That's not exactly what the job description said

Robbed on Spanish motorway / Donate for tour expenses

So this is top material for a song I guess. And fuck, no, I can easily do without it. There was some little hope this 2024 tour could be the end of what has been a constant race against trouble and an ultimate breakdown, trying to be faster, trying to keep the upper hand. Starting with the spring tour, which just made up for costs and losses of January and February and a small part of the studio expenses of the new album. May till July spending all there was on getting the album ready and all the time at hands on booking the tour for it, running the crowdfunding campaign, interrupted by a handful of shows. At no point ever knowing whether this all would pan out in a good way, get ready in time, or how to pay it.

Hoping, praying, swearing, reducing daily meals down to fried eggs, pasta, tobacco and coffee. No break, full throttle, hoping the tour shows and the merch sales would give me some rest en route or at least when back around Xmas.

It looked promising up to a certain point. The vinyl got ready just on the day I had to leave, after things seemed to not work out at all just ten days prior. Gigs went down nicely, merch could have been better, but still kinda OK. Good vibes peaking with the Perpignan show I had the pleasure to share with Boucan. Playing some of the album tracks together felt like flying. Bliss. Utter bliss.

Followed by a sunny morning after weeks of drizzling rain. Just as if all would finally be fine, take an enjoyable twist. As if the spell was broken. That being the sunny morning of Friday, 11 October 2024, when loading in and hugging the Boucan boys a last time before setting out for the Teruel concert. Before the fragile flower of optimism crumbled, fell to pieces, disintegrated on the hard shoulder of a Catalan motorway, a few miles south of Macanet. The second hold-up in my touring history.
>>> Read more in blog

Donations can be made by PayPal here

Paypal.me/folknoir

Or be supportive by purchasing merchandise in my Webshop or Bandcamp

Škoda blue and the black legged Jesus

is, as you probably know the title of the new album. After a shitty test pressing of the vinyl, I finally received a very good new one this very day. Praise the lord! This means the vinyl version, the cd and the cassette will all be ready for the long part of the tour. Just a pity it wasn’t available at the shows in Poland, Slovakia and Czech Republic. Sorry for that but also a good reason to come back soon.

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” will be available for streaming as of 11 December 2024. That’s it for Spotify and the likes, if you want a digital version of the full album please proceed to my Bandcamp site. As I pointed out earlier - when it comes to paying artists for their work Spotify and the likes couldn’t care less about us DIY- solo artists. Of course there is that point of advertising your shows on social media through free streaming services. Sure, makes some sense, but I think three songs on Spotify, Deezer and their buddies should do . Some might say you have to play the game, you really don’t have a choice, all that kind of thing. I don’t agree. I think having not much to lose gives you quite some choices.

The crowdfunding campaign for the album

Except of the vinyl which will hopefully arrive this last week of September most of the rewards have been sent. Once again I want to thank you all for helping to release this album with an unbelievable generosity. I’m still chuffed. Really. Merci, kiitos, thanks & diky moc! I hope it will mean as much to you as it means to me.

Live videos from this year’s 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, 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.

Next shows

21.11. D - Nürnberg, Kaiserburg
22.11. D - Nürtingen, Provisorium
24.11. D - Höhr-Grenzhausen, Cafe Libre
27.11. D - Frankfurt/M., Dreikönigskeller
28.11. D - Trier, Cafe Greco
29.11. F - Nancy, Le Bon Temps
30.11. D - Homburg, Mandy's Lounge
04.12. D - Bamberg, Strawanza
05.12. D - Nürnberg, Club Stereo “One-Mic-Night”
06.12. D - Fürth, Kaltscher OFFICIAL RECORD RELEASE SHOW Buy your ticket HERE!
07.12. D - Kemnat-Ostfildern, Hamburg Süd (w/ Folk's Worst Nightmare)
11.12. CZ - Plzen, Zach's Pub
19.12. CH - Basel, Carambolage
20.12. D - Freiburg i. Br., K.I.S.S.
21.12. D - Fürth, o27 (as Folk’s Worst Nightmare Collective)
See All other dates of record release tour 2024 here…

Interview with Rockstage Riot Rhein Main

In the beginning of my 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.

Some video links

Mäkkelä with Folk’s Worst Nightmare - Loni-Übler Haus March 2022

Mäkkelä live at Loft LoFi, March 2021

Merch-Shop

Reward yourself or your loved ones with some of the strangely sweet music available in the Mäkkelä webshop!