segunda-feira, 17 de dezembro de 2012
Entrevista com Masi Hukari, guitarrista da banda AMORAL / Interview with Masi Hukari, guitar player of AMORAL band
Gostaríamos de agradecer ao grupo Amoral Team Brazil, pelas perguntas enviadas! E ao Masi, pela atenção e carinho.
NQ: Quais são suas influências musicais?
Masi: Bem ... falando como guitarrista minhas influências são Steve Vai, Fredrik Thordendahl, Nuno Bettencourt, Brian Setzer, Allan Holdsworth, Marty Friedman, Eddie Van Halen, King Crimson e tantos mais. Eu sempre esqueço alguém.
Musicalmente falando, eu amo Astor Piazzolla, John Coltrane, Edward Vesala, Jan Garbarek, Bela Bartok, Igor Stravinsky, Dead Kennedys, Bad Brains ... tanta coisa! Eu poderia continuar por dias!
Oh! Steven Wilson eu tenho para falar! Eu encontrei a sua música incrível alguns anos atrás e sua estilo tem sido uma enorme influência.
NQ: O que você gosta de fazer no seu tempo livre?
Masi: Eu não tenho tempo livre :) ... mas para uma boa conversa sempre tenho tempo.
NQ: Qual foi o seu lugar favorito para visitar no mundo e onde mais você gostaria de ir?
Masi: Eu acredito que lugares e experiências são essencialmente o que trazemos conosco no momento.
Eu me sinto tão sortudo que eu tive a oportunidade de ir por todo o mundo e partilhar grandes momentos com tantas pessoas diferentes em muitos ótimos lugares.
Alguns lugares têm um lugar especial no meu coração. Tel Aviv é um desses. Buenos Aires é outro. Mas, basicamente, eu posso me sentir em casa e à vontade em qualquer lugar e eu mal posso esperar por todas as viagens que estão a frente.
Já estive em tantos lugares que é mais uma questão de onde eu gostaria de voltar. :)
Um lugar que eu nunca fui e quero ir para algum dia é o Tibet, mas eu não acho que eles têm concertos de heavy metal lá, então eu acho que eu vou ter que ir mochila :)
NQ: O que levou você a ser apaixonado por música?
Masi: Isso é realmente engraçado, porque eu realmente não tinha interesse na música.
Meus pais me fizeram ter aulas de piano quando criança e que nunca foi realmente o que eu queria.
Eu era apaixonada por esportes e principalmente por skate. Eu realmente tentei dificilmente!
Mas um dia, quando eu tinha 13 anos minha mãe ia comprar para mim uma mini moto de uma das crianças do bairro onde eu cresci e o cara tinha um kit de bateria em sua garagem!
Por alguma estranha razão os tambores estavam me chamando e acabamos comprando eles em vez da moto. Então eu comecei com bateria e tínhamos uma banda juntos, mas meu irmão ficou tocando melhor do que eu, então eu decidi cantar. Bem como as crianças que você vê, não se pensa muito sobre essas coisas, então a banda cresceu o tempo todo e, eventualmente, havia dois caras cantando e nós não tínhamos um guitarrista, então meus amigos e eu fizemos uma "reunião da banda" e eu foi forçado a tocar guitarra!
Eu nem queria ... se você puder imaginar isso!
Bem, finalmente minha família mudou-se para Israel e me senti isolado em um país estranho e tocando guitarra parecia uma boa maneira de passar o meu tempo. Também eu tinha encontrado alguns grandes álbuns para matar o tempo! Como Vai's Passion and Warfare, Rust in Peace do Megadeth e Pornograffiti Extreme. Esses são o tipo de álbuns que realmente fazem você querer tocar melhor! E claro que isso significa que você tem que praticar muito! Ele só se tornou essa obsessão para o conhecimento e uma forma de expressão. Além disso, algumas meninas acharam que era legal, e isso salvou minha vida de namoros na adolecência.
