History

“Is it Sunday today? Now where did that cane go?”

1993

  • Eläkeläiset is born in spring as one of the numerous short-lived side projects of the band Kumikameli.
  • First performance at Provinssirock, plus gigs at the Down By The Laituri and Down By The Kemijoki festivals, among others.
  • The Eläkeläiset project is laid to rest.

1994

  • The side project Maaliman vanhin sirkus (“The World’s Oldest Circus”) tours the festivals.
  • In June, at the record label’s demand, the band records the Humppakäräjät album in an improvised studio. The band’s tour bus served as the control room, and the vocals were recorded in a sauna. Among other things, the clatter of train cars from a nearby railway yard can be heard on the record.
  • First gigs abroad in Gothenburg and at the Hultsfred festival in Sweden.
  • In the autumn Eläkeläiset becomes active again with record release gigs. Accordionist Lassi Kinnunen joins the band to replace departing guitarist Petteri Terävä. Drummer Tapio Santaharju replaces Kristian Voutilainen.

1995

  • Over 30 gigs in Finland and several performances at the Hultsfred festival in Sweden.
  • At Eläkeläiset gigs, (illegal) raffles and bingo games are organized, with coffee packets and combs as prizes. During the performances, super-8 films of the band are screened and improvised fire-eating shows are held in the middle of songs. A dust fire ignites in the roof structures of a venue in Joensuu. Several band members mistake the lamp kerosene served from a paper cup for something else entirely.
  • Own performance tent and goofing-around spot at Ruisrock. A video camera containing gig recordings is stolen from the band.
  • Eläkeläiset stops performing in Finland. The final gig at the Tavastia Club on September 30 doubles as the release gig for the Humpan kuninkaan hovissa CD. The cardboard tombstone that was supposed to descend from the ceiling as the grand finale is left hanging in Tavastia’s lighting rig.

1996

  • Kristian Voutilainen returns behind the drum kit. First and second tours in Germany (25 concerts in total).
  • Performance at the Roskilde festival in Denmark, where the band arrives three days early, just in case.
  • Record deal with the German label TUG-Records. Booking deal with the German Knock Out Music Service.
  • The live album In Humppa We Trust, recorded in Roskilde and Germany, is released.

1997

  • Since Eläkeläiset does not perform in Finland, the DBTL community founds the independent state of Vendimaa in a restricted area in the inner courtyard of Turku Castle. Eläkeläiset performs in Vendimaa.
  • Four shortish foreign tours and a total of over thirty gigs in Germany, Austria and Sweden.
  • The band’s line-up starts to fluctuate. The “E-2” line-up that toured Germany in the spring at its weakest included only one of the band members featured in the tour promo photos. The substitute crew included Johannes Tirkkonen (Emppo Lehmusoksa, e.g. H.C. Andersen, Tanssiorkesteri Lossimies) and Johannes Peura (Teho Majamäki, e.g. H.C. Andersen, Tanssiorkesteri Lossimies, Ismo Alanko Teholla).
  • First trips abroad by plane in the summer of 1997.
  • The Humppamaratooni CD is released.

1998

  • Early in the year the band returns to Finnish stages with the “Pappa betalar” free tour. The gig fees saved from the German autumn tour cover the rental of a van, and the performance contracts stipulate free entry and a free cloakroom for the audience (VIP cards must not entitle anyone to skip the queue), and for the band: no fee, no accommodation and no backstage catering (except catering is fine if the organizer absolutely insists). “We slept at friends’ places and bought our own drinks ourselves.”
  • Later the same year, 5 gigs in Finland and two tours in Europe (24 foreign gigs in total).

1999

  • About ten gigs in Finland and 20 abroad.
  • Performance at Germany’s biggest heavy metal festival, Wacken Open Air, as one of the last acts of the evening. Tremendous success.
  • The Werbung baby! CD is released.

2000

  • The Eurosonic festival in the Netherlands. Ilkka Mattila starts writing the band history commissioned by the Like publishing house.
  • A record-breaking nearly 20 gigs in Finland (3 of them at the DBTKJ festival in Rovaniemi).
  • A couple of summer gigs in Germany. Original guitarist Petteri Terävä subs for Lassi Kinnunen.
  • Autumn tour in Germany and the Netherlands. The band’s line-up fluctuates once again: Sakari Liimatainen on drums (Aku Syrjä, e.g. Eppu Normaali).
  • Suuri suomalainen juopottelukirja (“The Great Finnish Boozing Book”) and the double compilation Humppa-akatemia are released.

2001

  • The spring tour to Germany and Austria becomes a tradition. First gigs in Russia. About 30 gigs in total, 23 of them abroad or in international waters.
  • The compilation album Humppa! is released in Russia.
  • The band records the Speed of Sound album, which remains unreleased.

2002

  • Gigs mainly in Finland. A short spring tour in Germany and Austria.
  • The Christmas EP Joulutorttu, containing original songs, is released but for understandable reasons gets hardly any radio play. “I’ll punch Santa in the face and make a roast out of the reindeer.”
  • The Pahvishe CD and the Sekoilun ytimessä DVD are released.

2003

  • 14 gigs abroad, 12 gigs in Finland.
  • A continuous 25-hour performance at Provinssirock celebrated Eläkeläiset’s 10-year and Provinssirock’s 25-year journeys. Jan Ijäs directs a documentary about the event.

2004

  • One gig in Finland: Ruisrock. 19 gigs abroad. Once again at the Wacken Open Air metal festival in Germany, and first performances in Switzerland.
  • The CD Humppaelämää, containing original songs, is released. The song Keväthumppa comes second on the Levyraati radio show.
  • Petteri Halonen, who had long been subbing for Lassi and Onni, becomes the band’s established fifth member.

