Anima

[macgirl]

ANIMA

www.animasound.net

www.myspace.com/theanima

Band Members:
Matias Reenpaa – Vocals
Mika Rissanen – Guitar
Tero Rissanen – Guitar
Andy Flowerfield – Bass
Jussi Latvala - Drums

BIOGRAPHY

2003: Guitarists Mika and Tero conjure up some songs and record a demo of three songs in a studio called Arkku. Mika also plays the drums and the bass on the demo. A singer is found from the corner of a bar, but sadly he is from another town, namely from Lahti. During the completion of the demo the singer decides to go to India for three months. When it is time to go back into the studio it becomes clear that the engineer who was going to mix the demo has taken his paycheck and quit working. ALWAYS nice, huh? At this time the band is called Jet. To top the situation off, the current singer is given the boot for not showing up for practice even once. The great promises of his were never realised.

2004: Early into 2004 Mika and Tero are playing together with drummer Tommi and an already forgotten bass player. With the bass player a singer joined the band, but he immediately announced his moving to ROVANIEMI, way up north in any scale. With the band not keen to repeat a mistake again, that singer was given the boot up in a arse. After this episode there were attempts to find a new singer. It turned out that things were not going as planned. First, the bass player announced that he could not afford to pay a ten euro per month rent for the rehearsal place. This in turn resulted in the disintegration of the whole group. In the fall, Tero met a poet called Tiltti with whom the collaboration didn't go very far. Poet of the fall... Not so compatible with Tero. Unlike the band, though!

Nonetheless, through Tiltti's acquaintance the drummer Jussi was found. He joined the guitarist brothers Mika and Tero, forming a new trio.

From this stage onward the group was called Nimbus2000 and both a bass player and a singer were needed. Attending the trials for finding a singer, a number of not-so-great-ones showed up. Each had qualities that simply made it impossible for them to fit in. One of these guys showed up with a huge PA. When he was done adjusting his ecquipment he asked whether the trio could play METALLICA's SANITARIUM, because he claimed to have the perfect performance for that song. All it took was a couple of minutes for the trio to realize that no more than he understood adjusting his PA could he sing his acclaimed performance...

The guys rehearsed as a trio until Jussi asked his old buddy to join the band as bass player. The story goes that Jussi accidentally called the wrong person by the same first name. That made Janne join the group, sort of by chance. In any case Janne immediately proved to be the right person for the job.

2005: The search for a singer continues and is brought to an end by Jussi again proving to be a good scout and meeting Matias. Another happy accident becomes clear to the group at the first rehearsals when Matias finds out that the bass player Janne is actually his friend Janne! The group is unanimous about the fact that their singer has been found.

The band starts rehearsing and builds on the experience of the rhythm section, the brothers' seamless guitar playing and the new lyrics and melodies of the rookie singer. The band is the first one in which Matias sings as lead vocalist. Matias also comes up with an exceptional idea for the name of the newly assembled group. Anima is the name of the Jungian FEMININE GUIDE in men's dreams. It also stands for SPIRIT in the latin language and it has various different meanings in multiple languages. It combines in a suitable way the romantic lot of songs but also has a mystical meaning that is an interest of all the players.

During the springtime band records a demo with Janne providing not only the ROBASTATION studio but also the sufficient engineering. The band releases three songs on the internet and www.mikseri.net rewards IMMORTAL with a placing in their Chart Heaven. This is accomplished by maintaining a place in the Top-40 for ten weeks.

Things move ahead with the band first rehearsing a lot and then when the first four gigs are booked . The gigs go so well, that in this point it is certain that more will come…

At the end of 2005 the band heads out from the rehearsal place back into the RobaStation studio across the street and records the second demo of Anima.

2006: The completion of the second demo is delayed because of Janne being busy with Waltari. The second demo with songs like BROKEN WINGS and KEEPER OF OLD WAY is finished in the spring of 2006 after a hasty mixing phase. As a result, the final product has a clearly audible unfinished sound.

With a hurry and not much additional mixing, Anima gets five songs mastered and produces their promotional 5-song SPIRIT CULTIVATION EP including song UNBREAKABLE. It is released appropriately on the 6th of June 2006.

At this time it becomes clear that Janne's being so busy with Waltari is having a bad effect on the progress of Anima. The band has to make a tough decision of no longer regarding Janne as the bass player. He is from there on a sort of background figure. The role of bass player in Anima is herited by Matias' old friend and co-player Andy of Gasoline Flashgas. He proves himself to be an excellent person for the job. All of Anima are excited while the band gathers more live experience during the autumn. A small tour with 4 shows highlights this period in time. New songs CRUCIAL and LURANCY are born with Andy having a role in the creative process right from the start.

2007: The beginning of the winter is brightened with two gigs in Helsinki and the band keeps sharpening its touch on the new material. The band decides to make a more professional turn by striking a deal with Scandal Recordings to record a single in Oulunkylä, Helsinki. Delays are present at this stage also but finally the band gets a chance to test the studio in question. The guys are happy with the quality of sound and start to produce a single in collaboration with Karl Huttunen.

The spring of 2007 is full of new challenges for Anima. On the doorstep of summer the actual recordings of a single start in Oulunkylä.

...and the rest is not written yet.


DISCOGRAPHY

Promo - Spirit Cultivation
released: 2006
Demo - II
released: 2005
Demo - Korben Dallas
released: 2005