Mostly finnish music

Subject: Mostly finnish music
From: GUEST,andy mööer
Date: 28 Jun 00 - 09:14 AM

welcome to a currently threadbare(Thread bear,Grrr)- thread! anyways this is the second time i've tossed the finnish herring to the mudcat. Got one response..... ..from a guy who i played in a band with,in australia a nice surprise(thanks Nige), and sad at the same time. So...does anyone else want to talk about finnish music? I do,,,,It stirs my soul,with a huge copper spoon havent seen that much live ,but winter in Finland is'nt a good time for music. Swedish music is also special and Norway ,i've only heard a bit....... so lets talk Finnish(umm,i dont mean the language) here you go mudcat....THUB!! (the sound of a herring hitting the ground). -andy-.

Subject: RE: Mostly finnish music
From: Ebbie
Date: 28 Jun 00 - 12:40 PM

I'll expose my ignorance- So, is Finnish folk music primarily romantic or martial or nationalistic? Does it speak of home or lost love or youth? I know nothing- But I'm willing to learn...Ebbie

Subject: RE: Mostly finnish music
From: kendall
Date: 28 Jun 00 - 12:41 PM

There is a Mudcat lurker called Jets who can talk your language. Now, if we can just smoke him out...

Subject: RE: Mostly finnish music
From: Lepus Rex
Date: 28 Jun 00 - 02:59 PM

I love Finnish music. There were a few Finnish bands at the Nordic Roots Festival here in Minnesota a few months back... Loituma, Sanna Kurki-Suonio and JPP. Great shows. (hope I did that link correctly...)

Subject: RE: Mostly finnish music
From: Margaret V
Date: 28 Jun 00 - 07:21 PM

I'm entranced by what I've heard, which is mainly Varttina. I think Hedningarna's one of the hottest bands around, and their vocalists are Finnish. This is the thing that impresses me about so many of the Finnish musicians I've heard, including Sanna Kurki-Suonio and Wimme: they seem to embrace the idea of their voices as instruments to be played with, manipulated, used in varied ways! No lazy singing in Finland! I also really like the fiddle group JPP; great motion, great sense of harmony and arrangements. Seems to be just a ton of excellent, adventurous folk-based music coming out of Sweden, Norway, and Finland these days. Has anyone heard the beautiful album of Norwegian medieval songs by Agnes Buen-Garnas and Jan Garbarek? Anyway, Andy, I'm happy to try to talk about Finnish music, I just don't know how much (herring) I can bring to the table! Margaret

Subject: RE: Mostly finnish music
From: jets
Date: 28 Jun 00 - 10:21 PM

My band is called Raaticoon. We play Finnish music. It was pointed out to me that the spelling is wrong.It is spelled with two Ts he said. I in turn explained that the dance is spelled Raatticoon but the band name is spelled Raaticoon .One T

Subject: RE: Mostly finnish music
From: Margaret V
Date: 28 Jun 00 - 10:42 PM

Hi, jets, tell us more. Where is your band? How do you come up with the arrangements? What instruments do you use? Do you play for dances? Margaret

Subject: RE: Mostly finnish music
From: GUEST
Date: 28 Jun 00 - 11:16 PM

Yeah, Wimme... I saw him... in 1999. Horrible seats, but one of the best shows I saw that entire year. He did some truly amazing things with his voice. Probably the strangest sounds I've ever heard come from a human. But I could hardly see the stage:(

Another great show I went to was Kimmo Pohjonen, an accordion player from Finland. Besides his accordion, he had about a dozen different pedals and buttons on the floor in front of him, and his feet were constantly moving around, pushing these pedals. He'd sample his voice, his accordion, or the sound of him tapping on the accordion, and play several of these samples while he grunted and moaned and played his instrument. There were speakers mounted in all four corners of the room, and the sound would move around you. And besides the sound, the performance was visually stunning; the room was filled with artificial fog, and Kimmo was bathed in coloured lights that would change with the music or his facial expression. He would either sit there (while playing), his feet tapping the pedals or kicking in the air, or reel around the stage, tottering on the edge. And for this show, I had great seats. It's hard to explain the whole thing while I'm half asleep, so I'm sorry if I made it sound like a Meatloaf concert;) But I'd highly recommend seeing him perform if any of you get a chance. Has anyone else been to any of his concerts?

