Looking Back on 2025

  

2025 saw 44 live performances by Andres Roots: 12 concerts in the UK, 12 in Germany, 8 in Estonia, 5 in Latvia, 5 in Finland, and 2 in Ireland. Festival appearances included the Howth Roots & Blues in Dublin, Ireland (his first Irish gigs!) and Käbliku Beer Camp & Rock'N'Roll in Põlvamaa, Estonia. Other highlights in a year that started with a sold-out night at the Endla Jazz Club in Pärnu, Estonia were sets at the Mid Wales R&B Club in Brecon, UK (his first show in Wales!) with Dave Arcari, at the original Black Sabbath manager Jim Simpson's Henry's Blueshouse in Birmingham, UK, at the East Riding Theatre in Beverley, UK (Songlines review HERE!), at the Mittendrin in Baierbrunn, Germany (where he is set to return in April!) - and at a parliamentary reception at the Bundestag in Berlin, Germany.

"Royal Spa Blues - Live from Temperance" was released in February, attracting favourable press from Holland to Brazil. It was included among the Independent Blues Broadcasters Association's 'Album Picks of the Month' and subsequently reached #2 in the IBBA monthly airplay chart in the UK, also spending 2 months in the Top 20 of the Collectif des Radios Blues airplay chart in France. Blues in Britain covered the March launch show at Temperance with Dave Arcari in their May issue and in September, ran an additional joint interview with the two gentlemen. The live track "Tango Walk/Springtime Blues" appeared on RnR Magazine's July/August covermount CD, and the Blues in the South webzine put Mr. Roots on their cover in August - ahead of his second UK tour that took him to the South Coast of England. You can read that interview HERE!

In 2026, Andres Roots will be celebrating both his 50th birthday and his 30th anniversary as a performing artist, so there will be more than a few gigs - around Estonia and Finland, naturally, but also in Germany in April and in England in July. Check out the first confirmed stops in the schedule HERE! The first shows of the year will be at Sindi Seltsimaja on January 16th and at Võru Bluusiklubi on January 24th - but be advised that tickets for Andres Roots' March 23rd appearance in Tallinn's Esmaspäeva Jazz concert series are already available HERE.

 
A big thank you to all of you for your continued support - Happy Holidays & a Better New Year to everyone!

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Photos by Peter Mirolo (Howth), Janine Escher (Berlin), Margaret McDonald, Leif Laaksonen and Siret Roots (the Blues in Britain story), and Paul Burgess (Beverley).

Tour Pix, Pt. 1

Here's a few photos by Detlef Stein from Zimmer 16 in Berlin-Pankow, by Pan Salmenhaara from Madame Claude in Berlin-Kreuzberg, and by Elīna Joniņa from Valhalla Lounge in Sigulda, Latvia. More to come!

 

September Tour!

Here we go then: one show in Potsdam, Germany, seven in Berlin, and one more in Sigulda, Latvia:

Sept. 19 - Die alte Garage, Potsdam, DE + Pan Salmenhaara (FI)

Sept. 20 - Mastul, Berlin-Wedding, DE

Sept. 21 - SonntagsMusikCafé Alte Kita, Berlin-Schöneweide, DE

Sept. 22 - Pview, Berlin-Steglitz, DE 

Sept. 23 - Zimmer 16, Berlin-Pankow, DE - TICKETS!

Sept. 24 - Alter Schwede, Berlin-Wedding, DE

Sept. 25 - Dave Lombardo Bar, Berlin-Mitte, DE 

Sept. 26 - Madame Claude, Berlin-Kreutzberg, DE + Pan Salmenhaara (FI) 

Sept. 27 - Valhalla Lounge, Sigulda, LV

NB! This Sunday's Schöneweide show is an outdoors matinee from 3pm!

More posters/banners here:

 

 

German Tour Approaching!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eight back-to-back concerts in Potsdam and Berlin, and then one in Sigulda, Latvia - September's going to be busy!

Sept. 19 - Die alte Garage, Potsdam, DE + Pan Salmenhaara (FI)

Sept. 20 - Mastul, Berlin-Wedding, DE

Sept. 21 - SonntagsMusikCafé Alte Kita, Berlin-Schöneweide, DE

Sept. 22 - Pview, Berlin-Steglitz, DE 

Sept. 23 - Zimmer 16, Berlin-Pankow, DE - TICKETS!

