{"id":46513,"date":"2026-04-10T15:15:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-10T12:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kaustinen.net\/?p=46513"},"modified":"2026-06-10T22:01:31","modified_gmt":"2026-06-10T19:01:31","slug":"kaustisen-2026-showcase-yhtyeet-on-valittu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kaustinen.net\/en\/kaustisen-2026-showcase-yhtyeet-on-valittu\/","title":{"rendered":"Kaustinen Showcase Bands 2026 has been selected"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"et_pb_section_0 et_pb_section et_section_regular et_block_section\"><div class=\"et_pb_row_0 et_pb_row et_block_row\"><div class=\"et_pb_column_0 et_pb_column et_pb_column_4_4 et-last-child et_block_column et_pb_css_mix_blend_mode_passthrough\"><div class=\"et_pb_text_0 et_pb_text et_pb_bg_layout_light et_pb_module et_block_module\"><div class=\"et_pb_text_inner\"><p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Showcase Bands selected for Kaustinen Folk Music Festival 2026<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This year's showcase bands are kantele music blended with an electronic soundscape by <em><strong>Melkutus Party,<\/strong> <\/em>band that creates cinematic, ethereal pop, called<strong><em> uni uni <\/em><\/strong>as well as stomping and open-minded <strong><em>Veikko Virkkala Band<\/em><\/strong>The established showcase program features ambitious, up-rising, and internationally oriented folk music acts, offering them visibility and opportunities to expand their reach abroad. Once again, a record number of applicants\u2014no fewer than 63 bands or artists\u2014applied, and the standard was exceptionally high and delightfully diverse.<\/p>\n<p>Festival Program Director Anne-Mari Hakam\u00e4ki emphasizes the significance of the showcase program for musicians and Finnish folk music:<\/p>\n<p>\u2013 The Showcase concept has established itself as a fixture in the festival program, and it\u2019s here to stay. We play a unique role in Finland in supporting the internationalization of folk music, and we want to fulfill that responsibility well. We hope to continue developing the concept and increasing its impact in the coming years.<br \/> <strong><br \/> Showcase Bands in 2026<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Melkutus Party<\/strong> transports old Karelian dance tunes into a world of electronic soundscapes and hypnotic beats, as modern kantele-based music carries the listener to post-human raves. The lineup features Jenni Ven\u00e4l\u00e4inen (kantele, vocals), Janne Storm (live electronics, setara), and Tatu Viitala (live electronics, percussion). The band\u2019s debut album is set for release in the fall of 2026. According to the jury, Melkutus Party represents the present day of kantele music in a way that is both grounded and boldly forward-looking\u2014opening up the Finnish folk instrument to new audiences and demonstrating its boundless expressive power.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Uni uni <\/strong>creates a cinematic experience in which archaic instruments, live loops, and electronic pop blend together, taking listeners from the sparkling shores of the Baltic Sea to the pulsating heart of a storm. The lineup features Ella Isotalo (violin, bowed lyre, viola, ilimba, live looping) and Mikko H. Haapoja (synths, programming, bowed lyre, vocals). Their debut album is set for release in the summer of 2026. The jury describes the band\u2019s music as primitive and earthy\u2014it possesses a special, hard-to-define quality that sets it apart from the crowd and carries strong international potential.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Veikko Virkkala Band<\/strong> brings to the stage a stomping and open-minded ensemble where the deep roots of folk music collide with rock, jazz, and everything in between. Led by Kaustinen native Veikko Virkkala, the ensemble features Erkki Virkkala (fiddle), Iikka Huntus (fiddle), Okko Huntus (keyboards), Nooa Luoma (guitar), and Tuomas Piispanen (bass). The jury particularly highlights the band\u2019s exceptionally skilled rhythm section: the band bursts with energy and virtuosity, yet their playing is controlled and musically structured\u2014a remarkable achievement for such a young band.<\/p>\n<p>The 2026 showcase program is organized in collaboration with Music Finland and the jury included members of the festival\u2019s programming committee and other professionals from the field of folk music.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>See detailed profiles of the showcase performers <a href=\"https:\/\/kaustinen.net\/en\/showcase-2026\/\">From the SHOWCASE Bands page<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>The 59th Kaustinen Folk Music Festival will be held on 13.-19.7.2026.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><div class=\"et_pb_text_1 et_pb_text et_pb_bg_layout_light et_pb_module et_block_module\"><div class=\"et_pb_text_inner\"><p><em>Kuvassa: uni uni yhtye valmiina kes\u00e4n Showcase-esiintymisiin Kaustisella. Kuva: Mikko Haapoja<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":46505,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,2,4],"tags":[85,36,35,98],"class_list":["post-46513","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-in-english","category-lehdistotiedotteet","category-ohjelma","tag-kaustinen-folk-music-festival","tag-kaustinenfmf","tag-kaustisen-kansanmusiikkijuhlat","tag-showcase"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/kaustinen.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Showcase-Uni-uni-kuva-Mikko-Haapoja-e1777398719374.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kaustinen.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46513","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kaustinen.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kaustinen.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kaustinen.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kaustinen.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46513"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kaustinen.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46513\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":47272,"href":"https:\/\/kaustinen.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46513\/revisions\/47272"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kaustinen.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/46505"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kaustinen.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46513"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kaustinen.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46513"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kaustinen.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46513"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}