Subject: RE: Mostly finnish music
From: Lepus Rex
Date: 28 Jun 00 - 11:17 PM

Grr, that last one was from me. Damned cookie:P

Subject: RE: Mostly finnish music
From: AKS
Date: 29 Jun 00 - 08:17 AM

Hei kaikki!

Ebbie, the Finnish folk music does not differ that much from the rest of the European fm if topics of the lyrics are concerned, perhaps it is not as patriotic and warlike as some are.

Jets, you're both right and wrong; one t but, instead of c (which is used in loan words only), two k's: Raatikkoon, meaning literally 'into Raatikko' that -except being a name of a set dance- is a special place where the old maids were supposed to be taken. Whether that place exists somewhere else than in the song "Raatikkoon, raatikkoon vanhat piiat joutaa" (sorry that's all I remember of it right now), I don't know:).

AKS

Subject: RE: Mostly finnish music
From: GUEST,andy mööer
Date: 29 Jun 00 - 09:50 AM

Thhhaaaaaank you! (did i use too many a's and h's?) I almost lost hope after my first attempt at the finnish question. I was feeling a bit sorry for myself and saturated in my finnish world .So good to read all your messages.........(whistle and whoops of glee!!) my favourite band is Ottopasüüna ,beautiful tunes and not so difficult to learn(no fast ears on my head) BUT!!!how can i name a favourite when 'Pirnales'are every bit as inspiring as Ottopasüüna. I löve the full,smooth sound of pirnales.I'm getting a bit overwhelmed just thinking about them.Umm..Troka and gyalahorn(spelling?)are also a really good bands. AND,for anyone who has'nt had the good fortune to have a Finnish exposure, some descriptive words that come to mind are: sad,unpredictable and mabye enigmatic. Does that sound a bit wanky? I hope I did'nt put anyone off. Oh yeah ,I agree that Värttina are good (esp their tunes) ,but i've only heard a bit of wimme,what I heard was great AndÄndÄnd JPP have a lot of very nice music.... Thanks to everyone for replying i'll be back tommorow to dispense some more of my windy finnish guff(stuff) . Öh and i'd löve to hear what raaticoon sound like. moi moi,Andy

Subject: RE: Mostly finnish music
From: kendall
Date: 29 Jun 00 - 10:50 AM

Even I like their music..that should tell you something!!

Subject: RE: Mostly finnish music
From: john c
Date: 29 Jun 00 - 12:54 PM

Austria will cost ya
But Helsinki is kinky
Cheers
J.

Subject: RE: Mostly finnish music
From: SINSULL
Date: 29 Jun 00 - 01:15 PM

OOOHHH Finnish!!! I thought this was the fishing thread. Refresh SS

Subject: RE: Mostly finnish music
From: GUEST,Markus
Date: 01 Jul 00 - 08:22 PM

refresh

Subject: RE: Mostly finnish music
From: GUEST,andy mööer
Date: 03 Jul 00 - 06:04 AM

hei jets! (and everyone else) Margret V put a question to you, about your arrangements,instruments,where you are based etc. AND I WANT TO KNOW THESE THINGS TOO!. So now the pressure's on ,feel the heat and ÄNSWER!! (please).Has anyone heard Angelyn Tytöt?? ----More kinda experimental yoiking (not quite as electronic as Wimme,though).I saw them in Tampere for Lappland national day (feb 6).T'was a nice evening,although at the next table was an english woman and an american guy, who spent the night comparing finnish beer prices of Fin/usa/Eng. It was a funny conversation ,so the memory of that night is like some sort of beer-talk yoik,a Boik perhaps,or a yeer,I dont know. Suggestions are welcome(he says...,leaving himself wide open).............moi ,Andy

Subject: RE: Mostly finnish music
From: jets
Date: 03 Jul 00 - 10:27 AM

The band raaticoon consits of myself on the 2 row c-g button box ,a mandolin,and a guitar.And I also beat the bass drum with a kick peadel. So it could be said that we are a 4piece band. We play for festivals ,weddings and dances.A month ago I played solo for the dance put on by the Finnish Farmers club in Monson Maine. It was just me and the bass drum.

