2016. Germany - France - Scandinavia - Baltics - Poland.

Started slowly in January, performing solo at Egersdörfer & Artverwandte (a fantastic, indescribably bizarre variety/comedy show), supported The Vibrators with The Très Biens, had a most enjoyable 30 minutes feature on BR2 radio in February, first recording sessions for the new album were made with Isi on double bass, Max on drums, Christopher on Sax and Andy of the Goho Hobos on Mandolin and Accordion. What a band! Mixed "Harbour Town" for the digital single release (featuring the wonderful Nightbird who co-wrote the song) plus the "flip side", a rendition of Geoff Berner's "Whiskey Rabbi" with Mr Curley Kauper on harmonica. Played two unforgettable solo shows in France (Strasbourg and Lille) in early April before setting out with Isi Roessler on double bass for the German leg of my tour with Nightbird from Finland. Two magic weeks. From Sarreguemines in France across the south-west and south of Germany it was sheer pleasure. Thanks to all the promoters who booked us there. But listen up now! Whenever things look brightest be prepared for fate taking some of it's funnier twists. It all looked just perfect in early May: from 18 May until 16 June, a nicely booked tour, not necessarily the best paid one but still OK, lay there like a red carpet just waiting for me to walk it down all the way from Germany across Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria and back to Germany again. Some grants to our credit (helpful as the last nine shows were in full band line-up), distances not too rough, all pretty close to what I'd call well organized. Sounds awesome, eh? Well, it was. For the first 24 h least. In retrospect, I don't think there hasn't been a tour I ever been closer to just stop the car, do a u-turn and drive back. That must have been around day six. How come? Maybe a short summary of the first six days can explain this...

Wednesday, 18 May
Meeting with Grae J Wall & Los Chicos Muertos in a wonderful middle-of-nowhere village in the south-west of Germany for a first show. All good. Felt somewhat like playing that indomitable Gaul village. Smooth and pleasant start.

Thursday, 19 May
Ah... Houston, we've got a problem here! This town's name is Kassel which has got one of the best cake shops in Germany which is good. Unfortunately the promoter's buddy set the facebook event to secret so apart from him and Mr Mäkkelä nobody really knew there was a gig... Well, shit happens. Been fed, watered, put up for the night and paid some gas money. Fair enough, thanks. Really.

Friday, 20 May
Off. Kassel to Copenhagen in one go seems a bit too ambitious. So let's drive to the north end of Germany/south end of Denmark find a cheapo Air B&B, take a little rest, sleep and continue relaxed and refreshed. Good plan. In theory. That whole idea appears to be not half as relaxing once you manage to lose the key to the room, unfortunately a master key for the whole bloody students flat, few seconds after receiving it. Results in extra expenses of EUR 250.-

Saturday, 21 May
Back in business. Just a tiny little streak of bad luck. Let's look ahead! Copenhagen is waiting. Last shoppings done in Germany: chocolate, tobacco, few bottles of wine. Things largely unaffordable in most of Scandinavia. Prepared. But hey what's that? What is that big, black, brand new BMW giving me signs on the Danish motorway? What's wrong here? Unmarked police car? Well, maybe better stop on the hard shoulder. This is getting even weirder now... There's a young man in a cheap blue blazer, jumping out of the car rushing wildly gesticulating towards my vehicle... "Man, I'm in trouble! Need your help!" "Sorry?" "Give me 100 EUR! I'm running out of petrol and have to sell this car to some really rough Russian guys in Copenhagen today! PLEASE! You take my gold chain, smart phone, wristwatch, everything! PLEASE!" "Sorry, mate. I'm really broke myself. Can't help, really!" (he's checking the car and apparently realizes there might be some truth in what I just said) "So, what about the chocolate?" "Erm... sorry? What chocolate?" "For the kids! The chocolate!" (I'm really confused now) "What kids? What chocolate?" He grabs the big pack of Kinder chocolate from the seat, runs back to his car and off he goes. Wow. This is weird. Apparently I just became the victim of the first chocolate robbery I heard of. In Denmark. Right on the motorway. Will have to think
about this for a while I suppose. Few minutes later the call comes in from Copenhagen the main act of the evening has to cancel for tonight. Means the band that was supposed to pull at least some crowd will not be there for the door rated show. I'm a bit worried. I'm not even in Sweden and things already look kinda shitty...

