 Courtesy of the Artist
Hailing from Helsinki, Finland, Eden Prairie - Peter Tierney (vocals, guitar), Tommi Kokkonen (guitar), Manu Nedhill (guitar),
Lasse Nevala (bass), and Jarkko Immonen (drums) - make story-driven, melodic tunes that bridge various genres from pop, rock, and folk. Their debut album Stories from the Foot of the Mountain was released in December 2017 and here, they answer their Essential 8 and relay the story behind their album's title, talk about inspiration, what they're currently listening to, and much more! What’s the story behind your album’s title? Pete: Jarkko (our drummer) informed us that the album, which at that point consisted of about 2 songs, was going to be called “Stories from the Foot of the Mountain”. The band took this information on board with a typical air of silence and the matter was never discussed again, thereby saving us countless hours trying to come up with something else. The fact that it perfectly summed up the mood of the album even before we had really started writing songs for it or discussed any real themes or motifs probably helped the creative process. Jarkko: Maybe I should elaborate on that a little. In fact, the idea was there even before song one. On the album cover there's a picture of a power plant that's situated right on the beautiful shoreline of downtown Helsinki. I used to bike past it on my way to work. Next to the plant there's a huge pile of coal, I think it's even taller than the building save for the chimney. It's a grotesquely outdated concept, having a coal-operated power plant on the edge of the city, especially here in Finland where we're supposedly at the forefront at renewable energy research. I started thinking about the people working there and imagined this guy who'd worked there all his life and didn't want the same for his kid. That thought process then evolved into Coal Mountain, which became the album closer. It's the first song we wrote. The actual title came to me right after that when me and Pete started elaborating on the idea and pictured this fictional small town covered in ash with a giant coal heap and a closed-down power plant standing in the middle. It was like "Well, Faulkner had Yoknapatawpha, why not have a place of our own". Where do you draw inspiration from when writing? Pete: If I waited for inspiration to hit before I started writing I'm not sure I would have written a single song. Whenever I find myself in a writing rut it is invariably because I haven't picked up my guitar in ages. Not that every time I pick up the guitar I write a song but for me inspiration is an active pursuit. I get inspired by trying to come up with something new. I never know what I am going to write about until I'm playing my guitar and the words start falling out of my mouth. Jarkko: Mainly from things that seem incomprehensible or unfair to me. If I find myself lying awake at night pondering about a thing I can’t wrap my head around, there’s a fair chance it’ll pop up in a lyric somewhere down the line. People are a fascinating and horrible species. For instance, there’s shit going down here right now you wouldn’t believe, I mean there are fucking Nazis marching the streets on a fairly regular basis. If we humans drown in our own shit tomorrow, I’m inclined to say we’ve all well deserved it. 
Do you write about personal experience, the experience of others, observations, made-up stories, something else or a combination?
Tommi: My songs are mainly about personal experiences. Or, rather, I typically start writing about myself, my feelings and experiences but blend them e.g., with observations. The final product is somewhat of a mix. Jarkko: Generally speaking I find my own everyday life comfortably boring and therefore my story ideas stem mainly from observing other people. Beneath the surface there’s often something going on in terms of dealing with my own shortcomings as a human being, but I try to avoid making it all about me. I think it was Nick Cave who said that even if what you write is personal to you it doesn't mean it won't suck ass. I find it helpful to put some distance between myself and the initial idea for a lyric because I want to dissect and challenge my ideas and find out what it is I'm actually trying to say or convey. I’m a fan of the storytelling form, but writing songs that way sometimes creates the temptation to put too much emphasis on what is "real", i.e. what really happened in a situation to give the lyric an air of “authentic life experience”. But if you take a step back and look at things from a different perspective, excluding your own first-hand experience of the described incident, more often than not you realize that it’s got jack shit to do with anything whether something happened as told. Maybe it happened to someone else, what do I know. Telling something like it happened just because “that’s how it happened” is both intellectually lazy and self-indulgent, two of my least favorite things in life – both of which, however, I find myself guilty of more often than I’d like to admit. What’s the best advice you have ever gotten from another musician? Pete: It wasn't advice that I personally received but rather something that I heard in an interview. I was watching an Elliot Smith interview and I can't remember his exact words but the general gist was that you shouldn't try to write music that you think other people will like. Write music that you like because if you like it there must be something good about it because you like it. I think all songwriters doubt themselves and feel unsure of themselves at times and whenever I find myself questioning a song I come back to this piece of advice. Do I like the song? If the answer is yes then I feel happy putting it out there and if somebody else likes it then that is great but if not I can live with that because I wrote the song first and foremost for myself. Is drinking at gigs a positive or a negative? Tommi: Positive for sure. As long as it does not get out of hand (I have experienced this in the past quite a few times unfortunately). In the past, I used to be so nervous that I’d drink to take the edge off the nervousness but now it’s more about getting to a good, festive mood. Two-three pints before the show and a pint on stage does the trick. It’s by no means a must, I can enjoy a gig without a drink as well. Pete: For me nothing is as terrifying as the thought of performing when you have had too much to drink. A few beers before the show takes the edge off and stops the hands from shaking too much but you still feel in control. After the gig is over? Well that's a different story altogether. Which song of yours gets the best crowd response? Tommi: "Splinters." It is a bit more up tempo than many of our songs and it has a nice catchy chorus. Essentially, it is a good pop song. It gets the best response from the band as well so maybe that’s contagious. Favorite (or first) concert you have ever attended? Tommi: OFF!’s first gig in Finland few years back was awesome. The energy of the old-school punk rockers was mind blowing. I also saw The Specials at a festival here in Finland. The energy, the feel good atmosphere and the comraderie that radiated from the stage and affected the audience from the performance was something special (pardon the pun). Still makes me smile. Jarkko: One of the shows I’ll never forget was the only time I saw Dead Moon. It was at a small indoors festival in Helsinki in 2015. Andrew wasn’t with them anymore at that point due to health issues (he was still alive though) and Kelly Haliburton played the drums, so I never got to see the original lineup, and prior to the show I was bummed by that a little. However, all of that negativity was gone the minute Fred and Toody took the stage. It was just unbelievable. The chemistry they shared and the love that poured into the audience from the stage was something I’d never experienced before and probably never will again. It was one of the two shows in my life that have made me cry. The other was a Fred and Toody duo show a year later. RIP Fred and all my love to Toody and the extended Dead Moon family. Is there a recent release you cannot stop listening to? Tommi: Don’t know what counts as recent but I listened to Kurt Vile’s album “B’lieve I’m Going Down” a lot. Also, Aaron Lee Tasjan’s “Memphis Rain” from “Silver Tears” is a somewhat recent favorite. (https://youtu.be/9HdvZHL3zU8) Jarkko: Just yesterday I came across Olympic Symphonium’s Comedy music video off their upcoming album, and I’ve been bugging everyone to check it out. The song is great and together with the ingenious video, I think it’s the best thing in 2018 so far. (https://youtu.be/TqNPM9h3H2I) https://edenprairieband.com https://www.facebook.com/edenprairieband https://edenprairie.bandcamp.com
1 Comment
2/21/2023 12:09:10 pm
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