I guess it’s never late for one to make his dream come true. That’s the case for Striker who have waited more than 28 years to see their debut album on the market. Grande Rock couldn’t miss the opportunity to present this very remarkable “new” band thoroughly. We caught up with the band’s drummer and co-founder Mika Brushane in order to know everything that has to do with the band named Strike…
Hey Mika… I was overwhelmed by your debut! It came just out of nowhere! We named it the Best Album of December! Kudos dude!
M: Hey, Thanks!
Do give us a brief bio of the band so that the fans will get to know a bit about your past.
M: We actually started the band back in 1985 with Pasi at our local youth center where they had a rehearsal room for local bands. We recorded our first material that same year and we put out a small batch of tapes. After that we just took it easy and played some small gigs until 1989 when it was time to record again, but nothing official yet. The line-up except for me (Mika) and Pasi had changed many times along the way, but after the studio session in 1989 the line-up changed for the last time when Tommi was added to the group. In 1991 we all wanted to do other stuff and play with other bands, so it was time to take a break!
And you said that even though you started back in 1985 (!) you called it a day in 1991. One could say that instead of going forward in a time when music was still blooming you disband. Why did that happen? What do the band’s members do musically all these years? Pasi obviously went to Thunderstone.
M: I think we just all wanted to try something else for a change. Me and a few others went and played in other bands in other genres and Pasi joined a band called Heat. After that and some other projects he wound up in Thunderstone, and the rest is history!
And we go to 2011 – after 20 whole years (!) that you decided to put the band together again! How did that occur? Who started it and how did the other guy(s) take it?
M: In 2011 I was contacted by members of the posse that used to hang out at the youth center where we played. They had planned a reunion party for all the “former youth’s” of the youth center and they asked if we could play a small gig at the party. I reached out to the guys and they gladly accepted the invite to play the gig! When we a few weeks later got together and started to rehearse the old songs, it hit us like a lightning!!! It was an awesome feeling to play with these guys again! So we decided to bring Strike back to life!
How hard or not was it to find some other guys to complete the band?
M: Yeah, I don’t think it was that hard. We always had friends hanging out at our rehearsals and many of them played themselves, so they just floated in and out of the band pretty easily.
How did the decision to record your so anticipated debut album come to be? This time you were determined to go all the way, right?
M: We had so good songs in our opinion right from the start and when we got together again in 2011 new songs started to evolve practically every time we played together, so the decision to make an album was pretty easy! We are not taking any pressure this time around, let’s see where this takes us…
And is that the meaning the album title? “We’re Back”? Yeap, you’re back after 20 years on ice!
M: Yeah, Kalle wrote this great song for our reunion gig, and when we started to talk about making the album it instantly occurred to us that it’s the perfect choice for the album title!
Please comment on each track…
M: “Joanna”: One of the early songs, an awesome sample of that era.
“Only Heaven Knows”: One of my favorites, like train it rolls over you…
“Day of Reckoning”: A little bit different, darker… But, an absolute gem.
“Hear Me Out”: A new song that still kind a takes us back to the 80s.
“Strike”: The title says it all! It’s us at it’s purest!
“We’re Back”: A wonderful composition that tells the story about us back then.
“Angel”: A nice little song with a happy mood back from the “good old days”.
“Runaway”: A song that maybe stands out a bit, due to its overall ambiance.
“Nobody Lives Forever”: This one we came up with while jamming in the studio.
You obviously had a few tracks from the mid-80s that you used on the album. But why did you leave some outside? Weren’t they as strong as the other or what?
M: We decided to mix the oldies with the new ones so we could offer the listener the “best of both worlds’” type of a deal. There were some very good songs that didn’t make it to this album, but maybe later… (i.n.: Yeap, I’m sure about that!)
Did you write some new tracks as well and which made it to the album?
M: Yes, I wrote 2 tracks for this album, and “Runaway” made it to the album, but the other song went back in my drawer.
It’d be interested to hear those songs from the mid-80s. Maybe you could use them as bonus tracks on the CD… or you can do it in the future. They cannot sound bad even though the recording technology has changed for the better over the years.
M: I don’t think that we are ever going to release the original recordings from the 80s, we have all evolved as musicians and we like to honor the oldies by recording them again with the skillset we have now!
By the way where did you record the album and who did the production, the mixing and the mastering? I fancy that sweet & warm 80s but freshAOR /melodic rock sound the album has.
M: The album was recorded at our own small studio in Herttoniemi, Finland by Pasi Rantanen. In addition for being an excellent singer and guitar player, he’s becoming a great sound engineer! The mixing and mastering was done by “The Man” Timo Tolkki!
OK, coming back to today. Did you try to fish some labels as well? Did you have in mind to go independently for the very first time?
M: We wanted to make this album independently so we could call all the shots! It’s was important to us that we get the oldies that we wanted on this album and we wanted to take the time we needed to get it done without anybody else putting any extra pressure on us!
Now that the CD is out are you happy about going on your own or a label could have helped on the promotion, distribution & advertisement field?
M: The main thing about going on our own with this album was the freedom in the process of making it, now when it’s ready we are open to collaboration with others to promote, distribute etc.
