Finland Fest: World Music Showcase 2011

While Liquidroom is moshing hard to the Metal Attack portion of this year's Finland Fest, O-West will be heading in a rather different direction. It'd be foolish to recommend a band based on the quality of their facial hair, but in Alamaailman Vasarat's case we'd be happy to make an exception. Saxophonist and wind player Jarno 'Stakula' Sarkula, the nominal frontman for the group (whose name literally translates as 'Hammers of the Underworld'), boasts the kind of beard that could stop traffic. Alamaailman Vasarat are no slouches in the music department, though, combining punk, prog, jazz and klezmer in a blend that will likely appeal to fans of Japanese bands like Shibusashirazu Orchestra and Cicala-Mvta. Their co-headliners, Värttinä, might pack even more of a visual punch than Stakula's face fuzz, thanks to their strident trio of close-harmonising female singers – a formidable force, if ever we heard one.