Rattus

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Interview : Jake from Rattus

When and how was your band created?
Me and VP, the drummer, started to play together at 1978. We started with covers songs of punk bands like The Damned and Sex Pistols. After playing some weeks we asked Tomppa to join the band and first he was not very interested of the thought. Then we asked him to come and listen our playing and we played The Damned´s New Rose to him. Right away he told us that he would join the band.

Where is the name of the band coming from?
It comes from the album of The Strangles, Rattus Norveigicus. We took the first word Rattus Which is latin and means a rat.

What musicians or artists did have a major influence in your life / work?
First there was The Damned, Sex Pistols, The Stranglers, The Clash, Stiff little fingers and so on. When we heard the band called Discharge we found our spirit from HC punkrock.

What are the positive and negative aspects of being a musician in Finland?
Our kind of band cannot live only for music. There is not enought crowd for buying records or come to see gigs. Good point is cos of that we can do the music we want to and we don´t have to think of our living. We couldn´t live with our music. So we have the money for living somewhere else and our music we can do as we want to.

How could you define your style of music?
Nowadays it is Punk/HC punk with metal aspects.

During the years how has your musical style changed?
First we played punk rock. Then we found Hc punk and after few years we turned to play metal. That didn´t go very well and we split after 10 years playing. After 13 years we formed again and went back to punk and hc punk.

How do explain these changes?
It was kind of process which we wanted to do. We thought it would be stupid to play year after year only one style of music.

What are topics you treat in your songs?
Anti war, Anti violence, respecting the life, respecting a person, freedom and we want to kick business´s, which goes over sense, ass.

What is your favorite song in your repertoire and why?
There is not any song which goes over some other. I think the new songs we recorded latelty are very fun to play to all of us.

Do you actually prefer performing your music live or in a studio?
The best way to make our songs alive and lots of power in them is when we play them live.

During the process of making a song, what is the moment that you prefer?
When i have got the lyrics ready for the song and found out that the music and lyrics fits well together.

A stupid question but... what is among all the songs you've been listening in your life the BEST song?
Yeah, heh heh... I have to say two: Led Zeppelin -Black Dog and The Sex Pistols -Bodies. There are about hundred of more for to say.

What is your opinion, as a musician, regarding internet?
I can see lots of theats with internet. In the end could be that it costs more troubles than helps the life itself.

What are your projects?
There is a new released album of Rattus. We are doing new songs at the moment hoping we could go to studio next year for to record them.

What "image" do you have of French music?
Emotional and light

Is there one French song that you prefer? If so, what song is it?
Celine Dion ( heh heh, sorry). There was a singer called Plastic Bertrand (hope the name is right) and he sang French but I think he was from Belgium. Sorry, I cannot tell any at this point.

Interview by Vincent Lefrançois - 2006