Jonne Järvelä (Korpiklaani)
March 2008
Last time you were scheduled to do a few gigs and a promo tour in Japan. How did that turn out?
It was just amazing for us because Japan is like different world for us Finns. It was very warm there and the cities were very big and their regular weekday seemed to be very busy. People were more than friendly and on the gigs they went totally crazy. We played in Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya. We actually heard before, that people in Japan are very continent as a concert audience but that wasn't true. At least not in Korpiklaani gigs. Also we affected twice pretty bad traffic jam there because of wild fans who noticed us. They came shoot us with hundreds of cameras and asked lot of autographs. All this was very new for us and we didn't know how to react. Local promoter warned us, "don't start writing autographs without organised signing session" but we thought it can't be so bad to give few of them. Warning was in place because after those few people there was suddenly hundreds of people. Anyway the gigs were good and two of the three gigs were sold out so we were more than happy about our first trip to Japan. We are waiting our next chance to go there.
Did you have a chance to look around in the Land of the Rising Sun?
Not so much because our days was full of work and that means pretty lot as you might to know Japanese working manners. Days were full of interviews, photo sessions and other promo work but in nighttime after the gigs we were checking night life of Japan in every town we played. When we were travelling by bullet train between the gig cities we saw something more than just a big cities as well. Also they arranged nice barbeque party for us and some fans that was a very nice day. Barbeque party was in very nice place and we played, ate and drink there a lot with fans.
Do you see Japan as a new market for Korpiklaani?
Yes, I can see it in that way also which is pretty surprising for us because Japan and actually whole this touring around the world is more than we expected years ago. Of course the touring was our dream but we couldn't believe, that we can get it with this kind of music. Weird folk metal, sung mostly Finnish, which people can't understand. We are surprised but very happy what happens with this band all the time.
Btw, where do you sell the most records? Do you know the sales figures?
I don't know exact sales but I think the best album sales are still in central European countries. Germany, Hungary, The Netherlands, France, Austria but also Japan is very close of the sales what it is in Central Europe.
And where are you the most popular when it comes to live gigs?
Hungary has been very good when it comes to live gigs. I can remember easily when we were there a few years ago, I think the year was 2005 in Kék Lyuk. Very small club in Budapest, where was so much people that I saw from the stage during the gig when walls of the gig place was flowing sweat. One of the roadies was selling our t-shirts in outside of the place to the people who couldn't fit inside. Also Slovenia, Croatia, France, Russia and Poland are very wild for Korpiklaani which is a funny thing because our album selling is not so good in these places. The Netherlands, Belgium and of course Germany is been always good area for us to play the gigs.
After four albums with Napalm Records you have ended your relationship with them. What happened?
Nothing special. Our deal time getting end with Napalm and we felt it was time to get a next step with the band. We got some offers from different record companies but of course we wanted to give a chance also for Napalm and we checked also their offer to continue with them. Nuclear Blast offered us the best deal but the guys were very nice as well in Nuclear Blast. It was the only company who came to watch our gigs and I got a feeling that they care about their bands. Somehow it just felt good choice go with Nuclear Blast. We've been very satisfied our co-operation because everything goes forward so nice and easy. I still have a feeling, that Nuclear Blast cares about their bands. It was nice to notice, that we were able to do our things and music as we've had done before. They didn't try to lead us to any point we didn't want to go.
How do you see the Napalm years if you look back?
It was the best choice for us back then in end of the year 2002 when we wrote the deal with them. They made a good work to get this band where we are now and I'm pleased about the years with Napalm.
Did you get offers from many labels?
There was few of them but we were actually already chose about our future when we got the offers from different record labels. We didn't shout it out, that our deal was getting end. It was nice to notice, that some companies kept on eyes of us.
How many albums have you signed for? And what are your expectations?
It is a one album deal and they has options for next two. Our expectations are that, we could sell that much, they would like to keep their options and we would have a long journey with them in front of us. I don't like that much this business things that I would like to change record companies every now and then. Because we are not a bands like "one hit wonder" our way is keep on doing this long time and little by little. We have many years in front of us and no hurry to anywhere.
Over the last few years you've been through so many member changes. How is the current line-up? Is it stable?
