Crítica del Concierto del pasado día 13 de Septiembre: http://www.lahuelladigital.com/the-69-eyes-seduce-al-publico-madrileno/
[Próximamente en inglés]
Thursday, October 3, 2013
The 69 Eyes: “Tocamos Rock n’Roll Gótico, lo que quiera que eso signifique”
Entrevista a Bazie de The 69 Eyes: The 69 Eyes: “Tocamos Rock n’Roll Gótico, lo que quiera que eso signifique”
Crítica del Concierto del pasado día 13 de Septiembre: http://www.lahuelladigital.com/the-69-eyes-seduce-al-publico-madrileno/
Crítica del Concierto del pasado día 13 de Septiembre: http://www.lahuelladigital.com/the-69-eyes-seduce-al-publico-madrileno/
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Finnish metal band Negative take one year off
 |
| Jonne Aaron performing at the Madrid 2011 show. |
The singer, which has gained enormous popularity after participating in the musical program Vain elämää confirmed via Facebook that he will be publishing a solo CD this spring, followed by a tour.
Created in 1997, Negative has published 6 CD's so far: War of Love (2003), Sweet & Deceitful (2004), Anorectic (2006), Karma Killer (2008), God likes your style (2009) and Neon (2010). The rock'n'roll group is currently made up by Jonne Aaron (voice), Antti Anatomy (bass), Jay Slammer (drums), Mr. Snack (keyboard) and Hata Salmi (guitar).
The band's last concert will take place in Salo, Finland on March 15th. All their shows for the summer of 2013 have been cancelled.
Leer en español: La Huella Digital
Sunday, March 10, 2013
HIM to publish new album in April
Love Metal band, HIM, have finally confirmed the release dates of their upcoming album "Tears on Tape". The CD will be released in Finland on April 26th and the rest of Europe on April 29th. USA and Canada will have to wait one more day, (April 30th), for the album.
The recording and subsequent release of "Tears on Tape" went through several setbacks as Gas Lipstick, the group's drummer, became ill and incapable of playing for several months. Furthermore, in 2011, the band severed ties with their long time record company, Sire/Warner.
Though Seppo Vesterinen, HIM's manager, assured that the band was still alive and looking for a new record label, rumours abounded about their termination. It wasn't until the summer of 2012 when Ville Valo, lead singer and composer, announced that they would start recording something new in September that the fans breathed a sigh of relief. A few months later, a compilation album, "XX – Two Decades of Love Metal", was released with a new song "Strange World", originally from american artist, Ké.
Recorded in the Finnvox Studios with the collaboration of producer Hiili Hiilesmaa and mixer Tim Palmer, "Tears on Tape" consists of 13 songs and will be released in Europe through Vertigo Berlin (Universal Music Group).
The group, currently made up by Ville Valo (voice), Linde Lindström (guitar), Migé Amour (bass), Emerson Burton (keyboard) and Gas Lipstick (drums) is the only Finnish band to have ever achieved Gold certification in the USA.
As of yet, no tour dates have been notified in Spain, though some festivals, such as UK's Download Festival or Germany's Mera Luna's Festival, have been confirmed.
Tracklist for Tears on Tape
1. Unleash The Red
2. All Lips Go Blue
3. Love Without Tears
4. I Will Be The End Of You
5. Tears On Tape
6. Into The Night
7. Hearts At War
8. Trapped In Autumn
9. No Love
10. Drawn & Quartered
11. Lucifers Chorale
12. When Love Starts To Die
13. Kiss The Void
En español: La Huella Digital
The recording and subsequent release of "Tears on Tape" went through several setbacks as Gas Lipstick, the group's drummer, became ill and incapable of playing for several months. Furthermore, in 2011, the band severed ties with their long time record company, Sire/Warner.
Though Seppo Vesterinen, HIM's manager, assured that the band was still alive and looking for a new record label, rumours abounded about their termination. It wasn't until the summer of 2012 when Ville Valo, lead singer and composer, announced that they would start recording something new in September that the fans breathed a sigh of relief. A few months later, a compilation album, "XX – Two Decades of Love Metal", was released with a new song "Strange World", originally from american artist, Ké.
