SUO
(The Marshland)

The music of Suo digs deep down into the landscape of archaic Finnish runosinging: the rich language of kalevala poetry, the fascinating myths and spells, the ageless flow of kantele and jouhikko music.

Interpreted by this skillful trio, the forgotten music becomes alive once more and gets injected straight into your spine: the energetic guitar of Roope Aarnio, the nimble fiddle of Emilia Lajunen and powerful voice of Veera Voima will take you on an unforgettable journey.

The other elements adding to the unique sound of Suo are 16^th nyckelharpa, 15-string kantele, shaman drum, low whistle and overtone flute, and rich 3-voice harmonies.

The year 2007 Suo was asked to participate in a folk music competition in Rääkkylä Kihaus Festival, where the band won first prize together with Kraja. The same year Suo composed music for a nature document on Finland, that was ordered by Ministry of Environment for the Finland's 90^th year festivities. The movie was shown with a live concert, and in the audience there was also Mrs. President Tarja Halonen. The document has been broadcasted in national TV in the year 2007 and 2008. It was also shown in nature document festivals in Estonia and Russia. Year 2006 band's music was used in a German nature document of Finnish wolverine.

Suo released it's first CD Ei päivien perijätä in 2006, arranged and recorded a childrens music project Maja-majava in 2008 and the new comer The Sea Drives my Mind was released in the fall 2009. Suo toured widely promoting it: in Finland the band had 18 concerts, and performed also in Sweden (Backafestival) and Estonia (Viru Folk) as well as in Switzerland for a week on November. This spring Suo toured in Germany with 7 gigs.

Suo was one of the five nominees for Finnish equivalent of music oscar, Etno-Emma prize of 2009.

Critique on the CD The Sea Drives my Mind (Texicalli)
" Suo presents it's Kaleval poetry with a finesse and easily approachable way. The groove of the album goes to your feet, and it's many refrains are quickly accompaning your day. --- This surely will also be listened by others than us deep dwellers, who are into achaive tapes." Pelimanni 4 / 2009, Jimmy Träskelin

Concert critque from Mäntyharju: "The ensemble's playing and singing was a powerful dedication to folk traditions at the same time as there was an invocation of fresh new insight. Suo's sound was deep and it smelled like the marshland herb, tasted like a cloudberry." Pitäjänuutiset 6.10.2009, Kimmo Hämäläinen

Copyright Suo & Eero Grundström

From the new Cd:

1. The Sea Drives my Mind

2. Frost Maiden

3. Viper
Percussions
Jyri Sariola

Comp. / Arr. Suo
Lyr. trad.

GIGS year 2010

4.-9.2. Tour in Germany

21.4. Private concert

7.6. Release concert of the video The Sea Drives my Mind.
At 19 in Kino K-13,  Kanavakatu 12, Katajanokka, Helsinki.

11.7. Puistokarkelot, Helsinki

GIGS year 2009

31.1. at 19 hours Kerava Literature happening Juuret - Roots in Kerava Library, Pentinkulman sali.

8.2. Minä olen -fair in Dipoli, Espoo.

14.3. Suolahti

17.4. Arctic Paradise -fair in Sibelius Academy, Pohjoinen Rautatienkatu 9, Chambermusic hall between 18-20 o´clock. Free entrance.

6.6. Etno-Mylly -festival in Kotka

27.6. Haapavesi Folk

3.7. Kurtakon kulttuuriviikko

18.7. Backafestivalen, Sweden

8.8. Virufolk, Estonia

CANCELED 4.9. Porvoo, Paahtimo NEW DATE: 31.10.

