The Lad's Ballad

Ahti Taponen interviewed the lads of Lapland in the 1980s and wrote lyrics based on those interviews. He sent them to Kaj Chydenius, who describes it this way: “Among the many song lyrics I received, a unique collection had emerged—a depiction of post-World War II Lapland’s logging life, where every line seemed to cry out for a musical commentary. Lush, down-to-earth, hilariously laid-back, yet at the same time painfully poignant, unquestionably ‘proletarian,’ and honestly, even proudly Finnish—an astonishing promise.”

Markku Köngäs found in Jätkä’s Ballad a cross-section of the end of an era. The 1960s saw the beginning of social upheaval, the decline of “jätkä” culture, and a massive migration to Sweden in search of work. The songs offer a “jätkä’s” perspective on it all: the stories of a Lapland laborer, longing for a woman, and the oblivion brought by alcohol.

Premiere: March 15, 2012, Rovaniemi