Recorded in the Finnvox Studios with the collaboration of producer Hiili Hiilesmaa and mixer Tim Palmer, "Tears on Tape" consists of 13 songs and will be released in Europe through Vertigo Berlin (Universal Music Group).
The group, currently made up by Ville Valo (voice), Linde Lindström (guitar), Migé Amour (bass), Emerson Burton (keyboard) and Gas Lipstick (drums) is the only Finnish band to have ever achieved Gold certification in the USA.
As of yet, no tour dates have been notified in Spain, though some festivals, such as UK's Download Festival or Germany's Mera Luna's Festival, have been confirmed.
Tracklist for Tears on Tape
1. Unleash The Red
2. All Lips Go Blue
3. Love Without Tears
4. I Will Be The End Of You
5. Tears On Tape
6. Into The Night
7. Hearts At War
8. Trapped In Autumn
9. No Love
10. Drawn & Quartered
11. Lucifers Chorale
12. When Love Starts To Die
13. Kiss The Void
En español: La Huella Digital
Friday, January 25, 2013
Iron Maiden to headline Sonisphere 2013
Tickets to Sonisphere 2013 Spain are available for purchase at www.ticketmaster.es among other retailers. This year, the festival headlined by Iron Maiden will take place for the first time ever in two cities: Madrid and Barcelona. On May 31st the audience from Madrid will see the likes of Iron Maiden, Danzig, Avantasia, among others yet to be confirmed. Heavy metal fans from Barcelona will have the groups to themselves on June 1st.
More information at: www.http://es.sonisphere.eu/
More information at: www.http://es.sonisphere.eu/
Monday, January 7, 2013
German duet, Lacrimosa visits Madrid and Barcelona on the 18 and 19 of January
Tilo Wollf and Anne Nurmi, aka Lacrimosa, will be playing at Sala Arena in Madrid on Friday January 18th and in Sala Salamandra I in Barcelona the next day.
Created in 1990 under their own record label, Hall of Sermon, Lacrimosa has been a pioneer in several musical styles throughout their more than 20 years of career. A mixture of poetic lyrics (sung mostly in German), that speak of loneliness, darkness, love and despair, along with classical influences and current trends has permitted the first independent German group to record at the Legendary Abbey Road Studios and work with famous orchestras such as the London Symphony.
Their new album, which released at the beginning of September, “Revolution” has been classified by powermetal.de as an exceptionally straightforward album. In an interview with Rock Revolt Magazine, Tilo Wolff explained what the album was about: “I think we are living in a world that is not really suitable for humans with all our needs and desires. We humans created this world and yet we don’t fit into it anymore. This is a tragic joke! We are guided by media that only presents us a version of reality. Most of us are stuck in a job that guarantees daily frustration; after all, we have to fight against our own species when it comes down to it. We hurt or disobey each other. No-one out there does this harm to us. It is ourselves! And therefore I think we should stop complaining and start working on a better world. And each and everyone can start within their own surrounding. And this is what this album is about.”
For the version in Spanish: Click Here
Created in 1990 under their own record label, Hall of Sermon, Lacrimosa has been a pioneer in several musical styles throughout their more than 20 years of career. A mixture of poetic lyrics (sung mostly in German), that speak of loneliness, darkness, love and despair, along with classical influences and current trends has permitted the first independent German group to record at the Legendary Abbey Road Studios and work with famous orchestras such as the London Symphony.
Their new album, which released at the beginning of September, “Revolution” has been classified by powermetal.de as an exceptionally straightforward album. In an interview with Rock Revolt Magazine, Tilo Wolff explained what the album was about: “I think we are living in a world that is not really suitable for humans with all our needs and desires. We humans created this world and yet we don’t fit into it anymore. This is a tragic joke! We are guided by media that only presents us a version of reality. Most of us are stuck in a job that guarantees daily frustration; after all, we have to fight against our own species when it comes down to it. We hurt or disobey each other. No-one out there does this harm to us. It is ourselves! And therefore I think we should stop complaining and start working on a better world. And each and everyone can start within their own surrounding. And this is what this album is about.”
