Eläkeläiset

Eläkeläiset (Finnish for "pensioners") is a humppa band founded 1993, that plays humppa and jenkka music in Germany, Finland and elsewhere.

Current members of the band are Onni Varis (keyboard, vocals), Petteri Halonen (keyboard, guitar, vocals), Lassi Kinnunen (accordion, vocals), Martti Varis (bass, vocals) and Kristian Voutilainen (drums, vocals). Ilmari Koivuluhta (sound technique, logistics) and Pekka Jokinen (graphics, merchandise) complete the "humppa family". According to the band's statements, they play between 80 and 100 concerts per year, of which only 20 in Finland and 40 to 50 in Germany, due to their popularity there. Rarely performing in big venues, they have visited several big international music festivals, and surprisingly to many, even large heavy metal festivals e.g. Wacken Open Air and Tuska Open Air. They travel mostly on a private lorry and no bus.

Eläkeläiset mainly play cover versions of famous pop and rock hits in a fast humppa or slow jenkka style (both sound somewhat similar to polka music the way "Weird Al" Yankovic plays it) with Finnish lyrics — the original songs are barely recognizable. They also publish bootleg recordings of their own concerts. Every song title until the album "Werbung, Baby!" contained the either word "Humppa", "Polkka" or "Jenkka".

Listen
filename = Eläkeläiset_Päivätanssit_0.00_1.00.ogg
title = "Päivätanssit" ("Pahvische", 2002)
description = A cover of the 1988 Pet Shop Boys hit "Domino Dancing".

Eläkeläiset are very popular among some OpenBSD developers and frequently played at their hackathons, where they claim they are, "thwarting evil with humppa and math." [http://www.openbsd.org/lyrics.html#34 OpenBSD 3.4 lyrics] ]

Discography

* Joulumanteli (1994, published only as a tape)
* Humppakäräjät (1994, album)
* Humppalöyly (1995, EP)
* Pyjamahumppa (1995, single)
* Humpan Kuninkaan Hovissa (1995, album)
* In Humppa We Trust (1996, live album)
* Dementikon Keppihumppa / Take Me To The City (1997, single)
* Humppamaratooni (1997, album) - its title track is a humppa arrangement of "Whiskey in the Jar".
* Sensational Monsters Of Humppa (1998, single)
* Humppaorgiat (1999, EP with censored songs)
* Werbung, Baby! (1999, album)
* Huipputähtien Ykköshitit (1999, single)
* Humpan Kuninkaan Hovissa (2000, album)
* Ja Humppa Soi (2000, single)
* Humppa-Akatemia (2000, double album)
* Humppa Till We Die (2000, CD)
* Humppa! (2001, compilation)
* Jenkkapolkkahumppa (2001, EP)
* Joulutorttu (2002, EP)
* Pahvische (2002, album)
* Katkolla Humppa (2003, EP)
* Keväthumppa (2003, EP)
* Humppaelämää (2003, album)
* Jukolan Humppa (2005, single)
* Humppasirkus (2006, album)
* Das Humppawerk (2006, EP)
* Humppakonsertto (2007, live album)
* Humppa United (2008, album)

Notes

External links

* [http://www.humppa.com/ Official Homepage]
* [http://www2.lut.fi/~jahuttun/elake/orig_index.html Eläkeläiset covers] , a list of which band and song each track on the album parodies.