(gentle music) - [Ben] On this episode of "Postcards."

- I grew up in a place with a lot of Finnish American heritage and then when I picked up the accordion, holy Hannah, everywhere I went, it was like, "Can you do this Finnish song?

We book you for Fin Fest if you learn this."

(loom clanking) - We have a very strong tradition of making these kind of rugs.

- I use lot of landscapes also, and they are like windows to eternity.

(intense music) (gentle upbeat music) - [Ben] "Postcards" is made possible by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the citizens of Minnesota.

Additional support provided by Margaret A Cargill Philanthropies, Mark and Margaret Yackel-Juleen on behalf of Shalom Hill Farms, a retreat and conference center in a prairie setting near Wyndham, Minnesota.

On the web at ShalomHillFarm.org.

Alexandria, Minnesota, a year-round destination with hundreds of lakes, trails and attractions for memorable vacations and events.

More information at ExploreAlex.com.

The Lake Region Arts Council's Arts Calendar, an arts and cultural heritage-funded digital calendar, showcasing upcoming art events and opportunities for artists in West Central Minnesota.

On the web at LRAC4Calendar.org.

Playing today's new music plus your favorite hits, 96.7 Kram, online at 967Kram.com.

(lively accordion music) - All right, first, let's see if I can do it.

(lively accordion music) Yeah, explain myself, the most challenging thing anyone could do ever.

Well, I have a one-man band.

♪ Well, I'm a Finnish fellow from the iron ring ♪ (Steve singing indistinctly) (horn squeaking) I've always been a comedian, I think.

So we say if you love a Fin, raise your hand.

If not, raise your standards.

I hope to compose an opera.

I hope to be the first accordionist on the moon, but then the stuntman's in there too.

(lively accordion music) Hello, my name's Steve Solkela, spelled with a V and then S-O-L-K-E-L-A.

Or if you're a real musically-inclined person... ♪ Do re me fa sol ke la ti do ♪ (chipper music) - Yes, we have a special musician playing tonight.

We're really excited to bring in our one-man band.

Definitely a unique musical choice for the evening and it's kind of fun that we're gonna have this unique eating contest, some unique music.

Yep, quirky Minnesota.

- So you play the accordion then, huh?

- You bet.

I do a lot, I'm a one-man band.

- Oh yeah.

- I started this up a couple months ago.

Every county in Minnesota, I've had a paid gig, I etch it out and never been to this section before, so, good, good.

Success.

I'm dumb, but I'm pretty.

I think today there's 10 hours of driving, two hours of performing, one hour interview.

Yeah, I left Chisholm, Minnesota, at, I don't even remember the hour of the morning.

- Ready?

- Yeah.

I was born unprepared.

Yeah, this is my life.

A Friday through Saturday through Sunday.

It's usually one big day you slam into one.

It's a good career, it really is.

It's not easy.

One day at a time from show to show.

I've been doing it successfully for, gosh, how old am I now?

12?

That's a good chunk you can use.

- Oh, crap.

- Oh dear, bread and beer.

If I were married, I wouldn't be here.

It's funny, I use my accordion cases for anything except accordions.

Put my merch over here.

You got your T-shirts.

They come in orange and blue raspberry and green apple and there's chocolate, watermelon.

Not many people listen to CDs anymore, but I still got em.

Buy a shirt, you can take me home with ya.

(giggling) All right, I think it's time to pound down our dinner, feel like a winner, wishing we were thinner 'cause we all gluttonous sinner.

- [Server] You been to Norway?

- I've been to Sweden and Finland and Germany, but never been to- - You want gravy on this?

- I'll do a little gravy, yeah.

- So, you're not having lutefisk then?

- Oh gosh, no, I value my mental health.

(all laughing) There's only two kinds of people in the world.

There's Norwegians and then there's jealous people.

I got a camera crew following me around today.

I'm more witty than normal.

- So be good.

- [Background Speaker] I've spent a lot of years with a lot of different- - I forgot a fork.

You're a hero.

Thank you.

- [Background Speaker] It's a unique thing for Madison.

