Laika & The Cosmonauts

Myspace Layouts at Pimp-My-Profile.com / Simple - Image HostingA MESSAGE FROM LAIKA & THE COSMONAUTS-----------------------------



There sometimes comes a time in a band's career when things are still great,

but you can sense that the natural lifespan is nearing the end. Its

nobodys fault, theres no reason for it, it just happens. Thats

where we are with Laika & The Cosmonauts now. We love the band &

music and are very proud of all the gigs and records weve done. We

dont wanna our good career to go where we end up being a bored/boring bar band that plays too few gigs to keep it tight, with the same songs all the time and gradually keeps getting worse and worse and in the process start hating the music and each other. So.



. when we release the compilation, it will be , not only to

celebrate our 20th anniversary, but also to enhance the enjoyment of our farewell tour

and make it an appropriate finale for the 20 year on the road - we intend to have

fun and play great gigs! Well do as many shows as possible in

Finland in august-november and then october in USA.

Well be playing the east coast, hopefully the west coast too and then play our final gigs at

the Continental Club in Austin, our home away from home (oct 31st and nov 1st) and.after which we'll have a few beers and relax, you know.



THANKS EVERYBODY! JOIN US FOR THE CELEBRATION!--------------------------------



LAIKAT 20 VUOTTA:

CMON, DO THE LAIKA ONE MORE TIME!



"Ylpeinä 20:stä vuodesta, kaikista keikoista ja levytyksistä, kiitollisina uskollisille faneillemme meidän on pakko todeta, että se on pian siinä. Bändeillä tulee eteen hetki, jolloin jokin kertoo, että elinkaari lähestyy loppuaan vaikka kaikki onkin edelleen kunnossa ja mahtavaa. Ei mitään varsinaista syytä, niin se vain menee.



Emme halua päätyä tylsäksi baaribändiksi, joka tekee liian vähän keikkoja pysyäkseen vedossa, soittaa samaa settiä hautaan asti ja vihaa lopulta musiikkiaan ja toisiansa. Se käy huomaamatta ajan kuluessa. Siksi panemme pillit pussiin, kun vielä suhtaudumme intohimoisesti bändiimme ja sen – no – ainutlaatuiseen musiikkiin.



Juhlimme 20-vuotista taivaltamme syksyllä 2008 julkaisemalla kokoelmalevyn ja soittamalla raivokkaita keikkoja viimeistä päivää Kierrämme Suomea elo- ja syyskuussa ja jatkamme lokakuun puolivälissä aluksi Yhdysvaltain länsirannikolle ja sitten itään missä kierrämme mukavia paikkoja vanhan rakkaan vihollisemme Los Straitjacketsin kanssa. Vihoviimeiset soinnut kaikuvat kuitenkin Austinista, Texasista, joka on ollut merkittävä ja läheinen kaupunki bändillemme. Sieltä alkoi myös kipuamisemme ylös ö-kastista aikoinaan.



Laika & The Cosmonautsin viimeiset keikat keikat Austinin Continental Clubissa 31.10. ja 1.11.2008!



Tulkaa mukaan kanssamme – ja kiitos vielä."



T. LAIKA & THE COSMONAUTS (1988-2008)

www.laikaandthecosmonauts.com---------------------------------



Laika & The Cosmonauts was founded in 1987 by Mikko Lankinen (guitar), Janne Haavisto (drums), Matti Pitsinki (organ and guitar) and Tom Nyman (bass). Their first album "C'mon Do The Laika" was released already in 1988. The group has since then released six more studio albums, all with the same line-up.



Their popularity in Finland and the rest of the Europe began to rise, surprisingly, only after they had made themselves a household name among the surf/garage/punk/alternative audience in The USA! There this foursome has released four original CD's ("Instruments of Terror", "The Amazing Colossal Band", "Absurdistan" and "Local Warming") as well as a compilation of their early stuff (from "C'mon do the Laika" and "Surfs you right!"). For these records they got rave reviews, good amount of airplay on the radio and won over the hearts of many famed musicians from "the king of surf guitar" Dick Dale to Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers' Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench. Other well-known Laika fans are Mike Palm from the surf-punk legend Agent Orange and John Jorgenson from The Hellecasters who, also played with Elton John for several years!



In US they have done many nationwide tours, one of which was as a supporting act for The Ministry on their "Filth Pig" tour. The singer of Ministry, Al Jourgensen wanted Laika & The Cosmonauts to join the stadium tour because, in his words; "They are the best f***ing band in the world!" Just check out their superb live album "Laika Sex Machine" (2000) and you'll come to the same conclusion yourself.



The music of the band has been also included in number of movies including Flipper, LA Without A Map, Fox Hunt, Blood and Donuts, The Iron Horsemen.

Since the members are big fans of movies and soundtrack albums one of the main goals is to get the Laika-music on the big screen.



Laika & The Cosmonauts is also continually touring Europe and their home country. They have done dozens of TV appearances (including a live TV-show shown all over Europe called "Absolut Live") and hundreds of radio interviews/shows in the USA as well as in Europe. In Japan some people might even know the band members from their work as record producers with artists such as "Lemonator", "Super", "The JP's", "Värttinä".



A 20th anniversary compilation album is in the production phase. The record will be released in august 2008 by Yep Roc Records in the US and by Grandpop Records in Finland and Scandinavia. The album will also contain BRAND NEW, PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED MATERIAL - tunes Laika & the Cosmonauts composed for accompaniment to the Fritz Lang silent film classic METROPOLIS!!!



To celebrate the 20th anniversary and the release of the compilation Laika & The Cosmonauts wil be touring Finland (August-October) and USA (October).