About Leatherpants, Karaoke, Swedish German missunderstandings and how to put your songs into the radio on uncommon ways
We met Nikke and Lappe for something like a breakfast on a snowy Saturday morning more or less before we got up, but finally before we woke up for coffee, tea, bear and comfortable small talk in Helsinki city center.
finnbands: "Carmen Gray is so much more than a name or a band. Itīs a lifestyle." - What kind of livestyle is Carmen Gray? Lappe: I don't know. Actually me and Nikke, we've been friends even though there wasn't any Carmen Gray. We belong together anyway. We grow up with each other. That's why it's so special and it's more than a band or a name. It's a group of guys. Nikke: And Carmen Gray is not just a band or a place around where it gets together when there is a gig or studio sessions. We are actually best friends. So it's much more than a name.
finnbands: Why did you decide to call yourself Carmen Gray? Is there any special meaning behind it or is it just a name? Lappe: Well, I was reading the book "The Picture of Dorian Gray" Nikke: Boring book by the way. finnbands: Yeah, I read it half. Nikke: Me, too. Lappe: I think I got some influences out of the cover. Nikke: Did you finish it? Lappe: Barely. I think I skipped some pages. finnbands: Did the book influence the name of the CD as well? Lappe: Yeah. But it sounds cool and actually when we thought about the name we had like 200 ideas of what would be the best name. Nikke: We were called "Jerkem". Which was a name we came up with 2000? Lappe: Yeah. Nikke: We had to figure out a name because we were going to ... Lappe: ... publish a CD. Nikke: Yeah, so we were playing 2000 in Wanha right next to here and we had to have a name for the band. We didn't have a name, we just played around. And what was it from? Juha? JJ? Lappe: His second name or something. It's not Jerkem. We came up with the name after figuring out for five minutes what it would be. That name kind of followed us ... Nikke: ... for years. Lappe: Five years. And in 2005 we came to the point that we have to find a serious name. A name that reflects our music and we came up with Carmen Gray. Nikke: Well said.
finnbands: Talking about the song writing and especially about the lyrics: Is it all fantasy or are there some true thoughts and feeling in it? Lappe: Both. There are true stories and real fiction like "A Grain of Sand". But there is always some kind of hook to reality, because ... for example that song was influenced by the TV program, but it's fiction. I haven't watched the things so or egyptian things. So both...Nightmares and... I guess when we will be older or old enough to do songs like Bruce Springsteen, he sings stories from his own life... Nikke: *starts to imitate Bruce Springsteen* I got to be the king... Lappe: Yeah, like that. About love and all that...True story songs. Nikke: Anyway, how do you like Lappe in leather pants? I just got him to wear leather pants! finnbands: *perplexity on our side* Leather pants! Nikke: Jaaa...is a gut Lederhosn! Jaaa...
finnbands: How is it for you to sing lyrics you haven't written yourself? Nikke: Ah, well I suck. It is very cool for someone... to put into words what I'm thinking. It's very much of that. When I read his lyrics, of course I reflect them on my life. I....interpret...I donīt know the word. Or something like that and...I don't know...I think it's the same with everyone. If you're singing a song or... Lappe: We never tell him what is the meaning of the words. Nikke: No, I'm very strict with that. Lappe: The way he sings the songs are always make of you mean, I think so or sometimes when we talk, we came up with the same idea. What was your idea? What do you think the story means? Of course when you sing a love song you have to reflect that on your own life. What you feel. Nikke: And I think that's good. If it doesn't bother him that I change the story. If he writes...you know about something that really bothers him and get it down to words and I sing it in another way....in a rougher way, then I maybe changed the story for him too. Well, you know...prospective... Lappe: It's the same when you're reading a book. Everybody sees the main characters with a different face. It's the same when you're reading the lyrics. Even though thatīs Rcck'n'Roll Nikke: When you sing karaoke...Do you sing karaoke? finnbands: No. Nikke: No? finnbands: I never sing, because I canīt sing. It will bother everybody. Nikke: Oh, you're just saying that. finnbands: I just sing in my car when nobody hears it. Nikke: After the interview we go and sing some karaoke. finnbands: You can sing and I laugh at you. Nikke: It's a Finnish thing. *asks Lappe* Is it Finnish? Karaoke? Or is it Japanese? finnbands: It's Japanese. Nikke: Hmm...*thoughts about the karaoke thing* ... There is actually a karaoke song for "Lost in my mind". Lappe: Yeah, there is. finnbands: Really? Nikke: *claps in his hands* WHICH is really nice! Moving on!
finnbands: You're working on your second album right now. It will be out in autumn maybe? What do we have to expect of the album? Lappe: The sound...we can play something
*Nikke searches the song in his mobilephone*
but the sound will be more natural. Because we're living in 2008. And when we go to studio ... when the bands are going to the studios there is always the main thing - get the music sound as good as everybody else. People don't do any courage or kind of things today, because if this idea in your mind and this sounds worse, what they got in radio, I can't do this, but that's our goal now. Capture the sound what we have in our place, in our basement.. to record, but still make the music sound like 2008. Nikke: And that's very hard, because most of our friends...of course I like metal too, very much...more than anyone...of us...but our friends are like "No, why did you have to...no...the guitar is to mellow...it's too slow and why...no..." *starts to imitate something like a hard guitar* No, we don't want to. Metallica did that already. That sounds good, that sounds great, but it's not us. We want that sound what Lappe has live. We want that sound, so wait *and now weīre came back to the song on Nikkes mobilephone* It sounds bad.