Subject: RE: Mostly finnish music
From: Margaret V
Date: 03 Jul 00 - 11:43 AM

Wow, jets, that sounds like fun! Are you guys based in Maine? Lots of slate in Monson, yes? Are the quarries still active there? Andy, do you know if Angelyn Tytot (sorry, don't know how to make an umlaut appear on the computer) has a CD? Sounds interesting. Beer-talk yoik. . . very funny! And funny what sticks in our minds. May I depart from Finland for a moment and ask if anyone has ever heard this old recording of Anna Thorhallsdottir singing Icelandic folk songs? The songs are incredible; stark, eerie, sometimes incredibly short and simple, with the "plot" delivered in a distilled four sentences or so. . . I think she was a classical singer, and the recording was made when she was older, so I don't know if the warbling quality of her voice is typical of the traditional performance of Icelandic folk or not. Anyone??? Margaret

Subject: RE: Mostly finnish music
From: Lepus Rex
Date: 04 Jul 00 - 05:40 AM

Hello... Margaret talking about Icelandic music reminded me of a cool site about folk music of Northern California in the 1940s . It's got Finnish and Icelandic (and Croatian and 'Anglo' and Armenian, etc.) songs you can listen to in Real audio or .wav, plus lots of old pictures of the performers and their instruments.

Also, a good place to find pretty much any Scandinavian/Finnish/Icelandic/Balitc etc. cds is Digelius Music in Finland (Andy, are you Finnish?). Though they don't have any Anna Thorhallsdottir, who I'd now like to hear.
Anyways, I hope someone finds that useful

Subject: RE: Mostly finnish music
From: AKS
Date: 04 Jul 00 - 07:56 AM

Jets, man, your band - 'specially the one that did Monson - seems to be a relative of the earlier in the 40s - 60s) so common type of Finnish dance quartet: a man, an accordion, a stool and a bottle (or trio if the stool was left out).

That Digelius site given by Lepus Rex IS worth visiting, at least their Finnish selection seems to me quite comprehensive, as much as folk music is concerned.

AKS

Subject: RE: Mostly finnish music
From: GUEST,andy mööer
Date: 04 Jul 00 - 08:44 AM

That Icelandic music (by your description) is something I want to listen to ,might hunt for a recording. I want to know "how does a bottle play a stool,an accordian and a man ,at the same time???....",perplexing. lepus REX...digelius music is really the grreated cheese of places, went to their shop in Helsinki,it whelmed me over.the sad thing is that I had little money at the time I would have löved to have bought a billion Scandanavian and Macedonian cd's.And I'm not finnish but an Australian living in Austria ,the whole thing confuses me perpetually Margret v- yes Angelyn Tytöt have about four recordings that I know of -you can find them at the Digelius music site. And .....Jet does your band have it's sounds on plastic?

Subject: RE: Mostly finnish music
From: john c
Date: 04 Jul 00 - 04:36 PM

Ever heard Värttina? First album is magic!
J

Subject: RE: Mostly finnish music
From: Margaret V
Date: 04 Jul 00 - 11:33 PM

And I want to know how to become "the greated (grated?) cheese" of anything!?! I can see from the Digelius website, though, why one would wish for plenty of money before entering their store! The Thorhallsdottir album was released on Lyrichord many years ago. I checked their website and it doesn't appear in their catalog, so I guess it's not available anymore. If I can find someone with a turntable I'd be happy to make a tape of it--I haven't been able to listen to it in several years since I don't have a turntable myself at present. Margaret

Subject: RE: Mostly finnish music
From: GUEST,Sam Pirt
Date: 05 Jul 00 - 04:54 AM

FINNISH MUSIC ROCKS

Maria Kalenimi, Kimmo, JPP, TROCKA, Gjillarhorn, Wimme EXCELLENT!!!! I'm Of to the Ethno & Falun Folk Fest is sweden today and cant wait to see some folks there.

