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Oho minun virheeni my mistake.. Al and Ralph look like they could be brothers when I look at the old Finn Hall LPs I have, good catch Eric. It's nice that they reissued all their albums on CD. I...

FinnFest is in Duluth again this summer so I'm assuming Ralph and the band will be there like last year. Oren Tikanen is quite the Finnish Mando picker too, I have shared the stage many times in the...

Does it come with a Virzi option?

Hei Erik! Hyvää mandoliinia ja hyvää joulua!

I remember when Jethro did the workshop here in Duluth years ago he was playing a Gibson F5 (not sure what model) and when he was talking about mandolins and what to look for he pointed to his F5 and...

It seemed like the wind here on the unsalted sea they call Superior was just a little colder today after hearing of Gordon's passing. He passed through here many times and caught every show, he was...

Ok, while we're all waiting for the foot and a half or more of snow that's coming up north here next to the unsalted sea... here is the "Bee's Wing Hornpipe" tab I found from Inside Bluegrass that...

Another Minnesota mandolin lost, Ufdah! He was a very generous soul and shared his music with all he met. He used to contribute to the early MBOTMA magazine every month with tasty tunes. One that I...

Here's an old photo that was in my uncle's wallet that was pretty beat up by the time I got to see it. He wouldn't let me borrow it to scan so I did my best with a point and shoot. He died a number...

We lost a gentle soul. He was generous every time he visited the northland here by the unsalted sea. I remember over 30 years ago he performed at the Northshore Music Festival that was on the shore...

I'm posting these photos again as they fit better with this thread. Here are a few photos I took in the summer of 1976 when I went to the 2nd Annual Winnepeg Folk Festival in Bird's Hill Park....

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I'm still pounding on two Lloyd LaPlant mandolins. One A-style Lloyd built for me in the early 80's. Custom cedar top and asked him to finish the fret board like a J-200. The F-style is my...

Kittos, KIttos!

This was sad news to hear this morning. Peter was incredibly gifted on the mandolin as well as the fiddle. I was lucky to have taught a number of mandolin workshops with him at various festivals in...

Thought I'd include a shot I took in 1976 at the Winnepeg Folk Festival. It's scan from the contact sheet so it's a bit soft on the focus as the orignal negatives are AWOL for the time being. The...

This reminds me of when relatives were visiting from scandinavia and after a spending the day sight seeing we went to a local "antique" shop. As we walked through browsing the cousin asked with a...

A Finnish mandolin player, Seppo Sillanpää has published at least three mandolin books, Lamentarola, Akustin Polska, and an instructional book (in Finn) "Mandoliiniopas". Some of these books are out...

Hei everyone, Glad I was able to share this interview with the Cafe. I felt lucky to have been able to meet one of my mandolin heros and to be able to interview him. Yes, that is Lloyd to the back...

Up here next to the unsalted sea called Lake Superior, we here in Duluth, MN have a weekly jam every Wednesday night at a place called Sir Benedict's Tavern. It's been going on since 1978. There is...

Never. For over 40 years I've played at union scale but never below that or free.

My most often used reply to those who like to say "It'll be good for exposure"
People die from exposure......

I recall back in the late 70's or so - Pete Seeger wrote a song using the melody of Over the Waterfall. It was called "Don't Ask What a River is for.

Don't Ask What a River is for

Don't Ask...

My first mandolin was the very same model.. Stella Harmony. Bought it new for $49.95 with case and Mel Bay's "Fun with Strums"
was thrown in. That was back in 1970. I wish I still had it. I learned...

Hei poika!

Up here in northern Minnesota by the unsalted sea - folks can die from exposure.

Another fellow Finnish mandolin player is Seppo Sillanpää. I had the pleasure of doing a workshop with him a few years ago here in Duluth, MN He has published at least three mandolin books,...