Nightwish

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MetalReviews.com recently conducted an interview with NIGHTWISH keyboardist/mainman Tuomas Holopainen. A few excerpts from the chat follow below.

MetalReviews.com: What are your thoughts on digital-only releases? Do you see yourself going that way in the future or do prefer to have the actual hard copy as long as its possible?

Tuomas: I detest digital stuff to the bone. Maybe it's the thing for the future and that is a scary thought. I don't even own an iPod and I have never downloaded a single thing from the Internet, I don't even know how it's done. I want my CD in my hand so I can see the cover and read the lyrics, everything. Just my opnion.

MetalReviews.com: You seem to be a person that is very in touch with nature. I remember on the "End Of Innocence" DVD you spoke of your family's cabin with fond reverence. When you were down and out in 2001 between "Over The Hills" and "Century Child" you went to the woods with Tony [Kakko] and that was a very rejuvenating experience. How do you think that being in touch with nature and having an appreciation for nature affected your songwriting in the early days, and then how do you think touring the world and seeing all sorts of difference cultures affected your songwriting if at all?

Tuomas: I think that everything you see and experience in life affects your songwriting on a subconscious level. But the fact that I've been living in the middle of nowhere in the woods all of the thirty two years of my life, that has certainly affected what I am as a person and that way to my songwriting. I'd like to think that the songs I do are quite organic. I take alot of inspiration from the beauty of the world, the beauty and the purity of nature which I have witnessed my whole life. If I was a city slicker, I think I would be doing something like industrial metal. I think that there is a strong connection with nature in everything we do.

MetalReviews.com: Have you written all your songs while home in Finland? Or have you composed songs in various places like the beaches in Japan or down south in Australia? Not just riffs or ideas but whole concrete songs.

Tuomas: I have never completed a song anywhere else other than my own room in my house. I'm gathering ideas all the time wherever I am. Right now I have a notebook — actually, two notebooks because one is full already — and they are full of ideas, lyrics, riffs, melodies, little lines. Touring the world I get inspired all the time by people I meet, different cultures and experiences. I feel the world so strongly and it feels good. But it is impossible for me to find the mood to complete a song in an environment like this. [touring] I need my peace and solitude at home for a few months to be able to put it all together.

MetalReviews.com: What is your favorite aspect of the music industry and what is your least favorite part? This could be anything from the songwriting process, to touring and seeing cultures, record label politics. Basically, what is your favorite part of being a professional musician and what is your least favorite?

Tuomas: By far my most favorite aspect is the songwriting process. The part where I get to be by myself at home and do the songs and then introduce them to the band and rehearse them. All of this, bringing the ideas together and creating music out of nothing. That is by far my most favorite part. Of course I like touring, I like meeting new people, being in different countries and seeing the sights, but that's secondary. The business part is by far the worst. I have taken a really naive approach to all of that. I don't talk about that and I don't want to hear about it because it takes all of my energy away. I am such a child when it comes to all this business stuff. People around me and even in the band, they criticize me a little bit that I should know where I'm going with the money and I just say that I can't deal with it, that's why we have the managers. We have two of them and our drummer, Jukka, takes care of all the business. I trust him completely. I have no idea how much we get for these shows, I don't know what the ticket sales are, I don't know how much money we are making and I don't want to know. It really gives me the creeps.

MetalReviews.com: Does not knowing all that stuff and not stressing about it, does it feel like it allows you to be more pure?

Tuomas: Yeah, exactly. Because I know myself. And I know my limits. Not dealing with that stuff in a way helps me to make better music. It sounds corny but that's the way it is. I even quit my e-mail so I don't even have that anymore. Whenever I would wake up and check my e-mails, there would be twenty new messages and it would all be record label crap, money business and all that. I just can't do this, sorry. So we made a deal and I stay out of it. Let other people who have the understanding and the interest to do that do it.

MetalReviews.com: Because you write such very profound lyrics and because NIGHTWISH's popularity is growing more and more, do you ever feel that someone might have misinterpreted a deeply personal song that you have written in a horrible way and also in a sense do you feel that you have a bit of responsibility for these people who do take these songs in and think the world of them?

