written by Marko Jakob
Pix666: Hello Nile. Thanks for your time. How are you doing these days, are you alive and well? How are the other guys of the band?
Nile: I’m doing pretty good considering there’s a global pandemic rioting around the world. All though my work did stop and my studies are only partially remaining the way they used to, I’ve had a lot of free time to work on other stuff and that includes St. Aurora.
Pix666: Please introduce your band to the readers in a few short sentences. What kind of music do you make?
Nile: St. Aurora is an alternative rock band from Helsinki, Finland. Our music is heavily inspider by 2000’s punkrock and pop-rock. We also have a lot of metal stuff in our tracks. We are all about being ourselves with capital letters and going bonkers.
Pix666: What was your inspiration to become a musician? Who are your idols? Were you in other bands before you joined St. Aurora?
Nile: I actually started off as a drummer in a punk band when I was about 16. I used to play the video game Rock Band on playstation with the drum controller and this one time I got behind a real kit and this other kid heard me play something I’d picked up from the game. He came up to me and asked if I had been playing the drums for long and I told him „this is like the first time I’m behind a real kit“ and he went „perfect, wanna be in a band?“ In that band we ended up all singing as we played and as time went on, I started to like singing more and the idea of being free on stage instead of some damn chair holding me. I always felt I could not move enough behind the kit (Walter ofcourse proved me wrong with his hammer hands) and when I got to stand with the mic I felt like I could go through the walls.
I used to look up to Travis Barker a whole lot when I started playing the drums and it has remained. He’s just a huge inspiration as a person, a thinker and a musician. Combining different genres and being fully open minded considering music of all kind. Also my biggest inspiration as a front man is of course the mighty Corry Taylor. He also inspires me lyrically. M Shadows and Jimmy „The Rev“ Sullivan of Avenged Sevenfold are a huge inspiration aswell.
After the punk band broke up, I got another band called the Infectionist which is still active. St. Aurora’s guitarist Oscar actually does guitar for Infectionist too.
Pix666: Did the other guys from St. Aurora also have experiences in other bands before?
Nile: Well sure! We all have a lot of bands behind us and some of them are still active. Ero has been in bands like Santa Cruz and Smokin‘ aces and he actually played in a band called Hollow Souls with Walter from St. Aurora. Walter still plays in a band called Blame me! and has been in several bands before. Sami plays in Johanna Von Hertzen’s band and has dozens of projects behind him. And as I said, me and Oscar are still with Infectionist.
Pix666: Some weeks ago the video clip ‚Falling (Just Another Way to Fly)‘ was released. Where did you shoot the clip? Who was part of the team and were there any complications during the shoot due to certain Corona restrictions?
Nile: The music video was filmed in an empty warehouse somewhere close to the Russian border. The whole thing was filmed by one dude with a camera and with a couple of light stands. That wizard of a man is Vin Valentino of Delta Enigma. He did an awesome job in such short time and I can’t thank him enough for the results.
As I said, there was only the band and Vin (and Ero’s pa who helped us with the equipment and fed us), so we didn’t actually have a lot of safety measures. We just had fun and forgot about the outer world for a few hours.
Pix666: How was the response to the song and the video from the fans so far?
Nile: Super cool! I enjoy the fact that a lot of people who don’t necessarily do music or know a lot about music have come to tell me they’ve kept it on repeat. I’m overly moved by every positive comment I get for our song, it means a whole lot.
Pix666: You are still a fairly new band. Are there already plans for further releases – Singles, an EP, or even a full St. Aurora album?
Nile: We are actually sitting on a few songs right now and are releasing an EP during the spring. After this package sees daylight, it’s off to the studios for new material that we’re already working on. We’ve got a bunch of new ideas and grooves and I can’t wait to show them to everybody!
Pix666: Are you already planning some 2021 concerts or does working on new songs have priority for now?
Nile: I guess we are mainly focusing on practising and writing at the moment but I could say it’s possible that we would throw a gig in summer but only if the situation in the world gets better. We need to work on new material and most importantly play together to find our joint groove and polish it to its finest form. I can’t wait to get up on stage with these guys.
Pix666: What is the current situation regarding the pandemic in Finland and especially the mood among the people?
Nile: It’s pretty unstable. The bars stay open and filled to the roof but all events are forbidden which makes us artists pretty mad. I’ve heard they are tightening up the restrictions again during the next couple of weeks. Some of us are pretty much used to the fact that somethings are not really doable right now, while others still seem like they never heard of the pandemic and think it’s a hoax. Beats me, I’mma still wear a mask in the subway.
Pix666: As a musician, you certainly spend most of your time creating music – but what else do you do in your free time when you want to get your mind off things – are there any interesting hobbies that you pursue? ?
Nile: I actually study acting in the University of Arts in Helsinki and that’s my main profession if you look through the papers. I also draw a lot and do freelance work making caricatures. I like the fact that if I get bored of some art form, I can switch into something different for a while and then it feels way better coming back to it. I’m also a huge video game enthusiast and in the summer I get around with a longboard.
Pix666: Do you have any other news, that you would like to share with the fans?
Nile: I hope everybody’s ready for what’s coming next, for Falling was merely the tip of the iceberg. You might want to start stretching. Stay safe, be careless and get bored, for nothing is ever created if we don’t. Cheers!
Pix666: Thank you very much for the interesting answers – Good luck with your music and stay healthy!!!
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photos © by Samuli Vienola