*we actually didn't hear anything*
Nikke: It's not the best quality! Yes, that was "Honey child" from a very crappy telephone. I got these earplugs and you can listen to the song! *to Anna* She has very little to do. finnbands: But I want to listen to the inteview aswell. Nikke: You can listen to it later. She doesn't want to listen to our songs. Lappe: But I think we wanna capture the true spirit of Rock'N'Roll. You have to listen to it and not to think too much, not to do one guitar solo for example in five days. We just do it and if that isn't really bad like... Nikke: If you really fucked up.. Lappe: Yeah, if you really fucked up you do it again and you don't let it be like that. Nikke: Yeah, I do the same thing with my singing. I mean I've been...up to now I've been very...you know "No, no, no we can't publish that...No, no no, I did the high thing with my voice...i can't do that! It sounds stupid!"...but right now I just sing the song and let it be. Lappe: Because... Nikke: I don't wanna. "No, no you have to do that *makes the high voice* 'haaa'-thing again." "Okay, 'haaaa'" "YES, now it's good." No, no. Lappe: We're living in a world were the bands who were doing demos can't make as good sound as they are .... and stuff. There are hundred studios, loads of time, mixing...so... Nikke: People can do it better. Lappe: Always... that's been kind of a dream, to do a record. Not as weak as possible but in a way were you don't mind every mistake to do we just doing it and make sure that the songs are full of emotion and feeling. What you're able to do in liveshows aswell. Nikke: Like Deep Purple: it's full of mistakes, but the mistakes become Deep Purple. That's why it's good, because you don't add it like a mistakes. It's like a "Oh, oh I like that" - thing you don't think it's a mistake. It's a thing what they do. They are probably like "Ohhh, god. What did I do there?", but...you know. Lappe: Of course this is a studio album so we didn't leave any real mistakes, hopefully. But we're trying to get the feeling and playing mistakes to do it again... Nikke: What was the question again? finnbands: I think we're already two question further on. You already answered some. Lappe: We use many fainted instruments like tambourines, organ and mellotron... The ideas came from our idols like Beatles, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin.
finnbands: I read somewhere the new album will be called "At the end of the rainbow". Is this true? Nikke: I think you mistook it for our first single. finnbands: Okay, so it will be the first single. Nikke: Yes. finnbands: What will you find at the end of the rainbow? Nikke: *laughes* Hmmm...*laughes* I hope you find a very good song. Ehm, yeah it's called "At the end of the Rainbow". That's actually the newest song on the album. *askes Lappe* Lappe: Hmm, jap. Nikke: Ja, I heard it twice before we went recording and I think it's the best song on the album. Lappe: Yeah, it's very good. Nikke: What will you find at the end of the rainbow. I don't know! Lappe: A pot of gold. Nikke: A pot of gold, oh yeah. It's St. Paddyīs day. *to Lappe* Is that today? Lappe: Huh? Nikke: St. Patrick's day?! Today? Lappe: I don't know, I'm not Irish. *laughes* Nikke: Well, I'm not Irish. I don't know *laughes* Nevermind... *to Lappe* He's always after my lucky charms.
