Somehow Jo! is an up-and-coming band from Finland who released their debut album Satans Of Swing a few months back. We caught up with lead vocalist Christian for an insight into the band and we also reviewed their album. Check it all out below!
Can you introduce yourself and tell me a bit about the band?
We are 4 dudes from Finland experimenting with music and having fun with it.
How did the band get started?
I and Sakari formed Somehow Jo! in the spring of 2009. At that time we had our rehearsal place in a garage in the countryside so we didn’t have anything else to do but play and rehearse. Back then we were real metal heads with 7-string guitars and what we wanted to do was metal. But during those years we create stable ground to our music.
Where do you draw influences from?
We love pretty much everything good from jazz to black metal. So there’s a lot to draw from.
Do you have any role models?
It’s impossible to just throw out a bunch of names cause we all have our own influences.
What has been your best experience in the industry so far?
We got some radio time in Europe and U.S. And a deal with Inverse Records. Also it was awesome to share the stage with Noora Louhimo from Battle Beast during the Satans Of Swing release party.
What is the most difficult thing about the industry?
I think the biggest problem is oversupply. Anyone can make good sounding music basically with zero budget nowadays and the musicians who actually work hard on their thing gets lost in the masses. The only thing to get your voice out there is to stand out from this mass. I think our strength is the independence from the genre limits.
Earlier this year you released your album Satans Of Swing. How did you approach the writing and recording process for it?
I came up with a song idea and recorded a shitty demo and sent it out to the rest of the guys to see what they think of it. Then we just started jamming like crazy and all of a sudden the songs came together. Starting point of the recording process was to catch the live feeling on to the record. Organic sound was also one of the goals so we didn’t want to use triggering or samples.
If you had to choose one song from it to recommend to new listeners, which would you choose?
Next King or Fool. There’s 2!
And finally what are your plans for the rest of the year?
We’re gonna keep touring with this album and start writing new songs more as a group. We already have some crazy stuff written. Very amazing things happening in this year and specially at the next year so keep tuned!
Satans Of Swing Review
Satans Of Swing is an intriguing and adventurous album that sees Somehow Jo! experiment with a few different styles and ideas with some great results – it’s a gamble, but it’s paid off for the band.
Somehow Jo! have created a unique listen with this album and you never quite know what to expect from Satans Of Swing as it progresses from one song to the next, with styles ranging from more traditional rock and roll, to more avant garde rock, punk, prog and even a hint of hardcore on the odd occasion, which is great to witness. It keeps you on your toes and holds your interest with each twist and turn the release takes.
One such highlight of the piece is Hellhole Bar, a gripping piece with a few nice bits of heaviness in the form of screamed vocals and clashing guitars, divided up by a more laid-back classic/old-school rock’n’roll vibe. Another fantastic inclusion is fourth track Fool, which starts off with a fairly traditional punky introduction…but it’s not long before Somehow Jo! adds something weird and wonderful to it, and lo and behold – not long after, a banjo line is introduced, giving the track a distinct country vibe. Brilliant!
As a whole, you can’t really go wrong with this album – this is an accessible listen and one that is certainly worth more than just a passing glance.
