All posts by Pekka Takki

BTW – What Made Us – LIVE

BTW LIVE

btw-live-ticket

 

Where:
Louhi Sali   More…

When:
October 23rd, 2014, 7pm

Tickets:
Lippupalvelu   More…

Line-up:
BTW

and

Jyri Sariola, drums
Zarkus Poussa, percussion
Timo Tuppurainen, bass
Peter Engberg, guitar
Rami Kaalamo, guitar
Osmo Ikonen, keyboards
Kaarle Mannila, backing vocals
Tomas Höglund, backing vocals
Britt Bergholm, backing vocals
Merilyn, violin
Tero Lindberg, trumpet
Antti Rissanen, trombone

What’s with the radio silence… ?

The record came out a full month ago, but we’ve done zero promotion, no introductory gigs, no interviews and suchlike. Why?

Well, in life, sometimes things don’t go quite as planned out. As famously stated by Forrest Gump’s momma, life is like a box of chocolate – you never know whatcha gonna get.

It so happened that one of us encountered a rather serious medical challenge just after the record came out, and has been recovering (very well, thank goodness) ever since. Still is. This effectively stopped us dead on the tracks, and also, serves as a reminder of how precious life is.

We will do some promotion as soon as we all are back in line, for sure. Watch this space. Until then, please consume the goods now available in all relevant digital media, and see what thoughts they invoke in you.

Available at iTunes and Spotify and whatnot…!

There it is!!! Yes, high five!

Just don’t get confused, as someone else, in fact many others have also apparently seen it fit to call themselves  BTW. They all have an inpeccably good taste, and were likely at it before us (with the name in public, that is). Our last names are and remain what they are, so let’s live in peace.

But please, be careful to listen to or download (and pay for) our record “What Made Us” if that is what you are set out to do.

There are means to measure quantity, such as how many times a tune or a track has been downloaded, a record sold, a track had airplay etc. Then there are suits and beancounters who make a living for such.

We make our living in ways we have seen fit to do. Selling our music at max price is not needed to keep up our campfire.

We do this for reasons explained at our homepage as best as we can, and more than anything, we LOVE feedback from you. We know what went through our mind and conciousness when penning down a track, but we could never know what will go through yours?! This is the mystery, and it is one to vitalize better than any bucket of steroids ever did a sprinter, Canadian or other.

Best of the spring in full bloom to all of You!

In case you’d wish to get a glimpse of the actual music…

… until it finds its way into the proper digital distribution media, in all its glory (which should be within a few weeks, tops), it seems that some songs may have found their way into the one social media site that we all often surf. So be it.

However, once it does hit iTunes, Spotify, and suchlike, we would be highly appreaciative for all you good people to take the leap of faith associated in actually purchasing or consuming the product in the proper and legitimate way. It is not the money per se, should never be. Rather, if one goes towards hope and even better, makes friends while at it, then – but only then – money should follow. That’s all.

Why one should not start a diary…

… is because often, one will not attend to it. Well, in short, we spent many a great days in the studio. And we got it done! The album (What Made Us) should be soon available in select (actual) record stores, and in a few weeks or so, on the usual digital suspects (Spotify, iTunes…).

We are even hopeful that certain Finnish radio stations might be foolish enough to soon air a track or two.

It’s been a blast. We are happy. But as the philosophers have known to wonder, does a falling tree in a forest make a sound, if there is no-one present to listen to it … Give it a chance – it deserves it!

Dear Diary, or as they now call such a thing, ”studio blog”.

btw_pic01a

There is a beginning to every journey. Our journey of creating and cutting BTW musical tracks begun a long, long time ago. Perhaps it is not possible, or worth the while to even try and get our heads around as to exactly when it ultimately started. It is certain that the ambitious and restless young men we were some quarter of a century ago did not have the baggage full of lessons learned in life, which – if successful – will transform into music that is meaningful to us here and now. We certainly did not have the facilities then. But oh boy, fast forward to present day. If there is a dream come true, we are living it.

The tracking sessions have begun. First two studio days in front and behind a DR Octagon 48 channel console, in a space that sounds unspeakably good, with no rush. But more importantly than anything else, amongst friends, in an atmosphere of genuine mutual respect, admiration, compassion, and trust. At first, there is seemingly nothing. Then something magical happens, and out of thin air, there are songs, musical textures, feelings expressed in amplitudes but felt in flesh and bone. And in this case, also saved on hard disk in tracks many of which will likely be keepers. This is far better than any of us could have expected from just two days in the studio. But it is truly the journey itself, not merely the tangible results that make this so pleasing. No man is an island. The three of us (Mikkis B, Mosu W and myself, T) can create and produce decent stuff as an unit, sure. But during the weekend, the professionalism and pure niceness – and the ears – of our friends, Rami behind the console, on the acoustic guitar and in backing vocals, and Zarkus who graciously lended his mighty groove to both tracks (“Minding My Own”, “Follow Your Heart”) we were cutting, lifted the thing to a whole different level. The journey is on its way, and there will be milestones. Getting actually at it in the studio was a major milestone.

But for now, we are going to enjoy the ride for our heart’s content.