What are you plans for the further promotion of the album? Any live shows booked?
M: There are no shows booked for now, we are just going with the flow and enjoying the ride.
Are there any thoughts of releasing a video in the near future or what?
M: We haven’t made any decisions yet what we’re going to do next. There has been some talk about a video, but…?
How can an independent band like Strike overcome the very harsh antagonism of today’s music industry? How can one avoid getting lost in the vastness of the numerous new releases of our time?
M: As said before, we are kind a going with the flow, meaning that we don’t stress about things like getting lost in the masses. We got to do this album finally, and it’s in its own is a great thing for us, and we got the album out for those who listened to us in the beginning! The new fans that discover us now, are a wonderful bonus!
M: Hey, Thanks!
Do give us a brief bio of the band so that the fans will get to know a bit about your past.
M: We actually started the band back in 1985 with Pasi at our local youth center where they had a rehearsal room for local bands. We recorded our first material that same year and we put out a small batch of tapes. After that we just took it easy and played some small gigs until 1989 when it was time to record again, but nothing official yet. The line-up except for me (Mika) and Pasi had changed many times along the way, but after the studio session in 1989 the line-up changed for the last time when Tommi was added to the group. In 1991 we all wanted to do other stuff and play with other bands, so it was time to take a break!
And you said that even though you started back in 1985 (!) you called it a day in 1991. One could say that instead of going forward in a time when music was still blooming you disband. Why did that happen? What do the band’s members do musically all these years? Pasi obviously went to Thunderstone.
M: I think we just all wanted to try something else for a change. Me and a few others went and played in other bands in other genres and Pasi joined a band called Heat. After that and some other projects he wound up in Thunderstone, and the rest is history!
And we go to 2011 – after 20 whole years (!) that you decided to put the band together again! How did that occur? Who started it and how did the other guy(s) take it?
M: In 2011 I was contacted by members of the posse that used to hang out at the youth center where we played. They had planned a reunion party for all the “former youth’s” of the youth center and they asked if we could play a small gig at the party. I reached out to the guys and they gladly accepted the invite to play the gig! When we a few weeks later got together and started to rehearse the old songs, it hit us like a lightning!!! It was an awesome feeling to play with these guys again! So we decided to bring Strike back to life!
How hard or not was it to find some other guys to complete the band?
M: Yeah, I don’t think it was that hard. We always had friends hanging out at our rehearsals and many of them played themselves, so they just floated in and out of the band pretty easily.
How did the decision to record your so anticipated debut album come to be? This time you were determined to go all the way, right?
M: We had so good songs in our opinion right from the start and when we got together again in 2011 new songs started to evolve practically every time we played together, so the decision to make an album was pretty easy! We are not taking any pressure this time around, let’s see where this takes us…
And is that the meaning the album title? “We’re Back”? Yeap, you’re back after 20 years on ice!
M: Yeah, Kalle wrote this great song for our reunion gig, and when we started to talk about making the album it instantly occurred to us that it’s the perfect choice for the album title!
Please comment on each track…
M: “Joanna”: One of the early songs, an awesome sample of that era.
“Only Heaven Knows”: One of my favorites, like train it rolls over you…
“Day of Reckoning”: A little bit different, darker… But, an absolute gem.
“Hear Me Out”: A new song that still kind a takes us back to the 80s.
“Strike”: The title says it all! It’s us at it’s purest!
“We’re Back”: A wonderful composition that tells the story about us back then.
“Angel”: A nice little song with a happy mood back from the “good old days”.
“Runaway”: A song that maybe stands out a bit, due to its overall ambiance.
“Nobody Lives Forever”: This one we came up with while jamming in the studio.
You obviously had a few tracks from the mid-80s that you used on the album. But why did you leave some outside? Weren’t they as strong as the other or what?
M: We decided to mix the oldies with the new ones so we could offer the listener the “best of both worlds’” type of a deal. There were some very good songs that didn’t make it to this album, but maybe later…
(i.n.: Yeap, I’m sure about that!)Did you write some new tracks as well and which made it to the album?
M: Yes, I wrote 2 tracks for this album, and “Runaway” made it to the album, but the other song went back in my drawer.
It’d be interested to hear those songs from the mid-80s. Maybe you could use them as bonus tracks on the CD… or you can do it in the future. They cannot sound bad even though the recording technology has changed for the better over the years.
M: I don’t think that we are ever going to release the original recordings from the 80s, we have all evolved as musicians and we like to honor the oldies by recording them again with the skillset we have now!
By the way where did you record the album and who did the production, the mixing and the mastering? I fancy that sweet & warm 80s but fresh
M: The album was recorded at our own small studio in Herttoniemi, Finland by Pasi Rantanen. In addition for being an excellent singer and guitar player, he’s becoming a great sound engineer! The mixing and mastering was done by “The Man” Timo Tolkki!
OK, coming back to today. Did you try to fish some labels as well? Did you have in mind to go independently for the very first time?
M: We wanted to make this album independently so we could call all the shots! It’s was important to us that we get the oldies that we wanted on this album and we wanted to take the time we needed to get it done without anybody else putting any extra pressure on us!
