More Rio Pics

Here are a few more photos from Roihuvuoren Rio in Helsinki, Finland, 6.6.26 - by KP Yletyinen.

 

Rio Pics

Here are a few photos from Roihuvuoren Rio in Helsinki, Finland, 6.6.26 - by Matti Suuronen.

 

February Finnish Tour

The Estonian Embassy in Helsinki has published their monthly newsletter (see photo) that lists upcoming Estonian events in Finland - read the whole thing HERE and don't forget to SUBSCRIBE! :)

Villa Hakasalmi Pics

Here are some shots from Villa Hakasalmi in Helsinki, Finland - on Sunday, November 17th, 2024. The first three by Risto Vuorimies, the last three by Kari Pekka Yletyinen.

Finnish Shows This Week!

Here we go - the last four Finnish shows of 2024. Photo by Leif Laaksonen.

Tampere, Hyvinkää, Helsinki

The November mini-tour in Finland will include the following stops:

Friday, November 15th Armo in Tampere;

Saturday, November 16th Joutsen Blues Festival @ Oluthuone Joutsen in Hyvinkää, with Blues Bizarre and Dr. Goodfeel;

Sunday, November 17th Villa Hakasalmi in Helsinki - NB! showtine 14:00!!!

 

 

 

 

Finland In November

In addition to the October gigs, one last trek through Finland this year has just been confirmed for November:

Nov. 15 Armo in Tampere;

Nov. 16 Joutsen Blues in Hyvinkää, with Blues Bizarre (FIN) and Dr. Goodfeel (FIN);

Nov. 17 Villa Hakasalmi in Helsinki (NB! matinee!).

Poster design by Siret Roots, photos by Leif Laaksonen and Matti Suuronen.

 

"Solo Pieces" Tour Pix - Estonia & Finland

Andres Roots' "Solo Pieces" tour started last Thursday with a set at the Pirita Bluus festival in Tallinn, Estonia and continued with three concerts in Finland, the first two double bills with harmonica ace Jantso Jokelin: Savonlinnan Kulttuurikellari in Savonlinna and Roihuvuoren Rio and Hakasalmen huvila in Helsinki. Here are two pics from each show - Savonlinna photos by Leif Laaksonen, Roihuvuori photos by Matti Suuronen, and Hakasalmi photos by Risto Vuorimies. The tour will continue this weekend in the UK - click HERE for dates!

 

  

Solo Pieces Tour & CD!

On July 11th, Andres Roots’ “Solo Pieces” tour will kick off at the Pirita Bluus Festival in Tallinn, Estonia and continue with gigs in Finland, England and Germany, including two shows at the 40th anniversary edition of the Birmingham Jazz & Blues Festival and a set at the Upton Blues Festival that has once again been voted “Blues Based Festival of the Year” in the 2024 UK Blues Awards. For the duration of the tour, the Estonian guitarist’s 14-track compilation “Solo Pieces” will only be available at gigs, going online in August.

The tour schedule is as follows:

July 11 ESTONIA Pirita Bluus Festival, Tallinn
July 12 FINLAND Kulttuurikellari, Savonlinna (+ Jantso Jokelin)
July 13 FINLAND Roihuvuoren Rio, Helsinki (+ Jantso Jokelin)
July 14 FINLAND Villa Hakasalmi, Helsinki (14:00)
July 20 UK Birmingham Jazz & Blues Festival/Fair Deal Music (13:30)
July 20 UK Birmingham Jazz & Blues Festival/The Wellington (20:00)
July 21 UK Upton Blues Festival/Acoustic Roots Stage (15:00)
July 22 UK Temperance, Leamington Spa
July 24 GERMANY ARTliners, Berlin
July 25 GERMANY Revolte Bar, Berlin
July 26 GERMANY Die alte Garage, Potsdam
July 27 GERMANY Madame Claude, Berlin (+ Pan Salmenhaara)
July 28 GERMANY SonntagsMusikCafé Alte Kita, Berlin (16:00)

And here's the CD tracklist:

