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TUSKA 2010 COVERAGE: WARMEN INTERVIEW
Warmen is the brainchild of Children of Bodom keyboardist Janne Viljami Wirman, aka "Warman," joined by his brother Antti Wirman on guitar, Mirka Rananen on drums(Revolution Renaissance, Thunderstone, ) and Jyri Helko on bass. The band has had many guests appear on albums and live from Children of Bodom front man Alexi Laiho to Finnish pop star Jonna Geagea and a host of others.
Warmen was selected to perform at this years Tuska Open Air Metal Festival in Helsinki, Finland. I had the distinct honor of sitting with the Wirman brothers to discuss the Warmen project, the Finnish metal scene and Tuska itself. We all had a good laugh when the camera wouldn't turn on (dead battery - very professional) and I decided to try my shorthand writing skills. Not only were the guys fine with doing a written interview, we all had a good laugh a few times about how quickly I had to write which I feel is a testament to how down-to-earth these guys are.
If you are like me, you've never heard of Warmen. I suspected that they would know that I wouldn't and so there was no shame in asking the basics to start, "Tell me about Warmen." Janne responded immediately, telling me about how the whole project started about 10 years ago. He wanted to be the songwriter for a group and wanted to be on his own for a change. Over the past 10 years, Warmen released "four totally random albums" as he put it, but then went on to describe how the band is finally starting to hone in on their sound with this latest release, "Japanese Hospitality."
"So tell me about "Japanese Hospitality," I responded. Janne quickly jumped on the question, "It's our fourth and best album. We're sounding more like a band." They went on to talk about the guests Pasi Rantanen and Jonna Geagea and what went into making the record.
I followed up with asking, "You brought a lot of guest musicians in on your albums and I've notice that the Finnish metal scene is a lot like that where musicians will be in many bands. How has this influenced Warmen, and how has it modified the sound?" They responded telling me about how the guest musicians were very influential. Janne told me about how many of the songs were actually written purposefully for the guest who would perform on them and so they were actually shaped for that purpose. They went on to say how most of these musicians were actually very influential people for them and so the overall sound has been impacted very positively by their presence.
I had to ask, "Do you have a favorite song on the album?" And without hesitation, "Fallen Angel" was the unanimous vote from both brothers. Janne elaborated about how Pasi Nykänen was very hands on in the songwriting and overall sound of the song. Both brothers lit up when describing working with him and the genuine excitement that I think any musician would have when working with one of their biggest influences was undeniable on their faces. I actually found myself smiling while they told me about it.
I looked to Janne and asked, "Is it difficult working in several bands at the same time?" He said, "No, Warmen is not that active. We would love to be more active. Tuska was our fourth show ever." My eyes widened, "What?!" We all laughed. He continued, "Yeah, we didn't expect this great of a response." The response was indeed great. When we went to watch the set earlier in the day, you couldn't get under the giant canopy they had set up. It was as if Warmen was a legendary act and the main stage would have been a better option for them because everyone at Tuska wanted to see them.
I knew time was running low and my hand was not used to the archaic style of writing with a pen so I asked my final and most important question. "What do you want the legacy of Warmen to be? When all is said and done, how do you want it to be remembered?"
After a short pause Antti responded, "No legacy, because we will continue on forever!" We all laughed, then Janne continued, "I love where we are going. I love playing with my brother." He went on to describe how his brother is one of the top guitar players in the world and how the likes of several guitar giants i.e. Alexi Laiho agree. "I play in Children of Bodom, I know my guitar shit." he added with a laugh.
I had to know from Antti, "Do you ever feel there is a lot of pressure on you to be that great when your brother plays with Alexi and other amazing guitar players are watching?" He thought about if for a moment and responded, "Kind of, yeah." Both brothers agreed that there is a certain pressure that comes with playing music at that level and from my point of view Antti seemed to be extremely modest about his ability. But with praises from some of the Finnish greats, it's hard to deny that he is one of the up and coming guitar heroes of Finland.
I asked if there was anything they wanted to add to the interview and Janne answered immediately. "I would love to thank you because we are not that known in the U.S.," as he pointed at me. They then talked about how they do have a couple of fans there. Antti capped off the conversation, "We want to thank all the US fans. We love you all and we hope to see you at a show someday."
We got up and took some pictures as you see here in this post, and talked a bit more about the band and then all agreed it was time for a beer. We went our separate ways and I was left with a feeling of pride in the Finnish metal scene and how they stick together and support one another... pride that metal heads who come from even as large a band as Children of Bodom could be so humble... but most of all, I felt satisfied in knowing that the Wirman brothers are so happy creating music together and have the full support of the tight-knit metal scene here in the metal holy land.
Warmen is definitely worth a listen. All four albums are very different, each with its own personality and a new set of guest musicians. Check out their music online and if you like it, let them know. And let us know here at SkullsNBones!