Now that the CD is out are you happy about going on your own or a label could have helped on the promotion, distribution & advertisement field?
M: The main thing about going on our own with this album was the freedom in the process of making it, now when it’s ready we are open to collaboration with others to promote, distribute etc.
What are you plans for the further promotion of the album? Any live shows booked?
M: There are no shows booked for now, we are just going with the flow and enjoying the ride.
Are there any thoughts of releasing a video in the near future or what?
M: We haven’t made any decisions yet what we’re going to do next. There has been some talk about a video, but…?
How can an independent band like Strike overcome the very harsh antagonism of today’s music industry? How can one avoid getting lost in the vastness of the numerous new releases of our time?
M: As said before, we are kind a going with the flow, meaning that we don’t stress about things like getting lost in the masses. We got to do this album finally, and it’s in its own is a great thing for us, and we got the album out for those who listened to us in the beginning! The new fans that discover us now, are a wonderful bonus!
Is internet a great “promotion tool” or there’s more than that? It can be good but can’t it also hurt independent bands as well?
M: I think that it’s a great tool, I see much more potential than disadvantage in the web!
I think it’s time for our “weird questions”! How did you come up with the name Strike back in the day?
M: Honestly, nobody remembers how we ended up with the name, probably somebody shouted it out loud at the rehearsal room and somebody said that’s it…
You find yourself in the post-apocalyptic world of “The Walking Dead” … What would you choose to be? A living one running away from Zombies all the time or a Zombie that eats, slutwalks around and doesn’t give a shit?
M: I haven’t really given this much thought, but I think I would rather be a Zombie. Their laidback lifestyle seems to fit me perfectly!
Which are the top 3 Rock/AOR records of all time?
M: 1. Whitesnake – “1987”…
2. Europe – “The Final Countdown”…
3. Bon Jovi – “Slippery When Wet”…
Which is the record you wish you had written and why??
M: Bon Jovi – “Slippery When Wet”. I can’t really specify why, the album is overall so good that it’s impossible to find anything bad to say about it, who wouldn’t want to make a. album like that!? (i.n.: Yeap, I feel ya… let’s not forget about the million sales as well!)
Would you stop playing & listening to rock music if a girlfriend of yours asked you to?
M: Never!
Best pick-up line that has worked for you several times in the past?
M: The drummer always gets the best girls, wouldn’t you want to be the best!? (i.n.: Cool… nah that’s a pick-up line for all the drummers out there!)
Why is rock (any kind) music better than sex… if it is…
M: Because you can do it with your best friends…. who are guys! (i.n.: Hehehe…)
You have the opportunity to have sex with the porn-star/movie celebrity of your choice. Who would it be & why?
M: Some things are best kept a secret!
Imagine that your girlfriend is selling your whole album-collection just to buy an expensive ring for herself. How would you react?
M: I would probably sell the ring and buy beer and while drinking it figure out how to get my albums back and how to get her out!
I think we’re done for now Mika. Close this interview in your own way dude… Take care!
M: Thank you, all the best to you Rock fans out there!
M: I think that it’s a great tool, I see much more potential than disadvantage in the web!
I think it’s time for our “weird questions”! How did you come up with the name Strike back in the day?
M: Honestly, nobody remembers how we ended up with the name, probably somebody shouted it out loud at the rehearsal room and somebody said that’s it…
You find yourself in the post-apocalyptic world of “The Walking Dead” … What would you choose to be? A living one running away from Zombies all the time or a Zombie that eats, slutwalks around and doesn’t give a shit?
M: I haven’t really given this much thought, but I think I would rather be a Zombie. Their laidback lifestyle seems to fit me perfectly!
Which are the top 3 Rock/
M: 1. Whitesnake – “1987”…
2. Europe – “The Final Countdown”…
3. Bon Jovi – “Slippery When Wet”…
Which is the record you wish you had written and why??
M: Bon Jovi – “Slippery When Wet”. I can’t really specify why, the album is overall so good that it’s impossible to find anything bad to say about it, who wouldn’t want to make a. album like that!? (i.n.: Yeap, I feel ya… let’s not forget about the million sales as well!)
Would you stop playing & listening to rock music if a girlfriend of yours asked you to?
M: Never!
Best pick-up line that has worked for you several times in the past?
M: The drummer always gets the best girls, wouldn’t you want to be the best!? (i.n.: Cool… nah that’s a pick-up line for all the drummers out there!)
Why is rock (any kind) music better than sex… if it is…
M: Because you can do it with your best friends…. who are guys!
(i.n.: Hehehe…)You have the opportunity to have sex with the porn-star/movie celebrity of your choice. Who would it be & why?
M: Some things are best kept a secret!
Imagine that your girlfriend is selling your whole album-collection just to buy an expensive ring for herself. How would you react?
M: I would probably sell the ring and buy beer and while drinking it figure out how to get my albums back and how to get her out!
I think we’re done for now Mika. Close this interview in your own way dude… Take care!
M: Thank you, all the best to you Rock fans out there!