Tuomas: It's a really scary thought. I have thought about this alot in the past few months about the responsibility. It's an immensely scary thought. Some people have taken the songs that we do and the lyrics so deep into them and they are almost reading it as a bible. Sometimes you meet the fanatic fans and you see what it means to them and it's like... it is important, it is music and it's poetry but it isn't the whole world. That's something that I have a hard time coping with because I feel the responsibility on my shoulders and I'm not so sure if I can take it always. I've seen the effect that I or another band member can have on a fan. It takes one minute of your life to go and see somebody and take a picture with him or her, sign an autograph and chat a few words. And they live five years longer because of that you can see it in their eyes, it means the world to them. Sometimes you simply can't, though — you don't have the time or the energy, and you just can't do it. Later on you feel like, "I could have done it." I have that power to influence people and make them feel really good or really bad by not meeting them or doing something wrong unintentionally and that I have a hard time coping with.

Read the entire interview from MetalReviews.com.

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NIGHTWISH singer Anette Olzon recently wrote a blog entry on her official web site where whe talked about singing technique. She said, "It's hard to go in to exactly what I do when I sing since some things are 'by nature' and just come naturally but, of course, a lot of things are what I have learned earlier in vocal lessons and also during my career as the singer in NIGHTWISH where my voice is needed to be able to sing many high-pitched songs for 1.5 hours many nights a week.

"First of all, what I use most when I sing is a technique called 'belting.' For you who don't know what kinda vocal sound types normally are talked about, there are different sounds and techniques to use when singing. This technique is a way to come very high up by pushing the vocal cords together, slamming them against each other, so that no air at all can leak through. If any air leaks through, it can make the voice soar and aching. I do this technique also by thinking that I lift my upper lift upwards, kinda showing my teeth and a good sound to practise for it is to imitate an evil witch. You know the evil laughter. Also imitating a car like: öhrn, öhrn, öhrn... as a car accelerating forward. These things make me lift the lip and close the cords. Of course there are so many more things to do to make this technique perfect but that's an easier way to explain what I do."

Quality video footage of NIGHTWISH's May 2, 2009 concert at Nokia Theater in New York City can be viewed below.

In a recent interview with Classic Rock's Dave Ling, NIGHTWISH keyboardist/mainman Tuomas Holopainen was asked if alarm bells rang when, echoing her predecessor, Olzon recently hired a personal manager (Swedish management company Hagenburg Management, which also represents EUROPE and THE CARDIGANS). "At the beginning I had a feeling of déjà vu," he replied. "But when we discussed it I understood that she needs somebody who speaks her own language [Swedish]. Her manager is a very, very reasonable guy."

When asked how Anette is handling the fame, Tuomas replied, "She has told me a couple of times that she might not be able to handle it, on top of her divorce. I've seen her close to collapse and it has scared me, so we are protecting her. There will be no more interviews."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEtoEclx3GY&feature=player_embedded

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7OISY5vv0w&feature=player_embedded


Iba decir una sobrada..casi mejor me callo jiji

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Anette Olzon's pre-NIGHTWISH band, the Swedish AOR act ALYSON AVENUE, has announced the addition of vocalist Arabella Vitanc to the group's ranks. According to the band, "Arabella's voice will not only do justice to the old ALYSON AVENUE material but she will also be key in the development of the new and upcoming songs we are currently busy working on."

NIGHTWISH singer Anette Olzon will perform at a special concert in Stockholm, Sweden in August as part of the Stockholms Kulturfestival (Stockholm's Culture Festival). Anette says, "[The show will be held] on August 13 and the evening is in the theme of Sweden-Finland and it's called Suomi Safari. There will be a big symphonic orchestra, choir and more soloists that have something to do with Finland."

In August every year, the heart of Stockholm pulsates with a vibrant combination of culture and festivities. Since its launch in 2006, Stockholm's Culture Festival has quickly become a regular event and a great success among both Stockholm residents and visitors

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NIGHTWISH´s singer ANETTE OLZON has posted several new blog entries in the "blog" section of her official website. A part of her made-by-fans interview follows below.

Iona said:
The first one is:where did you bought the beautiful ring with black stone?and the stone is Onyx?
And the second one:Will be a signing session at ARTmania festival with Nightwish?

Hi there,
I bought the ring in South america in the middle of the djungle in this ecological store. It´s onyx and silver;=)
I don´t think so, I havent heard anything about any signing session in any festival.