Source, including pics: http://www.skullsnbones.com/profiles/blogs/tuska-2010-coverage-warmen
Interviewer messed up teh Pasi's
TUSKA 2010 COVERAGE: WARMEN INTERVIEW
Warmen is the brainchild of Children of Bodom keyboardist Janne Viljami Wirman, aka "Warman," joined by his brother Antti Wirman on guitar, Mirka Rananen on drums(Revolution Renaissance, Thunderstone, ) and Jyri Helko on bass. The band has had many guests appear on albums and live from Children of Bodom front man Alexi Laiho to Finnish pop star Jonna Geagea and a host of others.
Warmen was selected to perform at this years Tuska Open Air Metal Festival in Helsinki, Finland. I had the distinct honor of sitting with the Wirman brothers to discuss the Warmen project, the Finnish metal scene and Tuska itself. We all had a good laugh when the camera wouldn't turn on (dead battery - very professional) and I decided to try my shorthand writing skills. Not only were the guys fine with doing a written interview, we all had a good laugh a few times about how quickly I had to write which I feel is a testament to how down-to-earth these guys are.
If you are like me, you've never heard of Warmen. I suspected that they would know that I wouldn't and so there was no shame in asking the basics to start, "Tell me about Warmen." Janne responded immediately, telling me about how the whole project started about 10 years ago. He wanted to be the songwriter for a group and wanted to be on his own for a change. Over the past 10 years, Warmen released "four totally random albums" as he put it, but then went on to describe how the band is finally starting to hone in on their sound with this latest release, "Japanese Hospitality."
"So tell me about "Japanese Hospitality," I responded. Janne quickly jumped on the question, "It's our fourth and best album. We're sounding more like a band." They went on to talk about the guests Pasi Rantanen and Jonna Geagea and what went into making the record.
I followed up with asking, "You brought a lot of guest musicians in on your albums and I've notice that the Finnish metal scene is a lot like that where musicians will be in many bands. How has this influenced Warmen, and how has it modified the sound?" They responded telling me about how the guest musicians were very influential. Janne told me about how many of the songs were actually written purposefully for the guest who would perform on them and so they were actually shaped for that purpose. They went on to say how most of these musicians were actually very influential people for them and so the overall sound has been impacted very positively by their presence.
I had to ask, "Do you have a favorite song on the album?" And without hesitation, "Fallen Angel" was the unanimous vote from both brothers. Janne elaborated about how Pasi Nykänen was very hands on in the songwriting and overall sound of the song. Both brothers lit up when describing working with him and the genuine excitement that I think any musician would have when working with one of their biggest influences was undeniable on their faces. I actually found myself smiling while they told me about it.
I looked to Janne and asked, "Is it difficult working in several bands at the same time?" He said, "No, Warmen is not that active. We would love to be more active. Tuska was our fourth show ever." My eyes widened, "What?!" We all laughed. He continued, "Yeah, we didn't expect this great of a response." The response was indeed great. When we went to watch the set earlier in the day, you couldn't get under the giant canopy they had set up. It was as if Warmen was a legendary act and the main stage would have been a better option for them because everyone at Tuska wanted to see them.
I knew time was running low and my hand was not used to the archaic style of writing with a pen so I asked my final and most important question. "What do you want the legacy of Warmen to be? When all is said and done, how do you want it to be remembered?"
After a short pause Antti responded, "No legacy, because we will continue on forever!" We all laughed, then Janne continued, "I love where we are going. I love playing with my brother." He went on to describe how his brother is one of the top guitar players in the world and how the likes of several guitar giants i.e. Alexi Laiho agree. "I play in Children of Bodom, I know my guitar shit." he added with a laugh.
I had to know from Antti, "Do you ever feel there is a lot of pressure on you to be that great when your brother plays with Alexi and other amazing guitar players are watching?" He thought about if for a moment and responded, "Kind of, yeah." Both brothers agreed that there is a certain pressure that comes with playing music at that level and from my point of view Antti seemed to be extremely modest about his ability. But with praises from some of the Finnish greats, it's hard to deny that he is one of the up and coming guitar heroes of Finland.
I asked if there was anything they wanted to add to the interview and Janne answered immediately. "I would love to thank you because we are not that known in the U.S.," as he pointed at me. They then talked about how they do have a couple of fans there. Antti capped off the conversation, "We want to thank all the US fans. We love you all and we hope to see you at a show someday."
We got up and took some pictures as you see here in this post, and talked a bit more about the band and then all agreed it was time for a beer. We went our separate ways and I was left with a feeling of pride in the Finnish metal scene and how they stick together and support one another... pride that metal heads who come from even as large a band as Children of Bodom could be so humble... but most of all, I felt satisfied in knowing that the Wirman brothers are so happy creating music together and have the full support of the tight-knit metal scene here in the metal holy land.
Warmen is definitely worth a listen. All four albums are very different, each with its own personality and a new set of guest musicians. Check out their music online and if you like it, let them know. And let us know here at SkullsNBones!
Source, including pics: http://www.skullsnbones.com/profiles/blogs/tuska-2010-coverage-warmen
Interviewer messed up teh Pasi's