What about Chateau Neuf Spiellmenslag (there norwegen buit they ROCK!!!!!)

Cheers, Sam

Subject: RE: Mostly finnish music
From: GUEST,Ewan McVicar
Date: 05 Jul 00 - 05:30 AM

This thread brought back very warm memories of a band tour of Finland in February 1979, based on Jyvaskula's Winter Festival. Apart from the startling singing voices and fine fiddling, my favourite discovery was the kantele, the small lap harp used to accompany song. Just the other week I bought a magical celebration of such music which was recorded / created by Andew Cronshaw. Now, where are those tapes that Markku the fiddler sent me in 1980? One of them has the tune The Karelian Polka, which is the same tune used by the Carter Family for Dixie Darling!

Subject: RE: Mostly finnish music
From: GUEST,Ewan McVicar
Date: 05 Jul 00 - 11:53 AM

Here are details of the Andrew Cronshaw album. It is temendously atmospheric and eerie.

Title - On the Shoulders of the Great Bear Twelve Finno-Ugrian tunes, one Ob-Ugrian, three Scots Gaelic. Played on all kinds of things - maroventele, wind-wand, gong, soprano sax, voice, double bass, zither, bass clarinet, whistle, concertina, marovany, shawm, gut-strung 5-string kantele - and that's only the first three tracks. Recorded in Finland with Finnish musicians.

Cloud Valley CV 2007 http://members.aol.com/cloudval/

Subject: RE: Mostly finnish music
From: Margaret V
Date: 05 Jul 00 - 02:09 PM

Ewan, this sounds really interesting, thank you for the info. I am a little embarrassed to say I don't know what Ob-Ugrian refers to. Can you explain? Margaret

Subject: RE: Mostly finnish music
From: GUEST,Ewan McVicar
Date: 05 Jul 00 - 04:57 PM

Margaret

I copied it off the record notes.

It is apparently a language from Siberia! I know no more.

Subject: RE: Mostly finnish music
From: Margaret V
Date: 05 Jul 00 - 06:11 PM

Thanks, Ewan, that's a lot more than I knew! Margaret

Subject: RE: Mostly finnish music
From: Lepus Rex
Date: 05 Jul 00 - 11:41 PM

Ob Ugrian languages are a part of the Ugric branch of the Finno-Ugric sub-family of the Uralic language family. Ob Ugric languages are spoken by the Khanty and Mansi, peoples of Russia which, as the name suggests, are located near the Ob river, east of the Urals. These two languages, along with Hungarian, are the three Ugric languages. Now ya know, hehe.

Subject: RE: Mostly finnish music
From: Lepus Rex
Date: 05 Jul 00 - 11:50 PM

Sam, you're lucky! And you're right, Chateau Neuf Spelemannslag rocks:) Never was a big fan 'til I saw them in concert (same feelings I had towards Väsen before I saw them perform), but now they're one of my favourites.
And Ewan, do you play kantele? A good friend of mine plays 5-string kantele---beautiful sounding instrument.

Well, that's enough hogging the damned thread, hehe---Lepus Rex

Subject: RE: Mostly finnish music
From: GUEST,Ewan McVicar
Date: 06 Jul 00 - 05:01 AM

King Lep, I played autoharp etc in the group [assembled for the tour and yclept Glasgow Green] that toured, so I got given an album of kantele music by a dance group we got friendly with.

I suffer from some brain disorder which means I cannot play the same set of notes twice in a row, so I'm an accompanist rather than a precision or melody player, and the harp and all its relatives defeat me hands down - or is it hands up?

