My band in Doses

My beloved debut album "Doses" will be released on 16th March 2012;

that's 22 days from now & today it's 22nd February. Isn't it magical? Oh yeah! 22 on 22.2. ;-)

Two has always been my favourite number. It symbolizes togetherness. That's why today is the perfect day to introduce the musicians who play with me on "Doses" and from time to time also live on stage.

Fellow musicians

I met all these guys in Jyväskylä between 2002-2006. In those times Jyväskylä was a nest of creative Finnish musicians.

Antti Kujanpää 

Instrument: keyboards

Graduated from Sibelius Academy, Helsinki

Plays in: Kvalda, Yona & Orkesteri Liikkuvat pilvet, Big Blue, Auteur Jazz, Rime, Aili Ikonen Ensemble etc.

I met Antti in December 2002. It was Christmas party in the "living-room of Jyväskylä's musicians", Jazzbar, and annual awards for musicians handed over. Antti received the award of "musician of the year" and I can remember how humble and shy he was.

Anders Banders aka Mr. Anderson is a kind-hearted guy and one of the best nordic jazz and free jazz pianists. Check out his music, he writes beautiful serene compositions!

Joona Hasan

Instrument: guitar

Graduated from Metropolia, Helsinki 

Plays in: Anna ja me, Linda Tikkanen and many more

Joona brought cool jazzy grooves to Tune Toaster but he surprised me how well he can interprete my pop songs. He has the perfect combination of analytical and at the same time emotional approach to music.

Joona is without a doubt the most talkative man in Finland :-D and he sure knows how to crack a nice sarcastic joke. Apart from that, he's like a walking encyclopedia.

Lauri Lähteenkorva

Instrument: bass

Graduated from Metropolia, Helsinki

Plays in: Anna ja me, Elina Orkoneva Ensemble and many more

Lauri played in Tune Toaster in 2006 and that's where I got to know him. He didn't say much but man he played well!

He creates fine groove for my music and I admire his diligent mentality and musicianship. If he wasn't a musician he would probably be a hermit, fishing in a secluded place.

Eeti Nieminen

Instrument: drums, percussions

Studying at Metropolia, Helsinki

Plays in: Mopo, Eva & Manu, Linda Tikkanen etc.

I met Eeti for the first time probably in 2005 in Jyväskylä but I properly heard him play the drums some years later in a jam session in Helsinki. I immediately thought it would be great to have him in the band because he puts feeling into the beat.

He is at his best in the hard core jazz punk avant-garde band, Mopo, check it out!

Heini Ikonen

Instrument: backing vocals, violin

Studying at Metropolia, Helsinki

Plays in: Dolla Lova, Yona ja Orkesteri liikkuvat pilvet etc.

Heini is a real sweetheart, enthusiastic chick with good sense of humour. The moment I met her I could tell she has passion for hip hop, soul and r&b. I got to know Heini better in 2006 when I was studying at the conservatory in Jyväskylä. She was awarded the "newcomer of the year" - and for a good reason. I can remember her voice was very soulful already then. She was only sixteen and sounded like Mary J. Blige's sister :-)

All photos by Michaela Kei

Tuuli Ikonen

Instrument: backing vocals, flute

Studying at Metropolia, Helsinki

Plays in: Tuuli Ikonen, Satureja etc.

I've known Tuuli Muuli for more than eight years now and she's my dear friend. It feels like there is a mysterious side to her that I don't understand, which is kind of cool :-)

I have always looked up to Tuuli's musicianship. During her studies in Boston she sang with Bobby McFerrin! She plays many instruments and creates wonderful songs, check them out! 

By the way Tuuli's voice is like honey not only when she sings but also when she laughs. Tuuli and Heini are the ultimate laughing sisters in stereo. I'm considering recording their laugh on my next album ;-)

So these are the cool dudes and gals who play with me. I love them lots!

In addition, six guest musicians play on "Doses". Stay tuned, the album will be out soon.

Oh, I can't wait, only 22 days to go!

Lucie

P.S. Congratulations to the winners of the competition - Janne (from Helsinki) and Timo (from Tampere) - Doses are on their way.

The story behind "Miners"

Many listeners have asked me what the song Miners is actually about and how the music video relates to the lyrics.

Miners is indeed not an ode celebrating coal mining. I use ’miners’ and ’coal’ as metaphor because I grew up in a mining region. Coal is deep down underground and it takes lots of hard work to get it out just like bad memories and experiences.
The song is dedicated to all victims of domestic child abuse worldwide. The lyrics are written from the perspective of a grown-up who is remembering their childhood and trying to forgive their parent(s) for their abusive behaviour. I know a couple of people who experienced domestic violence mainly in the form of verbal humiliation and psychological terror when they were kids. They all agree that the experience left scars and affects their adult life even now. I wrote the lyrics inspired by how courageously these people deal with the past traumas and move on.

