ilosaarirock 
All through the summer, Ilosaarirock Festival has been posting on its Facebook page videos of extraordinary cover versions on songs originally performed by this year’s Ilosaarirock Festival artists. The band playing the covers is Sonik, a fresh band from Joensuu. Verkkotoimitus wanted to talk to the singer, Ville Härkönen, who had just finished a studio session – and was pleasantly surprised to find that the man is an old Ilosaarirock Festival faithful!
Cheers, Ville! Would you like to introduce yourself?
Ville Härkönen, a man of all sorts of work in music. And a singer and guitarist with Sonik.
Who or what is Sonik?
Sonik is a four-strong band from Joensuu that started playing together a year ago. We play both acoustic and plugged-in gigs and embrace a wide range of influences from country to 1980s pop. Our strengths include colourful songs and polyphonic vocal harmonies, and you may remember us from bands such as Stella, Rödsögården and Samettivallankumous.
You have recorded covers on songs by Stam1na, Ellie Goulding and Alice in Chains. What is this all about?
In January, we made acoustic live recordings of a couple of our own songs. Then we started thinking that we could do the same for cover songs. Ilosaarirock Festival is an event close to the hearts of everyone in the band, so this cooperation project was a part of a natural continuum.
How and where did you record the songs?
The songs were recorded at various spots on Laulurinne, the place where Ilosaarirock Festival takes place. All we had was a microphone – which also features on the videos – and a laptop. The videos were shot by Ilosaarirock Festival’s internet broadcasting team. It was a warm Sunday, and the session was truly enjoyable. The only setback was that we also had the accordion, but for some reason it stopped working.
Which song was the hardest to cover?
Puolikas ihminen by Stam1na probably changed the most, while No Excuses by Alice in Chains is the one closest to the original version. And Burn by Ellie Goulding falls somewhere between the other two. To ensure successful live recordings, we rehearsed each song carefully in the living room of one of our members.
Have people liked your versions?
The feedback has been positive. And we have even gained some social media visibility. I believe that many people have heard about us for the first time because of the covers, and I do hope they will now find our self-written songs as well. We heard that Stam1na liked our version of their song – that’s particularly heartwarming to know.
Ilosaarirock Festival and you -– what’s the story?
I have been there as an artist, stage manager and presenter, I’ve worked as a host for bands, you name it. And I have also visited the festival as a regular festival-goer. I know the many faces of Ilosaarirock Festival, so to say, and the event is really an essential part of my summer.
What’s the best performance you have ever seen at Ilosaarirock Festival?
In 2003, Raised Fist seen from the stage side in what was then the Third Stage was a blast to remember for life. And so was Calexico in 2007. But the list of all great performances goes on and on, in addition to the two I remember the most acutely.
How does the future look like for Sonik?
In the summer, we will throw a few performances, and just before this interview I came back from a recording session. We are now recording electric versions of our songs, planning to release our debut album, and, later in the autumn, we will start looking for partners for our future plans.
Who should come and see Sonik play live at Sulo Club?
Our Sulo Club performance will be an acoustic one by our folk incarnation. It’s going to be an intimate but open-minded event that I can warmly recommend to anyone interested in new and fresh-sounding Finnish pop music. See you there!
Sonik at Sulo Club in Ilosaari Lounge on Friday 11 July at 8.45 PM.
