Sold

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Sold- Melodic metal band from Estonia

Interview conducted on July 30, 2020

By Dan Locke

SOLD is a modern/melodic metal band from Estonia. Their music mixes together strong heavy riffs, fast melodic solos, clean… and powerful female vocal and extreme and rough male vocal.
In February 2020 SOLD released their debut EP “Empty Words” which got a great feedback from fans and critics.

What is your upbringing?

Anne: I was born and raised in the second biggest town of Estonia – Tartu. Nothing special about my childhood. I was a normal school-hating brat like everybody else I guess 🙂

How did you discover music?

Anne: Oh, I believe I was so young when I first discovered it, so I don’t really remember, but my singing career started when my parents put me and my sister in a singing school. I was just 3 years old.

How did you start to write music?

Anne: I haven’t written that much music. I co-wrote some songs for my rock band G.O.S.H. and that’s basically it. In other bands I only do the vocal parts and maybe some synths/electronics.
Valeri: I just started to play cover songs and suddenly some of my own ideas came to mind and I started to realize them. At the first rehearsal of the band, one of my bandmates asked:” Does anybody have any ideas for riffs?” so I offered mine. That’s how it all started for me.

What was your first performance at like?

Anne: Again, I don’t remember this because I was too young, but I do recall one very funny performance at a very young age (I was 3 or 4). I was singing a song with a band and I forgot the words of the second verse, so I just kept singing the chorus over and over again. Finally, I stopped and said to my parents who were sitting in the audience in the first row: “What am I gonna do now?”. I don’t remember if I finished the song or not.

What was the title of your first original song? Did you record it?

Anne: The title of the first song that I recorded and co-wrote with a drummer for our rock band G.O.S.H. is “Blind Awake”. I think it came out pretty decent!

In 2009, you were on a television talent show. Eesti Otsib Superstaari. How was that time?

Anne: It was super exciting, as well as very nerve-wracking. I sometimes think that maybe I was too young for it, coz I was so inexperienced and shaky and insecure back then. Then again, I believe it opened some doors for me and I wouldn’t be where I am today if I hadn’t done it then.

How did you go from G.O.S.H. to Portread to SOLD?

Anne: Actually, my very first band was “Minu Akvaarium” (eng. My Aquarium) that I did with my university buddies. The songs were all in Estonian and we even had one music video. Next came Portread when their drummer wrote me a mile-long letter, asking me to replace their old singer. At that time, I wasn’t actually a metalhead yet. I had always liked rock though and bands like Linkin’ Park and HIM, but when Portreads drummer introduced me to symphonic metal I was immediately sold! So, I sang that for 8 years, until I started to yearn for something heavier. I searched for a new band and SOLD guys saw my ad. The all-girl rock band G.O.S.H. was a side project I did during Portread, but it ended pretty quickly, coz I realized it’s not really my thing.

Anna how did you join SOLD?

Anne: The guys saw that I was looking for a new band and invited me to audition. It was a match made in heaven! LOL. We hit it off right away and now I’ve been in the band ever since.

How the band did get its name?

Anne: Valeri, our solo guitarist, saw a sticker one day that had SOLD written on it and I guess he thought it would be a good band name. No bigger story behind it I’m afraid.

Why did you decide to do dual vocals?

Valeri: I think using clean and extreme vocals alternately gives metal music more diversity. Other option would be of course if one person can do both. But having two singers on stage also makes the live shows more energetic and interesting to watch.

Your EP just came out at the start of the virus. How were sales?

Anne: This is the first album that we put out, so we don’t really have a reference moment, but I guess the sales were OK.

What is your favorite track on the album?

Anne: I like them all, but “Empty Words” is the most powerful, catchy and universal of them.

During the virus, Bandcamp waived fees for one day. How was that? Did you get more sells then normal?

Anne: Unfortunately, no.

How do you stay healthy while touring?

Anne: We haven’t gone outside of Estonia yet, but we’re definitely hoping to go on our first European tour soon, probably next year when we release our first LP.

What are you are feeling about streaming music? Digital vs. Vinyl?

Anne: I have to admit that I don’t own any CDs or vinyl’s and I listen to music digitally only. I don’t even have anything to listen to CDs with. But I don’t know if it’s a totally bad thing though. Everyone’s always complaining about people not buying CD’s anymore, but we can’t expect the world not to change, right? We just have to adapt and embrace the future. I like that music is so easily obtainable nowadays and this also means that it’s easier for bands to distribute their music all over the world within seconds.

