OUTO VALO

Outo Valo has been together not more than a year, but they've managed to get an mini-LP out already.

How and why did Outo Valo start?

Janne: Our band that time had just dried out and I was really frustrated and wanted to do something different. Something little bit moodier punk stuff. So our drummer and I asked Vili to try something with us. It just worked out really well right from start.

Do you guys feel better after writing a song? Or something else like: Well, this is not the best I could get out of this melody or lyric, but to hell with it...

Janne: Some songs come together quite easily, but others you have to give some time. If it's meant to happen you should not be in haste to finish it and fuck up your good melody that you've had years in your head. Hahhah! You are little bit jealous about it and don't want to give it away too easily, but too much unfinished business in your head is no good either.

Vili: Sometimes when we try a new song I'm really scared to even open my mouth at the practice since the lyrics are deeply personal, so I end up just mumbling something for awhile... But when the song is finished (now i'm talking about the ones i've had in my head for years), I feel relieved, 'cause I don't feel frustrated anymore about what to do with it.... Janne always brings something new to it with his guitar, so it feels NEW for me also, which makes it really sound finished. In this band, I don't have to think all through by myself, so it's really enjoyable as other members make my old ideas sound fresh.

TEEN WOLF RECORDS

Teen Wolf Records had been open for a good 5 weeks now. It's in the same spot where Combat Rock Industry used to be. And the guy running it looks familiar too. They got tapes like Puhelinseksi and LPs like Agnostic Front's 1894 Demos.

There's a fancy pub next to your shop. Do you have their membership already?

Jere: No. They won't sell Pirkka beer so why bother?

Hops and barley!

Photo by Punk-Keisari

FLAMING SKULL OF THE EAGLE

You guys sweat a lot. Why?

Those aren't shorts, those are pants. These are shorts. We're cool.

Did you know that before Van Halen released anything, Eddie used to play his solos back against the crowd. There also was a band that played the entire Joy Division set the same style.

We're not aware of any of that. We'd rather talk about rodents. People don't understand that a guinea-pig is not a hamster. They're totally different species.

What's the best trucker compilation for the road?

We don't believe in truckin'. We used to have a car, but it's gone now. We left it in Vilnius.

Vilnius, Svyturys, I quit.

I just realised that I don't know who I'm talking with.

CAN CAN HEADS

Picture a guy falling down the stairs with basket full of mushrooms and a hammer in his hand. He's the guitar player of Can Can Heads in my dream from last night. In the dream was also a pony, but since these guys are probably not into horse meat I woke up and made myself and my kid hot sandwiches and cold chocolate.

There's been a lot of releases this month. Old Fart's Neck came out last month. I have not listened it. I'm still listening to Butter Life. If you haven't heard that record, I don't know what to say. But let's listen this new EP first together right now. And Butter Life after that.

Hey there's the actor dude in the first song. Great.



Drumming, how did it start?

Janne: I heard the 666 album by Kansanturvamusiikkikomissio when I was 16 and I knew instantly I wanted to hit and smash those skins.

Cats or Horses?

Janne: Definitely cats. I used to have a cat named Tenho Tiikeri. He was crazy!

Hot buttered rum or instant coffee?

Janne:I’m up for anything with rum in it.

Complete Control or Jump the Fence?

Janne: I’d say Complete Control: The band at their poppiest, with some nice vocals of a more subdued variety. But Jump the Fence is good too, very uplifting. What a great fucking band. 

Can you give me the elements that without music is shit?

Janne: You mean Earth, Wind and Fire are crap? Maybe. I’d rather listen to James Brown or James White.

COLD INSTITUTION

Photo by Simo P. J. Ulvi

Now that the LP is out, are you still happy with the result?

Ville: Still happy with the end result. We were a bit nervous how it would sound on vinyl because there are just bass guitars, drums and vocals. The bass guitars can easily drop each other out or sound like shit because of the similar frequencies played together. And we were not active after recording the LP. Our original drummer quit the band after becoming a father, now we have played shows with Gid from the Plastic Tones filling in on drums.

What is this bullshit with everybody playing post-punk, why is life so tragic?