- I've never been a big fan of lutefisk.

Waiting for the pitch forks and all that, but it's gonna be fun.

I'm hoping if they're mad at me 'cause I think they smell that I can outrun them.

(Steve singing comical gibberish lyrics) (lively music) I play a whole bunch of things with my feet and elbows and knees and got a little helmet with a symbol on it.

Crash!

Everyone's always worried I'm gonna break my neck with it and I don't.

♪ Gotta be blonde and dumb and beautiful ♪ ♪ And own the liquor store ♪ (Steve singing comical gibberish lyrics) (lively music) They say it's the obligation of the entertainer to comment on society as it evolves, has been since the jester days in medieval times and I definitely do a lot of that in between my one-liners.

There's occasionally good content there.

In the words of Martin Luther, "Nailed it!"

(laughing) Yeah, the thing about being a comedian is you do tend to dance around being serious, but I come from pretty humble beginnings.

I grew up poor.

I got kicked around an awful lot as a kid.

I was badly abused up to like nine, 10 years old and a lot of alcoholism in the family.

Did music save my life?

Maybe it's just a cliche thing to say, but it's also true.

It did completely.

(lively accordion music) I grew up in a place with a lot of Finnish American heritage and then when I picked up the accordion, holy Hannah, everywhere I went was like, "Can you do this Finnish song?

We book you for Fin Fest if you learn this."

My folks weren't real big on the arts.

It was always, "When you getting a real job?

When you getting a real job?"

I had to basically tell my mom, "Listen, this has happening, I'm being an artist.

I don't care if I am poor for the rest of my life."

Music was kind of a thing, when I gave it a try.

It was like, "Wait a minute, this is lucrative."

Everyone tells me that musicians don't make anything and they're miserable, and I'm like, "I have a lot of fun."

(lively glockenspiel music) I don't mean to be cocky, but if I can inspire just one artist that has trouble believing in themselves, you can make it, you can.

(cymbal dinging) (instruments clanking, tinkling) Two points.

(cheese grater clunking) Two points.

- [Interviewer] How many shows do you do?

- I hit 261 in the past year.

Am I busy?

Yeah.

Is it very difficult?

Yeah, but I never forget how grateful I am.

I could have been a doctor, a lawyer, an engineer, an astronaut, but I didn't wanna do something easy.

I wanted to do something me, you know.

(chair clunking) What kind of Lutheran would I be if I didn't show off helping with chairs?

- When you play, I'm pounding your drum.

- Nice!

- Yeah.

- Yeah.

I don't play mine, I just try to hit like an octopus everything I can.

- I've done it for many years too and I love it.

That's why I like music.

- Well I got a glockenspiel and a train whistle and a harmonica.

(train whistle tooting) Couple cymbals, couple horns.

(horn squeaking) The cheese grater, I don't use.

- I heard that.

- It's just there so it'll be a great show.

- Don't hurt yourself.

- And this is one of my favorites.

- Oh God.

- You put on the helmet.

- You should try that on.

- Give it a try.

Oh, glasses, yeah, it's not all good.

- Don't like glasses.

I'm gonna need one of these.

Here, I'll hold it.

(cymbal dinging) - And you can- - I love that sound.

- You try it.

Wanna try it?

- I'm okay.

(all laughing) - I understand.

Is it just me, or are those doorways getting skinnier?

Well, gosh, what a good day.

I love my life.

I made it happen and I'm pretty proud of it.

(feet clunking) (car engine humming) Safety first.

Bye!

(car engine humming continues) - [Interviewer] That's all she wrote, folks.

(bright music) (loom clanking) (loom clanking) (bright music continues) - My name is Tea Rahkamaa and I weave rugs and carpets and fabrics.

People around the world do this, but we have a very strong tradition of making these kind of rugs.

(bright music continues) (loom clanking) I use old bed sheet and worn-out curtains and cut them to these slices and do.

But nowadays, people also use industrial material, so this industrial waste, which is used for carpet-making.

It was important then when we were poor and didn't have much money, we used everything we had, but now it's equally important.

