The story says that the legend of Los Bastardos Finlandeses started in remote mexican desert, a place where the guitars are loud and tequila never stops its flow, when guitarist Don Osmo pulled out the infamous Bastardo Joker as a gypsy woman dealt her cards. However it happened, a few years later, Los Bastardos Finlandeses, a bunch of forty-somethings who have played forever together and with others, are the hardest rocking band in Finland, inspired by heavy beats of Motörhead and the lyricism of Phil Lynnot. With three albums in less than three years (each of them dedicated to one of the members of the band) and a hectic touring schedule, Los Bastardos are also one of the hardest working bands in the country. Before embarking on their first UK tour in a few days, Welsh singer El Taff Bastardo (aka Bryn Jones) tells us about their last album, ‘El Grande’s Saloon’.

This new album is harder and faster, was that the original idea?

It was. Since the third album would be our drummer’s album (El Bastardo Grande aka Teijo “Twist Twist” Erkinharju) and he is the one keeping the beat fast and furious, I told Don Osmo (aka Olli Kykkänen) that the album should be fast and short, just nine three-minute song. On the second album, there is a fast rocking song call Gung! Ho! so I suggested we had nine Gung Hos. Fortunately that was Olli’s idea and he came up with ten songs like that.

I’ve been always pushing to make shorter albums because I got fed up myself of buying an album that has 16 songs and half of it is filler. I grew up listening to AC/DC and Motörhead albums and they are not much more than half an hour. With those records you got the feeling that was great and you wanted to put it back on again. That’s exactly what I wanted to get with this new album. It is over before you want it to be over so you feel like putting it back on again. I don’t find 70-minute albums that I want to listen straight through. Also the listening habits are much more different nowadays with computers and iPods so people listen to a song here and a song there. They don’t have the patience nor the concentration to listen to wholes albums.

Since it is a quick album, do you that it reflects better the live sound of the band?

Maybe. With this third album, we brought back the spirit of the first album while on the second album we had a very intense production and the album lacked some fun. It is important not to take ourselves too seriously.

Three albums in two and a half years. That’s unusual nowadays.

If you try to break a new band, especially a rock band, it is very important to bring new material because It is very hard to get heard, to get on the radio, on television… There’s a lot of competition, so you need to keep the material coming and eventually you will get heard. With this third album, radio is starting to play our music more, but just because we keep on knocking on their door with new songs. It takes that persistence.

You also played many gigs a year all around Finland.

That’s the way it was done when we grew up listening to music. It is only a recent phenomena that bands tend to concentrate on major cities. For example, in the UK bands used to play 20 or 30 shows all over the country. But again, for a rock band again, if you are not in the situation of being on top of the pile and are able play to a huge audience, the only way to find an audience is to go and play constantly. I would like to do still more gigs if possible. Apart of writing and recording, that is what keeps a band fresh and real for the people.

But in a small market like Finland, is it financially worthy to go to all those small towns?

Maybe not. But if you are serious about it, that’s the kind of work you have to put it. We recently went to Kalajoki and the crowd was relatively small, but they had a great time and they were really into it, so I can’t wait to go back there because I’m sure that all those people there are going to tell their friends and the next time there more people will be at our show. Maybe I’m wrong, but you need to have that faith.

With so much time on the road, how do you keep yourself entertained?

I usually have an acoustic guitar to practice and write something. I try to keep on writing all the time, because if you are in the habit of writing, you don’t have to panic when you get stuck; you have the confidence that it is going to come back. We also listen to music and have some drinks. El Muerte (aka Jussi Kinnunen, bass) likes to walk and Olli is very much taking care of the business side. He likes to be everywhere early and control all the minor details of business. El Diablo (aka Pekka Virtanen, guitar) just likes to have sauna!

How does it feel to be a Welshman between Finns?

I’m home, really. Sometimes Finns are honest to the point it hurts, but that helps. In this business is good to be with people that tell straight what they want and what they don’t want.

All the Bastardos have been in the business for many years and have played for other bands, what are the advantages of that?

Experience! The other guys in the band have worked together for many years and they have an understanding of each other’s playing, which can only come after working together for so many years. Pekka and Jussi know what the other one is going to do just looking at each other. Olli knows very well how Erkinharju, so he writes guitar parts with Erkinharju’s drumming style in mind, because he is such an amazing drummer, but he is not a session player that one days plays funk and the other jazz. He is a rock and roller and in that respect Olli writes with Erkinharju in mind. You can’t buy experience so we are quite fortunate to be a new band with all that experience behind us.

But I’m sure age has some disadvantages too.

Oh, year! You are over the hill and have 20 kilos too much. But that’s life!