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. 

 

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

Pärnu and Liepaja + Soul Bag and Pipeline

On Wednesday, June 28, Andres Roots and Ismo Haavisto will be performing together at Ranna Kõlakoda in Pärnu, Estonia. From there, Roots will travel to Liepaja, Latvia for a three-night solo run: Thursday, June 29 at Fontaine Palace and Friday-Saturday at Fontaine Gypsy Camp.

Meanwhile, Christophe Mourot writes in the current issue of the French Soul Bag magazine that the Andres Roots "Vol. 12" CD is "mixing blues of every origin... energetic and poetic, that we never grow tired of listening to." And over in the UK, Norman Darwen states in the Pipeline Instrumental Review that "Estonian guitarist Andres makes excellent solo instrumental albums and this is no exception to that rule."

Photo by Maanus Kullamaa.

Upcoming Gigs

Otepää Kuur on Saturday was fun - next up is Ranna Kõlakoda with Ismo Haavisto on June 28th. Then three nights (29.6-1.7) solo on different stages at Fontaine's in Liepaja, Latvia, and then the 25th anniversary of the Texas Cantina in Tallinn on July 6th (NB! please note the date change!). 

2012, Part 2: The Concerts

During 2012, Andres Roots and the various line-ups of Roundabout played roughly 40 gigs in Estonia, Finland, Latvia, France and the UK. 

Festival shows included:  Underground Blues (Põlva, Estonia), The Blue Icicle (Pärnu, Estonia), Blues Autour du Zinc (Beauvais, France), Stompin' At The Savoy (Helsinki, Finland), Jazzkaar (Türi, Estonia), Blues Picnic (Leppävirta, Finland), Kaavi Blues (Kaavi, Finland), Louisiana Cajun Party (Tampere, Finland), Pärnu Bluusipäevad (Pärnu, Estonia), Ugriblues (Tallinn, Estonia), Fontaine Festival (Liepaja, Latvia) and Augustibluus (Haapsalu, Estonia).

Roundabout feat. Indrek Tiisel @ Ugriblues:



Andres Roots with Black Bay Zydeco Stompers @ Louisiana Cajun Party:



Roundabout feat. Steve Lury @ Kaavi Blues:



Roundabout feat. Bert Deivert & Indrek Tiisel @ Augustibluus:




There were trio and quartet shows, gigs with Steve Lury, Ismo Haavisto and the Black Bay Zydeco Stompers, jams with Dave Arcari, Bert Deivert and El Trio, and so on and so forth. Non-festival shows ranged from the band's "home venue" Illegaard in Tartu to the Estonian Embassy in Paris, from Bar Edgar in Loimaa to The Lomax in Liverpool, from Ghettoblues in Helsinki to the Texas Honky Tonk in Tallinn. The band would like to thank everybody who joined them onstage or off, all the promoters, writers, listeners, friends and family - it's really been a great year. Let's do it all again in 2013 - cheers, y'all! ;)


  

Back From Liepaja, On To Haapsalu!

On August 10th, Andres Roots Roundabout played the Fontaine Festival in Liepaja, Latvia with Roots and Martin Eessalu on guitars and Andres Mikk on drums - the festival was truly a blast. On Saturday, August 18th, the band will appear at the Augustibluus festival in Haapsalu - Roots' 11th time at the fest since 2000. For that gig, the band line-up will include Roots and Eessalu on guitars, Raul Terep on drums and Indrek Tiisel on harmonica and vocals; together with Lorete Medne and Edgars Galzons from the Latvian group El Trio, they will also be performing their new collaboration single "Solitaire".

At Fontaine - photo: Internet.

Photo by Ģirts Gertsons.

Photo: Internet.

Photo by Nele Sillaots.

Photo: Internet.

Photo: Internet.

"Solitaire" Released 10.8.2012!

Tomorrow, August 10th is the official release date for the "Solitaire" single - at midnight, Andres Roots Roundabout will be taking the stage at Fontaine Festival in Liepaja, Latvia, and befittingly, the single features Lorete Medne (vocals) and Edgars Galzons (tuba) from the Latvian band El Trio.



The proverbial B-side of the CD single is culled from last year's "Leigh's Spider Jam" album and the guests on "Lightnin' On Horizon'" include L.R.Phoenix (vocals, UK) and Bert Deivert (mandolin, USA) - indeed, the single will be celebrating and promoting the upcoming Augustibluus railway station concert in Haapsalu, Estonia, where on August 18th, the performers include El Trio, Andres Roots Roundabout and Bert Deivert & Brian Kramer.  



The CD will only be available at gigs, and you're hereby all invited to Haapsalu for the rare opportunity of hearing "Solitaire" live!

Upcoming Shows

...For the next few weeks:

July 31st: Pärnu Bluusipäevad, Pärnu, Estonia



August 2nd: Ugriblues, Tallinn, Estonia



August 10th: Fontaine Festival, Liepaja, Latvia