We don't have another planet.

(pensive music) Yes, and of course, it used to be more popular, but nowadays people get so much stuff from Ikea (laughing) and they don't want to make things, but- - [Interviewer] Time, people don't have time.

- Time, and the equipment and things, but it's still strong and ongoing tradition to make those carpets.

- [Interviewer] And floors are cold here.

You need carpet.

(pensive music continues) - First, I studied under, I was Master of Science and Engineering.

I did that for 20 years, but I got a bad burnout twice and I didn't know what to do.

But I was always interested in handicraft.

I knitted a lot and then I went to school again for 2 1/2 years and learned the practice.

(inspiring music) The bobbin lace thing, that was also, I went to this adult education center once a week and little by little learned it and my own teacher retired and I took over.

Now I work in five different places as a teacher.

It looks more complicated than it is.

Just trying to remember what I was doing.

As you can see, I have no pattern here.

I'm making it up as I go.

When I started making bobbin lace, I started with traditional Finnish lace patterns, but nowadays, as I teach a lot, I do these small experiments and then things and from different places in world.

This is Slovenian version, this is Spanish lace, this is Austrian lace.

But now I am doing these little experiments of my own.

I am interested in making something really my own.

(gentle music) Rug-making is very, you have free hands.

You can do it like you want to, but if I make things with my looms, the products are big and large and they need lots of space.

Here I can do some little things and put them in plastic (laughing) and they don't fill my house with all the material.

(metal clanking) (loom clanking) I'm not doing this very efficiently.

I know that people who are trying to make this as a profession, they wouldn't do this like I'm doing now.

But this is something I'm just trying to get to learn this big loom, and I'm doing this for my daughter so I don't care that it takes so much time.

(metal clanking) (loom clanking) - I think because you make it for your loved one.

- Yes.

People love from other.

- Oh, now you can see maybe better the things are like... No, you can't see.

That work on this one has reflective yarns.

One once we tested with a friend of mine who is expert on lead lights, we made the kind of mask and I made them kind of situations which you can then see when you have it and look there.

(gentle upbeat music) My name is Outi Martikainen and I'm working and living in Helsinki.

Last nine years I have been working in digital Jacquard weaving in my studio.

This Jacquard, it's from 1700 already, but it's like pre-data, so it used to be holes in the cardboard and then it came to pit map like mine.

But these are, each of them is one pixel in my picture.

So I have, here, I have 220 pixels, and altogether 880, so then I get this possibility to make pictures.

(gentle music) And I designed this ropes myself, how they are frayed.

So I love synthetic materials.

I'm ashamed, but actually this is, it has a kind of shine like silk, but it's 1/10 of the price.

I can't use silk, but I can tell the person who makes the ropes which colors I want to have in there.

It can have 40 different monofilament yarns to braid it together, and then I get these colors.

I use lot of landscapes also because there's many things you can illustrate or feel, and they are like windows to eternity.

(gentle music continues) Very seldom I take my like big camera, but I took it and I was wondering that the card is full and I was like who has been using this?

And then I found out that this, it was full of images which my daughter and her friend have been taking of themselves posing.

They were like 13 years old and I find it very interesting 'cause they were already like 17, 18 when I found it, that card.

And I see from them this unsure and unsecure thing and then and am I this and am I that, and still they make like this normal pose that people are like, what?

Like trying, but I feel that they are trying there like how far they can go, and nice that they could do that.

(quiet music continues) This age, you know, under this five, six years, it's quite critical to us, and I would like with the picture to show that this person, maybe she was like five years in this picture, that she knows everything.

She understands everything that we have to appreciate her individuality, and from her eyes, I was thinking that this tells a lot, that they look through you.

We should not think about that children are just like children, that they are like a group of something, that they all are individuals and they all should be taken as seriously.

I like dancing, so I like also moving around when I'm working, and this I have found really like I like it.

(cheery music playing in background) It's so funny 'cause it's so silent now because this has a lot of sound also, there's a (Outi imitating machine humming).

