Yesterday I played in Ostrava, in a club called Cooltour. What a nice place! I played in a gallery next to the café. It was quite a big space and the sound echoed a lot, so at times I felt like singing in a church. I can't wait to come to Ostrava later this year. I love playing solo but it's my dream to take my band to the Czech republic so guys please keep fingers crossed that everything works out in the future:-)
This photo looks quite static but believe me I sang so passionately I almost choked on my hair :-)
Before the concert I gave two interviews and they will be aired on the waves of ČRO on Tuesday 3rd April at 10am (for those who live in the Czech republic and understand czech).
Tomorrow I'm singing at a beauty pageant Miss Reneta. High-school-girls will be competing, may the smartest and prettiest one win ;-) I will sing two songs, my debut single Miners and my brand new song in Finnish language. So for those who haven't heard it yet, remember to tune in tomorrow, after 7pm.
Hi guys,
I'm happy to inform you that I have a website in Czech language now.
That doesn't mean I will stop posting in English, though ;-)
My Czech mini tour is about to start and I can tell you it's very warm here in Orlová, my original hometown.
Spring spring spring!!! (photo by Satu Haavisto)
Milí posluchači, konečně si o mně můžete něco přečíst česky. Budu občas psát české příspěvky na nový blog - vždy, když mi to čas dovolí.
Uvidíme se 28.3. v Ostravě v Cooltouru v 19 hodin! :)
I'm going on a mini tour in my beloved country of origin, the Czech republic. Hurááááá!
I have four gigs coming up but there might be more, you never know :-)
On Wednesday I'll be singing in Ostrava, the tenacious industrial city I blogged about a few months ago. My second gig will be quite special and interesting. It won't be a regular concert - I will be featuring as a guest at a regional beauty competition. I will perform only two songs but on a big stage with a huge screen behind me. Being an underground artist, I can't really imagine myself on show like that but I'll gladly accept the challenge.
Later I'll stop by in Brno and Prague. Especially Brno will be nice since I'll be playing at the legendary Stará Pekárna.
This time I will be performing solo, mostly songs from Doses but some new tunes as well.
I'm taking lots of CDs with me to sell them on the concerts. I don't have a distributor in the Czech republic so this will be a unique opportunity to get a copy of your own :-)
Tour schedule:
28.3. Cooltour, Ostrava 30.3. Miss Reneta, Havířov 5.4. Stará Pekárna, Brno 7.4. Popocafepetl, Prague
I'm so looking forward to the gigs! (And meeting my family, of course. I usually see them once or twice a year so this visit is quite special for me.)
Yö Rovaniemellä (A night in Rovaniemi) release party was even more intense than I'd predicted.
We started off in a moving tram and Jaakko Laitinen & Väärä Raha -boys kept playing the whole time. At stops they would walk out and play outside for a while, the passengers would smoke a cigarette and then the tram would continue its journey through the streets of Helsinki.
There was a warm atmosphere. After one hour ride the tram was so full it was hard to breathe. Most people were standing to see the musicians in the recess in the middle of the tram. Some struggled to keep balance, not only because the tram was moving and jerking during braking. People sang along and shared their drinks with strangers. When one bottle was empty another one opened :-)
Then there was time for the actual concert at night. Over two hundred people gathered in Gloria and danced like there was no tomorrow. I featured in three songs and the rest of the gig I danced and jumped in the crowd.
If you missed this gig don't worry. Jaakko Laitinen & Väärä Raha have plenty more gigs to come.
Here's a shortened list:
17.3.2012 Helsinki, Gloria - LEVYJULKKARIT
22.3.2012 Tartu, Genialistide Klubi - WANNABETOURS
23.3.2012 Jelgava - WANNABETOURS
24.3.2012 Riga - WANNABETOURS
26.3.2012 Lahti, Teatteri Vanha Juko, klo 19
30.3.2012 Kotka, Kairo
11.4.2012 Oulu, Nuclear Nightclub – NKOTB-klubi
12.4.2012 Kemi, Chill Out
13.4.2012 Rovaniemi, Tivoli
18.4.2012 Tampere, Telakka
19.4.2012 Kajaani, Baron Pub
20.4.2012 Suomussalmi, Teatteri Retikka
21.4.2012 Jyväskylä, Jyrock
11.5.2012 Pori, Kulttuurikulma
I've been asked almost daily now who took the photos in the booklet. So this is a post dedicated to the mysterious lady behind the lens, Michaela Kei.
Michaela Kei is a painter, photographer and graphic designer. She is also a very dear friend of mine. I've been watching her progress from up close and I am beyond proud of her. A couple of years ago she painted just for fun in her kitchen - now she is an artist with a unique style, expressing her own point of view and creating original custom paintings for clients. In addition to that, she started taking stunning, original pictures.
