Case” and “Purple Sunday” for instance.
As one can imagine, over the years many people have said that it’s too long, but we think that the name actually describes the band’s sound quite well. And who cares about people’s opinions anyway. Look how well Creedence Clearwater Revival has done ! And if you really really like to, you can always use the shorter version of our name (our CCR version) UwSSoc.
What musicians or artists did have a major influence in your life /work?
Apparently there are only three bands that we all like: Pink Floyd, The Flaming Lips and 22-Pistepirkko, but since there’s no easy way to do this, I’ll just name a bunch of good ones that most of us enjoy: The Beatles, Radiohead, The Doors, Sonic Youth, Björk, Deus, Air, Nick Drake, Jeff Buckley, Primal Scream, Johnny Cash, Talking Heads, Magenta Skycode, Rubik, Kastor, Nirvana, The Velvet Underground, Sigur Ros, David Bowie, The Cure.
What are the positive and negative aspects of being a musician in Finland?
Positive: There are not too many bands, at least good ones, in Finland, so it might be comparatively easy to receive attention once things start happening. Another nice thing about the small circle is that you get to know a lot of new cool people easily when you tour with other bands etc.
Negative: There are only very few good places to play gigs. And this is important: people listen way too much heavy music, which means: 1) that there must be something wrong in our collective unconsciousness 2) summer festivals are filled with bands all dressed in black 3) people end up picking the wrong records from the record stores: instead of buying one of ours
How could you define your style of music?
Progressive pop. Art punk. Prog-rock. Folk pop. Ambient heavy indie! Emotional chill-out music. Underwater sleeping sounds. Whatever you like! We’re not indie puritans, we make music for everybody.
During the years how has your musical style changed?
It has changed a lot. I would say there have been at least 4-5 different phases:
1) straight American influenced pop/rock guitar music, a bit melancholy
2) acoustic phase, stripped down folk music
3) prog-rock phase, that’s when the weird c-parts started to appear!
4) indie-rock phase, everything combined
5) NOW, underwater-indie-progressive-folk-ambient-art-punk-pop
How do you explain these changes?
Listening to too much David Bowie can do that I guess.
What are topics you treat in your songs?
That should be a question for Okko to answer, but I remember that a journalist asked this same thing once, very cleverly. He asked Okko that which word would describe his lyrics the best: underwater, sleeping or society. The obvious answer was sleeping. There’s actually a song called “Dream Song” in our first ep.
What is your favorite song in your repertoire and why?
My personal favourite is perhaps “-P” at the moment, it’s a long progressive song that evolves very slowly and once it explodes it’s almost like religious experience.
Do you actually prefer performing your music live or in a studio?
Definitely live. If you play rock music and you don’t enjoy your presence on the stage, you’re in the wrong business.
During the process of making a song, what is the moment that you prefer?
It’s the first time when everyone gets that kind of “THAT’S IT!” -feeling. It might come after 20 minutes or it might take 4 months. Some songs never get to that phase. But they are the bad ones, so they’re meaningless anyway.
A stupid question but. what is among all the songs you’ve been listening in your life the BEST song?
Life On Mars by David Bowie. Strawberry Fields Forever by The Beatles. I Was Made To Love Magic by Nick Drake. Those three came to my mind first.
What is your opinion, as a musician, regarding internet?
I absolutely love it. It has helped us a lot. Myspace is the best forum to get to know new, totally unknown bands from all over the world.
Do you have a website?
Sure. It’s www.uwssoc.net
Our Myspace is www.myspace.com/uwssoc
What are your projects for the band?
Do you mean goals? To make good music. Make people happy. See new places.
But first of all, make good and timeless records that sound good even when you’re 80.
What “image” do you have of French music?
It´s a shame to admit, the image I have is kind of stereotypical. It’s sort of like this. “Edith Piaf singing about her unlucky love in the 1950s”. But surely there are many great contemporary French bands as well, Air being the most obvious one to mention. I should get to know Phoenix as well.
