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Interview
with Wille Naukkarinen, Guitarist for Sunride.
MM - Introduce the band members to us and where do you call home?
At first, I'd like to introduce our vocalist Jani and guitarist Mikko,
also known as Thee Double Trouble.
Both very slimy when it comes to band responsibilities such as roading
for instance. However, very nice, talented & most of all funny guys
and we get along really well.
Then we have the new bassist Janne and Topi (Veli-Matti being his real
name), who's our beloved drummer. I don't really have anything wise to
tell about them...they just wanna play and that's it. Nice and very
loyal dudes both. And then there's me, Wille. I'm the other guitarist
and mainly take care of all the everyday band routines and I'm also the
main composer in the band.
We all come from the middle parts of Finland, a city called Jyväskylä.
However, nowadays it's only me, Topi and Janne who live here in Jyväskylä,
the others are now based in Tampere and Helsinki.
MM - When was the band first formed and how did you all meet?
In 1996 I think. Yeah, that's the year when we actually started doing
our own songs and got the name Sunride.
We were all good friends (and still are:)) already back then, so we
didn't really "meet" or anything like that.
We just thought it would be cool to form a band and here we are. With
this line-up, after Janne come onboard, we've been together around a
year now.
MM - Where did the name 'Sunride' come from?
It was me who came up with the name actually. I remember I was reading
some English rock magazine years ago and then I just suddenly noticed
the word "sun" written in there and thought "Yeah, a name
starting with the word "sun" could be good." Then I
turned the next page which had a little ad about Ride's new album and
there it was.
MM - How would you best describe your music and who do you think it
would appeal to?
Aggressive yet very melodic riff-ridden music with aspects from both
stoner-and punk rock. That's how I would probably explain it to someone
who's never heard of us.
And even though people are mostly connecting us with the stone rock
genre, it's really not only those who listen to us or like us.
I mean, you can be a fan of Entombed or even a fan of pop music, it
doesn't really matter. Once you buy the album and listen the whole
thing, you know what I'm talking about. Even my Mom, who doesn't have a
slightest clue about rock music, thinks we're good.
MM - Have any of the band members appeared in any other bands before
Sunride?
Not really, no. Well, yes, there are always some kinda projects going on
but nothing which you could call a real band. However, our singer used
to sing in a band called Godfall before joining us. They released 1 MCD
around 5 years ago.
MM - What bands/artists have influenced you the most over the years?
Oh, I don't know if I'm able answer this one really. It changes you
know.
You think some band is the best in the world and the next day comes a
new band who are even better. That's how it goes with me. And besides,
every member in this band have totally different backgrounds and taste
in music so I can only speak for myself here anyway.
But yeah, I think I wouldn't lie if I mention such names as Entombed,
Xysma, Fu Manchu, Kyuss and say, QOTSA here. Those bands have all made a
big, big impact on me and if we get compared to these bands' music in
our reviews, it's a great honour.
MM - Is all of your material original or do you do cover versions as
well?
I like to keep it original. It's cool to play covers sometimes at gigs,
but that's enough really. I just simply feel more at home playing our
own stuff rather than someone else's.
However, right now we have Misfits' "Children In Heat" in our
live set. It's a good song and besides we recorded it for a dutch
Misfits Tribute album a year ago, so we kinda try to promote the tribute
a little bit.
MM - Your new album 'The Great Infiltration' is due out this month on
People Like You records. How do you feel at the moment and can you tell
us a little bit about this album?
Oh, I'm feeling very confident and good about it. I remember when we
recorded it late last year and listened to the final master for the
first time after finishing with the mixing ... I honestly liked it so
much that I got cold shivers from every song on the album. I just
laughed on the studio sofa and told the rest of the guys "Hey guys,
listen, isn't this good or what?!"... So, I'm happy with the
result. Of course, I can't know for sure if people will like it as much
as I do but I gotta believe they will.
MM - Do you have plans to tour with the release of this new album to
maybe the UK or USA?
Let's say that "we hope to come to the U.K.". I don't
know when but it will definitely happen sooner or later.
Next month we will start touring Finland, then maybe Sweden and Norway
and hopefully after that People Like You will organize a club tour in
Europe which naturally would include the UK.
We'll see what happens ... Touring USA would be cool too but I'm almost
sure it won't happen with this album. It's not wise to tour in that big
country if you don't have enough name nor proper distribution over
there.
MM - Who writes the songs that you perform?
As I said before, mainly me. I do all the riffs, show 'em at rehearsals
and from there we start to build a song unless I haven't done so
already.
Then, when the song's ready, Jani adds his vocals for which he has total
freedom.
MM - One for the musicians out there, what equipment do you all use?
