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Who are Them Three Leprachauns?
Them Three Leprachauns is a Finnish group of Irish folk music enthusiasts whose lively performance is based on the spirit of mostly Irish song tradition. That's three men singing and playing their hearts out, with repertory that covers everything from the mood lifting classics like "Whiskey in the Jar" and "the Wild Rover" to soulful renditions of touching ballads like "Spancil Hill" and "Willie o' the Winsbury". Them Three Leprachauns represents the poignancy of both Irish music and music itself -truthfully, cheerfully and humanely.
Sampo Korva
Jimmy Träskelin
Antti Janka-Murros
With the rich bodied sound of his 12-string guitar, Sampo represents a strong foundation for the music of Them Three Leprachauns. In concert he also tends to show his skills on the mandolin, and on the record "On the Cold Coast" he takes credit for the haunting tin whistle. Sure he must have an Irish heart, never mind that his pint tends to be lager instead of stout.
Surely there's got to be an Irish heart pounding inside the chest of Jimmy, just listen to the lilt in his song! The lead vocalist and harmonica player of the group, Jimmy also takes pleasure in tickling his concertina and presenting an occasional 5-string or tenor banjo during concert. The best way to explain his performance would probably be that he never took a lesson in music until this day.
Another multi-instrumentalist, Antti gives the final beat to the trio's music with his acoustic bass and reckless humor which consists mainly of humiliating Jimmy. He also plays most of the mandolin parts in concert and recordings as well as takes the part of lead vocalist in songs like "Easy & Slow". Undoubtedly his is an Irish heart -just look at the number of them pints!


Them Three Leprachauns was formed soon after Jimmy came to the Folk Arts Centre in Kaustinen Finland to do his civil service in October 2003. Jimmy quickly made friends with Antti and Sampo who were both folk music students in the local Ala-Könni-Opisto. They were roommates and had already found out that both of them had taken special interest in Irish folk music. Jimmy had performed Irish music as a troubadour and had also made attempts in assembling an Irish band earlier, with more or less success.

The trio's first project was a Christmas record called "Saunan takaa", which was a queer and humoristic compilation of musically very differing Christmas songs. An Irish trio called the Leprachauns came into being as a kind of a side product during this project, and the first demo recording called "Pot o' Gold" actually came out unofficially before the Christmas record in November 2003. By that time the name "Them Three Leprachauns" was already there to torture the tongues of Finnish audiences. "Pot o' Gold" was recorded in a night, and most of the songs were newly introduced to Sampo and Antti by Jimmy. Some of them even Jimmy had never played before! Not surprisingly, the demo wasn't faultless, but it showed clear potential and got the trio excited.

Them Three Leprachauns did some gigs during the winter 2003-04, but it wasn't until March 2004 that the trio was ready to record again. In a couple of weeks the album called "On the Cold Coast" was recorded, mastered and produced, soon after which Jimmy got the bright notion to establish "the Cold Coast Tour" as a celebration of the new record. This was a week long tour in Etelä-Uusimaa in Finland, during which the trio played in schools, pubs and a couple of concert halls, diminishing their doubts on the popularity of Irish folk music in Finland.

Today Them Three Leprachauns is anxious to make gigs and let the story go on regardless of the fact that the three don't live in the same quarter anymore. Constantly bettering their skills and introducing new songs as well as instruments to take for the stages, the trio is here to revive the spirit of the Dubliners and Clancy Brothers in the world that occasionally seems to be forgetting about it. Drink it up!


Swans sing before they die...
C'mere it were not a bad thing should some people die before they sing.

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