Heavy Spacehero

Members

Olli Syrjäkari

Where in Finland are you from?

I’m from a northern city of Oulu. It’s damn cold here. But it’s home.

How would you describe your band for those who don’t know you?

Well some might recognize genre names and types like alternative, post-rock, experimental, shoegaze, indie and whatever. I’m very bad at all those genre things but I think alternative is a big enough genre for Heavy Spacehero to fit in. People have the need to categorize stuff to understand it better. About the music itself: it’s minimalistic, instrumental and it grows slow long enough to raise certain feelings inside the listener but short enough to be practical. I rarely want to listen to 20 minute songs. A rather unique fact about Heavy Spacehero is that everything except drums are played on bass guitar only.

When did you form as a group?

I had had some thoughts and ideas about forming a band like this for a long time but it took me all the way to December 2010 to start writing some songs. I had been noodling some of these riffs every now and then. They’re in my comfort zone. While typing this, Heavy Spacehero is a little over a month old. It feels funny since the songs have been played on 4 different underground radios around the world. Heavy Spacehero started as a humble drunk project and shall remain that way. On my Christmas holiday I did drink quite a few bottles of wine and wrote and recorded “Just another dimension”. When I got sober I listened to the complete song and thought it sure sounds like it’s played by a drunk person but I thought it would be cool to leave it like that. I don’t really EQ, mix or master the songs. I like them to sound like me, imperfect (and a little shitty).

What was the inspiration for your recent album?

Mostly beer, red wine, isolation and early morning walks in a nearby park. Other music also inspires me. Isolation combined with alcohol is a combo that makes me do music. Part of what got me doing it this way was my beloved Warwick Infinity bass. An instrument that can actually nail all this stuff. Playing it makes me want to play more and more. I should marry it.

What other releases do you have?

With other bands? Some finished demos and unfortunately some potential unfinished demos too. 99,999999999 % of the people in the world wouldn’t know what I’m talking about here so probably better not get there.

What is your favorite song on your most recent album?

Maybe the newest one that still remains unpublished, “Behind these eyes”. Though “This is where new lives are born” has a weird magical power to bring me back amongst the living when I’m down. I also love the contradictory feeling of “Just another dimension”. It sounds very human, kind of old-fashioned, kind of modern, kind of sad, kind of happy, hopeless and hopeful at the same time. Weird? A friend said he heard it being described as rautalanka post-rock by a friend of his. That isn’t a bad definition. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rautalanka)

Do you have any gigs coming up?

No, not really. I love doing gigs but I still want to keep this thing for myself and playing live adequately would require more people. Trust me on this one, no one wants to see me shredding bass solo on a stage.

What’s your favorite type of venue to play?

I don’t feel it’s the type of venue that matters. According to my experience it’s the willing audience that makes me want to play. It’s about mutual connection. Sounds like a worn, fucked up cliche but it’s the only truth. Some day, I’d like to play on an outdoors stage in a rock festival.

If you could play anywhere in the world this week, where would it be?

The moon?

Do you have a Website, MySpace, Facebook, Twitter etc?

Sure, Heavy Spacehero website is at http://heavyspacehero.tk. HSH can also be found on Facebook, MySpace and Twitter. Like, befriend and follow if you wish. I would like that.

What are your influences as a band?

Some more classical composers have influenced me a lot, mostly Chopin and Bach. More modern ones would be Isis, Callisto, Emperor, Burzum, Jaco Pastorius, Arcturus, Seith, pg.lost, The Seven Mile Journey. To mention a few. This list would go on for 20 pages if I kept going.

People who enjoy your music tend to like what other bands?

pg.lost, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Caspian, We Made God, The Seven Mile Journey, Sigur Rós, The Samuel Jackson Five, Mono, Toe, Mogwai, God Is An Astronaut, Magyar Posse.

Are you signed to a label?

Nope.

Where do you think you’ll be as a band in 5 years?

Doing a gig on the moon.

Is there anything else people should know about Heavy Spacehero?

Absolutely not. Except… never mind.

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