Sunday, 22 May
Well, Copenhagen is a nice city. Let's leave it to that. I wasn't robbed and they gave me free drinks at the venue. I'm sure the sky will clear up now. Leaving for Sweden, a safe and sound country with a strong and organized police force, maybe the safest place in Scandinavia. Going to meet Nightbird in Gothenburg for our first show together. Will be very likely completely broke after paying the toll for the bridge but that's it! Now the merch sales will increase, the Swedes are friendly and generous and the weather seems to be alright. It turns out there is no point in parking a car out in the street in Gothenburg. Also, the hostel guys recommend to pay few crowns extra for the basement car park. Not much more than out on the street and much safer of course. Done. Sorted. We're early, so Nightbird and me have a little stroll down to the venue which looks... erm... not really very open. In fact this place looks absolutely dead. But, as I said, we're really early. Nightbird calls the promoter and...: "Oh no! You guys are the only ones I forgot to inform. We're closed since today for renovations for the next three weeks. There won't be a gig tonight. But maybe you can call this and this number. They might put you guys up on short notice...." This seems to all follow a certain logic. This streak seems to last a bit too long for my liking. Even though on short notice We surprisingly end up with a replacement show in a lovely venue named Pustervik. Dragging our gear back to the hostel after the show I start feeling kind of optimistic we're back in track now. Waking up late morning I realize I'm out of tobacco. No problem - there's enough in the car. Just down the stairs in the garage. The same car where there is the emergency stash of red wine, my fresh t-shirts, panties, all this. The same car that is parked safely for 150 Swedish Crowns in a car park off the terribly expensive and dangerous streets of Gothenburg. The very car I'm just now looking at, intensely trying not to believe what I'm staring at. Part of my brain just doesn't want to accept the fact that the nearside door lock is dangling from it's designated position in a most unfamiliar way on a thin lead. Houston, we... Fuck. Sorry for using swear words. That could have been the moment for packin it in. It's been a close call. As shitty the situation was, at least no instruments or valuables were in the car and the guys who broke in had apparently unusual preferences. They didn't nick the case with mics and leads. They left all the merchandise apart from a box of 7" eps "Single Of The Year". They took all the tobacco (of course), all the red wine (of course), a bloody cell phone charger for EUR 5.- (why on earth?), an old suitcase with t-shirts, panties, socs (well,...), my old black suit (that wasn't fair) and my old tour jacket with all the badges I collected en route (may you rot in hell for that).

Monday, 23 May
Sightseeing. Mainly Gothenburg police department. Might be worth coming back, the officer were really interested in what kind of stuff I'm playing. So much about the less fortunate bit of this year's touring season. The overall situation slowly improved after this, i.e. moving on towards Finland was sort of easy to handle. Getting on the boat in Stockholm (after a lovely Tuesday, playing an afternoon show at the TWANG!) had no more difficulties to offer than two cancelled shows prior to entering the cuntry. Ooops. Sorry for that. Don't get me wrong - we had some really pleasant shows in Finland. Surprisingly enough we found on very short notice replacements for the gigs that fell through. Thanks a lot for helping us in HKI (House Of Love) and Turku (Sointu)! Vastavirta, Tampere and Vakiopaine, Jyväskylä plus the one I played in Rovaniemi with Otto Mikkola were particularly amazing. Had a fun afternoon visiting Radio Helsinki with Nightbird for a little interview at Njassa's show. People who turned up for the shows were great and seemed to really like what we did. Enjoyed meeting friends again I haven't seen in a while made up for a lot of trouble even though I think this can be done with less effort by just flying over. But still there is something in the back of my mind that keeps on nagging that more and more promoters/venues up there seem to fancy the concept of seeing artists like some sort of aggravating, exotic life form turning up primarily to reduce the venues liquid inventories and thus should not be treated too friendly.

So let's move on to the Baltics. Kultuuriklubi Kelm in Tallinn, Estonia was a lovely place to perform in. The nights bill looked promising: Mäkkelä solo, two progressive/post-rock bands from St Petersburg and a local headliner. I wasn't surprised to hear the local headliner cancelled on short notice. Business as usual. As the two young lads in whose flat I was supposed to stay the night were in party-mode full-on I decided to leave town right after packing up in the wee hours and drive straight to Liepaja in Latvia. Ambitious go but not feasible. It's a nice drive, probably even nicer in daylight. Made it almost down to Riga for a little nap on the Baltic Sea shore. The exciting bit started from there. If you ever happen to make it there by car be prepared that main roads or roads classified as A-Roads are not necessarily asphalted roads. This might take more time than you would expect after checking your road map or following instructions of your GPS. You won't regret it though as you will see herons, cranes, foxes, storks and all kind of wild animals both on the roadside or just crossing the road without giving too much of a fuck on who or what is just coming their way. Exciting! I liked that. As much as I liked the people at the Ideju Bode and Martins the guy who organized the show. Very special in a lot of ways, very rewarding concert. Among my favourite places 2016.
Hope to catch up some day soon.

Biala Poslaska. The least I would have expected was a vegan restaurant in the very east of Poland, not too far from the Belorussian border. Neither would I have expected to play a wonderful show there on an early Sunday evening. Before I came here the first time with Ozzmond I had to look it up on Google. Not the place you would regularly travel through I suppose. Not really on a main route to anywhere but one of the most welcoming places I've been to. Some of the nicest people there I met on tour. Very special. If playing there was like diving into a strange and friendly new universe the first time in 2015, this time it was touching the hearts of an audience and being touched the same time. In the unlikely event you're coming through town, look for some Karma. You'll find it. And you'll know what I mean.

