H&S mini-interview in Soundi

Eero Heinonen, would you tell something about the starting points of the band, the early stages, recording process and influences?
-The idea about my own CD started on a trip to Australia in 2003. I recorded something and discovered, that I need to do some songs with my own voice. I came home and called to Petri and Hannu. We were jamming together and it seemed to work. I made more songs, and finally we got the whole album done.
The inspiration came from that my own compositions were quite different than Rasmus. I realized that Rasmus won..t do that kind of music most likely.
-We were making and playing songs with Petri in Korpi Ensemble. Petri plays still in it, but they have a new bass player nowadays. We were also in the same high school at the same time. I know Hannu from amongst my friends in music. We have played together before, but only some practises etc. Hannu has studied in Africa and is playing in Stella Polaris.. improvisation theatre and in Kenyan singer..s Topota-band.
-The recordings were made partially in Nosturi (the rehearsel place of the Rasmus), but also in my and my neighbour..s cellar. It was quite simple and improvised.. My influences are at least Paul Simon, Hendrix Experience, maybe The Who, Nirvana and Jack Johnson.
Hay & Stone is mentioned at least for now as the second project of Eero of The Rasmus. What kind of differencies and resemblancies can you find between these bands?
-Differencies: Rasmus concentrates a lot in finding the pop-thing in the songs, which is fine and works in that band. Hay & Stone contains more improvisation, different kind of "life" in the playing and some crazy decisions. I think there won't be a blues harmonica anywhere soon on a Rasmus album. Common things: both are quite positive music, where the songs are important.
- In the beginning, there was some of the same kind of commence in the Rasmus, like Hay & Stone has now. Maybe it just appears differently in this group. Both bands like nature. There's pictures of nature and so on.
How it is to play with Hannu Kivimäki and Petri Risku? What did they bring into the band?
- Fun! Hannu is very good at improvising and a multi-instrument player. Petri can play guitar very well and has the attitude just right. The beat lives. We don..t need a rhythm-guitar under a guitarsolo. In the sounds we can seek for retro. We just take things easy.
- Actually the music of Hay & Stone started to form only after we started to play together. All the arranging tricks have been made together. Hannu and Petri liked the songs, and gave ideas starting from the arrangements and structure. The melodies and lyrics they left to me.

Soundi review
HAY & STONE
Making Waves
Suomen musiikki

Eero Heinonen is known as the bass player of The Rasmus .. band, but in leisure he enjoys blues and obsolescent rock. Hay & Stone, where with Eero plays
Korpi Ensemble..s guitarist Hannu Kivimäki and Stella Polaris.. drummer Petri Risku, brings the boys back to the spotlight.

Hay & Stone seems to be like a sandbox, space, which won..t open in daily work. Jari Jokirinne says that The Rasmus plays prosperity rock, which is ¨faithful like new Volvo-station wagon¨ (Soundi 9/05). For this kind of definition Hay & Ston serves the purpose: Such a relaxed and controversial atmosphere is unnecessary to search from The Rasmus.. albums.

Even though you can..t find proseperity neither from Making Waves than from Hide From The Sun by The Rasmus, the album is revealing at least in two ways. First of all it seems to let you close to Eero who doesn..t create many lyrics in The Rasmus and yet is behind the sketches, lyrics and melodies. Secondly it reveals what many people are wondering in bars: ..What would they play if they had really free hands?..

According to the press release "Hay & Stone is a retro-spirited rock-trio, that doesn't avoid the rhythm of blues, heavy riffs, improvising, the carefulness of acoustic sound and the joy of playing. Arguing not more regarding about the retro-spiritedness and blues, it must be said that Making Waves succeeds to remind how liberating does loosely arranged and freely played interactive garage-rock sound. Hopefully Eero has remembered his bandmate Pauli with a promo album.

The coin has it´s other side: in addition to make-up, on the outside of the studio seems to be left out also pondered vision and consideration. Making waves is allowed to be unfinished in the name of informality. Planned with a bit more under discipline and considering their goals, the trio could refine their painlessly grown music into something, that wouldn't be mentioned as a "side-project".

Nyt-liite interview
Hay & Stone: Rockstar founded a band

Bassist of The Rasmus Eero Heinonen became a singer.

Even international rockstar is off duty sometimes. But how does one of the most succesful rock bass player in Finland uses his spear time after the band, family and yoga?
At bars? No. Seeing a psychiatrist? No. Using drugs? No. International charity aids? No.
The basist of The Rasmus established a band.
Playing music is heard to be so much fun, especially live. Eero's new trio Hay & Stone plays funky yankeerock, where you will hear influences from for example Jack Johnson and Jeff Buckley.
"In this band we haven't practised too much, we let the music live." says singer-bassist Eero.
Compared to The Rasmus Hey & Stone is like a bunch of hippies feeling it. Guitar player Petri Kivimäki is known from etnopop band Korpi Ensemble and drummer Hannu Riski from improvisation theater Stella Polaris.

The debut album is called Making Waves. They are doing gigs at the end of fall, when The Rasmus has finished its American tour.
Eero doesn't have much a big rockstar gestures. A father of 2 children doesn't even drink during tours. Instead he meditates every morning and evening to clear his head. He even has a picture of his sahaja-yoga master Shri Mata Ji Nirmala Devi on his backpack.

A singer of also famous band Von Hertzen Brothers, Mikko von Hertzen has seeked clearer state of mind through Indian thinkers.
"We have both chosen a bit different way of life." says Eero.
His way of life shows better in his own production rather than in The Rasmus. Hay & Stone's song Freedom Fighter tells that people may even fear a rocker who follows a guru. The song combines these kind of fears to Western materialism.
Another thing rarely seen among rock bands: a family that is.
The finale song Dig the Vibe describes feelings at Eero's German friend's home right before his first born's birth.
"There is really quite and everything is taken lightly, if both understand the importance of that matter. That feeling is magical."
An own family has increased his sense of responsibility. A day before the interview Eero was caught for speeding and it got Eero serious. Even though during the gigs of The rasmus band members may still dive to audience, Eero has learned to be more careful.
"Your sense of reality changes when there is somebody whose life you are responsible for".

A short bio