Kuortane: the last song for my new album

Pending some unforeseen situation, the last note of music for my forthcoming new album was recorded this afternoon. I tracked an acoustic instrumental arrangement of the 19th Century Finnish folk melody "Kuortane," and it turned out really cool. 

The song is named for the town in Finland where it originated over 100 years ago. Here's a map if you wanna take a road trip. I became familiar with its lovely melody because it's the tune for the hymn text "We Are All One In Mission" found in some recent American Lutheran hymnals. I was amazed to find out the tune's origins, because I've been to the town of Kuortane in Finland...it's the familial hometown of my maternal Grandmother! Back in 2001 I went to Kuortane and visited the church (see the cross on the map?) right near the lake, and saw the place where my ancestors were baptized, married, and buried.

I recorded the song in my cousin Bruce's basement studio, Salt Lady North. It was the last bit of work I've needed to accomplish for my upcoming new album, which is shaping up to be an epic beast with about 20 songs. 

I also learned this afternoon that my fuel tank for new songs has run dry. I've been in a pretty exciting creative phase these past six months, cranking out lots of songs I'm really happy about, and songs I hope you listeners will enjoy later this Summer when the album comes out. But now that the project is almost ready for manufacturing, my brain and soul are exhausted!

I'm out the door right now to play a show tonight at the Thirsty Fish Pub in Houghton. Maybe I'll see some of you readers at the gig!

Star Wars: Attack of the Clones, indeed.

About a week or so ago I dug through some boxes in my basement and found all my Star Wars action figures from the 1970s. My son Paavo has been really into Star Wars lately (although he hasn't seen any of the films...I told him he has to wait 'til he's six), so I sat him down in our family room and ceremoniously bestowed all my Star Wars toys upon him.

The delight on his face was indescribable. Ever since then, Paavo has been living out a Lucasian fantasy existence, clashing invisible lightsabers, jumping off couches with imaginary laser blasters, and talking incessantly about Chewbacca, Obi-Wan, Jawas, and his favorite character Darth Vader.

I'm vacationing with the kids up here in Michigan's Upper Peninsula this week, and Paavo has been able to continue his Star Wars adventures with even more toys. At my in-laws' house, Paavo's Grandma searched the garage and found my brother-in-law's vintage Star Wars toys, allowing Paavo to use the Hoth ice planet playset, a ton of action figures, an X Wing Fighter ship, and even some modern Star Wars lego sets.

Then upon arriving at my parents house, the Star Wars play continued. This morning Paavo spent literally THREE HOURS sitting at the kitchen table with a blank sketch pad and crayons, drawing detailed pictures: R2D2 fighting Boba Fett, Princess Leia in her forest battle outfit, Obi-Wan jumping in the air with lightsaber.

I remember with exact detail when Star Wars came out in 1977. I was six years old, and my parents took me to see it in the theater. My first action figure was Chewbacca, purchased at the Ishpeming JC Penney store. That same toy is now in Paavo's possession, 30 years later.

I left the kids with their Grandparents and Jedi, while I drove here to Houghton this afternoon. I'll be hanging out at my cousin Bruce's house, and playing a show with him here tomorrow at the Thirsty Fish Pub. I was born across the river from here in Hancock, MI, and my parents lived with me for my first year here in Houghton, just up the hill from where I sit at the Cyberia Cafe. Sometimes I wonder what my life would've been like had I stayed in Houghton for my childhood, and not moved to Ishpeming at age 1. This is a beautiful town.

greetings from Escanaba, Marquette, Ishpeming, etc.

It's good to be back in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, the land of my birth, childhood, and youth.

Here's a shot of "Old Ish," the native American mascot of my hometown, Ishpeming. Ish stands in the center of the town's main drag, keeping his eye on the hooligans across the street at the Tee Pee Bar, and the Congress Pizza place. I walked downtown last night with Dawn, Paavo, Svea, and my Mom, for my regular pilgrimage to Mama Mia's restaurant, and we stopped in the shadow of Old Ish, to pay our respects. He's looking good these days. Freshly painted. They stuck him there in the late 1800s, and he's holding up well.

Right now I'm down the road in the "big town" of Marquette, utilizing the free wi-fi at the local bagel place. Dawn's on campus of Northern Michigan University working in the Augsburg Fortress Bookstore at the ELCA Synod Assembly for the Northern Great Lakes Synod. Sort of the Justice League meeting of all the Lutheran Pastors up here in the UP area. Paavo and Svea are playing with their Grandparents.

Where have I been for the past few weeks, in this low-blog period? Well, just hangin' at home, mostly. Taking care of the kids, wrapping up Paavo's school year, and beginning a series of home/cleaning projects.

On the musical front, I've finished up pretty much all the songs for a new album (hopefully to be released in July). I sang a few last lead vocal parts, played bass and Wurlitzer on an awesome new song co-written with the brilliant Jeff Krebs (who I just visited this afternoon), and took my completed recordings to various mixing engineers in the Twin Cities who are mixing my tunes for ultimate rockability. Met with my favorite painter Kelly Newcomer who will help me with album art and design.

Saw the movie Iron Man last week with Dawn, and we enjoyed it, giving it a healthy grade "B."
I've been surfing the cable TV the past few days at my in-laws' and parents' houses...I just can't figure out Keeping Up With the Kardashians...it's boring! Nothing happens! I enjoy that E network show "The Soup"...pretty snarky and funny. Watched the first 3/4 of a movie on AMC (or TBS or something)...the underwater thriller "Sphere" starring Sharon Stone and Dustin Hoffman....got bored and couldn't finish it. I'm dying to watch some music videos, but there are no channels on TV that play them. I guess you gotta watch YouTube these days. Spent 2 hours watching "The Office" marathon on NBC last night, and thought it was funny, but not as funny as the early seasons. I've watched more TV in the past three days than I have in the past three months.

Tonight my Mom is cooking a ham. I'm gonna sit in front of the tube and change my guitar strings. It's good to rest and relax and just exist.

Kip Winger in my kitchen.

Hey, who is that peering from behind the spatulas? Is it....could it be....yes, it IS Kip Winger! Singer/bassist from late-'80s spandex-metal band Winger!

What's he doing in my kitchen?

I read online somewhere that the Kip Winger solo album sounded not unlike Toy Matinee, a slick and sophisticated studio-pop band that I adore. Thanks to the magic of CD trading site lala.com I was able to obtain this Kip Winger CD, and gol darn it, it DOES sound like Toy Matinee!

So, I've been keeping Kip by the spatulas and listening to him while I do the dishes. Good stuff, Kip!