Pretty basic stuff really; Marshall heads and cabins except for Janne
who uses Trace Elliot "Commando" head for bass. On top of that
I have pretty basic Charvel guitar (for now anyway, I'm getting a new
white SG soon!), Marshall's Shredmaster distortion (or RAT...it changes)
and this really cheap Bespeco Weeper Wah. Mikko uses Gibson SG guitars,
Marshall's natural distortion and Janne has this new bass called Kazuga
or something plus MXR distortion. I don't remember which drums Topi uses
but I believe they're Premier.
MM - What is the rock scene like in Finland at the moment?
It's getting better all the time. For bands like Zerocharisma,
Sweatmaster and Endstand, it's only a matter of time before they break
the surface.
There are a lot of good bands out there, they're all just waiting for
their chance.
MM - What can your fans expect from this new album?
If you liked "Magnetizer" you'll love "The Great
Infiltration". That's how I see it right now. I guess
"Great" is a somewhat natural continuation to our previous
stuff. Everything just basically sounds better and more matured. There
are also some elements that are totally new to us, so maybe the album
will even take some by surprise.
MM - Who designs the artwork for your covers and merchandise, and do you
have a say in the way it is presented?
I do. I'm kinda self-taught graphic designer, so from the start I've
done all the designing including everything from T-shirts, gig posters
and website to record covers for Sunride.
I think it's helluva lot fun and I've also done a lot of cover art and
posters for other local bands. So, if you're in a cool band and need any
graphic designing, drop me email: demonshelter@hotmail.com
.
MM - What are you interests outside of the music business?
When I don't design something with my computer, which I tend to do all
the time, I usually hang out with friends/in a bar, watch TV (even if
I'm not "local", The League Of Gentlemen is one of my
favourites!) or play Tony Hawk's Skateboarding with my PC. Everyone
should own that game. Ace!
MM - How has the rock media in general reacted to the band?
Better than expected, really. And I hope in the future this development
keeps on continuing :)
MM - What was the last concert other than your own that you attended?
Gluecifer. They played here few weeks back and it was awesome. I just
love 'em.
MM - How do the bands get on with their record label 'People Like You'?
I don't know about the other bands but we have no complains at all.
They really seem to like our music and do their job properly so I
couldn't really ask for anything more at this point.
Also, we have a total artistic freedom, which is cool. You know, they
don't choose which songs are gonna end up on the album or how our record
covers should look like. We have a mutual respect for each other and
they trust we can get the best of ourselves without their help.
MM - Which song performed live really gets the fans going wild?
Oh, I wouldn't know. All of them? No, seriously I don't know...nowadays
we mostly play songs from the new album and since all of those are very
good songs for live situations people don't pick just one.
MM - Which Sunride song is your personal favourite and why?
It's gotta be either "The Earthmover" or "Dead wrong
Companion" (both from the new album) because both of these songs
are pretty close to what I'd like SUNRIDE to be music wise. Heavy yet
groovy songs.
When we play these songs live I just go mad and usually laugh through
the song 'cause they cause me some serious cold shivers.:)
MM - How do you feel about the rock scene as a whole at the moment, are
you sick of all these American rap bands or do you like them?
Well, for starters, "sick" is not the right word. I mean, my
roommate is a big fan of this whole rap-rock/nu-metal thing, so I hear
that stuff in my house all the time. I guess I've become immune with it
and actually started to like some of that stuff. But it's got to be
really good before I become interested. Bands like Limp Bizkit won't
definitely do it for me. They don't present anything new and besides,
they're really bad at composing good songs.
MM - What's the first thing you like to do after a gig?
The first thing is to get some cold lemonade and fast. I always forget
to take any drinks to stage so after the gig my mouth is so dry it's
aching for a drink.
After that, I open a beer, sit on the backstage sofa and start talking
to people.
MM - If you could form a super-group from any five musicians, alive or
dead, who would you choose and why?
Josh Homme (Qotsa) on Guitar & Vocals simply because he's a genius.
Nicke Andersson (Hellacopters/Entombed) on Drums for the same reason.
These two would also be the main songwriters in the band. On bass
I'd maybe have Scott Reeder (Unida) because of his strong personality
and talent.
On other guitar maybe Dregen (Backyard Babies) because he knows how to
rock on stage and is a fairly good player as well. And since we already
have a singer, Ozzy could do some occasional handclappin' in the
background! So, there you go....:)
MM - What catchphrase would best describe the band and its members right
now?
Less is more? Oh shit, I don't know. Too difficult question.
MM - Lastly, is there anything you would like to say to your fans out
there?
I hope you're not bored stiff after finishing reading this? Buy the new
album, it's definitely worth the money. And if you wanna know more on
our doings in future, check out our website at: www.riffrock.com/sunride
for soundclips, news, live dates and more. - Wille/Sunride
Official Sunride site: www.riffrock.com/sunride
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