Here, dear reader, is the short history of what has happened so far to Mr. Yukka White.
Born in Finland, he has mainly stayed on his home turf, though occasionally venturing as far and wide as USA, Germany, and Lithuania. "Travel broadens your mind, but be careful it don't get too big for your head", he has been known to say.
2009-2012:
HOBO JUNCTION
Crowning themselves "The Original Street Blues Band", this trio came from humble beginnings, and was determined to stay there. Mobility and agility was the name of the game, and these gentlemen knew how to play it!
Two guitars, double bass, a suitcase and a hi-hat was pretty much all they needed — mostly moving around on bicycles. From under the bridges of their home town Helsinki, all the way to the punks vs. cops hullabaloo of Berlin, they would bring good old-time blues music everywhere you might not expect it.
KNUCKLEBONE BLUES BAND
This time Mr. White's vocals and harmonica were supported by a full line-up including piano, electric bass, drums, and headed by the local legend and 'enfant terrible' of blues guitar, Knucklebone Oscar. Manned top to bottom with seasoned veterans - excluding Mr. White - the band was active for a short period, in which they almost exclusively operated in Helsinki and Tallinn.
2012-2016:
WHITE KNUCKLES TRIO
A step into more sophisticated circles — mostly off the streets and into reputable establishments. WKT operated in the gray areas between blues, rhythm and blues, and early rock'n'roll.
The sound of the combo was anchored onto the rock-solid foundation of the relentlessly pounding piano of Mr. 'Misdemeanor' Hillside, with Mr. White doing double duty on lead vocals and drums, and the unpredictable guitar of Knucklebone Oscar serving as the cherry on this already delicious cake.
Riding on the coattails of a longtime veteran on the Finnish and European scene, — Mr. Knucklebone — proved a winning strategy, and the band was quite well recognized in its lifetime — snapping up the award of 'Best Newcomer' at the Helsinki Blues Festival, as well as representing their country in the International Blues Challenge 2016 in Memphis, Tennessee.
Appearing in small pubs as well as multiple festivals, WKT had a foot solidly on European soil as well, doing a tour of the Baltic countries, and a week long precision 'strike' into central Berlin, Germany.
Of course, the band played extensively through their native Finland, appearing at varied venues, from bars to festivals.
Their debut album 'Got It Bad' (Turenki Records 2015) was a collection of the cream of their repertoire, including a couple of originals, and got excellent reviews in the press. On this strength, WKT went on to do a handful of shows with Eero Raittinen, one of the grand old men of the Finnish music scene, and publishing a live album together.
To address the balance, WKT also did multiple support slots for The Flaming Sideburns, who are well known as one of the mainstays of the Fenno-Scandinavian rock'n'roll family.
2016-present:
Solo enough
After what can fairly be called a hiatus period of some years, Mr. White appearing only occasionally, 2022 saw him showing new signs of activity, this time supported simply by "Curly" Nick A. on drums. The stripped down line-up allowed Mr. White to come into his own and 'let his hair down' stylistically, concentrating on learning guitar and having a good time.
"Curly" Nick & Mr. White
Summer of 2024 saw the completion of recording a big handful of material, and that is where we are now. Going forward into the future, Mr. White will decidedly keep to a minimalist setup, and seek to get his music into the ears and eyes of an ever larger portion of the populace, by any means necessary. After all, it was foretold so.