Subject: RE: Mostly finnish music
From: GUEST,andy mööer
Date: 06 Jul 00 - 08:58 AM

....Also..Estonian is a Finno-Ugric language. Hmmm... Andrew cronshaw....,sounds like something else I have to get (the recording ,not him). Kantele truly has an enchanting sound,thought I'd mention that I'm also a fan. ..Margret v: Well its just that I happen to think that grated cheese is very nice(and so versatile) And GREATED CHEESE is as the spelling suggests,great. A bit of a conceptual leap, I suppose,I guess what I was trying to say was that digelius is a Great shop...phew!. Alsö if you manage to track down a turntable I would happily ,if not gleefully send you a blank tape ,or postage costs,or just a tape of Ottopasuuna,In exchange for a Thorhallsdottir recording. But I know turntables can be elusive creatures in these times. moi ,andy

Subject: RE: Mostly finnish music
From: Lepus Rex
Date: 06 Jul 00 - 01:24 PM

Andy... Yup, about Estonian, but I wasn't about to type out ALL the Finnic and Samoyedic languges. I'd have to dig out a book for those, hehe. Ugric is easy to remember---only three languages.

And also,while I'm babbling about Uralic things, has anyone ever seen the book "The Great Bear:A Thematic Anthology of Oral Poetry in the Finno-Ugrian Languages (edited by Honko, Timonen, Branch, Bosley)"? I've got a copy in storage, it's really an excellent book. The book's name describes it pretty well: Oral folk poetry from all the Finnic and Ugric peoples, more or less, written in the original language and in English translation...

Subject: RE: Mostly finnish music
From: Lepus Rex
Date: 06 Jul 00 - 01:30 PM

Ooh, more irrelevant stuff from me, muahaha. The Ethnologue lists all the Uralic (and pretty much all the other) languages. Now I don't feel badfor not typing all of them out.

Subject: RE: Mostly finnish music
From: Margaret V
Date: 06 Jul 00 - 06:14 PM

Rabbit (or shouldn't I call you that?), thank you so much for leading us to Ethnologue; what a great reference source! Andy, let the turntable quest begin. Margaret

Subject: RE: Mostly finnish music
From: GUEST,andy mööer
Date: 07 Jul 00 - 10:36 AM

Well I tried to connect to Ethnologue ,but the computer just whistled casually and smugly said "not today andy" so I've arranged a high noon showdown for 3pm monday. (smirk vanishes from computer). I have a turntable in Australia ,it's a 6month walk from Innsbruck though. I wish you luck on your quest ....... and Thank youuu merry vuch.sorry,but I do like those spoonerisms. Lepus Rex-you're a hive of linguistic knowledge,Impressive but there are bees everywhere .Hei,Andy

Subject: RE: Mostly finnish music
From: GUEST,andy mööer
Date: 10 Jul 00 - 07:03 AM

moi! möö von eine kuh

Subject: RE: Mostly finnish music
From: Lepus Rex
Date: 10 Jul 00 - 06:05 PM

Huh, Andy? Something about a cow?

Ooh, looks like Hedningarna and Wimme are coming to town(Minneapolis) this fall...

Oh, and no, I don't mind 'rabbit,' Margaret. :)

Subject: RE: Mostly finnish music
From: Margaret V
Date: 10 Jul 00 - 10:40 PM

Hey, maybe we could ask skarpi about Anna Thorhallsdottir. Lucky Lepus, to live in Minneapolis where so many great Scandinavian bands tour; Rosenberg 7 played in NYC a while back but I missed them. And when I lived in Wisconsin I never had one minute of free time. . . Margaret

Subject: RE: Mostly finnish music
From: GUEST,skarpi at work
Date: 11 Jul 00 - 04:00 AM

hallo all, Margret you asked about Anna Þórhallsdóttir if I remember correctly she sang the tunes with a piano player, I saw a tv show about her and icelandic tradional music. In the old days the people didint got an insrtument to play so many of just sang the music and one of song is called Rímur . Does she sing it the right way yes she does that and she do it well. If you need any more info please let me know. All the best skarpi Iceland.