1. Cruisin' with the Rev - previously unavailable on CD
2. Django (alt. take) - previously unreleased
3. Lockdown Special - from “Tartu Lockdown”
4. Jook Jones - from “Breakfast in September”
5. Sunstroke - from “Vol. 12”
6. Hawk's Out with His Axe - from “Vol. 12”
7. Fretless Wonder - from “Tartu Lockdown”
8. The Sheik of Hawaii (live) - from “Mississippi to Loch Lomond”
9. Blues for Halvo (stereo) - previously available in mono, on “Mono”
10. Starbuck Theme - from “Vol. 12”
11. So It Is, Subhuti - from “Vol. 12”
12. 4 AM Hot Dog - from “Breakfast in September”
13. Sherwood - from “Vol. 12”
14. Legacy Blues (live) - from “Mississippi to Loch Lomond”

All tunes written & performed by Andres Roots. Recorded 2016-2024 by Jaan Tamm, Andres Roots, Asko-Romé Altsoo & Dave Arcari. Mixed & mastered by Asko-Romé Altsoo. Photo by Jüri Vlassov II. Design by Siret Roots. 

Last Concert This Year

Andres Roots will play his last concert this year on Thursday, December 14th at Kultuuriklubi Salong in Tartu - the concert starts at 6 p.m. For the Facebook event, click HERE - and for the Piletilevi ticket service, click HERE!

Photo by Leif Laaksonen. 

Video below from Martin Markkinat in Helsinki, Finland on Nov. 19th by Juhani Väätäinen.

Helsinki Pics & BBC Radio Leeds

Ahead of the upcoming UK tour, Andres Roots will be chatting to Gayle Lofthouse on BBC Radio Leeds' Daytime Show on Monday, November 27, 11:40 AM UK time. 

Meanwhile, here are a few photos by Leif Laaksonen from last Sunday at Helsinki's Martin Markkinat, with Finland's own Jantso Jokelin on hamonica.

New Single out with Jantso Jokelin!

 

Estonian guitarist Andres Roots and Finnish harpist Jantso Jokelin have just released a duo reworking of the Roots tune "Django" - see Bandcamp link above or YouTube HERE. In 2023, Roots and Jokelin have played a number of duo shows in Finland and Estonia, and on November 19th, Jokelin will appear as Roots' very special guest at the Estonian culture festival Martin Markkinat in Helsinki, Finland for both shows that Roots is set to play there.

Jantso Jokelin is a Finnish harmonica player, guitarist and vocalist who has won the Finnish street music championship with the Ataturk Band and in 2009 came third in the world's biggest harmonica competition in Trossingen, Germany. Jokelin's first solo EP "Silver Lining" was released earlier this year.

Andres Roots is an official Ambassador for the European Capital of Culture Tartu 2024 - a slide guitarist and a songwriter whose music has received airplay on five continents and whose 2016 LP “Roots Music” remains the only blues album ever to top the sales charts in the Baltics. Later this month, Roots will be heading to the UK for four solo concerts:

Nov. 30 – Honey Bee Blues Club @ The Lescar, Sheffield;
Dec. 1 – Didsbury Baptist Church, Manchester;
Dec. 2 – Leeds Blues Club @ The Cross Keys, Leeds;
Dec. 3 – Sunday Blues Train @ Marsden Mechanics, Marsden.

Photos by Leif Laaksonen.

Mendocino Photos & BluesNews Review

In the current issue of the German BluesNews magazine, Dirk Föhrs writes: "Even though the guitarist is rooted in the blues, he plays music that transcends all genres. This can be generally classified under “Roots” to match his surname – which, incidentally, is not a pseudonym."

Below are a few photos from the August 15th Helsinki concert at Bar Mendocino, by Leif Laaksonen.

 

Live Clip from Helsinki

Last week's Finnish tour was a blast and there'll be photos coming soon, but here's a live clip from the July 16th Sunday matinée at Villa Hakasalmi in Helsinki: "So It Is, Subhuti". The footage was captured by Siret Roots, this was Andres Roots second time at the villa and a third appearance has already been scheduled for next year: Sunday, July 14th, 2024!

Meanwhile, there are two Estonian shows coming up next week: a set at Mohri Ait during the Pärnu Bluusipäevad festival on Tuesday, July 25th (4 p.m.!) and one at the Great Rooftop Concert at SEE Theatre in Haapsalu on Friday, July 28th.

Finland This Week!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here we go! :) Photo by Leif Laaksonen.
 

Helsinki Pics

The Finnish leg of the "Vol. 12" launch tour kicked off with a double header with Ismo Haavisto at Helsinki's legendary Storyville on April 5th - here's a few awesome pics from that night by Leif Laaksonen.