Sister Flo

(© Heini, Johanna & La Bruta Zine)

Sister Flo is a folkpopgroup, which members come from Riihimäki and Helsinki. After it was grounded in 1999 it has published three CDr:s, one studioalbum called Boys of Cat and EP called Landcrabs. To La Bruta's interview in a local pub in Riihimäki joined singer- guitarist Samae Koskinen and bass- player Mikko Salonen. Moreover there are organist Janne Lastumäki , guitarist Petri Nakari and drummer Antti Kaistinen in Sister Flo.

You were couple of weeks ago in London, how was the trip?
Samae: Despite all fear about flying it was great. We had alltogether three gigs in there, all in Camden. Two of them were as a band and one was with Petri, two men version, just two guitars and a song. The recepsion was fantastic, especially in Dublin Castle's club, Fandango. It was our main gig. It was probably full of people, I think.
Mikko: But It wasn't a major big place, a little bigger than Semifinal.
Samae: I have to add, that the sound reproduction was great in there.

What kinds of bands did you play with?
Samae: Some of them were allright. Large variety, everything from singersongwriters to Nirvana clones. There were four bands on every gig and we played allways just before the final act.
Mikko: Yeah.

Have you ever been abroad before and are you planning to perform again?
Mikko: No, we haven't been abroad before.
Samae: No, but now we're going to play at Tukholma in Fritz's Corner club in Debaser. And part of our future plan is to go back to England as soon as possible.

Who organizes your gigs?
Samae: We organize mainly our gigs in Finland. With the England's gigs we had a person, who helped us by using ones own contacts so that we were able to play there. Otherwise everything is still open when it comes to foreign countries, for example all these publications. You can't really say anything about those things,yet.

Your album Boys of Cat has been sold out. Have you considered publishing it again?
Samae: I don't know. Now also this EP Landcrabs has been sold out. Because it's possible to get Boys of Cat for free as an MP3 from our webside, we decided not to take the re-edition from it, at least not yet. We don't know about Landcrabs either. Whether we take the re-edition by ourselves or will someone else publish it, I don't know.

What kind of schedule did you have with your first album?
Samae: During the two week's session we recorded the whole album. We worked abot 16 hours a day and that was just awfull. Everyone was so confused.
Mikko: Especially in the first week. The second one was a bit more relaxed.
Samae: Just because only I sang then. Others didn't have to do much.
Mikko: No,not just that. The atmosphere was more relaxed. Anyway those two weeks feel like a holiday compared to those CDr:s, witch were made in a weekend.
Samae: We recorded eight songs and that was it.

What kinds of background groups did you have on Boys of Cat?
Samae: The production was made by us as a band. It was recorded by JVA, Jarno Alho, who worked a lot for this album. He was like a part of the band. And we also used horn players, which we are about to use a lot more later.

What about a new album, are you working on it?
Samae: Yes, we are. We have talked about it with several producers and we're planning to work it with different people that we had before. At the moment Nick Triani( the Duplo!, Apulanta) and Riku Mattila( 22 pistepirkko) are part of the picture. I've allready written about 15 to 20 songs, which are ment to record for this album.

When it is about to come out?
Samae: Hmm... hopefully before the summer.
Mikko: Or atleast will be recorded.
Samae: Anyway the songs have been written and we have played them a lot in our gigs. And it's possible that there's going to be our first cover-version, Iron Maiden's Aces High, in this album. It's a song, that is not about to lose its meaning to me, not if I listen to it 10 times a day. It sounds every time so fucking good!

Where are you going to record it?
Samae: We don't know yet, it's still open. First session propably with Riku Mattila.

Could you tell something about your sideprojects?
Samae: They're not actually sideprojects, more like other bands. Petri has Red Carpet, which includes a member from ultrasport and Laidun. In spring they're releasing an album, which they recorded during the fall. It's a collaporation publication of Rhythm Barrel and Han Soo Voice. Can you tell anything else about it?
Mikko: They started playing gigs without a drummer, they had just few guitars, but these days they also have a drummer. At first they just played Petri's songs, from that EP he had done.
Samae: Their thing is more towards America when comparing to Sister Flo, like Van Morrison and so. Janne has a band called Laidun, which can be in someway compared to the 60's and 70's finnishjazz, some sort of experimental art. I have been playing instruments in their concerts. It's a great band. Well, but we're not just concentrating only the one thing. We're not that good musicians.

