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Music man
Herra Hakkarainen esiintyy lavalla.

Music man

  • Jouni Korhonen’s passion for music, which ignited in his youth, is thriving in Uusikaupunki. The versatile musician effortlessly shifts from a rock guy to the lead tenor in a male choir.

It all started with Aivottomat. That was Jouni Korhonen’s first band. The group, which played raw punk music, was formed in 1987 when a group of 15-year-olds was struck by an overwhelming desire to create their own music.

Aivottomat-bändi.

Performing was already familiar to Jouni from the stage of Uusikaupunki’s theater. However, as he reached moped age, the theater gradually took a backseat, making way for music. In the spirit of the times, Jouni first got himself some gear and then started learning the basics of playing the bass.

The enthusiasm was absolutely insane. No one taught us—we just practiced by trial and error. Gradually, our ear for music developed, Jouni recalls.

Even in the 1980s, Uusikaupunki provided spaces and opportunities for young people to pursue music. The youth center’s outbuilding was filled with the sounds of rock almost around the clock, and young people were encouraged to engage in music.

-We got to organize band events ourselves, and the youth services were very involved. Performers came from all over Finland, Jouni says.

Jouni korhonen ja coprophilia-bändi. vuonna1991.

Following the first punk band, Coprophilia emerged at the turn of the 1990s, riding the wave of death metal sweeping across Finland. Then came Complex.

The songs were all self-written. Every bit of money from summer jobs and weekly allowances was pooled together to press the music onto vinyl. It was important to create something tangible.

We listened to an insane amount of music and practiced a lot. Those songs are so difficult that we probably wouldn’t even be able to play them anymore, Jouni laughs.

During his student years in Turku, Jouni played in Whip Me Nicely, a band that experimented with a mix of Latin rhythms and metal guitar. The group even performed in Germany. However, beneath it all, something was brewing—something that would become Jouni Korhonen’s passion project.

After ten years of studying, Jouni returned to Uusikaupunki, found a job in child welfare that matched his education, and bought a wooden house in the city center. He renovated a small studio space in the basement of his late 19th-century house.

Heikki Hakkarainen soittaa lavalla bändinsä kanssa.

-During my student years, I played in the Kanneljärvi College band under the stage name Heikki Hakkarainen. It’s what you might call a humppa name—it’s actually my second given name combined with my mother’s maiden name, Jouni explains.

-The idea was to release an album under that name and handle all the playing and production myself.

Gradually, Heikki Hakkarainen evolved from a one-man project into a full band. The recording process slowed down as it was no longer just one man arranging the songs, but a whole group of musicians.

And that’s a good thing. I wouldn’t have been able to create such great songs on my own, Jouni says.

Jouni Korhonen’s humppa name remained as the band’s name. The now six-member Heikki Hakkarainen has been around for ten years. The band has released three full-length albums and one CD single, with a handful of new songs waiting to be recorded.

One of Jouni’s personal challenges has been transitioning from a bassist in the background to a frontman playing guitar. But while the dreamy Heikki Hakkarainen is a part of Jouni, he emphasizes that it’s a band, not just a solo project.

-I write the lyrics, and they’re often very personal, but we always put the songs together as a band, he says.

-It feels amazing that I’ve found such talented musicians in my hometown to play with.

Heikki Hakkarainen ja bändi lavalla.

While Heikki Hakkarainen is Jouni’s most important musical project, he also occasionally takes the stage as the bassist of the cover band Covernautti.

-My bassist identity has faded a bit because of Heikki Hakkarainen, but sometimes it’s nice to just play in a band without being the frontman.

Once a week, the “rock guy” takes his place among the lead tenors of Laulu-Veikot, the local male choir. Even for an experienced musician, choir singing is something new and challenging.

-I actually enjoy it quite a lot. It keeps my voice in shape, and it’s nice to sing completely different kinds of songs than what I’m used to, he says. And Laulu-Veikot is an institution in this city. We just need more singers to keep it going.

Jouni Korhonen seisoo keltaisen puutalon edessä.

A lifelong musician, Jouni is content with his life in Uusikaupunki. His daily routine offers everything he wants: an interesting job in child welfare, the sea, living in a wooden house, and the opportunity to make music in a relaxed but serious way.

-Uusikaupunki has a fascinating music culture, full of people marching to the beat of their own drum—like Surfing Lucifers, who’ve been making music together for a long time, or Sitrus K Katkera from Kalanti, who does really experimental stuff.

The greatest strength of this small town lies in its sense of community.

-People always pitch in selflessly, whether it’s about album cover art or mastering a particular instrument. This is a good place,” Jouni Korhonen sums up.

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