Insertion/Polaroid
They took away the great balloon. The one you can have a ride with for a few Sloty. They would let you rise up into the clear blue sky for a sight across town. Maybe further. I didn't go there. I just saw it up there and it was enough of a promise to make me come back. One day, I thought, I'd take a ride. Missed it. Got the best ice cream in town instead and a walk on the bank with Michal and Paula. She said "I don't think I'll ever go back. I became too European living here." I think I understand. Firemen on a mission blocked the road next to the bridge we took across the river, with our ice cream, with life being sweet, strawberry flavoured and easy for a little while in the sunshine, the sculpture of a pig in the middle of the mighty stream. I could set there, watch it flow, not let go of a fist full of bliss while time would just stop for a little while. There is something about rivers I can't name.

 

Last Of A Dying Breed. Tourblog 2015. Episode 2

Die Toten

Jede Tour scheint in sich eine eigenartige Logik zu bergen. Macht man sich Notizen und liest die im Nachhinein durch stösst man in der Regel auf Muster. Mir geht's so zumindest. Der vier Wochen-Block im Frühjahr durch Skandinavien und das Baltikum war der regnerischste seit ich das mache und vielleicht der, der mich gezwungen hat meine Songs unter einem anderen Aspekt, mit einer anderen Attitüde zu spielen. Hat mich verblüfft das das möglich ist. Es ist offenbar doch noch mehr Punkrock in dem was ich mache als ich für möglich gehalten habe.


Diese, mittlerweile bei Tag 10 angekommene, Tour scheint sich ohne größeres Zutun immer mehr mit dem ihr gegebenen Namen zu identifizieren. Damit zu verschmelzen. Ich verlasse das von Kirchweih-Seligkeit besoffene Fürth, während die Bevölkerung des Landes in dem ich lebe vorwiegend damit beschäftigt ist Asylbewerberheime abzufackeln. Ein Land mit einem zwanghaften Drang zur Pyromanie. Keine allzu neue Erkenntnis. Ich treffe auf meine Toten, auf meine Vermissten und immer wieder Fragmente aus den vergangenen Jahren. Personen die ich vergessen hatte, Orte die ich nur noch verschwommen im Gedächtnis hatte. Eine Spiegelung dessen was sie tatsächlich sind.
Erstes Konzert Dortmund, Sissikingkong. Da sind Menschen die Isi und mich beim TFF Rudolstadt gesehen hatten, ein delirierendes Hafenviertel im Zentrum des postindustriellen Deutschland, eine Nacht zwischen Küchenphilosophie und Hafenschänke und erstaunlichen Erkenntnissen bzgl. der hiesigen Genussmittelversorgungslage.
Bei sonnigstem Herbstwetter nordwärts nach Wilhelmshaven, vorbei an Großenkneten. Wegmarke. Du erinnerst Dich? Dann das Kling Klang. Der letzte einer sterbenden Gattung in einer dahinsiechenden Stadt in einem der letzten Läden seiner Art. Leerstand, großartige Menschen und ein Auftritt der mich langsam in das richtige Fahrwasser kommen lässt. Die halbe Nacht mit einem Freund gesessen. Wieder die Küche. Erzähl mir von Deinen Toten und ich sag Dir wie's mit meinen steht. Die Dead Brothers als Ouvertüre zum Konzert sind mehr als passend. Was hätte auch anderes laufen sollen?
Den anderen Freund besuche ich tags darauf auf dem Weg nach Hamburg zum Auftritt im Mobile Blues Club. Hat weniger Glück gehabt. Der Friedhof von Lilienthal. Sonnig. Scheisskalt. Andrew und sein Fender Bass. Ich erinnere Momente die schon weg waren, Bühnen, Gigs und es schnürt mir den Hals zu. Krieg ne Textnachricht von Holm: Hab Deinen Song auf Deutschlandfunk gehört heute Nacht um 5. Das heisst ich muß zum Hamburg Konzert kommen. Sehn uns da. Kleiner, intensiver Auftritt im MBC, Übernachtung neben dem Otzentreff, Pflichtbesuch im Nachthafen. Sonntagsausflug am Day-off nach Groß Wedel. Fucking zweieinhalb Stunden runter Richtung Salzgitter. Ich mach die Tür von dem auf was mal als Haller's Kultur Cafe der Ignoranz der Region getrotzt hat. "Nee! Damit hätt ich jetzt nicht gerechnet! Der Mäkkelä!" Wir schlürfen Kaffee, ich höre zu wie sich Haller & Renate an die schönen Momente erinnern. Auch an die nicht so schönen. Er schenkt mir einen Gedichtband den er vor einem halben Leben veröffentlicht hat. Falls Du mal Inspiration brauchst.

