Finland
has such an illustrious musical history dating back to the Kalevela
and the days of classical music maestro Jean Sibelius. In the first
rock era of the 1970's, the late great Pekka Pohjola and Wigwam put
Finland on the map big time and in the 21st century a whole new generation
of musicians are making a concerted effort to bring progressive Finnish
rock music forward. The 2013 CD from the group called Paidarion,
their second album entitled Behind The Curtains,
is filled with soaring musical soloing and virtuosity. Produced
by group drummer Kimmo Pörsti and the rest of the group,
the sound of Paidarion borrows from the worlds of progressive rock,
jazz and instrumental fusion. The 9 minute, CD closing instrumental
The Final Show is magnificent and very Pohjola-esque in
dynamics and scope, proving that clearly, these musicians can take
on any form of music and make it work. Singing the poetry and words
of group lyricist Pirkko Salhi, the female vocals of Elina
Hautakoski adds a jazzy touch while the guitars of Jaan Jaanson,
the 4, 5, and 6 string bass work of Jan-Olof Strandberg and
the keyboards of Kimmo Tapanainen adds further detailed sonics
to the mix. Like the greatest Finnish prog-rock bands of the past,
Paidarion sings in English in a smart move to broaden their international
appeal. The production of Behind The Curtains is first rate
and the CD packaging and booklet is filled with an abundance of color
pictures of the group and complete lyrics. www.paidarion.com
mwe3.com presents an interview with
KIMMO PÖRSTI and JAN-OLOF STRANDBERG of
PAIDARION
mwe3: The Paidarion CD Behind The Curtains sounds great.
It seems to draw on a number of musical influences including progressive
rock, instrumental fusion and there's also a cool Finnish music vibe
in play. What did you set out to achieve on Behind The Curtains
and how does this second CD fit into the original concept of Paidarion
and can you compare it to the first Paidarion CD?
Jan-Olof
Strandberg: The first Paidarion album Hauras Silta was
meant to be more like a project album, not really a live group. Kimmo
Pörsti and Pirkko Salhi started the project. They had a lot of
musical ideas and material they wanted to record and share with people.
Finally in 2008 they invited friends to the studio for the recording
sessions that then became Hauras Silta - Paidarion's first
album. The album was released in 2009.
Soon after that we started to discuss about taking Paidarion to the
next level and make it a real group that would tour and record regularly.
It was important to have dedicated members and musicians with the
same kind of goals. Everyone in the group writes music and comes from
different musical backgrounds but all share the love of progressive
music.
Kimmo Pörsti: You are absolutely right; there are a lot
of musical influences mixed into our music. You could say that our
goal was to make the music of as high quality as we can; the music
that you hopefully can listen to many times without getting bored.
However, it was not our goal to make very complicated prog stuff just
because it is complicated. For me the feeling is always more
important than trying to impress the listener with technical
ability, and it is no use as there are always technically better musicians
around.
As I had found a great bunch of musicians, my goal was also to let
everyone be just who he and she is and not try to hide it. For example,
Risto is a professional saxophonist who plays a lot of musicals and
swing/dixieland type of music, Kimmo Tapanainen is a classical pianist,
Jaan is perhaps more into jazz, well, he can play many styles and
Jan-Olof and me are maybe more fusion / prog oriented. So I wanted
to put all those different backgrounds together and see what happens.
As always with my projects, no rhythm machines or sequencers etc.
were being used. For me it is very important that every note is played
by human hand, mistakes included!
mwe3:
How would you describe the sonic chemistry between the players in
Paidarion? On Behind The Curtains what was the song writing
and recording process like as far as each of the band members contributing
and how do the lyrics by Pirkko Salhi fit into the musical concepts
of the band?
Kimmo Pörsti: I think we are lucky to have a mutual respect
and understanding between different musicians in the group. The song-writing
process was kind of a two-way thing: Firstly, I had already made compositions,
like Small Wish and Vertical Rope, some years
ago that were almost complete, but something important was still missing.
And when I presented those compositions to Jaan, Kimmo and Jan-Olof,
they were able to finish them off in a surprisingly easy way. So,
I just couldn't have done it alone by myself. With A Rose In
The Sun I already had a melody line there, but Elina adjusted
it to fit her voice better and Risto plays the original melody
along with Elina's melody.