Ville: I think when people have been playing in hardcore bands for 15+ years they want to express themselves in different ways/styles, I think it's just natural and post-punk is still punk. And because life is so fragile!

SICK WORLD

Grease the poison pill
Force it down my throat
Sugar-coated venom
With no antidote

Sick Worlds demo is out!

Their weekly schedule goes as planned:

Monday: bench press

Tuesday: band practice

Wednesday: deadlifts

Thursday: work

Friday: military press

Saturday: binge eating

Sunday: squats

THE HEARTBURNS

I'm very saddened to learn of the Heartburns' imminent break up. To me, they have been one of the premier bands playing true punk rock over the last 10+ years. Total balls-out, supercharged, nihilistic, Ramones-on-steroids (among other substances), full throttle punk. Catchy-as-fuck tunes played with urgency and always produced aggressively. They were pretty much a perfect punk band and my only regret is that now I will never get to see them live. Good on ya, boys. Your legacy is secure.

-John Evicci (Oblivionation, Out Cold)

For me the catchiness of their songs always surpassed the agression and sheer nihilism. I remember Hot Lixx Hulahan asking me in a tiny Finnish bar if they were a cover band, that's how fucking catchy their songs are. A big fucking sing-a-long party of well toxicated punks. But I also remember the times when I had Fucked Up In A Bad way on a repeat and songs like I Wanna O.D. and I Hate Everything started to punch a hole through my brain like a hot nail, a party that I'd rather no see.

Any last comments?

Teemu: No. Except that some stupid idiot from Stupido put us play AFTER The Mob, so the bands “career” seemed to end as fucked up as it started out.

LOKIT

Lokit got their new 7" out two weeks ago and now they are almost done recording their LP. I wish they would play in your kitchen. I wish this beautiful autumn would never end.



Do you write everything ready before going to studio or...?

Ville: Yes and no at the same time. Almost like a herring salad, you know. We really enjoy playing together, often spending long hours in our practise room. So we at least try to capture that feeling as raw as we can. That is why we basically record ourselves playing the songs live in the room in question, but some songs actually do find their form only after initial recordings have been made and we find out that there is still something missing. Two songs on the LP we're recording still need something. But what? Maybe saxophone, melodica, piano or violin? Vocal samples from old movies? Whispers or animal howls? Or maybe just still some additional guitar solos.

ABNORMI

These guys are disgusting. And now they are on tour.

Seems like yesterday they spent their day off in Copenhagen (just maybe, no one seemed to know where they were = facts don't matter) and what I can gather from their answers the day went like this:

1. Breakfast: Vegan toast and juice
2. Drinking alcohol
3. Hemorrhoids explode
4. Drinking alcohol

I can't really tell where they play next except that the place is called Recklinghausen and that it's somewhere in Germany.

Do not enter their van.

UMPIKUJA

This band caught me by surprise yesterday.

How do you feel after the show, better or worse?

Rähmä: Both. Some things feel better, some worse.

I could see that. One star Jallu and go!

RUTSA

Old Napalm Death, Hellhammer, Kuolema, Repulsion, Disclose, Eyehategod, Galvanizer, Fuck-Ushima ja Scumripper.  Sometimes all you need is a good old list of bands that influence bands to be loud and dirty. You know this has been spreading for four decades now. What a wonderful thing!
(The list was compiled from the ancient archives of Benedict XVI with the kind help of Jusa from Rutsa).

Metri Painaa Kilon

Goddam! Seems like the Metri Painaa Kilon will never get their tape out. So I'm just going to go ahead and post this. You just need to keep your eyes open and order it when the tape is out. Metri Painaa Kilon is another brand new band that includes old (seriously, these guys are older than your granny), but active people (like your granny). Like previously this post is only about one band. In future I will cover other bands these guys are in (and other bands other active people are in, old or not). See, that's how I get more posts.

Raine's mushroom bread:

Handful of yellowfoot mushrooms

(Craterellus tubaeformis)

Red onion

Rye bread

Fry the yellowfoots. Mix the yellowfoots with chopped raw red onion and add on top of dark rye bread. Enjoy with Emmylou Harris or with Dolly Parton if Harris is not available.

