Getting to Know… Flush | Interview 🎤

For the 134^th interview on The Musical Hype, Lasse speaks on behalf of ‘the third best punk rock band in the world,’ Flush.

“W“We are a unique mix of fast and melodic American punk rock, combined with elements of both classic and alternative, guitar-based riff rock, and flavored with Finnish darkness and melancholy.” That’s quite specific, which signifies that 🎙 Flush definitely understand who they are as a band. That said, with each member of ‘The third best punk rock band in the world’ having different musical influences, pigeonholing the band as merely one thing would be an oversimplification. Hailing from Helsinki, Finland, Flush is comprised of four members: 🎙 Eero (bass), 🎙 Bögä (drums), 🎙 Lasse (guitars, vocals, and most songs), and 🎙 Janne (guitar). Lasse answers our burning questions on behalf of the band.  So, without further ado, let’s let the man speak and jump right into Getting to Know… Flush: Interview #134!

Let’s get this started off right. For those who may not be familiar with Flush, what would you say makes your band distinct or unique? How do you rock the audience’s socks off?

Some people say Flush is the third best punk rock band in the world. We don’t have full facts on who these people are and what bands form the top-2, nor do we know if we should even be categorized as punk rock, but we’ll have to assume this all to be true. It’s great to be third best. No stress of trying to be the best and no pain of being the first loser.

In seriousness though, I’d say we are a unique mix of fast and melodic American punk rock, combined with elements of both classic and alternative, guitar-based riff rock, and flavored with Finnish darkness and melancholy. Our music can be somewhat gloomy, but most of the time in a fun or tongue-in-cheek way. Hope that makes some sense. In a live setting, we trust our loud volume, incredible speed, precise playing, catchy melodies, and silly humor to remove socks – and all other clothing – from the audience.

Okay, let’s explore some juicy backstories. How did your Flush form and what were some of the goals or the visions you had as a band early on?

Börje (drums) and I met when we were kids playing in the same backyards in the Helsinki suburbs. In our teens we figured learning to play instruments would be cool because then we can start a band, play gigs, party, and eventually play Wembley Stadium or Madison Square Garden. Janne (guitars) joined early on and this was the first incarnation of Flush. The current line-up has been together since early 2018 when Eero (bass) joined, and this is by far the best and most mature version of the band.

Let’s talk more about goals.  Have your goals or your perspectives changed since first starting out? What do your aspirations or goals look like now?

Total change, really. We know Wembley and MSG are unlikely to happen for us, so our focus is now on the music itself. The kids that wanted to be rock stars, enjoy touring life, party all night, and all that silliness, have now grown up and realized music itself is the reward. We love playing live, even if only for a handful of people. Working on new songs, sculpting them one layer at a time, and hearing them take shape is incredibly fascinating. We know better than to aspire for fame and riches, and we are perfectly happy with creating music, playing music, and having fun while doing so. And who knows… maybe we’ll sell one zillion records and play those big arenas one day.

Everybody is influenced by somebody else. Who would you consider some of your biggest musical influences and how are they influential?  

🎤 To be honest our first songs were very much Bad Religion rip-offs. We wanted to be fast and melodic, and Bad Religion was the ultimate band back then. They are probably the most important band for me as a songwriter. The other band that was very important for me when getting started was Pavement. I think very few would associate us with Pavement, but to me they were just as punk as any of the other big punk rock names. They did their thing, had great songs, and did not worry too much about making things perfect. They had character and personality – and great songs! Of the old guard I consider Tom Waits the ultimate musical artist. He has everything an artist should have and then some. A fascinating storyteller with ambitious arrangements and killer melodies when he feels like it. Of the modern bands I would name Biffy Clyro as the perfect combo of pop sensibility and noisy rage.

Ah, the fun stuff.  What’s your craziest tour story or the wackiest thing that’s happened during a performance?  Feel free to be creative.

🎤 Well, there are lots of cases where someone was too drunk and messed things up, either on stage or in transit. But those stories are mostly not crazy or wacky, just stupid. The other typical failure is something breaking. In our younger days, a guitar amp didn’t just break in the midst of a gig, it started giving off heavy smoke. During the same gig we already had significant issues with electricity and continuous small electric shocks in the mics. This was a small club and obviously none of us are electricians, so we’re not able to predict when the big shock would hit us. Since the crowd was going and the venue pushed us to continue, we felt we had no choice but to hope for the best and carry on. And we lived to tell the tale.

Up until this point in your career, what would you describe as your favorite song you’ve recorded or performed live? What makes that song special?  

🎤 There are many songs on our upcoming album that kind of were born again and made me see them in a new light. For example, I’m really happy with our first single, “Shine”. It’s an old song, which we enhanced a little with the help of our producer, but the core of the song is still the same. It turned out really great. The most important song to me personally is one called “Chemicals and Conversation”. It is written for someone very close to me and is lyrically quite bare. Playing it is always an emotional experience and arrangement wise it stands out from the rest of our material. It is calmer and has a lot of dynamics carrying it forward. 

Is there anything else awesome, cool, or left of center the world should know about you? Secret talents or surprising tidbits?

🎤 When you think of it, the set-up of the band is quite special. We don’t listen to similar music almost at all. Essentially, we have a drummer, who is into classic and hard-rock; a bass player, who likes modern and nu-metal; a lead guitarist, who prefers the slightly older and straight forward metal; and a singer-guitarist-songwriter, who will switch between Nick Cave, Hüsker Dü, Helmet, Jason Isbell, Sonic Youth and Full of Hell in one day. This is why it is so terribly hard for us to label our music!

Closing things out, what is Flush currently working on, promoting that you can share with us or want us to know about? We love secrets, but there’s no pressure.   

🎤 Our debut album, It Began as a Mistake, arrived October 23^rd so that is obviously our biggest thing right now, especially since the live scene is what it is right now. It’s been a long project for us and we’re incredibly proud the album has finally came out. The album is produced by one of Finland’s most esteemed rock and metal producers, Mr. Hiili Hiilesmaa (HIM, Amorphis, The 69 Eyes and many more). We already have new material in the works, so who knows, if we are unable to play enough shows in 2021, we might record more stuff. Check out our website to stay tuned on what we’re up to and for news about the album! 

Thank you so much for sharing taking the time to answer these questions, and best of luck moving forward. 

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[📷: Flush, Brent Faulkner, The Musical Hype; Icons made by https://www.flaticon.com/authors/freepik (Freepik)]