Interview: Stereo Junks!: No bullshit! - STALKER MAGAZINE inside out of rock´n´roll

Stereo Junks!: No bullshit!

Just recently this Finnish Rock/Glam/Punk Band raised our attention with their great live performance (see our Mama Trash festival special) – so how come you hardly ever hear or see anything from Stereo Junks!, even in their home town Helsinki? STALKER managed to reach band mastermind and singer Anzi Destruction in order to find out...

Who are the Stereo Junks? Please introduce yourselves
STEREO JUNKS! was founded in 2003. We play new generation Rock ´N´ Roll. All the best punk bands from 70´s and rock bands from 80´s updated into this day. From there comes the combination called "Suicide Rock´N´ Roll".

In the beginning of this year you were still looking for new band members. Have you found some by now?
We´re still looking for a bass player and a drummer. There´s plenty of artists and bands in Finland, considering what small country this is, but unfortunately there are not not so many professional players, so it´s been pain in the ass finding the right members for the band!!

For how long do the Stereo Junks! already exist? What´s the story behind the band?
I formed Stereo Junks! In 2003. It just happened. Nothing was planned. We were jamming with friends, that´s how it got started. We had some same influences with previous line-ups, but also very different kind of influences, which was a good mix when we started, but at some point it didn´t work anymore. I wanted to take Stereo Junks! to a higher level. We´ve made few releases and we´ve been touring in England, France, Germany and even in India!

How did you come up with the band name?
Well. I had to find a good and not so common name, so Stereo Junks! was perfect. Junk your head in Stereo. You get high and hooked when you listen to Stereo Junks!

You recently played a gig in Gloria in Helsinki with many other bands from Mama Trash Promotions – how was it for you? How did the crowd respond to your performance?
People love us of course :) It was a great evening. People knew what they came to see. You can see it right away. It was a special night. Total blast! :)

You´re a proud member of the Mama Trash promotions family. What´s the concept behind it?
Mama Trash is promoting us and a few other bands, mainly from the States but from Europe also. We met Mama Trash back in 2005. I think we are one of her first artists.

One of our reviewers compared your show with the legendary Iggy Pop. Do you feel honoured? Do you even agree?
Of course I´m honoured :) Feels good, not bad at all. Iggy has influenced me, like many artist from 70´s and 80´s. Many people want to compare you with someone, cos they wanna find something familiar in you, so that they can figure out what´s going on. I feel honoured, Iggy is a tough guy. I´ve heard lot of comparing me to Iggy. Sometimes it frustrating, cos Anzi is Anzi and Iggy is Iggy.

You define your musical style as "hard boner suicide rocknroll". What kind of audience do you want to reach with that mix?
Our music is for everybody who has a good taste, who wants to be part of the new rock revolution what is happening, cos of Stereo Junks! People who listen to Stereo Junks! are people who know what they want and need. They hate crappy music and useless things in life. They don´t waste life for bullshit. They do what they do and say what they say. That´s what our music is all about, and we´re proud to have so many people in our boat!

I read that you were also doing some backing vocals on The 69eyes album "Angels"? How did that come about? How was the recording?
Jyrki called me and asked if I could come and sing some backing vocals. I spent a few days in studio yelling and screaming :) It was an easy fun session. Their new tunes rock!

As far as I could find out, you released an EP in 2005 ("Suicide Angels")? How´s the current recording situation?
We´re in studio now recording. Can´t really say how long it´s gonna take, but it´s gonna take some time. We don´t have the whole line up etc. so there´re many things which are slowing down the process. All I can say that it´s gonna be helluva album. Already sounds amazing. There´s very different kind of songs, but of course all the songs have their Stereo Junks! evilness, power and emotion. The sound is a little bit heavier and we´ve also added some machines for the songs. Same old Stereo Junks! but in fresh new way. It´s a cross between organic sound and new synthetic sound. I always try to find new ways to improve my Rock ´n´ Roll. Don´t wanna recycle same old shit all over again. That´s pointless. I wanna go forward. I think you should disappear from music business if you do the same old shit every day. Of course everything you do has been done before, but I offer something new, more than many other bands in this scene.

What are you doing besides the music (working)?
I work as sound engineer.

Your fanbase seems already quite international, there are Italian fansites, German street teams. Do you think that people are longing for hair metal again? Or has the fascination never stopped?
It´s definitely back now. Back in 90´s when I was in school everybody was wondering and looking at me whatta hell!? Is he a gay!? Why does he wear stuff like that!? It wasn´t a trend for people of my age born in 80´s. It was a very interesting time :) But now the same people are wearing stuff like me and listening to the same kind of music. Funny :)

Your musical influences are pretty obvious, but you must have been very young or not even born when those bands were big…
I wasn´t born when most of my favourite bands were big, but I´ve grown listening to those bands.

If you had to decide between sex, drugs and rock n roll? What would be your choice?
Rock ´N´ Roll! I would like to keep those three things separately.

What´s your ambition with this band? How far would you go to become successful/famous?
I would go far and I will go far. Basically this band and my music is everything for me, so I could die for this.

If, for some reason, you don´t make it in the music biz – what will you do?
I could be a fisherman :)

What was, so far, the most exciting/disappointing moment in your band history?
The most exciting thing is coming. The most disappointing thing was that I´ve had very bad luck with Stereo Junks! line up and all the bullshit around the band. Everything that is in your way, while you´re trying to do what you love most, just sucks...

What´s cool/sucks about being a musician?
Cool is that you have your music. That gives you so much. It´s the most powerful medicine for your soul. Bad thing about music biz is that it´s the most unfair business on this planet. You never know what´s gonna happen. No matter how hard you try, you never know where you are in the end...

What are your future plans? When and where can people see or hear you again?
We don´t have any shows before spring. We´re writing new songs. A single is coming out in spring. Stay tuned and beware!!

www.myspace.com/stereojunks

Author: Kathleen Gransalke, transl. K. Weber, photos: Juha Helminen
Date: 2007-10-28

Read comments: Warning: count(): Parameter must be an array or an object that implements Countable in /var/customers/webs/stalker/www.stalker.cd/inc/kommentar.inc.php on line 8 0 Write comments