ZOOK BACKGROUND
Zook is a rock'n'roll band based in Helsinki, Finland. Their music is essentially soul/blues which rocks - both live and recorded. Singer/songwriter Bryn Jones leads the band and writes lyrics that do tell a story. All four members of the band care for strong rhythm and warm presence. Zook members are experienced musicians who love what they are doing and like to share it with their audience.
After playing couple of years together (first gig Dec 2003) Zook is ready to release their debut album in Jan 2006. Single and video of a song "Chemistry" was released in 2005 by their own label Kuru Records.
Bryn Jones, vocals, guitarrr
Oi!Oi! Bryn Jones reporting to base.
I started singing as a kid. I have two older sisters who both play piano so I used to murder Elton John or whatever songs they were learning. Then one Christmas, Santa brought them tape recorders with microphones....oh boy! I remember "recording" the David Essex song ...I`m gonna make you a STAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR ...Deadly!
Thankfully Mum got a handle on things and got me the Rolling Stones and Rod Stewart and from there I moved on to ... more Stones and The Faces! I suppose I can`t get away from the singers and that`s just a matter of taste. Music is not a competition or a race. I love Bob Dylan`s voice as much as Otis Redding .......Lemmy as much as Rickie Lee Jones. My favourite new singers are Macy Gray, Johnny Lang, Jakob Dylan.....Mick Jagger....
Enough about singing... since moving to Finland I have taken up cross country skiing...I am pretty terrible but any sport with a hip flask is ok with me! LOVE my football, rugby, ping - pong and a good pint and a pie!
Sami Kuoppamäki, drummms
My thing is to play the drums. I started it in the late 70's and that is basically what I've been doing ever since. Studying it and playing professionally here and there has kept the beat going and gotten me to so many places I would not have had a chance to go without my stickbag. Also I have played tons of great music and met soooo many interesting and talented people being a freelance musician.
After living two weeks in Helsinki at age 10, I found myself from a basement shedding some Kiss-tunes with a bunch of friends. Some magical vibes went throuh my system later on when we learned to play THE Paranoid, Breaking the law (by Judas Priest) and YYZ (by Rush). Since those days I have tried to be part of a TRUE band, which is not really easy to achieve.
I have been lucky to play with Jukka for years and when we started jamming with Bryn and Rocka, I started feeling the good old vibe again!
Trying to shape new original songs for Zook and performing a pure rock'n'roll show live makes me very happy and provides limitless challenge for years on.
Making music is a thing I really respect. Putting a band together and making it work is something much more and requires some supernatural powers to happen..
Rocka Merilahti, guitarrr
My name is Rocka. I have played guitar since I was five. The first time I remember hearing music, it was Edith Piaf on the radio. What a power! I do not think music is about technique or equipment,the power is somewhere else. I can hear it when its there - in any style of music. I want to hear the soul. And rhythym is everything. It keeps me going!
Life is too short for proper investigations, that`s why I just wanna play the beat. I also like being underwater and cooking spicy food.
Respect brothers and sisters!
Jukka Jylli, basss
I am the bass player of the band. I played for many years in another band with Sami, so I think we have some kind of connection. I like music when its grooving and when I feel some sense of motion...its good if it makes me think of trains or horses or spacecraft or waves or anything that moves one way or another. I don`t move too much onstage but that`s another story.
Music doesn´t have to be fast, complicated or loud.... if something sounds weird, it generally sounds pretty good to me. Playing bass is like glueing the rest of the band together.
Jukka is supported by Carlsbro - makers of world class amplification.
