news:

MAY 2013 This Summer is revving up to be a barn burner! In just a few weeks we kick it off with a big Midwestern tour with the vivacious Polka Chicks from Finland. Here's a video of us rocking San Diego in 2011. Check our Shows Page for all dates.

This Spring our album Arto Järvelä & Kaivama was released in Europe! Here's the video trailer promoting the album:

Despite the never-ending Winter of 2013, we enjoyed a tour of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Check out our video Field Guide:

We'll be making multiple trips to Michigan for a variety of festivals this Summer. Check us out at FinnFest in June, Hiawatha Festival in July, and the Great Lakes Folk Festival in August where we'll be representing the state of Minnesota:

Kaivama is a fiscal year 2013 grant recipient from the Minnesota State Arts Board. This activity is made possible in part by a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, through an appropriation by the Minnesota State Legislature and by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

2.17.13 'Twas very nice to see so many of you in January when we got back on the road. Now we're just about to hit the snowy trail yet again for a tour to Michigan's Upper Peninsula! Visit our shows page for dates and venues. We've got some new tunes to play, and new instrumentation, too! And we've also got a...

NEW DIGITAL SINGLE: "I Denna Ljuva"

Here's a musical Valentine from Kaivama to you! The contemporary Swedish tune "I Denna Ljuva" (composed by Hans Kennemark of Forsmark Tre and Nordik Tree) has been one of our favorites to perform since our very first tour. We're releasing our own recording of this beautiful tune, available from our new Kaivama BandCamp page. Download it for $1, or chip in a few extra bucks to keep fuel in the Kaivama Tour Bus.

Last month we were featured on Minnesota Public Radio! Thanks to reporter Dan Olson for his excellent interview. CLICK HERE for the online article, some exclusive photos, and streaming audio.

Our latest album continues to generate press coverage:

Review at Heroes of Indie Music

Review at New York Music Daily

11.27.12 In three days we're back on the road, with performances in Seattle and Portland. Northwesterners, we hope to see you there! We've got other concerts brewing as well for 2013 in the Midwest and beyond...visit our shows page for details.

If you still have Holiday shopping to complete, please consider a Kaivama CD as the ideal stocking stuffer. Order online here and we'll get your gift items shipped off to you ASAP.

Thanks to you all for your support throughout a very exciting 2012!

10.27.12 Snow is in the air here in Minneapolis and we're preparing for our Winter adventures. In just a few days we travel to Arizona to play at FinnFest 2012 in Tucson! Will we see you there?

The last you heard from us we were celebrating the launch of our new album...and joined in person by our collaborator Arto Järvelä! We had a very fun concert in St. Paul, and the Star Tribune newspaper gave us a shout-out, saying "Finnish folk music gets a fresh update." Our album also got reviewed at the Green Man Review blog...link here to check it out.

The November issue of Mpls StPaul Magazine has a cover story on all the Nordic food/culture here in the Twin Cities, and we appear in the article! Find us on page 73, where we are credited for "transforming ancestral melodies into music for new audiences." Thanks MSP Mag for supporting the Finnish and Scandinavian scene!

Last Summer we had the pleasure of meeting and jamming with phenomenal Norwegian composer and accordionist Linda Gytri. Linda has released a new solo album, including a tune called "Kaivama" that she named for us! Download her music at iTunes.

9.21.12 We'll be celebrating the release of our new album this month...and Arto Järvelä will join us in person!

Here are the details of our CD release show:

Tuesday, September 25th, 7:30PM
Pilgrim Lutheran Church
1935 St. Clair Ave
St. Paul, MN 55105
$15 at the door, all ages welcome

The CD is available for sale at all Kaivama performances, and you can also CLICK HERE to mailorder the CD from us.

CLICK HERE to download the album at the iTunes Store.

