Members

23.8.1977

Helsinki, Finland

Private piano lessons in classical music at a slow pace for about ten years, starting roughly in 1986. Classical music then made way for the blues, and the first experiences of playing in a band. All this coincided with the first experiments in electronic music – and eventually led to the first Don Johnson Big Band tracks.

Motti club (Helsinki) 2000

Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Butch Hancock & Jesse Taylor, Savoy 1992
Chick Corea Electric Band, April Jazz 1992(?)
Mitsuko Uchida, Finlandia-talo 1993(?)
Steve Coleman & Metrics, Pori Jazz 1994
Massive Attack, Juhlaviikot 1995
Rinneradio, Juhlaviikot 1996
The Roots, Vanha 1997
Reuna, Pori Jazz 1999
John Abercrombie, April Jazz 2003
Massive Attack, Provinssirock 2003

Probably the departure from Ilosaarirock 2003, driving into the sunset, with Mark Knopfler's "Sailing To Philadelphia" playing in the car.

Playing in a band and touring involves all sorts of practical details, and just about nothing ever goes according to plan. Fortunately, there are psychological defense mechanisms to prevent you from caring when everything goes wrong, and from remembering any of it afterwards.

If it's an early departure, and there's a long journey ahead, the best option is to hit the sack. Traveling is more or less wasted time, and when you're touring, the most important thing is to give yourself the permission not to do anything "useful". Otherwise, you're bound to get frustrated. Nonetheless, one still sometimes attempts to read or work, before being drawn back into more social activities like hanging out, or even the occasional conversation. This past summer (2006), however, the most common past time has been watching a variety of TV shows. It all began with one episode of "Lost", which soon turned into watching two entire seasons, all within the space of a couple of weekends on the road. I guess we played some gigs in between, too, but I have little or no recollection of them. At the moment the bus theatre is playing "Heroes", "Twin Peaks", and the third season of "Lost".

I try to make it to the venue on time, go onstage to turn on the sampler, and see if anyone has come up with a set list. At festivals, there's hardly ever any time to prepare. When it's a club gig, the basic routine after a long day on the road and a drawn out sound check usually consists of the hotel sauna, dinner, and going for a walk in the town center in search of a bar that serves decent espresso.

Chick Corea, Dollar Brand, Keith Jarrett, Herbie Hancock, Miles Davis, Gato Barbieri, Joe Zawinul, John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Taj Mahal, Sarah Vaughan, Ernest Ranglin, Donald Byrd, Jack de Johnette, Ron Carter, Joe Farrell, Bill Evans, Tom Waits, Robert Johnson, John Lee Hooker, Dr John, Professor Longhair, Rokia Traore, Ali Farka Toure, Ernest Ranglin, Tricky, Paris, Mc Solaar, Sizzla, Flanger, Amon Tobin, The Roots, Gang Starr, Iam, Mc Solaar, Les Sages Poetes De La Rue, Steve Coleman & Metrics, De la Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, Xterminator, Dj Food, Björk, Funkdoobiest, Compton's Most Wanted, Public Enemy, Massive attack, Funkadelic, Bahamadia, Mo'Wax, Dr. Dre, What What, Silent Poets, Boogie Down Productions, Assassin, Ninja Tune, Air, Giant Robot, Digable Planets, Jeru the Damaja, Dj Cam, Dj Krush, Talking Heads, Dire Straits, Lee Scratch Perry, King Tubby, Mad Professor.

ZZ Top: Eliminator

Above all the rest: Dire Straits: Brothers in Arms. The most vivid memories are of my dad’s car cassette tapes, which combined in perfect harmony these stylish and less stylish classics: Taj Mahal, Randy Newman, Bobby Aro, Leon Redbone, Chick Corea, UB40, Pablo Moses, Burning Spear, ZZ Top, Al Di Meola, Delbert McClinton, Dire Straits, Paco de Lucia, Asleep at the Wheel, Cowboy Jazz, Ry Cooder, John Fogerty, Cyndi Lauper, Flaco Jiminez, Miles, Weather Report, Tuomari Nurmio, and a host of others whose names remain a mystery to me. But the bulk of it was country music, reggae, blues, pop/rock and the occasional whacky stuff.

Dire Straits: Brothers in Arms
Paris: Devil Made me Do It
Return To Forever: Return To Forever
Roots: Do You Want More
Capleton: More Fire

I refuse to acknowledge iPod as a common name for an mp3 player. To me, the player isn't a storage space for my favorite albums, so the contents varies a lot, and I usually have it on shuffle. Here's the current top ten:

1. The Roots - Here I Come
2. Lily Allen - Not Big
3. Manu Chao - Clandestino
4. Randy Newman - Baltimore
5. Tuomari Nurmio - Aavaa Preeriaa
6. Dhafer Youssef - Miel et Cendres
7. Pablo Moses - African Dub
8. Little Willies - Roly Poly
9. Madvillain - Meat Grinder (Four Tet Remix)
10. Ladytron - International Dateline

I'd like to come up with something more elitist, but what the hell. "Tear Drop" by Massive Attack was the first one to come to mind.

What is this, a trick question? "Telegraph Road".

"Telegraph Road". We do have a song called "Telegraph Road", don't we?

Nightman. The percussion brothers can tell you why.

Gabriel Garcia Marquez: One Hundred Years of Solitude

Too many good ones to name. Out of music related films, Talking Heads: Stop Making Sense directed by Jonathan Demme. Out of all other films, some of the ones that come to mind are "Blade Runner", Michelangelo Antonioni’s "Night", "Until the End of the World" by Wim Wenders, and "Ferris Bueller’s Day Off".

"Twin Peaks", "Dallas", or "The X-Files".

All good food.

Water

The Sloth.

COULD BE NEW YORK
MAYBE HOLLYWOOD AND VINE
LONDON, PARIS, MAYBE TOKYO
THERE'S SOMETHING GOING ON
ANYWHERE I GO TONIGHT
TONIGHT, YEAH TONIGHT
- Hilary Duff

Not winter.

Sunset, because you don't have to wake up in order to witness one, except if you stay up really late. On the other hand, sunrises are cooler cause you so seldom see them. Capisce?

Let's stick with music to make things easier. Probably some contemporary beat master like madlib, j-dilla, rjd2, pharrell, or someone. I wouldn't really even have to meet them, but it would be cool just to see them work. Then again, someone like Tom Waits wouldn't be too shabby either. Or Joni Mitchell or Woody Allen, in the 70's, not today. I guess in the end, Miles Davis above anyone else, even if he'd probably just say "hey", if that.

Working as a record company A&R twenty years from now.

The bulk of my time is spent on architecture and music. Occasionally, I give the mountain bike a good ride, too. And the thought of playing badminton is brought up annually in discussions with certain friends.

Caffè Latte, gangsta rap, and pickles.

What kind of a teen pop magazine is this interview for?

Free music and software.

Dada.

Rhodes, Yamaha DX7, Yamaha TX7, Yamaha TX802, Yamaha TX81Z and Yamaha TX816.

www.fubu.com