Talking Meditation With Teemu Markkula of Death Hawks

Photo by Konsta Leppänen

When Death Hawks first caught our attention we immediately had to book them for the Noisey + Philips session YNTHT Live: Helsinki. Not only due to the fact that all members are ridiculously cute. Rather because they shatter every single preconception of Finnish music there is. But then again, the standard references to Finnish music are usually pretty poor: Think tango, Linda Lampenius, Arja Saijonmaa, and ehm, Lordi. (Although last year I think many of us fell in love with Jaakko Eino Kalevi, who just got some serious competition.)

Death Hawks sound similar to plenty of acts you’ve heard before, but I’m pretty sure you won’t be able to pin them down into that copycat box of yours. Furthermore, watching Death Hawks play live is like a sort of time machine that takes you on a journey back to the 1960s. I’m not only talking about their music here. Their instruments look like something not a single person born after 1989 has ever seen, and their performance is mesmerising. Lead singer Teemu Markkula is seriously one of a kind. So being under his spell I obviously had to give him a call.

Noisey: Teemu? Do I say your name right?
Teemu Markkula: Teemu, yes!

So how was the gig at We Got Beef?
In Helsinki? Yeah, it was great and loads of fun! It was a small venue with great people who seemed to be really enthusiastic about the band. There were a lot of handshakes and hugs after the gig.

Do you think that’s because you’ve been touring a lot in Finland recently?
Maybe. We’ve been touring since the winter 2012. So yeah, people are starting to recognise the band.

So how did the band come together?
Well, it was in 2010. I had plenty of songs but no band that I could preform them with. So I began to make a solo record, but realised I couldn’t do everything alone. So I asked the other guys in Death Hawks to join me. Things took their natural course after that and soon it metamorphosed into this band and it wasn’t a solo-thing anymore. We’re all from the same town. We went to school together and have been playing together since we were 17. It was natural for me to ask these guys.

Tell me about Death Hawks’ lyrics. So what’s the theme on the latest record? Death & Decay How come you’re into voodoo and Indian stuff? I heard that you’re from Tampere. How important is the countryside for your creative process? When you preformed at We Got Beef, you did a massive jump from the stage up behind the drummer, staring out over the audience without blinking once. For how long can you stare without moving your eyes? Right. So I guess you meditate a lot during your spare time? Is that influencing your music? I heard rumours about your guitar. Did you ever get the chance to meet him in person? I guess what I heard was completely wrong. Thanks, Teemu!

Death Hawks‘ second album Death Hawks is out now on Gaea Records.