Sept. 24 - Alter Schwede, Berlin-Wedding, DE

Sept. 25 - Dave Lombardo Bar, Berlin-Mitte, DE 

Sept. 26 - Madame Claude, Berlin-Kreutzberg, DE + Pan Salmenhaara (FI) 

Sept. 27 - Valhalla Lounge, Sigulda, LV

 

RockTimes Review & Käbliku Festival This Weekend

Joachim 'Joe' Brookes reviews "Royal Spa Blues" in the German RockTimes webzine: ""Royal Spa Blues – Live From Temperance" by Andres Roots is a masterpiece of acoustic bottleneck blues. Andres Roots is a true discovery. Instrumental blues with slide guitar is so much fun." Danke schön! :)

You can read the whole thing HERE (in German)! And above, please find a list of German (and Latvian!) gigs confirmed for September.

Meanwhile, tomorrow - Friday, July 11th, 22:00 -  Andres Roots will be playing a set at the Käbliku Beer Camp & Rock'N'Roll festival near Põlva. Click HERE for the full festival line-up - two stages over two days! 

Latvian Tour This Week!

Andres Roots will be heading out to Latvia this week:

Wednesday, 15.1 RIGA Kultūras Nams Atmoda

Thursday, 16.1 CĒSIS Mākslas telpa MALA

Friday, 17.1 JELGAVA BJMK Rokskola 

Saturday, 18.1 SIGULDA Valhalla Lounge

Read all about it in The Baltic Times!

Photo by Leif Laaksonen.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to everyone - see you down the road! 

Photo by KP Yletyinen.

Jelgava Pics + Tallinn 1.2!

The Riga-Jelgava-Liepaja Latvian tour that started this year's concert season was a blast - a big thank you to all the wonderful people and cool venues! Below are a few photos from the concert and the workshop at BJMK Rokskola in Jelgava on January 26th.

Next up: Kidrakuur Kultuuriklubi in Tallinn with Kalle Tikas (Ringhold) and Edgars Rubenis (Mona de Bo) this Thursday, February 1st - click HERE for the Facebook event!

 

 

Three Concerts in Latvia

2024 will get a rocking start with three concerts in Latvia next week: on Thursday, January 25th a solo show at the Atmoda in Riga, on Friday, January 26th a concert and a guitar masterclass at the BJMK rock school in Jelgava, and on Saturday, January 27th a solo show at the Fontaine Palace Acropolis Stage in Liepaja! The Jelgava event is co-funded by the EU and the photos used on the posters below are by Matti Karhula, Matti Suuronen, and Maanus Kullamaa, respectively.

And then on February 2nd, Andres Roots will join fellow solo travellers Kalle Tikas (Ringhold, Beggar's Farm) and Edgars Rubenis (Mona de Bo) for a guitar night at the newly relocated Kidrakuur Kultuuriklubi in Tallinn, Estonia. 

 

Happy New Year

Happy New Year, everyone - and see you soon in Latvia! :)

Photo by Katrin Hiietam.

Looking Back on 2023

2023 saw the release of the first Andres Roots album since 2020 and "Vol. 12" has now received more praise from critics than any Roots Art release in ages - here's a few select quotes:

"It’s almost as if muddy waters were flowing into the Gulf of Riga. Musicians of this sort run counter to all expectations, and upset various purists." - Ted Gioia, The Honest Broker, USA

"Mixing blues of every origin... energetic and poetic, that we never grow tired of listening to." - Christophe Mourot, Soul Bag, France

"Roots has a great sense of blues as it fits in today's world." - Bman's Blues Report, USA

"If you still harbour doubts about the instrumental attraction of one man and his guitar in a, say, concert situation, you have no reason to. For Andres wields magic that many others lack." - Pete Hoppula, Blues News, Finland

"Let yourself be immersed in the world of acoustic slide guitar blues, a world that Andres Roots masters like no other." - Eric Schuurmans, Rootstime, Belgium

"Estonia's finest, and one of the prime acoustic blues instrumental players." - Norman Darwen, Blues in Britain, UK

Work also continued on the upcoming album with Red Mouth and Jantso Jokelin, with two more tracks released digitally: "Retirement Blues" and a new reading of the instrumental "Django". A note to vinyl lovers: the 2014 Estonian tribute to Hurriganes compilation that features a version of Ten Years After's "Hear Me Calling" by Andres Roots, Raul Terep and Mikk Tammepõld has now been re-released on vinyl!

