First off I want to congratulate you on your debut album "Living On The Edge", a very impressive debut album. How does it feel to finally have an album out?
Jordi - Thx so much my friend, well it feels great, it’s a dream come true.

Most of the band is rather unknown to most of the metal community, but with Apollo on vocals and Andy LaRocque as producer and a few guitar leads, you’ve managed to bring in 2 big capacities – how did this co-operation come about?
Jordi - I’ve been always there for music. I started my studies of piano and music reading, when I was just 9 years-old at the Conservatory of Music of Barcelona (Spain). At the age of 16 I changed my piano for an electric guitar, when I listened to Adrian Smith's way of playing. I was just 14 years old, when bought Iron Maiden's "Powerslave" and "Live After Death" albums, and from there on my heart was sold to heavy metal. In 1992 I went back and forth to the United States to study guitar at New Milford's NGSW, where I took lessons from Terry Syrek (www.terrysyrek.com), who was a class mate of Zakk Wylde at Berkeley School of Music. Terry is undoubtedly one of the best US guitar shredders, and I learned a lot from taking lessons with him. I also played in a lot of bands, I did Iron Maiden and Metallica cover versions with a band in the States and also was in lots more in Barcelona, where I’m actually living.

Jordi - Well I talked to Andy LaRocque (guitarist for King Diamond) and had him listen some of my tracks, and slowly, but surely Andy realized, that the songs were really good. Andy introduced Apollo Papathanasio (vocalist, ex-Time Requiem, Meduza, Faith Taboo) and Daniel Moilanen (drummer, Runemagick, Relevant Few and Notre Dame) to me and they both liked the songs a lot. 

How was it to get to work with Andy LaRocque? Did you learn a lot from him?
Jordi - I really learned a lot with Andy; therefore he’s the godfather of the production. I carried the executive part but he put all his know-how, he’s a true master. And if not the best, one of the best producers around.

Would you like to work with him in the future?
Jordi - Indeed, I WILL work with Anders, he’s my brother and friend!

To new listeners could you please tell the story behind Sandalinas?
Jordi - The story behind Sandalinas is a dream come true. It’s been a long way to get here. I wrote all the songs and showed them to Anders, and he loved them. He saw something special in them. This only happens once in a lifetime. I still can’t believe it. Then I met Apollo, and through him my manager Claus. I’m amazed. Without them I would not have been signed. I thank them for their support and for encouraging me through hard times and good times. I wasn’t looking for success, I was just hoping for someone to like my songs. And look now ... we’re a band. Tight and ready to play and perform anywhere they want us to play.

Apollo is singing in other bands than Sandalinas, so is this more of a project or a regular band?
Jordi - This is definitely a band. We’re a team, we’re a family. Together as one.

How is a normal Sandalinas song created?
Jordi - I pick up my guitar and mess around a bit with it, then when I find something cool, and I sit down and relax and try to find a structure for that song and I try to combine all the ideas I come up with and add them a good melody, lyrics and so on. It’s like a Beatles kind of thing.

What do you deal with lyrically?
Jordi - I talk about experiences, feelings and anything true coming out of my heart. It’s pure music, 100% rock’n roll.

Your music is a very nice mixture of classical hard rock and melodic metal - whom/what has inspired you?
Jordi - Well, I got the inspiration from many sources. Guitarists like Adrian Smith, Steve Clark, Mike Oldfield and Dave Mustaine above all. I love bands like Iron Maiden, Megadeth, Def Leppard, Tesla and Dokken. Also Fleetwood Mac, Beatles and Bee Gees. Everything as long as it is good music.

I really like the cover - who has made it and is there a deeper idea behind it?
Jordi - Thomas Ewerhart, Symphony X’s illustrator. Massacre thought it was the most indicated and when Thomas showed me his product, I was just amazed, I went like, wow man!! This is nuclear.!!! The idea behind is what the band understands living on the edge must be like. It’s like being in the middle of nowhere and going upstream, isolated.  

Any touring plans? Any chance you will be doing some festivals this year?
Jordi - Yeah, we’re still waiting for the response of the fans and then we’ll see how everything developes. It’s up to our manager, too. He’s the boss. That’s why the band is out there, “If it wasn’t for Claus”, we would never be here.  

Any famous last words?
Jordi - I love you all. More than life itself. We would not be here “If it wasn’t for you “.

Thanx for doing this interview and the best of luck in the future!