The most beautiful room so far

Änggårdsbacken concert with Hannu Kella. Entrance to Hedlund Sal where we made the first concert today.
Sunlight huge windows, space and acoustics for music flow.
Painting by Sven Jonsson, 1956.


A cup of coffe in between gigs, here at Torp Café.


Time to recharge batteries. Tomorrow is our final day on this two weeks tour. I'm going to miss all theese meetings with so special people, it's an honour to give music to our eldest.

Eva

Du är för söt, onge!

Yesterday after concert nr 1 I had such a sweet feedback from the woman on the front row. She had been listening carefully through the whole concert, moving her hands with the rythm of the songs.
She came to us afterwards and said with a warm smile: "Du är för söt, onge! Ta vara på varje dag! Snart är du lika gammal som jag. (You are too cute, kid! Take good care of every day that is given to you. Soon you will be old like me.)
They are angels with their messages to us.

Along the road while passing in the car we've seen some great names on small restaurants. This might only make sense to swedish-speaking people...

Gatuköket Gyllene Korven
Pizza Ferrari (wich was definitely one of the small, rough looking pizzerias)
Li Jiu Kinamat



Sunny greetings from me and our little sun-worshipping dog Leo:

I'm walking with light steps

In the sunshine.
Leo behind me on the sofa.

This makes me happy.
At the second concert today we arrived a little early. While I was preparing myself for singing I noticed two turtle doves sitting on the veranda in the white spring sunshine. He was kissing her hand in gentleman manners. They were both 80++, I'm not really sure, and it doesn't matter. A peaceful moment tete-a-tete. As they sat there for a while my curiosity took over so I approached and asked gently if they had lived a long life together? No, we just met here, answered the woman. We talked for a little while that life is giving so much unexpectantly and I told them they have light up my day and I will always remember them for spreading so much shine around them.
Ivar and Inga-lill.

Gigs and dogs

This week has been full of really great adventures! We've just bought a dog, that's something that will take time to fully grow in to. So sweet little dog, and he's already taken part in his first concert.
Because this week Hannu Kella and I are full time working with concerts at senior homes. A lovely work, we travel all over Göteborg, east, west, south, north around the city. So many great audience we've had! I'm very thankful that I can do this type of job.

Now when we've done our program 2-3 times each day, it's really nice to start work with some new music! Oh, the reason Hannu and I do the same concert for one week is that it's such a nice program, I really love to perform this, no doubt about that. One more week to go, just need to recharge the batteries over the weekend.

On the 2nd of April I'm doing a concert in Ljungs church with gitarrist Mats Eriksson, and church organist Georg Keczan.
Spring time in the air....well, maybe today we had the fog carpet over Göteborg, but soon....soon there will be more sunshine again!
Why not admire the moon and the planets that are visible at the moment.

And here's little Leo. Our new member in this household. Warmest welcome, Leo!

To make someone see

Hannu before concert at Moa and Mats houseconcert, Sunday.

Yesterday at concert something very special happened. One listener in the audience, a blind man, said afterwards that our music and my way of making the songs alive in the storytelling made him see pictures. He could once in his life see, and now we made him see things again. I'm definitely not any kind of small Jesus, but things like this is miracles to me. It makes me wanna go on and sing, it makes it all worthwhile. The blind man also said that the concert was going to warm him up for long time to come. I can say his response to our music will do the same for me, it gives me courage to go forward and never give up for my music dreams. It's so clear, how a reaction from a single person in a small venue can be so important.

Our audience yesterday was really really appreiative, all of them. Both Hannu and I were given flowers from a blacksmith who had walked several kilometers to get to concert. Very special. Thank you for flowers, and thank you all of you listeners,
yes,
I will keep these moments in my memory, very dear.

Here's a little filmclip from soundcheck on thursday at Oceanen.



Wish you a good week!
Eva

Concert preparations

Tonight I'm doing a concert with Hannu Kella.

This is the way it goes on a day of a concert. Contemplating and doing practical preparations.

As usual, I feel a little disorganized but at the same time so strong about the music we are going to play. Like a feeling that the whole world needs to hear the songs we will play tonight, as answer to all kinds of questions there might be in a human mind. Because we are mirrors, music is like poetry, it's open for understanding in many ways. Folk music is often a reflection of timeless questions about life and death, jealosy, love, broken hearts, boldness and courage.

I've sung the songs on my own, I've read the lyrics loud (my daughter is sighing about this...)
I've decided what the outfit will be, most black and white colours for the sake of the drama ingredients found in the swedish-finnish songs.

I've almost packed the bag with stage clothes, shoes, microphone, book of lyrics and set list. What else do I need to bring?

I will just now, after I've finished writing, do some yoga.

A cup of coffé and then go.



Life is so fantastic. Here's one of my inspirational movies, made by multi-artist Miranda July:

Finnish-swedish songs: 10 shades of passion

Yesterday we had a tour start in Karlstad, at the cosy and warm Café August. What a wonderful audience, and the friends who came, I'm the happiness to see my collegue and band-mate Mattias with his wife and daughter. Other close friends showed up too and it was a very special evening singing there.

On thursday we play at Planeta-festival in Göteborg, more precisely at Oceanen at 19 in the evening. We'll play some finnish-swedish songs full of passion and love. Sometimes songs about broken hearts, yes, it's like deep rooted in the tradition of the 2 countries.