finnbands: Can we expected to see you on some festivals this summer? Lappe: We will do some gigs in summer, but not too many. That's our wish and that's our management's wish. To hold the forces before autumn. When we promote...for good Nikke: That's when we leave out. Yeah, we have to... Lappe: There are some festivals in summer. Nikke: It's very...it's not that easy being...you know...you trying to make it as a band and you still have to do your office work. You have to prioritise and... Lappe: For example...you were a kind of doll...it was horrible for us, because we do it just in studio, recording new songs and then you have to go move the old set in the gigs and try to reload in you mind. Nikke: But it was in Kantsu? Lappe: Yeah in Kantsu...well, you know. finnbands: You were good, but the audience was shit. Lappe: I'm happy that we... finnbands: There were a few girls standing in front of the stage and all the other ones sitting in the back. It was like "What are they doing there?!" Nikke: I'm just looking at the girls. finnbands: "We are just sitting here, hearing some bands playing". Lappe: There was quite much... I don't know, but there were all the people... Nikke: Yeah, I now wanna... Lappe: The people who don't come in a bar to see us. I think they read the article from the newspaper and check the band. Nikke: Ja, i don't ever criticse...you know, if you wanna sit down that's okay. I do that, too. It doesn't mean that i don't like the band. Sit down and listen, I like the band. If i don't like it, i leave... I don't care. finnbands: *some German throw in* Nikke: That was Swedish! finnbands: What was Swedish? Nikke: *something Swedish* finnbands: No, it was German. Nikke: *laughes*
finnbands: If you can turn back time would you change anything... Nikke: *starts to sing "If I could turn back time" from Cher* finnbands: ... concerning your career or decisions you have made. Nikke: Ehm, if I can turn back time what I would change? Anything? finnbands: Yes, especially concerning your career as musician. Nikke: No, that's probably the answer you always get to that question, but no, no I wouldn't. All the mistakes all the mad things that had happened that you... for some reason would want to change that...they make me stronger and I wouldn't be the person I am today without that. What about you, Lappe? Lappe: We start the band when we're like fourteen, fifteen...and I thought when I first hold the guitar in my hand and we did the first training with the band, I thought that maybe two or three years and we are one of the top artists...in the whole world. *laughes* And if somebody had told me that it takes like ten years...*laughes* Nikke: ...over ten years! Lappe: Over ten years...I probably pressed my guitar at the wall and said goodbye. Go, go and study to do some computer work, but unluckily there wasn't anyone to make...lets say - keep the reality in my head, because I'm still here. I'm very glad that... I had this...great, great...what should I say? The great years with these guys. Nikke: You're still on a cloud. Lappe: Nee, I'm still on a cloud. For example it doesn't matter how hard work you have done. When you step on the stage like we were in Romania - 5,000 people are screaming, then you remember your first training, standing with your cheap guitar...Every year has been really worthy...So, good question. I would NOT change anything! *laughes* Nikke: THE ANSWER! finnbands: No...So we can cut the whole interview!? Lappe: Emotional things went to my head, so. Nikke: We were very emotional.
finnbands: So, the last question! From your point of view: What does the future of Carmen Gray look like? Nikke: From my point of view? finnbands: Yes. Nikke: In reality or in my head? *laughes* finnbands: What you want, what ever you want. Nikke: Well, of course we only want the best for our band and not only for myself, for the guys too and for everyone in the project. I don't know I just hope people will realise FINALLY that Carmen Gray is.. it's a pretty good band! If you start thinking about it. *laughes* And...as a musician...I think this is true with every musician. Every musician must think, if they play a song and is really excited about it and then you get a response like "Yes, it's okay." and you're like "THATīS FUCKING GREAT. FUCKING GREAT!" and he said "Hm, it's okay." that really makes you mad! I think...I hope that people will realise how good we are and we have to capture what we really are on this album! I understand if people, for some reason, people don't like our first album, because it's very like here *shows to the bottom* ...this is more like open arms...what was the question again? finnbands: The future of Carmen Gray. Nikke: Yes, yes...so I hope that the single will be a success, I hope the fucking radio stations will get their shit together and start playing our single and I don't know...who I have to fuck to get it there?! But I really hope they do without me doing that, yeah...and I know the album will be a success. The future is very, very bright...at least in my head. Lappe: And it's kind of nice to do music in these days, because there are so many great bands in Finland. Kind of...it feels like a community is trying to take over the world. Finnish bands. Big respect for you. Nikke: Yeah, that's true. We rule! *laughes* No, really. Many, many, many bands...I mean finnbands. You like Finnish...rock. That's why you are here. Name some bands from Finnland! finnbands: One, two... Nikke: Ten! finnbands: From 300? We have 307 bands on the page, right now. Nikke: Oh...okay, okay...hooops. Do you have any bands from Germany? finnbands: On the site? Nikke: No, not on the site. finnbands: There are bands in Germany, off course but most of them are shitty like Tokio Hotel. You know Tokio Hotel? Nikke: Yeah, Tokio Hotel. They are really popular right now. Lappe: That must be a good band. One thing I learned over the years. I'm not saying bad things about other bands anymore, because there is one truth: If somebody is picking out to sell the Helsinki Arena full, the band or he or she must been something right. It doesn't matter... finnbands: It's always a question of taste! Nikke: There are people who want to put you down, because you're big and... Lappe: Everyone works hard, that's for sure. Even those they got from big stages they are young....
And now the battery of the recorder sucked. Lappe had some more thoughts about this topic but actually the interview was done.
Niina was lucky enough to get a listen to "At the end of the Rainbow", the next Carmen Gray single - available at your record dealer of trust in summer 2008. As statement from listening to it from Nikke's phone - with earplugs but with background music from the bar and four people next to me talking and laughing - I have to say, I didn't get too much of the lyrics so far. But the melody still stucks in my head and I already love it!
