Lucy was driving

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Interview : Otso from Lucy was driving

When and how was your band created?
Me, Henri & Janne have been playing together since 2002. Henri and Janne had been together in different kinds of projects since they were kids. At the time I was also looking for guys to play with after my former band had fallen apart. We all met in Helsinki and when realised that we share the same interests in music decided to form a group. The original drummer was later replaced by Juho and the band has been in it's final line up since 2004.

Where is the name of the band coming from?
Everyone brought their own ideas and Lucy was Driving sounded the best. We all enjoyed the idea of having a band name with a sentence. Also a name Lucy appealed somehow. Overall we thought it was original and had a nice little twist in it.

What musicians or artist did have a major influence in your life/work?
All band members have their own influences and it would be difficult to name just one. For example to me the music of The Beatles and Weezer have meant a lot through the years but it doesn't mean that we're automatically trying to copy their ideas into our music.

What are the positive and negative aspects of being a musician in Finland?
It's hard to make a living in Finland just by playing rock music. When you sing in English you're competing with all the world superstars so it's a bit harder for you and your music to get noticed. It's a shame cause many Finnish rock groups don't get as much attention as they would deserve! But then again the people who come to shows are really into it and you get a wonderful audience to play to!

How could you define your style of music?
It's rrrock! It's hard to define our style more accurately. Sometimes the image you have may vary depending on who you ask! Roughly can be said that our sound is based on rough guitars and beautiful melodies.

During the years how has your musical style changed?
The basic idea of our music has remained the same but lately we've been getting even more courageous with our songs. Our sound and performing has gone rougher and more energetic. In my opinion, it has made our live performances more enjoyable.

How do explain these changes?
Maybe it's not that much about changing as evolving. The idea of what we are and what we want to do has simply become much clearer during the years.

What are the topics you treat in your songs?
You could say that our songs treat all the aspects of human life and emotions. Even love is not forbidden subject in our songs! We try to put something in our lyrics that people can relate to. If you can find something you connect with, then we have succeeded. Otherwise you just have to listen more carefully!

What is your favorite song in your repertoire and why?
Right now I get the most kicks from our debut single Anything Goes.

Do you actually prefer performing your music live or in a studio?
The best thing for a rock musician is to play live. No questions there!

During the process of making a song, what is the moment that you prefer?
Hmm... The greatest moment is probably when playing a new song for the first time together with the band and getting that feeling that there's something special going on.

A stupid question but... what is among all the songs you've been listening in your life the BEST song?
I have known so many great songs in my life it wouldn't be fair to just name one.

What is your opinion, as a musician, regarding internet?
Internet has created an equal opportunity for musicians all around the world to get their music heard. Ideally it offers the possibility to listeners truly determine what they want to hear instead of big multinational companies telling them that instead - how does this idea work in practice is a whole different question though... And moreover one has to remember that although via internet it's much easier to get your music published than before, it's still as hard as ever to make it sound good.

What are your projects?
During the summer Lucy was Driving is heading to studio to record our second single. It's going to be hot. So be prepared!

What "image" do you have of French music?
You don't get to hear that much French music in Finland. I would imagine that's because most French artists sing in French. And that is also my excuse for the lack of knowledge in this particular subject...

Is there one French song that you prefer? If so, what song is it?
Hmmm... Because this is the last question I should come up with something witty. But unfortunately I can't name one.

Interview by Vincent Lefrançois - 2006