Summer 2013

Our summer started from Varna, Bulgaria in the end of May – we were presenting Finland and YLE (our national radio station) in EURORADIO Folk Festival. It was great, we got to meet lots of other musicians and radio people from all over the Europe. In Finland it was quite cold then (surprise...) so it was lovely to say hi to the sun!

In June we had some private gigs in Helsinki area. During midsummer Jutta's father got married and we performed there, it was a very beautiful wedding. We also bought new instrument mics to our small kanteles from Mässbackas! Next stop was great Kaustinen Folk Music Festival. We were super busy with different bands and projects, Maija had for example 20 gigs during that week. Kardemimmit had three gigs there and the audience was as lovely as usual :) It was our 11th festival! Oh yes.

Then we were off to Sweden and Korrö Folk Music Festival. We took a ferry from Helsinki to Stockholm and drove about 7 hours to Korrö. The festival venue was so beautiful! There were nice bands and we spent good time with old and new friends :) Great jam sessions, of course, it was Sweden! Our concert was packed, we enjoyed it a lot!

After Korrö we had a gig in Semifinal, Helsinki together with New Better Spring Band (Maija and Jutta are members of that band too). Then, Norway, Bø. Again we took a ferry from Helsinki to Stockholm and drove through Sweden to Norway :) We love Swedish salad bars btw! Telemarkfestivalen in Bø was really nice. We had single rooms in a summer motel and the festival had put effort to make artists feel good. The other bands were awesome, for example Danjal and our long time favorites Väsen and LAU. We also met a nice chiropractor Jonathan Verderame who adjusted us for free (thanks again Jonathan!) and took us to see waterfalls near Bø. 

What a great summer we had :) It didn't stop there, because our tour in USA started in the end of August, and here in the States it's really warm still! Greetings from here will have its own post!

Spring!

I had a walk in the nearby forest. Clear signs of spring have arrived, like these anemones!  They are natural inhabitants of Southern Finland's forests. When I studied in Kokkola 500 kilometers North from Espoo, I was very shocked to learn they don't grow there at all!

I had some company, Italian greyhounds Sonny and Dobby.

This is lake Hannusjärvi, it is the only lake in Southern Espoo and very small (but still very nice).

Sonny 

Dobby

Have a nice weekend everyone! Hope it's as sunny as our has been so far ;)

Anna

Sweet music in the Sugar mansion

Greetings from mine and Anna's graduating concert! It was held on Thursday with some great musicians including, of course, Kardemimmit, amazing Eero Grundström, wonderful Jesse Kaikuranta and our great and dear mestaripelimanni (that is master player in Finnish) Erkki Lassila. Maybe we will post some videos later from the concert, but meanwhile you can enjoy the atmosphere in the form of photos :)

Concert was held in Alberga mansion aka "Sugar mansion". Isn't it sweet?

Us singing "Kodin kynttilät". Photo by Jorma Airola.

Some beautiful flowers we got :)

And of course, after Thursday comes Friday with home-made Friday pizza!

 Have a nice and sunny weekend everyone!

-Leeni

Vilnius

Anna, Leeni and Maija were in Vilnius, Lithuania last week. The NordTrad conference for folk music university students was held there. A lot of fun, playing and dancing! Here is some photos from our visit.

Coffee and tea drinking (you can't see Leeni's mate tea, but mate it was :)

Views from the hotel room's window. Not bad!

P.S. Spring is finally in Finland, snow has almost gone! It is very likely I'll upload some spring flower photos here soon :)

Anna