One of our wonderful producers Aino is introducing Tsoikkenstein (photo: Sami Sirniö)
The festival week was fantastic, and so was the Final party! At first we heard the great new songs of the songbook groups. They had done a really good job working together during the week creating so many wonderful songs. It’s quite amazing, because they had met each other only a week ago! We also had a surprise performance by the wonderful Wambura Mitaru Synergy. Although they played only a couple of songs, once again they got the audience clapping and singing with them. It isn’t an easy thing to do, considering that a Finnish audience is usually kind of shy. But Wambura just knows how to do the trick! We also heard great gigs from Tsoikkenstein, Virta, Judy and Get Me. The athmosphere was literally steamy when Get Me played their grooving party funk and the audience was dancing wildly. The Final Party was so much fun, but at the same time it was so sad to say goodbye to all our international friends. Thank you all for coming, and hope to see you all soon!
On Friday Feb 15th we finally heard the new songs that had been composed in the various Songbook groups during the festival week. They had done a really good job working together, wow! Also The International Close Encounters Jazz Band was put together during the festival, and they were rehearsing and performing with the legendary jazz pianist Mark Soskin from New York. Here are some pictures of the rehearsals.
Knut (photo: Hanna Lagom)
Anders (photo: Hanna Lagom)
Steiner (photo: Hanna Lagom)
Raul & Caspar (photo: Julia Klén)
Mari (photo: Pekka Rousi)
Nikolay (photo: Hanna Lagom)
Raul (photo: Pekka Rousi)
Caspar (photo: Pekka Rousi)
Nikolay (photo: Pekka Rousi)
The International Close Encounters Jazz Band rehearsing:
Close Encounters on Ice took over the Ice Park on Valentine’s Day. We brought nine awesome bands from all over the world to spread the joy of music to our audience and for those who were just passing by. Grandeville started the show, and soon there was a bunch of interested people listening to their gig. When Satin Circus started to play, their fans were absolutely thrilled! They already have lots of fans, and I bet that when they release their debut album, it’s going to be a hit! Next up was Clo (FRA). Although it was quite cold outside, their show was as awesome as on Wednesday at Semifinal! Also Bye Mandu was as charming as always. Finally at 5 PM we got to see The Wambura Mitaru Synergy (USA/KEN) performing for the first time ever here in Helsinki, and it was worth waiting for! She is absolutely amazing, but there was even more to come later on at Lavaklubi… After Wambura’s performance, the Ice Park was filled with the grooving Nordic soul of Oaklyn. Linda’s vocals were smooth and silky, and their grooving beats made you wanna go clubbing. After that, Remnant of the Sun (LV) took us for a trip around the moon with their rocking songs. Before the last act, Mowgli played a set of their energetic songs, and despite the cold, they managed to bring us a touch of summer with their music. The final band of the Ice Park event was Liqui Fuzz (EST), whose performance was once again totally rocking!
Oaklyn (photo: Anna Ulyanova)
The Wambura Mitaru Synergy (photo: Pauli Boström)
Bye Mandu (photo: Anna Ulyanova)
Remnant of the sun (photo: Sara Huhtinen)
Mowgli: (photo: Sara Huhtinen)
Liqui Fuzz (photo: Julia Klén)
Meanwhile at the Karl Fazer Cafe: Wallenius Duo (photo: Maria Hastbacka)
After a long day outside, the warm and intimate Lavaklubi was just a perfect place for the late night gigs. At first we enjoyed some jazzy tunes by Frost Project, our talented friends from St. Petersburg. After their great performance, our very own Axel Ehnström charmed the audience with his beautiful songs. But when Wambura Mitaru got on the stage and started singing, it was pure magic! Her voice is simultaneously so strong and yet so delicate, and the intensity of her performance was absolutely amazing. Not to mention the beautiful guitar sounds of Basti, and the epic percussion of Moez. Their performance was absolutely spellbinding. Magical, amazing, epic… I’m out of words here!
The awesome festival week is almost over, but we still have a few great gigs left! Friday’s program starts at 4 PM with Douglas Pashley’s clinic. The clinic will focus on songwriting, lyrics and improvisational techniques. In the first part of the clinic, Douglas will deal with the subject of ”jamming” through the exploration of basic rules and formulas of music and how to break them. Then, he will introduce some basic songwriting skills by creating stand alone melodies to set to lyrics and, vice versa, writing melodies to existing lyrics. The second part of the clinic will focus on lyrics, method writing, language and discovering new ways of expression.