For the version in Spanish: Click Here
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Even the stars came to Earth to hear Anathema
The group gave a stellar performance on October 18th at the Joy
Eslava venue in Madrid
In early September, Anathema won the award for best live
performance of the Progressive Music Awards. After seeing their show on October
18th at the Joy Eslava Venue, Madrid,
it is only natural that they won. The group from England, offered an amazing concert
which invited the viewer to explore and feel the music in the depths of their
being.
Normally, people associate metal music with headbanging
and people jumping up and down waving fists filled with spiked bracelets in the
air. Few know the depths that can be found behind that music. Anathema is a
group that has gone beyhond traditional metal creating a unique progresive
atmospheric sound that invited refluction while seducing the listener.
The concert was an example of what the group who has been
working for more than 10 years, can achieve. At a quarter to nine, even though
there were still people coming in and a few asking for leftover tickets at the
door, the first chords introducing the group to the stage began to ring. Untouchable I and Untouchable II, two songs from their latest album, "Weather
Systems" were the first songs to fill the theatre.
The venue was packed but unlike other concerts in which too much people can be a burden, here, Anathema created a sense of intimacy and closeness with the audience.
The venue was packed but unlike other concerts in which too much people can be a burden, here, Anathema created a sense of intimacy and closeness with the audience.
It’s an impossible task to appease everyone, but Anathema
tried to satisfy as much people as possible going back in time to play songs
from older albums that date back as far as 1998. They even played songs never
before heard in a Madrid stage, such as two out of the three songs played from
their album "Judgment”, Deep, Emotional Winter, Wings Of God.
The set of stage lights, the powerful voice of Vincent Cavanagh mixed with David Cavanagh and the angelic voice of Lee Douglas left the audience stunned, listening and nodding to the rhythm of the melancholic sound of the music. Lyrics were whispered and not shouted at full potential, almost as if the audience were afraid of breaking the magic being created on stage. It was only under the encouragment of Vicent or David when songs were chorused loudly, with bodies writhing to the beat.
The set of stage lights, the powerful voice of Vincent Cavanagh mixed with David Cavanagh and the angelic voice of Lee Douglas left the audience stunned, listening and nodding to the rhythm of the melancholic sound of the music. Lyrics were whispered and not shouted at full potential, almost as if the audience were afraid of breaking the magic being created on stage. It was only under the encouragment of Vicent or David when songs were chorused loudly, with bodies writhing to the beat.
A Simple Mistake from the album "We're here Because We're Here", was introduced as a song about the beauty of life, followed by Lightening, Storm Before The Calm and The beginning and the end.
Attendees were amazed with the show, but many gasped with Natural Disaster. The group called for public input to illuminate the room with their phones while the mirror ball flashed through every corner, giving the impression that the sky had dipped to Earth to listen to Anathema.
Since then, emotions seemed to overflow. Some wept openly with "Flying", others concentrated on the stage, staring fixedly or shaking their heads rhythmically while others closed their eyes, imagining only they know what.
The encore brought two more songs, Fragile Dreams and Internal Landscapes, as well as more tears when Vicent thanked the audience for having bought tickets that cost almost 30euros: "We know the situation in Spain and we appreciate you coming tonight."
Wrenching voices, emotional lyrics, beautiful music. The Anathema concert in Madrid was an experience hard to tell in words for it was more than a sensorial experience, it was extrasensory. Vincent Cavanagh which was signing along with the rest of the group, records, shirts and stickers at the merchandising stand, said that the Madrid show was the best so far. We don’t doubt that it was indeed something worth living.
Daniel Cavanagh’s last words were: "Adios Madrid, hasta luego, hasta la próxima.” (Goodbye Madrid, see you soon, until next time). See you soon, Anathema, we’ll be looking forward to it.
In Spanish/En español: http://www.lahuelladigital.com/anathema-la-musica-de-los-angeles-descendio-a-madrid/
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Sonata Arctica visits Madrid and Barcelona
The Finnish group will be visiting Spain on November 16th and 17th
The power metal band, Sonata Arctica, will act in Madrid on November 16th at Sala La Riviera and Barcelona on November 17th at Sala Razmatazz. The group will be accompanied by Finnish heavy metal band, Battle Beast.
Sonata Arctica, led by singer and songwriter Tony Kakko, will be introducing their 7th Studio album, “Stones grow her name” to the Spanish audience. The new CD includes different elements and musical instruments rarely used in metal, such as banjos or saxophones and includes vocal collaborations from artists such as Timo Kotipelto from Stratovarius.