Es wird spannend. Wohnzimmerkonzert in Gettorf. Wo das ist? Gute Frage. Nicht so weit von Hamburg, also runter von der Autobahn, Landstrassen, immer noch sonnig, traumhafter Herbst, Tour-Herbst. Vielleicht sollte ich das öfters machen. Das mit den Wohnzimmershows. Das Wohnzimmer ist voll. Auch mit Kindern die kreuz und quer herumkrabbeln und somit auch ab und an über die Bühne. Intimer Abend. Bei Ship Repairing Men outen sich mein Gastgeber und einer seiner Freunde als Werftis. So nennen die das hier. Leute die auf der Werft arbeiten. Hab ich nicht überrissen, aber klar, hier ist genug Wasser für sowas. Irgendwie passt gerade alles.
Sightseeing mit meinem Gastgeber Tim am folgenden Vormittag fällt flach. Es wird jetzt genau so wie man eine Tour im Herbst gern nicht hätte. Kalt, regnerisch, ungemütlich.
Tag sechs ist Kiel. Prinz Willy. Liebe ich, den Platz.  Der Abend im Prinzen dann. Wieder wer nach dem Konzert: Hab Tramontana auf RBB Radio Eins gehört. Sendung Lost In Music. Die haben das Ding richtig gelobt. Sind gestern hioerhergezogen und haben gesehen Du spielst. Mir fällt ein das gerade seit gestern das Album CD der Woche bei Radio ARA in Luxembourg ist. Something is happening and I don't know what it is.
Der Mittwoch. Tag sieben. Endlose Fahrt nach Leipzig in Begleitung des neuen Libertines Albums. Ziemlich gute Begleitung. Ich freu mich auf Markus, Endrick und die anderen Verrückten vom Unstrut Festival im Juli. Wir befinden uns in Leipzig Dölitz. Hab ich das richtig verstanden? Das hier war mal der Ortsteil mit der örtlichen Nervenheilanstalt? Passt. Die Shows fangen an zu laufen. Ich meine: ich muss nicht mehr nachdenken. Ich kann mehr reinlegen. Zwischendrin schreit wer: spiel Miracle Gyrlz! Wie bitte? Was denn? Wer kennt das denn noch? Die kleine Punkerin die sich 1995 in Hoyerswerda beim Gig in den Fahrer unserer Band verguckt hat. Eine halbe Nacht vergeht beim Update von dem was seither passiert ist. Wer gestorben ist. Wer lebt. Ich muss weiter. Ich bin etwas weniger erledigt als ich eigentlich befürchtet hatte. Dafür das wir mittlerweile Tag acht schreiben.
Berlin. Wieder. Wie oft war ich dieses Jahr schon hier? Ich befürchte zu oft. Versöhnlicher Abend. Mäkkelä leicht durchgerockt. Handvoll Freunde im Publikum. Stenzel, Tiefel, Clarky. Auto abstellen, paar Drinks in der Schönlein. Er zurück von Gigs in Brasilien, ich arbeite mich südwärts. Nicht ganz so weit. Ab morgen dann mit Isi Rößler am Bass.

Vormittag. Tag neun. Textnachricht von Isi. "Hei, ich war beim Doc. Hat mich sofort ins Krankenhaus überwiesen. Irgend 'ne tischtennisballgroße Schwellung. Lymphknoten oder so. Weisst doch noch, wie vor zwei Jahren auf der Tour. Ich muss Dir das alles absagen und ich hatte mich so drauf gefreut." Scheisse. Ich auch. Pass auf Dich auf. Erhol Dich. Wir brauchen gerade keine größeren Katastrophen.

Das alles macht die nächsten Tage nicht unbedingt einfacher. Nochmal vier Tage 100% oder mehr geben, fahren, ins Bett fallen und darauf hoffen das am Off-day in Colmar wenigstens ein bischen die Sonne scheint.
Das KunstKaufHaus in Hof erreiche ich nach satten fünf Stunden von Berlin aus. Regen. Stau. Es nervt. Alte Freunde dort, großartige Presse im Vorfeld und wie schon beim letzten Auftritt hier ausgesprochen hervorragende Betreuung von Alex. Geschlafen wie ein Stein, beim Aufstehen gemerkt das ich jetzt endlich auch meine traditionelle Tour-Erkältung habe undmittlerweile bereits die dritte Stunde am Rechner. Blog schreiben, Mails beantworten, versuchen in Italien noch 1-2 Shows zu kriegen. Es fühlt sich richtig an im Moment. Richtiger als vielleicht jemals zuvor.
Heute Abend im Zum Rösla in Burgkunstadt. Ab dann geht's endlich südwärts. Offenbach, Trier, Karlsruhe, Freiburg und die Schweiz.