At 7 PM it’s time for jazz. And nothing less than the Rajaton Jazz concert at Vuotalo with the Close Encounters International Jazz Band feat. Mark Soskin (USA/RUS/FIN), Olli Soikkeli Trio feat. Polina Aronson (FIN/RUS) and Rotlaus Ungdom (NOR). The evening will be kicked off with the young contemporary jazz group Rotlaus Ungdom. They study improvisation at the Norwegian Acacemy of Music, and they perform their own compositions balancing traditional and contemporary musical elements. The Close Encounters International Jazz Band is formed of three Finnish music students, Riikka Keränen (voc), Vili Itäpelto (piano) and Pauli Petas (bass), a Russian drummer Arkadii Kornev and our special guest, pianist Mark Soskin from New York. The final performer of the Vuotalo concert, Olli Soikkeli is a distinguished guitarist and a gypsy jazz specialist. He is a former student of The Helsinki Pop & Jazz Conservatory, and despite his young age he has already played with stars such as Bucky Pizzarelli, Andreas Öberg, Paulus Schäfer, Antti Sarpila and Marian Petrescu.
Judy (photo: Meri Björn)
At the final party at the restaurant boat Wäiski, we are finally going to hear the new songs that have been composed during the festival week. After that, our very own bass-playing multi-instrumentalist Tsoikkenstein will perform funk, jazz, hip-hop and ethnic types of grooves, all played live with his looping gear. If you feel like dancing, join the party upstairs where Judy is performing her groovy r’n’b influenced pop with her new band. Downstairs will be filled by Virta’s unconventional jazz and jamming. The final party will culminate to the rhythmic funk party of Get Me. When Get Me takes the stage, even the grumpiest Finns dance, party and enjoy life to the beat of a fantastic groove!
Tsoikkenstein (photo: Tuukka Häkkinen)
Come and join the party!
Douglas Pashley’s clinic ARABIA HALL 4 PM, Arabiankatu 2. Free entry (cloakroom 2,5€)
VUOTALO/RAJATON JAZZ 7 pm Mosaiikkitori 2, 11 € + service fees, tickets from Lippupalvelu www.lippupalvelu.fi
Olli Soikkeli Trio feat. Polina Aronson (FIN/RUS), CE International Jazz Band feat. Mark Soskin (FIN/RUS/USA) & The Rotlaus Ungdom (NOR)
RAVINTOLALAIVA WÄISKI 9 PM, K-18
Tsoikkenstein, Get Me, Virta & Judy (FIN) + International CE bands + jams
Wednesday’s gigs at Kanneltalo featured delicate folkpop of Waris, fresh jazz of Virta and Ksenja’s beautiful mixture of root music and pop.
Ksenja (photo: Heli Roosmäe)
Ksenja (photo: Heta Hyypiä)
Ksenja (photo: Sara Huhtinen)
Ksenja (photo: Sara Huhtinen)
Virta (photo: Sara Huhtinen)
Virta (photo: Heta Hyypiä)
Virta (photo: Heli Roosmäe)
Waris (photo: Heta Hyypiä)
Waris (photo: Hanna Lagom)
Waris (photo: Sara Huhtinen)
The late night gig at club Semifinal started with Bye Mandu’s sweet indie pop. The gig was simply excellent! Even when Sampo’s guitar string got broken, it didn’t matter. He played the rest of the gig with Clo’s guitar, and it was just perfect for the spectacular guitar solo in the last song. When Clo started her gig with her band, the club turned instantly into a real rock cellar. She really is all about rock’n’roll, and with Pierre’s and Tom’s amazing stage presence, they really convinced the audience of their talents. Wow, what a show! Last but not least it was time to let Grandeville on stage. Their energetic show and disco-oriented powerpop got the audience dancing, and it was a great ending for the evening. Thanks guys!
The Close Encounters on Ice is a spectacle you haven’t seen before! We bring nine awesome bands to the coolest meeting point of Helsinki: the Ice Park next to the central railway station. The program starts at 3 PM, and the fun continues until 8 PM! The program features artists from all over the world, and the styles vary from African rhythms to Nordic soul, from powerpop to alternative rock, and everything in between, so there is definitely going to be something to dig for everyone! Bassoradio is going to be with us from 3 PM until 6PM, and they are going to broadcast live the gigs of The Wambura Mitaru Synergy (USA/KEN) and Oaklyn (FIN). They are also doing some interviews of the artists, so if you can’t make it to the Ice Park, listen to the Bassoradio live stream.
