BAND: Children of Bodom
INTERVIEWER: Liz Wise (Liz@bandvibe.com)
INTERVIEWEE: Henkka Blacksmith (bass)
DATE OF INTERVIEW: 12.11.06
BAND MEMBERS:
Alexi Laiho - Lead guitar/lead vocals
Henkka Blacksmith - Bass
Roope Latvala - Rhythm guitar
Jaska Raatikainen - Drums
Janne Warman - Keyboard
BV: The DVD, "Chaos Ridden Years - Stockholm Knockout Live", just came out last Tuesday. How excited are you to have it out?
Henkka: We are very excited. It came out already a few months ago everywhere else in the world. It is one thing that we have been planning on for many years and we have always wanted to do one. So now that it’s finally done and now it’s out, it is very relieving. We’re very happy about it.
BV: Had you planned on shooting it in Sweden?
Henkka: No actually. I think it was like two years ago that we decided to start filming stuff wherever we are and got all the cameras and we had our European headlining tour we had in the Spring through the Winter and decided that would be the best time to catch a show. And Sweden is fairly close to Finland so it was easy to take our whole setup. That show just seemed to make sense.
BV: You guys have been touring a lot this year, The American and European Unholy Alliance Tour, now your own tour. How do you/what do you do to relax? Doing anything for Christmas?
Henkka: Well this is the final part of our world tour so things will be different soon. For Christmas I’ll go to my mom’s place and relax and eat well, drink a little bit and go out with friends then hang out with family. I go to one of my friend’s cabins in Lapland. There are really a lot of things I like to do but I can just start a normal life again. You know, during the tour you’ll only get maybe one week at home at a time so it’s hard to go back to that normal life then when you just have to go again.
BV: A lot of American bands get really excited about touring Europe. Do you, being from Finland, get that same excitement about touring the U.S.?
Henkka: Yeah. During the last two years we’ve been here maybe five or six times so we kind of know the place already but it’s always great to come here. Not just because America is so amazing, but you have so many different things in one country. I mean a few days ago I was lying by the pool in Phoenix, now I’m here in Colorado and it’s cold. It’s very different from home.
BV: Does it feel similar to travel around Europe, even though it’s a bunch of countries, as it does to tour the U.S.?
Henkka: Well it’s true, America is bigger in size to geographically but the population is similar. Europe seems more compact. Traveling state to state here is like going through countries there. But here you might travel like 600 miles, which is about 1,000 kilometers, between shows and in Europe you’d never go that far between shows. That’s the major difference. Otherwise it is kind of the same, same kind of venues and clubs so similar feel.
BV: How do the fans in Europe or other places in the world differ from those in the U.S.- if they do?
Henkka: The difference would be that here I think people are more diverse. Like you can see some hip-hop dudes and then you see some gothic girls and you see some people with all the makeup and old school rockers. Then you can see the college guys with their… whatever… It’s more diverse. Usually over there everyone’s dressed mostly in black. In Europe there also is a greater age range though. Over here it seems to be younger people coming to shows and there you’ll see young kids to people in their thirties.
BV: What’s your favorite part of playing a show?
Henkka: I think a great show is when you can really have a good connection with the crowd and see that everyone is happy. You know when you can look into someone’s eyes and see that they’re thinking “Yay!” - that is a great feeling.
BV: Do you like the fans more that really go crazy and freak out, like at a meet and greet, or the ones that are maybe a little more quiet?
Henkka: It’s good to have both. We appreciate everybody who makes the effort to come see us or meet us. You see some that are shy, I don’t know why, maybe they are just too excited, and then you have the ones screaming and saying “Hit me in the face! Hit me in the face!” I like them both.
BV: When can fans expect a new COB album?
Henkka: January or February of 2008.
BV: Wow, that was very precise. Most bands are never quite sure.
Henkka: We had just been discussing it earlier.
BV: What advice do you have for bands that really want to get out there and make a name for themselves?
Henkka: Practice, practice, practice. Play live as much as possible. Do exactly what you want to do. Don’t give in to anybody telling you to do something else. We were told many, many times to have a real singer and we said no way and here we are. No compromises.
BV: I’ve read that if you weren’t in COB you would be a teacher. Where did that passion come from? Did you have a favorite/influential teacher growing up?
Henkka: Well I had some good teachers and some bad teachers but I think that if something happened with the band that we weren't able to play anymore I would just want to do something that makes a difference in society or the world in a good way. I think a teacher’s job is one of those things that make a difference.
BV: I’ve always thought that too. Teachers sort of train the future of humanity.
Henkka: Yes they do. You know they are always respected, but just never paid enough. Both teachers and nurses, they do so much for people; they should get paid for it. But anyway…
BV: Anything you’d like to ad?
Henkka: Well, this is the final stint of this tour. We were sort of apprehensive about coming back (to America) again but so many people have come to the shows and we want to thank everybody who showed up.
Check out Bandvibe's photo coverage of Children of Bodom:
+Children of the Bodom @ Denver 12/11/06
For more information on Children of Bodom, log onto:
+http://www.cobhc.com/
+http://www.myspace.com/childrenofbodom
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