Interview by Alessia & Michela
The Helldone Festival is a beautiful occasion to see our favorite band performing, but it is also a moment to be shared with friends, living all the music Finland offers. On December 30, we had the opportunity to see again the great show of one of the Finnish rock'n'roll icons... The 69 Eyes. Thanks to Tiina Vuorinen's and band crew's extraordinary kindness we had a chat with Bazie before the show.
Bazie and the desire to make good music
Hi Bazie, it’s a pleasure for us to meet the composer of all the music by The 69 Eyes! Your album X was released more than a year ago. What happened during this time? Are you satisfied or did you expect something more?
Yes, I’m pretty satisfied. We’ve been touring all this time, but we tried a different approach with touring, this time. It took a little longer but we’re not so stressed about touring. Of course we expected more sales with the album, but we’re pretty satisfied, we’re happy with the results, we had a really good response from fans.
We had a melodic approach, compared with Back in Blood. So with each and every album you need to know where to go with the album.
Yes, each fan loves a particular album, it’s a bit difficult to please everyone and you always search for something new…
Yes, everyone has his favorites, the good and the bad, so with every album you need to discuss what direction you should go, also with the producer. That’s good when there are people responding. The feedback is different, you don’t listen to your records, I mean… when you’re recording, you listen to your music thousand times, then you need to let it go… … I write all that stuff, so… There’re other guys in the band that have other attitudes and this happens in all bands. Everytime we change something or at least we try, so the expectations, ours and of our fans, are higher. We do our best, always. The most important thing is not to focus only on the results. I mean, a song is good when you go with the flow, it needs its own direction, you know. But we consider us very lucky to do this as our job.
You played many times in Italy, people feel and love the 69 Eyes, it’s a crazy audience.
Yeah, that’s really cool, we love to play in Italy! Fans are good, I don’t have any complaint about them *laughs*
You’re the one writing all the music in the band. So, where do you start from? Lyrics or something else?
No, only sometimes has been lyrics, but often you start from a melody line or whatever. It varies, but I usually record a demo and give it to Jyrki. He works on it putting a title or some lyrics to it, and then we continue working on it.
We had a different approach, with this album. Usually we start from a melody, from a riff, it depends on what we want to achieve, if we want a more melodic or a heavy song. Sometimes we start from drums, as in "Back In Blood". That’s always the interesting point, how you do the record track. You do it with a different producer, different guys, you produce your idea, so… you have to prepare your mind.
Yes, I’m pretty satisfied. We’ve been touring all this time, but we tried a different approach with touring, this time. It took a little longer but we’re not so stressed about touring. Of course we expected more sales with the album, but we’re pretty satisfied, we’re happy with the results, we had a really good response from fans.
We had a melodic approach, compared with Back in Blood. So with each and every album you need to know where to go with the album.
Yes, each fan loves a particular album, it’s a bit difficult to please everyone and you always search for something new… Yes, everyone has his favorites, the good and the bad, so with every album you need to discuss what direction you should go, also with the producer. That’s good when there are people responding. The feedback is different, you don’t listen to your records, I mean… when you’re recording, you listen to your music thousand times, then you need to let it go… … I write all that stuff, so… There’re other guys in the band that have other attitudes and this happens in all bands. Everytime we change something or at least we try, so the expectations, ours and of our fans, are higher. We do our best, always. The most important thing is not to focus only on the results. I mean, a song is good when you go with the flow, it needs its own direction, you know. But we consider us very lucky to do this as our job.
You played many times in Italy, people feel and love the 69 Eyes, it’s a crazy audience.
Yeah, that’s really cool, we love to play in Italy! Fans are good, I don’t have any complaint about them *laughs*
You’re the one writing all the music in the band. So, where do you start from? Lyrics or something else?
No, only sometimes has been lyrics, but often you start from a melody line or whatever. It varies, but I usually record a demo and give it to Jyrki. He works on it putting a title or some lyrics to it, and then we continue working on it.
We had a different approach, with this album. Usually we start from a melody, from a riff, it depends on what we want to achieve, if we want a more melodic or a heavy song. Sometimes we start from drums, as in "Back In Blood". That’s always the interesting point, how you do the record track. You do it with a different producer, different guys, you produce your idea, so… you have to prepare your mind.
You stick together since the band was born, without any line up change. What is your secret, in a period when line up changes happen almost every day in every band?
Yes, it’s quite difficult to put many different minds together and make them get along well, expecially when you’re recording a new album. There’s so much electricity and you get easily nervous. Sometimes we wondered about the possibility to have a keyboard player, but this is hard when you’re together since a long time, especially in tour.
Yes, each artist has his own personality and sometimes it’s not easy to get along well, I think…
Yes, and different opinions. We don’t have to agree on everything for sure, but you know… I like to decide the setlist we have to play today, we have different options.
Recently we listened again to your old songs, we also saw you performing at M’Era Luna Festival last summer… it was a great show and when we listened again to Wasting the Dawn we found many similarities between the old material and the new album…
Thanks! Yes, I understand what you mean, everyone of us has his own way to approach the music and lives the musical feeling in his own personal way. The feelings you have while listening to a song are not the same for everyone. But yes, I think in X there’ s much of the oldest albums. About the new album… you never know how people will respond to it. That’s the hardest part to do in music, keep the feeling in the music, in a song.
Yes, it’s quite difficult to put many different minds together and make them get along well, expecially when you’re recording a new album. There’s so much electricity and you get easily nervous. Sometimes we wondered about the possibility to have a keyboard player, but this is hard when you’re together since a long time, especially in tour.
