We're all a product of our environment. Tell us about the
band's hometown and how that reflects in the music?
We tend to put Turku as our hometown in all our bios an so
on, but all of us in the band have our roots in the region of Ostrobothnia
where we crew up in/or close to the towns of Vaasa, Pietarsaari and Kokkola. We
all moved to Turku
to study and that's where the band formed in the fall of 2011. I think our
music is a product of both the fact that Ostrobothnia is kind of the bible-belt
of Finland and that Turku has a strong
underground/alternative scene. Some of us comes from religious homes with
strong opinions on heavy music, we fought the battle of metal being satans
music and so on. These topics tend to show in some of our lyrics (witchcoven as
an example) and it is a personal source for inspiration much like other
subjects that religion condemns. So that is a big part of the background that
has shaped us, the other part is the local scene in Turku which has a healthy
DIY spirit and a great net of people working together and easily getting along
with other bands and venues. There's many bands in Turku that opened up our eyes for stoner rock
when we first came here, musical styles that was not really present in our
hometowns. Turku
is where we came in contact with other sub-genres of heavy rock and really
became interested in this sort of music and sounds. So lyrics/themes
Ostrobothnia and Turku
the sound and concept of what the music was going to be, combine these two and
you'll get Craneium.
/Andreas
Where'd the band name come from?
We didn't really have a name until we embarked on a mountain
climbing-quest just outside of Turku.
It was in the middle of the winter and we were determined to walk up that
mountain, light a fire and hold a ritual for our dark lor..no wait, to grill
some sausages and drink some beers (ööli e no entå bäst). Anyhow, we started to
make some suggestions as to what the band name should be and we came up with
Craneium. We thought we'd go with something that was not really clear as to
what it meant but at the same time could
have many meanings. Crane which is a majestic bird and also a machine suited
the stonervibe perfectly, we then added the IUM and got Craneium. It turned out
people didn't quite get the connection and just though of it as a head,
skeleton..aka cranium, haha, but it's ok, the music is the most important part
of the band.
/Andreas
You now write for a music publication (The Ripple Effect?).
You're going to write a 1,000 word essay on one song. Which would it be and
why?
I would choose Gardenia by Kyuss, for me this is the
ultimate stonerrock anthem and it was among the first stonerrock bands I really
got into. The opening riff is just beyond everything else, so groovy, heavy and
meditative that you just have to put everything aside as you turn into one of
those transdimentional space goats people keep posting memes of when a riff is
reeeally good. Other songs in this category would be Sleeps Dragonaut or Holy
Mountain and Truckfighters Desert Cruiser, that first time you hear them, you
just can't begin to comprehend the heavy-ness and how those riffs just crawl
under your skin, the melodies are so addictive yet some very simple, it's all
in the attitude and groove.
/Andreas
What piece of your music are particularly proud of?
I would say I'm the most proud of the last track on our
album: Ceasing To Exist. This was my first attempt at writing anything
stoner-ish back in 2011 when I joined the band, they had started as a power
trio some months earlier. The song starts out with a simple melody that builds
up and then clashes into some fuzzy riff-rocking. It was played as an
instrumental track at our first gig, but then we put it back on the shelf for a
couple of years, until Martin suddenly brought in the idea for the clean verse
and the lyrics during one practice. We had always felt we needed to complete
the track. Over the year and a half that followed we played it during live gigs
and it evolved into the version found on the record. As it had the melody that
goes on through the whole song I knew I wanted something melodic for the solo
as well, which I think turned out pretty good. The acoustic ending was
something that we added in the last minute, I fooled around with playing slide
at home and noodled along that melody and it hit me that it could be a great
acoustic piece as well, or why not both. So I added the melody once again
acoustically in the end with some chords, some slide guitar and a little
guitar-bowing á la Page. I think the dynamic of the music suits the title well,
in the end it fades away slowly until only the melody remains, and then ceases
to exist.
/Andreas
What have been your musical epiphany moments?
For me personally punk really opened my eyes. When I started
to get my own taste in music I listened to rock and metal a lot. At the end of
and after high school I got in to more punk based music. What I liked about it
was exactly what I love about the stoner scene. These things are DIY ethics and
the fact that great music doesn’t have anything to do with how good of a
musician you are. I know it sounds cliché but to me music with roots in punk is
more real. Craneium is not a punk band. But I think we all appreciate the
realness that comes from punk. Nobody dresses up for a show and missing a note
on stage due to headbanging is not necessarily a negative thing.
