Cars, Guitars & Warm Beers

I truly believe that Finland is Europe's most exotic country and if you don't believe me spend  some time here and you will see what I mean. I also like to call it little America as so many things remind me of the States. The drinking laws for example. And the cars. I don't think that there is another country in the world where you see so many old American cars on the streets like you do here. I live in a small town and in summer not a day goes by where I don't see at least one breathtaking car. Usually more. Most of them are from the 50s, a few from the early 60s. Late 60s and 70s models are rather rare. Different to Germany where most people keep their cars in the garage all year and only take them out when they go to a meeting here people use them all the time. So you get my point, Finns are car crazy. No wonder there are tons of car events all over the country. We finally managed to visit one, the Ruukki Picnic in the South of Finland where streets and cities have 2 names, a Finnish and a Swedish one. 

To see some nice cars wasn't actually the main reason to go as we see them on streets all the time, but music. The good people from Ruukki Picnic always have Rockabilly bands playing and this time the top-act was UK band Carlos and the Bandidos who were over for a short weekend-tour.  We could have seen them also in the evening at some club in what's supposed to be Finland's most awful town, Kouvola, but the weather forecast promised a hot n sunny day and why not do a field trip during the day and relax on the sofa in the evening. It sounds appropriate for my age.

First band and main reason for me to go were the Rockabilly Boys, a Sun-Rockabilly trio with familiar faces from the Finnish Rockabilly scene. Miku 'Ellis Leslie - We Like Alcohol' Majuri on vocals and rhythm guitar, Timo 'Kali' Kalijärvi from the Wagtails, Cast Iron Arms, Cosh Boys, Mike Bell and the Belltones, Happotedit and more, on lead guitar and Iikku Riepponen from the Roadracers and Mike Bell on slap-bass. It's been a while since I saw the trio perform so I had to be there. Ever since I saw them live for the first time 2 years ago I was hooked by their straight forward, no bullshit Rockabilly with balls. The set-list is decent and it doesn't matter to me that it's all covers(I believe). I don't mind that at all when the songs are chosen well. There are so many great songs out there, why not?! Once again it was a great gig, very enjoyable and I hope I won't have to wait another two years to see them again.

Now it was time for a cold refreshment but the only beer they sold was hand-hot. The 'cooler' they had was just not able to keep up with the speed beers were sold. Funny, you'd think that Finns know how Finns drink. At a car show and Rockabilly gig. Well, it went down anyway and I've had worse. 

Next on were Mike Bell and the Belltones with Kali and Iikku from the R-A-B Boys, now on vocals and rhythm guitar Mike Bell from the Beetle Crushers and as replacement for their original drummer the one from Carlos and the Bandidos. As similar as the line-up was to the first band, the difference couldn't have been bigger. Where the Rockabilly Boys had balls and kicked ass, the Belltones were just lame. Just another Authentic Rockabilly band that misses the point in my opinion, like so often. It was the second time I saw the band and it couldn't change the impression I got when seeing them the first time in April. Something's missing, something's not right, I just don't like it. Well, I'll see them again next saturday. Maybe then, with more beer(hopefully cold) I might start to like it.

After a break with more warm beer and cold ice cream it was time for the top act of the afternoon, Carlos and the Bandidos. I never cared much for them. I bought their first LP when it came out and sold it again and then didn't spend any money on them again but now it was only 5,- in, so that would be an acceptable loss in case of a boring performance. But I was wrong. The band played a decent Rockabilly set and the facts that lead-guitarist Malcolm Chapman used a digital guitar effect and none of the band looked as if he had just arrived with a time machine from 1956 could be seen as prove that this was not authentic Rockabilly. Hallelujah! Don't get fooled by the picture above that shows a part of the Rockin' audience trying to create some kind of Woodstock-a-billy feel I guess. It wasn't boring. Quite a few women were dancing(strolling) to the band in the grass.