Press release 27.6.2018
Free to publish immediately
Original stories, experimental music and dance
Kaustinen Folk Music Festival's showcase bands are versatile
The Kaustinen Folk Music Festival showcase concert series will once again present three emerging names in folk music. The jury selected three representative performers from among the applicants, reflecting the different facets of folk music in a great way, also reaching across the Gulf of Finland to the West! Maria Reikko & Best Case Scenario Band guaranteed to make you dance, the Oulu-based Väisänen, etc. interprets its own stories in the form of music and Sweden becomes Trio Törn, which plays with a whole new combination of instruments.
Photo by Sanna Ukkola.
Väisänen etc: ”You can always invent your own ending to a story”
Väisänen etc. from Oulu is a born singer-songwriter Tomi Väisänen around the tracks. The band has been around for three years and has made one album so far.
– When we made the album we were still a trio, but at the beginning of this year we grew into a quartet when Oscar Heiskanen joined the double bass, Väisänen says.
Väisänen describes the band's style as very down-to-earth, story-driven. He composes and lyrics the songs himself, in which, for example warn about exes, take part in the devil's birthday party and reminisce about the unique atmosphere of Taivalkoski.
– I'm shooting for true stories up to a point. If a true story is not interesting enough as it is, you can always twist it a bit. Or if you don't know how the story will end, you can make up your own ending. I've almost always written compositions, but it took 30 years before my first text passed my own quality control.
The musicians found each other in Oulu's conveniently small musical circles. Music is a great passion for all of them, although most of them also have other jobs. The musicians have a background in rockabilly as well as progressive and heavier rock. As a songwriter, Väisänen cites as examples Juice Leskisen and Judge Nurmion but also writers Arto Paasilinna and Veikko Huovinen. In Kaustinen, Väisänen etc. was there for the first time last year and loved it right away.
Väisänen: vocals and guitar
il Palmo: guitar and vocals
Paula Riihimäki: violin, keyboards and vocals
Oscar Heiskanen: double bass
Wed 11.7. at 22.45 Wiljami
Thu 12.7. at 22.00 Wine Cellar and at 00.15 Pelimann House
51. Kaustinen Folk Music Festival will be held 9.-15.7.2018.
Summer programme information can be found on the website http://www.kaustinen.net
In cooperation with the 150th anniversary of Kaustinen municipality