A return to form was also evident on the gig front, with 64 concerts in 53 venues in 29 towns and villages in 5 countries: 28 in Estonia, 24 in Finland, 4 in Latvia, 4 in Germany and 4 in the UK. Live collaborations included sets and/or jams with Jantso Jokelin (FI), Ismo Haavisto & Matias Partanen (FI), Pan Salmenhaara & Herbert Quelle (FI/DE), Sir Douglas Groovers (FI), The Rhythmbreakers & Curtis Brazis (FI/US), Louie Fontaine & John DC Washington (DK/US/LV), and Pat Fulgoni (UK).

On other occasions, Andres Roots shared billing with Ahmed Ag Kaedy (Mali), Etuk Ubong & the Etuk Philosophy (Nigeria), Banjolectric (US), Faarao Pirttikangas & Nubialaiset (FI), Black River Bluesman & Bad Mood Hudson (FI), Tomi Puukko (FI), Otto Mikkola (FI), Steve Augarde (UK), and many others - including Lifetime Beat Poet Laureate Ron Whitehead (US).

In January 2024, Andres Roots will be returning to Latvia, in April to Germany, in May to Scotland, and - if not before! - in July to Finland. A few summer festival bookings in Estonia ought to be revealed soon enough, too :)

As always, a big thank you to everybody who attended gigs, put on gigs, wrote about gigs, took photos or filmed gigs, bought records, played records, wrote about records, made records, broke records - and to everyone that's been kind. Thank you, and Happy New Year!  

Merry Christmas!

Happy holidays to everyone - here's the lone Christmas number from "Vol. 12", recorded on December 23rd, 2022 by Jaan Tamm and mastered by Asko-Romé Altsoo:

Concerts start again in January 2024, with three shows in Latvia:

January 25 RIGA: Kultūras Nams Atmoda

January 26 JELGAVA: BJMK Rokskola

January 27 LIEPAJA: Fontaine Palace

Finland This Week

Last Wednesday's Riga concert at Atmoda was a blast - photo by Siret Roots. This week will bring three shows in Finland: first, on October 5th, Roots Thursday @ Pub Virasto in Lahti will feature a solo set from Andres Roots plus an acoustic trio set of Muddy and Elmore tunes with Ismo Haavisto & Matias Partanen. 

Friday, October 6th will see a solo concert at Huurupiilo in Tampere, and on Saturday, Andres Roots will appear at the Bluesia Karjaan asemalla festival in Karis, celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Karjaa railway station - other acts include Hard Road, Rocking Ede & The Reindeers, and Tähtelän Dynamo. NB! Saturday's showtime is 3 p.m.! 

Banner photo by Indrek Illus. 

Riga This Wednesday

This Wednesday, September 27th, Andres Roots will be performing at Atmoda in Riga, Latvia - showtime 20:00 and the Facebook event is HERE.

Concert in Riga, Latvia

Just announced: a concert at Atmoda in Riga, Latvia on Wednesday, September 27th. The Facebook event is HERE! 

Photo by Maanus Kullamaa.

Looking Back on 2022

It seems impossible to look back on 2022 and not mention the world going to hell in a handbasket, so there... Concert-wise, 47 gigs in 4 countries were rather a positive improvement on the pandemic-ridden 2021's mere 18, but still a far cry from the touring schedules of old.

In 2022, there were 30 shows in Estonia, 12 in Finland, 3 in Germany and 2 in Latvia. That meant gigs and mini-tours with Edgars Rubenis (NL/LV), Ismo Haavisto (FI), Mike Heberle (DE), Jantso Jokelin (FI), Steve Lury (UK) and Faarao Pirttikangas (FI), as well as festival appearances at Hamina Mosna Blues in Finland and Viru Folk, Pärnu Bluusipäevad, The Blue Icicle and Karlova päevad in Estonia.

