Yesterday we played at Vihreä talo in Riihimäki. It is one of those great places where the owner has his/her heart in it, and you feel it when you enter. Riihimäki is a big town, and Vihreä talo is a small place. But it is the only indie place for any kind of indie happenings in the area. So it was crowded, which means that it was exciting but easy to give the concert. We had good fun there, and afterwards, with friends. 

Today we woke up at 5 am and rode 90 kilometers to Työväen musiikkitapahtuma (Worker’s Music Festival) in Valkeakoski. It was a tough ride in the rain, and we arrived just 15 minutes before our firts gig. It was in a mall with no stage, no crew, no nothing. Well, the bikes and violin cases make a good feeling of stage, and we just started to play. Strangely, it was ok. People stopped and listened and asked questions and some bought CDs.

After lunch we had another concert. This time it was in the (not very) central square. No crew, no sound, no lights, just a few planks for a stage. Well, it was not raining so we just started to play, and it was great. A good crowd gathered around us, listened, asked questions, bought CDs.

A few weeks ago we wrote how important it is for a festival to integrate with the local community. To play in malls and squares is never easy, and it is far from ideal environment for rich details of professional folk fiddle music, but it is important all the same. It is what we asked for. And it is a challenge, sometimes even a rewarding challenge. You just have to adapt.