Für das Roadtracks Magazin geschrieben, findest Du bis Dezember 2015 in diesem Blog Nachrichten, Wasserstandsmeldungen, Befindlichkeitsnachweise und vermutlich auch den einen oder anderen Link aus der etwas unkalkulierbaren "On Tour"-Parallelwelt von Mäkkelä's Tour zu seinem am 4. September veröffentlichten Album "Last Of A Dying Breed". Alle kommenden Konzerttermine auf maekkelae.com.




 

Live @ Culture Container, Berlin (July 2014)

Last Exit Honigschleuder. Mäkkelä teilt sich mit.

Is mal wieder Sommer geworden und gemerkt habe ich es erst an dem Wochenende mit den Auftritten in Berlin und auf dem famosen TFF in Rudolstadt. War ziemlich warm. Letzteres ein wirklich ausgesprochen schönes Festival nur leider für per Auto anreisende Musiker ziemlich kostspielig. Innenstadtangelegenheit mit ziemlich sparsamem Parkplatzangebot. Dafür jede Menge Feuerwehreinfahrten. Teure Einfahrten. Sei's drum. Der Grund dieser Mail ist ein anderer. Bevor sowas ähnliches wie eine kurze Sommer-Starre einzutreten im Begriff ist wird es noch einen Mäkkelä Solo-Auftritt im Rahmen eines kleinen aber sehr, sehr feinen Festivals geben. Da alle anderen auftretenden Acts wirklich ausgesprochen gut sind versteige ich mich hier das Ding allerwärmstens zu empfehlen.

Kommenden Freitag (übermorgen) in München. Kunstpavillon im alten Botanischen Garden. Das fLOWRES-Festival.

Alle wichtigen Informationen dazu unter den beiden folgenden Links.

Geht hin! Ist gut!

Mäkkelä


http://www.wasgehtheuteab.de/muenchen/82450-Die-Honigschleuder-party-im-fLOWRES-am-25-07-2014

https://www.facebook.com/events/295217237319123/?ref=22



Ach ja. Hier im Blog stehts noch nicht. Höchste Zeit vielleicht auch dafür. Die letztjährige auf 300 Stück limitierte 7" ep "Single Of The Year" ist mittlerweile (während meiner Tour dort) auch in Finnland veröffentlicht worden. Allerdings mit einer anderen B-Seite und einem andersfarbigen Cover.

Tracklist Version Finnland: A1 Crisis, A2 The Great Escape, B1 Tramontana, B2 Good Friday
Tracklist Version Deutschland:  Tracklist: A1 Crisis, A2 The Great Escape, B1 Reason, B2 Highway Song

Hier mal beide Varianten zum gucken. Erhältlich auf meinen Konzerten, auf http://maekkelae.bandcamp.com/ oder - zumindest theoretisch - im Plattenladen Deiner Wahl.

Hiljaiset Levyt (FIN).

9pm Records (D). Limited Edition.

Bis dann mal die Tage bei einem der Konzerte....

Mäkkelä

www.maekkelae.com

Single Of The Year...

Here we are... Just a few weeks 'til my new and in fact very first vinyl 7" will be released on 9pm Records. That feels good. Almost as good as putting on that cute little thing and listen to what has been recorded not very long ago in the heat of a Finnish summer in klate May this year. I have to honestly say: it's different. Different to just insert a piece of plastic in a slot. Not sure if a thing can have something like...uhm...soul? Well, anyway if it does -  speaking of records - the one that gets closest is probably a 7". Or maybe I'm just getting to excited about the whole thing.

Apart from this I have to say the songs are not too bad. I quite like them. Give it a go! I put up the first of those four songs on soundcloud. That's here:

Crisis

Tomorrow will be the last hometown gig (at Hemdendienst in Nuremberg) for a couple of months as a try-out for the tour I'm just about to play with the amazing double bass player Isi Roessler. Also it's going to be the last gig under the name Mäkkelä's Trash Lounge. The "Trash Lounge" will be history from this next Sunday on. To celebrate this little change I will do a special DJ set after our gig putting on a whacky mix of my favourite off-the-wall records. So be prepared for an eclectic mix of Taiwanese love songs, Finnish lofi-blues and Christian pop songs from Papua New Guinea.

For those of you who don't live in Germany there is some interesting news too. From 31 Oct until 8 Nov I'll be touring with my Anglo German Low Stars compadre Grae J. Wall in Catalonia. This will be FUN! In capital letters. Early December there'll be a two week stint in the UK before finally taking some time out around x-mas. The dates are still being worked on but I hope I can soon announce them here. The UK tour is very likely to happen from 26 Nov until 8 December. Let's see how this turns out then.

BTW: the download code you'll get with the purchase of the 7" includes a bonus track. A wonderful x-mas carol written by Mr. Grae J. Wall. Enjoy!

Here are the tourdates. Those will be regularly updated on my website www.maekkelae.com. Have a look there if you're losing track...