Subject: RE: Mostly finnish music
From: Margaret V
Date: 11 Jul 00 - 06:49 AM

Thanks, skarpi! Do any of her records still circulate in Iceland that you know of? Margaret

Subject: RE: Mostly finnish music
From: GUEST,andy mööer
Date: 11 Jul 00 - 07:44 AM

hi Skarpi! ,Just have to emphasise that last question from Margaret ,cos I'd like to know tooooo. Oh and my last message just said hi in Finnish then- in deutsch- 'moo from a cow'.I was refreshing without just 'refreshing',It refreshed but was'nt very refreshing. my god what am I talking about????. bye,till the next Finnish refreshment,Andy.

Subject: RE: Mostly finnish music
From: GUEST,skarpi at work
Date: 11 Jul 00 - 08:36 AM

Hallo , Margaret I will find out about some other records, I think theres a cd that I saw in a store a wile ago. All the best skarpi Iceland.

Subject: RE: Mostly finnish music
From: jets
Date: 11 Jul 00 - 05:12 PM

For those who have an interest in Finnish music and happen to be in Maine on August 5th ,please consider going to the Festival de Joie In Lewiston where Raaticoon will be playing a 45min set of Finnish music. We will be appearing on stage #3 @ 1:00 PM This festival is really a 3day music affair with the core interest being French Canadian music and food{cultur}. sever years ago they expanded it to include music of the other ethnic people of Maine .Raaticoon will be making it's 3rd appearance this year presenting the music of the Finnish people who were early setlers of the state.

Subject: RE: Mostly finnish music
From: GUEST,andy Mööer
Date: 18 Jul 00 - 07:41 AM

Jets : again,does Raticoon have a cd? wish I could be at that festy ,too far from central Europe though. bye ,Andy

Subject: RE: Mostly finnish music
From: Lena
Date: 18 Jul 00 - 08:45 AM

Looks like none of you has heard of a duo called"Mr Malaska".Damn it,I wish I knew how to spread audio stuff throug the net...They were down in Australia at the last National Folk Festival,and had some workshops(that's how I got my three or four scores). What's very particular is that they play in a soundtrack-like style,focusing a lot on the dynamics-crescendos,pianissimo,and so on. However. For as much as I've heard: Finnish music sounds vaguely alien to me,but I can't help admiring(if you can'admire'a music)it.It's intense,naked,architectural,almost Bach-like.Dances are not as dance-like,happy melodies are not that happy.I love it because it's deep and contemplative.Depth can be missed in dance music but not in finnish. To end the speech,finnish music is also incredibly pretty. Lena

Subject: RE: Mostly finnish music
From: jets
Date: 18 Jul 00 - 11:27 AM

Andy: Raaticoon does not have a comercial CD only a self recorded one that has quite a few errors,but useful for demo.

Subject: RE: Mostly finnish music
From: GUEST,Andy mööer
Date: 19 Jul 00 - 07:53 AM

Lena-, I have heard of 'Mr Malaska',I think I must've seen their name in the 'Arctic Paradise'cattledog . by the way(side),which national did they play at?, I've been to about 5 of them,alas not the last one(due to my physical presence in Austria).Anyway the last(and indeed only)finnish music I've seen at the national was my Introduction to the stuff ,and it was 2 members of Pirnales playing accompanyment to finnish dancing ,and one concert. Please say....,,Who played at the last national? I'll hazzard a bet that Christina Olsen was there(again) also , was Linsay Pollack there? anyways If you should wander back to this thread you can tell me ,bye Ändymööer. Oh and Jets can you let me know when you have a cd that is purchaseable by me? Möi.

Subject: RE: Mostly finnish music
From: GUEST,fish
Date: 21 Jul 00 - 07:14 AM

böö!