Interview with Antti & Arto / The Winyls

For a longer time Dead By Gun where annonced to play at 'Helsinki in Berlin', but only a few days before the gig the line up of the evening changed and The Winyls were said to come. Another good reason for us to travel to Berlin.
Just a few minutes before the first band was about to open the evening we looked for Antti and Arto and with them we choose a silent corner in the outside of Columbia Club to avoid disturbing Flinch in the shared wardrobe, while they prepared for their gig.
But read what Antti and Arto had to tell:



finnbands: This is your second concert tonight in Germany.
Arto: Ja!
finnbands: How are your impressions so far?
Antti: Do you mean today or do you mean the previous gig?
finnbands: Both.
Arto: The previous gig was a really great one.
Antti: Yeah. It was in Frannz Club and it was packed and it was this Finnish night.
Arto: Popkomm.
Antti: Yeah in Popkomm. In that festival. We played with Lapko and Brightboy and I think it was a really good gig.
Arto: So we are hoping that today is better.
Antti: I think we are, we need to relax a bit and then we will have a great show.
Arto: 'Cause we are always so relaxed on the stage. *laughs*
Antti: Yeah or quite opposite. *smiles*
finnbands: Will you play as first band tonight or as second?
Antti: As second band. Flinch is starting and then us and then Negative.

finnbands: What do you expect from a Negative audience?
Antti: Ah... rotten tomatos. *laughs* If we don't get those, then we are pleased. I think the most important thing is that we can play to the audience...
Arto: ... that haven't seen us.
Antti: ... that haven't seen us. And maybe haven't heart of us anything. So we cannot loose this situation. So everything is fine and it's always great to play in Berlin.

finnbands: This is a part of the "Helsinki in Berlin" event. Is this a normal gig for you or is it something special to play with some other bands from Hype Records?
Antti: I don't think we have so many normal gigs.
Arto: Ja.
Antti: I think every gig is you know...
Arto: ... abnormal.
Antti: We are so, you know, in such a deep mental state during the concert. It's all the same if you play in a tiny bar in Tampere or in a little bit bigger club like this Columbia. It's every time that we are so into it that it doesn't matter where we play.
Or I must admit that it's easier to play when there are a lot of people. You have to push a little bit more when there is only a small audience.

finnbands: So the first gig was at Popkomm, as you said and that is a special event as well. Will you maybe be on a tour here in Germany as headliner or maybe even with another band as support?
Antti: Yeah...
Arto: Our second album is coming next month and we do some gigs in Finland during the summer and we are planing to gig around Scandinavia and Europe.
Antti: And after that hopefully during the next fall we are playing again in Germany.
Arto: Yeah!
Antti: I am not sure if we can tour alone, but maybe with some bigger name first. But yeah, we are really keen on playing here in Germany and outside of Berlin as well.

finnbands: You have been touring a lot during the last years. Which was the most impressiv city you have ever played?
Arto: I think it, for me it was *looking at Antti* Roxy...
Antti: Yeah, Roxy Club in L.A.
Arto: I was so nervous. I don't remember much but that was a cool situation somehow.
Antti: It was a weird gig. It's the same with me, I can't remember any details from the gig. It was like you know *wow* and then you notice that you are back home in Finland.
But I think one of the best feelings after a gig was after the Frannz Club gig when we played here in 2006 in October or September, yeah in the end of September during this Popkomm.
Yeah, like I said before it's always an honour to play and perform your own music. That's why we make songs.

finnbands: When you compare all your gigs you played before - which was the best one with the best audience and which was the worst?
Arto: That's a tough one!
Antti: Yeah!
*both thinking*
I think when we played last time in Nosturi, there were some people but it was really silent. You know it was really - we were jumping on the stage and it was a weird situation. But we have played there many times so it hasn't been like that never before.
Arto: They were not a worse audience but it was a weird gig.
Antti: They were like *yeah* but then they didn't act. They were like *starring in the air and clapping his hands* But that wasn't their fault obviously.
But what was the best crowd?
Arto: Quite a lot!
Antti: I think we had so many good crowds. When you…
Arto: *thinks* At Moscow it was really good.
Antti: Yeah, Moscow at the Ikra Club. They didn't know us at all and it was amazing there. A positive crowd. And in Frannz Club it was really great last time.
Arto: Ja. Yeah, that's about it.
Antti: Yeah, we cannot seperate those on a scale to which was better or not.

