EP 1.04: Tony Kakko and the pack of the Sonata Arctica [
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- čas přidán 29. 06. 2024
- Sonata Arctica mastermind Tony Kakko talked to us about how the music world changed since the band's beginnings, possibilities for musicians to making a living, and technology.
Produced by Simon Kurt & Sebastiano Mereu for www.from-hero-to-zero.com
Videography by Digitale Massarbeit - Hudba
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How to thank this man or the feels that his songs gave me
holy heavens! Tony has a deep, thick and irresistible voice D:
The perfect power metal singer imho 😎 / Sebi
Listening to his natural voice only makes his singing all that more impressive - his natural voice is fairly deep and yet he's able to hit tenors range with ease. In other words, he has incredible range and it really shows. As far as I'm concerned, my favorite rock vocal of all time. :)
Very high on my list as well 👍 / Sebi
Same for me, his spoken voice is as good as his singing one. You can really understand that he has a great voice listening him speaking. Tony is absolutely my favourite singer and songwriter ever from 2001.
Damn, I love Tony. I hope I get to meet him someday. Just wish he would grow his hair out again.
This interview near the end when Tony talks about how the music business is today really speaks to me about Wintersun's situation with having only 3 albums over the last 15 years and the trouble it's taking them to make Time II come out. They aren't as intensive in the music business as other bands like Sonata Arctica or Stratovarius. I hope Wintersun will dominate one day like Sonata Arctica.
Tony is great!!!!! Very good interview.
Leila Cristina Thanks a bunch! Yeah, Tony is great indeed. We enjoyed meeting him, a lot. And Sonata Arctica is a phenomenal band.
I think, from Tony's standpoint, Reckoning Night was creatively stale maybe? As fans, we loved it because we loved the SA "sound", but I guess when you're a writer the last thing you want to feel is like you're stuck doing the same thing over and over again.
That's why, even though his attempts to play with new ideas aren't always as successful, I can repect his efforts as an artist to remain true to material he wants to put out. He's not obligated to make things a certain way to us, he should only be beholden to his own conscience and ideas. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.
When he says "How can I expect anyone to like my music if I don't like it myself", that's important. That's what separates bands like this from what you get in the big charts. He's writing what he wants to write. Sometimes people like it, sometimes they don't. If it was about the money or the fame, I don't doubt he could write another Winterhearts Guild or Reckoning Night, but that's not what he wants.
Thanks for your comment. Very good points. We could feel that it is very important for Tony that he likes his music and agrees with the situation and context. Also, it became obvious to us that Tony has a clear overall vision and seems to know exactly how to go about making great music. Personally, I bought every word he said. Great artist, smart man, very nice guy.
Exactly. To me personally, I always found it added a layer of appreciation to music when you know its work that its creator felt strongly about and enjoyed. And he does have such an endearing, sincere personality on stage you can't help but get carried along.
Great interview, Well done!
He's a fantastic musician!
Emily Tiff Thank you, Emily. Yes, Tony is a phenomenal musician and has a great attitude towards the business-side as well as the art-side of the music. And he simply is a nice guys.
This is a really good interview, as others have said. You worked with the conversation to find interesting topics rather than reading a silly list of stock questions as many people do. Also, I've not actually seen many interviews with Tony talking about the business side of things this much and it's very interesting to see how his approach to both the art and the business of the band are intertwined. Being a band leader must cover a lot of different responsibilities. He always seems like such an incredibly nice guy too.
I think sometimes people forget that it's not an artists job to constrict themselves for the benefit of others. I've been a fan of Sonata since before Silence and I connect with Sonata because I connect with artists who evolve, grow and develop, as I myself do in my life. The fact they constantly challange me with new ideas makes me feel like I'm following a journey. Every stop has something new to like, something I can relate to my life in new ways. I feel like Sonata really do not get the respect or understanding they deserve in that regard. It shows a lot of integrity to follow the music in the way that Sonata and Tony do. It really makes me sad when people just ask for more speedy power metal and trash the rest. They should be celebrated for not confining themselves to a single formula, not attacked for it.
