EMQ’s With Rokets
EMQ’s With Rokets
Hi everyone! Welcome to another EMQs interview, this time with Finnish Rockers, Rokets! Huge thanks to their vocalist, Sami, for taking part.
What is your name, what do you play and can you tell us a little bit about the history of the band?
Howdy! I’m Sami and I don’t play anything, but I do sing in Rokets. We’re a band from Helsinki, Finland that loves to rock and have been going at it since 2017. We’ve done a couple of albums in the past and have recently joined forces with Svart Records. At the moment we’re waiting for our new album BAD CHOICES to be released in May. Beware!
How did you come up with your band name?
We wanted the name to be short, simple, and easy to remember, which would also make it clear that this is a rock’n’roll band. Misspelling is of course never not cool and we do love our fellow Finnish rockers Hurriganes, so Rokets sounded good for us.
What Country / Region are you from and what is the Metal / Rock scene like there?
I guess Finland is a rather Metal country. There’s some great Rock here too, for sure, but more on the underground side than mainstream, which is awesome. Better to keep it in the streets than on awful radio stations.
What is your latest release? (Album, EP, Single, Video)
The first single and title track from our upcoming third album, “BAD CHOICES”, has been out for a month now. The album is set to release on May 16th. It goes hard!
Who have been your greatest influences?
The biggest influences for Rokets has got to be Hurriganes, Judas Priest, and Motörhead. Throw in a little MC5 here and some AC/DC there and that’s it (but not shit).
What first got you into music?
My big brother when he gave me Cypress Hill’s “Black Sunday” on CD when I was a little kid. It sounded wild and got me hooked. What got me performing music was my friends asking me to join a band since none of them wanted to sing, and I’ve had some decent moments in drunken karaoke in the past, so I thought to give it a go.
If you could collaborate with a current band or musician who would it be?
Performing background “UGH!” noises for Tom G. Warrior would be a dream.
If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?
Muskel Rock in Sweden seems like good times.
What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?
Haven’t received anything weird, I think? Usually the gifts are just beers and ain’t nothing weird about that. Hit us up with weird stuff!
If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?
Rock it to the limits.
If you could bring one rock star back from the dead, who would it be?
Probably Cisse Häkkinen. I would love to offer him a cheeseburger and witness with my own eyes just how happy it makes him.
What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?
I love playing shows. I hate being away from home. A tricky situation indeed but you got to give some to gain some.
If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
I would take money from the major labels and give that to the independent labels so there would be more good music and less shitty music in the world.
Name one of your all-time favourite albums?
ABBA – “Voulez-Vous”
What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CDs or Downloads?
Vinyl is nice.
What’s the best gig that you have played to date?
One hot summer night gig at Geronimo’s FGT in Stockholm with the most awesome Alligator. We had a very sweaty, sticky, and rocky time.
If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?
Lucky I’m not a musician and am rather just fooling around with a little bit of Rock, but if I weren’t doing that, I’d be at home spending time with the kid and wife while listening to Rock, of course.
Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?
Ozzy Osbourne, Nicolas Cage, Fenriz, Betty Davis, and Jackie Chan.
What’s next for the band?
Going to rock some shows in the summer and probably write some more rock to record in the future. Keep on truckin’!
What Social Media / Website links do you use to get your music out to people?
There’s a long-standing food-based debate here in the UK. And we’d like your help. So… A Jaffa cake – is it a cake or a biscuit? Discuss!
Oh, it’s a biscuit no doubt about that. At least here in Finland it is. That’s what we’ve been taught from the get-go. If it isn’t my whole life’s been a lie…
Thank you for your time. Is there anything else that you would like to add?
Don’t forget to rock’n’roll.
Disclaimer: This interview is solely the property of Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this interview, unless you have the strict permission of said party. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.
