Tag Archive for The Duke

For this week’s edition of Model U.N., we return to Scandinavia to put the spotlight on Sweden’s eastern neighbor Finland. While few Finnish acts find fame and fortune stateside, the ones who get the most recognition tend to be hard rock and metal acts. To find out if the Finnish music scene is really all gloom and doom, we consulted a bona fide Finn! Mikko Kananoja, guitarist and lead singer for The Duke, was kind enough to answer a barrage of questions ranging from wife carrying to Eurovision. Don’t forget to check out the playlist of fine Finnish artists on OurStage below.

Mikko Kananoja (Photo: Juuso Haarala)

SC: Most people in the states are in the dark about the Finnish music scene aside from a handful of hard rock acts such as HIM and Lordi. Is it tough being a “non-metal” rock band in Finland? Care to shed some light on what genres are popular with the Finnish kids these days? What Finnish bands you would recommend checking out?

MK: It’s such a shame that Finland is always known for heavy music because people are into pop-rock stuff just as much. Bands like Radiohead, Muse and Coldplay —everybody likes them here wherever you go here. When Finnish festivals start to book people are always asking for these kinds of bands. We’re hearing a lot from record companies that “there’s no music market in Finland for bands like The Duke” but I don’t think so at all. It’s not easy for us being in this genre—retroish pop-rock—but at least we’re always standing out from the crowd. I would recommend checking out Finnish-language bands like Egotrippi and Wiidakko. Some Finnish bands with English lyrics I would recommend are Montevideo, Rubik and The Death of Gagarin. Really cool music!

Continue reading ‘OURSTAGE MODEL U.N. – FINLAND + BONUS Q&A WITH THE DUKE’S MIKKO KANANOJA’

One of the more intriguing “retro-rock” acts out there is a band called The Duke from Vaasa, Finland. With influences covering the spectrum from The Moody Blues to Radiohead, this band manages to offer fresh and original songwriting while honoring their roots.  The Finnish four-piece formed back in 2000 as the brainchild of Mikko Kananoja, the band’s vocalist and guitarist, out of his desire to make “60’s style retro pop-rock.”   Since then the band released a few EP’s and cultivated quite the local following by touring all over their home country. This week’s free track, “We Come from The Same” is fresh off the band’s Push Me Back into The Black EP, which was released in June. The slow, epic build up gives way to one of the most heart wrenching guitar solos since “Purple Rain.”  Hopefully there’s a full-length release and an American tour in the works!