finnbands: When I listened to your new single "I know" I was not sure if it was a cover song or not. Not the lyrics but the melody. So is it a cover song?
Arto: No, it's not. I hope it's not!
Antti: Yeah, maybe it's some kind of subconcience thing. There are *to Arto* I am not saying this! There are some references to this song from the childhood.
Arto: Ja.
Antti: When you think about it. But that's all I gonna say. But it isn't a cover thing at all.

finnbands: Ok, and why did you choose this song as first single?
Antti: Good question. Ähm.
Arto: Especially when it's some kind of disco stuff. And we ain't a disco band.
finnbands: Yeah, it's different from your other songs.
Antti: Yeah, maybe we wanted to scare the crowd. The small crowd we have reached yet. But ...
The other Winyls' walk along on the other site of the parking space and scream to us.
Antti: I am not sure. You have to ask that from Kari. He is *turns around and points to Kari, who is with the other guys somewhere near* He is from our record company.
finnbands: So it was his choise?
Antti: No, we all agreed! We won't release any single that we don't agree inside the band.

finnbands: The song hit the charts at number 6. Did you expect this success?
Arto: I think we didn't expect but we hoped that.
Antti: Yeah, we didn't expect anything. Of course it's good to be in charts because it tells you that somebody wise is maybe listening.

finnbands: Your album "Honey and Lime" was said to be released on 23rd of April.
Antti: Ja.
Arto: Ja.
finnbands: And you played your release party but the album is nowhere available yet. You said it will be out next month. When?
Arto: It's ... was it *looking to Antti* 20th twentysomething?
Antti: 20th or 21st or 23rd of May. In about three weeks or something.
finnbands: And it will be a Finland release?
Antti: Yeah, the first release. Hopefully it will be released in other contries as well.

finnbands: You might not want to answer the next question and we won't mind. In your biography you say the situtation in studio during the recording sessions escalated with your engeneer. What happend there?
Antti: *laughs* You mean the referance 'He said: "Oh it burns!"'
I know this, I have wrote it. We were recording some extra guitar tracks in Suomenlinna at the Seawolf Studios where Franz Ferdinand has recorded as well. One b-side-single, but anyways. We were there with Sheriff in the recording room and checked out this guitar sounds and stuff and then I heart some screaming from the kitchen. *laughs* And then our mixerman "Funkmaster" Hannu Lamminmäki - a great character and we all just love him. Anyway he had this thing on his shoulders 'cause they were hurting all the time 'cause he needs to fix the computers and stuff like that. And he had this *asking Arto but he doesn't know the word as well* you know kind of wheat or so in it. You put it in the microwave and then it's warm and you can put it over your shoulders.
Everybody understands what Antti explains with his hands as well, but noone knows the word in English - even not after looking it up, sorry, but you get the clue! - heating wheat pillow maybe
And you know, the microwave was stucked and it was like popcorn 'cause it *everybody laughing* 'cause the little wheats or corns were flowing in the microwave. And then he screamed 'Oh, it burns!' And I moved the whole *again explaining with both hands* it was like wall or something. You know, the microwave's electricitiy and the cable was behind that. Yeah, that was a really funny situation. Yeah, we laughed a lot to that one. That was a tiny situation but I used that in the phrase 'cause it's…
Arto: It sounds bad but it's funny stuff.
Antti: There is a real story behind that.

finnbands: Ok, before we come to an end we'd like to play a little word game with you. I say a word and you say what comes into your mind first.
First word: Helsinki.
Antti: Beautiful city.
Arto: City boy. *laughs*
finnbands: Kiss.
Antti: Band.
Arto: Glam.
finnbands: Berlin.
Antti: Lovely city. With lovely people.
Arto: Döners. *grins*
finnbands: Honey.
Antti: Lime.
finnbands: *haha* that's the next word.
Antti: Then I am early.
Arto: Flu. Yeah, maybe flu.
finnbands: Lime.
Antti: Gin and Tonic.
Arto: Ja, definitely.
finnbands: Mayham.
Antti: On the stage.
Arto: Ja.
Antti: Tonight perhaps.
finnbands: Blood.
Antti: Sweat and Tears.
finnbands: You read my paper *laughs*
Arto: Blood? I don't know why, but roses!
Antti: That's a Bon Jovi song, or? A bed of roses!
finnbands: Sweat? Antti said already. He wrote the biography where I took the words out.
Arto: Good gig.
Antti: Yeah, good gig.

finnbands: And tears as last word.
Antti: Ah, last words. We wish you all welcome to our gig and hopefully we will meet again very soon. Danke schön!

finnbands: Danke schön!

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