Private Line (band)
Private Line |
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Private Line are a hard rock and sleaze glam band from Helsinki, Finland, formed during the mid-1990s (in the middle of Finland city called Jyväskylä) and continuing today.
History
Origins
The band was founded in the 1990s, when the founding members, Sammy, Jari Huttunen, and Eliaz were still teenagers. They bonded through love of Hanoi Rocks and Mötley Crüe. Private Line won a local band competition and used the prize money from it to record and release their debut EP "Smooth Motions" in 1998.
After recording Smooth Motions, the band brought in two new members: Spit and Illy. Together they recorded a 5 song promo-cd. Founding member and guitarist Jari left the band and joined in Finnish heavy metal act Timo Rautiainen & Trio Niskalaukaus in 2001.
Re-forming Private Line 2002
While in Helsinki in 2002, vocalist Sammy met a guitarist named Jack, who was previously playing in the bands called Palmcut and Rockers Unite!. He was asked to join in the band and gave a new breath of life to Private Line. Jack knew the band and was fan of theirs already before deciding to join them. Jack toured two shows with the band before actually becoming a member. Jack's first official performance as a guitarist of Private Line was 25th of May 2002 at the club S-Osis in Turku, Finland.
Six Songs Of Hellcity Trendkill 2002
Band started rehearsing new songs during the summer of 2002 and went to the studio in the August 2002.Private Line recorded 5 songs in the Jyväskylä Lutakko studios. In December 2002, Private Line released their second CD-EP Six Songs of Hellcity Trendkill with a revamped, energy-filled style with hard R'N'R riffs flavoured with synthesizers. Band used 3 earlier recorded songs Makin' A Mess Since'77, Grown Like Others, Crack In Reality and 3 new songs Superstar I.Q, Downstairs Upstairs and Virgin Suicide for the new EP. The EP got positive reviews from the Finnish rock media as well as glam and hard rock orientated webzines. After the Hellcity Trendkill release, Private Line got singed their first booking agency deal with the Sam Agency Oy.
2003
Band toured a lot during the year of 2003 with bands like Negative, Peer Gunt, Hybrid Children etc. and started to build up their fanbase in Finland.
Private Line also worked with the new songs during the tour and in the end of the year 2003 band went to the studio to record their forthcoming single Forever And A Day. Single included also the songs called Cheerleaders & Dopedealers, and Sleep Tight that was old Private Line song from the 90's.
Debut album "21st Century Pirates" (2004)
Forever And a Day single was released before the album in February 2004 and it shot up the Finnish record charts, reaching #3 at its first week.
Sleep Tight song was released also in the Finnish box-office hit movie and soundtrack Levottomat3 by Solar Films Inc. in the February 2004.
April 2004 saw the appearance of the bands debut full-length album 21st Century Pirates. Album reached #18 at the official Finnish Top40 record charts at its first week and got great reviews in the Finnish and foreign press.
The second single from the debut album carrying the name 1-800-Out-of-Nowhere was put out in June 2004 and reached #4 in the Finnish single charts. The video of the song stayed on MTV's Up North Top10 video chart for 10 weeks.
In the August 2004 21st Century Pirates was released also in Japan by JVC Victor Entertainment.
A third single (released December 2004) from the album called Already Dead brought the band more success with another top 5 charting in their homeland.
The band toured for the album in various countries, such as Japan, Italy, Spain, England, Germany, Sweden and Russia. They supported also acts like Mötley Crüe (2 shows in Helsinki and Turku June 2005), Alice Cooper (in Torino, Italy July 2005), D-A-D (5 shows Scandinavian tour, Stockholm, Gothenburg, Helsinki, Turku, Tamperein October 2005) and Brides of Destruction, a band featuring Nikki Sixx and Tracii Guns, in their hometown Helsinki at the Tavastia Club in June 2004.
Evel Knievel Factor (2006)
From their forthcoming album, Private Line unveiled a new single on May 31 2006 called Broken Promised Land. The video of the song that was shot in Las Vegas Flamingo Hotel and Nevada desert and was inspired by Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas-movie, featured a Finnish porn star and celebrity Rakel Liekki. The single reached #4 on the Finnish singles chart. On the single was also another song from the upcoming album, called Uniform.