Are you catching them on this current European tour? I saw them two nights ago in London and they are on top form. Great show. Very great new album as well. =)
Hey, thank you very much for watching this interview with Tony, as well as for your kind words and for the interesting thoughts. I like how you see yourself following the journey Sonata is taking you and other fans on. Feels the same for me. I completely agree that the band should be celebrated for adventuring into new musical lands. Plus, it's not as if they ever turned away from metal and became a dance act.
We wanted to catch up with Sonata Arctica on this tour. Unfortunately, our schedule doesn't permit it. Hopefully next time around. ...and yes, the new album is really good. I like it a lot! ~B-) /Sebi
Hi. It's nice to see you asking about guest appearances because I met Sonata listening to Nightwish and I love this kind of thing. I admire a lot your work and the deepness of your questions. I'm watching slowly but I want to see all videos, even from artists that I'm not used to listen. Congratulations!
Hi Karon, many thanks for watching our interviews and for your kind words. We really appreciate that. Wish you a nice weekend! /Sebi
This is a fantastic interview! You formulated new questions on the go depending on his answers, it really shows you're professional and genuinely interested on the band, and that you did all of your research! I loved it, i just discovered your channel, I'll definitely suscribe! I'm really looking forward to see more really in depth- qualitable content like this.
Hi Astrid. Thank you very much for watching #fhtz and for your kind words. We really appreciate and will keep on putting effort in making the best interviews we can. /sebi
Muito massa, apesar de não entender quase metade da entrevista, gostei de ver meu cantor preferido de rock 😘
I hope they do more songs that are like from their 2 best albums, Winterhearts guild and silence.
Great interview, very good questions.
Suzana Valenca Thank you very much for the kind comment, Suzana.
very cool interview. i love sonata arctica greetings from argentina.
+matias maiden Thanks Matias. We're glad you enjoyed it.
Great interview, thanks a lot FHTZ
Thank you for the compliment, Estevan. It was great interviewing Tony.
awesome singer
Tony is a great singer indeed. And, he is a very interesting person with good ideas as well.
Tony! *.*
+Melissa Romão Gomes Tony is great!
to me he sounds alot like toumas from nightwish. I wonder if everyone from Finland sounds this way.
Hi, one of Sonata Artica's Finnish fans here just saying to you hello. Are you going or about going to interview Tony Kakko again sometimes?
Hi, thanks for watching and for asking :) We are currently on hiatus with our show. Thus, we will not produce any further episodes. But, if we ever continue the show, I’d definitely love to talk to Tony or Henkka again.
Im honestly surprised how displeased & tired he was after putting out, "Reckoning Night"... like.. WHAT??!! Ironically, it was one of their *GREATEST* albums!! If not, their best! WTF TONY???!!d
+Nicholas Storey I also liked Reckoning Night. However, I guess it's legitimate to have more and less favorite 'own' albums as an artist, also considering the environment, circumstances and other factors. Being a musician and producer myself, I understand Tony's feelings.
I would like to add to Tony's comment at 16:10, that the album sales are going down because of youtube and so... I would think that if you put out albums with wonderful music then eventually people will buy them. But if you issue a Stones Grow Her Name type of question mark, then don't expect people to run to stores. As nowadays there is extreme amount of bands, we, consumers will choose very carefully what to pay the hard earned cash for. Fame, or a name like Sonata Arctica is not a guarantee anymore as a standalone trademark for good music.
+Tamás Alföldi Thank you for your input and for watching, Tamas. You raise a very good point.