What I especially appreciate about Michaela Kei is that she is
self-taught. She knows how she wants her art to look like and she
doesn't make compromises.
Her paintings have an abstract dimension but they are full of meanings as she plays with symbols and radiant colours. Some of them are for sale (wink wink) and she constantly creates new ones.
Michaela Kei: Universal dance
I admire how delicately Michaela captures emotions and hidden truths written on people's faces. Not to mention she does their make-up and decorates their body parts with henna if needed ;-) Just so you know, Michaela doesn't photograph only me! Go to her website to see a neat collection of her work.
by Michaela Kei; from our latest session
The website is very informative and she updates it quite often, giving tips on food (I recommend you check out her delicious magic in the kitchen), culture, environmental issues, organic products ... the list goes on and on.
I'm so looking forward to what we'll create together next! :-)
On Friday 16th March my album Doses was released and today on Saturday 17th March the second album by Jaakko Laitinen & Väärä Raha - Yö Rovaniemellä will see the daylight.
There will be a double release gig tonight that no one should miss!
One gig will be held in a tram that will be driving around Helsinki from 5 to 7pm,
check more info here.
The other one will take place in Gloria, Helsinki, at 11 pm.
Maybe I will be featuring :-)
About Jaakko Laitinen & Väärä Raha Lapland might be famous for reindeer and Santa Claus but the real gift it has given us is Jaakko Laitinen & Väärä Raha! These guys have a great attitude. I have collaborated with them for two years now and I have watched
their career from up close. They have done countless great gigs in Finland and abroad and they have deserved all the positive response they get. Their live show and music has evolved so much. You can certainly
hear it on their second album that has been recorded mostly as a live session. There are very little overlapping recordings.
Yö Rovaniemellä - A Night in Rovaniemi - is a great record. Congratulations, Jaakko, Jargeli, Roinari, Tuomo & Hast!
I must admit, I have a slight vested interest in this, since I co-wrote two songs on the album and I am featuring in one of them. It's called Lehti tuulessa - A Leaf in the Wind. Recording the song was so much fun. We did one version that we were not happy with so a few months laters we recorded another one. I sang it bowing down with my head tilted to the side. (Don't ask me why :-) I'm proud I could have been a part of this. The song turned out real nice. By the way, I recommend to all non-Finnish speakers to demand
translations of Jaakko Laitinen's profound and poetic lyrics.
As objective as I can be, I can say that this album has it all: melancholy, joy, manic urge to dance... This time all the band members have contributed with their compositions or arrangements, which has made the songs more diverse and lively. Every song is a strong individual.
The haunting Lapland-Balkan-gypsy flavours are ready to be tasted!
Watch Onnentähti - the first single from the album with a great music video:
My debut album DOSES is officially released today!
You can order the CD or download it from Amazon & iTunes worldwide!
After long months of waiting and preparations Doses are ready to be served to listeners all over the world. Words cannot describe how happy I am. That's why this blog is going to be full of pictures :-)
Release gig
We celebrated the release on 9th March in Helsinki, in a famous and cosy music bar & restaurant called Juttutupa. This time I got to play with my whole band, which was a real treat for me. The crowd was just amazing, so many people came to listen to us!
Tuuli, Heini, Joonas, Lulu, Lauri, Joona & invisible Antti; photo by Henrich Koncek
We did eleven songs from the album and we had a kind of rock/soul energy going on. I played two encores, which are not featured on the album but were received so well that I can't wait to record them.
I also got to explain what I mean by "doses" and people seemed to dig it. Amen.
photo by Henrich Koncek
It was an amazing night that I won't forget, especially after moshing during "Doses" and not feeling my neck for a week now :-)
photo by Allu Lorenzo
Overall, Doses release concert was the best gig of my life. All the elements just came together. I got some very interesting feedback, too. One listener compared me to Freddie Mercury. Wow :-)
photo by: Michaela Kei
I'd like to thank everyone involved in creating Doses! Thank you to Lucky Productions for making the release gig possible!
Release party tonight! I'm anxious to introduce the album to the crowd. It will be one big dose of love and communication.
I'll be playing with these awesome guys:
Antti Kujanpää - keys
Joona Hasan - guitar
Lauri Lähteenkorva - bass
Joonas Kaikko - drums
Heini Ikonen - backing vocals, violin
Tuuli Ikonen - backing vocals, flute
Remember: we start playing at 10 pm but at 9 pm the lovely Linda Tikkanen takes the stage .
WELCOME ♥
The CD will be officially in stores from 16th March. Hurray!
