finnbands: How is touring together with two other finnish bands?
Antony: I think it's easier to be on the road with other finnish guys. We share the bus with one Swedish Band (All Ends) and a German Band (Die Apocalyptischen Reiter) we don't have any troubles with them, also.
finnbands: For those who don't know Machine Men, please describe your Band in a few words.
J-V: Metallic!
Antony: Metallic, full of energy?
finnbands: How did you get to know each other?
J-V: The rest, except me, know each other since childhood.
Antony: Me and our drummer and our bassplayer met when we were 5 or 6 years old. So before we went to school. The other guys we met a bit later.
finnbands: The official information from the record company said that you are from Jyväskylä.
Antony: No we are from Suolahti, thats about 45 km north from Jyväskylä. I live in Jyväskylä and J-V also but we all grew up there.
finnbands: Is there something special about Suolahti?
J-V: Yeah, i'ts home town forever!
finnbands: Is there a special connection between you and Swallow the Sun?
J-V: Yes, we are friends for years. Before Swallow the Sun I played in the same band with their keyboarder, singer and bassplayer. Playing some black metal years ago.
finnbands: Is there a kind of boss in Machine Men or are you a more or less democratic band?
Anthony: I think in a way it's very democratic but there are a few people who make the desicions anyway and the rest of the guys don't even want to.
J-V: Of course we ask everybody, we need some opinion about touring or something. But there are some decisions that are made by this few guys in the band who decide.
finnbands: Were you surprised when your single 'No talk without the Giant' hit number 2 position in finnish single Charts?
J-V and Antony: Yeah.
J-V: But in a way I was expecting that because the last single from the "Elegies" album was number 4 in charts.
Antony: And it's not so hard to get in the charts because it's such a small country. So you don't have to sell so much copies.
finnbands: At first, your recent album was announced with the name 'Shadow Gallery' but then you changed it over to 'Circus of Fools'. Was there a special reason for it?
Antony: "The Shadow Gallery" was our idea for the title. That name would have represent the whole album quite good. Actually the 'Circus of Fools' title came from our management for the first time, when we were mixing it. So, we didn't want to fight with them.
J-V: We gave up.
Antony: "Circus of Fools" is also a great title but actually the music is main thing in the end.
finnbands: Antony, how old were you when you've been at your first Iron Maiden concert?
Antony: Wait a second, I was thirteen or fourteen. It was 'The X-Factor'-Tour. Blaze Bayley was singing in the band. But I like more Bruce Dickinson and Adrian Smith times.
finnbands: What was the worst moment on stage you had so far.
Antony: On this Tour?
finnbands: No, in general.
J-V: For me it was this tour. The first gig I couldn't play the last two songs because the cable was broken or something. I was sitting on the stage and laughing loud while the rest of the guys were playing.
Antony: I think it was in spain. We were playing at some summer festival there. I had a lot of problems there on stage, bad time. And also Wacken Open Air two years ago. I lost my voice in the first song and in the first line.
finnbands: And your best Show?
Antony: I think it was in Jyväskylä at Lutakko the last time we played there. And also in Tavastia in Helsinki it was great. The Show was sold out.
finnbands: Do you have other jobs beside Machine Men?
J-V: Some of us have. Our drummer and me. He (Antony) is a jobless full day musician.
Antony: I do some graphic design sometimes. Posters and stuff like that but it's no a full day job.
finnbands: If you could choose any band or artist you'd like to tour with. Who would it be?
Antony: Iron Maiden! (after a short break) But Metallica would be good also.
J-V: Something like a big stadium tour would be nice.
finnbands: When you remember your first concert, how did you feel when you went on stage.
J-V: Oh, our first concert. (laughs) It was funny. I was like fifteen years old. Our bassplayer...we had to fight that he would put Jeans on for the stage, because he was like 'I don't want to put Jeans on'...he had something like jogging trousers. And in one song we were performing really good, Antony told me: 'Tuning, tune your guitars man." And he was speaking loud in the microphone. It was funny.
Antony: Because the guitars were absolutly out of tune.
J-V: There were so many people who said they couldn't belive that it was our first gig. So, I think it might be true in a way.
Antony: But I don't want to hear it.
J-V: Me neither.
Antony: It wasn't that good.
J-V: But considering how old we were at that time.
Antony: 19? (Both start to laugh)
J-V: Too old for that.
finnbands: Any final words?
J-V: I wanna get drunk...after the show. Just drunken madness.
finnbands: Thank you for the interview.
Machine Men
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May 2007
Interview by Lepakko © finnbands.com