Produced by the OK Study Centre and tailored by Oskari Mänttäri, tuOKio Club concert series has approached social and political questions through music already for three years. Each year the OK Study Centre has commissioned new music from some of the best topical Finnish artists, and this year the turn is Ville Leinonen’s and Mopo's to take action and go on a tour.
Leinonen and the members of Mopo were not acquainted before, but after the suggestion was made by the Study Centre they were very eager to get involved and to collaborate with each other. The new quartet's songs share a common theme: making a change. This theme in a grass root scale is one of the key interests of the OK member organisations, too. For an individual “making a change” might mean small everyday things in one’s immediate social circle as well as participating in volunteer activities and lobbying for important issues. tuOKio focuses exactly on this small, immediate grass root level of action.
That punk is far from being dead is hardly a surprise, but the fact that its attitude has found a new proponent from the field of jazz may be. Mopo is a trio formed by three gifted young musicians, and the group lists jazz, the 70s punk rock and the Finnish nature as their sources of inspiration. Each member has their say in the process of making music, which makes the trio a fine example of a tiny democracy. Surprise is an essential element of Mopo’s philosophy. Ville Leinonen is a versatile artist who has shed his skin many times during his career. He started out in his youth in the group Valumo and has moved from the popular song of the 70s to Slavic folk songs and stage musical, from avant-garde to psychedelic rock and the project Camp Crystal Lake in which the soundscapes of the Holocaust met those of horror films. Who would be better to take a stand for a perpetually current theme in a democratic state – that of civic engagement and grass-root action?
Making speeches has its value, no doubt, but only taking action makes a change. There’s no deed too small since many a mickle makes a muckle.
Ville Leinonen & Mopo
Ville Leinonen - vocals
Linda Fredriksson - saxophones
Eero Tikkanen - double bass
Eeti Nieminen - drums
Live:
5 Sep at 7:00PM Taitokortteli, Joensuu. FREE ENTRY!
6 Sep at 7:00PM Valve Hall, Oulu. FREE ENTRY!
7 Sep at 7:00PM Youth Centre Hall, Seinäjoki. FREE ENTRY!
10 Sep at 7:00PM Kanneltalo, Helsinki. FREE ENTRY!
11 Sep at 8:00PM Tullikamari Club, Tampere. Cloakroom fee. Age limit: 18.
13 Sep at 9:30PM Dynamo, Turku. Cloakroom fee. Age limit: 20.
OK Study Centre
The OK Study Centre is a nationwide adult education institution funded by the Institution of Education and Culture. The majority of the activity is provided in the OK member organisations. Annually more than 160 000 people are involved in its activities.
The Study Centre invests in smaller scale cultural activity, too. The organisation launches and produces different projects, inviting the best of the country’s professional artists to get involved. The themes for the projects come from member organisations, the goal being using art as a means of discussing important civic topics and increasing awareness of them.