Steve Solkela, blond hair blowing in the wind, weaves through the crowd at the Minnesota Discovery Center, riding on a unicycle, singing, and playing an accordion as he makes his way to the outdoor stage for the Thursday night Bands, Brews, and BBQ summer series in Chisholm, July 30, 2026. One of the most unique, but also completely classic, Steve openings for a show you will ever see.
Full disclosure, I’ve known Steve Solkela since he was a track star at Mesabi East High School, when he would spot me taking pictures and flash me the thumbs up with a huge grin while sailing over the bar on the high jump, then pose for pictures after rolling off the landing pad.
A naturally born performer, Solkela was convinced to believe in his talent and to follow his art by Northern Lights Music Festival founder Veda Zuponcic. He pursued his gifts and graduated from Rowan University, where he was classically trained as an opera singer, using his impressive, deep bass voice.
Following graduation, Solkela ultimately passed up the opera stage for his famous “One Man Band” show, having been inspired by two engineering friends cobbling together several instruments for an unplanned battle of the bands performance. Solkela has since become one of the hardest-working performers in the industry (It’s not easy playing 25 things at once, even harder on a hot and humid night when a lot of your gear is held together with duct tape).
Solkela, who started touring and performing as Steve’s Overpopulated One-Man Band in 2015, considers himself a comedian first and musician second. He prioritizes his crowd’s enjoyment at each event by incorporating a set of songs involving a high degree of audience participation. Solkela said that he “feeds off the crowd.” If the crowd’s not into it, that’s okay, but the show is more enjoyable when they take part.
Solkela plays over 300 shows a year, traveling thousands of miles across the globe. His music has taken him to 30 U.S. states and internationally to four countries, namely: South Korea, Canada, Estonia, and Finland. Finland holds special meaning to Solkela, who will speak and sometimes perform in Finnish thanks to learning from his grandmother speaking the language when he was growing up. Promoting Finnish culture and introducing audiences to the Iron Range are high on his list of music priorities.
When asked, Solkela said that he has written 318 original songs, “three of which are good,” over his career and is always working on new music. He also has an extensive social media and YouTube following, where his quirky music videos have proven extremely popular. Days off are few and far between, but the show must go on.
For the second year in a row, Solkela will be performing at the Minnesota State Fair, bringing his flair for comedy, music, and Iron Range traditions to the largest gathering of people in the state over two days, August 29 and 30, this fall. When asked, Solkela finished the interview before picking up his accordion to begin the performance, saying, “Take it as a one-man band; nobody does this alone”
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