2005

  • First performances at folk music festivals. In Finland the band performed at the Zembalot event in Alavus, and in Germany at the main concert of the Rudolstadt folk music festival right before headliner Marianne Faithfull.
  • The year’s tally: 16 gigs in Finland — at times with highly variable line-ups — and 20 gigs abroad.

2006

  • 39 gigs, Finland vs. abroad 19-20.
  • The Humppasirkus CD is released in the spring. In the summer, the German-language Das Humppawerk EP is released.
  • The gigs of the Finnish autumn tour are recorded.

2007

  • A year off. No gigs. The live CD Humppakonsertto is released. The band’s Sekoilun ytimessä DVD goes gold.
  • A performance under a pseudonym at the gold DVD celebration and live CD release event in Helsinki remains a secret — only a quarter of the invited guests turn up.

2008

  • 34 gigs: Finland 15, abroad 12, Åland 1.
  • The Humppa United CD is released in the autumn.
  • The third updated edition of Suuri suomalainen juopottelukirja is published.

2009

  • The band releases the EP Ukki, mitä oli jenkka?, giving the humppa treatment to Finnish punk classics.
  • The Eläkeläiset action comic Humppaa tai kuole! (“Humppa or Die!”) is published in March.
  • A two-week spring tour in Germany. Berlin’s SO36, Hamburg’s Markthalle and the small weekday venues are once again sold out in advance.
  • A few small summer festivals in Finland. The Das Model video appears on YouTube.
  • The gigs planned for the autumn in Russia and Sweden are cancelled due to not feeling like going.
  • The year’s gig tally: 26 gigs, Finland vs. abroad 14-12.
  • The double compilation Humppabingo is released in December.

2010

  • Eläkeläiset takes part, by invitation, in the Finnish qualifiers for the Eurovision Song Contest with the song Hulluna humpasta and comes third in the public vote.
  • The spring weeks in Europe are threatened by a volcanic eruption in Iceland that halts air traffic. The tour’s first gig has to be cancelled but the band makes it to the second one. The band travels overland, the Stockholm–Malmö leg by taxi.
  • 20 gigs in Finland and 18 abroad (Poland, Germany, Belgium, Estonia, Norway).

2011

  • 21 gigs abroad (Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, Russia) and 9 in Finland.

2012

  • The Humppasheikkailu CD, recorded in subarctic conditions, is released on March 14.
  • 17 gigs in Finland and 24 abroad (Germany, Russia, the Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland)

2013

  • The humppa year kicks off with the four-gig Poronkusemat joint tour with Stam1na. A peculiar drinking-focused board game is produced for tour merchandise.
  • The line-up of Eläkeläiset’s legendary Humppakäräjät recording plays a special gig at Kerubi in Joensuu in May.
  • The record label changes.
  • Humppakalmisto is released in November in CD and LP formats.
  • 19 gigs in Finland and 20 abroad (Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, the Czech Republic, Russia)

2014

  • The massive Humpfonia! gigs together with the Kuopio City Orchestra get the year rolling. The spectacle is later repeated at Provinssirock and Ilosaarirock.
  • The band’s drummer changes in July. Tapio Santaharju returns to the drum throne after a 19-year break.
  • 8 gigs in Finland and 27 abroad (Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, Estonia)

2015

  • 4 gigs in Finland and 11 gigs abroad (Germany, Denmark)

2016

  • 19 gigs in Finland, no performances abroad.

2017

  • 20 gigs in Finland, 16 abroad (Germany, Austria)
  • 2 of the Finnish and 3 of the German gigs with Stam1na, 2 of the Finnish gigs with Viikate
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  • The Humppa of Finland album is recorded in January at the SF-Sound studio and released on April 21. The record features nearly 150 guest triangle players. Upon release, the album reaches number 10 on the official chart.
  • The band’s three hundredth German gig in Wiesbaden on April 27.

2018

  • 9 gigs in Finland, 18 gigs in Germany and one appearance on the German Luke! Die Woche und ich show
  • The double compilation Humppamania, featuring 5 new songs, is released. These 5 songs are also released on the EP Humppainfarkt.

2019

  • 9 gigs in Finland, 2 abroad
  • Ultimate Baltic Tour: Helsinki – St. Petersburg – Tallinn – Radio Rock cruise in September

2020

  • The two-week German tour is cancelled due to corona
  • Only 5 gigs are played, all in Finland, one of them streamed live online from Tullikamari

2021

  • The two-week German tour is postponed again due to corona
  • 11 gigs are played in Finland, one of them at Kapakanmäki in Tuulos with Steve’n’Seagulls

2022

  • The two-week German tour is postponed yet again due to corona
  • 12 gigs are played in Finland
  • The Kapakanmäki gig in Tuulos with Steve’n’Seagulls becomes an annual tradition
  • Petteri Terävä returns to the line-up for two gigs to sub for Lassi and Halonen, who are languishing in the grip of corona

2023

  • The German tour finally happens!
  • 36 gigs are played, 17 of them in Finland
  • In Tuulos, joined by Dumari ja Spuget in addition to Steve’n’Seagulls
  • Two other gigs are also played with Steve’n’Seagulls

2024

  • 29 gigs, 18 of them in Finland
  • In Gothenburg the band performs at SVT’s celebration; the gig is broadcast on the radio and streamed live online
  • In Tuulos, joined by Martti Servo ja Napander in addition to Steve’n’Seagulls
  • The latest edition of Suuri suomalainen juopottelukirja is released as an audiobook

2025

  • 38 gigs, 20 of them abroad (Poland, Sweden, Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic)
  • The first band member officially retires
  • In Tuulos, joined by Komiat in addition to Steve’n’Seagulls