+Tamás Alföldi Yes a big name is not a guarantee, and that is a good thing. It means that bands can't just get lazy and release easy careless material and think they will sell because they are famous. I agree with you on that. But I don't think that is the case with Stones Grow Her Name. It's ok not to like the album of course. But I think the tracks are well executed, well thought of and the result of hard work. Listening to the album I don't get the feeling they released a "whatever" album. Sure it is a different set of music but I think that kind of "experimenting" is what kept Sonata interesting throughout the years, don't you think? :)
Suzana Valenca
I agree on the part that probably they put lots of effort and work into creating their latest albums. Writing music is not an easy stuff, I know it as myself I have written over 30 songs, you can check them out. But all in all, the work put into the composing process does not guarantee the outcome will be widely liked.
The issue here with Sonata is a different story. You need to think this as when you vote for your favorite political party. You grant them your trust that they follow the path they stated before the elections. If you vote for the greens you will be probably pretty much pissed that they suddenly turned neonazi. The same story is with this band. The name Sonata Artica meant wonderful, energetic power metal by default. What does it mean today? Experimental, drama queen rock'n roll metal with occasional country elements. The problem is this. The old fans, the ones who followed the band from the very beginning (myself) feel righteously like they've been spit in the face.
And one final comparison, Sonata in the beginning of 2000 rapidly exceeded the fame of Stratovarius, however from 2007 onwards Strato took back the lead and actually nowadays they do sound much more fresh than Sonata in the past 8-9 years.
+Tamás Alföldi Thank you for taking the time to explain your point of view. It is so nice being able to discuss music with people that actually want to talk about it, not just dismiss a different opinion with a complaint or worse. I understood your point perfectly. The band has a name that means something because of everything they released before. I think the Sonata guys themselves have been talking about this on interviews. But they have also discussed the fact that they don't want to do the same thing over and over and how they know its risky because fan expects a certain pattern. Yes, if I vote green and they turn neonazi I would feel betrayed and downright angry. But the situation is different for me when it comes to music, to art. I want them to try new things, I want them to be a little weird, I want them to take risks. As long as I know they are putting hard work and a lot of thought into the music I will be happy. I don't want them to settle. It is hard though and I see your point there because if they go crazy and turn completely into a country band of example they will loose me as a fan. It is a difficult balance to reach, being inventive and keeping a red line at the same time. But I trust Sonata can do it. I too am a old fan myself. I have a fifteen year old copy of Ecliptica and have been following the band ever since. I do agree with you that the name Sonata means wonderful energetic metal, but also weirdness + prog experimenting + good lyrics, in my opinion. So I expect them to push the line every time. I guess I would be disappointed if they didn't. Cinderblox is one of my favorites on SGHM. I am also a old time fan of Stratovarius. I have old signed copy of Infinite from the year 2000. I stopped following them after that craziness with Timo Tolkki trying to kill himself, that (thank goodness!) turned out to be just a hoax or something like that. But I just got their new album Eternal and it is pretty cool. That being said, I still like Pariah's Child so much more :) I guess it really comes down to personal taste. How much "experimenting" can you stomach or appreciate. So far Sonata has kept me happy. If you can respect the effort and "forgive" them for SGHN you can still have fun with them, how about that? :)
+Suzana Valenca I understand your point fully and maybe envy your attitude even. You were able to form yourself along with the band. For me Unia was such a terribly huge disappointment that I simply was not able to accept them anymore. Like when you lose your trust in a relation, things will not be the same anymore.
I would think even that the albums after 2007 should have been issued under different name. Only Pariah's child could fit into the order after Reckoning night. :-)
Only 185 Subs for this quality content and 20 milion for a fool that plays fking video games!? WTF is wrong with internet?
+smiljanicn As long as there is a fine audience out there that enjoys our content, we're happy to keep providing it. No matter how large or small :) Thanks so much for your support!
Do bands actually have any profits from Spotify, ITunes and so on? Tony seems to point the finger at these new realities, but I don't think they get nothing though...
Eeegobrainn You raise a good point. Bands do get paid from music streaming, but it is a very little amount compared to vinyls, CD, cassette sales from back in the days. Nevertheless, there are indirect benefits to streaming: branding, marketing, cross-selling. We talked to other artists (i.e. Black Milk, Mashrou Leila, etc.), who see those benefits.
lol