A partir desse momento eu fiquei por tempos com um instrumento nas mãos por longos dias. Se algum dia eu me casar eu vou dar uma guitarra na minha lua de mel :)
NQ: Você toca outros instrumentos além da guitarra?
Masi: Sim! Nestes dias, é principalmente piano, bateria e saxofone, mas eu aprendi e estudo contrabaixo e fagote. Eu acredito que é importante para ser aventureiro e versátil.
NQ: Você tem algum hobby?
Masi: Não, não realmente. Eu gostava de skate e ainda gosto dele, mas eu não tenho nenhuma ambição na mesma, porque eu sou muito medroso por começar e minhas mãos machucar e ter que cancelar shows ou sessões. Eu gosto de ler e leio livros sobre astronomia e antropologia cultural, bem como romances.
Eu gosto de livros de Umberto Eco, jorge Luis Borgess, Hunter S. Thompson and Jose Saramago, para citar alguns.
NQ: Como você entrou na banda Amoral?
Masi: Fui apresentado à música em 2007 por Valtteri Hirvonen, que é o nosso fotógrafo. Eu gostei da música imediatamente e vi alguns shows e vi os álbuns. Ben morava por perto para que pudéssemos falar um com o outro ao longo do tempo.
Um dia ele me chamou e queria comprar um violão de 7 cordas de mim. Ele estava escrevendo o álbum Beneath neste momento. Alguns meses se passaram e ele me mandou uma mensagem e apenas em linha reta para fora me perguntou se eu iria considerar estar na banda e que eu teria que comprar um violão de 7 cordas, já que ele tinha o meu! Hah! O que um cara!
Aparentemente Valtteri, que era o guitarrista temporário havia convencido de que eu era o cara para chegar. Então, obrigado, Valde! Ele também ajudou a que eu sabia Ari de antes de eu entrar, por isso não foi apenas algum cara aleatório que ninguém sabia nada sobre.
NQ: O que você acha do Brasil? Pretende voltar?
Masi: Eu não posso dizer sobre todo o Brasil, uma vez que só foi para São Paulo, mas que eu gostei muito!
Eu estava lá com Sonata Arctica e tivemos uma fantástica no Manifesto Rock Bar! Houve realmente um grande brasileiro tocando em homenagem para a banda Pantera e um cara que trabalha lá me deu uma camiseta do Manifesto que eu usei em shows tanto que ela fedeu tanto que eu precisei de uma nova!
Também teve um grande churrasco e conheci pessoas muito legais e amigáveis, por isso a minha experiência no Brasil é foi positiva!
Eu realmente espero que visitar o Rio algum dia! Meu irmão em metal Jules, do Omen grande banda finlandesa Profano está se mudando pra lá este ano, então eu vou ficar com raiva de mim mesmo se eu não for pra lá um dia.
Quero surfar na praia e tocar Bossa Nova, com músicos locais!
NQ: Como foi a gravação com o novo álbum do Sonata Arctica?
Masi: Foi uma viagem! Tony Kakko é um dos meus cantores favoritos do mundo. O cara tem um som como ele poderia estar cantando-lhe uma lista de compras e soaria como tinha um profundo significado espiritual e muita emoção!
Eu tenho muito respeito por ele como um artista e um amigo que, para ter a oportunidade de trabalhar nos vocais e de ir trabalhando nas letras e expressão vocal foi uma das melhores experiências de colaboração da minha vida. Eu acho que nós dois sabíamos que estávamos fazendo alguma mágica acontecer no estúdio de sua casa. Eu espero que nós podemos fazer mais trabalho em conjunto no futuro, porque há definitivamente uma conexão musical entre nós.
Eu só trabalhei nos vocais de Stones Grow her Name , mas eu realmente gostaria de trabalhar com os outros caras da banda também! Como você poderia saber que eu fiz o trabalho técnico para Tommi e eu tenho que dizer que todo o grupo são algumas das melhores pessoas para estar em turnê com o do mundo! Eles se chamam o grupo de irmãos e que não é brincadeira! Amo esses caras!