What is the mental health situation of the Estonia? How can public help the doctors and nurses on the front line?

Anne: I think Estonia came out of the pandemic pretty nicely, we didn’t have any major breakouts here. It was tough of course, having to cancel some live shows and not being able to go see live shows for 4 months, but now everything seems to be back to normal here.

How is metal music in Estonia since the virus?

Anne: I really don’t know, but I’m guessing we will soon hear a lot of new songs that are written during the lockdown and that are about this crisis haha.

Do you think kids should go back to school his fall?

Anne: Yes, I think they should. Kids are not in the risk group so why should we keep them locked up any longer.

What song from the past is in your mind right now? Moreover, what is the meaning that song means to you?

Anne: I’m sorry I don’t really understand the question. You mean, what song is repeating in my head at the moment? Weird, but there is none. There usually is!

How do you feel the Covid-19 virus going to affect the music business in the future?

Anne: Maybe there’s going to be some live stream shows in the future also. Seems like Covid started a new movement there. Although it’s not as good as going to a real live concert, it has its own appeal. Musicians can stream a live show all over the world at once and people are willing to pay money to see their favorite band play live, even if it’s through the internet.

What have you been doing with your self-quarantine? Have you discovered or rediscovered any new hobbies?

Anne: I have started to work out more, since I was so bored during the lockdown. So that’s one positive thing that came out of this sad situation. Other than that, I was just watching series on Netflix, played with my cat and relaxed at home.

Many artists are doing nightly concerts over either YouTube, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Anna, during the quarantine you did a photo session. How was that? Did you think in the back of your mind you should not be doing it?

Anne: I did not do any photo shoots during the lockdown. Maybe I posted some old photos and you thought I did them during.

Live Nations just started Live Nation from Home. Which are concerts from artist homes. An all-new virtual music hub keeping fans connected to their favorite artists featuring daily live streams, performances, new music and more. Do you think it will be possible to make a living doing concerts this way?

Anne: Maybe. Anything is possible. If YouTubers can make a living, then why not musicians who only play live on the internet. I personally wouldn’t do it, coz the experience of a real live show is just too great not to be giving them at all.

Live Nation is starting to do the first ever U.S. drive-in concert series — LIVE FROM THE DRIVE-IN — which started on July 10, 2020. Now there are many other Drive-in concerts popping up. Do you think this is something you would be willing to do?

Anne: It wouldn’t be my first choice, but if the world finally comes to that then why not. As long as real live shows don’t disappear completely!

For smaller bands who do not play large crowds, this is not really an issue. How do you see bands going back to smaller venues and doing things like play for the door, with no guarantees?

Anne: I really don’t know how to answer that, because I’m not in that situation myself, but I guess everybody will adapt to the new future/present eventually. We just don’t have any other choice and the world is constantly changing anyway, Covid or not.

In the United State. Almost all live shows have stopped. However, in Estonia they are still going on. You just played two music festivals. Kabliku Beer Camp and Rock and Roll music festival and Hard Rock Laager Festival. How were they? How close were the crowd to the band? Any social distance?

Anne: We only played Käbliku festival, the other one I just attended myself to see the bands. There was no social distancing, everything was back to normal. Seems like covid-19 is not a major issue in Estonia anymore, because I haven’t heard of any new outbreaks after these festivals.

If you had the change to tour the US, would you do it? Remember you may have to need to self-quarantine for 14 days. How would that work?

Anne: Of course, we would want to tour the US, it would be a dream come true! I think we don’t have to worry about covid-19 when we finally go there, coz it’s probably not gonna happen this year or even next year. Hopefully there will be a vaccine invented by the time we finally do tour in the US 🙂

With Social Distance being the norm. Do you feel that it maybe the end of music fest for the next couple of years?

Anne: It may be the sad truth for some of the countries that got hit harder by the virus, but I don’t think the festivals are going to be cancelled all over the world. Maybe some borders are gonna be closed even next year, but there’s still gonna be some local festivals taking place for sure. Estonia already had several.

What about Holographic concerts in our living room?

Anne: That sounds exciting! I hope I get to see one before I die 🙂

How do you see yourself in the next five years?

Anne: I would like to see myself and my band playing some big festivals by that time. If 5 years pass and we still haven’t reached that goal, maybe we should think about a new goal in life, but we sure as hell are going to try to do it!

Any think you like to say in closing.