’Miners’ are a symbol of inner strength and that’s why they are invisible in the music video. In fact, the video is a continuation of the lyrics. It is about sending out a message and raising awareness.
 
It's the 21st century but children are still abused, yelled at, beaten and punished irrationally like it was Middle Ages. I would like to do more than just write songs about it but I wonder how can domestic child abuse ever be discovered. I guess I cannot walk through streets and watch families frantically thinking which parents could be aggressive at home. Living in Finnish culture I hardly ever see parents raging to their kids publicly. Here people give each other so much personal space and privacy that even thinking about what’s happening in someone’s home is a taboo. Domestic violence is not related to social status and it does happen in ”better” families as well.

It is obvious different cultures have different thresholds when it comes to child abuse. In Helsinki, passengers on a metro train give disapproving looks when a parent is nervous and raises their voice at a child whereas in some parts of the world children are beaten on a daily basis (not to mention they probably work in a factory). Focusing on the area where I live, it seems quite challenging to help anyone I suspect is abused. If I ever feel suspicious about something like that happening in my neighbours’ home, will I have the guts to report it? Listening to the stories of people who grew up being mistreated I say to myself I wish there had been someone to call 112 for them.

Can we act to stop an abusive parent? Is it fair to judge what is happening in other people’s homes? How can we know exactly what is happening? Are parents allowed to hit their own children? These questions don't vanish by paying a monthly contribution to Unicef.

Here are a few websites answering these kinds of questions:
Child Abuse and Neglect – Myths and Facts about child abuse and neglect
Speaking for those who can’t: One child international
Unicef - Behind Closed Doors

It is possible to make an anonymous phone call to organizations like One Child International  (in Finland we have for example Mannerheim League for Child Welfare) and report that there is something wrong with the family next door. But who really takes action like that? Who labels their neighbour a violent pervert? Probably someone who is 100% sure. Let's imagine we report someone: after our anonymous phone call, social workers pay the neighbours a visit and investigate the case. What if they find out that the child is fine, the family is lovely and the sounds of beating and shouting we have been hearing are just some kind of  video game or a violent movie? We might feel stupid but the most important thing is we made sure that the child is safe. There is an unpleasant aspect to this, though. After being reported, the neighbours might face disgrace and rumors that they are bad parents, and because they don’t know who reported them to the social workers, they start hating all their neighbours and probably co-workers and teachers, just in case. So one phone call of help and peace can actually generate lots of hate. Do we want to risk this kind of drama? It is indeed a dilemma. But isn't it much more difficult for the victims to speak out?

According to Unicef, as many as 275 million children worldwide are exposed to violence in their homes, so we should at least consider taking action. We might go wrong but there is a chance we could actually help someone and free them from hell. It's not like we should spy on our neighbours but I think we could care more! Do you? 

“The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.”  
- Albert Einstein

Let's not leave it here, let's do something before those 275 million souls need miners to dig out their bad memories! It can be something as trivial as talking to our friends and listening to what they have to share about their childhood.

- Lucie

Here it is … Miners

Miners, the pilot single from my debut album ”Doses”, is out now!

With a brand new music video it feels like only now the song is complete.

*Competition*

Question: One lady appearing in the Miners music video plays in my band. Which one is it, what is her name and what instrument (which instruments) does she play?

Answers: send an e-mail with your answer to lucie@lucieniemela.com.

Deadline: 19th February 2012

Winners: from the correct answers I will randomly pick 2 winners because 2 is my favourite number.

There is a sweet prize: two lucky winners will get my debut album ”Doses” before it’s even in stores! So don’t hesitate, watch the video and compeeeeeeete!

Message in a bottle

I’ve been asked a lot what the video is about. It is open to interpretation and I am very interested in the listeners’ opinions.  You can add them to your competition e-mails if you like. :-)

For me, the story of the music video tells of sending messages that are difficult to be said aloud. Miners itself carries a message that is very important to me and that we shouldn’t be quiet about. I will write more about it next time. I’m talking about the topic in the clip below.

 

Dear fellow citizens, if something is bothering you, don’t hold it in. Let it motivate you to create new things so it doesn't develop into a real trouble that will not leave you and you will need Miners to dig it out of your head.

Coal-less mind to everyone!

♥  Lucie