Tarvas (Finland)

Tarvas (Finland)These folk metal upstarts were around 16-18 years old, with their EP “Kostoretki,” a very memorable recording.
Now they around 18-20, and they have “Rajan taa” to offer. Still folk-based, but in a more metal direction, more guitar-driven, more headbanging music, Tarvas continues.
It’s somewhat pointless to get too much into categories, though. Tarvas is making some good music and you probably don’t know them, and that’s the problem!
Here’s a little info on Tarvas to get you started.
Otto (guitars, vocals) and Iiro (drums) responded from somewhere in the middle of frozen Finland.
www.myspace.com/tarvasband
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Hello, Tarvas!! What is going on in the city of Jyväskylä for your band? How is your city or town?
It's been quite quiet here for us in Jyväskylä for the past few months. Tarvas has been on a break since our last gig in October, and we are currently looking for a new lead guitarist and writing new songs. The line up has changed a few times: we've had three different bassists and the lead guitarist left because he wasn't interested in playing folk based metal anymore. But there has always been the three founding members: Otto (voc/guit), Jere (synth) and Iiro (drums).

I really like your E.P. “Kostoretki”!! It is very good!! That was your second recording, correct?! How old are you guys? On the Metal Archives picture it looks you are 9-10 or maybe 12.
Yes, Kostoretki was our second recording, but we don't see the first one as a release since we never made CD-copies of it. And we re-recorded the songs for Kostoretki. And the first demo is pure crap.
Currently we are 18-20 years old. The picture is, umm, oldish. In the picture we were something like 15-16... But let's not talk about that infamous photo.
We started Tarvas in the winter of 2009, so we were about 15 back then.

Is this your first band? I hope Tarvas continues for a long time! I We all had some experiences about playing in a group before, but Tarvas is the first actual real thing we've played in. And we hope that we'll continue for a long time as well!

What are the lyrics to your songs, like “Punaisen Auringon Laulu”? I do not speak any Finnish!!
We all write lyrics for our songs. The lyrics are usually metaphorical, and are often influenced by Finnish and scandic mytology and traditions. The themes come from our own lives, or whatever happens to be on the writers mind at the time. Punaisen Auringon Laulu, for example, is about nightmares.

Tell us about the instruments you use. You use, of course, guitars, bass, drums and vocals. Do you use accordions?
In Kostoretki we used jaw harp, melodica, some whistles and a beer bottle (listen to the beginning of Pullo). But most of the odd sounds that can be heard in our records come from the keyboards. We don't use accordions.

What has happened since you recorded “Rajan taa”?
Since we recorded Rajan Taa, in Cygnaeus studio in Jyväskylä, we've done a few gigs and rehearsed some new material. We haven't had too many gigs, though.

Is there one person that writes these songs? You’ve probably heard people say that Tarvas is a “baby Moonsorrow”?
All of us have written songs. Some songs are completed at the rehearsal place, some have been completed alone by whoever had an idea for it. And yes, we've heard us being called "baby Moonsorrow"... Not too much though. We all like the band very much, and it is a compliment to be compared to them. So it really doesn't bother us that much. We think that we also have our own sound, and that we don't rip it all off from somebody else.

Do you think this could be a career for you? What does your mom think about you pursuing a career in music?
We of course hope, that we could make a career out of music, but we don't want to get our hopes too high. We'll do our best and see how far we can get with it. Long tours sound like a lot of fun, it's every rocker’s dream! Our families have been supportive to us throughout the history of Tarvas.

How can they hear your music and get copies? What is your telephone number, so that people can call you in the middle of the night, and scream “Tarvas rules, man!!”?
The best way to contact us is to send us e-mail to tarvasband@hotmail.com, or to like our facebook page at www.facebook.com/TarvasBand. Our music can be heard in facebook and www.myspace.com/tarvasband, and in various other places in the internet.
If you would like to buy our stuff - send mail and we'll ship 'em to you where ever you are! We live in central Finland and if you would like to meet us, just look for us and you may find us... that's not a promise though. ;)

Finally, does “Tarvas” mean “Freezing cold forest” in Finnish? Or Maybe “Tarvas” means, “Please help me, the winter is depressing me”?
The word "Tarvas" translates to "Five metalheads who want to get laid".... seriously, it is old Finnish. The word is not being used anymore, but it means something like moose, elk, or ox. An animal with horns. That's why there's horns in our logo. We're so horny. *badum thss*
Thanks for having interest for our band! THE END.