Biography
Emerging in 1993 as a quartet devoted to garage rock, the Finnish ensemble Larry and the Lefthanded rapidly attracted a devoted underground audience throughout their native land. Timo Kaukolampi handled vocals and bass, Mikko “Vilunki 3000” Viljakainen played keyboards, Mikko “Larry Guitar” Oksa took the guitar chair, and Hannu Anttilainen sat behind the drums; together they forged a visceral, high-octane style whose eccentric stage presentations earned them a lasting reputation as an essential live attraction across Finland and, later, the broader northern European circuit. Following several scarce vinyl singles and the album Diabolica, the band issued its celebrated sophomore effort, Quantum Rider (Jupiter/Texicalli), in 1998. Though commercial returns remained modest, the record came to be regarded as a landmark within garage rock, expanding the group’s following on an international scale. Oksa departed in 1999, after which Kaukolampi, Viljakainen, and Anttilainen carried on as a frequently rotating-instrument trio under the streamlined name And the Lefthanded. Outside that project, Kaukolampi and Viljakainen also performed in the shadowy electro threesome Op:l Bastards, an act that secured a cult reputation across Europe. And the Lefthanded surfaced again with a self-titled EP on Éllet Records in 2002 and the full-length In the Kingdom of Shadows (Éllet Records/Jupiter) in 2004. Kaukolampi now devotes much of his time to production work for acts including Annie, while the trio, though still formally intact, convenes for performances only on rare occasions.