Sparkling lily said:
1) What would you take on a desert island?
2) What is your favourite perfume?
3) What/who makes you laugh?
4) Do you love your beloved fans, aka us? (ah ah, no forget this one, it's a joke... of course you do!)

Hi!
1. My son and boyfriend
2. Lolita lempicka
3. My son laughing
4. Of course I do!!

MiPaTi said:
My question: do you still have your V50 car or did you change it in the mean time ( if yes, what car has now this aweful scratch on the side?

I still have the volvo but it´s out for sale. I have bought a new car, a BMW. I needed a bigger one and this is my dream car and it´s the BMW that has a scratch;=( will be fixed next month though

Lissie Holopainen said;
1. Do you get bothered of some "fans" so hard that you only thought "WTF.. get away from me!!"?
2. How do you feel if some fan recognizes you on street? How do you react?
3. How is the work with the guys of Nightwish? I think it's sometimes hard because you are the only woman ! But I can figure that it is really fun too

and the last questions:
4. HOW WOULD YOU REACT IF YOU MEET TARJA?

Hi there!
1. Well, not so often, luckily. It happens though;=)
2. It´s nice but at the same time I can feel, like, hmm...this is strange.. if you understand what I mean? I still can´t relate so much to being someone people recognize. I still feel that I am just Anette...
3. They are so nice, the boys;=) We have a great time and I think we all are so different but those differences are what makes us such a great team;=)
4. I WOULD LOVE TO MEET HER. I hope it will happen one day. SHE SEEMS LIKE A VERY NICE AND SWEET PERSON and I LOVE HER VOICE, so it would be nice to be able to say that to her in person;=)

Julie said;
For my part i would like to know : In which countries you would like to live ( except Sweden)?
Then : Why did you decide to learn french?

Hi Julie,
I like Copenhagen, Denmark very much. It´s a cool city with a relaxed vibe in the people and I love danish fashion. And Canada would be nice too.
I studied french in school. I have always liked the language so it was what made me choose it.


The whole interview is available  here: http://anette-olzon.blogspot.com/.

Source: AnetteOlzon.com

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Marco es humano y se le olvida la letra jeje

NIGHTWISH bassist/vocalist forgot the lyrics to the song "The Islander" during the band's concert at the Sauna Open Air festival on June 7, 2009 in Tampere, Finland and was forced to start the track all over again, with the rest of the group accompanying him. Watch fan-filmed video footage of the performance below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11cTE9uHNho&feature=player_embedded

Victoria Maksimovich of Bravewords.com conducted an interview with Nightwish bassist/vocalist Marco Hietala. Couple of excerpts from the interview below:

"BraveWords.com: So how is your Dark Passion Play tour with Nightwish going?

Hietala: "Last tour has been quite rewarding, we had a new start, totally new singer with Nightwish. So, we were pretty confident about the album and the songs, but of course we had to find out if people would like this stuff, if they would come to the shows. And they did, which was really a relief and a nice thing. Of course, touring mainly is that you do the shows and you enjoy that basically every night. But also the timetable was a little more hectic and the touring was more extensive than what we've done before. In that way it was also pretty stressful and hard at time. Basically everybody should know what it is: we've been getting a lack of sleep, long travel hours, lots of time when you do nothing. And then all you waiting for is hour and a half, hour and 40 minutes for every evening to do the show and you basically try to reserve all your energy for that. You get a lot of time to get bored, a lot of time to think that you could be somewhere doing something else instead of just waiting and waiting and waiting and travelling and travelling and travelling. So that is the one side of the business that sucks."

BraveWords.com: And actually you had to cancel some of the gigs. So were you a little happier because you could take a break during that tour?

Hietala: "No. It was in the USA that we had to cancel four shows, because Annette got sick and there was nothing much you could do. But then again I would have rather done the shows, because that's why we were there. And we basically had just five days off, not doing anything except for having too much to drink and got to meet some people and sign some autographs. Basically we end up saying we were sorry for the evening, but we would really like to do the shows."

BraveWords.com: I have noticed that since Annette had come to the band, you started singing much more than you did before, or, at least, during the live shows it is quite obvious that you are much more involved into singing process.

