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!
With that in mind, here's a detailed list of such "chances" for Irish and UK residents this summer (photo by Siret Roots):
Fri 8 Aug 7pm DUBLIN: Howth Roots & Blues Festival @ The Summit Inn + Ben Reel
Sat 9 Aug 4pm DUBLIN: Howth Roots & Blues Festival @ The Harbour Bar Garden Stage
Tue 12 Aug 8pm BOURNEMOUTH: Mardi Blues Club @ Bournemouth Brewery
Thu 14 Aug 8pm BRIGHTON: Caroline of Brunswick
Fri 15 Aug 8pm TUNBRIDGE WELLS: The Green Duck Blues Club @ The Green Duck Events Space & Bar
Sat 16 Aug 7:30pm MALDON: Madison Heights + Tim Aves, Richard Townend
Tickets are currently available for the Tunbridge Wells and Maldon shows: click HERE for the Green Duck Blues Club and HERE for the acoustic night at Madison Heights!
"Andres breathes Fahey's atmosphere through his intense playing. Where Fahey based his music mainly on American folk and folk songs, Roots does the same with American blues, but just as you think that's all you will find there, a folk melody floats through...
"The arrangements and the idiosyncratic interpretations are deeply lived and sensitive. Instrumental, but so expressive that words spring from your imagination as if of their own accord... It is wonderful to hear how he lifts the blues a bit towards the sun."
Read the whole thing HERE - in Dutch!
Yes, the first-ever review from Brazil is in, and you can read the whole thing HERE! The title is "Andres Roots: Estonian Blues That Echoes Around the World", and among other things, Osmar Santos Junior writes:
- "Roots’ new live album "Royal Spa Blues" captures the artist at the peak of his musical expression."
- "His career is a lesson in how music can cross cultural and geographical boundaries while remaining faithful to the raw emotion of the genre."
- "An artist who honors and reinvents the blues... His music speaks directly to the soul."
- "More than a virtuoso guitarist, Roots is a true bluesman."
Muito obrigado! :)
In the May/June issue of RnR Magazine, Morgan Hogarth reviews Andres Roots' "Royal Spa Blues - Live from Temperance" CD, writing: "In
addition to self-penned gems such as 'Jook Jones' and 'Tango Walk' he
covers Hendrix with 'The Wind Cries Mary', The Beatles on 'Come
Together' and traditional blues on the excellent 'Station Blues Medley'.
But while his interpretations of such tracks are creatively arranged
and well worthy of inclusion, the real highlights of the setlist are his
original numbers, particularly '4am Hot Dog', 'Legacy Blues' and 'The Wagon Swing'."
"The Estonian king of (mainly) acoustic blues instrumentals Andres Roots has re-established his following since Covid as a regular and welcome visitor to these shores," writes Darwen about the 2024 recording.
"Fifteen songs, all instrumentals, all solo and acoustic, and all well worth a listen. They vary from the lovely blues of ‘Springtime Blues’ and ‘Station Blues Medley’ and the sprightly ‘4 A.M. Hot Dog’ (nice bass string snapping) to the self-explanatorily titled ‘Tango Walk’, the “confusing” ‘Django’ and excellent covers of Jimi Hendrix’s ‘The Wind Cries Mary’ and, to finish off, The Beatles’ Come Together’, whilst ‘Spanish Run’ sounds like a vintage rock guitar instrumental from the early ‘60s – maybe."
"Restrained subtlety is Roots’ stock in trade," suggests John, having witnessed the more recent set at the same venue. "Andres has a dry wit to accompany his dexterous playing and this approach to gentle storytelling enhanced his fine set of instrumentals, his guitar weaving through tangos, swing and folk blues."
"Royal Spa Blues - Live from Temperance" has now spent two consecutive months in the Top 20 of the official Collectif des Radios Blues airplay chart in France, climbing from #17 to #15. Merci beaucoup!
From Bosnia & Herzegovina, Dragutin Matošević writes in the Barikada.com webzine: "Andres has once again offered us a superb musical pleasure. Nothing else could be expected from a true artist."
From Kentucky, USA, John Sacksteder continues in the Blues Blast Magazine: "For those of you that like the instrumental work of Leo Kottke or John Fahey, this is an album for you. Andres certainly is adept with his instrument and frequently powers it to sound like there is more than one guitar playing. The Beatles song certainly demonstrates that wall of sound approach to the guitar."
And from Estonia, Joosep Sang concludes in the Muusika monthly: "The atmosphere on the album is warm and immediate, the distance between the stage and the audience feels almost non-existent, and the communication and the exchange of energy between the performer and the listeners palpable."
Order your copy HERE!
Temperance in Royal Leamington Spa was where the "Royal Spa Blues" album was recorded in 2024 - well, here's the opening number from the album lauch show on March 5th: "Hear Me Calling", a Ten Years After cover. This one's not on the album :)
The March UK tour kicked off on March 1st with Andres Roots' first-ever show in Wales: a double header with the fabulous Dave Arcari at the Mid Wales Rhythm & Blues Club at The Muse in Brecon - with local harmonica ace Dilwyn Roberts joining the duo for an encore jam.
Of Roots' solo set, Jim Kerslake writes on the club's website: "Andres delivered a masterclass in acoustic guitar finger-picking. His playing is delicate and dexterous, and his overall sound mellow and warm. The interplay between his expressive use of slide on the top strings and rhythmic thumb-picked bass line on the lower strings was particularly impressive. He clearly has complete mastery over his guitar, and plays with great charm and taste… often exhibiting just the right degree of restraint to create a subtle tension.
"The diversity of Andres’ repertoire was most remarkable, as he ranged between powerful self-composed acoustic blues, through Eastern European-influenced mandolin-like strumming, to expert renditions of standards by Hendrix and Alvin Lee… with even a bit of tango rhythm along the way."
Below are a few photos by Barry Hill, the last one with the Mid Wales Rhythm & Blues Club chief Angus Kings front and centre:
And #17 in the Collectif des Radios Blues francophones February airplay chart in France!
Next week, though: official album launch at the University of Tartu Library's music department! Free show and the music starts 7 p.m.!
On Saturday, Feb. 8th, he'll be back in Tampere, Finland - this time at Sisko ja sen Veli. Click HERE for the FB event!
And here's another live clip from the upcoming "Royal Spa Blues - Live from Temperance" album!
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.
--
Concert photos by Margaret McDonald, Siret Roots, Matti Suuronen.