Is there one French song that you prefer? If so, what song is it?
It has got to be Je Ne Regrette Rien by Edith Piaf.
March 20th, 2007
 When and how was your band created?
Zack and I (The Muff) founded the band about 4-5 years ago, but we did’nt get serious about it untill Mr.Tikka, who is my brother joined on drums in 2003.
Where is the name of the band coming from?
Well we wanted a name like KISS, a name that you remember and like, and everyone wants to get naked…right?
What musicians or artists did have a major influence in your life / work?
Here it comes…..aaahhhh: KISS, The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Blues Brothers, Van Halen, Black Crows, AC/DC, Aerosmith, Isaac Hayes, Rush, Bon Jovi, Goo Goo Dolls, Thin Lizzy, Billy Joel, Cheap Trick, Stevie Wonder, The Hellacopters, Alice Cooper, Backyard Babies, T.Rex, Queen, Mötley Crüe, Rainbow, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Hanoi Rocks, Sam & Dave, Def Leppard, Police, The Who, DLR, James Brown.
What are the positive and negative aspects of being a musician in Finland?
Well…hmmm let me ponder………The crowds are nuts and everyone is crazy, but I guess that’s the case everywere. Ok I’ll try again, It’s great!!! The negative side: narow minded people!
How could you define your style of music?
We call it Broadway rock, and I’m proud to anounce that we are the only Broadwayrock band in the world!!! Big guitars, bigger drums, confetti, a little smoke, ripped t-shirts, lights, sweat, choir robes, megaphones and a positive mind, hip hip hurraaa!!!
During the years how has your musical style changed?
YES! we’ve found the Naked sound with this album(Let’s Get Naked… And Start A Revolution)
How do explain these changes?
Well at a point we stopped sounding Crap! and became something unexplainable!!! Now how’s that for an awnser.DAN WEEKS?
What are topics you treat in your songs?
Life basiclly and everything that comes with it, the good and the ugly.
What is your favorite song in your repertoire and why?
Well I like them all obviously, but I have special place in my heart for “High On Blue Love” I wrote it on my sofa when I woke up hung over from beer and viagra:) without a guitar, the melody just popped into my head.It whent to #5 in the single chart in Finland. Then I like doing Revolution live, that’s great. It whent to #4 in the charts.We shot a cool video in london for it and got arrested!
Do you actually prefer performing your music live or in a studio?
Live, that’s what a band should do.But I don’t mind the studio!
During the process of making a song, what is the moment that you prefer?
The moment? writing a good song dude! I hate forsing them out of me for hours and hours, the best ones come easily.
A stupid question but… what is among all the songs you’ve been listening in your life the BEST song?
The list is endless and changes all the time but on of the best is bohemian rhapsody by Queen, I like dancing in the moonlight by Thin Lizzy as well:)
What is your opinion, as a musician, regarding internet?
It’s great! I’m all for it!!! go go go! check out www.nakedonline.net and www.myspace.com/nakedofficial
What are your projects ?
NAKED!!! that’s all I do 
What “image” do you have of French music?
Slim to none, I know that K Maro rapper dude ha haaa. But nothing else comes to mind right now!
Is there one French song that you prefer? If so, what song is it?
Edit phiaf???? She sounded awsome
January 18th, 2007
 When and how was your band created?
We had a group called Maximum Liver Explosion that already included 4/6 Moses. It kinda worked as the Big Bang to creation of the whole new world of Moses Hazy…Well that was pompous.. But anyway the band was formed in Tornio, a smalltown in Northern Finland, `bout two years ago. It just happened to be the place where the brains of this six-headed dog met.
Where is the name of the band coming from?
Well that`s a long & old story. And we actually made a promise that we’d never ever tell it to anybody. But let`s just say that “Moses” alludes to lust we`re creating on our gigs and “Hazy” is for.. I guess it`s for whatever you want it to be for.
