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Veikko Lepisto. Photos by Jill Fisher.

Veikko Mark Lepisto is one of our seasoned local musicians that we have the opportunity to see perform regularly as the leader of the Hot Club of Duluth, which has a residency at Rathskeller. Besides that he’s a member of Woodblind as well as The Polkarobics, in which he plays standup and electric basses. Plus he fills in with other bands on occasion. 

But really, who is this sweet, crazy clown of a guy who has been a part of the Twin Ports music scene since 2014? And where did he come from?

Well, first off he is a native Duluthian but his family moved to Minneapolis when he was three years of age so his father could earn a master’s degree from the University of Minnesota. 

Named after his father, his Finnish heritage is evident. The elder Lepisto was also born in Duluth so Veikko’s roots here are deep, even if he’s been transplanted several times.

It’s those several transplants that are intriguing and which have provided plenty of spice in his life. Now that he’s been among us for more than a decade, there have been hints about his past that spurred me to find out more about him and to discover the amazing adventurous life he has led.

Veikko is an only child, born a year after his parents were married. Like so many other musicians, his family was musically inclined, albeit primarily through church (his grandfather was a Lutheran minister), singing (Veikko Senior was a member of the Jarvanpa Singers for a time) and, of course, listening to records and radio. 

However, Veikko’s dad was a “jazz head” (in Veikko’s words) which served to expand his taste in music beyond the rock and roll and popular music of the 60s and 70s. Veikko tells of his father taking him to the see the likes of Count Basie perform. 

The Lepisto family remained in Minneapolis through Veikko’s early teenage years then moved to northern Virginia outside Washington, D.C. where his father was employed by the federal government. They would return regularly to Duluth during summers to visit relatives here and, after graduating from high school, Veikko enrolled at UMD. 

Lepisto, third from left, with The Hot Club of Duluth.

It was here that he began formal lessons on classical double bass. But it was his interest in jazz that led him to learn electric bass guitar from Professor Billy Barnard (independent of the UMD curriculum) and set him on his ultimate musical journey. After two years he transferred to George Mason University in Virginia but he spent only a year there. At age 22 he was tired of school and wanted to travel and see the world. What better way than to enlist in the Navy?

Veikko’s initial Navy assignment and training was as a cook! He spent six months in Japan cooking for the Navy during which time he auditioned for and was accepted into the Navy band. This assignment led to him being stationed at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and secured his goal of traveling internationally. He played the tuba  besides the bass and got to many Southeast Asian places including China, Thailand, Korea, Guam and Singapore.

Upon his honorable discharge in 1988 (with a Good Conduct medal) he applied to the Musicians Institute of Technology (now Musicians Institute) in L.A., a private for-profit music school. He was able to use the G.I. bill for his year of study there, during which time he learned about the music business and made important connections in the music industry. It was at this point Veikko bought himself a standup bass from Gary Chen at the famous Stein On Vine Music Co.

Veikko took my inquiry about how he got to L.A. quite literally. He told me the story of driving his “old Dodge Charger” from D.C. to California, running into a terrible ice storm in Oklahoma and blowing out his engine in Barstow, Calif. He explained that the springs on that car had settled and, due to traversing the deep ruts in the icy roadways, the entire exhaust system had been scrapped off. 

With the car disabled, Veikko abandoned it (after throwing rocks at it, but leaving the key) and, taking only his North Face backpack and electric bass guitar, bought a bus ticket to L.A. He would support himself by working part-time at Supply Sargent, an army surplus store, and playing pickup gigs.

This is where Veikko’s resume starts to get really interesting – through a roommate’s connection he became a “bad boy” in the band J.J. Bad Boy Jones & the Bad Boys for a time, which further developed his creds and connections. He also played with the house band at Harvelle’s (founded in 1931 and still a top music venue in Santa Monica) as well as with Cardell Boyett AKA Louisiana “Guitar” Red who Veikko said gave him the best compliment he ever got about his playing. 

Lepisto, on the left, with Woodblind.

Then, through a second roommate, he learned of an opening with the Bentley Brothers Circus band and was hired. No longer extant, it was the largest outdoor (no tent) three-ring circus at the time. 

Veikko played bass with the circus band for about six months, traveling throughout Southwest U.S. in the winter and the Northeast during the summer. 

And what kind of music was it that he played? Well, as he explained, it was ethnic music based on the acts that were performing. 