As opposite to our first CD Hauras Silta, where Pirkko had
already some finished lyrics and I composed them after that, this
time we mostly made the music first and then came the lyrics. I think
Pirkko's lyrics fit very well with the musical concept of the band
because she really takes her time to search and find the essence of
the compositions before writing the lyrics for them.
Secondly, there were also some tracks that were made almost at the
time we recorded them. With Trapeze and A Leap into
the Unknown I only had made some melodies and ideas and we finished
them with close cooperation with Kimmo T and Jaan.
Jan-Olof Strandberg: Everything came out actually quite naturally
in the end. We thought about what kind of songs we would need and
how they would be placed on the album. How to tell a complete story
with music and words how to make them fit? Here Kimmo and Pirkko had
of course a big role. Kimmo did definitely do the biggest job and
made everything fit!
We did choose the musicians for the group because of their interesting
background. Like Kimmo Tapanainen who is a trained classical pianist
but also loves progressive music. The great thing here is that instead
of bringing in the typical jazz piano player who would play all kinds
of jazz chords, Kimmo T brings another angle of how to
approach the songs with more of a classical piano kind of approach
and that was very much needed here! Jaan Jaanson is a jazz player
who loves odd time signatures and a folk music kind of approach and
is a great composer as well. He was perfect choice for this group.
We wanted to create something new, without forcing it, but using creative
musicians with visions and who would fit the group otherwise, too.
mwe3: The instrumental tracks on Behind The Curtains
also sound quite interesting including the brilliant CD closing track
(very Pohjola-esque) called The Final Show. How would
you compare writing and recording instrumentals compared to the vocal
tracks? Do you have a preference? I like the blend of the vocals and
the instrumentals on the CD.
Jan-Olof
Strandberg: Yes the blend between vocal tracks and instrumental
tracks works quite well. The thing is that on Behind The Curtains
there is a story that goes on from song to song, the whole record
is actually a complete story by Pirkko Salhi. The compositions are
important in this band, improvisations too, but we start mainly from
the compositions and try to make a certain atmosphere so its
really important that the compositions are made for this band. A certain
mode is important for us, and also how the compositions would fit
the whole album.
Kimmo Pörsti: I like to make both the instrumentals and
vocals tracks as well. Somehow I feel they do support and complete
each other. So perhaps I really don't have a preference. It is funny
that I really meant Vertical Rope to be an instrumental...it
was hard for me to think of it with vocals. However, Elina told she
would really like to sing it, so Pirkko made lyrics to it in a short
notice. After I heard Elina singing it, I could really understand,
why she wanted to do it!
mwe3: Can you say something about your gear and what equipment
youre using on the CD?
Jan-Olof Strandberg: I always try to use the equipment I think
is the best for the session and fits the songs best. As I remember
I was using Alembic Series two 6-string bass on the opening track
on Behind The Curtains. The fretless bass on the album
is an Alembic Signature 4 string. I did also use Alembic Series one
5-string, Alembic short scale, Fodera 5-string and a Neuser bass.
I recorded the stereo basses with two Ampeg tube DI-boxes and then
to the desk, and the mono basses with Alembic F1-X tube pre-amp as
far I remember. Well this is how I record most of the time but also
direct to the mixing board, depending on the studio.
Strings are R. Cocco or Elixire and live gear are mostly Ampeg Pro4
or Pro8 with two Ampeg Pro-Neo 410 and two Ampeg Pro-Neo 115 speaker
cabinets. I also shift between them sometimes only two 115 or then
some other combination depending on the situation and venue. I also
use TC and AER gear from time to time, but with Paidarion mostly Ampeg.
Kimmo Pörsti: At the time of recording I was using Kumu
drums (handmade in Finland); at present I am using Yamaha recording
customs and Kumu drums. I am using mostly Ziljdjian and Istanbul Mehmet
Cymbals. I have quite a few rides as I like to change the ride cymbals
according the track I am playing. At present I also use Kimerism gongs.
mwe3: What influence does Finnish music history have on the
Paidarion sound? How influenced are you by early Finnish music history
(even going back to Sibelius and the Kalevala) and in more modern
times, legends of Finnish music including the late great Pekka Pohjola
and the other musicians from that first generation of Finnish progressive
rock musicians? (Wigwam, Tasavallan, Finnforest etc.) How about your
other musical influences, then and now, from the various yet connected
worlds of global rock and jazz?
