Laugh n' A Half
Having a Good Time
Official biography:
Mikko Laitinen, frontman of this folk rock combo from Helsinki, Finland, affirms, he was the “self-centred rock cock”. But we know it better: its about the Snake-Dance-RocknRollers Association, some kind of new term for the boys, but in the meantime prevailed to the brand mark of RobinCosmos. Who has experienced this troop once live, will understand, what its all about.
The guys of RobinCosmos found each other bit by bit. First there was the solo project El Miquel of Mikko Laitinen. Later the squad grew to a trio, did small time through bars and clubs to organize each other later in 2003, to offer rock music with its special groove: RobinCosmos. 2007 bassplayer Tomi Moilanen has left the band. Since then RobinCosmos get supported by guest bassist Jaakko Kettunen (guitar player Overhead).
RobinCosmos present brightly coloured material, from rocking piano sound up to screaming, story telling guitars and jazzy, but damp creating drums. The voice of the lead singer Mikko Laitinen is a charismatic journey round the world with different, wonderful pit stops. You only have to close your eyes and let this movie in. Side-effects like walking on clouds or not calculated states of trance are guaranteed. The warmth, which this music radiates, flocks into your toes like a good cup of Finnish coffee with an healthy shoot of pirates blood (rum) in it.
Typical for RobinCosmos is, that their lyrics are all based on personally experiences and situations, but most of all, that these four young guns never ever have followed any trends, also havent got any plans to start this. They write and play what their hearts imposes them … they stumble on exceptional barriers, only to reach their goal: to make music, to have fun and to drink Carelian beer. There are two more guys who bolster the songwriting of RobinCosmos: Antti Räsänen and Pekka Tolkki from Joensuu (Carelia), two good old mates, who form together with Mikko Laitinen, who wrote most of the songs, the main writers locomotive set of RobinCosmos lyrics.
A few band members also play their souls out of their loafs in other bands: Kire Karppanen with Mason, Tarmo Simonen with Overhead, Jari Karosto with StarhagS, but fundamental their passionate musicians hearts beat first for RobinCosmos and elsewise nothing. Tare furthermore attracts attention in our ears as exceptionally gifted producer and arranger.
The shows of RobinCosmos are so ingenious, that their audience leave the clubs kind of paralyzed like after a good placed snake-bite and a little bewitched and under the spell with kind of glass-eyed look … no saga, no question, Fins arent able to lie. In Finland everybody loves their style and the distinctive RobinCosmos concept. Who undergoes hard times and passes through too long lasting winters, wont moan, but slick the RobinCosmos vitamins. The boys call this procedure lovingly “ransom for the song”.
First success they reaped when 2003 their video to „Having a good time“ went on no. 2 in the Nordiska Videolistan, the video chart program on the Finnish national channel YLE. Before they signed their first record contract in Spring 2005 they already had two independent singles out: “Having a good time” and “My way”. The first on label released single of RobinCosmos came out in November 2005: “Old habits die hard” on the Finnish independent label ANDUR Industrial, which was recorded in the famous Seawolf Studios on Suomenlinna (a little island outside Helsinki). Short-time later, in January, 2006 RobinCosmos released their debut album “Pathfinder”, produced by Tarmo Simonen and Petri Majuri, who already was involved in different very successful music projects. The debut was followed by the second single from “Pathfinder”, called “Whereabouts unknown” in December, 2006. Not to avoid hanks of success are the results of this bands landscape since then.
Even in Houston/Texas based lifestyle press as Curiosity Kills Magazine was interested in RobinCosmos and published an article about several pages in January, 2007. More articles and interviews got printed and released, for example in Germany on Szenepunkt/Local Heroes and Giggoo, in the Finnish daily and music press as Desibili, Finpop, Helsingin Sanomat NYT, Karjalainen, Karjalanheili, Ranska, Rokkizine, Rumba, Rytmi, Soundi, SUE, different Canadian and American magazines already knocked on the door.
The same related to radio stations: FinnAddix (FIN/US), Finish Muses/Finish Rock Radio (FIN/US), Hot Station (GR), Maxx Traxx Music (CAN), Planet Net Tunes Radio (US), Radio Musica/The Fuzion Radio (US), Radio Suomipop (FIN), The Drastic Plastic Program/CKUT (CAN), Rock 35/EndRadio (US), Radio YLE (FIN), Noise.fi (FIN), Radio City (FIN), Radio Helsinki (FIN), Ylex (FIN), Radio Rex (FIN), NewcomerRadio (D). On Antenne Bayern/Soundgarage (D), Giggoo (D) RobinCosmos took the pos. 1 and 2 in the voting charts with songs as „Stretched“ and „Whereabouts Unknown“ …
The very young blooded thoroughbred troop, also plays down the roofs and the mood in for the audience in smaller bars aka kind of COCKtailtrio now and then, get re-booked every year for Espan Lava jazz festival in Helsinki. Jazz and Snake-Dance-RocknRoll … you should assume, that wont go conform. But the Finnish audience seemly has another idea of it. Crowned with applause performances are the results, merchandising sold-out the aftermaths.
The Hamburg based tv channel YOOMEE.tv has already discovered RobinCosmos for their viewers and invited the band to the Music Club LIVE for a video shooting for the first album documentary of the combo in January, 2007. Mikko, Tare and Kire told heart refreshing insider stories about all songs on “Pathfinder”, showed, how charming and entertaining the otherwise so closed-lipped Finnish men can be. All rumours. The shooting got crowned when RobinCosmos as acoustic trio performed two songs unplugged.
Who got taste, should hurry and get in touch with us, before RobinCosmos will rush by like snake dancers on roller skates … take them … or show everybody … how boring you are …
RobinCosmos greet with an inviting „Have a good time – all the time!“
Discography:
My way 2003 single - Having a good time 2003 single - Old Habits Die Hard Nov, 2005 single - Pathfinder Jan, 2006 album - Whereabouts Unknown Dec, 2006 single - Stretched March, 2007 single
Videography:
Having a good time 2003 video - Whereabouts unknown 2007 video
YleX
Radio Rock
SuomiPop
RadioNova
Radio Helsinki
Voice
Radio Rex
YLE Pohjois-Karjalan Radio