Now everything is easy because the line-up is been stable already many years. Last change was our bass player Jarkko who came in few years ago. I think every change was good for the band because now in this band is only the guys who really likes what they are doing, in which kind of music and with which kind of persons. First we came to the situation when the band is getting more and more time and the guys who want to do some career in "real" work stepped out. Then our former bass player Arto wanted to do some different kind of music, so he decide to leave us and continue with his other band more serious. Now we have only members who want to do this and everything is easy. Now when for example our violin player Hittavainen is been in the band 8 years and the drummer Matson as well, we know how we play but even how we think. It makes much easier the music writing and arrangement work to know exactly how the song will sound even in my head when writing the songs. We are like brothers and it is nice to tour around the world with these guys. I really hope, that the line-up will be stable in future as well and I know this is and will be a "classic" Korpiklaani line-up.
How much do you think it changes the band's music when members are leaving giving way to new people with new ideas?
In some other case maybe it affect a lot to the bands music but in this case not so much because the members, who left this band wasn't music writers or didn't done arrangements. It's been always our long time members' shoulders to do the music and arrangements.
Is it hard to keep a band like Korpiklaani together?
Not anymore. As I said now everything feels easy and we don't have to worry about something like that.
You're not really wasting time from album to album. There's a new Korpiklaani album every year. Are you such fast writers?
We went through a very good period of time when thinking it in music writing side. We had almost every song already finished when we were recording our last album, Tervaskanto. I had a whole concept in my mind already then a one year ago. Music writing is one of my greatest joys in my life, so I never felt it hard, so may be that's why someone can think we are pretty fast writers. We won't slow down as far we have good music to give. Also it is good to clear the table and the head time by time because the unfinished songs are always in the mind teasing with different kind of arrangements and options. I love the feeling go out from mastering session with new album. It feels like a shower after hard working day. Unfortunately I also feeling little bit empty after that, so I must start writing some new stuff to get normal feeling again. Maybe I should go to doctors place to speak about this...
How long did it take overall to finish up the songs for Korven Kuningas?
Three days. (Laughs) Seriously, it was something like during half of the year and I didn't even write all of the songs. Our accordion player Juho wrote 4 of the 16 songs if we count the bonus tracks as well. Of course we didn't work every day during this half year. We had been on the gigs and things during that.
Did you work the same way as the last time?
Yes, we worked with almost with the same methods using the same studio and mastering guy/studio. But before that you must be the songs what you are going to record and nowadays when everyone has their own computers music writing goes like doing the demo song from beginning to pretty far at home with computer. I have Mac with Mbox ProTools system. Then we send the demo song to other members and they practise their parts from it making some changes or arrangements if they have something to give to the current song. Then we go to the rehearsal room and we try how it goes and maybe some conversation about the arrangements. When we have enough good songs, what everyone of us likes, I book the studio. We've been used the same Fantom studio with Samu Oittinen as a recording engineer already last four albums, so we didn't have to think so much. Everyone knows what the band should sound, so we can just start the recordings. After the recordings I go to the Finnvox studios, Helsinki where Mika Jussila do the master work, also with know how the band should sound. Now it was a little difference to previous ones. We didn't record the album in only one recording sessions. We started the sessions already at spring 2007 with the drums and bass parts. Then we continued recordings after the summer festival season at autumn. Other difference was, we recorded rhythm guitars at my home to save some time.
I've read a few reviews saying that your new album is darker than the previous ones were. How do you see that?
Maybe this is true. There is no drinking song also this time. The concept or better way to say is a red line of the album is different than previous albums so lyrics lead the songs with them. Somehow it started to bother me, that many people thinks that we are only "beer party" band and they couldn't see the more serious side of Korpiklaani. There is always been also little bit more serious side of us with the party songs. Now there is the serious part of us more up but I'm sure that everyone can still have fun with this album. We can't be that serious anyway.
What does the album title stand for?
Korven Kuningas means translated in English King of the Woods. The red line of the album is a tribute for old Finnish lumberjack culture. There is a honour songs for those kings of the woods who made their work in forests and rapids by their shoulder force. They are separate songs but there is many songs about that lumberjack theme, so the red line of the album is pretty strong.
