In its ten-year existence, Sub-Urban Tribe has avoided being labeled in the Finnish rock scene. Past recordings portray a band that shuts out unambiguous musical formats; instead of following trends, The Tribe has been a leader in its own league.
For the past two years, the band has kept a low profile. Janne Joutsenniemi - driving force in the band - says that it is better to stay low and come out strong, instead of running on empty. The band has also done some serious self-examination. "In order to develop, one has to be able to take greater chances to find the true potential in the band," says Joutsenniemi, referring to the vocalist change in the band.
Sub-Urban Tribe is patiently working on their new album due this coming fall. Ville, the new singer in the band, has previously sung with Kyyria. Says Joutsenniemi, "Having Ville back in the band closes one of our chapters; all the original members are now back in the band." Ville wasn't the only choice for a lead singer; 12 singers were heard before the band made its decision. "It was a mad-dog session", laughs Jotsenniemi. "Of course Ville being back in the band has changed us musically. One might say that our music has become a bit more energetic, and surely our stagepresence will be stronger. I must say that before Ville joined in, the mood at the rehearsal studio was going down."
"What really separates us from other metalbands is probably our lyrics. We're not living in the Dark Ages, cultivating f-words all over the place. I guess we can't write about anything else but the difficulties of people living together," Joutsenniemi laughs.
The first single from their upcoming fall release is "Watching You", a captivating piece with a touch of soul and pop, yet firmly avoiding being too trendy. Joutsenniemi feels pity for record company marketing people who are trying to describe the band with a few quality sentences. He sees the new material moving in the direction of a specific format. Then again, the statement hides a grin pointing to self-irony. Currently recording in the studio, the band is working on 15 songs, selected from a vast amount of material. "There's a lot of spectrum in the songs, and maybe a third of them will be left out from the album. So, the final contents of the album are yet to be seen. We still need to decide which songs work well together. But I feel good about the material. I believe in it."
It Isn't only the Sub-Urban Tribe which believes in their material. The band had previously been in direct negotiations with international labels. Various labels in central europe got interested, but the band chose to join forces with EMI Finland. Joutsenniemi feels thankful for the "child-like enthusiasm" that EMI Finland has shown to the band. Further, Germany showing interest has broadened the band's horizon.
"Of course we like to play in Finland, but our aim has always been to perform abroad. It's tough to claim that we wouldn't want to go abroad, since we sing in English. We just want to be realistic about it! It's not that we're trying to become 'Bon Jovi'. Our music is still a step away from mainstream... Taking that planets are in our favor, a moderate success is always possible. I'd be happy if this album would sell, say, twice as much as our current sales. I still feel that people who have listened our new material are setting their expectations quite high," says Joutsenniemi with content.
Although Sub-Urban Tribe does not allow itself musical compromises in order to succeed, and although the band has withdrawn in to the backwoods of Hollola to create their new material, Joutsenniemi doesn't want to build the myth of a band that is an introspective art community. "I can't wait to get out and play live shows with the band. We haven't toured in two years, and gigs are the best thing about this business anyway. I can't say that working in the studio is actually fun...! I mean, we're having a hell of a good time together, but one has to work hard, too," says Joutsenniemi who also produces the album.
"But now there's something to look forward to, something to believe in, and something to dream about. As for myself, I can't run on empty - that would be the most stupid thing to do. One has to move in some direction. I like moving forward..."
Their self-titled album was released in Finland in the beginning of October and this masterpiece climbed directly to the top 10 on the album charts. First single out of the album was ”Frozen Ashes” and peaked at #1 on the finnish single chart along with power play on all major radio stations in Finland. Furthermore, the ”Frozen Ashes” –video was awarded as the best rock video by Jyrki Video Awards. It has just entered MTV Nordic rotation.
"Oil And Water” was the second single out of the album and was released in Finland on the 19th of November.
Releases in the rest of Scandinavia are on their way and the release in most parts of Scandinavia is set at the 4th of February, 2002. There will be a very strong coverage of the band in german media – the band will get their act on the road to Germany again in April 2002. The first german tour with Oomph! in September 2001 was a great success, so with the new album out the band are ready take germany by a storm!
