Looking Back on 2024

2024 saw 59 live performances by Andres Roots: 20 concerts in Estonia, 18 in Finland, 9 in the UK, 9 in Germany, and 3 in Latvia. In addition to his solo sets, Roots jammed with Dave Arcari (UK), Ron Whitehead & Jinn Bug (USA), Dik Banovich (USA/France), Jantso Jokelin (Finland), Ismo Haavisto (Finland), Old Wood'n Joe (Finland), and The Rhythmbreakers (Finland), sharing stages with Pan Salmenhaara (Finland/Germany), Banjolectric (USA/France), Blues Bizarre (Finland), Kalle Tikas (Estonia), Bad Ass Horse (Finland), and many others.

Festival appearances included the 40th Birmingham Jazz & Blues Festival and the award-winning Upton Blues Festival in the UK, Mosna Blues Festival and Joutsen Blues Festival in Finland, as well as Pirita Blues Festival, Prima Vista Literature Festival and the similarly poetry-based Tõge and Fööniksi Festivals in Estonia. 

The CD compilation "Solo Pieces" was released to coincide with the international summer tour, and in autumn, a reworking of Hurriganes' "In the Nude" - itself a remake of Glenn Miller's "In the Mood" - appeared on the "Estonian Tribute to Hurriganes: Roadrunner" CD/LP. Additionally, Roots' July concert at Temperance in Royal Leamington Spa in the UK was recorded by Adrian Gains and will appear in the popular "Live from Temperance" series on February 25th, 2025 as "Royal Spa Blues" - but more on that next year. 

A big thank you to all of you for your continued support - and Happy 2025, everybody!

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Concert photos by Margaret McDonald, Siret Roots, Matti Suuronen.

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!

New Track Online!

Here's a new track, recorded on November 10th by Jaan Tamm and mastered by Asko-Romé Altsoo - photo by Indrek Illus. New album coming in March 2023!

"Yo-Yo World" with Red Mouth & Jantso Jokelin

A new studio recording with Red Mouth & Jantso Jokelin has just been published: here's the band version of "Yo-Yo World"!

 

 

"Picnic at Dockery's" Video

Here's a video clip to go with "Picnic at Dockery's" off the new "Afternoon" EP - in case you want to play along, the tuning is open D :)

Dockery Farms photo by Jeff Eaton, from 2019.

You can hear the full EP HERE. 

Last Gig & New Recording

New COVID restrictions are in place and for now it's been confirmed that next Friday's concert at the Endla Jazz Club in Pärnu will still go ahead. It will be Andres Roots' last live appearance in 2021 - get your tickets HERE!

There's new music coming, though - here's a taster from the October 19th recording session: 

Live Clip: Tallinn in September

On September 8th, Andres Roots appeared live at a Literary Wednesday at the Writers' House in Tallinn where he and fellow guitarist Kivi Larmola provided musical interludes for a reading by Asko Künnap and Karl Martin Sinijärv. The event was filmed by Kris Moor, with audio recorded by Teet Raik - here's a new tune called "Yo-Yo World":

New Single with Red Mouth!

The second of the Andres Roots & Red Mouth singles has landed - you can download it, read the lyrics etc. HERE! And for more Red Mouth, click HERE.