En Español:
http://www.lahuelladigital.com/sonata-arctica-presenta-su-nuevo-disco-en-madrid-y-barcelona
Monday, October 15, 2012
Metal band Therion announces important changes
The group from Sweden will cease production of future albums to create a Metal/Rock opera
Christofer Johnsson, founder of Therion announces that the group will not make any more albums or go on regular tour for the next five to ten years. The reason for this pause after 25 years of hard work is non other than the creation of a real metal/rock opera.
Paid by Christofer himself due to differences with their record label, Nuclear Blast, Therion’s latest album “Fleurs du mal”, can be bought during concerts or at their official store for the price of 15euros. Their last tour, The Flowers of Evil Tour will present new themes and revisit old classics as well as take advantage of the presence of a keyboard player among their team to play songs such as Land of Canaan or Via Nocturna, which make no sense without that key element.
Besides this final tour, Therion is in the process of creating a special art and musical project to celebrate their 25 years as a band. Also in lieu of this, Christofer will spend as much time as possible at the merchandise stands, answering questions, signing CD’s or taking pictures with fans.
For more detailed information, please visit: http://www.megatherion.com
En español: http://www.lahuelladigital.com/la-banda-de-metal-therion-anuncia-una-pausa-de-varios-anos/
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Anathema visitan España
El
grupo inglés pasará por Barcelona y Madrid durante el mes de octubre.
Uno de los mejores grupos de metal progresivo, Anathema,
visitará Barcelona y Madrid los próximos días 17 y 18 de Octubre
respectivamente con motivo del lanzamiento de su último trabajo Weather Systems, Anathema actuará el día
17 en la Sala Apolo de Barcelona y el día 18 en Madrid en la Sala Joy Eslava.
Los teloneros elegidos para ambos eventos han sido la banda Astra, natural de
San Diego, EEUU.
Creada en 1990 por Vincent y Daniel Cavanagh como una
banda de doom metal, Anathema ha ido cambiando de estilo a lo largo de los años
hasta situarse como una de los grupos de referencia del metal y el rock progresivo.
Tal y como explica Daniel en la página
web, “la música de Anathema no es para irse de fiesta sino para conmover al
oyente”. Letras que exploran la vida, la muerte, la luz, o la oscuridad
mezcladas con una cadencia única que invita al oyente a olvidar todo cuanto le
rodea. Ganadores del premio Progressive Music Award 2012 como Mejor Actuación
en Vivo, la música de Anathema no deja indiferente a nadie.
Las entradas para los conciertos se pueden adquirir en http://www.ticketmaster.es
Friday, July 27, 2012
The Dark Knight Rises: Film Review
I am not a
fan of superhero movies and I have never followed comic books. Sure, I’ve
watched Spiderman, Thor, X-Men or The Avengers and I’ve even glimpsed at a few pages of one comic
book or another, but superheroes are usually not my thing. I find the movies
entertaining, but beyond that, they don’t do much for me. However, Christopher
Nolan’s Batman movies are something different.
I’ve
watched all three films in the cinema and have always left my seat dwelling on
them. The Dark Knight Rises, which I
watched last night, was no different. If only, I believe that this final installment in Nolan’s Batman trilogy has been the superhero film that has most
affected me.
It’s been
almost 24 hours since I watched the film and I find it impossible to forget.
Snippets of the movie keep popping into my brain. I have analyzed and
reanalyzed the story, the scenes, the character’s movements and words and have
concluded that perhaps what makes this flick so fantastic is its actors.
There is no
doubt that Nolan has worked with some of the best: Gary Oldman (which I adore),
Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt
(interesting that he should also be participating in a Batman film like his Ten Things I Hate About You deceased co-star,
Heath Ledger), Anne Hathaway or Marion Cotillard. The characters were
brought to life with the tears of Michael Caine, the pain of Christian Bale,
the innocence of Joseph Gordon-Levitt, the desperation of Anne Hathaway and the
brutality of Tom Hardy, to mention a few. The characters were no longer caricatures swept off a few colored pages, but real, living, breathing human beings with emotions.
