Free Live EP with James Dalton & Les Wilson

Released today as a free download via James Dalton's bandcamp page, "Tartu Jämm" features the jam at the Sügisjazz festival concert at Genialistide Klubi from September 19th, 2019 with James Dalton (USA) on vocals, acoustic guitar and harmonica, Andres Roots on electric guitar and Les Wilson (UK) on percussion. Click HERE to listen and download! Concert photos below by Siim Neerut.

Radio Session & Concert Pics

This Monday, Andres Roots & Anneli Kadakas appeared on Klassikaraadio's Suvila programme - you can download the hour-long session here. Photo by the show's host Joosep Sang.

4 p.m. on Friday, August 5th, the duo will perform in the Steiner Garden in Pärnu as part of the annual Guild Days and 5 p.m. on Saturday, August 6th, they will take the main stage at the Augustibluus festival in Haapsalu.

Last Saturday, Andres joined Dave Arcari for two Tallinn concerts; a great time was had by all. A reminder: the World Clinic record store there currently has the entire Roots Art album catalogue in stock! Photos below by Leif Laaksonen.

 

New EP: Free Streaming & Download!

New Tune - Free Download!

The Tartu duo Andres Roots & Raul Terep, who will be playing two shows at this Saturday's Tallinn Music Week festival, have released a new track called "Tea For Alex", which will remain available as a free download via www.andresroots.com until April 1st.

"This may not be the tune one would immediately pick to advertise a gig at a jazz club, but then again why not – the first time we performed it live was at last year's IDeeJazz festival, and last week at Stockholm's famous Stampen jazz club, this was the number that received special praise from the staff," said Andres Roots who composed the tune. "The melody started haunting me one evening while I was making my son a cup of tea - and once the title was there, references to his favourite heavy rock bands started creeping in..."

Last week, guitarist Roots and drummer Raul Terep finished their Trad.alt.winter Tour which included six shows in Estonia, five in Finland and two in Sweden. Their March 28th Tallinn Music Week concerts will take place 4 p.m. at Teele Viira's boutique and 9.15 p.m. at Philly Joe's jazz club.

DOWNLOAD "Tea For Alex" HERE!

Album Review: "Raw, Lyrical & Swinging"

The first "Trad.alt.blues" review is in! Nathan Nörgel writes in the German Wasser-Prawda webzine: "...It is clear why Andres Roots is considered one of the best guitarists in his homeland and on the European underground blues scene: from start to finish, the creative tension between his instrument and Terep's drums is palpable. At times raw and to the point, at times lyrical and swinging, they perform their ideas without wasting a minute on mindless strumming."

Read the full thing here - yes, it's in German - and don't forget: the album itself is available for free download here for two more weeks!

It's A Live!

Roots & Terep in Liverpool. Photo by Martin Eessalu.

Yes, the free download was activated at midnight: you can get your own free mp3 copy of the live album "Trad.alt.blues" by following this link. Enjoy!

P.S. You may also want to go and 'like' this Facebook page - that's where the chance to win a free and signed CD version of the album will be announced later today ;) 

Frequently Asked Questions About the New Album

1. Why is "Trad.alt.blues" not a Roundabout album?

Because it's just Andres Roots & Raul Terep playing on it.

2. Andres and Raul - are you guys Spanish?

No, we're Estonian. And yes, those are our real names.

3. Why did you decide to perform and record as a duo?

We didn't, really - it's just that the line-up of Andres Roots Roundabout changed over Christmas, with bassist Peeter Piik replacing guitarist Martin Eessalu as the third member of the group; and then Peeter ended up in hospital right before we were due to go on the road with Finland's Devil Box. Martin would have helped us out but he was on the road with MOduo, and thus we had two options: do the shows as a duo, or cancel. We hate to cancel.

When Antti Alanko of Devil Box told us he was going to tape their performances and asked if we'd like him to record our shows as well, we said yes: we'd only had time for one quick rehearsal and had been wondering what it all sounds like. The idea to make an album out of it only occurred when we heard the tapes back and went "Hmm..."

4. Why does it sound like a field recording?

Because that's what it is, essentially, and that's part of the reason we like it so much - we had been thinking about putting out something rougher and not studio-produced for quite some time, and this was the perfect opportunity. It's a one-track stereo recording made from the audience, so there wasn't even anything to mix. Field recordings are cool!