21/09/13 D-Nuernberg, Hemdendienst (MÄKKELÄ’S TRASH LOUNGE)
10/10/13 D-Hamburg, Nachthafen (Mäkkelä feat. Isi)
11/10/13 D-Kiel, Prinz Willy (Mäkkelä feat. Isi)
13/10/13 D-Berlin, Ma Thilda (w/ Roy Wilde & Golda Heart)
15/10/13 D-Berlin, Madame Claude (Mäkkelä feat. Isi)
18/10/13 CZ-Prague, Blaze Zizkov (Mäkkelä feat. Isi)
21/10/13 A-Salzburg, Denkmal (Mäkkelä feat. Isi)
23/10/13 D-Karlsruhe, Konzerttagebuch (Mäkkelä feat. Isi)
02/11/13 E-Banyoles, Ca La Flora (Mäkkelä & Grae J. Wall)
13/11/13 D-Wuerzburg, Kellerperle (Mäkkelä solo)
15/11/13 D-Weissenburg, O’Keys Irish Pub (Mäkkelä feat. Isi)
11/12/13 D-Köln, Kulturcafe Lichtung (Mäkkelä solo + On Foot)

18/12/13 D-Nuernberg, MuZ Club (Mäkkelä feat. Isi + Phil Shoenfelt & Pavel Cingl)
21/02/14 D-Frauenau, Gasthaus Gistl (w/ SILVERDOLLS)
22/02/14 D-Deggendorf, Bergkeller (w/ SILVERDOLLS)

Nightingales & Pontikka & Nubians

26/05

Arriving in Rovaniemi 10.00 am. Blue sky, sunshine, get picked up by Mäxi the Nightingales' drummer and his girlfriend Kirsi. This town always feels a bit like coming home. Afternoon rehearsals with Jorma (the Nightingales piano player) and Mäxi. Later on a pleasant little gig at Paha Kurki bar on Koskikatu makes this an enjoyable tour day. Otto Mikkola of Oskari Heikkinen & Arktinen Voodoo is there and passes me their new album. Great stuff as I expected after having them supporting me last year at the Grande just around the corner from here.



27/05

Mäxi preparing for the recordings

Recording sessions done and went down really well. Instrumental tracks of two songs fixed and thus half of the upcoming 7" ep. A pleasure working with the guys and sound engineer Tuomas.

28/05

Last day in Lapland. Did some cooking for Kirsi, here lovely daughter Sanni and Mäxi. That was most welcome fun. Love cooking. Should do this regularly on tour. Or at least any time there are decent facitilities. Gone for some tapa variation. Albondigas, chicken in white wine garlic sauce and a white beans and  serrano salad. A sunny summer day rounded up in the evening meeting all the boys from back in the days. Greenhouse AC, Nightingales and even Tuomas of Saariston Lapset. Good to see they're all doing fine. Got the second big compliment on this tour from Sanni and had some top notch Pontikka on top.

29/05

Timely at Vastavirta, Tampere. Yläkerta, their upstairs cafe, is just like made for my accoustic solo gigs. Amazing place. Attentive audience. After soundcheck the venue people send me to sauna. Just a few minutes' walk down Pispalan Valtatie one can find one of Finland's oldest still running public saunas. A very special place and just the right thing to have after 9 hours on a train and a possibly bit too crazy night at the Arctic Circle. Janne Laurila whom I haven't seen in years turns up for my show, invites me to stay at his place and hands me the latest album of his new band Janne Laurila & Tuhlaajapojat. Another familiar face is Jukka another member of Saariston Lapset. Last met 15 years ago. I still wonder if there is anybody apart from some really weird electronic music nerds who knows this band and how someone could have been so mad to put out their record then. Another miracle about this whacky art-meets-electronic-dada-pop project is that they've done a full tour of Germany after the album release. Gig was lovely. Really lovely.

30/05

Endless waiting for soundcheck at Henry's Pub in Helsinki but once we're there it feels most comfortable on stage. Playing a good 50 min set and leave stage soaking wet. My suit I must admit get's after this 7th gig pretty close to a state that can only be described as disgusting. Anyway a good one. The gig i mean. Great to see the Blue In The Face guys and Johan in the audience. Vallu who is hosting these "Helatorstai" clubs is like always brillantly compèring the evening. This hot summer evening's second band is Kap Kap from apparently Helsinki who are playing an eclectic blend of psychedelic indie rock, Bowie and Shellac. Good band. Later on we find out their guitarist and me met before. Some years ago after playing a Midnight Sun Filmfestival sideshow with Desert Planet we apparently had a chat on the river bank in Sodankylä at the traditional end of festival hang out.
Interesting news: Kimmo of Blue In The Face tells me they're going to play some German shows with Fucking World. The latter a punkrock legend from Finland with my old tour acquaintance Näkä Närhi on guitar.

31/05

Last day of May 2013 I find myself with two instrument cases and two way too heavy bags on the train to Kuopio. Last solo gig on this tour supporting Faarao Pirttikangas & Kuhmalahden Nubialaiset at Henry's Pub in Kuopio. Get there way too early and too knackered to have a look around town. Particularly because of all the rubbish I'm dragging across Finland.