Then again,
the cinematographic quality of the film was also excellent. Nolan is capable of
showing the true dark nature of Gotham city:
the decadent atmosphere, the tragedy, and the blinding storm that
strikes with no mercy.
I sat
through 165 minutes of film on the edge of my seat, engrossed one hundred
percent with the story and its characters. The
Dark Knight Rises went from being just another entertaining superhero movie,
to an amazing film.
I’m not a
comic book fan, I’m not a super hero fan, maybe it could have been done better,
maybe the previous movies were better, but I still think that The Dark Knight Rises is well worth
watching, even if only to create your
own impressions.
Monday, July 16, 2012
Festival Costa de Fuego: dos días de playa, sol, Metal, Rock y Hardcore
Festival Costa de Fuego: dos días de playa, sol, Metal, Rock y Hardcore
Los días 20 y 21 de julio Benicàssim acoge este nuevo proyecto musical en el que actuarán bandas de la talla de Marilyn Manson o Guns n’ Roses.
En el entorno natural del desierto de Las Palmas se inaugurará este mes de julio un nuevo proyecto dedicado a la música rock y metal en todas sus vertientes: el festival Costa de Fuego.
Esta nueva andadura empresarial viene (Leer más)
Los días 20 y 21 de julio Benicàssim acoge este nuevo proyecto musical en el que actuarán bandas de la talla de Marilyn Manson o Guns n’ Roses.
En el entorno natural del desierto de Las Palmas se inaugurará este mes de julio un nuevo proyecto dedicado a la música rock y metal en todas sus vertientes: el festival Costa de Fuego.
Esta nueva andadura empresarial viene (Leer más)
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
The Cult visitan España
The Cult visitan España
The Cult regresan a España a mediados de julio para presentar su último trabajo “Choice of Weapon”
La banda de origen británico The Cult llegan a los escenarios españoles de Barcelona y Madrid este mes de julio. El martes día 17 la actuación tendrá lugar en Barcelona en la sala Razzmatazz, mientras que el miércoles día 18, será el público madrileño quien podrá gozar de ellos en la sala La Riviera.
Creada en 1983 la banda liderada por Ian Astbury y Billy Duffy inició su andadura musical con un estilo post-punk. Con los años la banda evolucionó hacia el hard rock y el heavy metal. Con más de 12 álbumes a sus espaldas, el grupo cuenta con éxitos como “She sells sanctuary”, “Rain”, “Spiritwalker”, o “Fire Woman”.
Debido a tensiones entre los miembros del grupo, la banda se separó en 1995 para reunirse una vez más a principios del año 2000. Tras varios altibajos y nuevas separaciones, The Cult, está actualmente formada por Ian Astbury, Billy Duffy, John Tempesta, Chris Wyse y Mike Dimkich.
Las entradas se pueden adquirir en http://www.ticketmaster.es
Monday, July 2, 2012
¡Hemos vuelto!/We're back!
¡Bienvenidos una vez más a Two Times M! Después de esta larga pausa regreso para contaros las últimas novedades musicales y cinematográficas.
Hoy vamos a centrarnos en la música. Mi idea era hablaros de los conciertos que tendremos el privilegio de ver este verano en Madrid, pero son escasos. Sin embargo, al estar investigando he descubierto que a partir de octubre la cartelera musical se pone interesante.
No obstante, en el mes de julio tendrá lugar el concierto del grupo de los 80 The Cult. Actuarán el día 18 de julio en la sala La Riviera y el día anterior en Barcelona en la sala Razzmatazz. El grupo liderado por Ian Astbury y Billy Duffy regresa a los escenarios con su nuevo disco “Choice of Weapon”.
A partir de Octubre…
A partir de octubre la cosa se pone interesante. Visitarán nuestro país: Delain, Therion, Arch Enemy, Anathema, Doro, Sonata Arctica y Dark Tranquility entre otros.
El día 13 de octubre el grupo de rock gótico, Delain, presentarán su último disco “We are the Others” en la Sala Caracol.
Cinco días después, el jueves 18 de octubre, Anathema, banda de culto dentro del rock progresivo y atmosférico, tocaran temas de su siguiente álbum “Weather Systems” en la Sala Joy Eslava.
