Pubi 17 Pics

Here's a few shots by Martin Eessalu from the August 26th Võru show with Steve Lury. 

Alex Maja Pics

Here's two shots by Jaana Lindberg from the 27.8 Pärnu gig with Steve Lury.

More Salong Pics

Here's a few more photos from Kultuuriklubi Salong by Leif Laaksonen: Steve Lury & Andres Roots, Aug. 25, 2022.

The Lury Tour - Pics & Video

The 3-gig tour with Steve Lury was a lot of fun - here's a couple of photos and a video clip from the first gig at Kultuuriklubi Salong in Tartu by Leif Laaksonen, with more to come! A big thank you to everyone who attended and/or helped make it happen!

 

 

New Track and Tour with Steve Lury!

This week - three shows with Steve Lury (UK):

25.8 19:00 - Kultuuriklubi Salong, Tartu;

26.8 21:00 - Pubi 17, Võru;

27.8 20:00 - Alex Maja, Pärnu.

And here's a previously unreleased track from the archives, freshly mastered by Asko-Romé Altsoo: "Sofa Club Shuffle", an improvised number recorded live by Randal Randoja at the Buena Vista Sofa Club in Rakvere in 2017: 

Waiting Around In Pärnu

With concerts in Tallinn, Tartu, Kadrina, Viljandi and Võru now behind us, the "Waiting Around" 7" EP tour will come to an end with a free show at the Endla Jazz Club in Pärnu on Friday, October 4th, also signalling the end of the active touring season for this year. But there will still be occasional Estonian dates from October 30th onwards, as well as another mini-tour of Finland in November, so keep an eye on the winter schedule via the regularly updated Concerts page!

Here's what the British harpist and blues expert Steve Lury had to say about "Waiting Around":

    

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! ;)

Underground Blues Pics

Here's a few photos from Friday's Underground Blues Festival in Põlva by Indrek Illus: the Sawmill Roots Orchestra and Steve Lury.

Live Music For Buster Keaton

The Steve Lury tour was a lot of fun - next up, it's the Prima Vista literature festival on Tuesday, May 9 at Tartu Elektriteater.

The Sawmill Roots Orchestra will be providing live music for two Buster Keaton silent film classics: "The Balloonatic" and "Cops".

The evening will start with a performance by Mr. L.R.Phoenix, who incidentally appeared on the 2011 Andres Roots Roundabout album "Leigh's Spider Jam".   

Lury Tour & Riga Pics

The Steve Lury & Andres Roots duo tour will start tomorrow and the dates are as follows: Wednesday, May 3: Texas Honky Tonk & Cantina, Tallinn; Thursday, May 4: Buena Vista Sofa Club, Rakvere; Friday, May 5: Underground Blues Festival, Põlva; Saturday, May 6: Estonian Dairy Museum, Imavere (5 p.m.); Saturday, May 6: Baar Edison, Tartu (9:30 p.m.).

Among the performers at the Underground Blues Festival is also the Sawmill Roots Orchestra. Meanwhile, here's a few pics of the Roots & Terep gig at the Jazz & Blues festival in Riga, Latvia last Sunday:

 

Steve Lury & Andres Roots On Tour!

New CD Out 18.11!

The release date for the new Andres Roots CD album "Winter" has been confirmed: November 18, 2016. The CD presents 13 tracks recorded 2012-2016, three of them instrumentals, and features (in alphabetical order): James Dalton (USA), Bert Deivert (USA), Louie Digman (UK), Howard Fishman (USA), Edgars Galzons (Latvia), Ismo Haavisto (Finland), Steve Lury (UK), Lorete Medne (Latvia), Andres Mikk (Estonia), Peeter Piik (Estonia), Mikk Tammepõld (Estonia), Raul Terep (Estonia), and Richard Townend (UK). Produced by Asko-Romé Altsoo & Andres Roots, with cover drawing and design by Siret Roots.The tracklist is as follows:

1. Karlova Blues
2. Winter Blues
3. Thanks For Bringing Me Down
4. Tea For Alex
5. All In The Cards
6. Morganfield Blues
7. Get Me Back
8. Spider In My Bed
9. Spanish Run
10. Solitaire
11. Someplace Nice
12. Alligator Blues
13. Silver Lining

Best European Blues Album

Steve Lury & Andres Roots "Live In Lerwick" is Blues Underground Network's Best European Blues Album of the year!!! Recorded at the Shetland Blues Festival in 2013, the album was released so late in 2014, it didn't make the Canadian webzine's 2014 list and was included in this year's instead, which is great - the Best USA Blues Album went to Buddy Guy, the Best UK Blues Album to Ian Siegal, etc. Read the full Year End Review here!



Previously, four CD's featuring guitar and production by Andres Roots have occupied that spot: Bullfrog Brown's "Mother River Delta" in 2008 and "Moon and Central" in 2009, Andres Roots "Roundabout" in 2010, and L.R.Phoenix "The Hollow Log..." in 2011 (the latter has just been reissued and is finally available online). Additionally, Andres Roots Roundabout "Three!" earned the distinction of a Best Blues Instrumental Album in 2013, and Bullfrog Brown's "Moon and Central" was honoured with Best Original Cover Art - like all the records listed above, the sleeve was designed by Siret Roots.

Review: "Sinewy Slide Guitar Goodness"

The American Blues Blast Magazine has published a cool review of the Steve Lury & Andres Roots album "Live In Lerwick", full of phrases such as "excellent slide technique", "some way wicked slide", "sinewy slide guitar goodness" and "screaming Banshee slide". The final verdict from Greg “Bluesdog” Szalony? 

"This international gathering of blues loving players will be hard for you to resist many repeated visits to your CD player. They are as tight as a bull’s posterior. I guarantee you many hours of enjoyment from this fine recording."

Read the whole thing here (scroll down). 

Tartu, Põlva Shows & Lerwick Reviews!

Roots & Terep's Trad.alt.winter Tour continued with two gigs that were also part of Slinghunt's album release tour - at Genialistide Klubi in Tartu and at UnderGround in Põlva, the latter night also featuring the band Desert Queen. Sirje Penjam has again kindly provided footage from the Tartu show, featuring another new tune, "Tea For Alex".







Meanwhile, Blues In Germany has published a wonderful review of last year's Steve Lury & Andres Roots album "Live In Lerwick": "From the very first song on the album, the band show themselves to be masters of their craft." You can read the whole thing here (natürlich in German!).

Also, the Estonian monthly KesKus has published another cool review of the said album - DJ Pickney Tiger writes: "Andres Roots with his various companions must be travelling and performing around Europe more than most other musicians. Recording, too... I dread the thought of a time when he runs out of steam and stops releasing records... But now, dear folks, you must get this album and listen to it, too, for everything about it is good - both Roots *and* Lury!"

Next up: Andres Roots & Raul Terep will be opening for the legendary Dr. Feelgood in Hämeenlinna, Finland on February 19th and appearing with Devil Box in Turku on the 20th and with Little Willie Mehto in Järvenpää on the 21st.   

Gigs In Sweden, CD Reviews

In March, Roots & Terep will be playing their first shows in Sweden: at Bricks in Karlstad on March 14th & at Stampen in Stockholm on March 16th. Before then, though, the duo will go on a winter tour of Finland and Estonia (with more Estonian dates still TBA!) that kicks off with shows in Lahti & Helsinki on January 30th & 31st, respectively.

The Estonian Muusika magazine has published a great review of "Live In Lerwick", and so has the UK's Bluesinthenorthwest.com: "Any new release from the talented Estonian guitarist and writer Andres Roots is always welcome, and here is a most enjoyable 10-track live offering... Highly recommended for all lovers of traditional blues with four great musicians and a nice choice of material, that is well played and recorded."

Happy New Year!

Photo by Siret Roots.

Yes, happy New Year y'all! :) 2015 got off to a nice start with another positive review for "Live In Lerwick" published, this time in Croatia, where Mladen Loncar writes in the Soundguardian webzine: "If traditional blues is what you want, you've come to the right place... Get the album and see for yourself!"