Remnant of the Sun (photo: Heli Roosmäe)
Wambura Mitaru Synergy (USA/KEN) will bring a warm breeze from Africa with their soulful world music. Satin Circus (FIN) is a rising star on the Finnish pop scene with a record deal with Sony Music and big plans to rise to the top. The Funky Awards nominee Oaklyn’s (FIN) Nordic soul is a unique blend of hiphop, soulful jazz and electronic music. Grandeville (FIN) makes you dance with their wild electronic powerpop, and Bye Mandu (FIN) will surely get you in a good mood with their optimistic indie pop. Liqui Fuzz (EST) presents their alternative rock straight from Tallinn, and Clo’s (FRA) rocking tunes and her husky voice will rock your world. Remnant of the Sun’s (LV) experimental rock has sounds from alternative rock and jazz and Mowgli’s (FIN) energetic poprock will melt your heart.
Liqui Fuzz (photo: Julia Klén)
If you feel cold outside, you might like to have a cup of hot chocolate at the traditional Karl Fazer Cafe and enjoy the ethereal sound of Wallenius Duo’s beautiful voices and acoustic guitars. These charming twin sisters will perform their original music with strong lyrics and a sentimental and poetic touch at 6 PM.
Wallenius Duo (photo: Samuel Delesque)
After the Ice Park event it’s easy to move towards the Lavaklubi at the cellar of the Finnish National Theatre. The stage is known for presenting great underground multidisciplinary culture acts. Close Encounters brings there The Wambura Mitaru Synergy’s soulful world music and the grooving jazz of Frost Project. Unfortunately The Recipes had to cancel their gig, but luckily we’ve got wonderful Axel Ehnström playing his beautiful folk pop songs instead.
Here is a YouTube playlist of the artists performing at the Close Encounters on Ice. Enjoy!
JÄÄPUISTO 3 PM, 3–8 PM, Rautatientori, free entry. Admission to the ice park 6/4 €, skate rental 5 €
Liqui Fuzz (EST), Wambura Mitary synergy (USA/KEN), Remnant of the Sun (LV), Clo (FRA), Satin Circus (FIN), Grandeville (FIN), Bye Mandu (FIN), Oaklyn (FIN), The Recipes (FIN), Mowgli (FIN) FACEBOOK
15:00 GRANDEVILLE (Finland)
15:30 SATIN CIRCUS (Finland)
16:00 CLO (France)
16:30 BYE MANDU (Finland)
17:00 THE WAMBURA MITARU SYNERGY (Kenya/USA)
17:30 OAKLYN (Finland)
18:00 REMNANT OF THE SUN (Latvia)
18:30 MOWGLI (Finland)
19:00 LIQUI FUZZ (Estonia)
KARL FAZER CAFÉ 6 PM, Kluuvikatu 3, free entry
Wallenius Duo (FIN) FACEBOOK
A young jazz quartet Frost Project from St. Petersburg and art pop band Kaleidoscope Sounds from The Helsinki Jazz & Pop Conservatory charmed their audience at the Kanneltalo Tuesday club.
Frost Project (photo: Paul Boström)
Frost Project (photo: Paul Boström)
Kaleidoscope Sounds (photo: Paul Boström)
Kaleidoscope Sounds (photo: Vessi Hämäläinen)
Kaleidoscope Sounds (photo: Vessi Hämäläinen)
Remnant of the Sun (photo: Heli Roosmäe)
The late night gig at Bar Loose was all about strong female vocalists and amazing guitar heroes. The evening started with Remnant of the Sun’s (LV) versatile rock. They really convinced the audience with their great songs and the strong vocals of Laura Rubīna. The next act Liqui Fuzz (EST) was totally rocking with their powerful live show and amazing singer Mari Ronimois. Finally White Chocolate took over the stage and the cellar was filled with their grooving funk. A crazy night indeed!
Wednesday’s program starts at 3 PM with Jussi Reijonen‘s clinic at Arabia hall. Jussi Reijonen introduces us his multicultural band ”UN” featuring fretless guitar, oud, piano, double bass and percussion. Reijonen’s ensemble clinic will feature rhythmic, modal and melodic concepts from Spanish flamenco, Indian ”konnakol and maqama”, and ”taqasim and iqa’ from the Middle East. Jussi and ”UN” will also introduce different kinds of improvisation concepts from non-Western cultures.
Waris (photo: Sami Chang)
Wednesday’s first gig starts at 7 PM, when three bands from the Helsinki Pop & Jazz Conservatory perform at Kanneltalo’s concert hall. Waris’ delicate folkpop melodies pull you into a journey through humanity: from the fear of loneliness to love and death. Virta is an instrumental trio, which combines textures of Scandinavian jazz and post-rock with avant-garde sensibilities. Known especially for its fierce live shows, this exceptionally versatile group presents it’s own unconventional way of expression. Ksenja is a group formed by five multi-instumentalists. The depths of root music, the warmth of acoustic instruments, electricity and pop are combined in Ksenja’s music in a joyful and open-minded way. Ksenja’s words are very misty, Ksenja’s chords are chords with gold linings, Ksenja’s dreams are lucid dreams and Ksenja’s night is luminous.
