10/29 @ 8:00pm - Minor Musics: Finland – Tomutonttu + Kiila

Tomutonttu (“dust gnome”, is the alias of  Jan Anderzén, a visual artist and leader of an avant-garde sound group entitled Kemialliset Ystävät.  His lonely music is crafted from the colorful sounds of toy reeds, mutilated vocals, and groovy loops of animal noises that come together to create a whirling, whimsical mess.  Speaking of his work, the artist describes it as as ”a confusing detail of the Kemialliset Ystävät freedom flow, a microcosmos of strange sound creatures and dirt flying around in the stereo space and interacting with a logic all of their own.” Recently, Tomutonttu played a series of concerts for school children at the planetarium of his home town, Tampere. His discography is a labyrinth reflecting the nature of his own music.

Kiila plays psych-tinged folk rock that draws evenhandedly from Bruce Springsteen, C.O.B., Harmonia, Feodor Pratsu, and contemporary experimental music. On stage, the careful songcraft and the power of playing music right here, right now are emphasized. On recordings, the electro-acoustic textures are more distinct and the music breathes easily through details, layered webs of sound and sonic wandering. Often described as folk music, Kiila’s is a sound in which various folk forms are neither completely absent nor always very apparent. Played together, sung together, Kiila is a feast for six and ear candy for the rest.

Kiila was formed in 1993 in Ulvila, Finland. Over the years, the composition of the group has always varied, but by 2010 the backbone of the band has consisted of six musicians for three years. Kiila’s latest album Tuota tuota was released in June 2009 on Fonal Records. In March 2010, Kiila toured Scotland extensively with Alasdair Roberts & Band and in the fall, Kiila will perform in the US for the first time, at ISSUE Project Room, and prepare music for their new album.

Minor Musics: Finland is made possible through the generous support of the American-Scandinavian Foundation; the Consulate General of Finland; and ESEK, the Finnish Performing Music Promotion Centre; and Luses, the Popular Music Committee of the Foundation for the Promotion of Finnish Music.