It's
natural to start with this question: When did you first get inspired
of playing drums? "I got my first contact with a drum kit at the
age of six, but when I turned 14, I got seriously interested. A lot
of that had to do with Metallica's ...And Justice For All album. After
that I started to practice a lot."
When asked about sources of inspiration and heroes, Pasi grins: "I have so many heroes, that it would take quite a while to list them all. But the most important ones are -of course- John Bonham, Nicke Andersson, Sami Kuoppamäki, Dave Lombardo, Gene Hoglan and Charlie Watts. When it comes down to a taste of music, Pasi has a pretty wide range. "I like lots of different kind of groups. Ones like Led Zeppelin, Death, Slayer, Brian Setzer... that kind of stuff. I generally like music from jazz to death metal, but seems like that rock 'n' roll has come closest to my heart, thanks to Led Zeppelin."
What about musical background? "I started my first "band" when I was 14. Looking back, I'm sure it was a good thing to start playing drums at such an early stage. In a band, I mean. It gave me a better sense to play along with others. At the age of 16 I joined my first "real" band called APE. That group played cover songs like Faith No More's Digging The Grave, Billy Idol’s Rebel Yell etc. We had some rock songs of our own too. That band broke after 2 years.
After my military service I tried my luck in many kinds of groups, finally ending up with a trash/HC-band called While I'm Alive. Actually, I beat the skins in a Goth/rock-band called Tarsis at the same time too. That band broke up some time ago, just for the record. Around that time, Jimmie had already called me a couple of times and asked about joining the band. But after crashing in with Jason and Sean in the stairs of one shitty pub I finally made up my mind. We had a little chat and that was it. I wanted to play some tough rock 'n' roll again. After two years I decided to quit in While I'm Alive and concentrate on Strikin' Case.
What kind of gear do you use? "Nowadays I use Pearl EX-drums, the kit contains 10", 12", 13" and 16" tom toms, 14x7 Yamaha Oak Custom snare, but in this kind of music I use only 12" and 16" tom toms. I like to use Sabian and Alchemy cymbals."
Time for the final question. What are your goals in playing music? "I think that the most important thing is to become a better drummer both technically and intuitionally. Also gigging and playing shows is very important to me. Of course that would be dream come true if I could make my living with music, but it will require a hell of a lot of work and luck."