Na verdade Henkka tocou algumas partes do piano no álbum de minha outra banda (Alavala), que é lançado esta sexta-feira aqui na Finlândia! Henkka é o Rei dos teclados Gonzo e se você não sabe o que isso significa ... não se preocupe, ele vai!
NQ: Alavala é um novo projeto?
Masi: Não realmente. A banda foi formada em 2008 depois de Emilia e Noora terminaram de vender suas múltiplas platinas da banda Tiktak e foram à procura de um novo canal para se expressar.
Tivemos um monte de atenção no início, mas estávamos determinados a levá-la lenta e desenvolver uma coisa que nos sentíssemos em casa. E que nenhuma gravadora iria nos dizer o que fazer! Estamos todos cansados disso. Finalmente, que encontramos a Playground e estão lançando nosso primeiro álbum agora. A música está em algum lugar entre de as 90 de grunge e rock básica.
Você pode encontrar-nos na web e Facebook.
NQ: Quais são seus planos para o próximo ano?
Masi: Bem, Ben e eu temos escrito bastante um monte de música para o próximo álbum Amoral, então vamos ensaiar e gravar um álbum esperamos no próximo ano. Em abril iremos para tocar nas Filipinas, e esperemos que alguns outros lugares na Ásia também.
Há também os festivais de verão, mas tudo é muito cedo para dizer.
Tem coisa boa vindo, mas não posso falar muito sobre isso ainda. É muito cedo!
NQ: Como foi a turnê na Ásia com Amoral?
Masi: Foi ótima! Você pode ver o que aconteceu no youtube. Apenas pesquisar: Asian Tour Amoral 2012.
NQ: Como foi a gravação do álbum "Beneath"?
Masi: As sessões foram intensa e divertida.
Eu só entrei na banda 4 meses antes de começar a gravação e contribuiu com duas músicas, então foi uma experiência muito nova para mim. Eu estava com tanta pressa para aprender as partes com precisão que eu mesmo fiz um violão para os 70000 Tons Of Metal e estava praticando e escrevendo solos diárias por algumas horas, mesmo com toda a loucura que está acontecendo.
No estúdio, eu lembro de passar as noites de trabalho com Pexi em suas partes de baixo e de acorde até chegar guitarras feitas com Ben. Foi ao mesmo tempo agitado e calmo. Agitado porque somos uma banda que conta com peças tecnicamente bem executado. Nós não construir uma parede de guitarras e atmosferas, nós apenas tocamos com nossas almas e coração, com o retalhamento!
O lado calmo era que Ben é líder de uma banda realmente boa com uma visão definitiva de projeto para projeto e é fácil de acreditar em seu julgamento. Ele é aberto a idéias, mas, no final, ele vai saber o que é certo!
Mas isso já é coisa antiga!
Nós estamos nos movendo para o próximo álbum! A maior parte dele já está escrito e vai ser épico!
NQ: Gostaria de deixar uma mensagem para os fãs que vão ler esta entrevista no meu blog?
Masi: Obrigado pela leitura e lembre-se de ficar de mente aberta na vida e música!
Versão em inglês da Entrevista:
NQ:What are your musical influences?
Masi:
Well...speaking as a guitarist my influences are Steve Vai, Fredrik
Thordendahl, Nuno Bettencourt, Brian Setzer, Allan Holdsworth, Marty
Friedman, Eddie Van Halen, King Crimson and so many more. I always
forget some one.
Musically speaking I love Astor Piazzolla, John Coltrane, Edward Vesala, Jan Garbarek, Bela Bartok, Igor Stravinsky, Dead Kennedys, Bad Brains...so much stuff! I could go on for days!
Oh! Steven Wilson I have to mention! I found his amazing music a few years ago and his aesthetic has been a huge influence.
Musically speaking I love Astor Piazzolla, John Coltrane, Edward Vesala, Jan Garbarek, Bela Bartok, Igor Stravinsky, Dead Kennedys, Bad Brains...so much stuff! I could go on for days!
Oh! Steven Wilson I have to mention! I found his amazing music a few years ago and his aesthetic has been a huge influence.
