Millions of sold records and big venues [Finland]

When I saw Rasmus , today’s The Rasmus, for the first time the musicians where wearing nurse-costumes.

The bass player Eero Heinonen had an iroquois which reached from one ear to the other. Coltishly bouncing boys took pics of the audience. It was 1997 and the venue was Oulu’s 45 Special. The band was touring after its second album.

After that the band has visited Oulu and 45 frequently.

“In jams we once played Kingston Wall”, recalls the singer Lauri ylönen getting excited. The extraordinary stage upstairs made the imagination to work hard.

“We had to wait for the encore behind a towel because there was no back stage”, laughs the drummer Aki Hakala who joined the band 1999.

The Rasmus – that has sold over 2 million albums – will probably not play in 45 anymore, if not in the jams. In Finnish way the band is on a pretty big tour right now: dozen of gigs in big halls. Dynasty company’s Von Hertzen Brothers and Mariko are also aboard, even though the band would probably have done well on its own.

“Touring alone is so formal. With other people it’s more fun and it makes you try harder when you notice how good the others are”, Ylönen explains.

In the morning of the interviewing day the media is full of the tragedy in Kauhajoki. Ylönen didn’t heard about the thing until the morning.

“It was frightening to drive from the through Lönnroth street when all the flags were at half-pole”, he tells seriously.

Musicians who have been here and there in the world thinks that the school-shootings are in one extremity.

“After all this is a very safe country. We have see lots of places like Istanbul, Mexico City or Johannesburg where the violence is a daily thing”, Hakala thinks.

They don’t want to start guessing the reasons of what happened or become answer machines. Of course they are aware of their roles as youth idols, even though they don’t see themselves as some blameless mannequins.

“I could tell to young people that in our case our dreams came true”, says Ylönen and points at the band’s difficulties in the beginning of the millenium. Back then people thought these teen idols were already bygones.

“When I joined The Rasmus people asked me why I’m joining in a dying band. Sceptics like that gave us lots of strenght”, tells Hakala.

Ylönen, who seems shy despite of his mega-rock-star image, tells how important Oranssi youth center was to him.

“I found some light into my life when I ventured to go to Oranssi-club when I was13. That was good, because I found many friends there. There I was differently noticed than at home. It was easier to talk to some leader”, tells Ylönen.

Becoming a dad has changed the values of both of the guys.

“Responsibility for the other puts things into a perspective”, tells Hakala, the dad of an one-year-old girl. Ylönen became a dad in April.

“Being in a band is continuous socialization. When I get to play with my son that world becomes smaller. I try to keep it that way”, he tells.

At the home of Ylönen is something else that’s new, an old piano. It’s the tool for a challenging project to the most succesful pop-composer of Finland.

He was asked to compose the music to JP Siili’s movie, Blackout, which gets its premier around the Christmas.

“I’ve done themes and splashed around very loosely. There’s lots of harmony wrold that is right for the movies”, Ylönen tells about his working in this new area.

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