Interview
Interview
with Antti / Uniklubi
Apollo Club,
Helsinki, 12.3.08 by Nora
Nora: As you aren’t that well known in Germany would you
please introduce yourself?
Antti: Hei, I’m Antti Mattikainen I play drums to the Band
called Uniklubi.
N: You have already played about 50 gig since
“Luotisade”is
out. How has the touring been until now? What was the best concert or
did maybe something unexpected happened?
A: Ähm, nothing that unexpected but there are always some
problems
when we are touring. Instruments went broken or something like that but
nothing that special. Everything is going fine, I think. But there are
a few worst gigs then others but I think all of them have been really
good. I can’t name one special gig or something like that.
N: And what was maybe the best gig until now?
A: It’s really hard to say, I think there are all pretty
good,
but there are some special place where it’s always nice to
play,
like in Lapland or on ships. There are pretty chaotic feelings, but I
think all of the gigs are the best gigs for the audience and for us.
N: Is there anything you really miss when you are touring for longer
time?
A: Home *laughs* and family…maybe. But touring in Finland is
kind of...weekend touring, so you are home for 4 or 5 days and then
touring for 2 or 3 days, so it isn’t that bad. In the Lapland
you
have to be on the road maybe for the weeks but it’s not that
long.
N: What’s the strangest thing ever happened on tour?
A: Strangest?
N: Yeah, strangest!
A: I can’t name the strangest but…
N: Or most worst thing?
A: Worst thing was when Janne broke his hand when he run through the
glass door at the hotel. It was pretty scary moment. It
was…we
thought that…he may never play again…so it was a
shocking
moment but…
N: …I can imagine!
A. Yeah, but nothing that more special.
N: In general, do you prefer playing at festivals or these quite small
club-gigs…or maybe ship gigs??
A: Ships gig! It’s always when you’re playing
festivals you
miss the club-gig and when you play club-gig you miss the festivals.
That are so different worlds but there’re good things in both
of
them.
N: Who got the idea for signing 500 copies of “Varjoon
juuttunut”?
A: I think it was the record company which got the
idea…making
the singles more personal. Aaaaand…I can’t
remember it, so
I think it was the record company which got the idea.
N: How did you get the idea making a cover of “Koko talvi
kesämökillä”?
A: We have been asked to play in Leevi and the Leavings Tribute record
and we were thinking about the song we could play and Teemu got the
idea of playing “Koko talvi
kesämökillä”. It
was…it was his favourite song of the Leevi and the Leavings
and
the rehearsed it. And I think it’s pretty good and we decided
that we wanna record that.
N: Yeah, I really like it! It’s kind of funny when you get
the
translation of the lyrics and when you didn’t get anything of
the
finnis by hearing it or the first time, but the lyrics are quite
funny…and strange.
"Varjot" is the new single, why did you choose this song and why is it
for promo only? I guess there are a lot of people who'd love have this
single in their collection.
A: Yeah, yeah! It’s….it’s record
company- stuff, you
know. First of all they decide all the singles, because when
you’re making music and recording it and playing it and
listening
to it all the time, you can’t be that sure if the choice is
right. So you have to have some person from the outside who listens to
the songs and then decides what’s the best or what is the
radio-filleted or something like that. And the thing that
“Varjot” isn’t in the
stores…it’s
like…there are always some radio single, that bands
published
but they won’t come to the stores, because it
isn’t…good for the record
company…making a lot of
single, because the selling is so low.
N: Yeah okay, Finland is quite small when you compare it with Germany.
A: It’s like when you
publish…äh…4
singles…maybe 2 of them becomes single that end up in the
stores
and 2 are like only radio singles. It’s a pretty common way
to
do…
N: Yeah, but that’s not really common in
Germany…the Bands
publish quite a lot single, cause the people buy it…so
it’s kind of different…
So…okay….are there already any songs finished for
a new album or at least any ideas?
A: Lot if ideas! But…but…nothing is finished
because we
have been touring all the time…so we haven’t had
time to
rehearse the songs but…lot of good ideas. I think
it’s
going to be…pretty the same as
“Luotisade”…but more rocking and more
tempo…but it’s to early to say.
N: Yeah, of cause! But there are at least some ideas and you will to
the studio maybe in the end of the year?
A: I think we start to make demos in may…maybe and then we
are
going to the studio in august but I’m not sure…I
don’t know for sure…
N: …but after the summer?
