Some ponder whether 69 Eyes, the group from Helsinki, Finland, is garage or sleaze rock.
Even after almost two decades together, the band members don?t seem to know for sure. But they do know that every time they tour the U.S., their fan base grows.
“The tour is going great,” said Daniel Larsson, the group?s tour manager. “We feel every time we come back, the audience is growing. We have a lot of die-hard fans around, and MySpace has really helped attract a lot of younger fans.”
This might actually be the year for 69 Eyes, which formed in 1989 and has seemingly toured the world continuously ever since. While such glam-sleaze-goth rock was definitely on the “out” list for many years, the call for old-fashioned in-your-face sleaze rock is back. Consider Twisted Sister, which rocked Baltimore in December after it had a sudden resurgence in popularity not seen since its 1980s heyday.
But while Jay Jay French, Dee Snider and other members of Sister talk about the roles they play on stage, 69 Eyes members suggest they live the life.
Lead vocalist Jyrki 69 (born Jyrki Pekka Emil Linnankivi) is proud that he and his band mates haven?t changed much since the band?s inception.
“We created a band just like our favorite bands,” he said. “We have stuck to our guns. Even though music trends have come and gone, we have trust in the holy values of black hair, black sunglasses and black leather jackets.”
Fans often thank the band for bringing back “those things that have been missing in music,” he said. “They love it loud, they want rocks stars to act like rock stars. We are sort of like a rock ?n? roll recycle machine.”
69 Eyes is touring in support of its ninth album, “Angels,” which publicists describe as “dripping blood and gasoline.” For those who like goth-sleaze, the music is solid, with Jyrki?s deep vocals setting the tunes apart from other bands of this genre.
While Jyrki said he can?t explain from where the songs arise, he does note the band?s special affection for Charm City.
“When we were there, the audience was really cool,” he said. “They blew my fuse, so we will blow theirs one more time.”
IF YOU GO
» Who: 69 Eyes with Fair to Midland and Night Kills the Day
» Venue: Recher Theatre, 312 York Road, Towson
» When: 7 p.m.
» Tickets: $18; ticketmaster.com; 410-547-SEAT