HUOLET JA MURHEET

Huolet ja Murheet are a brand new band with not so brand new members. If you consider all the hours spent in musty basements with a bunch of dicks, out of money and beer, it's a wonder that the need for writing songs sticks with some.

Miro: If I start to play something that sucks, the feedback is instant. We are all responsible for the outcome. I like the idea of simultaneously being and not being accountable for the songs alone. For Huolet ja Murheet, singer Iiris is writing texts too, in addition to mine. I'm not a fan of writing text, text and vocal melodies are always there to accompany the music. Vocals are just my orchestration for strings or whatever.

COMBAT ROCK SHOP

Combat Rock Shop, the only punk rock store in Finland, will close it's doors permanently tomorrow. It's sad.

What next, Jani?

Jani: I will go to college.

I met Jani the first time at a show in Lauttasaari in the late 90's. He was trying to sell me the latest Aurinkokerho ep. Who remembers what they costed back then?

Here's Janis late afternoon choice for an anxious undergraduated 40 year old punk.

Thank you Jani.

See you in the pit!

HORROS

...How each agony wore the aspect of a struggle with some invisible foe...

(Edgar Allan Poe: Ligeia)

As a huge fan of aggressive music I get frustrated pretty often. A lot of bands suck sounding aggressive, destructive or just plain mad. I guess it has to do with the world we're living in. It gets more safe and sound all the time, surgeons and jet pilots listen to Carcass, yoga teachers recite Bolt Thrower and dogs collect their own turd. Still, there's plenty things fucked up, scary and mad and the essence of it all makes the feeling more collective than before. Which makes it better or worse? I don't know. A goddamn cycle of shit and nightmare that's what it looks like.

So, what would the world be like without Heavy Metal?

"Without heavy metal there would be only chaos, because heavy metal rules!"

(Elias of Horros)

DEEP TURTLE

Now that I have my own front porch I think I'm allowed to reminisce a little (wearing Crocs).

Pentti Dassums top 1 bass player:

1. Rob Wright

Pentti Dassums top 1 onstage shoes:

1. Whatever, but Crocs or army boots

TURHUUS

When everything turns to shit, I thank bands like Turhuus. Thank you Turhuus.

Why did you start a band?
Antti: Just for fun. Turhuus started as a bedroom project in 2008. In 2011 I gathered some of my friends to play a gig. It was fun, so we played more gigs and recorded the Apatia syvenee EP. Years later the project came full circle and I recorded the second EP myself. It's still fun, but it has also become a form of therapy.

Did you have a very clear vision when you started Turhuus and did you get close what you wanted? Or do you even think that it's even important?
Antti: The musical direction and aesthetics of Turhuus were pretty clear from the start. Writing songs is fairly slow because I will discard every idea that doesn't have just the right feel to it. But the earliest songs were actually created quite spontaneously. I recorded some improvised drum tracks and then hastily added the first riffs I would come up with. Oh, the energy and innocence of youth! It's not necessary to have any kind of vision when making music. The outcome is what matters. However, with Turhuus there's a set of limits and I enjoy the challenge of creating things within those limits.

Do you have other therapy projects besides Turhuus and how does the future look like for this band?
Antti: I make basic pop/rock stuff under the name Mikael Huovinen. A third Turhuus EP is in the making, and the latest live lineup has proved to be lethal!

PLASTIC TONES

Gid been playing in various bands for some time now plus he's always doing zines and other art, organising shows at Oranssi, making hamburgers for bands and biking around the endless streets of Helsinki. An honor to know such a person. So I was excited to finally hear Plastic Tones new stuff and even more excited to hear that there will be not one, but two 45's out, hopefully by the end of this year.

Will there be keyboards involved? (Should be).

Gid Plastics: There's no keyboards this time, but a bit of xylophone, and lots of tambourine and hand claps! All of us have some Millenium Falcon-style keyboards at home, but were not that good, that we'd have dared to use those in the recordings. Yet.

Does this feel like a band you can be as active as it seems you need to be?

Gid Plastics: Short answer: Yes. Longer answer: For a while this have been the main band for all of us. It doesn't mean that the other bands and projects are less important, but for example we have played so much shows already on our first year of existence, that it would have been hard or impossible to focus on other bands with the same volume. I think some of use have also gotten bored on the "let's get drunk instead of putting some effort on the band"-punk ethics, even though that have also brought some really great songs and records to life. We try to make everything as well as possible, and not to be ashamed of admitting it!

