Questions: Joana

Answers: Jari-Pekka

Jallu, you Know I am a big fan of The Phoenix Foundation and I love your lyrics. I had the wonderful chance to go to your gig in Vastavirta last year and got the great album Falling and much other nice stuff from you. Tell us what is the major difference from this album to the last one. I am still crazy to listen, thank you for sending it!

The new album is kind of a new beginning on several levels. The lyrics are mostly about getting over a fucked up relationship.  It’s also a debut album with a totally new line-up.  

How is it for you to play in such different bands like Wörm, TxPxFx and Kieltolaki. Are there any other bands I forgot to mention? Let us know what is next for all of them.

Those three are the bands I’ve written most of the stuff for but I’ve also played guitar in The Stakeout and Bridget.
Wörm was just a project we wanted to do with Jukka (Kämäset Levyt, Sotatila, Riistetyt) and Pena (Deep Turtle, Transkaakko). I wish we could make some new stuff in the future but I highly doubt that. Jukka lives in Tampere and we’re all too busy with all our other projects.
We recorded 15 new songs for a Kieltolaki LP in April. That should be out soon on Feral Ward records. With Phoenix Foundation we recorded 4 new songs in May and those will be released as two split 7”s. The other one will be with an Australian band called Gifthorse on Poison City Records and the other one with a Japanese band called Her Spectacles on three different labels.   

How is it to be an emotional guy among most punxs that want show exactly the opposite?

Err...am I emotional? I don’t notice myself very different from the other guys in the scene. I just like to write about personal things as I feel that sort of lyrics suit the music of The Phoenix Foundation pretty well.  

Also know a little of you graphic arts, are you still drawing and working on covers? Tell the news about your next projects. Can we count on an exhibition here in Belo Horizonte?

I usually do artwork for the records of my own bands. I don’t draw that much anymore. Lately I’ve gotten more into doing old school cut’n’paste stuff.  
I just did the artwork for the Kieltolaki LP and also for the new Sotatila EP. I was thrilled that Jukka asked me to design artwork for them. I wouldn’t mind designing more artwork for bands other than my own. There could be an exhibition but someone else would have to organize it for me...

Brazil and Finland are countries that have a deep bond because of hardcore/punk. Many of our bands are influenced by bands from there. Both countries have great bands from the 80s and 90s that are active still. What do you think about that?

Early Finnish hardcore punk was something that I grew up listening to but I’m into old school hardcore/punk from all over the world. I like some old Brazilian bands like Olho Seco, Cólera and Ratos De Porão. I also love the S.P. Metal compilation LP’s. It’s good to see old bands that are still active and doing the same kind of stuff they’ve done for years and years. I plan on being active in the scene for the rest of my life.

Do you consider a South American tour? If so, when would Brazilians see that?

I’d love to tour South America and Brazil but I don’t know if there’s any point in that yet, as we haven’t released any stuff over there. I don’t think there are that many people out there who have even heard of The Phoenix Foundation or Kieltolaki. But I’d definitely be into it someday...

What do you aspect of the Finnish and European punx scene in the next years? 

New bands and trends come and go but there are always loads of active people in the scene. Hopefully these people have interest to remain active and hopefully there will always be new people to come along. I don’t really know what else to expect but the scene to go on the way it has been going on for years and years keeping it  DIY and genuinely independent.

I know you are vegan and that it is quite common there in Suomi and in Europe, principally among punxs. How long have you been vegan and how did it change your life? Do you miss eating meet, for example?

I’ve been vegan since 1995. I haven’t had any politics behind it in a long time and don’t really care what other people do. It once was a “punk thing” to do and nowadays I’m just too stubborn to change my ways.  I feel kind of disgusted about the idea of eating meat, eggs or dairy products so I’ve never really missed it. I was diagnosed lactose-intolerant when I was a kid and so I’ve never really used dairy products that much. I also love cooking and if I feel like the food needs to be more varied I “replace” meat with tofu, soy or home-made seitan.

What are your favourite bands, artists, books, songs, lyrics and movies?

There are too many bands to list. I listen to loads of different stuff. Early Scandinavian hardcore punk (Kaaos, Riistetyt, Varaus, Mellakka, Anti-Cimex etc), UK anarcho punk (The Mob, Zounds, Omega Tribe, Rudimentary Peni, Alternative etc), 70’s and 80’s metal (Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Motörhead, Judas Priest, Dio etc), melodic punk (Hüsker Dü, Political Asylum, Rites of Spring, Moving Targets, Leatherface etc). I love bands like Amebix, Discharge, Crucifix, Joy Division, Bauhaus etc etc...The list could go on and on.  
I’ve never been that much of a reader but I love to waste my time watching movies. Lately I’ve been watching loads of Italian stuff from the late 70’s and early 80’s. Movies by Lucio Fulci, Ruggero Deodato, Dario Argento, etc. I’m also into stuff by directors like Alejandro Jodorowsky, Jan Svankmajer, Rolf De Heer and Shinya Tsukamoto to name a few.

Express your ambitions and cries.

I don’t have that much plans or ambitions. I’m just trying to enjoy my life and do stuff that I love doing. If someone gets some inspiration or joy out of the stuff that I do, that’s always a good thing. I wish I can live my life doing as little unpleasant work as possible and have loads of time for myself and for the people that I care about.  That’s the most important thing...

*Just got the last  The Phoenix Foudantion LP and I can say that it is simply perfect! All my friends that had listened agreed and thought the same.

Jari-Pekka “Jallu”
E-mail: passingbells@hotmail.com
Myspace:  www.myspace.com/phoenixfound
                    www.myspace.com/kieltolaki