What musicians or artists did have a major influence in your life / work?
There are plenty of ´em. Just to mention a few of my own..mmphh.. Pink Floyd, the band that made my life, and Neil Young, the man that made my life! You want a list? You got it: Wesley Willis, Roky Erickson, Bruce Springsteen, Alice Cooper, Black Sabbath, Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Hellacopters, Iggy Pop, Jimi Hendrix, King Crimson, Kingston Wall, Led Zeppelin, Lou Reed, MC5, Neil Young, Rolling stones, The Clash, The Doors, The Stooges, the Who, Wigwam……..There`s no end coming for that and doesn`t everything effect on everything..? So forget about it. -The greatest thing in music, from the view of a listener, is that you never stop finding good music..That´s why it`s the best hobby,I mean lifestyle, ever. And Moses Hazy is all about music diggers, Rock&Roll&Blues&Jazz&Soul&Funk&Progressive®gae&Ska&Psychedelic…. ..So let`s just say I/we dig good music.
What are the positive and negative aspects of being a musician in Finland?
I`d like to answer on this one as a musician from NORTHERN Finland.
Positive: You haven`t got many choices, there is nothing to do here but to get high with the music. And you find easily beautiful landscapes and peace & quiet `round here. Well not for long, I think, thanks for Eurocitys, IKEAS and all the others satans little helpers…
Negative: The lack of places to rock. In Northern Finland there ain`t too many bars nor other places to arrange gigs. And it`s quit long way to drive to southern cities and back, expecially for one bloody concert which you don`t even get paid, goddam.
But generally there is a lot of great music in Finland and there are many people with good responsive attitude on all that weird shit there`s made.
How could you define your style of music?
Rock. I usually leave the defining for you journalists.. But it`s a kinda Rock´n´Roll without any limits. You can hear a lot of different styles of music in it..Check out the list above!
During the years how has your musical style changed?
Well we started playing Kiss and when we wrote our first own songs for M.L.E. it was all about actionrock, but it sure has changed a lot. and here we are now.
How do explain these changes?
I usually don`t. No, One reason for sure is the instruments we have, like saxophone, trumpet & piano. The other is that we`re listening so many kinds of music. And I guess we knew from the beginning that you can´t draw any limits for this group of maniacs.
What are topics you treat in your songs?
Life. Stuff. You may find some opinions ´bout things in´em because there are opinions, `bout things. But there are also lots of meaningless stories and from each song you get on the average 15% of your daily humdrum-psychedely needed.
What is your favorite song in your repertoire and why?
It changes often depending on the last gig or if we´ve just recorded something. ´Guess right now my favourit song is..mbgh.. Play That Damn Guitar from our soon-to-be-released album The Incredible Flow Of Life Show. And the reason is that I was yesterday in studio with a couple of beauties recording female backing vocals on that one.
Do you actually prefer performing your music live or in a studio?
Absolutely Live! I think that rock`and´roll albums should be mostly promotion to invite people to the gigs. And our studiowork haven`t started working as good as the liveperformances.
During the process of making a song, what is the moment that you prefer?
Of course the moment when you for the first time think that the song is done now; And you see that it`s good. It could be alone with guitar as you finish the lyrics or with the whole band when everything just clicks. And when ever the basic form of the song changes to something totally different.
A stupid question but… what is among all the songs you’ve been listening in your life the BEST song?
I really can`t answer seriously to this one.. So I just say Wesley Willis´ Arnold Swartcgchzenegger (how do you spell it anyway?).. Which is actually a great song. And there ain`t no stupid questions, just stupid answers. And you can bet your testicles I`m full of ´em.
What is your opinion, as a musician, regarding internet?
It`s a great thing for young unknown bands like us to spread their music all around the world. Of course in some cases it takes away the support from the artist but it`s the blues of today, isn`t it? `Cause in the end Internet is not half as bad thief compered to what record companies have been and still are. And it`s gigs you should get paid for…And I really can`t feel too bad for Metallica.
