Questions & Answers w/The Skyline
2009/July
"I hope there isn’t another band we could be totally compared to. In the other hand there are so many bands that there has to be someone similar to us. We try, as cliché as it sounds, to do our own thing, if we sound like someone else is for other people to decide."
When and why was the band formed?
"The band was formed in 2008 on the foundation of Real Problem. Janne joined us as another guitarist and we noticed that or music was slowly drifting away from the pure punk rock we played with Real Problem. At the time there were the five of us; Aleksi, Sami, Joel, Mikke and Janne.
We’ve had some problems with drummers. After Mikke Lari filled in as a drummer for a while. He’s a great guy but he’s has his national service and a lot of other projects so he just didn’t have the time. The Skyline wasn’t really just a change of a band name. We decided to form a whole new band and a new name was obvious. It represents a new start and we didn’t want to pick a name monster or such.
It was around 2005-2006 when I met Aleksi. Neither of us had never sang or played much. I hadn’t really even listened to a lot of music. But Green Day was a big fave for both of us; we met online ‘because we both liked the band. Because we lived in the same city we started to hang out. For the very first time I visited Aleksi, he said that he has all these guitars but he doesn’t know how to play. That’s where it all started from; we decided that now we’ll learn how to play. I bought a guitar too but due the lack of interest we pretty soon had became a duet in which he played and I sang. First some covers but pretty soon we started making our own songs. Aleksi had tried to play a little before but I had no musical background.
Our first gig was at Auras youth clubbed on December 2008, the house was pretty much packed! We had fun and I haven’t heard a bad word from anyone. Those sort of small places are so cool to play in because the atmosphere is so tight, especially when you play on the floor level."
Do you have any other side projects?
"Aleksi has a side project called Asleep In The Iceland, it’s electro-indie-pop sort of stuff. Janne also plays guitar and sings plus Aleksi plays the drums in a band called She Falls Down. I and Joel are only focused on this, but this is still the number one project with all of us."
Influences?
"I don’t think there are a lot of bands that all of us would listen, but a guess underOATH, Saosin and Alexisonfire are good. Aleksi gives us indie-, alternative- and pop- influences. They bring depth and range to our music and I think that’s a big plus. Joel actually listens to some pretty old stuff and some punk; I bet he has the most extensive taste from all of us. Janne listens to a lot of emo and everything all the way from post-hardcore to powerpop. I listen to a lot of different stuff but rock and metal sums it up pretty well."
Comparability?
"I hope there isn’t another band we could be totally compared to. In the other hand there are so many bands that there has to be someone similar to us. We try –as cliché as it is- to do our own thing, if we sound like someone else is for other people to decide."
How are The Skyline’s songs born?
"Making a song is usually pretty simple: Aleksi composes something all the time, and a few times in a month we sit down, he brings his guitar and I bring a pile of lyrics and we start the adapting process."
What’s the one thing that makes music special and good?
Aleksi: "I've thought many times that if a song sounds too happy, it’s not good. Darker sounds give the atmosphere."
Sami: "This is a tough one because I think good songs build up from parts to entity and good albums build up from songs to entity. It all needs to fit together, that makes it good. So a guess I would say compatibility."
Why is music such a big deal for so many people?
"It awakens so many feelings. It unites, gives words to circumstances that you don’t have words for yourself."
How important is the link between the artwork and the creator?
"Of course the link is very important. If you don’t actually mean something the interpreter can’t fell the song as well."
So being real is in the primary position in good music?
"That’s where it all starts from, the feeling."
Three musical favourites at the moment?
Aleksi: "Oceanas new album touches me. Also City And Colour and Thursday."
Sami: "I would say Oceana too. The other two would be Holding Onto Hope and Sky Eats Airplane."
"The Skyline has finished struggling with their drummer-problems - former guitarist-singer Aleksi Rintala has took over the drums. He will continiue to sing behind the drumset. Jarkko Tiuraniemi will be filling the spot for a guitarist."
profile / myspaceText: Joanna Tzortzis.
Photography: Iina Mikkola