Wasel Arar: guitar & lead vocals
Jonni Kuutsa: mandolin
Kukka Lehto: fiddle
Jyrki Levä: bass & tenor vocals
Tauri Oksala: banjo & baritone vocals
Hannu Vanhatalo: bass
Lead
singer and guitarist Wasel Arar has played bluegrass since the
early 1980's. He was a founding member of the Picks & Hammers
bluegrass band who made local fame in the 90's as a band ready to make
a hardcore or modern bluegrass arrangement out of virtually any popular
radio tune. This paved the way to eventually writing his own songs and
instrumentals. In addition to being an active member of the Finnish Bluegrass
Music Association he also holds a regular weekly Bluegrass workshop in
the Helsinki area.
Mandolin
player and co-composer Jonni Kuutsa has written a large part of
Northstate's instrumentals and is also a former band member from the Picks
& Hammers.
Jyrki
Levä, originally on bass in the band, now plays the dobro to
complete the bands bluegrass sound. A co-composer and a great tenor singer
he also plays some mean dobro.
Kukka
Lehto, currently a full time student in the Sibelius Academy studying
folk music, is a fantastic Bluegrass fiddler. Her greatest wish would
be to make a living playing Bluegrass. Wouldn't we all.
Tauri
Oksala, the banjo player Northstate originally started with, is a
top of the line banjo player and sings baritone. A talented bluegrass
banjo picker, his banjo compositions have been published in the Banjo
Newsletter.
Hannu
Vanhatalo, former bass player for The Lake Country Boys and Picks
& Hammers. And boy what a return in Northstate! Definitely one of
the steadiest bluegrass bass players in Europe.
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