John Berquist and the South Side Swedes

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John Berquist and the South Side Swedes are an interpreter of regional culture through music and song. A big hit in Iron Range region of northern Minnesota, they cover a wide variety of tradional music, including Swedish (Uti Vaar Hage), Norwegian (Ringness Schottish), Finnish (Metsakukkia) and others. Members of the group include John Berquist on vocals, two row button accordian and guitar; Mary Alsopp, violin; and larry Zbikowski, guitar.

As one of the Minnesota's most respected folklorists, leader John Berquist also presents concerts and programs that bring to life the heritage and lore of the Upper Midwest. From lumberjack ballads to miners' laments, folk melodies from Scandinavian, Finnish and Slavic immigrants to songs about people and places, John shares a lifelong collection of music and stories with his audiences.

Berquist plays the guitar, mandolin, 2 and 4 row button accordions, and he sings in a rich, warm baritone. His stories about the songs he sings, the people who sang them, and the heritage they represent are memorable vignettes of life in America's northern heartland.

A native Minnesotan of Norwegian and Swedish descent, he has toured Europe and has performed at festivals all across America. He has appeared on television and radio in Germany, Switzerland, France, as well as in the United States and Canada. He divides his time between his native northeastern Minnesota and Chicago, where he is the leader of Chicago's premier Scandinavian band, the South Side Swedes. He is an instructor with Chicago's After School Matters Program and is currently researching urban folklore among Chicago teens.

In 2002 Berquist was invited to participate in the prestigious Norsk MusikVekke at Ål, Hallingdal, in Norway. He was a featured instructor and performer at the AmeriKappleik, America's largest gathering of Norwegian folk dancers and musicians, in Northfield, MN.

He is also the former Folk Arts Program Associate with the Minnesota State Arts Board, has served as a consultant to the Smithsonian Institution's Folklife Program, worked as folk music consultant for the Cousteau Society, produced several public radio documentaries, and has been a folklife consultant for several television documentaries and films. He even taught Jessica Lange how to sing a Finnish birthday song for the film "Far North."

John Berquist and the South Side Swedes Recorded at Airwave Studios, Chicago. The Musicians: John Berquist - vocals, 2 row button accordion, guitar; Mary Alsopp - Violin; Larry Zbikowski - guitar, tenor banjo. CD Price: $14.97

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