by Jason Ankeny
Hailing from the tiny Finnish village of Utajarvi, 22-Pistepirkko emerged from just outside of the Arctic Circle in 1982, winning Band of the Year honors in their native land for a pair of EPs including the acclaimed Piano, Rumpu & Kukka. With the release of 1987's Kings of Hong Kong, the trio -- brothers PK (vocals, guitar) and Asko Keranen (synthesizer), and Espe Haverinen (drums) -- began recording in English; the bluesy Bare Bone Nest followed two years later, and with 1992's Big Lupu 22-Pistepirkko began earning their first notice outside of Scandinavia. After 1994's Rumble City, LaLa Land, the group resurfaced two years later with Zipcode, a collection of remixes; Eleven followed in 1998.