El viernes 26 de octubre la música se vuelve más oscura y gutural con Arch Enemy y la voz de Angela Gossow. “Khaos Legion” es el último trabajo de la banda sueca, que actuarán en la sala La Riviera.
Entrando en el mes de noviembre el primer grupo que (de momento) pasará por España será Sonata Artica. La banda finlandesa de power metal actuará en Madrid el 16 de Noviembre en La Riviera y en Barcelona el día 17 en la sala Razzmatazz. ¿Su último trabajo? “Stones Grow Her Name”, un ambicioso proyecto con sonido de banjo incluido.
Una de las reinas del metal, Doro Pesch, ofrecerá un único concierto en Madrid en la Sala Arena el día 24 de noviembre.
Para acabar el día 8 de diciembre la banda sueca de death metal, Dark Tranquility, tocaran temas del pasado y del presente en la Sala Arena.
Las entradas para cualquiera de estos eventos las podéis adquirir en http://www.ticketmaster.es/ ¡Seguiremos informando!
To read the English version, click here!
Hoy vamos a centrarnos en la música. Mi idea era hablaros de los conciertos que tendremos el privilegio de ver este verano en Madrid, pero son escasos. Sin embargo, al estar investigando he descubierto que a partir de octubre la cartelera musical se pone interesante.
No obstante, en el mes de julio tendrá lugar el concierto del grupo de los 80 The Cult. Actuarán el día 18 de julio en la sala La Riviera y el día anterior en Barcelona en la sala Razzmatazz. El grupo liderado por Ian Astbury y Billy Duffy regresa a los escenarios con su nuevo disco “Choice of Weapon”.
A partir de Octubre…
A partir de octubre la cosa se pone interesante. Visitarán nuestro país: Delain, Therion, Arch Enemy, Anathema, Doro, Sonata Arctica y Dark Tranquility entre otros.
El día 13 de octubre el grupo de rock gótico, Delain, presentarán su último disco “We are the Others” en la Sala Caracol.
Cinco días después, el jueves 18 de octubre, Anathema, banda de culto dentro del rock progresivo y atmosférico, tocaran temas de su siguiente álbum “Weather Systems” en la Sala Joy Eslava.
El viernes 26 de octubre la música se vuelve más oscura y gutural con Arch Enemy y la voz de Angela Gossow. “Khaos Legion” es el último trabajo de la banda sueca, que actuarán en la sala La Riviera.
Entrando en el mes de noviembre el primer grupo que (de momento) pasará por España será Sonata Artica. La banda finlandesa de power metal actuará en Madrid el 16 de Noviembre en La Riviera y en Barcelona el día 17 en la sala Razzmatazz. ¿Su último trabajo? “Stones Grow Her Name”, un ambicioso proyecto con sonido de banjo incluido.
Una de las reinas del metal, Doro Pesch, ofrecerá un único concierto en Madrid en la Sala Arena el día 24 de noviembre.
Para acabar el día 8 de diciembre la banda sueca de death metal, Dark Tranquility, tocaran temas del pasado y del presente en la Sala Arena.
Las entradas para cualquiera de estos eventos las podéis adquirir en http://www.ticketmaster.es/ ¡Seguiremos informando!
To read the English version, click here!
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Sonata Arctica este fin de semana
Sonata Arctica regresan
Sonata Arctica, el grupo de origen finlandés actuarán los días 11, 12 y 13 en España.
El grupo liderado por Tony Kakko con más de 10 años de bagaje actuará en la Península los próximos días 11, 12 y 13 de marzo. El grupo tocará el día 11 en Barcelona en la sala Apolo, en Madrid el día 12 en La Riviera y finalmente en Bilbao el día 13 en la sala Rock Star Live. Sus teloneros para la gira Europea seran:Labyrinth y Triosphere.
Las entradas se pueden adquirir en www.ticktackticket.com
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Getting to know: NEGATIVE
Para leer la entrevista en español por favor visita / For the interview in Spanish please visit:
http://www.lahuelladigital.com/?p=11067Getting to Know Negative: Negative People with a lot of emotion
On January 23 the melodic hardrock group visited Madrid where we had a chance to chat with lead singer and creator of the band Jonne Aaron. 
Soft ballads, explosive guitar riffs, melodies and lyrics dealing with life itself, that is Negative, the group of rock n 'roll from Finland who visited Spain last January.
