Wentus Blues Band

Blues from Finland? Although it sounds almost unreal, from the land of Santa Claus, mobile phones and race car drivers comes a band that has played blues at its best for over twenty years. They call themselves Wentus Blues Band. Through the years Wentus Blues band has built up a reputation of being one of the hardest working bands on the road, playing around 100 shows each year.

Recently they have performed with such great artists as CAREY BELL, EDDIE KIRKLAND, ERIC BIBB, GARY PRIMICH, KIM WILSON, LOUISIANA RED, MICK TAYLOR, PHIL GUY and SVEN ZETTERBERG just to mention a few... As of today, Wentus Blues Band has released seven full-length albums and has toured in 14 different countries. The celebration of 20 years in the business was called a family meeting.

They invited friends throughout the years to play three concerts in Helsinki and had it all memorized on film. The movie "Family Meeting" is a beautiful masterpiece and furthermore proved that the legacy of blues lives on through Wentus Blues Band. These men keep on playin' the blues solely for the love of music and to entertain everyone who knows how to boogie! Wentus Blues Band is: Robban Hagn”s bass, backing voc. Niko Riippa Guitar Mikael " Axeli " Axelqvist Drums Kim "Hiding" Vikman Guitar Juho Kinaret Lead Vocals, Percussion Pekka Gr¦hn Hammond/Piano

"THESE GUYS PLAY THE KIND OF RHYTHM & BLUES THAT WOULD MAKE AMERICA PROUD"
_KIM WILSON, Lead Singer for The Fabulous Thunderbirds

While most people associate the blues with the steamy bayous of Louisiana and the cotton fields of Mississippi, lovers of the devilds music may be surprised to hear that there is also a thriving scene in Scandinavia.At the heart of this Nordic blues explosion are the

WENTUS BLUES BAND, who hail from Kokkola in central Finland. And while the pinestudded wilderness of their homeland is about as far as you can get from the jukejoints of the Deep South, thereds no doubting their musical credentials. Established in 1986, the band have acquired a reputation as the hardest working in Scandinavia and play around 150 gigs a year. The Wentus Blues Band has toured in 15 different countries, released 7 albums, done several TV-shows, headlined festivals and toured with many great bluesmen. Expect explosive blues and frantic rhythm and blues, played with laid back stylishness.

At the 2008 edition of the NXNE, Wentus Blues Band was in Toronto not only for a couple of gigs but also for the North American debut of Family Meeting, a documentary about the bands 20th anniversary concert.

Family meeting mixes concert footage with candid backstage moments and commentary from fellow musicians. It was nominated for the Finnish national film award, the JUSSI, in the feature documentary category and is doing the rounds at film festivals in Scandinavia gathering speed, followed by plenty of great reviews. The title is about the special bond developed over the years with Wentus Blues Band and musicians they have played with. It is like the Thanksgiving dinner where everything is possible, especially when the guest list includes legends like ex-Rolling Stone Mick Taylor, Kim Wilson from the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Omar Dykes of Omar & The Howlers, Eric Bibb, Louisiana Red, Eddie Kirkland to mention a few.

On the topic of name dropping, these guys are the Wentus Blues Band: Juho Kinaret; voc, Niko Riippa; gt, Kim Wikman; gt, Robban Hagn”s; b, Mikael Axelqvist; dr, Pekka Gr¦hn; piano, Hammond. From the potatofields of Kokkola to the cottonfields of Mississippi, blues rules!

-The new Agriculture CD shows again that the Wentus Blues Band deserves greater attention -

Official Website: Wentus Blues Band

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