NQ: What do you like to do on your spare time?
Masi:
I don't have spare time :) ...but for a good conversation
I'll spare some time.
NQ: What was your favorite place to visit in the world and where else do you wish to go?
Masi:
I believe that places and experiences are essentially what we bring
with us to the moment.
I feel so lucky that I have had the opportunity to go all around the world and share great moments with so many different people in so many great places.
Some places hold a special place in my heart. Tel Aviv is one of those. Buenos Aires is another one. But basically I can feel at home and at ease anywhere and I can't wait for all the travels that lay ahead.
I've been to so many places that it's more of a question where I would like to go back to :)
One place I have never been in and want to go to some day is Tibet, but I don't think they have heavy metal concerts there, so I guess I will have to go backpacking :)
I feel so lucky that I have had the opportunity to go all around the world and share great moments with so many different people in so many great places.
Some places hold a special place in my heart. Tel Aviv is one of those. Buenos Aires is another one. But basically I can feel at home and at ease anywhere and I can't wait for all the travels that lay ahead.
I've been to so many places that it's more of a question where I would like to go back to :)
One place I have never been in and want to go to some day is Tibet, but I don't think they have heavy metal concerts there, so I guess I will have to go backpacking :)
NQ: What drove you to be passionate about music?
Masi:
That's
actually funny, because I really didn't have intrest in music at
first other than listening.
My parents made me take piano lessons as a kid and I never was really in to it.
I was passionate about sports and especially skateboarding. I really tried so hard!
But one day when I was 13 my mom was going to buy me a mini motorbike from one of the kids around the neighbourhood where I grew up and the guy had a drum kit in his garage! For some strange reason those drums were calling me and we ended up buying those instead of the motor bike. So I started with drums and we got a little band together, but my brother got better than me, so I decided to sing. Well as kids you don't think so much about these things so the band grew all the time and eventually there were two guys singing and we didn't have a guitar player, so my friends and I had a "band meeting" and I was forced to play the guitar!
I didn't even want to...if you can imagine that!
Well, eventually my family moved to Israel and I felt isolated in a strange country and playing guitar seemed like a good way to spend my time. Also I had found some great albums that had killer playing on them! like Vai's Passion and Warfare, Megadeth's Rust in Peace and Extreme's Pornograffiti. Those are the kind of albums that really make you want to play better! And ofcourse that means you have to practice a lot! It just became this obsession for knowledge and a way of expression. Plus some girls thought it was cool, so it saved my teenage dating life :)
From that time on the longest I have been with out an istrument in my hands is a few days. If I ever get married I will take a guitar on my honeymoon :)
My parents made me take piano lessons as a kid and I never was really in to it.
I was passionate about sports and especially skateboarding. I really tried so hard!
But one day when I was 13 my mom was going to buy me a mini motorbike from one of the kids around the neighbourhood where I grew up and the guy had a drum kit in his garage! For some strange reason those drums were calling me and we ended up buying those instead of the motor bike. So I started with drums and we got a little band together, but my brother got better than me, so I decided to sing. Well as kids you don't think so much about these things so the band grew all the time and eventually there were two guys singing and we didn't have a guitar player, so my friends and I had a "band meeting" and I was forced to play the guitar!
I didn't even want to...if you can imagine that!
Well, eventually my family moved to Israel and I felt isolated in a strange country and playing guitar seemed like a good way to spend my time. Also I had found some great albums that had killer playing on them! like Vai's Passion and Warfare, Megadeth's Rust in Peace and Extreme's Pornograffiti. Those are the kind of albums that really make you want to play better! And ofcourse that means you have to practice a lot! It just became this obsession for knowledge and a way of expression. Plus some girls thought it was cool, so it saved my teenage dating life :)
From that time on the longest I have been with out an istrument in my hands is a few days. If I ever get married I will take a guitar on my honeymoon :)
NQ: Do you play other instruments besides guitar?
Masi:
Yeah I do! These days it's mostly piano, drums and saxophone, but I
learned and studied contrabass and bassoon. I believe it's important
to be adventurous and versitale.