Hietala: "Yeah, it was quite easy, because there were a lot of parts that I could do, so it was easy to integrate that stuff into a live set. We wanted in to be easier for Annette to come in. I don't know how things will work in future when she has some more albums behind her. When there is more material, the things might change into another direction as well."

BraveWords.com: Comparing Tarja and Annette, what is the difference in feeling when you are on stage with either of them?

Hietala: "Well, with Tarja the thing was that she had the stage persona which required more distance. Annette is more of a walker, more down to earth. She goes around and talks to people and tries to get them going. So those are definite differences. And I don’t want to complain about either: Tarja did what was suitable for her, it fitted her style, it fitted her persona. Annette does what she knows how to do and what she is confident with. And for me those things work."

BraveWords.com: There is a new era for Nightwish music, so are you comfortable with the changes musically as well?

Hietala: "Yeah, we rehearsed and wrote the new album already before we had a vocalist for the band. We were already pretty confident about a bunch of songs that we had at that time: 'Yeah, it’s gonna be a kicker of an album.' One thing was that we had to find the singer and of course it would have been quite easy to try out something quite similar to Tarja, because we tons of demo CDs from girls with opera voices. Some of them were pretty good, but we thought that it would be a bold and good move to go on with something totally different. We wanted to try it out and then we thought that Annette would probably be the best for that. And it seems so far this stuff has been working well."

BraveWords.com: What is your favourite Nightwish song at the moment?

Hietala: "I think it is 'Poet And The Pendulum'. I like the challenge of this song: it has got all the atmosphere changes, all the moods, key changes, tempo changes, and then you still have to keep the whole massive piece together, to have a red line going through the song from the start to the finish. So it’s a challenging piece and I really like that. And then the other one of course, that has a special place in my heart, is The Islander. I wrote the music for the song, and then again it’s something totally different from the rest of the live set. You have quite little elements there, the main thing is the acoustic guitar and then the vocal line, and all the rest is basically just the background. You’ve got to create the tension and captivate people with the acoustic and with the vocal line. And those are the essentials that you’ve got to make it work.""

Read the entire interview at this location.http://www.bravewords.com/features/1000637

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Nightwish vocalist Anette Olzon has revealed in the new Soundi-magazine the reasons behind her collapse on last November.

Swedish-native Anette collapsed totally while Nightwish was playing in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. The collapse raised many speculations about the chemistry and situations inside the band.

Anette reveals in the interview how the touring-life came to her as a bit of a surprise.

"Until that gig (Belo Horizonte) I managed to be pretty much perfect. But I am a person, not a machine. A person can take stress to a certain limit but on that concert it simply went overboard. The moment of collapse is not nice to anyone but it cleared a lot of air inside the band", Anette reveals.

Her collapse ment a change to the whole band.

"Of course it was a wakeup-call to the whole group. We had to think if there was something wrong in our working habits and should we change something. But things don't always go like in the movies. In a community there are always people you get along better than with others. We don't have to love everyone as long as we remember to respect and understand each other with the best of our abilities."

NIGHTWISH keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen and vocalist Anette Olzon talks about their 2008 burnout in the latest issue of Kerrang-magazine. Anette also reveals that she has hired a "life-coach" to help her in the future.

On november 2008 Nightwish had to take a 3 month vacation cause the members were on the verge of burnout.

"We made some mistakes with our tourschedule, it was simply too tight. Last weeks were pure madness and each and every member in the band were basically madhouse-material at that point.", Tuomas remembers.

For Anette the tour was particularily hard cause she was constantly compared to Tarja Turunen who was the vocalist in Nightwish before Anette.

"I had zero time to recover. My body was totally exhausted. I was dead tired and when we were in South-America where fans are very fanatical, I got middle fingers and pictures of Tarja thrown at me", Anette explains.

During the 3 month break, Anette stayed in Sweden.

"Although I am a public person, I am not a superwoman. When for instance brazilian papers wrote that I was fighting with my ex-husband or that I was pregnant and had a miscarriage...well writings like those really hurt.", Anetta says.

I hired a "life-coach"

The whole band has learnt from the burnout. Anette has even hired herself a "life-coach

"My coach only speaks about positive things. I meet the person once a week while I am at home but we also use Skype while I am on tour. Now I also have my own assistent. This is the first time that there is someone who looks after me. I don't want to be a diva who hides behind the security guards but it is good to have someone who says 'Go away' to people when it's necessary.", Anette continues.