What are your projects ?
Like I told we´re now finnishing our debyt album and before the summer we`re about to start recording our next album which is kind of a re-recorded collection from our EP´s. And we´ve been planning a summer holiday by the Kuivajoki (Dry River) after June filled with gigs. The holiday includes the recording sessions of our third album, a country/roots-stylish LP, in an old countryhouse. and for sure, gigs gigs gigs and more gigs. So we`re a bit busy with the “Mo´s Trilogy 2006″, as you see.
What “image” do you have of French music?
Few years ago I was spending some time in some smalltown near Brest and cruising `round western parts of France with my local friends. they had a great reggae-band Makaks Mekaniks, don`t know if I spell it right. And I also heard many great funky ska-bands there, I guess it`s quite popular in France..? Ceux Qui Marchent Debut (?) was also great band live and on record. I saw so many great gigs but remember not as many names of bands.. But of course Edith Piaf, Serge Gainsbourg, Francois Corneloup and Bela Fleck & Flecktones etc..etc.. Also we`ve had one great half frenchman playing with us, Marc “fast finger”
Gondallier De Tugny, who played banjo in one of our EP´s.
Is there one French song that you prefer? If so, what song is it?
Makas Mekaniks: Aualpe tout la nére (?)
C´est bon, comme ça.
January 18th, 2007
 When and how was your band created?
We started Dive in 2003. We did two demos shortly after that and now we are working on an ep and an album, which will hopefully be released later this year.
Where is the name of the band coming from?
Dive is about looking inside of ourselves, about the things we’re keeping under the surface.
What musicians or artists did have a major influence in your life / work?
Joy Division, Depeche Mode, The Smiths and Kate Bush are main influences for myself. The boys are into Ride, Swervedriver and other noisy indie hulabaloo.
What are the positive and negative aspects of being a musician in Finland?
We are in the great position because we have found the right people to work with. They are hard working and they believe in the same things that we do. It took time but now we are mainly happy.
How could you define your style of music?
Today I would call it sophisticated new wave. Tomorrow something else.
During the years how has your musical style changed?
When we starded, our music was more or less punk music. I still love the attitude that punk bands have and it?s good to see them live. But I like to do more melodic stuff and songs that touches our audience. In the beginning it was just rage.
How do explain these changes?
It’s the way we always wanted to go, but we didn?t first know how. Now it’s all here. It feels very nice.
What are topics you treat in your songs?
They are mostly sad love songs. We are now working on new tunes that are much happier. But even in our darkest songs there is a glow of light somewhere.
What is your favorite song in your repertoire and why?
Probably some of the new ones; Apart or Shiver. They just work so well. Songs you can dance to.
Do you actually prefer performing your music live or in a studio?
I’ll choose gigs. We are blessed to have such a lovely audience every night. I can’t see doing this without playing gigs to our fans. I love to talk with them after the shows as well.
During the process of making a song, what is the moment that you prefer?
I prefer the beginning and the end. In the beginning I?m alone with the song and it takes me to another places. I’ll always try to cacht a certain mood to each song. Then we try the song with the boys and if and when it starts to work, it is incredibly touching.
A stupid question but… what is among all the songs you’ve been listening in your life the BEST song?
It must be Kate Bush with Hounds Of Love. I love the mood and the intensity on Kate’s vocals.
What is your opinion, as a musician, regarding internet?
As we are an indieband from Finland it?s a nice way to promote our music. That’s why we have fans in the States and UK. And who knows maybe in France too!
What are your projects ?
I’ll try to make Dive as good as I can. That’s my project.
What “image” do you have of French music?
I’ll have to admit that I don?t know french music that much. I read sometime ago the biography of Edith Piaf.
Is there one French song that you prefer? If so, what song is it?
Any of Edith Piaf’s songs. Perhaps “L’hymne à l’Amour”. We used to listen to it with my father when I was a kid.
January 18th, 2007
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