Some time 1976, in a Finnish railroad town, south-eastern Finland, Kouvola
- also known for the remorseless reputed army base located nearby - the
first version of PEER GÜNT was beginning to form. The name comes from a
rose and it wasn’t until later that the band discovered, the Danish
playwright Ibsen had a play by almost the same name based on the Norwegian
composer Grieg’s music. Nevertheless, right from the beginning, the spine
of the band has been Timo Nikki. In his home town, he was also known as
the guy who used to play his guitar loud, with the window wide open,
through a stack of old tube valve radios as his amp.
T. Nikki, spicing it up with tasty bluesy slide, and roaring lead vocals;
Twist Twist Erkinharju and his legendary double kick drum kit, banging
the drums like it was the last day on earth and Tsöötz Kettula in bass
guitar - keeping the rhythm! Yet, just as the band had come together and
they enjoyed playing as a group Tsöötz was sent behind the bars for four
months for his disobedience against the national service, which he had
refused to do. However, when the trio had been formed no little obstacles
could split the band - Twist and Nikki knew to keep rehearsing until
Tsöötz was free to rock ’n’ roll again. Finally, when Tsöötz was released
he was full of determination and also sure that the band had a future if
they only wanted so. He made sure to get Peer Günt to participate in the
annual battle of the bands in 1984 with its final in Helsinki. He did this
regardless of the rest of the band’s resistance, who cynically believed
that the contest was only for pop bands.
At the time as the winning bands of the competition, starting from the
third place, were being announced Nikki had passed out backstage. Once the
band was accepted into the final they thought they would end up with the
third place. They were even surer about that after their turn on stage
thinking that they had played an awfully bad gig, knowing that the press
already had their own favourite. The press favouritism had gone to the
extent where a winner party for the favoured band had already been set up
before the results had been made public at a restaurant nearby the final.
However, when the results were announced for the third and second place
and the loudspeaker said that the winning band came from Kouvola, Twist
Twist and Tsöötz had to hurry to wake Nikki up for an encore. The band
that was expected to win was placed third. Therefore, Peer Günt got to
enjoy the party originally organised for the other band. Being gentlemen,
Nikki, Twist and Tsöötz made a point of congratulating the local, supposed
winner band, saying that they felt horrible about winning the contest, ha.
T. Nikki & Co. had found the recipe: "Slide blues based hard rock ’n’ roll
with the speed of an express train". Their first album bearing simply the
band name"Peer Günt"was released in1985. Consequently, the album tells
what Peer Günt’s world is made of. Featuring the songs "Fuck the Jazz",
"Bad Girls", "Wild Women", "Big Tits" etc. The opening track "I Don’t
Wanna be a Rock ’n’ Roll Star" has always been the motto of the members of
the band. In the end of 1985, Peer Günt went into the Euros studio for the
second time to record a single. But why make a single if you can make it a
mini album? So, the legendary "Through the Wall" minialbum featuring
songs as "She was Here for the Rock ’n’ Roll", "Red Chevy", "Loosing My
Mind" etc was released. Summer 1986, the band released their second album
titled "Backseat" , which climbed up to the top of the Finnish charts
immediately. This album, that sold gold, is known for the evergreen
classics such as "Backseat", "Let Her In", "Bad Boys are Here", "I Take
Your Money (and Honey)","Hole in the Door’, as well as "Liquor and Drugs".
1987, just prior to all the summer festivals, Peer Günt released their
third full-length album "Good Girls Don’t" with songs such as "Midnight
Train", "Bartender", "Let the Boys Run the Business", "Boys Got Rhythm",
"Years on the Road", "Good Girls Don’t Drink Whiskey" etc. Just in time
for the Christmas (’88) rush, a new album titled "Fire Wire" was
released. Including classics, such as "Fat Girls", "Moses on the
Mountain", "Who’s Gonna be Elected", "Wake me Up", "T-Bone Steak and a
Bottle of Beer", and a bluesy "Handful of Sand" the album deserves its
place in the history of rock ’n’ roll. Peer Günt kept touring around the
country stubbornly with a pace of 2-3 gigs a week, 150 gigs a year and
their songs were common knowledge to most of the Finnish boys, girls and
even the more mature audience. The band spent most of their time on the
road and therefore logically their first compilation album was titled
"Years on the Road" 1989. Shortly after the month long tour, during which
Peer Günt had one gig per day, the band went into the studio to record
their fifth full-length studio album. The band was well warmed up by the
tour, which can be heard on the album released in July 1990 named: "Don’t
Mess With the Country Boys". Megamania (Johanna) was Peer Günt’s new
record company. Finally, the 6th of April 1994 a new Peer Günt album with
the name "Smalltown Maniacs" was released. The album was welcomed by Peer Günt fans who had anxiously been waiting for new material for four years.
