by Brad Rose

I started writing songs when I was a teenager, 13 or 14 years old. I was really into Hardcore Punk. Playing badly and yelling. No friends, hated school, hated everybody, typical teenager. When I was about 16, I joined in a group called RYK. Did vocals and guitar. But, like most of the Punk bands back then, playing drunk and fighting was the "thing". So, I moved forward, and started a new group, called Candy Cane. And the story goes on and on.... So, I would say Candy Cane was my first REAL band. That's the band I've been working with the past 12 years.

Solo project Cahier, started in 2005. We were mixing CC's first full-length and some technical problems came up. While waiting problems being solved, I started to record Cahier. I wasn't thinking too much, just playing, recording and mixing parts together. Suddenly it all came together. And opppsss! Album was released. Hah.

Oh man... Well, I use most of my time messing around with Candy Cane. Writing songs, organizing live shows, updating website, etc. We're mixing all kind of music together, metal to jazz to klezmer to punk to rock to noize, etc. CC is an amazing group full of amazing people.

Then there is The Polka Dot Sunflower Bed Orchestra. Polka Dot is...well, a noizy group nowadays.

Body Odour is a project started by Jani Riihimaki (also a member in Polka Dot and sometimes in Candy Cane). Body Odour is a studio project, we don't play live.

And... Then there is a band called Kasvain. A fresh group. And that's all I’m gonna tell you....

And Cahier of course. That's about it...for now.

The cold weather and people with BAD music taste?? Hard to choose. Hmmm, well...maybe the melancholic kind of anger and frustration around. Hard to say. This is a dark country in my aspect.

Silence is my biggest inspiration.

When I started recording Cahier, I was reading French. I really wanted to learn the language, but when you have a time schedule as I do, there's no chance. But, I learned something. So, Cahier became my little “Frenchy adventure”, you know.

And yes, I love different languages. I have friends from Brasilia, France, Italy, Sweden, USA etc. When I write with them, I’m always curious about their language (or the local music scene). So, they give me little tips how to say, or write, this and that. So, nowadays I use their language to write them.

How many languages can I speak? Well, try me. Don't know.

Haven't decided yet. But I promise that there won't be an album called "Best of Jour Ouvrable".

Audiobot released Polka Dot's “Mini Hollywood”. After that, I contacted Carlo and told about what I was doing. He liked the stuff and wanted to released it. And now, two albums by Cahier is out on Audiobot! Short story, but hell of a good one.

Jani Riihimaki and Jukka Kujansivu started the whole thing. They recorded the first Polka Dot EP together. When I first heard it, I loved it! And when the first Polka Dot show was coming up, I was in it! After a couple of performances, we started to record “Mini Hollywood”. We did it really fast, and were suprised when we heard how much people liked the album.

The difference between Polka Dot and my other projects is simple. Polka Dot rehearses only when there's a show coming up. Plus, we write our songs when we record them. As simple as it is, it's all improvisation.

We started our set with a Burzum cover. So, go figure it out! We were the loudest group that night. It was fun. Yep, we met Larkin, shook hands and went away.

Yes. A Body Odour/Polka Dot split coming through EXCELLENT Foxglove (I didn't pay him to say this, I promise! -ed), sometime this year. And maybe a release through Sloow Tapes as well. We have a lot of unfinished material, and a lot of people asking about new Polka Dot stuff. So, we promise, the year 2007 is a Polka Dot year. Ok?

Mixing Candy Cane's second full-length “Fay-ra-Doowra” with Jani Riihimaki. It'll be out through Jukeboss Records, a Finnish label run by excellent people. Plus, I’m writing new material for the band and we're doing shows, etc., etc.

And...I just finished Cahier's “Jour Ouvrbale 3”, which will be out through Cut Hands (a new label from Netherlands, check it out!). Plus, as I mentioned, we're finishing some unfinished recordings with Polka Dot. And more, much more. I think this will be the most busiest year. Love it!

The biggest.

Play music, forget everything else.