The Bluegrass band Wasel Arar & Northstate hail from north Europe from the land of forests, thousands of lakes and snowy winters. Finland, being the most northern country of the European Union and, as some say, musically situated on the so-called "Celtic Rim", makes the bands Nordic state-of-mind go well with Bluegrass music. Hence the name of the band "North State".

The bands signature style is an eclectic blend of original material and traditional Bluegrass roots. Their songs keep to Bluegrass traditions while their original bluegrass instrumentals contain a touch of the Nordic winters and maybe a hint of Scandinavian atmosphere too. The bands first CD State's Evidence will be out in June 2005 containing their all original songs and instrumentals.

Read what Acoustic Guitar has to say about the band:

Acoustic Guitar, January 2003:

A.G. LETTER
Sue Thompson checks out the European bluegrass scene.

..."This is not a bunch of wannabe Americans. These bands are invigorating bluegrass with their own language and culture. Wasel Arar & Northstate from Finland start their set with a dark and distinctly Nordic tinged tune of their own composition called Wild Cherry. Their introspective stage demeanor and occasionally suprising chord progressions remind me of another Finnish band, World Music supergroup JPP. "...