Peer Günt kept obstinately playing around 70 gigs a year whenever the band
members’ other projects allowed time for it. In the autumn 1997,
Megamania released a new Peer Günt compilation album "Golden Greats" with
20 songs featuring "Woman on the Radio" from 1981 as a rarity. Between
September 1998 and September 2001, Peer Günt played approximately 20-30
gigs a year in music clubs, halls and at summer festivals. The success was
guaranteed with sold out clubs and people particularly visiting summer
festivals for Peer Günt. Furthermore, in January 2000 the Finnish National
Broadcast Corporation (YLE) televised a Peer Günt gig from the sold out
Tavastia club.
After a year’s break (Sept. 2001 - Sept. 2002) Peer Günt was steadily back
on the road again, playing an average of eight gigs a month. The band had
also become the boys’ main focus and project again - no other commitments
in other bands restricted the touring of P.G anymore. To prove that they
were seriously back in business, the band made their first international
performance since the late 80s playing the Sweden Rock Festival 2003.
During 2004, Peer Günt recorded a new studio album in the Sound Track
Studios with Olli Kykkanen (The Royal Tramps). After nearly 11 years, a
brand new Peer Günt album ’No Piercing, No Tattoo’ was released on
February 22nd through the Ranch Label. The album’s blunt title manifests
the band’s healthy stance in the rock ’n’ roll industry - too often bands’
images are pre-designed and entirely built around their looks and
decorations rather than their musicianship. To quote T.Nikki in a recent
interview: "So many of these so called stars have bolts and nuts screwed
everywhere in their bodies..." The album contains a raw but powerful dose
of Peer Günt from 2004, including three of the tracks from the previous
two singles. Not too much detail, polishing or corrections, but a whole
deal of the famous P.G country-boy attitude and feeling.
The band had just kept receiving praising reviews on their ’No Piercing,
No Tattoo’ album from all over Europe. However, this wasn’t enough to keep
the ’leaking beer can’ floating anymore. Over the past 29 years, Peer Günt
have played over 1500 raw energy gigs and left behind a legacy of
excellent songs, which serve as a rather high bench-mark for others to aim
for.
In summing up, over 25 years on the road playing their own uncompromised
heavy rock ’n’ blues through though times and fame tell the tale; A bunch
of modest, but stubborn "Don’t wanna be rock ’n’ roll stars" owning their
own system within the big machinery, playing by their own rules in their
small town midnight howling band: A mighty frontal assault of volume
demanding a great deal of anciently raw country boy attitude, energy and
most of all a whole lotta Rock ’n’ Roll! As the saying goes: "A Tractor
was a tractor". Long lived Peer Günt - "The leaking beer can"!!!
The start of a new chapter in the history of Peer Gunt. T. Nikki decides
to continue the story of Peer Gunt, but with new members. The current
line-up consists of T. Nikki; guitars and vocals; Pete Pohjanniemi; bass
and Sakke Koivula; drums.
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Passing by to wish you a great week and to tell that we have a new link to download the first Temple of Sin album ( for free that is. it's not about money, it's about filling the world with metal...) as the old one seemed to have some problems. The new link is:
http://rs738.rapidshare.com/files/213936075/Temple_of_Sin_-_OHM_2008.rar If you dont like it, tell me. if you do, tell everyone else...
Keep rocking on and hails from brazil, Timo kaarkoski - Temple of Sin
NEW ALBUM "Guts And Glory" OUT NOW !
Available from these stores:
Online Now!
