Ultra Bra
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Ultra Bra was a Finnish band, formed in 1994 by Olli Virtaperko and Kerkko Koskinen, and disbanded in 2001. Throughout the 1990s, the band was very popular in Finland, but never spread to other countries, most likely because all of their songs are in Finnish.
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Band history
In 1994, Olli Virtaperko heard about a political song contest and decided to enter it with his friend Kerkko Koskinen. Koskinen composed several songs based on lyrics from his friends. A group of singers and musicians was assembled and this brand-new band won the contest.
In the summer of 1995, they published their first single, Houkutusten kiihottava maku. Over the course of the recording sessions, they also came up with a name for the band: Ultra Bra. During 1995, many new people joined the band, while others left. However, the lineup started to become fixed towards the end of the year. By the end of the year Anni Sinnemäki, who was to become the most celebrated of all UB's lyricists, began writing lyrics, starting with Sankaritar and Ken Saro-Wiwa on kuollut.
Their first real album, Vapaaherran elämää, came out in the autumn of 1996. All the while, they had been doing a lot of touring and their live reputation had become substantial. In 1997, the second album Kroketti came out. With the release of this album Ultra Bra really started to gain fame. Kroketti sold very well, remains their best selling album and contains some of their biggest hits, namely Sinä lähdit pois and Minä suojelen sinua kaikelta. Almost everyone in Finland has heard Sinä lähdit pois.
In 1998, they participated in the contest for a song to represent Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest. Ultra Bra didn't win, but their entry, Tyttöjen välisestä ystävyydestä (English: About friendship between girls), became a hit song. The third album, Kalifornia, was released in the spring of 1999. At the start of 2000, Ultra Bra again participated in the Finnish Eurovision song selection process, with Kaikki on hetken tässä (English: Everything/Everyone is here for a moment). Unfortunately, they did not reach the final round. In the spring, they also released several new singles. The song Heikko Valo (English: Weak light) also featured in the Finnish movie Levottomat (English: The Restless).
Their fourth album, Vesireittejä, came out on October 13. The week before it was released, all of Finland was focused on Ultra Bra. Numerous magazines and newspapers wrote articles about them, and they appeared on TV and on the radio. Vesireittejä went number one – and gold – on its first week in the Finnish charts.
The End of Ultra Bra
In the summer before the release of Vesireittejä, Ultra Bra decided they would continue for only about a year and then quit and start doing something else. In October 2001, they released a compilation album, Sinä päivänä kun synnyin (English: On the day I was born), that contained a few new songs and many rarities, along with a music video tape and music book. After this they did a small tour of seven gigs, quitting on October 20, 2001, with maximum media coverage, surrounded by thousands of fans.
Band members
- Kerkko Koskinen - piano, main composer and quasi-leader
- Vuokko Hovatta - vocals
- Terhi Kokkonen - vocals
- Arto Talme - vocals
- Olli Virtaperko - vocals
- Antti Lehtinen - drums
- Joel Melasniemi - guitar
- Marko Portin - saxophone
- Tommi Saarikivi - bass
- Jan Pethman - percussion
- Kari Pelttari - trumpet
- Ilmari Pohjola - trombone
- Anna Tulusto - vocals (until summer 1998)
Where are they now
- Kerkko Koskinen is a solo artist. He composes and sings his own songs and has his own band. Anni Sinnemäki, Erpo Pakkala and Juhana Rossi have written lyrics for him. Kerkko released an album on April 5, 2002, called Rakkaus viiltää. He has also written music for Finnish movies.
- Terhi, Joel, Tommi and Antti have joined together to form a new band called Scandinavian Music Group. Terhi writes the lyrics and Joel makes the music for their songs. Tommi quit the band in 2003 to concentrate on family life and a career as a lawyer. The band has released two albums, Onnelliset kohtaa (2002) and Nimikirjaimet (2004).
- Vuokko Hovatta has a new band, called Tekniikan ihmelapset. Vuokko is also an actress and continues to play many roles in Finnish theaters. She does many other things as well, such as Finnish movie dubbing and TV roles.
- Antti Lehtinen became the new drummer of Don Huonot, a popular Finnish band, until the band broke up in 2003. He plays percussion in Kerkko's band and has been involved in producing Kerkko's album. Antti also participates in numerous other music projects.
- Jan Pethman continues to play in the band of Maija Vilkkumaa, a Finnish singer-songwriter.
- Olli Virtaperko continues to make music with his band Ensemble Ambrosius.
- Ilmari Pohjola is a part of a band called Gourmet.
- Anni Sinnemäki is a member of the Finnish parliament.
Discography
Albums
- Vapaaherran elämää (1996) (English: A baron's life)
- Kroketti (1997) (English: Croquet)
- Kalifornia (1999)
- Vesireittejä (2000) (English: Water routes)
- Sinä päivänä kun synnyin (2001) (English: On the day I was born )
Singles
- Houkutusten kiihottava maku (1995) (English: The arousing taste of temptations)
- Ken Saro-Wiva on kuollut/Sankaritar/Moskova (1996) (English: Ken Saro-Wiva is dead/Heroine/Moscow)
- Kahdeksanvuotiaana/remix (1997) (English: At the age of eight)
- Sinä lähdit pois/Lähetystyö/Haikara (1997) (English: You went away/Missionary work/Stork)
- Tyttöjen välisestä ystävyydestä/a few other songs (1998) (English: About friendship between girls)
- Hei kuule Suomi/Helsinki-Vantaa (1999) (English: Hey listen Finland/Helsinki-Vantaa (the Helsinki airport))
- Ilmiöitä/Eniten (1999) (English: Phenomena/Most of all)
- Heikko Valo (2000) (English: Weak light)
- Villiviini/Itket ja kuuntelet (2000) (English: Boston ivy/You cry and you listen)
- Rubikin kuutio/Lapsuus loppui (2000) (English: Rubik's Cube/Childhood ended)
Other releases
- Kaikki laulut (sheet music book) (2001)
- Ultra Bra: Videot 1996-2001 (music video tape) (2001)
External links
- Ultra Bra in English (http://www.thenook.net/ultrabra/ultrabra.php) (has translations of the band's songs and lots of information)