Created in 1997 the band has released 6 albums: "War of Love" (2003), "Sweet & Deceitful" (2004), "anorectic" (2006), "Karma Killer" (2008), "God likes your style "(2009) and the recent “Neon ".
Although the group began with just three members, it’s currently formed by Jonne Aaron (vocals), Antti Anatomy (bass), Jay Slammer (drums), Larry Love (guitar) and Mr. Snack (keyboards).
At 7 pm on January 23rd, before the door of the Sala Ritmo y Compas people already waited to enter. Within the venue, the group prepared the stage and relaxed before the concert: Jay and Larry tested their instruments, Snack went from one place to another arranging skeletons and eating and Antti, with no shoes, read a book in the corner of a couch in the dressing room. Meanwhile Jonne, visibly tired, sat with us and answered our questions with a smile and a lot of kindness.
Question: How was the Barcelona show?
Answer: It was really nice, I mean, to me as a singer it was one of the roughest on this part of the tour.
Q: How come?
A: When you do so many shows in a row your body is getting exhausted in some point, but I made it, and I gave all I could from myself and we did a great job, I suppose.
Q: How are you feeling now in Madrid?
A: I feel good. It’s good to be back. Actually, this is the venue where we started here in Spain; it was where we played our first show ever.
Q: How would you describe Negative to someone who’s never heard your music?
A: Beautiful, [pauses], aggressive, maybe not aggressive, but, unacceptable.
Q: Unacceptable?
A: [Speaks in Finnish with Antti which corroborates that it is unacceptable, and suggests surprising.]Yes, yes, Surprising.
Q: Surprising and emotional maybe? You guys classify your music as emotional rock n’roll?
A: Yes, beautiful melodies, twisted with rough guitars, that’s Negative.
Q: It’s been more than 10 years since you guys created Negative. How would you say you’ve evolved?
A: Oh my gosh, first of all, we’ve learned how to play, for example. We were really young though when we started, so… The main idea is the same, it’s still there that it should be fun, that it should be a whole new adventure every time when we go to the studio and start writing new songs. How can I say it? Of course as a human being we’ve grown pretty much. I’m 27, I was around 18 when the first album came out, so I’ve spent my whole teenage years and all the years until now with this band. So I think Negative is a huge part of us, you definitely cannot deny that. And music wise we’ve become even better. But you have to value that shitty side of you as well, because that is the naïve side. When you create something new, you can’t become too good. [Laughs].
Q: You have to keep your feet on the ground?
A: Exactly, exactly.
Q: What are Negative’s plans for the future?
A: Touring, touring, touring, nothing else. Just touring and promoting the new album. And at some point, usually when the new album is out, you already start looking forward to the future with new songs, for the next album. But not yet, we don’t have to hurry with that. We’re going to take our time with touring. We’ve deserved it and I think so because it took almost two years to get the new album together. It was a long process.
Q: I was going to ask you that. How was the process of creating this album? You recorded in Los Angeles with Grammy winner Warren Riker. How was that experience?
A: Ah, you can only imagine [laughs], it was really nice and afterwards it feels even better, [laughs]. You know what I mean? When you get some view on it and some perspective.
Usually we’ve done all the albums in Finland and in our home neighbourhood, as you can say. For example, “Karma Killer” was recorded in the heart of Tampere, and the farthest place we ever went to was Hollola in the middle of Finland, precisely 100 km away from our hometown, and now we were in LA so it was a big change.
Q: Are you thinking about entering the US market?
A: Of course, it’s a big step. I think we still have a lot of things to do in Europe and Asia. For example, we’ve never played in UK and that is the country, territory where we are heading next. After that, maybe it’s some kind of bridge to America, when you make something happen in the UK.
Q: I read that when you recorded the second album, “Sweet and Deceitful” you were about to give up on gigs. How are you feeling about them now?
A: I don’t know, for some reason, usually when you’ve just released your album or made it you get some kind of depression. You can compare it to the depression when a woman is giving birth to a child. They’re getting a little bit down because after 9 months… I would compare it to the process of recordings, but it disappears, you just need some time for yourself. It’s just that I got scared of that, and we all got, well, I don’t know about the rest of the guys, but I got scared, and I felt like music is really exhausting. When you think about it all the time… the process is going on all the time and it’s hard to turn yourself off, so you just have to deal with it. It is part of being what you are.