NQ: Do you have any hobbies?
Masi:
No, not really. I do like skateboarding and still enjoy it, but I
have no ambition in it, because I'm too affraid of getting my hands
hurt and having to cancel gigs or sessions.
I like reading and I read books on astronomy and cultural anthropology as well as novels.
I like books by Umberto Eco, jorge Luis Borgess, Hunter S. Thompson and Jose Saramago, to name a few.
I like reading and I read books on astronomy and cultural anthropology as well as novels.
I like books by Umberto Eco, jorge Luis Borgess, Hunter S. Thompson and Jose Saramago, to name a few.
NQ: How you entered the banda Amoral?
Masi:
I was introduced to the music in 2007 by Valtteri Hirvonen, who is
our photographer and 6th member. I liked the music imediately and saw
some shows and got the albums. Ben lives close by so we would bump in
to each other and exchange hellos from time to time.
One day he called me and wanted to buy a 7-string guitar from me. He was writing the Beneath album at this time. A few months passed and he texted me and just straight out asked me if I would consider being in the band and that I would have to buy a 7-string guitar, since he had mine! Hah! What a guy!
Apparently Valtteri, who was the temporary guitar player had convinced him that I was the guy to get. So, Thank You, Valde! It also helped that I knew Ari from before I joined, so it was not just some random dude that no one knew nothing about.
One day he called me and wanted to buy a 7-string guitar from me. He was writing the Beneath album at this time. A few months passed and he texted me and just straight out asked me if I would consider being in the band and that I would have to buy a 7-string guitar, since he had mine! Hah! What a guy!
Apparently Valtteri, who was the temporary guitar player had convinced him that I was the guy to get. So, Thank You, Valde! It also helped that I knew Ari from before I joined, so it was not just some random dude that no one knew nothing about.
NQ:
What do you think of Brazil? Intends to return?
Masi:
I can't say about all of Brazil, since I only went to Sao Paulo, but
that I liked a lot!
I was there with Sonata Arctica and we had an awesome time at Manifesto rock bar! There was a really great Brazilian Pantera tribute band playing and a guy working there gave me a Manifesto T-shirt that I've used on gigs so much that it stinks so bad I need a new one!
We also had great barbeque and met really cool and friendly people, so my experience from Brazil is so positive!
I really hope to visit Rio some day! My brother in metal Jules, from the great Finnish band Profane Omen is moving there this year, so I'm going to be mad at myself if I don't come there someday.
I want to surf on the beach and play Bossa Nova with local musicians!
I was there with Sonata Arctica and we had an awesome time at Manifesto rock bar! There was a really great Brazilian Pantera tribute band playing and a guy working there gave me a Manifesto T-shirt that I've used on gigs so much that it stinks so bad I need a new one!
We also had great barbeque and met really cool and friendly people, so my experience from Brazil is so positive!
I really hope to visit Rio some day! My brother in metal Jules, from the great Finnish band Profane Omen is moving there this year, so I'm going to be mad at myself if I don't come there someday.
I want to surf on the beach and play Bossa Nova with local musicians!
NQ: How was recording with Sonata Arctica's new album?
Masi:
It
was a trip! Tony Kakko is one of my favorite singers in the world.
The guy has a sound like he could be singing you a shopping list and
it would sound like it had deep spiritual meaning and so much
emotion! I have so much respect for him as an artist and a friend
that to have the opportunity to work on the vocals and just hang
around working on lyrics and vocal expression was one of the best
collaborative experiences of my life. I think we both knew we were
making some magic happen in his home studio. I hope we we can do more
work together in the future, because I fell there is a definite
musical connection between us.
I only worked on the vocals on the Stones Grow Her Name album, but I really like the other guys in the band too! As you might know I did drum tech work for Tommi and I've got to say the whole group are some of the greatest people to be on tour with in the world! They call themselves the band of brothers and that is no joke! Love those guys!