/Joel
What makes a great song?
Since I am a drummer I should say something about drums. And
sometimes drums can be insanely important to a song. Just listen to what Oscar
Johansson does on Witchcrafts album Legend or on some of the Truckfighters
songs he plays on. If we talk stoner rock and doom, and maybe we should, I look
for a few things. Riffs that are so heavy that you get a nosebleed. Listen to
the song Squidman by Skraeckoedlan for an example. And remember a heavy riff is
heavy even played on an acoustic guitar. Something weird sounding, scary or
hypnotic can also make me love a stoner rock or doom song. There are so many
examples with bands like Jex Thoth, Mars Red Sky or even Electric Wizard. Also
sound is a big thing to me. When I listen to the Monolord song Cursing The One
I can’t stop thinking about how fucking awesome the sound is.
/Joel
Whiskey or beer? And defend your choice
I have to choose beer even though I love a whiskey now and
then. Where we come from in Finland
there is an old saying that goes “Öli e jo entå bäst”. Idioms are hard to
translate and my English is not good so I should not even try. But the essence
of it is that we as humans come across many things in life and even though the
choices can be many the best and most fulfilling paths go through beer.
Preferably loads of it.
/Joel
Tell us about the first song you ever wrote?
Our first song was called Iron Giant. It’s a fast-paced
track, sort of like a more punked-up Fu Manchu song about a crane that
demolishes a city. It was featured on our limited cassette release ”The
Slowerdrive Tapes”. We wrote that song when we were still a power trio.
/ Axel
Vinyl, CD, or digital? What's your format of choice?
Vinyl everyday! People will always tell you the same clichés
- ”with vinyl you actually listen to the whole album”, and ”the sound is so
much warmer”, or ”the artwork looks best in vinyl-size”. Those clichés are
completely true.
Digital is nice too. I’ve discovered SO many great bands
through Spotify. It’s ridiculous how much music you can get in touch with these
days, which of course has a downside to it too.
CD’s should just disappear. No one need's them any more.
/ Axel
Tell us about playing live and the live experience for you
and for your fans?
Playing live is what we’re all about. When you wake up in
the morning knowing that you have a gig that night is the best feeling in the
world. Our music has a lot of energy and it makes you sweat for it on stage. We
always play at 110%, no matter the venue. I remember a particular gig in a
small town in the ”bible belt”. We played there on Good Friday in the easter.
The crowd unanimously chanted ”Hail Satan” when we finished. It felt dangerous.
At the same gig some guy had donated 200 euros to our band just to support what
we’re doing. We’re so grateful for that.
/ Axel
Talk to us about the song-writing process for you. What
comes first, the idea? A riff? The lyrics? How does it all fall into place?:
The songwriting process is really different from song to
song. Sometimes someone brings in a complete concept and other times we stitch
together music from ideas we haven´t been able to use before. Everything is
tried 1000 times in the rehearsal space, though. I think our strenght is the
interaction between four very different musicians....so we we just exorcise the
songs through rehearsing!
/Martin
Where do you look for continuing inspiration? New ideas, new
motivation?
Everyone has their own sources...films, books, the news I
guess. Personally I look for inspiration in other bands that we get to meet.
What really keeps me going is taking inspiration from people whose bands have
gotten a little bit further than us – they show you that it´s possible. No use
in looking at Metallica for example, rock will never be that big again. But it
thrives among a lot of kickass people in the world, and that makes me happy
/ Martin
Come on, share with us a couple of your great, Spinal Tap,
rock and roll moments?
Once when we played Stockholm
our roadie was given speed by members of a profilic swedish doom band (no names
mentioned) and disappeared for 12h. He showed up the next day..wearing thongs.
Oh, and a guy was slamdancing with a friday 13th hockey mask on during that
same gig. And I had forgotten all my pedals in Finland. Good thing that I could
borrow from Andreas wide arsenal, haha.
/Martin
Who today, writes great songs? Who just kicks your ass? Why?
Lots of bands! I like songwriting that catches you off
guard, regardless of genre. Baroness, Kvelertak, Dunbarrow, Dungen, Oranssi
Pazuzu....the good records of this world are too many for anyone to ever be
able to find
/ Martin
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