Not light enough to travel. Not really.

Instead decide to smoke all of my accidentally bought menthol cigarettes and update my tourblog. Failed with the latter.      
The gig turns out to be the most satisfying one on this tour. A good crowd has turned up to see their hometeam Faarao Pirttikangas playing and is surprisingly really listening to what I'm doing. In fact they seem to be really into it. None is leaving, nobody chatting. Sound is fantastic and the playing goes down perfectly well this time. Hot again. Again wet suit. Respectful words and backslapping from the Faarao Pirttikangas guys makes this a perfect last one. Encouraging after a little down this afternoon. The odd tour crisis caught up with me on the way here.

Right after gig. Good there are are no odo-rama pics.

A word about Faarao Pirttikangas. It's a long time since I last heard some band like this perform. I don't think I'm exaggerating saying this is the most inspiring and definitely outstanding band from Finland. Absolutely unique in their way. Fingers crossed the wave of success they're currently riding carries on.

Faarao Pirttikangas right before gig

It's a long one this Friday night in Kuopio. Long talks with the Faarao guys (namely their bassist, their singer Pekka and their trombone player Pertti), run into Tomi Kosonen and Paul Staufenbiel of Aavikko and end the evening in the wee hours on Pekka's balcony, smoking a last ziggy and sipping red wine from coffee mugs round six in the morning. No less than a magic evening here in eastern Finland.
Footnote: before leaving I manage to get me a Kalakukko (no link here - ask Wikipedia or something) on the market square. The real thing.

A Southafrican bar in Lahti

24/05

Here we are. Back in Lahti at the Amazulu Bar. I assume the only Southafrican Kroeg in Finland. It's Friday night, a vague idea of summer in the air and the inevitable vintage cruisers are rolling down Vapauden Katu. Pillu ralli hour.
A good crowd throughout the whole gig and the longest gig so far on this tour. Playing three sets this evening. Just before the last one accidentally spilling my beer over the power plugs thus killing the pa. The last one works out unplugged possibly even better. A fantastic audience. Really love this place. Thanks Floris. Will come back.

Setlist Lahti

Volcano God
Silver
Saints
The Great Escape
Reason
Queen Of Switzerland
September Gurls
Miss Hertforshire

Icecubes
Penguins Of Notting Hill Gate
Evelyn Says
Good Friday
Highway Song
Crisis
All The Lights In This House
Kahden Viikon Mies
Diane

Floozy With An Uzi
Chelsea Embankment
Coma Girl
Lonesome Town


25/05

Day starts with bad news. Janne calls to tell me he has to cancel all the gigs we were supposed to play together. He's been to the doctor's and they booked him right away for a surgery next Tuesday. Not the nicest surprise (good news now that I'm writing this: all went well and he just needs two weeks rest for recovery). Means: complete change of plans. Means a lot of calls, e-mails whatsoever to let the venues/promoters know, find a way to to get there as Janne won't be driving as planned. This is getting adventurous. Not sure if i really enjoy this but it's as it is.
Off to Tampere for a rehearsal with Ulla-Riikka Kuisma who will be our Finnish cello player with Church Of The Blue Nun 5 June at Liberté in Helsinki.Turns out a good rehearsal and we later go for a little Tampere sightseeing and dinner. Besides the weather is just getting better and better. Summer apparently is really going at it. Doing again what I promised myself to avoid after the last time - get on the night train to Rovaniemi. Something like 8 hours staring at trees. Occasionally swamps. A lifechanging experience to say the least.

3:16, Sunday morning near Lapua

From Norrlandspölsa to Suisto Klubi

21/05
Woke up early, the lake covered in mist. Jumpstart myself with coffee at the nearby motel bar.Watching truck drivers having a break, boat owners chauffering their swimming sweethearts towards the lake shore which looks like dolphins on skateboards.

Stop for finding a cheap hotel in Nykobing, succeed and have a fantastic Swedish dish there. For vegetarians completely unsuitable, for people like me taylor made. You got to try this: Norrlandspölsa! Todays fiurther challenges include: rethink some arrangements and mentally prepare for the ferry to Turku. Usually the most annoying part of the trip.

Honestly. I'm a bit disappointed. Where have all those good times gone? A packed ferry, youngsters throwing up, the full array of Finnish society going bananas with the omnipresent slot machines, cheap alcohol, terrible dance bands, even worse troubadours in the so called rock bar aboard the infamous Stockholm-Turku line. None of it was there.
Apart from the quality of the musical performances it seems everything has dramatically changed. Fins tired of alcohol? Is this the end? Of Alko shops? Of Viking lines' booze cruises? Of the world as we know it? This spells "Disappointment" all along the line. On top of that I have to drive off the boat in reverse gear this time.
If I don't want to miss out on this part of the journey I'm afraid the next time I have to go via Estonia and take the Tallinn-Helsinki boat.
Arriving 7 am in the morning in Turku gives me a whole day of loitering around. Deciding not to go first thing for a pint I find myself doing an extensive walk around Ruissalo in the drizzeling rain. Seems funny that nowadays things like this are just ok for me to make an exciting day.