For example, during the low-wire act by a Spanish family, the band would play Spanish and South American salsas; for a Moroccan juggling troupe it would be more Middle Eastern fare; Sousa marches and calliope-sounding tunes were played too. The challenging part was that the music had to complement the act. With animals involved some vamping could be required to keep the audience engaged (ba boom, ba boom!), as when Albert the Black Bear didn’t want to get on the motorcycle he was supposed to ride.

Upon leaving the circus band Veikko played with various bands around L.A. One was The Lazy Five with Jimmy Rip after its leader heard him playing at a venue called The Royal. 

One of his most memorable, if nerve-racking, performances with that group was at The Viper Room, an intimate club on Sunset Strip in West Los Angeles. As the story goes, members of the Rolling Stones were in the audience and Mick Jagger, who had been playing gigs with Jimmy Rip, joined the group on stage for three numbers. 

Not long after this Veikko was hired by the band Royal Crown Revue, which had its start in 1989 playing a varied repertoire of swing, jazz, rockabilly, ska and punk fusion. That group is credited with the revival of swing during the heyday of heavy metal and “hair” bands. They played at the famous Derby club (the original Brown Derby) and it was playing with RCR that Veikko got to travel throughout Europe, playing gigs in England, France, Germany, Spain, Greece, Sweden and Denmark, as well as Japan and Australia. This guy has seen the world!

At some point during Veikko’s time out west, his parents moved back to Duluth, purchasing a home in Morgan Park which prompted him to visit here regularly. This is when he met and became friends with Jason Wussow, who opened his Concert Café in West Duluth. 

Jason stated, “I met Veikko over 20 years ago when he still lived in L.A. and he was touring with the Royal Crown Revue. He would come into the coffee shop, usually around the holidays when he was home visiting his parents. This went on for years until he eventually moved to town.” 

Confirming this account Veikko said this is when he came to fall in love with Duluth once and for all and to appreciate the music scene that was developing here. He cited the groups Trampled By Turtles and Low as examples of the nationally recognized bands based in our region. 

So what prompted him to relocate to Duluth from L.A.? 

Well, a freak accident during setup for a gig in an old hotel broke his little finger on his left string fingering hand (which didn’t stop him from playing that evening!). It resulted in him needing to have the finger rebroken and surgically repaired and being sidelined for six months to a year. 

In addition, his folks were getting older and his mother needed help in caring for Veikko senior, who had Parkinson’s. It seemed fate was steering him our way; he opted not to spin his wheels out west paying for rent while unable to work. He had the surgery done here in Duluth, where he could live rent-free with his parents while healing. His surgeon was a guitar player himself so Veikko was in good hands, so to speak. 

While this injury has limited his playing speed and dexterity somewhat, he said he compensates by hitting all the right notes.

Veikko waxes loquaciously on the wonderfully vital music scene here in the Twin Ports. He credits Wussow’s for providing the space for young musicians to perform and grow, along with the excellent music programs at the universities and the presence of a fine symphony orchestra. 

Having started collecting Social Security at age 62, he has never looked back. He is happy to be where he can play the music he likes rather than just to make money. He chuckled that venues pay for the musical equipment and set up with him actually playing for free.

Here’s what bandmate Jimi Cooper had to say about him: “Veikko is a musical chameleon and consummate professional. I have the pleasure of playing with him in three different bands. If he shows up in lederhosen then I know it’s a Polkarobics Oktoberfest show. If he shows up in a guayabera shirt it’s a Woodblind gig. If it’s a black vest, dress shirt and fedora then it’s the Hot Club of Duluth. He’s got a lot of great stories from his lifetime as a professional musician who has performed all over the world, but his roots are in Duluth. We’re lucky to have him here. Aside from his diverse musical talent he’s also a great guy to hang out with. He’s got a great professional attitude. He’s always on time, prepared and dressed sharp for the gig.” 

In addition to the regular Rathskeller performances, you can see Veikko in action in the upcoming weeks: Woodblind will be playing at Hoops’s 8th  anniversary celebration, “Hoopla,” this Saturday, June 28, 5-7:30 pm.  The band will perform, together with Teague Alexy, during this year’s Reggae and World Music Festival at Bayfront Park on Saturday, July 19 in the 3:30-4:30 pm timeslot. 

See you there!

Lepisto in his backyard.