Actually Henkka played some keys and rock piano on my other band's (Alavala) album that is released this friday here in Finland! Henkka is the King Of Gonzo Keyboards and if you don't know what that means...don't worry, he will!
I only worked on the vocals on the Stones Grow Her Name album, but I really like the other guys in the band too! As you might know I did drum tech work for Tommi and I've got to say the whole group are some of the greatest people to be on tour with in the world! They call themselves the band of brothers and that is no joke! Love those guys!
Actually Henkka played some keys and rock piano on my other band's (Alavala) album that is released this friday here in Finland! Henkka is the King Of Gonzo Keyboards and if you don't know what that means...don't worry, he will!
NQ: Alavala is a new project?
Masi:
Not really.
The band was formed in 2008 after Emilia and Noora ended their multi platinum selling all girl band Tiktak and were looking for a new channel for expressing themselves.
We got a lot of attention at first, but we were determined to take it slow and develop a thing that would feel like home for all of us. And that no record company would tell us what ro do! We're all sick of that. Eventually we found a good home at Playground music and are releasing our debut album now. The music is somewhere in between of 90's grunge and basic street rock.
You can find us on the web and FB.
The band was formed in 2008 after Emilia and Noora ended their multi platinum selling all girl band Tiktak and were looking for a new channel for expressing themselves.
We got a lot of attention at first, but we were determined to take it slow and develop a thing that would feel like home for all of us. And that no record company would tell us what ro do! We're all sick of that. Eventually we found a good home at Playground music and are releasing our debut album now. The music is somewhere in between of 90's grunge and basic street rock.
You can find us on the web and FB.
NQ: What are your plans for next year?
Masi:
Well, Ben and I have written quite a bunch of music for the next
Amoral album, so we will rehearse and record an album hopefully early
next year. In april we will go to play in the Philipines and
hopefully some other places in Asia as well.
There's also the summer festivals, but everything is too early to tell.
There's good stuff coming but I can't talk too much about it yet. It's way too early!
There's also the summer festivals, but everything is too early to tell.
There's good stuff coming but I can't talk too much about it yet. It's way too early!
NQ: How was the tour in Asia with Amoral?
Masi:It
was great! You can see what happened on youtube. Just search for:
Amoral Asian Tour 2012.
NQ: How was the recording of the album "Beneath"?
Masi:
The sessions were intense and fun.
I only joined the band 4 months before we started recording and contributed two songs, so it was a very new experience for me. I was in such a hurry to learn the parts accurately that I even took a guitar to the 70000 Tons Of Metal cruise and was practicing and writing solos everyday for a few hours even with all that craziness going on.
In the studio I remember spending the nights working with Pexi on his bass parts and waking up to get guitars done with Ben. It was at the same time hectic and calm. Hectic because we are a band that relies on technically well executed parts with very little overdubs. We don't build a wall of guitars and atmospheres, we just play our guts out and go for blood with the shredding!
The calm side was that Ben is a really good band leader with a definite vision from project to project and it's easy to believe in his judgement. He's open to ideas, but in the end he will know what is right!
But this is already old stuff!
We are moving to the next album! Most of it is already written and it will be epic!
I only joined the band 4 months before we started recording and contributed two songs, so it was a very new experience for me. I was in such a hurry to learn the parts accurately that I even took a guitar to the 70000 Tons Of Metal cruise and was practicing and writing solos everyday for a few hours even with all that craziness going on.
In the studio I remember spending the nights working with Pexi on his bass parts and waking up to get guitars done with Ben. It was at the same time hectic and calm. Hectic because we are a band that relies on technically well executed parts with very little overdubs. We don't build a wall of guitars and atmospheres, we just play our guts out and go for blood with the shredding!
The calm side was that Ben is a really good band leader with a definite vision from project to project and it's easy to believe in his judgement. He's open to ideas, but in the end he will know what is right!
But this is already old stuff!
We are moving to the next album! Most of it is already written and it will be epic!
NQ: Would you like to leave a message for fans who will read this interview on my blog?
Masi:
Thanks for reading and please remember to stay open minded in life
and music!