Loosely translated, Ameriikan Poijat means Boys of America. A wind septet of third-generation American Finns, the members are all drawn from Minnesota and Michigan, a region where many Nordic settlers arrived. During the 1980s, Paul Niemisto, the group's founder, made contact with many Finnish brass players and discovered this relatively unknown musical tradition. In 1990, the group was formed. It has evolved around the beautiful charm of the old music and dance arrangements, and has enjoyed popularity among Finnish-American festival-goers. The music is familiar, being many of the same pieces played by accordion or salon orchestra. Many of the concert pieces for brass septet were commissioned to be performed at large national music festivals. During the past decade, when the Finnish septet has been enjoying a revival, modern Finnish composers and arrangers have contributed many new works to the septet. In 1992, as part of the Finnish 75th anniversary independence celebration, Ameriikan Poijat travelled across Finland, including appearances at the Kaustinen Folk Music Festival, the Lieksa Brass Week, and the Roots in Finland Celebration in Helsinki. The group's first public appearance took place at the Finnfest held in Florida in 1991. They again toured the homeland for their style of music in 1995. Through contact with septet players in Finland, the group realizes its playing style differs. The group says it plays with a foreign accent but the more interaction it has with Finnish music colleagues, the more authentic the sound. Members are: Niemisto, leader and baritone horn; Russel Pesola, E flat cornet; Don Hakala, cornet; Karl Hill Kortesmaki, alto horn; Denise Pesola, cornet; Eric Kiltinen, tenor horn; and Eric Peterson, tuba. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.