Esko Järvelä Epic Male Band is a new, exuberant Folk Rock line-up based in Finland.
The band is led by innovative fiddler and composer, Esko Järvelä, who grew up surrounded by several top-class fiddle players and has developed a powerful and unique fiddle style of his own. He has performed at the Shetland Folk Festival before with acclaimed folk bands Frigg (2009) and Baltic Crossing (2012).
The band also consists of edgy and multifaceted guitarists Anssi Salminen and Jani Kivela, bass lines are delivered by Juho Kivivuori and all this is framed with punchy drumming by Janne Mathlin.
The backgrounds of the musicians include a great variety of styles from Scandinavian and Trans-Atlantic folk traditions to American country rock and Free Jazz. All these diverse backgrounds are turned into a contemporary musical mixture that can be difficult to describe! Although the media has likened their sound to a collision of Jethro Tull, Bon Jovi, Jimi Hendrix, Lau and Led Zeppelin, the band itself likes to talk simply about Progressive Hard Folk.
“It’s a mighty sound, immediately arresting and commanding in the nature of the beast and its sense of keen thrusting attack will prove irresistible to addicts of quality folk-rock of the purely instrumental variety.”
The Living Tradition
Find out more at epicmaleband.com.
Find them on Facebook, X and SoundCloud.