Here's a video from our recent U.P. tour...we're playing "Taapeli Valssi" from our new album:

8.14.12 Thanks to so many of you for sharing music with us across the Midwest this Summer! In addition to great events like FinnFest in South Dakota, Nisswa-Stämmän in Minnesota, Finlandia Folk Music Camp in Michigan, and the SISU Seminar at UMD, we played a series of theater concerts along the Iron Ranges of MI and MN. While we were on the road we were interviewed in the Mining Journal newspaper as well as on WLUC TV6 news (video below). We've got some exciting shows coming up this Fall, including our first performance in Sara's hometown of Hibbing, MN, and our official CD release show in St. Paul along with Arto Järvelä! Check the shows page for links and details!

7.7.12 Holy cow, it's hot! Good thing we're about to go on tour to the cool and refreshing Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Yes, on Thursday we head off on our second annual July tour of the UP, with a variety of shows as well as three days of fun at Finlandia University Finnish Folk Music Camp! Check out this nice article in The Mining Journal, welcoming us back. ALSO...Twin Cities residents, put Tuesday, September 25th on your calendar...we've got a big evening planned with a certain friend from Finland. Stay tuned for more details!

5.30.12 Surprise!

This Summer we're very excited to unveil our new CD! Back in March we toured the Midwest USA with Finnish fiddler extraordinaire Arto Järvelä, and on a day off in Cincinnati we went into the studio and recorded a trio album together! Then in May, Arto met us for another tour up the West Coast USA...we had a wonderful time, and our audiences got a sneak-peek at the new CD. Now the album is available for all...we'll have it with us at our Summer tour dates, and you may order it online HERE.

4.1.12 Springtime greetings from Minneapolis! It's been a busy and fun 2012 for us so far...we recently returned from a Midwestern tour with Arto Järvelä where we visited new states: OH, MO, and lower MI. On April 14th we zip back to Ohio for a performance at OSU's Newark campus. Then in May, Arto returns to the USA and we meet him for a 10-day West Coast Tour! Check out our SHOWS page for all the specifics.

2.22.12 we just finished up our first ever southern tour, and are back on the road again in a week with Arto Järvelä. thanks to WORT radio in Madison for promoting our first show on the Midwest tour!

1.17.12 happy new year to all!
we've got big tour plans this Winter...in february we'll drive across the southern states, and will wind up in florida for Finlandia Days. then in March we join Arto Järvelä for a swing thru the Midwest...check out the schedule at the shows page.

11.7.11 on the road again.
we will be out on the west coast two separate weekends in december, and playing in michigan the third, and then - wait, is there a holiday or something around that time?
we will be in florida in february (thank god) and are planning a west coast tour with arto järvelä in may. can't keep still.

8.29.11 we were featured in september's EDINA MAGAZINE. we are excited to open for FRIGG at the CEDAR on sept 28!

8.22.11 things still aren't slowing down. we just returned from finnfest, san diego, where we made friends and music. check out our facebook page for photos and video. this weekend at porcupine mountains music fest and the reif center in grand rapids, then off to the east coast in early september! check the shows page. wish us luck.

7.6.11 we had a wonderful time on tour with arto järvelä! here's a video from nisswa stämman festival:

we are looking forward to our upper peninsula tour this week, finnwest in vancouver, finnfest in san diego this summer and much more! check the dates page for more info.

6.18.11 thanks to paul wilson from nisswastämman
for this animated picture!

5.24.11: we're looking forward to a fun summer of traveling! in june we'll be on tour for 10 days with Arto Järvelä! Arto is coming over from Finland, and we'll join him at some of the coolest venues in the Midwest USA including the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago, Sacred Heart Music Center in Duluth, and The Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis.

go to our shows page for updated dates and venue information.

Kaivama and Arto will perform live on Minneapolis television program "KARE 11 TODAY" on Thursday morning, June 16th!

4.25.11: we completed our first fly-out tour - drove seattle to LA! ready for more. check out our pictures on facebook. AND our album is now ready for purchase on itunes. we are booking lots of dates, so check our shows page for updates.

4.1.11: it's april fools day, but this is no joke! the kaivama album is finished and ready to be purchased and enjoyed! go to our store page and order yourself a copy! tunebook ready next week.

3.20.11: welcome to our new site! it's under construction and should be all filled in by april. album will be up on itunes in may.