Endstand is probably the best hardcore band in Finland these days. When I found out that singer, Janne, was coming to sell records in Lutakko (where that Misconduct gig was; the review for that gig is in this zine under �Reviews�) I knew that I couldn't pass up the opportunity to get an interview...thanks to Janne for interview!
Tuomas: Where does the name Endstand come from?
Janne: From World Hockey Championship. Joel, our bass player was in Germany watching WHC and after the game there was a text, �endstand�, on the screen which is German for �end results�. In English it could mean many different things. It's the kind of name that doesn't have any obvious meaning or any direction. It sounds good and looks good and we decided to take it because we didn't invent any better ones in those days.
Tuomas: What others bands you have you been in?
Janne: I had a terrible heavy metal band and we don't need to discuss it. Our drummer, Henkka, and guitar player, Mika, has played in a band called Bazed, which is Fugazi kind of stuff. Henkka has also played in Fauna. Henkka played heavy metal several years ago, but Fauna and Bazed are the bands some people may know. We've had several projects.
[Editorial Note: Other guitarist, Jani, was a singer in Rebound]
Tuomas: Do you have any side projects now?
Janne: Three of the guys have a band called Blueprint. It's more emo-type stuff than we are.
Tuomas: How about Speedwheels?
Janne: Yeah, that was... but I don't know why it stopped. Rock wasn't their thing.
Tuomas: Let's go back to your heavy roots. What bands were your favorites?
Janne: Back then... Entombed was and still is� Some Swedish bands. One of the Swedish bands was Dark Tranquillity. I liked them very much. And I also liked Sentenced when they were good.
Tuomas: Before they went to goth stuff?
Janne: Yeah. I think their �North From Here� record is still fucking good. And I had many of those [metal bands I liked], but somehow those bands are forgotten and when I listen to those bands now, some of them sound quite bad. I don't know why I liked 'em, maybe because they were so nasty and heavy. Now I listen to that kind of stuff from a little bit of a different point of view. We just listened to my old heavy band when we came here. We found an old cassette and that was really awful. We thought that we played well and stuff, but it didn't really work out.
Tuomas: Your drummer changed couple of years ago. How did it affect the band?
Janne: I don't know; it didn't affect us musically. Maybe our music became a little bit simpler. Our old drummer, Jani, liked to play more technically. At least that [drummer changing] gave more enthusiasm to the band. The last tour we did with Jani was really hard because it was like he wasn't interested in playing. That affected to us too... We were depressed and we weren�t so excited. But when, Henkka [the new drummer] it just came somehow... When we had played with Jani for several years, playing had become like a routine. Then came something different and we got excited again and made lots of new songs and everything felt fresh again. When thinking about it now, it was only a good thing. I don�t think we would have kept playing very long if we had kept the old drummer. It really put everyone of us down at that time. But it didn't really affect our music. There�s more enthusiasm to make it.
Tuomas: So your style would've changed to Fire Inside kind of stuff if you compare it to your first album even if your drummer hadn't changed?
Janne: I think so. Or actually our old drummer wanted us to be heavier, something like Nine. But the rest of us wanted do something straighter, maybe more punk based stuff. In the final phase we had different thoughts musically. I think that the stuff we are playing now is the style that we tried looking for. Right now this feels really good. It feels like we finally found the style, but I don't know what the style is after two years.
Tuomas: You also have a second guitarist now. Did that affect you guys in anyway?
Janne: That affected us quite a lot. Now we can do more melodic stuff. It brings steadiness to our live sound. It helped very much especially our guitarist, Mika's, job. He said that he doesn't have to be so sharp all of the time because there is a second guitarist. That helps Mika's job and Jani's [new guitarist] coming also refreshed the whole band. Somehow we got another push forward. He brings lots of new ideas and now we can do more multifaceted things. With two guitarists it's possible to do much greater things.
Tuomas: One plays riffs and the other plays melodies.
Janne: Yes and the new record has quite a lot of melodies and that's because of the second guitar. I don't know, maybe after a couple of years we should take in a keyboard or violin. Probably not.
Tuomas: How has your style changed over the years?
Janne: Our first official release, 7" split with Outlast, was very metal. Since then our style has become more melodic and straighter. Maybe little bit catchier. When I hear those old songs now, it's not a bad thing at all that we have changed. It doesn't sound so good to me anymore. But some people like those old songs and shout at gigs that we should play them, but I guess we don't feel like doing that.
Tuomas: You've toured in Europe quite a lot. Will you tour America?
Janne: Maybe some day. We�re trying to work toward it, but it's quite difficult because there's so many bands already. It's such a big market area. We need someone there who will licence our record. I mean it's released there. If it's only in circulation, it's not quite enough. It will have so little attention. I think we shouldn't go there just like that because there's so much happening. It wouldn't be a good thing. The best thing would be if the first time we would be supporting some bigger band. Then we will get some audiences at our gigs...
Tuomas: Who would probably like you?
Janne: In Europe we have played many gigs with US bands and all of them have been really excited about us and told us that we should go there, that we will get along there. They said that we are lot of better than most of bands who are there. But because they are there and we are here it would be hard to gain some interest.
Tuomas: It doesn't matter how good you are if people don't know you.
Janne: Exactly. We have talked about Japan. I hope we can go there at the end of the year. Actually, I think it's more interesting than America.
Tuomas: In Japan there are more cultural differences.
Janne: We also have discussed about going to South America, Brazil. But all that is hardly off the ground yet. It's hard to say anything about that.
Tuomas: Bands like Rattus are popular in South America.
Janne: I told the guy who organized that thing that we are a little bit wrong for that kind of stuff there, but the guy said that we probably would get along there. It could be a real culture shock too, if we go there. I guess it will show a totally different kind of poverty and misery than that is here in Finland. We saw that kind of stuff in Eastern Europe when we toured there. It's a totally different atmosphere.
Tuomas: How is it different in Finland?
Janne: In Eastern Europe those people are really excited when some one bothers to go there. They are very hospitable even though they don't have very much to give. They will gladly share everything they can. When we were in Bosnia and Yugoslavia, the marks of war were still visible. Those people have recovered from it really well and they have a really positive point of view. Of course there are some scars, but they don't really worry about it and they try to make things better than the way things are now. It really does open your eyes.
Tuomas: I've heard you are the only one in the band who doesn�t drink. How does it feel when the others are blundering drunk?
Janne: It doesn't actually feel like anything. It's the question of the attitude. Of course it sometimes pisses me off when people are out of their senses. The guys in our band are rarely very drunk on tour. Those tours take so long that you can't stay awake the whole night. You have to sleep so you can get through it. They take it easy on tour. Our new guitar player, Jani, doesn't drink either, so he is good company. And when the others� drinking starts to piss you off, you can go to sleep. You don't have to watch it the whole night. But we get along really well. All the members of the band respect the choices that the others have made. So there's nothing like that at all.
Tuomas: Long tours wouldn't work if the members of the band can't get along.
Janne: We have very good chemistry all in all. For example, we were nine weeks into the tour and none of us fought with each other. We just can get along so well that touring is really good, because there's no fighting. The thing just works out really well.
Tuomas: Anything else you wanna say?
Janne: For almost two months we have taken it easy with the band, we have practiced very little and taking a break after the tour. Now we have started to make some new songs and we will start to play some gigs. Not very much. Before the spring, we maybe will play more gigs and we will have a tour with Manifesto Jukebox. At the end of the year we probably will start recording the new album if we have a time. We have a many plans. I think you will hear something from us.
For more information about Endstand, go to thier site at http://www.combatrockindustry.com/endstand
Janne - Vocals