How actually this all began? There can't be this kind of music from Finland.
Samae: We don't even really get it outselves. That I may know, that when there's so many different people with their own influences from all around in this band, it can make this so intresting. At the beginning me and Mikko wanted to start a band. We started to play together, sing and record. Then the band just gathered around it.
Mikko: Actually it all began through coincidences.
Samae: That's true. I didn't even know Petri at all before I called him and asked whether he wants to be a part of the band. Janne came along not until during the recordsession of Boys of Cat. He just happened to be there and we started to play gigs together. Basically in the beginning we wanted to play beautiful music and now we play rock music or maybe it's not rockmusic. There are so many things that change and those things have impact on what kinds of possibilities the music has.
Mikko:Yes. It's exciting how we let different kinds of songs to come out. We haven't gathegorized ourselves or the music we want to do, we haven't hold on to that too much.

Has anything changed during these four years?
Samae: Basically not. The basics are still the same. Things that have stayed unchanged are pretty simple, like the instruments. We have pretty simple instruments: acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass and few songs. We have used to do pretty much with the song and that's important thing. Can you say any better?
Mikko:On my opinion the liveshow has changed, when compared to those first gigs, when we sat down and played.
Samae: Well yes, that has changed.
Mikko: That liveshow has become more psychedelic.
Samae: But that's just a part of natural evolution.

Can you name any band that has encouraged you to play music?
Samae: Well, it's just that everyone has their own things and the point where they meet could be those influences. When you look at mine, Petri's and Janne's things, the point where they meet is Yes!, this old proge band, till the record Close to Edge and also the 70's Beach Boys. And probably those indie-stuff are common to everyone. Anything else... I don't know, because the music I'm listening doesn't meet the music we're doing at the moment. Ihave just experienced that this is the way I want to express myself, personally. I think it works the best for us, but somehow I've just drawn a huge line between the music I do myself and listen. I don't know if it's deliberately or not.

Now when Seinäjoki was chosen for the Popcity of the year, do you think Riihimäki could ever have chances on this kind of thing?
Mikko: Seinäjoki, this year? Yeah.
Mikko: Wasn't it Joensuu last year?
Samae: Yes, actually no, it was Jyväskylä last year.
Mikko: Well, when it was Joensuu, the year before it?
Samae: Yes. First it was Joensuu, after that Jyväskylä and now it's Seinäjoki.
Mikko: What kind of bands from Seinäjoki?
Samae: I don't know. Something, Jaarli Paddington or like that. Maryland is probably the only "Popcity band" that has accomplished something. the thime Jyväskylä was Popcity, there was nothing. From Jyväskylä has come a lot better bands, like Sunride.
Mikko: Was the Rollstones?
Samae: No it wasn't. I think the bands are chosen by some kind of religious churchgroup, when considering that they're not the most intresting bands from those areas. And when consideres Riihimäki, there's nothing else than finland's best hard core band Endstand in here. Or is here anything else?
Mikko:No, probably not.

Does the future look bright?
Samae: Yes. I'm really exciting about that new album. It's fun to record and publish it.
Mikko: Looking forward to it. I'm just hoping that we're able to do that record in periods without a hurry.
Samae: At first to be able to do it as good as possible. Able to make it as exciting and intresting as possible and so that we ourselves would be satisfied for ot. That's what I want the most and if it gives us something as an extra, such as gigs in some new places, it's a big bonus. Just playing live and making albums are just the nicest things.

Is there any place where you would absolutely want to play?
Samae: Just anywhere. I watched Amelie the other day, I want to go to Paris. We're so much of a club band, that you can't really say anything about festivals. More intimate place is best fos us. So that the audience is close to the band.

So not to the mainstage in Roskilde?
Samae: No.
Mikko: Maybe some small tent in Roskilde could be nice.

And if you want to add something in the end, go ahead...
Samae: Well, who are you going to vote on parliamentary elections?
Mikko: I made that elections test, but I don't remember what was the result.
Samae: I had as a parties, "vihreät" and "vasemmisto". One thing is for sure: I'm not gonna vote for Päivi Räsänen. She was the number one on my least-voted list. If I may say something: the only bad thing about Riihimäki is that Päivi Räsänen lives here.

Sister Flo website: www.hansoovoice.com/sisterflo



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