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SHORT BIOGRAPHY
• Lost Spectacles founded 1999, first line-up:
Päivi Kylmänen: vocals
Aki Laakso: lead guitar
Kimmo Lähteenmäki: drums
Jouni Salmijärvi: bass
Mikko Uusi-Oukari: guitar, flute, keyboards
- The band recorded “Tuulee Niin” to Tuonen Tytär, 2 CD tribute to Finnish progressive music
released by Colossus and Mellow Records (2000)
• 2nd line-up (2001-2002):
Päivi Kylmänen: vocals
Kimmo Lähteenmäki: keyboards
Jouni Pusa: drums
Jouni Salmijärvi: bass
Mikko Uusi-Oukari: guitar, flute
• 3rd line-up (2003-2005):
Päivi Kylmänen: vocals
Jarmo Kataja: bass
Kimmo Lähteenmäki: keyboards, drums
Mikko Uusi-Oukari: guitar, flute
- Recording of ”Ajatuksia maailman laidalta”, release of the record in 2006
• 4th line-up (2005-):
Hannu Hiltula: vocals, soprano sax, flute
Aapo Honkanen: bass
Kimmo Lähteenmäki: keyboards
Mikko Uusi-Oukari: guitar
Mikko Väärälä: drums
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LONG BIOGRAPHY
This is the story of the Lost Spectacles and their transformation into Viima
The origin of the band goes back to year 1998. I had moved from Helsinki to Turku and had no
connection to local players. I started to play with a workmate of mine, guitarist Aki Laakso.
After long planning and ground work we started to look for other players to form the band.
Our ad in Soundi magazine resulted in two contacts, The keyboard player and drummer Kimmo
Lähteenmäki and the folk singer Päivi Kylmänen. The bass player Jouni Salmijärvi was found
through his own ad in Rumba. So we had the first line-up of the band in the beginning of 1999:
Päivi Kylmänen: vocals
Aki Laakso: lead guitar
Kimmo Lähteenmäki: drums
Jouni Salmijärvi: bass
Mikko Uusi-Oukari: guitar, flute, keyboards
The band rehearsed in the bottom of our house in a room of about 15 m3. Along developing our own material,
we rehearsed a Jethro Tull cover set consisting of ten songs from Tull albums Stand Up, Benefit and Aqualung.
Our name originated from there as none of the various suggestions satisfied everyone in the band.
Jouni suggested the name Lost Spectacles for our Tull cover band name.
The band participated in the making of Tuonen Tytär, 2CD tribute to Finnish progressive music
released by Colossus and Mellow Records (2000). We covered Matti Järvinen’s “Tuulee Niin” from his album "Matin levy" (Hi-Hat, 1976).
The name Lost Spectacles was used for the record, so we decided to keep it. The line-up performed
live in Kansanravintola 16th September 2000.
During this period six compositions saw their first appearance: Marimba, A Saint on the Water,
and Shopping (music by Aki, words by Päivi), Twilight Symphony and Legend of the Sea (words and
music by Kimmo) and ILTWYT (music by Mikko, words by Päivi). The lyrics at this 1st phase of
the band were in English.
In autumn 2000 Aki Laakso moved to US for several years. The line-up was radically changed:
Päivi Kylmänen: vocals
Kimmo Lähteenmäki: keyboards
Jouni Pusa: drums
Jouni Salmijärvi: bass
Mikko Uusi-Oukari: guitar, flute
The band decided to switch into Finnish words. Kimmo wrote lyrics to his songs, while the words
for my songs are written by Petri Hyytiä and Olli Valtonen. Kimmo’s new song “Ajatuksia maailman
laidalta” started its development from this 2nd phase of the band. Along with our own material
we played some Pentangle and Curved Air cover songs. The band performed live at Brinkkala stage
(July 10th, 2001) and at Espa stage (August 16th, 2001). In summer 2001 Päivi moved to Stockholm,
but continued coming to rehearsals from there.
In the beginning of 2002 Jouni Salmijärvi wanted a wider view of the world. He went to Brazil for
half a year. He was replaced by the bass player Jarmo Kataja. The band played live in Espa stage
(August 10th, 2002).
I went Germany for a month in October 2002. The activity of the band declined at this point. There was
half-a-year period without any rehearsals. We decided that the music made thus far should be recorded
to harvest the fruits of several years work. This led to the 3rd phase of the band, working in
studio to record “Ajatuksia maailman laidalta”.
First versions of three tracks, ”Leijonan syksy” (ILTWYT), ”Johdatus” (Twilight Symphony) and ”Meri”
(Legend of the Sea) were recorded and preliminary mixed during summer 2003 at Valtone Studio, Turku.
Timo Haanpää and Jonne Valtonen were the main recording engineers throughout the work. The tracks
were preliminary mixed in autumn 2003.
In the year 2004 we made demos of several new songs with Kimmo. Two of them, “Luuttomat” (The Boneless Ones)
and “Ajatuksia maailman laidalta” (Thoughts from the Edge of the World) found their way to the
record. The last song for the record, Ilmalaiva Italia, was written at the start of the year 2005.
The main work of the record was done at Valtone Studio during the year 2005: the three earlier
tracks were upgraded, three new ones recorded, and the whole record mixed.
Because the lyrics were in Finnish, the name Lost Spectacles did not fit to the band anymore.
The name was changed to Viima.
The record was mastered by Rogi Renvall in DVCenter, Tammisaari, at the end of the year 2005.
The covers were made using the artwork of Jukka Kinanen. The record “Ajatuksia maailman laidalta”
was released at the end of February 2006.
The 4th and current phase of the band (that overlapped phase 3) started already in the beginning
of summer 2005. Kimmo and me had rented a rehearsal room in Rock n' Chaoz. I asked a workmate
of mine, Aapo Honkanen to play bass in the band. The singer-flute/sax player Hannu Hiltula joined
in autumn 2005 followed by drummer Mikko Väärälä at the end of 2005.
Hannu Hiltula: vocals, soprano sax, flute
Aapo Honkanen: bass
Kimmo Lähteenmäki: keyboards
Mikko Uusi-Oukari: guitar
Mikko Väärälä: drums
The new line-up has rehearsed all the material in ”Ajatuksia maailman laidalta”. In addition, the
band already has a couple of new songs in its repertoire, and is working with several new ones.
Viima played five gigs during summer 2006. In autumn we start rehearsing new material.
Mikko Uusi-Oukari, 2006
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