The Things That I Used To Do - PEPE AHLQVIST

A distinguished member of the European blues elite, PEPE AHLQVIST (born on 4th of July 1956) is an internationally known Finnish blues artist. During his 40-year-long career he has frequently performed with many legendary blues artists.He has managed to maintain his popularity through the years by presenting fabulous and successful recordings with various bands and giving over 5.000 gigs and concerts. Pepe Ahlqvist is considered a talented and personal singer-guitarist-harmonica player with individual style who also writes his own songs. Pepe began his career in the turn of the 1960's and 1970's. CHICAGO OVERCOAT, his band in the 1970's, thrived under the shield of the legendary Love Records, wherefrom Pepe moved on to collaborate with Fazer/Warner Music for a good period of time. In the late 1980's and early 1990's PEPE AHLQVIST H.A.R.P. recorded several indispensable albums. Besides Finland, the Pepe Ahlqvist albums have been released for instance in the other Nordic countries and in Middle Europe. The last one of the three most important Pepe Ahlqvist bands, THE ROLLING TUMBLEWEED recorded four albums that represent the absolute cream of Finnish blues. Pepe's most recent project, SF BLUES (Suomi-Finland Blues) started in 2002 with singer/guitarist Heikki Silvennoinen . So far there's been featuring top guests, and more is to come. Pepe has been touring in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Holland, Belgium, Austria, Germany, Luxemburg, Estonia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, USA and Canada. He has also performed as a guest soloist in a large number of concerts by international blues legends in Finland, for example for B.B. King in 2004 and 2006. Nowadays Pepe Ahlqvist works as a solo artist from acoustic gigs to big band concerts. If you like what I’m doing, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! - ”LIKE”

Chicken in the Watch - Black River Bluesman & Bad Mood Hudson

Black River Bluesman and his Cockroach Combo destroyed the woods and the mountains around their tiny hometown of Mustio Finland by carving their guitars, drums and harmonicas from whole ironwood trees with their bare hands and by using John Henry..s twelve pound hammer (with four foot handle) they beat down those mountains for brass, silver and iron (and coal to fire this thing) to fashion the rest of the parts they needed. When they were finished they stomped their thirst with a bottle of RL Burnside..s Bloody mthrfckr and sat down in the full moon light at that muddy crossroads between Holly Springs Mississippi, Mustio and County Kisko to play Their raw dirty beautiful Blues.................Rick Saunders, Deep Blues (USA), August 2006.

Jukka plays Johnny Lowebow’s genuine handmade custom cigar-box guitars, the most special of which is the doubleneck stereo baritone. Multi-instrumentalist Andy, who joined the band in the days of the Croaking Lizard quartet, functions in this line-up as a drummer-percussionist and a back-up singer. He has spent years singing and playing in and writing for various bands, mostly in the field of heavier rock.

”The flag-bearer of Finnish alt.blues”, Black River Bluesman has always walked his own path, producing his uncompromising and original music with little regard for the mainstream. The line-ups have changed, but the group has now tightened into a working duo, retaining nothing but the most vital elements of their music.

Past gigs include numerous festivals literally around the globe, from Nepal to Italy and Estonia, from Shetland to the USA and Brazil. Airplay, live radio and TV performances, magazine profiles and praise have also cropped up in all corners of the world. Black River Bluesman's 4th full-length album is due before the end of the year.
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Broke My Baby's Heart - Baby Boy Varhama Blues Band

Varhama suunnitteli kahdeksankymmentäluvun puolessa välin sähköistä blues-rockbändiä, joka soittaisi valtaosin hänen omia sävellyksiään – niitä oli vuosien varrella kertynyt pöytälaatikkoon. Sopivat miehet löytyivät joskus 80/90 –luvun taitteessa ja homma polkaistiin käyntiinkin, vaan lyhytaikaiseksi jäi Blues Business. Bassoa siinä soitti Jarski Poutiainen, rummuissa oli Hanski Rontu, koskettimissa Jari Puheloinen ja perkussioista vastasi Timo Ronkainen; Baby Boy lauloi ja soitti kitaraa. Vaikka homma tyrehtyi, jäi kaipaus yhtyeen konseptista. 1989
Asia tuli sopivasti esille vuonna ’98, jolloin Jarski Poutiainen ja Jaska Heinonen kysyivät, olisiko Varhamalla jemmassa J. Leinon bändille sopivia bluesbiisejä. Niinpä Pentti kasasi itseään nuoremmista, entisistä Tiirismaan koulun oppilaista (ko. koulussa Varhama on toiminut jo vuosia historian opettajana ja on kuulemani mukaan pidetty opettaja) yhtyeen, jolla aikoi äänittää vain demobiisit Leinon bändin kuultavaksi. Ryhmittymän bändikemia toimi loistavasti, ja niinpä konklaavi on harvakseltaan aktiivinen nimellä THE BABY BOY VARHAMA BLUES BAND. Rumpuja soittaa Matias Partanen, bassossa on Esa Korja, kitaroissa Daniel Harkin & B.B. Varhama ja lyömäsoittimissa Lari Hermanni Lius.
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Stone Inside - Micke Björklöf & Bluestrip

