In our preparations we needed to order some gear for the band from Germany and while scrolling through the webshop Jordan found the sweetest Electric-Ukulele. For a couple years I was dreaming of switching from my acoustic concert Ukulele to an electric one as it makes more sense to use all those pedals/effects with an E-Ukulele. Just a couple weeks before the first gig my Flight Pathfinder Tenor Ukulele arrived. There were a lot of changes to adjust myself to: ditching the nylon for steel strings, the concert for tenor and the very different feel of playing, higher dynamics and a lot of adjusting in my playing. Funny to decide to learn to play with a new instrument two weeks before the gigs, but it was highly rewarding! Makes me smile like an idiot in to hear this new sound coming from my amp and actually having sweet sustain to it too.

While I was getting used to my new instrument, Jordan worked on simple lead sheets for the songs in the planned setlist. Typing out the lead sheets with “musescore” he got so excited that he introduced some new sheets for some of our songs to the band. And as it goes, we also had to learn some new parts and arrangements in those last weeks leading up to the gigs. Eero was touring down south and had to learn it all in the week leading up to the 15th Oct. Most of the songs we have been performing since years but all of them never felt fully fledged out, but have been evolving greatly with our fruitful practice sessions.
 
Let me introduce you to the two girls we worked with

 
The extended Team
Haydé arrived by train on Friday before the first gig and was staying with us for a whole week. On a Saturday she wrote her verse for our collab song which closed both gigs. Taavi composed his rap-part for this song the night before the first gig and we brought it all together on stage. Saturday evening we skipped the planned outdoor BBQ due to heavy wet snow fall and swapped it for indoor BBQ at our place. Satu had arrived in the afternoon and Taavi brought most of his kids, including Okko’s girlfriend Naja to the hangout and we got to discuss some details for the coming day.

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The band met in the morning to pack the “mukava (nice)” bus with all the gear we needed. Satu, Haydé and I arrived early to meet Sanna, the pastor of the free church we performed at. Someone had broken the outer layer of their window next to the entrance, so the police had to be called and the city officials came to clear all the broken glass swiftly. Finnish windows have multiple layers so no cold was able to come inside. We had a chat with pastor Sanna about the layout and our stories/songs. Then the guys arrived with all the gear and we did the setup with the help of Oula, the trusted drum tech. Eero, again, filled the double role of a sound guy and bass player. He always does a great job and even lets us use his own gear.

We managed to finish all our setup and soundchecks at 15:30 (3:30pm), 16:00 (4pm) being the showtime. Barely any people were showing at that time, but all of a sudden the space started to fill up and was crowded when it was time for Satu to open with her set! Pastor Sanna was very surprised to only recognise a few familiar faces, which were mainly the volunteers who set up the coffee and snacks at the back. Satu shared some very touching stories to her finnish songs. Then it was time to welcome Haydé on stage. She accompanied herself with the piano like Satu, but also used some backing tracks to bring in the orchestral arrangements of her songs. After Haydé it was our turn and Satu occupied the sound desk, so Eero could join us on stage. It still surprises me how attentively finnish people listen to live music. Especially me sharing the stories behind a couple of songs had people even more engaged and also helped them to understand the songs lyrically. Tears, laughter and singalong. All of it happened and we got to close off the show with Haydé back on stage with the collab song.
We are so happy for everyone who came out to listen! The conversations after the gig with people relating to the songs, the stories and being touched by them means a lot to us!

 
On the next day after some rest we had a bit of a practice session, with a feedback round on the phone with the team. On Tuesday night we loaded the bus with the gear and early next morning we scrambled to get all our personal belongings and tired self’s into the bus, so we could arrive before lunch business at Jolie’s in Äkäslompolo. Yup, that’s the name of the town.

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A couple hours later we arrived in Ylläs and met Jo who was very accommodating to us. Even though we didn’t have the biggest space available, we managed to create a cosy stage area next to the entrance with Jo’s help. During our soundcheck we got a group of ladies celebrating a round birthday. They were happy for us to take more time for our soundcheck even though we tried to wrap up before lunch business. After Haydé had finished her soundcheck we were ready to get some groceries and check into our accommodation, which Taavi’s friend had organised for the whole team at the last minute. This was the first time that we had a proper downtime before performing. Some of us slept, others had a Sauna or played games. As I was waking up from my nap, I had the pre-gig insecurities hitting. After the Sunday’s gig we noticed that it is important to share the meaning behind all the songs and I was trying to get straight to the point. While some of the guys made dinner, I sat down with Naja to talk about the meanings behind the songs. It was a good conversation as it brought back a bit of perspective into why I share the songs in the first place.

Finally it was the showtime. Jo allowed us to use the kitchen as a backstage area. With the stove top still warm, we took the opportunity to warm up our voices and stored our personal stuff there.
This time, when Haydé opened the set, it was a very sweet easing into the songs. The whole place was so packed, I had no idea so many people could even fit in there! Haydé’s songs were beautifully executed and there were also people dancing to her Waltz song. Everyone was enjoying her show so much that she was asked to give an encore!