A: Yeah!
N: Is there any artist you'd like to work with?
A: I would like to work with many artists. There are good artist in
Finland…like Jorma from “Sara” and Toni
from
“Apulanta”…and guys like that. And
maybe…if
you take it world wide…it would be nice to Jam with
“Red
hot chilli peppers” …or something like
that…but…
N: Nice, I would like it!
Imagine I don't know you and your music. How would you describe it to
me?
A: *laughs* Melancholy, finnish rock. I don’t like to
categorize
music that much but…I think it’s melancholy rock.
N: Yes, at least when you have a look at some lyrics…like
Aurinkoni…it’s so depressive…
A: Yeah!
N: The German fans really want to see you overthere. They try to get
you there by collecting signature, now there are about 327. What do you
think about that enthusiasm? They really would love to see you there
although you are singing in Finnish.
A: We would love to come to Germany but it’s
always…äh…it’s
always…a thing
about…a thing with time and a thing with
money…and that
kind of stuff. I hope we get there someday
but…but…
N: It’s hard…I can imagine…but
there’s this
“Helsinki in Berlin”- thing and every Band is going
there
like Flinch and Essentia, who don’t even have a record
contract
in Finland…we are wondering about that…
A: It’s hard because our record label is major…so
there’s a lot of stuff at the papers we wouldn’t
know and
they’re always telling that maybe someday but it never
happened
until now.
N: But you were planning it…but the Jussi had the voice
problems
A: Yeah then…it was planed to go there…but we had
to turn
it down because Jussi had the voice problems…but maybe some
day…
N: We hope so!
A: We too!
N: What do you think about this “Finland-boom” in
Germany
and that lot of girls just use to travel esp. to Tampere caused of
bands?
A: It’s pretty interesting and I think it’s the
finnish
melancholy…that is the sing in the music, because in Finland
all
the bands are kind of different…then in other countries in
Europe, because I don’t know…the long
winters…but
it’s really interesting…and it’s really
nice. I
think it’s time to get some finnish bands to the world.
N: Yeah, but I think it’s not nice if this fans just come to
Tampere…yeah, especially Tampere and sit around there and
maybe
ask bands in private for photos and so on.
A: Yeah that’s kind of depressing *laughs* People should have
their private lives….but…I don’t
know…let’s leave it there *laughs again*
N: If you would have the change playing in Germany, would also thinking
about releasing your CDs there?
A: Hopefully. I would like to release CDs there, but as I said
it’s always a question about Major recordlabel, because how
they
are connecting to eachother and stuff like that. And things with
licence and stuff…it’s
pretty….it’s pretty
hard but I hope we can some day publish something on Germany or other
Europe. It would be really nice.
N: At what age did you start playing music and why did you choose your
instrument being yours?
A: I think I was like 9 years old when I was interested about playing
the piano but then…a couple of years later when I started to
listen to rock music more…it’s turned out that I
wanted to
play in a rockband and I played guitar and bass…and
drums…just followed right…so I tried everything
and the
drums were the best for me.
N: Which question was the weirdest you've ever been asked?
A: I don’t think there’s one *laughs*
N: We all know about the so-called Rockstar-Image. Do you think you
live one of this clichés, like “Sex, Drugs and
Rock’n’Roll”?
A: I really think it’s a cliché nowadays.
Rockmusic
is…is now like a job…but it’s just a
really nice
job, but there isn’t that much “Sex, Drugs and
Rock’n’Roll”- stuff anymore. Well
it’s….it’s….you do it for
living in nowadays
and you have to do it good, so you can’t mess it up with
drugs or
a thousand of girls or something like that. You have to stay in the
line and play the music for the people.
N: What are your plans for the rest of this year?
A: Next we finish the club tour in Finland, then we take a short
holiday and then in the summer we’re staring to play
festivals…and then we are going to studio and make the
fourth
album…I think. There’s pretty much to do
N: Do you have any special wishes at a musician or private person you
would like to become true?
A: Äh…it would be really nice to publish our
records in
Europe or in Japan or something like that. Or get touring in Europe or
to Japan and maybe in America but when you are singing in
Finnish…it’s a bit hard going to America but I
think it
would be possible to tour and publish records in Europe. It would be
really nice.
N: I think it would be really nice for the people as well.
Okay, thanks a lot!
A: Thanks!
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