We recently had the chance to connect with Din Jalonen and have shared our conversation below.
Din, so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. Have any recent moments made you laugh or feel proud?
Ha, yeah. Recently I organized a new festival called Resistance Fest Canada. It was held at Toronto’s legendary Horseshoe Tavern and headlined by the legacy Irish-Canadian punk band, The Mahones. While having their singer, Finny McConnell, up onstage with us (on lead guitar) for three songs, his amp started making horrible crackling noises—right in the middle of the quietest song in our set, “Evergreen (For Grassy Narrows Version).”
I was so proud to have him up there with us, and honestly, I found it kind of hilarious: “Okay, we finally have a real rock star on stage with us… and his amp sucks!” The irony.
But I like the rough edges—the torn bits, the revealed scaffolding in art. To me, that’s a defining characteristic of modern art: leaving the sketch marks and blemishes in the final painting.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Well hi, I’m Din, and I go by F-105—which is both a band and a solo project. Our albums vacillate between the two. I call our sound and style Mythpunk, because I’m blending the spirit of punk rock—including its political edge—with what some call The New Mythology: myths for our times. Which is essentially rooted in the a new cosmology, based on how Quantum Physics has informed the old myths. Whether I take a cosmic, geeky, worldly, or even Canadian approach, the point is to stay rooted in the old myths while focusing on the new. Songs like ‘Rebel Girl’ and ‘Love is The Force of Life’ are examples.
I recently read a 1971 interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono, where John said, “Everything already exists; an artist revalues.” That really stuck with me, it’s what I’m doing with Punk Rock and Mythology. I guess I’m also trying to make a modern form of Folk Music—folk is the real punk anyway, as message and movement for the people. Woody Guthrie was the original Punk. Something I started with a song like ‘Evergreen’, but I didn’t push enough on that—but I will be on the next F-105 record. I’ve just finished writing F-105 IV, which looks like a double album with at least 20 songs. I’m also currently planning Resistance FEST Canada 2026, since the first one went really well, and we’ll be debuting some of the songs there.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What part of you has served its purpose and must now be released?
The part of me that was all ego—that needed to become something in music. And to be fair, it got me far. I’ve toured the world, had radio play, media attention, played festivals, ComiCons, and Star Wars Celebrations. Spirit gave me the sings, but ego gave me the drive to make eight albums, three of them on a music label— Meriläinen Music.
Well, I guess it wasn’t all ego. I had a sense of mission too—to serve people by bringing them together at events, and by offering joy, upliftment, and inspiration. But at some point, that mission got tangled up in addiction to status, and attachments to the all the usual trappings of entertainment. That no longer gives me energy. What does give me energy now is the pure joy of trying to co-create something useful for others. I get true joy in the art of it—not the ego of it. I mean, I constantly think, “how can I write something that will truly be useful to someone, that will stand the test of time?”. For me part of the answer is deciding that I want my creations to be somehow of service to others, not service to myself. Seriously. Nothing turns me off more by hearing a song, or being at a live performer where I’m clearly being asked to admire how amazing the art is. I want people to feel inspired to do their amazing things when they hear our music. Truly. If the music doesn’t do that, it’s not worth it to me.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Suffering taught me that nothing else in life truly matters except recognizing that others suffer too—and that real joy comes from being there for each other.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? Is the public version of you the real you?
Is there a public version of me? I hope not! If there is, it’s like Luke Skywalker projecting his image across the galaxy—we’re all just a bunch of spinning atoms, conglomerated into temporary, illusory holographic forms.
There’s an “in-person me” and a “stage me,” maybe. I find myself trying to merge the two into one cohesive being, day by day.
Philosophically, everything I’ve said here—and every song I’ve written—expresses one simple belief in one way or another: everything is one, so how you treat life and creation is how you treat yourself.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. Could you give everything your best, even if no one ever praised you for it?
Um, yes. I did that for over a decade before anyone gave my music any real praise or attention—and I’ll keep doing it my entire life, with or without praise. My joy comes from simply singing the songs I want to sing.
I’ve noticed a lot of people quitting music around me over the years. I think it’s because they didn’t get whatever it is they were trying to get. I’m just trying to get some songs—and to give ’em away after getting ’em. As Picasso mused, “Why does a bird sing? Because he has a song.”
Or she, or them, or they do.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.f105music.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/f105music
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/f105music
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/f105music/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@f105
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5mAs2CQ2ki33EQJdugGAvn?si=1QkiyC9pT2-LdzKdN53mnw
Image Credits
That will depend on which image(s) you use. Pease contact me when you decide, if possible!