Recording-wise, the next Andres Roots solo album is in the can as of December 23rd and scheduled for release in March 2023. Work also continues on the joint album with Red Mouth (US) and Jantso Jokelin - there is no release date yet, but in June 2022, the trio's reading of "Minor Gripes" did appear on the "Maaseutumusiikkia vol. iii" compilation in Finland. 

In May, Redneck Rampage released their "Beneath the Boulder" EP that featured Andres Roots on one track: "Soul Astray"; in July, the song won the listeners' vote on Estonia's Rock FM. That month also saw the premiere of 1Teater's stage production of the N. Richard Nash play "The Rainmaker" ("Vihmameister") that featured new music by Andres Roots; a couple of those tracks are set to appear on the 2023 album. In October, the New York DJ Mike Pearl put out an EDM remix of the Andres Roots and James Dalton collaboration "Get Me Back" that originally appeared on the 2016 album "Winter".  

As always, a big thank you to everybody who attended gigs, put on gigs, wrote about gigs, took photos or filmed gigs, bought records, played records, wrote about records, made records, broke records - and to everyone that's been kind. Thank you, and a much happier New Year to you all!

Latvian Shows This Week

This week, Andres Roots will be on the road in Latvia with Edgars Rubenis: at Diagonāle in Riga on Wednesday and at the BJMK music school in Jelgava on Thursday, where the concert will be followed by a guitar workshop. 

The Finnish concerts last week at Albertin Kellari in Hämeenlinna and at Carlos Ravintola in Lappeenranta were a blast - below are "Tango Walk" and "Springtime Blues", filmed at the Hämeenlinna gig by Marko Aho: 

Riga & Jelgava

 

Two Latvian shows have been added for April, both double headers with Edgars Rubenis - and the Jelgava one including a guitar workshop. Check out all upcoming gigs HERE!

Photo by Martin Eessalu.

Looking Back On 2017

2017 was a pretty big year – from receiving the Blues Album of the Year Golden Disc Award for the "Roots Music" LP to winning the first Estonian Blues Challenge (and Best Guitarist!) with Tammepõld, Roots & Kadakas, who will be representing Estonia at the European Blues Challenge in Hell, Norway in March 2018. 




Even with taking both June and September off, there were 56 shows in 3 different countries with 9 different band line-ups in 2017, including appearances at festivals such as Augustibluus, Pärnu Harmonica, Prima Vista, Tartu Bluusikuu and UnderGround Blues in Estonia, Blues & Jazz at Rock Café and Sundays Blues Festival in Latvia, and Navetta Blues in Finland – as well as tours with the Ismo Haavisto Jubilee Orchestra in Finland and with Steve Lury (UK) in Estonia.

The year saw TV appearances on Re:TV in Latvia and on ETV in Estonia, plus live radio performances on Elmar and Raadio 2 – the latter, a live broadcast of the legendary Rahva Oma Kaitse was particularly memorable. The solo number "One For Mezz" appeared in the Katrin & Andres Maimik film "Minu näoga onu/The Man Who Looks Like Me", while another solo tune, "No Iguanas", received a video by Asko-Romé Altsoo.

Around New Year, 2016's "Winter" album spent two months in the blues airplay charts in the UK and in France. "Mono", a live mix of solo and duo recordings featuring Howard Fishman (USA) and Raul Terep, was released on cassette for Record Store Day and then on CD. October also saw the launch of Sawmill Roots Orchestra's first single, with a full-length album coming in March 2018 – the album launch tour will feature a very special guest: Mr. Robert Johnson (USA).

What else? The artist/endorsement deal with G7th Capos, of course! And 2018 is already beginning to look busy, too, with Ghettoblues in Finland and the Viru Folk Festival in Estonia among the many concerts already announced. So Merry Christmas & Happy New Year & see you at the Tartu Bluusikuu in Tartu, Estonia in February 2018!

PS & NB: Andres Roots has been nominated as Male Artist of the Year by the Gloucester, UK-based Severn FM's Blues Hour radio show – you can vote until the end of the year, so please e-mail Dr Wart Hoover at blues(at)severnfm.com, with "bluesman" in the subject line and the name of your favourite nominee in the text portion of the message! ;)

Sigulda Pics

Yesterday's Sigulda Winter Blues gig was a fine & seasonal way to end the touring year!