As always some of the songs are sung in English and some of them in Finnish. How do you decide on the language for specific songs?
I have a many different style to write music. Sometimes I have some lyrical line which "sings" me the melody like it went with the song Metsämies and Northern Fall or Gods On Fire. For those songs I wrote the song but lyrics as well. We have friend, Juha Jyrkäs who is helping us with the lyrics and when he send me his poems I try to hear what they are trying to "sing" me. One way is, I have some guitar riffs and I make melodies on these riffs and then trying write the lyrics for those melodies which are wrote for vocals.
The title track is 25 minutes long and most of the song is just distant drumming. Whose idea was this?
The main song is just normal few minutes and the rest of the song is just drumming for shamans. Now they don't have to drum themselves. They has free hands for example to grill sausage and drink some beer when going trance. (Laughs) We considered everything when doing this album.
You also recorded a couple of bonus tracks for the digipak and Japan. Are these korpiklaani songs or cover tunes?
Those songs are our own songs as well. We had too much good songs and it was hell of a fight when we tried to make conclusion which song we had to leave as a bonus tracks. 6 members in the band and everyone had their own favourites.
What is your favourite song off the new record?
I like every song on Korven Kuningas but my own favourite is Paljon On Koskessa kiviä because it is so nice to play live on stage.
You have also released a single Keep on Galloping. Why did you go for this one?
We couldn't make any one decision about the single song, so they said it from our record label. I think their decision was good. Keep On Galloping is a song about touring but hiding as a metaphor about fairy tale horse.
Do you plan to release more singles off the album?
I don't know what are the plans of Nuclear to release more singles from this album but I think there could be many of good choices still left. I think Metsämies (Lumberjack) would be good choice for the single as well.
And how about making a video clip? Did you record anything?
Yes, we shot two videos from this album. Metsämies and Keep On Galloping. Both of the videos are handle about lumberjacks and cut down the trees but from two different point of view. There is two different side to make forest work also as in the life things always has their good and bad sides. Bad way to do it is using chopping machines and make bald hectares of forest only for money. Good way is if you are working in your own forest for your own family cutting the trees and selling them with minding the forest. Forests needs to cut down from here and there for a while but what they are doing in many places around the world putting down hectares of woods is not good thing at all. The woods are the lungs of the world and home for many animals.
How did the shootings go?
The shooting itself is not so funny thing to do. Lot of waiting, acting and other not so normal situations for musicians. Sometimes it comes to mind, that I should be a musician and I have to do very weird things because of that. Of course we understand how important videos are nowadays and that's why we are doing those but playing live on the stage is why we are doing this. It is a best part of this and "need" for us.
The band is taking part in this year's Paganfest. What do you think about the package?
We really like to be part of it. That's how we are able to go to the venues where we couldn't go by ourselves alone in our own headlining tours. Most of the bands are already our friends behind of the years, so I think it will be hell of fun there.
What do you expect from the tour?
Lot of beer drinking and good gigs. Of course we are trying to steal as much audience from the other bands as possible, so we expect to get some more fans from this tour.
And which bands are you familiar with? Musically and maybe on a personal level?
Personal level we are already friends with, Ensiferum and Moonsorrow because Finland is so tiny country and here is no so much people, that if you are in the same scene, we always know each others. Then we are getting friends during the tours with Eluveitie and Tyr. Musically we are all in the same scene but very different with each others which is only a good thing.
As you already said you've been to Hungary a few times. What kind of memories you have from here?
Yes, we've been there and I have so much good memories. Lot of good people that are like friends nowadays. Actually one of our crew found a girlfriend from there as well. People are as crazy as we are so the gigs have been always wild and good in there. Only bad thing is that last time when we were there it was raining all the time and it was hard to find the taxi to the hotel. I have a little problem with Budapest as well. I never know in which side I am in the city, Buda or Pest so I've had been lost there all the time.
You also participated Graspop last year. How was that?
Graspop is one of the best festivals in the world. We are more than glad, that they let us play there this year as well. What is the most best thing is, that we are going to play there at the same day than Kiss, so one dream more comes through there in Graspop next summer.