April 2026 Newsletter & Spring Tour 2026

Brand new new new newsletter has been sent yesterday on Easter Monday, right in time prior to my upcoming spring tour dates. Read if you want to. Or, even better, read it and attend one of the upcoming shows in Germany, Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia or Italy. Last Italian shows, I just realised, were around the same time of the year, back in 2019… Which feels kinda unreal. Looking forward to meeting a lot of dear friends I haven’t seen for a very long time in the course of the two months coming.

Three dates CANCELLED!

It's a bit of a tough one to write this post, but taking all into consideration, this is the only sensible solution. It's with a heavy heart and deeply disappointed, I have to cancel the first three Czech shows of my spring/summer tour. That means today (7 May 2026) in Nostalgicka Mys Semanovice, tomorrow in Valeč, Zcestovalec Gathering (8 May 2026) and Saturday in Broumov at Club Eden (9 May 2026).
I'm still in hospital trying to get rid of an annoying stomach/guts infection that took me down last weekend in Slovakia, when touring with The Très Biens. There was the option to leave the hospital AMA today, and jump right into this five-week run with a straight-five-shows-no-break week and probably break down again, or skip the first three ones and be able to play all of the rest. I suppose you guess my decision. It's getting better very slowly but just now I'm realistically still not able to play a whole concert.

The saddest part is, these are all shows I'd have played with Pavel Cingl on violin, always very special and enjoyable performances, and of course the first one being at Nostalgicka Mys, Semanovice. Dear friends in one of the greatest little places CZ has to offer. I hope we'll find replacement dates for the cancelled ones. I'll let you know.

Please take my apologies. This really hurts a lot. Unfortunately there is not much we can do about it. I hope to meet you at one of the remaining shows of this tour or catch up some other time, some other place.

Order “MÄKKELÄ -FOLK NOIR gegen Nazis” T-Shirt

Dee_X_Gee from Slovakia who took the fab sunset shot at my first ever concert in Spišská Nová Ves, which ended up being the front cover of the "Homeland" album, who made numerous poster designs for numerous bands and venues of the Slovak hardcore punk scene, this very dude created a t-shirt design for me! I'm still absolutely chuffed! Amazing work! Follow Daniel on Instagram to see more of his work. It's worthwhile!

If you want one of these beauties you may order & pay directly in my webshop or Bandcamp

The Très Biens new album is out!

It’s out, it sounds great and it looks marvellous. Recorded in Italy and Germany I’m more than pleased with the outcome. Who’d have thought we’d ever find the time to make it and bang! - here it is. The Très Biens’ album “You Can’t Win” is finally available on all the digitals and in several webshops. Means: Bandcamp, Discogs and right here in the Mäkkelä Merch Shop. It’s a good one. Buy it! Make it an even better one by buying your copy in a real recordstore. Currently it’s in stock at Mono-Ton (Nuremberg/Germany), Toxic-Toast (Coburg/Germany), Tante Erna (Viechtach/Germany), Discos Bloody Mary (Irun/Basque Country), Lost & Found (Kassel/Germany) and last but not least from late November on at Cougouyou Music (Perpignan/France).

MÄKKELÄ Tea Towels

Are back and available at the merch desk on tour. Order HERE now to make sure you’ll get one.

R.I.P. Ema Hurskainen

It's with the greatest sadness I heard of the passing of Ema Hurskainen today. From our first encounter on, when he was playing the drums in Eläkeläiset on one of their first German tours, which I was part of as their (probably totally useless) road manager and label representative of TUG/Humppa Records in the mid/late nineties, I've known him as an easy-going, wonderful person. Despite the chaos and utter madness that came with those early Eläkeläiset tours. Lost touch after major changes within the record label took place in the early 2000s. Took about a good decade until I met him again, when he lived for a brief period in/near the city of Bamberg. Being in need of a drummer for the record release show of my “Homeland” album, I asked whether he'd be up for playing a couple of shows, not expecting at all he would. Not least because he was commuting between Bamberg and Finland due to his commitments with Jarkko Martikainen at the time. What should I say - he agreed. Those few weeks of rehearsals and the shows in that full band line-up with him turned out a both inspiring and most enjoyable experience musically. Even more importantly, the time we shared at my old flat, waiting for the rest of the band, having coffee and talking, still reverberate today. All the time since then, I was hoping our tour schedules would make us cross paths again somewhere. For more coffee, more talks. It didn't happen and to my shame I must admit I didn't push for it enough. Another mark on my checklist of missed opportunities & fuck-ups. One of the good ones has left and I do miss him. Thanks Ema. Wherever you are. You won't be forgotten.