And then it has pressed air, like... (Outi imitating air compressor crashing) ♪ As you may learn ♪ ♪ There's a war against all going on ♪ ♪ And I wanna make everything right ♪ ♪ I wanna make everything right ♪ - Of course, this is a family learn also from my grandmother and she was self-taught seamstress, so I had that kind of material on hands when I was a child, so I think that's why this feels so familiar.

♪ Dark but I don't care ♪ ♪ That's when we have each other ♪ ♪ 'Cause in the air don't make me scared ♪ ♪ I'm moving sound forever ♪ (lively accordion music) - This is a joint birthday party and it's a Finnish American family.

These are my favorite kind of gigs where it's like, show up, sing, eat, and do whatever, then you know that they like ya.

Some of my songs, I do funny things during like the "I've Been Everywhere" song.

(Steve speed-speaking) And just look at everybody.

It's fun when it's a smaller audience 'cause then you could make it feel intimate and funny.

I recently returned from over yonder in the magical land known as Finland.

For the first time in probably my whole career, they were like, "We don't want any of your covered nonsense.

We want all the true Finnish American funny guy stuff.

That's why they're here."

And I was like, "Oh, wow."

This is my hit song.

There's a brand new music video called, "If heaven Don't Have Saunas, I Don't Wanna Go."

♪ Well if I died tomorrow ♪ ♪ Do you know where I go ♪ ♪ Would it be quick and painless or would it hurt ♪ ♪ It'd be slow ♪ ♪ Well, I'm at that golden gate ♪ ♪ Would Saint Peter greet me with a nod ♪ ♪ Hold up before you open it ♪ ♪ There's one thing I gotta say to ya, God ♪ ♪ If heaven don't have saunas, I don't wanna go ♪ ♪ I'll pretend they're on the iron ring (indistinct) ♪ ♪ Heaven sounds amazing, but I don't need a lot ♪ ♪ Answer me a question ♪ ♪ What does heaven got that Minnesota ain't got ♪ ♪ Now, when I'm in the sauna, it's 100 degrees ♪ ♪ I know what you're thinking ♪ ♪ Oh, no, geez Louise ♪ ♪ I know at that temp it's not the healthiest ♪ ♪ But it's impressive 'cause you know that I'm in Celsius ♪ ♪ And if heaven don't have saunas, I don't wanna go ♪ ♪ Pretend they're on the iron ring way down low ♪ ♪ Heaven sounds amazing, but I don't need a lot ♪ ♪ Answer me a question ♪ ♪ What does heaven got that Minnesota ain't got ♪ (lively accordion music) ♪ Oh, I wanna be in the sauna right now ♪ ♪ If you say sauna, I'm gonna hit you with the cedar, pow ♪ ♪ (indistinct) Find it funny ♪ ♪ In the sauna, I give satan a run for his money ♪ ♪ If heaven don't have saunas, I don't wanna go ♪ ♪ Been there on the iron ring (indistinct) ♪ ♪ Heaven sounds amazing, but I don't need a lot ♪ ♪ Answer me a question ♪ ♪ What does heaven got that Minnesota ain't got ♪ (group applauding) That's my motto, if you can't be good, at least be funny.

(group laughing) (intense music) (gentle upbeat music) - [Ben] "Postcards" is made possible by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the citizens of Minnesota.

Additional support provided by Margaret A Cargill Philanthropies, Mark and Margaret Yackel-Juleen, on behalf of Shalom Hill Farms, a retreat and conference center in a prairie setting near Wyndham, Minnesota.

On the web at ShalomHillFarm.org.

Alexandria, Minnesota, a year-round destination with hundreds of lakes, trails and attractions for memorable vacations and events.

More information at ExploreAlex.com.

The Lake Region Arts Council's Arts Calendar, an arts and cultural heritage-funded digital calendar showcasing upcoming art events and opportunities for artists in West Central Minnesota.

On the web at LRAC4Calendar.org.

Playing today's new music, plus your favorite hits, 96.7 Kram.

Online at 967Kram.com.

(gentle music)