Exclusive Interview With EAST ELECTRIC

East Electric is a Finnish rock band from Helsinki that creates intense music that combines personal expression with powerful guitar walls. The band, which is led by Jocke Levälampi, a familiar face from The Voice of Finland 2021, combines members from different backgrounds to create a captivating brew of modern alternative and blues rock from the 1970s. Both their overall sound and individual tracks are characterized by their versatility. Check out the exclusive interview below:

1. Did you have any formal training or are you self-taught?

EAST ELECTRIC: We are mostly self taught, but as we have all played in several bands prior to this, the school of “hard rocks” have taught us a trick or three.

2. Who were your first and strongest musical influences and why the name ‘EAST ELECTRIC?

EAST ELECTRIC: We all have different influences, but that is one of our strengths. We all meet at a very interesting and creative centerpoint. No idea is off the table. Some bands/artists that we find ourselves going back to are for instance Foo Fighters, Led Zeppelin, Chris Cornell. The name East Electric came almost from a challenge. We had a looong list of ideas with winners like “Duck the Ducks” or “Wembley Lawnmower” , but voted it down to East Electric. The thing was, this name didn’t really have any kind of charge to it (pun intended). It isn’t wild, controversial, an odd joke, it just kind of is. So, we made a challenge. We will make this name stand out and make it our own.

3. What do you feel are the key elements in your music that should resonate with listeners, and how would you personally describe your sound?

EAST ELECTRIC: Our songs are made with the sense that the audience is a part of it. The songs don’t feel complete until we have an audience feeling and filling that song with us. We want the riffs to make them move and the lyrics to spark their imagination. Energy. That’s the best way of describing our sound when we play together. It’s this soul of rock n’ roll and playfulness, that just turns into a very firm energy.

4. Do you feel that your music is giving you back just as much fulfillment as the amount of work you are putting into it or are you expecting something more, or different in the future?

EAST ELECTRIC: We have hopes and goals, like any band. Gigs big enough to fit our sound and energy, but there is no denying that we love what we do. Even if those gigs would never come, we would still be playing away in whatever garage or basement we find ourselves in and be happy.

5. On the contrary, what would you consider a successful, proud or significant point in your life or music career so far?

EAST ELECTRIC:

We hope there will be many of them in the future, but the one thing that we feel proud about is that we have played and made music long enough that now we can enjoy the process. In the beginning there is so much pressure that you add there yourself with hopes and expectations, but now we really feel like we can just enjoy the process and experience, and that’s awesome!

6. For most artists, originality is first preceded by a phase of learning and, often, emulating others. What was this like for you? How would you describe your own development as an artist and music maker, and the transition towards your own style, which is known as ROCK?

EAST ELECTRIC: At this point in all of our different musical journeys, we have definitely found this deep respect for the music that made us. It’s almost impossible for us not to emanate that respect and tribute when we play. We all started very much the same way, in garages and basements working hard on making our ears bleed. Some of us have been writing music since the start and other playing covers, so that has really helped give us a wide perspective. But the thing that really always kept us going was playing live. It’s the thing that has pushed us to work hard on our music and make it as good as we can.

7. What’s your view on the role and function of music as political, cultural, spiritual, and/or social vehicles – and do you try and affront any of these themes in your work, or are you purely interested in music as an expression of technical artistry, personal narrative, and entertainment?

EAST ELECTRIC: We believe that any music, or art for that matter, will be affected by the listener. They add their emotions and perspectives to it. And that’s great, that’s how it should be. Our songs always come from somewhere, some story or idea that we want to express, but we try to leave it open enough that there is room for the listener to add themselves to the song. We want the audience to rock with us, not in front of us.

8. Could you describe your creative processes? How do usually start, and go about shaping ideas into a completed song? Do you usually start with a tune, a beat, or a narrative in your head? And do you collaborate with others in this process?

EAST ELECTRIC: Usually the guitarist fires out short ideas he has and the rest just react to that, and let it develop from there. Every idea doesn’t end up becoming a final song, but we always give them a chance and might find bits that work in other songs. But we do like to change things up, try different methods just to see what they can bring. Sometimes it’s writing the lyrics or song melody first, or just talking about what we want a song to do (make people sing along, make them dance, surprise them) and then building on that. Making music together still feels fresh to us, and we want to keep it that way.

9. Do you think is it important for fans of your music to understand the real story and message driving each of your songs, or do you think everyone should be free to interpret your songs in their own personal way?

EAST ELECTRIC: In a good horror movie you barely see the monster, because the viewer’s imagination is ten times more effective than any special effect. I think that it is important for the listener to understand where we are coming from, narratively speaking. Always made me sad to hear about songs that people completely misunderstood like Born in the USA or Every breath you take. I mean the artist will too often feel like they failed somehow. But at the same time, that’s how music has always been and should be. The listener should be able to feel the song their way.