Kimmo
Pörsti: Finnish music history does have a big influence for
me! Well, maybe the classical Finnish music has not been that big
of an influence for me personally, but Pekka Pohjola and Wigwam have
had an enormous impact to me. I do recall buying Wigwam's Being LP
as a young teenager. I decided to listen it as long as it would take
to understand what's going on. (lol) And that's what I did! It still
sounds as good as back then. Pekka Pohjola's first four albums are
still some of my all-time favorites.
I do have a lot of other musicals influences, too. The list is very
long - here are just few examples: PFM, Kenso, Stuff, Jean-Luc Ponty,
Lee Ritenour, Supertramp, Steely Dan, Keiko Matsui, Focus. Camel is
one of the biggest influences for me and many times I have heard people
comparing our music to Camel's. Recently I have been fortunate to
work with Camel's Guy LeBlanc with the other group where I play, The
Samurai of Prog.
Dan Fogelberg has also been very important to me, unfortunately almost
nobody knows him in Finland. Both Camel and Fogelberg are so good
in expressing different moods and feelings. But my musical taste is
broader than that; sometimes nothing sounds better than a good Bluegrass
or Gypsy-jazz and some hard-rock bands from the 1970's - like Spooky
Tooth and Three Man Army still sound as good as they did back then.
Jan-Olof Strandberg: I was growing up when the rock/jazz revolution
was happening worldwide in the late 1960s.
Yes, the early Finnish prog groups have been an influence for me,
too and I still play with Jukka Gustavson (Wigwam) from time to time
and have recorded with Jukka Tolonen (Tasavallan Presidentti) and
with Pekka Pohjola (Wigwam) and some other artists from that era.
I love music so I do listen to a lot of artists. Early influences
are definitely Emerson, Lake & Palmer, King Crimson, Jimi Hendrix,
Miles Davis, Pink Floyd, Weather Report, Return To Forever and many
more...
Today I do listen to the same plus many more like the great African
players, Dream Theater, Hiromi, James Taylor and many more...there
are just so many great artists and groups out there!
But I think that if we speak about Finnish influences it all goes
back to the way music has always been in Europe. There is a really
strong classical music background that they teach early in schools
where you learn about the European music history. In the 1960s
and 70s jazz or rock was hardly ever mentioned in classes! Pekka
Pohjola was from a classical musical family and he used his skills
for rock instead of classical music. So basically if you write for
a chamber orchestra and change the instruments to electric instruments
and add some drums you will sound like progressive rock band! Again...
the way harmony and melody is used it comes from Europe and all the
blues and groove influences are from America, this is the mix for
Finnish progressive music in my opinion. ECM records made some interesting
sounding European jazz records in the early 1970s. That was basically
the same mix, melody and harmony was the king, this time mostly improvised,
not groove or blues, so the music sounded more meditative. Of course
this was not for everybody but it definitely was nice new approach
to the jazz! Today we hear more and more interesting mixes with African
music and other cultures.
In Europe we always had a strong sense of harmony and melody. Melody
is the king in European music. American music is about swing, groove
and it is often blues influenced. I guess for a young musician in
the early days the mix between America and Europe is what we have
in progressive music.
mwe3:
Who else was involved in the making of Paidarions Behind
The Curtains album? I see Michael Manring is one the CD too and
there were other guests on the CD. How did you connect with Michael
Manring and who else would you cite as being important in the making
of the Behind The Curtains CD (musicians and otherwise) and
can you also say something about the CD artwork and what it
symbolizes?
Jan-Olof Strandberg: Michael is a friend of mine from many
years back. I have been at music trade shows all over the world since
late 1980s and have met a lot of great players like Michael
there. After the recording we spoke with Michael about a tour and
he agreed to do a tour with Paidarion in 2011 and we are going to
do another one this summer. Michael is a great musician and a sweet
guy, really nice to perform with him.
The artwork on Behind The Curtains is based on the story that
is told on the album and the artwork is created by the great Davide
Guidoni.