Yes, each artist has his own personality and sometimes it’s not easy to get along well, I think…Yes, and different opinions. We don’t have to agree on everything for sure, but you know… I like to decide the setlist we have to play today, we have different options.
Recently we listened again to your old songs, we also saw you performing at M’Era Luna Festival last summer… it was a great show and when we listened again to Wasting the Dawn we found many similarities between the old material and the new album…
Thanks! Yes, I understand what you mean, everyone of us has his own way to approach the music and lives the musical feeling in his own personal way. The feelings you have while listening to a song are not the same for everyone. But yes, I think in X there’ s much of the oldest albums. About the new album… you never know how people will respond to it. That’s the hardest part to do in music, keep the feeling in the music, in a song.
Is there a song or an album you are particularly proud of?
Uhm… I would say all the albums are good. Each one is different, with every album we achieved something and every album has its own meaning. Of course when you get more success with the album, those times you remember more, because you play more gigs and everything, but every album has something. Of the first one you are proud because is the first one, but each one of them has its own meaning because they’re totally different from each other. Devil was a great album, and also Back in Blood.. we are proud of each one of them for many reasons.
Which are your projects for the future? Are you already working on new material?
Yes, we are writing new songs, this is the main project. Then some gigs in April and May, festivals, again some touring in September and October, then it’s time to go back to the studio, try some new material and see what happens. We have no release date scheduled, at the moment. We are focused on touring, for now. You need the right mood to compose a song, and you write easily if you had some relax, some time for yourself, silence… this is quite common among musicians. When you live in a tourbus you don’t have the peace you need to write.
Being born in Finland has affected your songwriting, somehow?
It’s not so important where you’re born, you don’t realize that. It’s important how you live it. Finland is important. I also wrote somewhere else, but it doesn’t go away, anyway. I was living six months in New York and it came out a totally different album. Anyway in the first album I think yes, it affected, but now we are playing for so long we don’t think about it anymore. In Finland many places are different. But definitely what affects you is the music you hear, all the stuff you got into when you are a kid.
Are there some places in which you’d like to play but you didn’t have the opportunity yet?
Yes, South America. Our album X had a great success there, and we don’t play there since many years. Also in North America, but personally I would come back to the south. They have many expectations about us, there are many differences between the North American and the South American audience. It’s not like this in Europe, there are not so many differences in different countries. South Americans are crazy! I’d like also to go to Australia.
North American fans don’t usually feel the music like Europeans do. They don’t get easily attached to a band, because they have so much music, so many different bands… they get easily distracted, maybe
Yes, they have this kind of approach, indeed.
Ok… since we are HIM fans, can you tell us what do you think about these five finnish guys?
I’ve always loved the band, we know Ville since a long time. He sang on Wasting The Dawn, Blessed Be, Paris Kills and Devils. We also played together many festivals in Austria and Germany, so whenever we get to see them it’s a pleasure. They’re true to themselves and very down-to-earth, they do what they like. It’s good to see they have a faithful fanbase. There’s a magic ingredient in the band. Great guys, great band! And the new album is good.
Uhm… I would say all the albums are good. Each one is different, with every album we achieved something and every album has its own meaning. Of course when you get more success with the album, those times you remember more, because you play more gigs and everything, but every album has something. Of the first one you are proud because is the first one, but each one of them has its own meaning because they’re totally different from each other. Devil was a great album, and also Back in Blood.. we are proud of each one of them for many reasons.
Which are your projects for the future? Are you already working on new material?
Yes, we are writing new songs, this is the main project. Then some gigs in April and May, festivals, again some touring in September and October, then it’s time to go back to the studio, try some new material and see what happens. We have no release date scheduled, at the moment. We are focused on touring, for now. You need the right mood to compose a song, and you write easily if you had some relax, some time for yourself, silence… this is quite common among musicians. When you live in a tourbus you don’t have the peace you need to write.
Being born in Finland has affected your songwriting, somehow?It’s not so important where you’re born, you don’t realize that. It’s important how you live it. Finland is important. I also wrote somewhere else, but it doesn’t go away, anyway. I was living six months in New York and it came out a totally different album. Anyway in the first album I think yes, it affected, but now we are playing for so long we don’t think about it anymore. In Finland many places are different. But definitely what affects you is the music you hear, all the stuff you got into when you are a kid.
Are there some places in which you’d like to play but you didn’t have the opportunity yet?
Yes, South America. Our album X had a great success there, and we don’t play there since many years. Also in North America, but personally I would come back to the south. They have many expectations about us, there are many differences between the North American and the South American audience. It’s not like this in Europe, there are not so many differences in different countries. South Americans are crazy! I’d like also to go to Australia.
North American fans don’t usually feel the music like Europeans do. They don’t get easily attached to a band, because they have so much music, so many different bands… they get easily distracted, maybe
Yes, they have this kind of approach, indeed.
Ok… since we are HIM fans, can you tell us what do you think about these five finnish guys?
I’ve always loved the band, we know Ville since a long time. He sang on Wasting The Dawn, Blessed Be, Paris Kills and Devils. We also played together many festivals in Austria and Germany, so whenever we get to see them it’s a pleasure. They’re true to themselves and very down-to-earth, they do what they like. It’s good to see they have a faithful fanbase. There’s a magic ingredient in the band. Great guys, great band! And the new album is good.
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