When did you last hear a vibraphone hobnob with a frantic slide guitar? Probably never, but now you can.

After a five years wait, Micke Björklöf & Blue Strip finally delivers a new album "Whole´Nutha Thang", featuring eleven exquisitely completed new songs. The album was recorded in London, England with producer Neil Brockbank (Nick Lowe, Tanita Tikaram, Bryan Ferry) in fall 2006. In addition to the excellent band members there are guest appearances by horn players Matt Holland and Martin Winning (Van Morrison, Lisa Stansfield) and keyboard player Geraint Watkins, known for his work with Paul McCartney, Bill Wyman, Van Morrison and Mark Knopfler.

The album title “Whole´Nutha Thang” refers to a new era for the band. The whole process of recording in London was a big thing on its own and it can also be regarded as a giant step for the band towards an international career as a roots & blues music artist. The song writing is stronger than ever and the band is really groovy. The album offers a mature and focused collection of all-original roots and blues songs with soul, rock and pop flourishes. The rockin´ songs like “Hard for a woman, hard for a man”, “Jungle cat”, “Grapesugar love” as well as beautifully built laid back tracks “I fell down from the tree (when I saw Robert Johnson pass me by)”, Extreme”, “Silver moon” and “Whatever your name” are a soul stirring listening experience.

“We already had the new material ready and some preliminary plans made for the realizing of our fourth album when we met with Neil Brockbank. He worked with Geraint Watkins on a festival gig here in Finland”, Björklöf recalls. “We jammed with Geraint that night and after the show we had a few drinks with the guys, just to socialize a bit. Next morning I had a dicussion with Neil over breakfast and he impressed me with the way he talked about making music. He is really into this organic, live approach and letting things happen naturally. At that time no plans were yet made but I thought to myself “I want to make a record with this guy”, says Björklöf. After a couple of weeks he proposed the producing of the next BlueStrip album to Brockbank and six months later the band found themselves in the recording session in London.

BlueStrip was founded by the bandleader and singer Micke Björklöf and the bass player/songwriter Seppo Nuolikoski in 1991. After a few changes at the very start the line up has been the same for almost ten years. They started as an acoustic pubrock cover band but before long the roots & blues music and producing original material took over. Today the band is one of the most popular live acts in the roots & blues scene in Finland. They have strirred up audiences with their energetic live shows wherever they play, from small club stages to big festival arenas. The exceptionally ingenious guitar player, songwriter and singer Lefty Leppänen is regarded as one of the top slide guitarists in Europe. His resourceful playing is one the BlueStrips trademarks, as well as the sound of vibraphone, played by the mallet virtuoso/arranger Timo Roiko-Jokela, who also builds striking percussion elements with the dynamic drummer Teemu Vuorela.
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Alien Blues - Honey Bee & the T-Bones

No run-of-the-mill grind, but a heady cocktail, where best psychedelic elements from 1960’s San Francisco meet Mississippi blues in a garage with serious intentions. The phat bass lines of Honey B. and the funky drumming of Jaska Lukkarinen builds a house, where T-Bone Ed’s fiery slide takes no prisoners. The cherry on the cake comes courtesy of Honey B’s singing. Think updated Memphis Minnie and you’re close. Blues is not for teenagers, it comes out of life experience. T-Bones have gigged a quarter century, often all over Europe, so they know the ropes. They have worked with harpist Gary Primich, guitar ace Mel Brown and the mighty UMO orchestra and currently back Finland’s answer to Dylan, Tuomari Nurmio (a.k.a. Judge Bone). In the course of ten albums their style has matured from rootsy blues through rocking R&B and psychedelic experimental rock to today’s kaleidoscopic garage blues that fills their upcoming, excellent Alien Blues album
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