Clo (photo: Barouf Menzzoto)
At 9 PM the legendary club Semifinal is going to be filled with fierce energy and sweat, indie, powerpop and rock. The powerpopsters of Grandeville (FIN) are all about dark disco power and good vibes. Clo (FRA) is gentle and ethereal, smooth and husky, delicate and rock’n’roll. The indie pop group Bye Mandu (FIN) yearns back to the Nepalese mountains but lives for the moment keeping up the optimism. Join the party, and you won’t be disappointed!
ARABIA HALL 3 PM, Arabiankatu 2. Free entry.
Jussi Reijonen & UN: Ensemble clinic
KANNELTALO 7 PM, Klaneettitie 5. 5/3 €, tickets from Lippupalvelu www.lippupalvelu.fi and at the door
Waris, Ksenja & Virta (FIN) FACEBOOK
On Monday we had a very interesting panel discussion featuring Vesa Ristimäki (Eastway Live), Annamaija Saarela (Annamaija Music Company), Maki Kolehmainen (Helsinki Records), Jarkko Mélart (Event Forum) and Wemppa Koivumäki (Sony Music Finland). The topic of the discussion was the demands of today’s music industry, and what it takes to become a successful musician.
The music industry has gone through huge changes lately due to the digital revolution. Also the rise of the social media has influenced the business a lot. The competition is harder than ever, but nowadays with a good YouTube video and lots of luck you can rise to stardom in one night, which is what happened for example with Robin. However, hard work and persistent rehearsing is still the key to a long-term career as a musician.
The discussion dealt with lots of things, and here are only a few points that came up during the two-hour panel. The audience was especially interested in hearing about succeeding outside of Finland. The panelists emphasized that it is really hard, because the international record companies get hundreds of promo recordings every day, and you have to be extremely interesting and personal to stand out. Even if you already were popular in Finland, you should always remember that abroad you start from the bottom, and you need to work really hard to gain success there. But if you believe in yourself and your music and work persistently, everything is possible! Maki Kolehmainen also pointed out that there are other market sections outside Europe or the USA. Japan, Taiwan, China, India, Russia and South America are also potential export areas. It’s also important to find the balance between ambition and humbleness. If you don’t make it abroad, it’s not the end of the world. You can be a perfectly happy musician also in Finland.
But what are the qualities that make a successful musician? First of all, the music has to be good and personal. Even with good music, you need some good luck, and the timing is everything. If you are in the right place at the right time, you might get your chance. The trick is that it is almost impossible to predict when it’s the right time for a certain kind of music. When planning to start a career, it really helps if you know the right people, so never underestimate the power of networking. You also have to remember that your appearance and behavior is very important. If you act unpleasantly and mess around wasted during gigs, nobody wants to work with you. Versatility as an artist or as a songwriter is also important, because it widens your chances to find your place in the business. If you plan a career as a songwriter, you should improve and practice your writing skills regularly, although a short break every now and then can also give some inspiration.
Mowgli’s gig was an excellent start for the festival week! With their catchy songs and energetic performance they really got the audiences attention. They also proved to be way more than an ordinary pop group. Valtteri really knows how to charm his audience with his intense stage presence and Tomas absolutely nailed it with his amazing guitar solos! If you missed their show, you really should come to the Ice Park on Thursday! The Close Encounters on Ice starts at 3 PM, and Mowgli’s showtime is at 6.30 PM. See you there! You can also watch their Monday show at the link below.
Mowgli (photo: Heta Hyypiä)
Mowgli (photo: Linda Lappalainen)
Mowgli (photo: Linda Lappalainen)
Mowgli (photo: Sara Huhtinen)
Mowgli (photo: Linda Lappalainen)
Watch Mowgli’s gig at Arabiahall via new.livestream.com (the gig starts at 22min)
Rotlaus Ungdom (photo: Vessi Hämäläinen)
The evening continued with jazz at pub Milenka. Rotlaus Ungdom (NOR) played their inspired jazz tunes, and the audience seemed to enjoy every minute of it. The place was totally crowded when Puhis Q started their grooving show, and when the evening culminated to the free jam session, the atmosphere raised to the top. What a perfect ending for a perfect day!
