Being true to yourself  -  you are honest with “ the world“.

Strive forward... Never lose your Soul on the way...

These things becomes even more clear, while sharing thoughts with Anttoni Pikkarainen - singer, guitarist, musician and songwriter for Flat Earth and Polanski. His beliefs, attitude, and feelings towards life matters are wisely, but wholehearted, poured into words and melodies that he create with members from both bands.

In this, almost faceless world, their Music is “92 km/h Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster“ of Emotions.

Flat Earth photo: AJ Savolainen

 -You’ve been pretty busy since last year - both, with Flat Earth and Polanski. You said that everything that has happened (connected to both bands), defined you as an Artist. In what way?

“This past couple of years have taught me a great deal about what I want to be pursuing in terms of a musical career. I've had a fantastic chance to write and record more material than I thought I would be even able to produce within a certain time frame. The songwriting process used to be a very delicate, thoughtful and tiring process for me. But now I've found the joy in really embracing the tiny moments of inspiration and just letting new material flow out swiftly. So as an artist I would say that I've managed to take a few small steps towards my fountain of creativity. It feels like I'm evolving which is very important.“

-Can I say that “Polanski“ made some kind of an intro for “Flat Earth“, something that preceded the things that happened next, on your way to the Flat Earth thing?

“You may say so. But in reality I had never thought about joining another band. So from a certain perspective Polanski managed to positively showcase my abilities as a singer, which then led to an invitation to meet my future Flat Earth comrades.“

 POLANSKI  is a Helsinki based grunge / altrock band, founded in 2011."Between this and hate" (CD) is the band’s  debut album, released in 2014. It was followed by EP “Medicine“ (7'' vinyl) in 2016.New album “Mosquito“ is the second full length album by POLANSKI, and it is available in black 12'' vinyl, starting from 22nd Feb. 2018. Three singles (Yours Alone, Through, What if) have been released from the new album during 2018.

Photo: Outi Haaranen

-Can you introduce us to your mates and musicians from Polanski? How would you describe each of them?

“We have Kalle Loimula on the guitar. He's the most inspiring guitarist ever. He has a very unique skillset and the way he pulls sounds out of his instrument is just unbelievable. He rides the feedback he creates like a surfer riding a huge uncontrollable wave, it’s breathtaking. Then you’ve got Tyko Haapala behind the drumkit. He is a true minister of groove, more known for his work within the rootsy blues circles here in Finland. But his history lies with Smashing Pumpkins and Motörhead, so we speak the same musical language with him. On bass we have Miika Kyyrö. He draws inspiration from musical territories that I’m a little less familiar with, therefore adding a very welcome element of surprise to our grungy sound.“

Polanski photo: Outi Haaranen

At the beginning of 2018. Anttoni also became the lead singer of the new band “Flat Earth“, based in Helsinki. The band was founded in 2017. by bassist Niclas Etelävuori (ex Amorphis), gathering also, former HIM members Mikko "Linde" Lindström (guitar) and Mika "Gas Lipstick" Karppinen (drums), with Anttoni Pikkarainen from POLANSKI. Flat Earth released their new album ‘None For One’ on 9th of november, 2018.  via Drakkar Entertainment.

 -You also seem like a great match with the guys from “Flat Earth“. From your perspective, do you think that it is very important to have a good energy between the band members? Is that fact, one of the essential keys to successful existance of a band, and what else is also important?

“Well different bands operate in different ways. In Flat Earth there’s four composers within the band so the good chemistry has to be there, otherwise musical decision making can eventually become unbearable. I think the spirit surrounding the band dictates the work ethic. So a positive atmosphere courages towards innovations and enthusiasm. And those are elements that can carry a band a long way. Bands are just like relationships. You shouldn’t force anything and you need to give everyone enough room to evolve. But just like most marriages, bands tend to fall into troubles that spring from within. So make sure you can talk about everything with your band. It’s an organic living breathing entity and it should be treated as such.“

Flat Earth photo: AJ Savolainen

-Could you try to describe the band members from Flat Earth, and, how things work between all of you, music wise? Do you have a good creative interaction in the band?

“Niclas is our Sensei, he’s the mind and muscle behind Flat Earth. Linde is definitely ‘the artist’. You know, that guy who keeps things mostly to himself but then all of a sudden bursts into flames and fireworks when we start playing! And what a guitar player he is. Producer Hiili Hiilesmaa put it well, “If Kalle (Loimula) is the best mason in the world as a guitarist, then Linde would be the best architect”. Then we have Gas and his instantly recognizable drum sound. He’s such a lovable guy. Playful and sweet every single day. Then they have me as an elastic rubber band that squeezes us together.  It feels like we have a healthy respect towards each other. We all bring in ideas and seem to get a lot out of the writing and arranging process. We are keen to try out all kinds of ideas and are yet to establish any limiting frames for our music. So sound and music wise it’s very exciting to witness the delicate evolution that is happening right now as we are working on the material for our next album.“

 Flat Earth photo: AJ Savolainen 

 Anttoni Pikkarainen: Good vibe is always in order.

