The Oulu Hotshots are a Finnish American musical group from Oulu, WI. The band started in the 1980s as a group of three brothers: LeRoy Lahti, Lenny Lahti, and Archie Lahti, with William “Billy” Kangas and Mike Sauvola joining later. They played regularly for about 25-30 years, 3-5 nights a week. They played for local events and weddings, but also traveled across the Upper Midwest, playing for most of the first 20 FinnFests. They even performed at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival and in Finland at the Kaustinen Folk Music Festival. They play many Finnish and Finnish American folk songs and tunes, but also polkas, schottisches, and rock songs.
William Kangas and LeRoy Lahti both passed away in 2023.
Fieldwork conducted by Mirva Johnson with support from the Wisconsin Arts Board.