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 good. Buy it!

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.

Next shows

31.08. D-Leipzig, Philippus
05.09. D-Roding, Wohnzimmer Roding
13.09. D-Königshain-Wiederau, Kleine Schweiz
19.09. D-Fürth, Kunstkeller o27 (The Très Biens & The Black Elephant Band)
20.09. D-Fürth, Kulturgewächshaus, Herbstbluesfest (16.30 h)
21.09. D-Coburg, Toxic Toast (+ The Black Elephant Band)
27.09. D-Königstein, Zum Hirschen (The Goho Hobos)
03.10. CH-Schwyz, Tübli
05.10. F-Lyon, Coopérative du Zèbre
08.10. F-Toulouse, Café Caméléon
09.10. EUS-Elizondo, Txokoto Taberna
10.10. F-Tarbes, CelticPubIsNotAPub
11.10. F-Perpignan, La Grabuge
12.10. F-La Sauvetat-de-Savères, L'Ornithorynque
16.10. F-Saint Etienne, Café-lecture le Remue-méninges
17.10. F-Grenoble, Café Cymbaline (w/ The Nearlies)
18.10. F-Tournon-sur-Rhône, Point Commun
19.10. F-Marcellaz, 648 Café (w/ The Nearlies)
23.10. D-Trier, Café Greco
24.10. D-Freiburg, K.I.S.S.
25.10. D-Ostfildern, Kulturwirtschaft HamburgSüd
26.10. D-Frankfurt/M., Jazzlokal Mampf
27.10. D-Essen, Kunsthaus Essen

Škoda blue and the black legged Jesus

Has been released 4th October 2024 and is still what I consider one of my fave works. There are three digital singles out on all the digi channels, so feel free to have a listen on Spotify and the likes. “Higher Germanie” is a traditional folk song in a remarkably different arrangement than 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. That’s it for Spotify and the likes, 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.