Apulanta

Apulanta is a Finnish ^Finland rock band, founded in 1991 when its members were in their mid-teens. Initially playing various forms of rock such as punk ^{punk rock} , ska, and metal ^{metal music} , they soon shifted to a catchier, more radio-friendly style, and have been fluctuating between these extremes and many others since. Their more recent songs tend to combine melodic and catchy choruses with heavy guitar riffs.

Their breakthrough came in 1996 with the hit song Mitä kuuluu from "Hajonnut EP" followed by the single Anna mulle piiskaa. Since then, they have consistently topped the Finnish charts, and they continue to be one of the most successful rock bands in Finland. Teit meistä kauniin is one of the all-time biggest-selling singles in Finland and their current hit-single Koneeseen kadonnut has been extremely successful. As of January 2006, 16 of their singles and 8 albums have reached the #1 spot on the Finnish charts. Still, they have not received any Finnish Emma-awards (the equivalent of the Grammys), since their record label Levy-yhtiö is not a member of the Ääni- ja kuvatallennetuottajat ÄKT ry (the local representative of IFPI). This has allowed records released through Levy-yhtiö to be sold at a lower price than those through the record labels that are members of ÄKT. Surprisingly, in the end of 2006, Apulanta was nominated for the Best Music DVD Emma for their DVD Kesäaine.

The band currently consists of founding members Toni Wirtanen (lead vocals/guitar) and Simo Santapukki ^{Simo "Sipe" Santapukki} (drums), and more recent addition Sami Lehtinen (bass), who replaced Apulanta's previous bassist, Tuukka Temonen.

  Apulanta has a history for energetic performances. They have had many "themed" concerts in which the bands would dress up in costumes and have the stage set up with a scene to match. Some examples include the following: In 1995 Apulanta made a playback performance in Lista (The List). Toni wore women's underwear and Tuukka had PVC-pants. In 1998 Apulanta made a playback performance in Jyrki Hit Challenge in which they fought each other with their instruments while wearing only swimsuits and shaving cream. On their summer tours of 2003 and 2004 they wore knight armor. As well, their relationship with their fans can be considered extraordinary when put into perspective with their fame. They once performed a cover of The Ramones' ^Ramones Blitzkrieg Bop simply because a fan asked them to. During a winter tour in 2005, Wirtanen handed out ice cream to fans before a gig at Helsinki's Nosturi because he spontaneously decided to promise the fans that he would do so. In the summer of 2006, Apulanta allowed a random American fan (notoriously nicknamed MF Elie) aboard their tour bus to work for them because the fan explained that it would look good on his college applications.

The band's most recent album (also their 10th album) Kuutio (kuinka aurinko voitettiin) was released on 5.11.2008.
Current members

* Toni Wirtanen - lead vocals and guitar (+ bass 1991-1992) (1991–)
* Simo ”Sipe” Santapukki ^{Simo Santapukki} - drums ^{Drum kit} and backing vocals ^{backing vocalist} (1991–)
* Sami ”Parta-Sami” Lehtinen ^{Sami Lehtinen} - bass ^{bass guitar} and backing vocals (touring guitar 2001-2004) (2005–)


Former members

* Antti Lautala - lead vocals and guitar (+ bass 1991-1992) (1991–1994)
* Amanda ”Mandy”***nor ^Amanda***nor - bass, trombone and vocals (1992–1993)
* Tuukka Temonen - bass (1993–2004)
* Jani Törmälä - touring ^concert guitar (1997, 1998, 2000)
* Sami Yli-Pihlaja - touring guitar (1998-1999, 2000)
* Marzi Nyman - touring guitar (2000)
* Markus "Masi" Hukari - touring guitar (2001), 2005

Studio albums

*Attack of the A.L. People (1994)
*Ehjä ("Whole", 1996)
*Kolme ("Three", 1997)
*Aivan Kuin Kaikki Muutkin ("Just Like Everyone Else", 1998)
*Plastik ^{Plastik (Apulanta album)} (2000)
*Heinola 10 (2001)
*Hiekka ^{Hiekka (album)} ("Sand", 2002)
*Kiila ("Chock", 2005)
*Eikä Vielä Ole Edes Ilta ("And It's Not Even Evening Yet", 2007)
*Kuutio (Kuinka Aurinko Voitettiin) ("Cube (How the Sun was conquered)", 2008)


Singles & EPs

*Mikä ihmeen Apulanta? (in English "What the heck is Apulanta?", 1993)
*T.S. + A.L. (1994)
*Tuttu TV:stä ("As seen on TV", 1994)
*Hajonnut EP ("Broken", 1995)
*Anna mulle piiskaa ("Spank me", 1996)
*Mato ("Worm", 1997)
*Mitä vaan ("Anything", 1997)
*Liikaa ("Too much", 1997)
*Teit meistä kauniin ("You Made us Beautiful", 1998)
*Hallaa ("Frost", 1999)
*Torremolinos 2000 (1999)
*Käännä se pois A ("Turn it away", 1999)
*Käännä se pois B (1999)
*Ei yhtään todistajaa ("No Witnesses", 2000)
*Maanantai ("Monday", 2000)
*Viivakoodit ("Bar codes", 2001)
*Reunalla ("On the Edge", 2001)
*Kadut ("Streets", 2001)
*Saasta ("Filth", 2002)
*Hiekka ("Sand", 2002)
*Jumala ("God", 2003)
*Pudota EP ("Drop", 2004)
*Pahempi toistaan ("One Worse Than Other", 2005)
*Armo ("Mercy", 2005)
*Koneeseen Kadonnut ("Lost in the Machine", 2006)
*Kesä EP ("Summer", 2008)
*Vauriot // Kumi, nahka, piiska / Punainen helvetti ("Damages // Rubber, Leather, Whip / Red Hell", 2008)
*Ravistettava ennen käyttöä ("Shake Before Use", 2009)


English Albums

*Apulanta (2001/2002)
*Viper Spank (2000/2003)


DVDs

*Liikkuvat kuvat (in English "Motion Pictures", 2002)
*Kesäaine ("Summer Essay", 2006)