Whistle Bait – Whistlin For You
Goofin’ Records – GOOFY 506 [1987]
Cat Talk – I’m Nobody To You / Whistlin For You – Hit That Jive Jack
Vesa Haaja founded The Whistle Bait (named after the Collins Kids song) in 1984 in Hamina, a coastal town not far from the Russian border. The other members of the band were Vesa Tynkkynen on guitar, Juha Tynkkynen on drums, and Marko Mäkelä on double bass. The following month, The Whistle Bait played its first concert. In the band’s early days, the style was purely rockabilly, influenced by Johnny Burnette and the Sun label. This changed when Jarkko Ravi joined the band on saxophone in June of the same year, shifting the sound towards a style more influenced by Bill Haley and the Stargazers.
Little by little, the band honed their skills and played more and more concerts, sharing the stage with the Ballroomers and the Butterfingers, and opening for the Rapiers in Helsinki in 1985. However, it wasn’t until February 1987 that they recorded Whistlin For You, their first EP for Goofin’ Records. In the meantime, a pianist, Kim Drockila, joined the line-up. One side of the EP features a cover of Lew Williams’ Cat Talk, transformed into a Bill Haley-esque rock ‘n’ roll number, and a subtle ballad by Haaja (I’m Nobody To You) perfectly showcased by Drockila’s piano. The other side offers another original composition, a mid-tempo rock ‘n’ roll number, and a cover of Hit That Jive Jack.
Whistle Bait – Honeysuckle Jump
Goofin’ records – GOOFY 510 [1988]
Honeysuckle Jump – Dream a Little Dream Of Me
Whistle Bait was a rock’n’roll band from Finland led by Vesa Haaja (Barnshakers) with Marko Makela on double bass, Juha Tynkkynen on drums, Vesa Tynkkynen o, lead guitar, Kim Drockila on piano and accordion and Jarkko Ravi on saxophone.
Side A is pure jumpin’ jive with accordion, a bouncin’ rhythm, hot saxophone solos. This tune also features guest Timo Jarvinen on baritone sax.
On the flip, there’s a cover of the classic jazz song (athough erroneously credited to Haaja) Dream a little dream of me turned into a rock’n’roll song.
Fred “Virgil” Turgis
