Nice to be back at Juttutupa…it’s been almost ten years!
WE HAVE a long lie…even longer than yesterday…and drink coffee, check emails and stuff.
There’s nothing really happening until 4pm when we need to leave and make our way to Juttutupa to land in and soundcheck for tonight’s show.
There’s already some folks we know at the venue when we arrive and we chat a while before sound engineer Sammi gets me all set up and soundchecked. This is a great venue I first played about 13 years ago…and last time was nearly ten years ago.
There’s a great crowd in for the gig and I have a grand time playing. Once we’ve caught up with folks at the merch table and enjoyed a few drinks we’re fed…and then we make our way back to the hotel.
WE’RE UP at a reasonable time and go out to get some shopping while Margaret has a shower.
Today’s the day of the ‘big show’ at Tavastia – I change guitar strings then run through my set for this evening.
Tavastia is only a five-minute walk from the hotel and set up is well underway when we arrive. We chill backstage and enjoy catching up with lots of pals and catering arrives…and beer.
The whole programme for the night at Tavastia is great and we have a wonderful evening. After load out we stop at a McDonalds – Margaret’s full of red wine and starving – then back to the hotel.
Margaret’s new pal in the car as Mikko drives us to the bus stop…
AFTER a lazy morning dealing with emails and social media we go to meet Maiju.
We’re heading out of town to visit Maiju’s daughter Wilma, husband Mikko and their two teenage kids in Lohja. The bus journey is about an hour then Mikko meets us and drives us further into the countryside.
We have lovely afternoon of chat, coffee and cakes then Mikko and Wilma drive us bak to the bus stop.
We’re back in the centre of Helsinki with a little time to spare before we meet Elina. Maiju heads for home and we catch up with Elina and Hans who take us back to Honey’s apartment where their son Kalle is rehearsing for tomorrow night’s show with Arto.
After a beer we have reindeer, potatoes and lingonberry then hang out and listen to some music before going back to our hotel.
The time difference means we’re bak in time to watch Bill’s livestream from Florida..then zzzzzzzzzzs…
AFTER a makeshift breakfast in the hotel room we pack up, check out and make our way to the other hotel we’re in for the next four nights.
It’s been snowing but we only have few blocks to go and although we can’t check in ’til mid-afternoon we’re able to leave our stuff in the baggage room.
We go for a coffee then meet Juuso and Paivi for a coffee and a catch up then they head off and we go to check into our room at the hotel where we chill for a few hours.
I venture out to get something for dinner – our hotel room has a kitchen area – and we laze about for the rest of the evening.
Great view over Helsinki from the tower at the Olympic stadium…
MARGARET wakes me up at midday. We need to get sorted and showered…Maiju’s meeting us at 1.30pm!
Maiju takes us on a tram to her apartment and we have a good catch up and a delicious lunch. We haven’t seen each other since before covid, so lots to talk about.
Later in afternoon Maiju takes us to the Olympic stadium where we go up the tower then have coffee. cake and more blethers in cafeteria.
Back at Maiju’s apartment we have a drink, say cheerio then get the tram back into the city centre.
It’s after 9pm and we stop at a great we place called Hill’s Dumplings for dinner. A bit of a treat, but really good food and wine then back to hotel…
NOT too major a rush to get away this morning as we had most stuff ready and packed last night 🙂
We get to Edinburgh airport in good time to check in for the first leg of our journey to Helsinki…and soon we’re on a plane to Frankfurt.
There’s a good few hours to wait for our flight from Frankfurt to Helsinki and after a reasonably comfy flight we land in Helsinki just after 1am local time.
The bags and guitar all show up in good shape…but when we try and get a train into the centre of Helsinki we find they’re done until after 4am. Fuck!
Plan B. The bus. We get into town and manhandle the bags to our hotel by 3am. Phew.
I START looking out toiletries and stuff to make things easier for Margaret packing earlier then get on with the routine tasks.
In the studio I have some promo to for the upcoming local gig at the village hall…and also the blues awards voting.
Then it’s time for a rehearsal and run-through of the set lists for the upcoming Finland shows….and then sort and organise what gear I need to take.
Gonna travel light and take just the signature National which will mean some retuning but it’ll make life easier overall.
Back in the house I do a livestream acoustic song then we wander along to see Betty and share a glass or two of red.
It’s getting late when we get home and I make some pano chicken in the air fryer and we finish packing. Not too early a start in the morning, but we wanna be well prepared….
MORE campaigning for the blues awards then I make a video to post as my ‘acoustic song of the day’.
Once done I start thinking about a set lists for the Helsinki shows coming up. I’m only taking one guitar and want to minimise the amount of re-tuning…so the set needs a bit of extra planning.
After lunch I spend some more time in the studio then head out for a walk up the loch side.
MAIN job after the routine tasks are out the way is phase one of my media campaign to try and attract some votes in the UK Blues Awards.
After a break for Zoom session with one of my guitar students I phone round some journalist contacts and send them news releases, info and images. I’m not sure wider traditional media coverage attracts attention in itself, but there’s definitely some social proof and content value sharing any coverage on my socials. Plus, if you don’t try, you don’t get!
Of course I get pretty involved in all the media stuff and am back at it after lunch.
There’s a big hole in one of the soffits at the front of the house. I measured the area earlier, cut and painted a bit of wood to match it up. The paint is now dry enough for me to screw it into place and although it’s now exactly master craftsman-like it’ll hopefully do the job. Keep the bats out at least!
Thankfully the days are getting a little lighter and I manage a walk up the loch side before dark. I’m pretty knackered, tho’…the chesty cough seems to have got me by the balls.
There’s a mother Zoom guitar student at 7pm then I go live for my weekly livestream into the Wildcats’ Facebook group….