SOKEA PISTE

"But what about this price? Should a man, to preserve his life, pay everything that gives life colour, scent and excitement? Can one accept a life of digestion, respiration, muscular and brain activity - and nothing more? Become a walking blueprint? Is not this an exorbitant price? Is it not mockery? Should one pay?" 

(Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn: The Cancer Ward)

Sokea Piste will have a new 12" out in September

Two words: CAN'T WAIT!

Viisi Aistia // Five Senses

eyes to see

ears to hear

a mouth to taste

a nose to smell

i feel a rumbling disorder

i can't separate the messages

blind spots in my vision

there's screeching in my ears

my mouth is numb

there's a burnt smell in the air

and i can't feel the flames

even though the world is on fire

...

RADUX

"Woke up covered in sweat this morning to nothing else but air-raid warning, how the hell have we come to this, our world is about to be blown to bits" - Radux: Last Ones to Survive

In my youth the parents listened to Vivaldi, tangos or nothing. You got introduced to decent music (=heavy metal and punk) through your friends older brother who taped you Metallica and Crumbsuckers. 90 minutes, over your own brothers blues tape. The next generation was more lucky. My music teacher, once a mighty mandolin player, taught his son to listen King Crimson and Radux bassist found Deep Purple records from his fathers (why not mothers?) collection. Add Iron Maiden and Judas Priest and it's for life.

The only time I saw Radux was when I was going swimming in a deep deep hangover and wasn't able to stand still. They were just what I needed, but after the dip in the lake they had already finished their set and I still couldn't stand still.

Craft or bulk beer?
Radux: Bulk.

Any John Bush era Anthrax worth listening?
Radux: No.

MAAILMANLOPPU

Not many things are necessary on tour. For me it's wipes, but I always forget them and on the first gas station stop I only buy beer and chips, and by the time I next time remember them it's too late. And why the hell I always bring a book. School's out!
I had an in-depth tour briefing with Aleksi from Maailmanloppu who are leaving for another tour with Kuudes Silmä tomorrow. This must be their 12th tour this year.

What's the most important thing to pack on tour?

Aleksi: Nothing is mandatory. But I always have my biker boots and a sleeping pack with me on tour - it sucks if your feet are wet or you freeze during the nights.

How long till you get tired of free beer (and what then)?

Aleksi: I never get tired of it. The secret is not to get greedy. For example: in the morning, drink the free coffee and juice. I bet there is more free beer available again in the next venue! You will be wasted before you get to go to sleep, I promise!

3.8. Helsinki @ Lepakkomies

4.8. Secret show in Sweden

5.8. Copenhagen @ Ungdomshuset

6.8. Berlin @ K19

7.8. Leipzig @ TBA

8.8. Prague @ Klub 007 Strahov

9.8. Brno @ Vegalite

10.8. Vienna @ Venster 99

11.8. Warsaw, Chmury

12.8. Hamburg @ Gun Club

13.8. Gothenburg @ 128A

GENERALS

Back from Puntala, alive. I missed GENERALS whole set ´cos I went for a beer and lost myself for the rest of the night. Anyways, Golden Make, an infamous 7" addict and fastest pizza slicer in Pispala, was sweet enough to answer my questions this morning.

It's 10.30am on a sunday after Puntala-Rock. What's your favorite G.B.H. song for this hour?
G.M.: Gunned Down. At that hour you need a good riff and it can't be a sleepy one. Fast music, please.

What's your take on our current Prime Minister?
G.M.: Idiotic religious moron who sincerely thinks you can run a country like a corporation. I quit my job because i was sick of working, tell the bosses good night and F.S.U.!

Favorite pizza-toppings?
G.M.: When it comes to pizza i'm a cheese man. So maybe Gorgonzola and the maybe something fresh like rucola? Garlic and oregano and black pepper, too! Lots of garlic. That would work for me now.

 

Gorgonzola, garlic, no work.

Kiitos.

Hello

I will start a blog about finnish punk, but first I will go to Puntala-Rock and see what happens...