Leevi and the Leavings

Helmed by late vocalist and bandleader Gösta Sundqvist, erstwhile Finnish four-piece Leevi and the Leavings presided over the country's indie pop-rock scene throughout the 1980s and 1990s. With a whimsical approach to songwriting that explored social realism and was often tragicomic in character, the band – Risto Paananen (bass, guitar, backing vocals), Juha Karastie (guitar) and Niklas Nylund (drums) – released their first and landmark single in 1978, "Mitä kuuluu, Marja-Leena?.” Their quirky debut album, Suuteleminen Kielletty, arrived two years later. Leevi and the Leavings, who experimented with synthpop, multi-vocal harmonies, disco and other motifs, released another 15 albums – including 2003's last remaining studio album, Hopeahääpäivä –and occupied a unique space in the Finnish rock canon. In 1995, the group picked up the Band of the Year award at the Emma Gala, and the following year Sundqvist was awarded the Juha Vainio Award for his unrivaled work as a Finnish songwriter. Leevi and the Leavings, who were notable for never performing live, disbanded following the death of Sundqvist from a heart attack on August 15, 2003. In 2011, Paananen, Karastie and Nylund reunited under the new moniker Leavings Orchestra.

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