5. Was there an octaver used to enhance the bass frequencies?

No, Andres has never used an octaver. He does favour the open G tuning on his guitar, which goes pretty low, and for the duo shows, the guitar signal was split between a bass amp and a guitar amp. But it's still just guitar and drums you hear throughout "Trad.alt.blues".

6. If there's no bass, why is there a bass solo on "Legacy Blues"?

Because there are no limits to our arrogance and temptation is a terrible thing...?

7. Why is it called "Trad.alt.blues" - and which is it then?

Both, and possibly neither - quite a bit of it *is* blues, though. The title was in fact suggested by Steve Lury long before these recordings were made - we had been discussing the fact that in Estonia, our music is always pictured as "very traditional", whereas abroad it's usually labelled as "alternative".

8. Why is there a waltz on the album?

There was a tango on the last one, wasn't there? But really, what would you do when you get a request for "House of the Rising Sun" and you really don't like taking requests?

9. Are you going to continue as a duo or a trio and how is Peeter?

Peeter is fine and we'll be appearing as a trio on April 12th at the Linna Pea Rock festival in Rapla and on May 8th at the Tartu Jazz Club. But we'll also be continuing as Roots & Terep - the next duo show is in Tallinn on April 19th at the Buffalo Bar & Grill.

10. Are you planning to release "Trad.alt.blues" as a regular CD album?

Not at present. The free download will be available from April 6th to May 8th; if there's still a lot of interest beyond that, we may consider it. 

Trad.alt.blues Is Coming :)

Indeed: the free download live bootleg will be released via this very website on April 6th and contain the following tracks: Bullfrog Medley, Moby Duck, Greengrass Stomp, Wagon Swing, Pärnu Hambone, Build Me A Statue, Django, Legacy Blues, Funky Rooster, and Tartu Hambone.



In addition to the free download, there will also be a chance to win CD copies of the album, signed by the band. Details of the competition will be revealed on the Andres' Facebook page on April 6th, winners announced and CD's shipped out on May 9th. 



The live album "Trad.alt.blues" by Andres Roots & Raul Terep will remain available as a free download until May 8th, when Roots, Terep & bassist Peeter Piik appear live at the Tartu Jazz Club as Andres Roots Roundabout. 

Live Album & Linna Pea Rock

An "official bootleg" of the recent Andres Roots & Raul Terep duo gigs will be released as a free download on April 6th and will remain available through May 8th. Provisionally titled "Trad.alt.blues", the live album will contain audience recordings made by Antti Alanko on Feb. 20th at Rokibaar Underground in Tartu and on Feb. 21st at the Blue Icicle Festival in Pärnu, including new material, traditional themes, and several Bullfrog Brown and Roundabout numbers.

Roots & Terep @ Solaris, Tallinn. Photo: Haldjapere

"We weren't meant to do those gigs as a duo and we were certainly not planning to make a record, but since the shows were good, Antti taped them, and I'd been thinking about putting out a lo-fi "field recording" type of release for quite some time, this seemed like the perfect opportunity," says Roots. "The title was suggested by Steve Lury and I think it fits the album well: what trad.blues and alt.blues fans share is the belief that everything should be done live and preferably in one take, and that's what this is - it's not even a multitrack recording, so the take is the take and the mix is the mix!"

On March 15th, Roots & Terep played a duo show at Solaris in Tallinn at the Haldjapere fashion show, then joined bassist Peeter Piik for Roundabout's appearance at Pubi Juudas in Tõrva. Roundabout will be back for the Linna Pea Rock festival in Rapla on April 12th; the event's proceeds will go towards the construction of a local recording studio.

FREE Download!

Yes, it's here: to download the new Ismo Haavisto/Andres Roots single "Muddy Waters/Morganfield Blues", the Finnish/Estonian tribute to Muddy Waters (1913-1983), all you need to do is click here, save the link, unzip the mp3 files and the print-out sleeve, and there you have it - free of charge!

And don't forget: the concerts start this week!

March 27th, 2013 - Torvi, Lahti, Finland
March 28th, 2013 - Diggariklubi @ McArthur, Järvenpää, Finland
March 29th, 2013 - Saimaa Blues Festival, Mikkeli, Finland (+ slide workshop & duo prison show)
March 30th, 2013 - Kairo, Kotka, Finland
April 4th, 2013 - Illegaard, Tartu, Estonia
April 5th, 2013 - Endla Jazzklubi, Pärnu, Estonia
April 6th, 2013 - UnderGround Blues Festival, Põlva, Estonia
April 7th, 2013 - Von Krahl, Tallinn, Estonia