In October 2006 they released a new song entitled Alive on their MySpace page and revealed that the new album will be called Evel Knievel Factor. The album was released on the 1st of November, and album reached #23 on the Finnish albums chart.
Evel Knievel Factor-album was released also in Ukraine, Japan by JVC @ Victor Music Entertainment, Russia by Dance Paradise/Soyuz, Brazil, Chile, Argentina in South America by Dynamo Records, Sweden by Playground Scandinavia.
A second single from the album, called Sound Advice, was released on 31st of January 2007, and reached #2 on the singles chart in Finland and stayed there 7 weeks. On the Sound Advice single were also two previously unreleased songs, Tokyo (Tokyo was released also in Evel Knievel Factors Japan version with the cover version of the Cheap Tricks song He's A Whore) and Criminal. Criminal is originally Finnish rockband Smacks song from the 80's. Single included also music video of the song Broken Promised Land.
2007
The video of the Sound Advice was shot in MTV3 studios in Helsinki by Vasara films. Video reached #1 position at the Finnish music tv channel VoiceTV and stayed there over 10 weeks in a row.
Sound Advice was also one of the Soundtrack songs in a Finnish box-office hit movie (over 200000 viewers in Finland) V2 – jäätynyt enkeli by Solar Films Inc.
In the year 2007 Private Line toured in Finland, Sweden and Russia.
In the end of the year 2007 Private Line was asked to participate in the Pepsi Max campaign with the cover of the main campaign song More that was made by hip-hop group Black Eyed Peas. Private Line recorded their version of the song and it ended up in the Pepsi campaign during November and December 2007 in Finland. Pepsi bottles included bands logo, photo of the band and code for the song in the bottles sticker.
2008
Evel Knievel Factor album will be released in Italy May 2008 by Edel Italy. Private Line has informed that they are preparing their third album in the year 2008.
Members
Current
- Sammy - vocals & acoustic guitar
- Eliaz - drums & vocals
- Jack Smack - guitar & vocals
- Illy - guitar, synths, programming & vocals
- Spit - bass & vocals
Former
- Jari Huttunen - guitar (1996-2002)
- Janne Kulju - bass (1996-1999)
Discography
Albums
- 21st Century Pirates (2004)
- Evel Knievel Factor (2006)
E.P.
- Smooth Motions (1998)
- Six Songs Of Hellcity Trendkill (December 2002)
Singles
- Forever And A Day (February 2004) (4 weeks in official Finnish charts , best chart position #3)
- 1-800-Out-of-Nowhere (June2004) (6 weeks in official Finnish charts , best chart position #4)
- Already Dead (December 2004) (4 weeks in official Finnish charts , best chart position #6)
- Broken Promised Land (May 2006) (11 weeks in official Finnish charts , best chart position #4)
- Sound Advice (February 2007) (7 weeks in official Finnish charts , best chart position #2)
Compilations
- Fan records (1999) - (01) "Sick Of Myself"
- Klamydia -Piikkinä Lihassa, Klamydia 15v. (2003) - (15) "Junkies Love"
(Narkkarirakkautta) Private Line/Sir.Christus & Antti Anatomy(Negative)
- Rock2006.fi-Vuoden Kovimmat Rockhitit (2006) - (12) "Broken Promised Land"
- Tuhma Rock-kokoelma Vol.1 (2007) - (14) "Broken Promised Land"
- Mama Trash Family Artists Volume One (2007) - (09) "Broken Promised Land"
- Sweden Rock Magazine Vol.43 (2007) - (07) "Broken Promised Land"
Movie Soundtracks
- "Sleep Tight" (2004) in the movie called Levottomat 3
- "Sound Advice" (2007) in the movie called V2 - Jäätynyt Enkeli
Other releases
- More (November/2007) Pepsi Max campaign song, original song by Black Eyed Peas
Music videos
- Forever and a Day (2004)
- 1-800-Out-of-Nowhere (2004)
- Broken Promised Land (2006)
- Sound Advice (2007)