ŪKANOSE interview

I interviewed Linas Petrauskas of the band Ūkanose.

01. Hi! First of all, why that band name ?

Hello! First of all, thanks for the questions. Ūkanose (In the mist) - the place where the souls of ancestors can hide. Old Lithuanians believed that the bodies of the dead continue their existence as the fog – mist. The ancestors used to say that the mist is the fire of waters, that is created when two diferent origins combine.

What is more, in Lithuanian language the word „ūkanose“ sounds similar to ūkti, ūkavimas ( hoot ), so it is related to sound which is wild, not domesticated, coming from the wind or from the deep forests.

02. The band founded in 2012 had several line-up change before and after the debut album released. What happened ?

The musicians who were in the band before the debut album was released, were not seriously interested in music and didn’t want to work harder.  Last line-up change was in the spring of 2018. This time the reasons why some members left the band was that they couldn’t invest enought time into Ūkanose, because they have their own projects.

03. What are the band members who recorded Ūkanose album released in 2016 ? And Trijų seselių single in 2014 ?

Back in 2014 in our line-up was Vaidas and Simona on vocals, Vygintas (Bass guitar), Linas (Guitar), Tadas ( Accordion), Vilius (Drums). In 2015 we started recording our first album with only one new mamber- bass player Mindaugas. But in the end of the year both vocals and bass guitarist left the band due to personal reasons. Our album was finished in the spring of 2016 when Martynas joined us. He recorded vocal part in the album.

04. Is that single or recording, the same one available on the album ?

Yes it is. You can buy our album on google play, band camp or listen to it on Spotify.

05. Are you currently without vocalist or can you reveal us his/her name ?

We have vocalist, but we have not presented him yet. You will know all of the information really soon. Just follow us on Facebook. He will be announced in the end of the summer. Also our flutist Greta takes some vocal parts. Greta joined us in the autumn of 2017.

06. How’s the Folk Metal scene in Lithuania in these days ?

Its almost dead. There are only a few bands playing it. But people are interested in our music. We often get invitations to the festivals, gigs, celebrations. Our genre gives us the opportunity to play for wide audience in Lithuania.

07. Can you shortly summarize lyrics of the debut album ?

Yes! Our songs are about nature, circle of life, and life of the warrior.

08. Can you explain your band logo ?

At the top there is the sun and it means fire. Fire it means life. Under the sun you can see our band name and I have already explained you the meaning of it.

09. How did you decide for the style of the band ?

Style came naturally. Tadas and Linas had an idea of what they want to play. From the first day there was no doubt that we will be playing FOLK METAL!

10. What are the bands you listened that united you,  Linas Petrauskas and Tadas Survila ?

We think that the Lithuanian folklore united us, because back in 2012 one of our free time activities was gathering in the pubs and singing our traditional songs.

11. Do you have some plans for the future soon ?

We would like to record our EP. Finish our second album, also to have some gigs around the Lithuania and foreign countries.