Known for catchy melodies, strong riffs, and a singer that the girls can’t stop raving about, THE BLANKO are showing up on our radar more and more. For the first time in quite a while, Playlist of My Life returns to talk to vocalist/guitarist Pauli Hauta-aho about influential music!
1. The first song you remember hearing as a child
“Greensleeves.” I grew up surrounded by a great variety of different styles of music, but somehow this melody still takes me to the moment back when I must have been like 4 years old!
2. The first song you can recall ever really and truly loving
One of the early ones was TELSAR. At a very young age I used to listen and play along through the songs on the “Shadows” album. And that’s how I actually learned to play in the first place! I was memorizing the melodies and to try them out I basically forced my dad to play the rhythm guitar for me! That didn’t last very long for I was a brutal feedback-giver, and so my dad quit “the band.” I carried on playing along with all the albums I got hold of.
3. A song that you loved as a teenager/reminds you of high school
This may sound like a cliche, but the “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by NIRVANA was playing loud at the house parties during that time! And the very first time I heard the track was when a friend asked for my help learning the song with the guitar. So I listened to it and showed it to him. The next time he turned up with the songs “Self Esteem” by THE OFFSPRING and “When I Come Around” by GREEN DAY. After that he stopped visiting. I guess he stopped playing. At that point I carried on in the world of Jimi Hendrix and one of the songs we played a lot in high school with Jakke [drums] was the song “Little Wing.”
4. The song or band that got you into metal music (or the current genre you play in)
There’s not been just one, but a collection of many! I think all of the bands and songs I’ve had some kind of love relationship with have given their own little spice to the soup! I have at least at some point felt it with LED ZEPPELIN, NIRVANA, INCUBUS, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, COLDPLAY, RADIOHEAD, MUSE, NINE INCH NAILS, RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS, and ROYAL BLOOD, just to mention a few!
5. The most recent song to get stuck in your head
Well, due to the circumstances, the most recent ones have been all of the songs on our newly released album! And the one that currently plays in my head is “Necessary Evil.” Although, a little while ago I was driving and caught myself speeding (and the police did too) whilst singing out loud to David Lee Roth‘s version of “Just a Gigolo!” It was the full-blast-outro of the song coming up, when the huge flash of the speeding camera by the road killed the party. Ouch! It was one of those necessary evil moments right there!
6. Your guilty pleasure song/band
“Just a Gigolo!” Haha! Well.. Whitney Houston! But does it count if I don’t feel guilty saying it? I think she’s still more on the pleasure side of the road, being one of the greatest female voices and all. Again, there’s too many to pick from.. Now I know! Bhad Bhabie! With the track “Hi Bich!” Put that in your pipe and smoke it!
7. The first album you bought with your own money/the first album you were really excited to own
The first album I ever owned was “Are You Experienced?” by Jimi Hendrix! I was so excited and spent every night falling asleep listening to it!
8. A song that makes you want to curl up on the couch with a hot beverage
“Mojo Pin” by Jeff Buckley. And actually the whole “Grace” album still gives me the chills. The time just stops when I listen to it. He’s one of those magical artists who really captures the moment.
9. A song to blast at full volume while you’re on the road
It obviously depends on the mood, and the moods vary on the road like the weather in Finland! But to name just one right now, I’d play “The Dead and Resurrection Show” by the KILLING JOKE. It brings out the animal in me.
10. The song you’d most like to be played at your funeral
“Little Wing” by Jimi Hendrix. Or if Jimi can’t make it, “Lose Yourself” by Eminem. He speaks the truth, it’s one shot, baby! (Until the next life arises, but that’s another story…)
Interview by Bear Wiseman
Musicalypse, 2019
OV: 1221
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