Tuomas spent 2 weeks in Disney World.

Tuomas spent the 3 month break composing songs for their forthcoming album which will be released on 2010. He also went to Disney World in Florida for 2 weeks with his friends.

"That place is simply the best...after home of course", Tuomas who is known as a huge Disney-fan explains."

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Tuomas

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Official merchandise store of NIGHTWISH´s singer Anette Olzon is now online

http://shop.textalk.se/en/shop.php?id=11209

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Sobre Michael Jackson

NIGHTWISH singer Anette Olzon has posted the following message on her official blog:

"I've spent my evening in front of the TV and followed the memorial of Michael Jackson. I cried over and over again when the wonderful speakers talked and the great singers performed. The hardest part of it all were when Michael's daughter spoke about her father and how great he had been as her father and that she loved him so. That was almost to tough to watch...

"I have often thought about why the most caring people die first... Why is it that the meanest and most ego-centrical people live long and just torment the people around them with their bitterness and hate? And the caring and warmest people that give and think about others and live with their heart unprotected and outside the body leave so soon?

"I do believe that God needs the good people for better purposes or maybe even to save them from the pain and sorrows they need to go through being hurt and tormented by the hating and mean people of this world. By being misunderstood and questioned in their deeds to try and help and nurture others. Tormented with others jealousy, envy and hate..

"It takes a big courage to try and change other people and their ways since most people are afraid of changes. It takes a lot of pain to live a life putting yourself out in front of the crowd, showing your own caring soul and heart. It takes lots of your own innocence and love to stand against the hardness of many peoples cruelness and misbelieves. It takes a lot of sacrifice and hard decisions to follow the beliefs that things can be healed, fixed and helped if you go against the dark and mean minds that try to hurt and take you down...

"Still there will be those good and caring people that will be born to try and make a difference and heal the world. No matter the pain they continue the path. They strive and go against the hard words, the laughter of the mockers, the cruel and wicked actions against them. They may cry and suffer in the sacred and hidden place where no one sees but still they continue their caring path.

"But sometimes and way to often, it hurts so much that they need help to make it through the pain... and way to often their body and souls cant take the burden to long and need to get away from this hard place...

"But when many of the good people leave us, they prove that they did make a huge impact. Their legacy and deed will live in so many many peoples hearts and souls forever. Their words and trying to change things might not change the whole world, but make a deep impact on those who understood what they tried to do and will follow their paths and continue the hard work they started."

[Serena]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spcy34xBY1Q&feature=related
Anette suena distinta!!

[Serena]

Anette ya tiene merchandise oficial desde el pasdao 4 de julio, de momento tiene poquitas cosas, íésperemos que vaya añadiendo más modelos de más cosas.

http://www.anette-olzon.com/news.html

http://shop.textalk.se/en/shop.php?id=11209

[Serena]

Mirad este video..........

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8pS6DAXuP0

[Serena]

Curiosidad!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oy3foFBOq1w&

[Serena]

Podeis votar por Nightwish en los Metal Female Voces Awards en la categorí­a de mejor DVD:

http://www.metalfemalevoicesfest.be/awards/dvd.htm

[Serena]

Skí¥nes Dansteater, la mayor institución de danza intependiente de Suecia, regresa a la Malmí¶ Opera en el próximo otoño con su nueva producción BLACK SILK.

Con 18 bailarines y unos 100 participantes en la orquesta y el coro, esta será una de las representaciones más grandes hasta el momento. La noche comenzará con la pieza inspirada en Asia "Heart Of Silk" coreografiada por Pontus Lidberg, y terminará con una nueva coreografí­a de Jorma Uotinen y la música de Nightwish.

Los ensayos están todaví­a en pleno desarrollo. Se podrán presenciar el 24 de agosto y el 14 de septiembre. El estreno de Black Silk será el 10 de octubre en Malmí¶ Opera (Suecia). Las entradas ya están a la venta en http://nettbillett.billettportalen.no/sdt/SHOWLISTVENUES.ASPX

Precio: 260 SEK
Precio para menores de 26 años: 130 SEK