Dave Takanen Is the grandson of Finnish immigrants who settled in the U.P. of Michigan and in northeastern Minnesota, known as "The Iron Range" where iron ore was, and still is mined to make taconite, which is then shipped on the great lakes to Pittsburgh to make steel. He was born and raised on "The Range" and has played the bar, tavern and night club scene for three decades. An accomplished singer/songwriter, Dave is also very comfortable on the guitar, bass and mandolin and utilizes these instruments on all three of The Finnbilly cd's. Dave is backed by long time friend Ross Sarkela, who plays guitar and keyboard on the cd along with backup singer Jayne Mahovolich and Kenny Stevens on the blues harp. Dooly Niemi and Spivey Hill add the drums and percussion. Dave's father was a master of the accordion and his grandfather played and made violins with one of them heard on this cd. The songs tell the heartwarming stories of kin who grew up the Finnish way and have passed on to the promised land. The title track 1929, tells the story of his father growing up and being a teenager at the start of "The Great Depression". The third release by The Finnbillys is worth a listen. You can find more info on their first two releases at www.finnbillys.com.
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