11.9. at 20, Record Release -gig
Helsinki, Restaurant Milenka in Haapaniemenkatu 3
Free entrance

19.9. Kaustinen, Pelimannitalo

20.9. Kokkola, Tullipakkahuone (Truba ry)

2.10. Jyväskylä, Riihi-iltamat, at 19, tickets 10 / 5 €

3.10. Savonlinna, Ilola, at 18, tickets 12 / 10 €

4.10. Mäntyharju, Kesäravintola Kurkiniemi, at 16, tickets 7 / 5 €

30.10. Joensuu, Kerubi klo 20-

31.10. Porvoo, Paahtimo, Free entrance

Switzerland (Flyer in Deutch)
4.11. Zürich, GZ Buchegg, www.folkclubzuri.ch
5.11. Burgdorf, Schmiedechäuer www.schmidechaeuer.ch
6.11. St. Gallen, Kultur im Bahnhof, Musikraum im 3. Stock
7. 11. Waldenburg, Pfarrhauskeller, www.pfarrhauskeller.ch
8.11. Muralto (Ticino), Sala congressi, www.organicoscenaartistica.ch

10.11. Church of Holy Lauri at 19, Folk Music Week of Vantaa, program 10€.

12.11. Tampere, Rahwaan musiikin klubi in Telakka

11.12. Kerava, Cafe Intro

GIGS year 2008

February 16th, 26th and 27th little tour Hippalot in Joensuu, Helsinki with Perinnearkku ry and Ilola, Savonlinna. Organized by Central Committee of Folk Music and Dance.

May 27th Finnish Nature Preserving association 70 years in House of the Estates.

June 26th Suo travels northest ever, to Lapland to Kurtakon Kulttuuriviikot. Besides playing, we also teach there for half a week.

July 15th-17th Kaustinen Folk Music Festival.

July 29th Chamber Music by Lake Tuusula, we play live concert to the Kansanluonto-document, that was ordered specially for last years independence festivities - Finn-maiden became 90 years old. Erkkolan talossa Kansanluonto-dokumentti livekonserttina.

September 17th Viro, Matsalu: Nature Film Festival, Kansanluonto-document with live concert.

October 16th Private concert in Kalastajatorppa.

October 30th about 9 pm in Cafée Taikalamppu in Kallio, Helsinki. New material for small audience (it´s a very small and atmospheric place...).

November 28th Grandi, Porvoo, Kansanluonto concert.

News, Oldies

Apr 2010: Video The Sea Drives my Mind is published in the net.

Feb 2010: Suo was one of the five nominees for Finnish equivalent of music oscar, Etno-Emma prize of 2009.

The Sea Drives my Mind -CD is out! You can get it on gigs, in the best record shops and also in the net.

16.4.2009 Suo is at the moment in studio recording its second cd. The session is going amazingly well, and the cd is released during the summer.

14.3.2009 Etno-Emma went to gypsy music group Hilja Grönfors and Latso Dzinta, where Roope also playes. The prize is handed by IFPI Finland (International Federation of Fonographic Industry).

In December 2008 came out Maja-Majava (Bea-Beaver), a CD full of Doctor Nummi´s hilarious children´s songs about animal kingdom. Suo arranged and recorded the music together with friends Sara Puljula (percussion and bass) and Eero Turkka (song and harmonica).

Dec. 29th Kansanluonto was broadcasted again in TV.

Nov. 15th our fiddler Emilia won 2nd. prize in the scandinavian folk music competition Nord 2008 in Sälen, Sweden. She played her own composition of polska and old style improvisations based on ancient kantele tunes. Congratulations!

Lots of plans for the next year: Suo is now making new material for our second CD (Texicalli Records). The release and a promotion tour is planned to occur in the late spring 2009. Suo and DocArt are also organizing a tour in Finland and Estonia with the document Kansanluonto for the next year. There are also plans to tour in Switzerland the fall 2009.

December 26th at 18.20 in TV 1 a document Kansanluonto of the Finnish nature. The movie celebrates Finland´s 90th birthday, and was ordered by Ministry of Environmnet and Finnish Nature Center. Music by Suo and Veera Voima.

On November 26th the first CD by Suo "Ei päivien perijätä" (The death of Shaman) was finally released! Purchase from: www.texicalli.net and www.jukeboxshop.net

Suo won first prize (together with a swedish group Kraja) in Etnoviisu competition in Kihaus, Rääkkylä on July 7th 2007.