22/05

No real big expectations for the first tour gig on a Wednesday night in Turku. Yet this one turns out to be a fantastic evening. Jyrki Mäkelä of formerly 100 Million Martians fame opens the evening at Pikku-Torre with a most pleasant singer-songwriter set in best Nikki Sudden tradition. A small attentive audience came down to see the two Mäkeläs and I'm pleased to see some faces I've seen a year ago at my gig in Bar Kuka just around the corne. My set goes down nicely and get's a bit out of hand towards the end. Ending it playing "Lonesome Town" atop of a table and selling a surprising lot of cds after the show.
An enjoyable evening which ends with a last round in nearby Klubi with my fellow Mäkkelä, his wife Satu, Mikko and part of the audience. Staying the night at Mikko "Lappis" Lappalainen's (whom you might know of Finland's garage-blues heroes Boomhauer). Having breakfast down by the river in a place named Hundsvotti Satamakapaka. Off to Hämeenlinna.

23/05

Meeting Janne Westerlund at Suisto Klubi for our first common gig in Finland. A nice little venue with an extraordinary soundman. Probably the best live sound since playing Vienna in April. The new songs work out even better than yesterday and with a big smile Tommi the sound guy passes me a cd with a live cut of the full gig before I leave.You can hear my version of Grant Hart's /Hüsker Dü's "Diane" on soundcloud. A late night's drive through the rainy woods to our Mökki.

On the go

To be honest, this is all getting a bit edgy. Still a bit knackered from playing the "Mäkkelä meets Wax Mannequin" hoedown on Friday (cheers guys - that was a fun night!) and the "Stadt aus Draht meets GoHo Hobos" on Saturday at Blaue Nacht in Nuernberg.
Only ten days until I have to hit the road for what I hope will be an at least warm tour. What makes it a bit disturbing for now are the plans of spending time in the studio with the GoHo Hobos, with Church Of The Blue Nun, playing a little festival gig on Saturday, djing with David tomorrow night in Bamberg, preparing for Bayerisches Fernsehen (public tv) who just told me yesterday they're going to do a special about Kioski and trying to sort out my car's broken axis, my everlasting trouble with tax authorities' deadlines, pre-producing the June issue of my radio show and about a hundred other more or less annoying, time consuming things...all prior to the tour. But hey - this can be done in ten days. Possibly without a nervous breakdown. Positive thinking.

Made for walking. Photo: Frank Johannes

Among the good things we can list the weather here. Looks as if summer just arrived intending to stay. Good. Hope it follows me up to Turku for my first tour gig on 22nd at Pikku-Torre. Another one is the fact my autumn tour dates start rolling in. This year it's going to be a long one indeed. Germany, Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland, Catalonia, Netherlands (possibly), UK (definitely) and back
The 7" ep is slowly assuming shape, at least in theory so there is not too much more to do but record it and hope everything goes according to plan and that little thingy is here by the time touring starts in October.

As for the upcoming Finnish dates this will be an interesting thing particularly re. the Church Of The Blue Nun gig in Helsinki. First and apparently only Finnish COTBN gig  this year with Ulla-Riikka on cello. After leaving Finland there'll be a Mäkkelä's Trash Lounge gig in Växjö/Sweden with Robin van Velzen guesting (hmmm... or is this a COTBN show then?) and a Church Of The Blue Nun gig in Malmö which raises the question who is this Mäkkelä, who is that Church and do I have to be worried about being schizo?

Will try to keep a more decent tour diary on this trip than I did last time. Might work out as most of the time I'm on my own and writing keeps me from talking to myself.

All tour dates on Bandsintown bottom of this page.


 

recordrelease gig

I've given up on predicting audiences in this town. One can advertise a gig properly months ahead here and end up with an audience of 5 being mildly interested in a wonderful concert AND there is nights like yesterday. Three days prior to the recordshop gig first e-mails that we'll do a FIVE song concert (!) in a recordshop on a Friday night and it turns out to be a packed room with a wonderful, enthusiastic audience.
Joined in on one of Robin van Velzen's songs, started my set with Martin Newell's "Goodnight Country Girl", then "Church Of The Blue Nun" (sort of the single's flipside) and ended the gig with "Miss Hertfordshire" with Robin on the mandolin. For the encore there was Chilton's "September Gurls" and Roy Harper's "Another Day". In a way it couldn't have been a better way to celebrate the release of the single. Only thing is: I'm still a bit irritated that it's not physically there. But this is apparently the way things are now. Seems as if we got to get used to this.


If you want to purchase this lovely cluster of ones and nils go straight to iTunes and find it there. Strange that particularly this really worked out...

Looking forward to the coming gigs...

m