Interviews: Orbiter

On this new occasion, we have had the opportunity to interview the Psychedelic Doom Metal band, Orbiter from Finland. Check out the interview and follow the band on their FACEBOOK PAGE.

C: Carolin Koss (vocals)

A: Alexander Meaney (guitars)

T: Tuomas Talka (bass guitar)

S: Sami Heiniö (drums)

1. Where did you get the idea for the band name, you planned it or came out just like that?

A: It was definitely a process. When we were first starting out, we tried out a few names, both serious and silly, but nothing really sat. Eventually, Jere, who used to play rhythm guitar in the band, came up with Phantom Orbiter. I have no idea how that actually originated, but we then swiftly just dropped the Phantom, as Orbiter felt simple and powerful on its own.

2. Why did you want to play this genre?

T: I slowly grew into liking doom metal and stoner metal so that I realized that I like this kind of music very much, around the same time that I realized that I was playing it in a band! We were experimenting with styles within stoner rock and psychedelic rock and such and then it somehow naturally went in that direction. I guess our first song “Oneironaut” that we finished in the original Orbiter formation, paved the path to the doom metal direction.

A: I’ve been listening to Black Sabbath since I was 15, and I learned to play guitar by studying Sabbath (and Metallica) riffs, so that style is deep in my backbone. Sometime later, in my twenties, I discovered bands like Kyuss and Sleep, and I knew this is a genre that I truly enjoy playing.

3. Did you know each other before the band was formed?

T: I knew Alexander from university and also from my previous band with him. Alexander and Sami also knew each other from a previous band that had disbanded a few years earlier. We found Carolin then through a website for musicians to connect with each other.

4. Each band member's favorite band?

A: Jane’s Addiction

T: Black Sabbath

C: Hard to name one when there are so many, but if I have to, it's Radiohead.

S: Creedence Clearwater Revival

5. Who or what inspires you to write songs?

T: I guess it’s life in general with both the beauty and ugliness of it that inspires the songwriting. At least when talking of my perspective to the composing of music. It’s a mixture of intuition and what I have learned from my favorite bands that comes alive as riffs and eventually songs.

C: When I write lyrics I take inspiration from my own internal processes, pondering about the world, spiritual occurrences and philosophical concepts.

A: Hearing interesting songs, arrangements and sonic textures by brilliant musicians inspires me to create something myself.

6. Where was your last gig?

T: We just played a gig at a legendary venue called Vastavirta-Klubi in Tampere, Finland. It was our first time in this particular venue and based on that evening, we will definitely return!

7. Where would you like to act?

T: Where would we like to play? There are many fascinating venues out there but I would really like to see Orbiter performing one day in that old church at Høstsabbat festival in Oslo, Norway.

A: I’d love to do a tour in Japan.

8. Whom would you like to feature with?

T: It would be really great to share the stage with Messa or Boris. If any of you happen to read this interview, let’s organize a show together!

C: Nick Cave

A: Sleep and Boris!

9. Whom not?

T: We haven’t met yet any musicians in our scene at least, with whom we wouldn’t come along.

10. Have any of you ever suffered from stage fright? Any tips for beginners on how to beat that?

C: Somehow I don't remember a real proper stage fright, probably because my dad encouraged me onto the stage from a very early age on. It's good to be somewhat prepared and know your lyrics and singing parts, but also learn to let go and improvise when things aren't going as planned. I do feel nervous sometimes and other times it can be so hectic before a gig that you don't even have time to get nervous, but just make sure the in-ears are in, shoes are on, woolen socks are off and casual clothes are replaced by your stage outfit. I often even feel that the stage can be the most relaxing and healing place I know, where you can just freely express yourself and be. So my tip is, if you want your kids to become rock stars, put them on the stage as soon as they can talk and walk, and imagine the stage as the most cleansing place on earth.

11. What bands have inspired you the most?

T: As years go by, the list of inspiring bands just gets bigger and bigger and even though I don’t spend time with most of the inspirations of my childhood and teenage years, they have definitely defined the path for my musicianship. For me, these early inspirations have definitely been Black Sabbath, Metallica, Iron Maiden, and Megadeth.

C: Muse, Radiohead, Pink Floyd, Nick Cave, Rammstein

A: Hard and heavy bands like Jane’s Addiction, Kyuss, Sleep, Sabbath, Alice In Chains, Mastodon, and Led Zeppelin keep inspiring me year after year. The great thing about those bands is that they also have a sensitive aspect in their music, so there’s a balance of light and dark. Recently, I’ve also been really getting inspired by Pink Floyd and Funkadelic.

12. What's the weirdest thing a fan has ever asked you for?

C: I can’t remember any weird things a fan has asked me for but rather a thing that a fan has done. At a gig in Kuopio, there was a slightly drunk fan cheering in the audience. During our song In Echoes, he started taking off his clothes. I usually walk out into the audience space about half-way of the song, but then the guy stripped himself more and more naked right in front of the stage. I tried to quickly run through backup plans in my head while singing and just when the part came, where I was about to walk through the audience, the guy almost took his underpants off. But then the security guard came and carried him away and I was able to walk through the audience as usual.

13. What do you think of your fans?

T: Our fans mean very much to us. We of course do this music because we like what we do, but a great deal of the meaningfulness of this all, especially playing live shows, comes from our fans.

C: They are absolutely amazing and down to earth!

A: It’s definitely both humbling and inspirational when our fans have told us how they have been moved by our music. They’re brilliant!

14. What do you think of our site?

T: It’s important that there are sites like The Breathing Core that bring up music from outside the mainstream.

15. Something to add?

A: Stay hydrated and listen to Black Sabbath!