Q: Do you think gigs are important? For example, in Spain there are a lot of illegal music downloads and they say that what is keeping the music industry working are the gigs.
A: Ok, I agree. In our scene, in rock music there is no shortcut, there isn’t any time machine to happiness, it’s all about hard work and long roads and we’re playing to the people, that’s why Negative was formed, for making shows to the people.
Q: To connect with the people?
A: Exactly, exactly, spreading the message of Negative. That’s the best way to get known as a band.
Q: How about social networks, Facebook, Myspace, Twitter?
A: It’s really important now a days and I think that the net is getting more and more important for Negative. For example, if you think about America both northern and southern…In general, we’re getting a lot of feedback all the time from all over the world from those countries we haven’t been able to visit yet, so it’s been a blessing for us. First I thought it was a curse but then I realized it’s good.
Q: Why a curse? Was it because of all the fake profiles that exist about you?
A: Oh yeah, there is a lot of them, I’ve heard about that, I’ve checked it myself [laughs] ‘cause I got so curious. It’s good. For example, we have a really active Facebook profile on the internet. We update it almost every day, especially on tour, on the road. It’s good and we’ve seen the reaction of the people and the crowd and they really like it and it’s important to stay in touch with the fans, I mean, not fans, with Negative people, that’s how we call them. [Laughs].
Q: On your webpage there is something that says “Negative Legion”, what is that?
A: It’s coming up. It’s going to be like… Kiss has their army, it is going to be precisely like that. Maybe more like fan club meets street team kind of thing. It’s gonna be nice.
The main idea is that there will be a Negative chat were you can chat but you have to log in and you have to have all those passwords and stuff like that. I think that it is part of why we come to play for the people and making shows. It’s part of that because the idea is that in each country there is going to be an international street team, “Negative Legion”, and there will be a president for each country who leads that countries stuff and there will be some posters you can print out, stickers and you can spread the idea and message of our band, and I mean, for free. It’s not your duty or anything like that. It’s for fun. If you feel so you do it. You can be part of Legion if you’re just a lazy ass and want to stay at home and enjoy the music, whatever. But the main idea is that once a year we’re going to have this “Negative Legion awards” in Finland and the president from each country will pick the most hard workers, the most active people and probably they will show up and we’re gonna play there and meet with these people and have some nice tasting food and stuff like that. Some day it’s going to be like the Oscar gala, it will be broadcasted on TV, that‘s the highlight in mind. In 20 years, in 50 years, but you have to start somewhere, even Bill Gates started from a garage.
Q: What has your inspiration been for Neon? Why that title?
A: The working title was a whole lot different at first. Before we even knew that we were going to go to Los Angeles, it was really something different. Soon after arriving in LA we realized that there is a lot of hope in this album and it’s much brighter and it’s not as dark as the previous one, “Karma Killer”, for example.
We just started to think about a different title and I think Larry came up with Neon. First of all I didn’t like it but I had to choose it. And after chewing it and tasting it for a while, it started to feel like, oh my God, that’s cool, I like it. And we got all these great neon lights, different kind of neon signs to decorate the studio.
Actually there are many meanings behind the name, Snack found out that in ancient Greece it means something new. And in Finnish it means “they are” Negative Ne, they, on, are, so that’s the thing, it was some kind of breaking point.
Q: How about the inspiration for the album, going from negative to this new vibe?
A: The inspiration, oh my God, what is the inspiration? Life itself.
A: Snack says: California sun.
A: California sun, Hotel California, [laughs]. That was the inspiration on this one.
Q: Any words for fans and future fans?
A: What would I say… it sounds old cliché, I would like to say, enjoy your time because this life is just a flash in eternity so try to make it possible and don’t take any stress, extra stress [laughs], and enjoy the ride.
And it’s nice to come around time after time with Negative. And we are really glad to see that there are people coming to see our concerts time after time and this second round in Spain especially. It has proved that it’s worth to come around again. So, I’m really looking forward to the next tour. And remember, join us on Facebook, bring your friends and stay Negative.
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