You may listen to a song from that mentioned record release show with him on drums here.

MÄKKELÄ live & solo 2026 (unless mentioned otherwise)

07 May CZ-Semanovice, Nostalgicka Mys *
08 May CZ-Valeč, Zcestovalec Gathering *
09 May CZ-Broumov, Club Eden *
10 May CZ-Česká Lípa, U bílýho černocha *
11 May CZ-Praha, U Zavěšenýho Kafe *
13 May CZ-Brno, Jazz bar U kouřícího králíka
14 May SK-Banska Bystrica, Bosorka
15 May SK-Puchov, Podivny Baron
16 May SK-Topolcani, Nástupište 1-12
18 May SK-Košice, Pokhoi
20 May PL-Wroclaw, Pieśniarze
21 May PL-Warsaw, La Boheme
22 May PL-Kasimierz Dolny, Trzeci Księżyc Lokalne Bistro
23 May PL-Krakow, Vpub
24 May SK-Spisska Nova Ves
27 May SK-Bratislava, Cyklo Kuchyna
28 May SLO-Ljubljana, Jalla-Jalla
29 May HR-Split, Caffe Bar Zeppelin
02 June IT-Bologna, Locura Soul Bar
03 June IT-Castel d'Ario, Hostaria
05 June IT-Ravenna, Via Mazzini 66
08 June SLO-Maribor, Vetrinjc Bar Coda
10 June D-München, Cafe Schaumamoi
11 June D-Kallmünz, Kulturschmiede
12 June D-Weinstadt, Cafe Limbo
05 July D-Eichstätt, Altstadtfest

* with Pavel Cingl (violin)

Find full list of shows in “concerts”

Škoda blue and the black legged Jesus

Has been released 4th October 2024 and is still what I consider one of my most accomplished works. There are three singles out on all the digi channels, so feel free to have a listen. “Higher Germanie” is a traditional folk song in a remarkably different arrangement compared to the ones you might have heard so far. “Škoda blue” is sort of the title track of the album and “Xmas Meltdown” is available there too. Since 31 August 2025 it’s available for streaming everywhere except of Spotify, if you want a digital version of the full album please proceed to my Bandcamp site.

Here is what other people think about the album. Reviews can be found in Keywest Magazin, Mangowave Reviews, Frizz, Ox Fanzine, jpc’s mailorder or Folker.

Live videos from the 2024 European tour

“Forty or Eight” at La Muraz, France
”Snake Eyes In Paradise” from that same show, an unreleased new song based on words by Denis Johnson, video edited by Flora. Thanks for sharing!
Full show of Mäkkelä at Urgence Disk Geneva, 8 Oct 2024
”Golden Age Of Bloodshed” featuring Boucan live at L’Anthropo, Perpignan on 10 October 2024.

Interview with Rockstage Riot Rhein Main

In the beginning of my 2024 spring tour with Nightbird I had the pleasure to meet Stefan of Rockstage Riot Rhein Main music blog for an interview in some bizarre Chinese park in Frankfurt/M., Germany on one of the few sunny days we had the chance to enjoy on our tour. The whole thing is online now here!

Biel, Oct 2023

Here are some lovely shots from Patrick Principe who came to see my show at Café du Commerce in Biel, Switzerland. Have a look here, on his website.

Stupid & Innocent Years

Recorded this song with violinist Pavel Cingl in Svárov, Czech Republic with some minor adjustments and the final mix done in Nuremberg. I like the song a lot and I’m very, very glad EgoTherapie of Nuremberg made a wonderful little animated video for it. The only release that happened in 2023.

Gig review (in German) of our tour show at Dreikönigskeller Frankfurt/M

Read all about it…

One more about “Dog & Typewriter”

Unexpectedly a late but nonetheless amazing review of “Dog & Typewriter” came in. Peter Gruner wrote it for the German daily newspaper Nürnberger Nachrichten. As it’s been only in the print issue you have to read the scan here… Worthwhile. Cheers Peter!

Some reviews of “Trad & Anger”

Remembering that whole somewhat difficult process of making it feels good to read these. Seems like it was all worthwhile. German ones on Nordbayern.de, Ox Fanzine and blueprint-fanzine.de and an English one in Fatea Magazine.