-You have been working on albums, both - for Flat Earth and Polanski, with a very good producer Hiili Hiilesmaa,  also with a great mastering engineer Mika Jussila (Finnvox Studios)... and back in time, with Mikko Herranen, who produced Polanski’s first album...What is the importance of a good vibe between the band and the producer, in the creative process?

“This is something I’ve been giving a lot of thought lately. I love working in the studio. The endless possibilities and the quality that you possess at your fingertips if you have someone there who knows what they are doing. Like bands there is a wide range of different types of producers. I would dare to say that a producer is there to encourage the band to deliver their best possible performance and then capture it.  A producer is like a father or a mother figure who tells you what is not wise and tries to guide you towards a positive state of mind while you are struggling with your existance and the pain of the world. But most importantly a producer is a talented pair of ears that can make vital observations about your compositions. Most artist are too far and deep inside their own music to be able to explore it from an outside perspective. And this is what a good producer can provide you with, among many other aspects of that fine job. But this is just scratching the surface of that whole topic.“

 -Back to Polanski, and the ’90s...

-Your first album „Between This And Hate“,  in some way, recalls the ’90s...  During that era, world music seemed to be free from compromises... It was a state of mind... a personal belief. What happened in between to the world of music, in general? It seems to me that the music industry destroyed the idea of an artist’s freedom of choice, in a way...  Do you agree? There are not many bands left, who could be described as a truly artistic, in a way of showing a true emotion...

 “The less artistic freedom the artist possesses the more moldable and profitable it will most likely end up being for the company that owns it.  Business does not thrive on the inspiration and innovation of artists. It depends on steady and very predictable investments that include minimum risk taking. The whole industry had more money to spend during the 90’s and that helped the record labels to take risks. So they were able to sign a lot of original bands and weren’t depending on them to keep them afloat economically- for that they had their megastar milking cows that provided the companies with endless profit. And as a result there were very interesting acts penetrating into the mainstream compared to nowadays when it’s all rather generic and tasteless. Every artist can and should make their own decisions. But to be able to make the right choices you have know yourself to some extent. Having good people around you giving you guidance doesn’t hurt either. Finding a label with the will and means to support you as an artist in your musical journey is slowly becoming an utopia, at least in the realm of rock. The whole industry is changing rapidly. So, yeah I agree with you, but I also think it’s a more complex equation than that.“

Polanski live photo by Niko Hill

As Anttoni said, self-expression is a huge part of being an artist or a musician. Listening to the music he creates with his workmates and musicians from Polanski and Flat Earth, you get the feeling that it is full of emotions, sincerely poured into words and notes.

-Did you feel like having a need to let it all out loud, when you were writing songs? Is the Music and the Art, in general, all about that - to be brave to say what lies in your heart and mind?

“I personally feel a strong need to put the ideas and feelings that bother or fascinate me into songs for a lack of a better medium. I was drawn to music ‘cause I saw Kurt Cobain ripping it up on Music Television and thought that it’s the coolest thing ever. Fast forward 25 years and I think I could’ve been a good priest or maybe a decent surgeon. But the sacrifices I’ve made for music and the gravitational pull I feel towards the guitar have thus far kept me on this path that I once chose. Everybody should be brave enough to express themselves in what ever way, it’s a need we all share.“

"Flat Earth" live photo by Jaakko Manninen

 ...and what about Dreams? How important are they? Have people forgot how to dream, nowadays?

“Maybe the pace of the modern societies have falsely lessened people’s need for dreaming. But dreaming is mandatory for all of us, never stop doing it!“

 Flat Earth:

Anttoni Pikkarainen - vocals

Niclas Etelävuori - bass

Mikko "Linde" Lindström - guitar

Mika "Gas Lipstick" Karppinen - drums

http://flatearth.band

Drakkar Entertainment Gmbh - Europe

https://www.facebook.com/OfficialFlatEarth.band/

https://www.youtube.com/c/FlatEarthBand

Polanski:

Anttoni Pikkarainen - vocals & guitar

Kalle Loimula - guitar

Miika Kyyrö - bass

Tyko Haapala – drums

https://polanskiband.bandcamp.com/releases

https://play.spotify.com/album/5BkBVZM4hrrBpxLrj6qJc1

https://soundcloud.com/polanskiband

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3TZMpJ57V9AccQyCL60Mcw