As you can see from the pic, Roots & Terep are currently working on a music video for "Chicken Man", with Asko-Romé Altsoo again directing; their January-February concerts in Finland and Estonia will also preview new material. But for now, let's have a closer look at the year that just ended...

In 2014, Andres Roots performed 35 live shows with six different band configurations. Festival appearances in 2014 included Blue Icicle (Pärnu, Estonia), Linna Pea Rock (Rapla, Estonia), Guitar Jamboree (Tallinn, Estonia), Kaavi Blues (Kaavi, Finland), Pärnu Bluusipäevad (Pärnu, Estonia), Ruskablues (Koli, Finland), and IDeeJazz (Tartu, Estonia).

There were two Roots Art albums released: Andres Roots & Raul Terep "Trad.alt.blues" and Steve Lury & Andres Roots "Live In Lerwick". Roots & Terep contributed a track to "Get On! Estonian Tribute To Hurriganes" with Mikk Tammepõld on vocals, and Andres Roots added guitar to a tune on Tapsa Kojo's "Vallilan Kojootti" EP and one on Erki Solna's "Ei ole must ei ole valge" album; two older tracks also appeared on the soundtrack of Peeter Simm's documentary "Eesti Tennis 100". In addition, Raul Terep can be heard on the Popsid album "Käsu peale!" and Peeter Piik on Tartu Popi Ja Roki Instituut's latest "Marienbad".

Most significantly, Roots Art Records became the first Estonian label to receive physical distribution throughout Scandinavia and the Baltics via Playground Music Estonia. Rock & roll! :)

And MORE Lerwick Reviews!

"Simply cool... With a very stripped down approach but with modern amplification, the notes soar... Some great harp riffs... Roots again demonstrates his finesse on slide with super tone... A real feel of a Muddy Water's band, sans Water's voice. This band is tight," is Bman's Blues Report's assessment of "Live In Lerwick" - read the whole story from the Arizona webzine here.

Meanwhile in France, Christophe Mourot writes in the latest issue of the Soul Bag magazine: "Classic blues from Memphis Minnie to Junior Wells, via Robert Lockwood and Johnny Shines - the programme is superb!"

More Lerwick Reviews!

"Lury & Roots are two outstanding musicians with a great feel for one another," writes Eric Schuurmans about "Live In Lerwick" in the Belgian webzine Rootstime.be - and in the Estonian evening paper Õhtuleht, Tõnis Erilaid assures: "Trust me - it's a world class album all the way."

More Estonian dates for Roots & Terep will be announced shortly - stay tuned! :)

First Review, UK Top 50 & Tour Dates!

It's been almost three weeks since "Live In Lerwick" was released, and so far - and as far as we know - it's been on the air in Estonia, the UK, the Netherlands, France, Germany, Denmark and Canada. The first review is in from Holland: "Fifty minutes of listening pleasure with old but oh so delicious blues" - read the full-length Dutch version here. And then last night, it was revealed that "Live In Lerwick" made it to #25 in the UK Independent Blues Broadcasters Association's top 50 airplay chart for November (see sidebar)!!!

We can also confirm that all Roots Art CD's are now available in Finland and Sweden, and that dates have been announced for Roots & Terep's Trad.alt.winter tour of 2015: Jan. 30 Piazza Blues in Lahti, Finland with Antsu Haahtela (FIN), Jan. 31 Ghettoblues in Helsinki, Finland with Zalo Duo (FIN), Feb. 4 Feel Good Music Café in Tartu, Estonia with Dirty Trainload (ITA), Feb. 19 Suistoklubi in Hämeenlinna, Finland with Dr Feelgood (UK), Feb. 20 Pikku-Torre in Turku, Finland with Devil Box (FIN), and Feb. 21 Eikan Pub in Järvenpää, Finland. Yes, Roots & Terep will be opening for the legendary Dr Feelgood in Hämeenlinna!!!