Kimmo Pörsti: My bandmate from The Samurai of Prog, Steve
Unruh, played some wonderful violin for couple of tracks. Another
guest from the U.S. was Supernal Endgame's Rob Price, who sings with
Elina in Small Wish and Magician's Departure.
Olli Jaakkola played flute as he did in the first album.
Way back in 1980's I was working for Finnish Television with Mika
Syväniemi. We made music for children's programs, animations
and such. As Mika is a wonderful composer, I asked his permission
to work on couple themes of his for the album... that's how we developed
The Final Show and Paidarion. As with many
other projects of mine, my friend Tommi Liuhala did the mixing and
mastering. Tommi is the grand old man of Finnish Prog.
For example, he recorded and co-produced Live Music from The Twilight
Zone in the 1970's, Wigwam's last album with Pekka Pohjola and
Jukka Gustavson.
Yes, the artwork for the album was based on Pirkko's lyrics. They
deal about the life in a circus but naturally there are a lot deeper
meanings in them. She had clear ideas how the artwork could support
the lyrics and Davide did wonderful job fulfilling those wishes.
mwe3: How is Paidarions CD being regarded in Finland
and what do you think about the state of the current pop, progressive
and jazz-rock music scenes in Finland and also in other countries
in Scandinavia and other parts of the world? What else is new and
interesting in Finland in 2013?
Jan-Olof
Strandberg: Paidarion is still a relatively new group in Finland
and actually anywhere so we are still fighting for our place. Right
now it looks like we are able to make one or two tours every year
mostly in Finland but it looks like we can have something in other
countries as well in the near future! We will definitely continue
making records and we will keep this group going for a long time.
There is actually a strong but small progressive music community in
Finland called Colossus and they also have a magazine for progressive
music bearing the same name! Wigwam and Tasavallan Presidentti are
probably still the most respected progressive rock bands in Finland
even if they do not exist anymore. In Sweden they have Flower Kings,
Wasa Express, Mats & Morgan and some more. Today progressive rock
is doing better internationally from Sweden but we hope we will get
Finland going as well...
Kimmo Pörsti: As with many other Finnish prog bands, most
of our sales come from other countries. However, the response we have
received in our concerts in Finland has been warm and encouraging.
Perhaps I am not the right person to comment about the state of pop
music in Finland or elsewhere as I have this personal problem concerning
machines playing music. (lol) But even though you don't hear them
in radio, I think there are probably more prog and jazz-rock bands
around than ever. And many of them are very good! Quite often the
best bands are the ones who are able to combine some of the musical
history of their country into their music like Kenso.
mwe3: What other activities keep you busy when youre
not making music, including session work, hobbies, recreational things
and other things?
Kimmo Pörsti: I must say that there is no free-time problem
for me: there isn't really much free time besides music.
What comes to session work I have been fortunate to be asked for different
music projects. Marco Bernard (from Colossus and The Samurai of Prog)
has always something extremely interesting going on for me. A little
while ago I finished recording drum tracks for Cosmic Remedy, a project
led by very talented guitarist from Romania, Akos Bogati-Bokor. He
has succeeded to combine Prog and the 1960's feel so well, that I
am really waiting for the CD to come out.
Jan-Olof Strandberg: There are just too many things to do.
I like to be with my grandchildren, I love traveling, reading biographies,
listen to concerts...
mwe3:
What does the future hold for Paidarion and what are you planning
as far as writing, recording and performing music in the second half
of 2013 and beyond?
Jan-Olof Strandberg: We are planning on making a live DVD with
Michael Manring this year or next year. We have three concerts coming
up with Paidarion featuring Michael Manring this summer. We are also
planning to begin the recording for a new album later this year. We
are not in a hurry, we want the quality of Paidarion records to be
as high as we can.
Kimmo Pörsti: Yes, at present we are compiling different
material for our next album. We already have some wonderful ideas,
especially from our keyboard player Kimmo Tapanainen, but we want
to find a proper time to develop those together. It is also likely
that Risto Salmi will stand out as a composer this time! Besides the
Manring gigs, there are some other plans for the Fall, but they are
not confirmed yet...
Thanks to Kimmo Pörsti and Jan-Olaf Strandberg @ www.paidarion.com