It wasn't easy living in a little place like Keminmaa or Tornio. For a annoying little smartass like Jarno-Erik was, it was terrible. Playing ice hockey and football, or at least trying, could have been the easy thing to do. But it wasn't that fun.
When he became older, he had another option: playing Metallica in a band. That wasn't fun either because everyone was doing that already. Life sure seemed boring, and it would have been the perfect time to start sniffing glue and gasoline, like some of his friends discovered. Luckily granpa bought a piano for him.
It took some years, a few bands, many instruments and computer programs (and unfortunate relationships probably) to find out his way with music. It was called Erik & The Roses From Outerspace. It was weird, not quite pop, not rock, not progressive nor electro. It was something between. Songs were kinda catchy, but there was still something missing.
But then, in year 2005 in Oulu, he met another young man, with much more experience in bands and recording studios, and passion with indie music. Teemu helped him to start a new band for his songs. At the beginning it was called Flux Liner, (a re-engineered alien spacecraft) later it was to be known as At The End.
Their first three song ep "Cycle" was recorded in March 2006 with keyboardist Jussi Kauppila, drummer Petri Myllykangas and bassist Marko Tirkkonen. It sounded pretty good, and was considered by Jussi Ruusila in Rumba's review as "one of the best debuts in 2006.
Antilove, a promotional single, recorded with Jussi Kauppila, bassist Aleksi Kastelli and drummer Teemu Mustonen, was released in spring 2007. It became the demo of the month in Soundi and Rumba.
But J-E still missed his loved ones; the computer programs that made his life more enjoyable for so many years. So in 2007 he made a decision. To move to Helsinki and bring back the electronic feel from his Erik & The Roses- project. Now the music sounds like it should sound. And that is awesome.
This is where we are now...
When asked about future releases Faarinen tells there is a high possibility a full sized album could be released around 2008. "I'm sure that the Album will come very soon, and it's more about 'from where' instead of 'if' it will be released". The songwriter with the band has been constructing the theme album for some time but won't yet reveal no more than the possible name for the product and how he came up with it.
"I was talking to my friend Billy, and I miss spelled the word violence as violins. I got hooked in the term 'Violins of Violence', as for me it includes the feelings of aggression and peace, pain and joy, and it fits on the lyrical background in major part of the songs we have".
It is true, as the songwriter influences his texts from the ongoing wars, conflicts and terror, the "other side" connected to ours by science, and other weird things some people consider scary and some don't even dare to think about.
"Of course these themes aren't completely forgotten in pop music, as we have some bands as Mars Volta and Radiohead, in example, who like to go little beyond the normal range of pop lyrics. But I think more attention needs to be payed in these views when separated, are a big disturbing nonsense, but when connected to another, can be symmetry".
DOWNLOAD XQ'S EP HERE
Download Cycle EP here!
Global Warming Scenario (Live @ Teatria, Oulu, 1.9.07)
