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ON THE ROCKS (Germany) 2002 KIMMO BLOM (Urban Tale) Setting Signs... After your first album you received some excellent
feedback and many fans voted you as the newcomers of the year. Did you
expect such enthusiastic reactions? Kimmo Blom: “Well, I have to say that we were very pleased when
we heard and read of being the newcomer of the year 2001 and we are
thankful to the fans who thought so! We believed that the first album
was a pretty good start musically and because of the attention it received.
At the same time I'm sure that nobody really knew what's going to happen.
We were lucky enough when getting the opportunity to work with Roastinghouse,
Frontiers and Marquee Avalon and getting our music published after years
of trying.” How happy still are you with the first album
from your personal point of view? Any things you would do different
today? “Of course things move forward and the way of thinking and doing
stuff is under constant progress but I'm still pretty pleased what I/we
did on our first one. Our sound has developed as well as the whole production
now that we know ourselves better. Personally I feel that the first
album is a good "opening statement" of my skills but I hope
my singing grows during the years to come.” I was really surprised to hear that your new
album has already been finished. I expected it would take longer to
hear a new album from you. When did you start working on "Signs
of Times" and how much time did you spend with songwriting and
recording? “We started writing new songs during late 2001 and kept going
the whole spring 2002. Two songs were ready even when recording the
first one and one was actually written during the " Signs..."
sessions. We are pretty lazy writing new material but we are also very
selective about the material that's going to be released. The recording
itself took about 6 - 8 weeks.” So which songs on "Signs of Times"
were already done for the first album? “"Mary" and "Still Strong" were written when
we started recording the first one but we had enough ballads so we skipped
those two. The ultimate decision was made by our producer after hearing
all the material.” What do you think are the main differences between
your first album and "Signs of Times"? In my opinion you are
finding more and more your own style and leave the comparisons with
Journey far behind!? “I'm glad that you think so! We are trying to develop our sound
and music so that it truly reflects the many roots where we all come
from but not forgetting the time where we're in. It really doesn't mean
following the charts blindly and trying to predict what's the next big
thing but letting your imagination fly and trusting the fact that in
the hands of the band even the wildest or craziest idea might find a
suitable form. When making the first album we weren't ready taking any
risks 'cause we were (and still are!) newcomers and wanted to get our
feet through the first door. Without the "melodicrock community"
we would still be in the starting point and we are very greatful for
that! Any comparisons to Journey have always made me quite embarrashed
'cause I'm still a big fan and Steve Perry is one of the greatest ever!”
Would be great if you could give us a short "in
your own words" of three of four sentences on each song of the
new record... - Starship Of Giants: “Good opening track with rock-attitude.
Kinda typical Urban Tale-chorus.” One of the most outstanding songs on "Signs
of Times" is the ballad "Still Strong". How much time
did you spend in creating this masterpiece? “Can't remember... I think this was one of the easiest songs to
work on. Timo's fairly ready idea started to sound good the first time
he played it and I wrote the lyrics pretty quickly. The recording was
no problem either and I feel it's probably one of the best moments to
me personally in this album.” "Son Of A Gun" is a song you did with
the help of Tommy Denander. How was working with Tommy? “I have never met Tommy personally but he's been in close contact
with Erkka and he has told me nothing but great things about him. He's
been kind enough to use us in his projects and hey, he gave us a cool
song.” I heard you will be singing a couple of songs
on Tommy's new RADIOACTIVE album. Can you already tell us a little more
about your appearance on the album?? “Can't tell you 'cause I know as much as you do. I've agreed via
Erkka to take part in that project and I'm truly flattered to be part
of that and work with such a great talent! I'm waiting for the details
myself and after that I know more about the schedule and stuff.” I think your lyrics are positively different
from all these usual Melodic Rock lyrics. Can you tell us a little more
what's behind the URBAN TALE lyrics? For example behind "Houdini's
Eyes"?! “I'm writing lyrics based on what's happened to me and what's
going on in the world but I don't want to do it using the same old phrases.
For me it's kinda easy 'cause I'm writing in a foreign language and
I like to experiment with new words and lines. I know there's lots of
mistakes as well but you live and you learn! “Houdini’s Eyes”
is a good example of finding a good topic and punchline and then starting
to work on that.” Is there any special meaning behind the album
title "Signs of Times"? There is no song of the same title
on the album... “I feel that the title fits perfect for the time being. We are
changing as a band (hopefully to the right direction) and everything
around us. It's sad that all new is consumed so quickly and nobody seems
to have time to concentrate what we have and what's happening right
now. All change must be drastic and all the "old-fashioned"
is flushed down until recycled after a decade or something. I believe
in growing and that's what the title is all about. We make mistakes
and sometimes lean on to past in order to learn and move forward. We
are lucky having this opportunity reaching some people with our music
but in the Big Picture we're just drops in the ocean.” How would you describe the situation of URBAN
TALE in your home country Finland? Do people know you or are they ignoring
you while only listening to HIM, STRATOVARIUS and SONATA ARTICA!? “We are hoping to get our voices heard here in Finland too but
only a few people know us right now. The next album will be promoted
more so we hope that it will open some opportunities here as well.” What are your next plans with URBAN TALE? Any
live shows planned? “We have couple of gigs before Christmas and then the release-gig
on the 30th of January. We've been offered a 12 day tour here in Finland
in February but the negotiations are still in progress. I hope that
“Signs...” will get us abroad as well!” (C) ON THE ROCK.DE |
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