otherlands

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Sardinian National Anthem • with Elena Ledda & Mauro Palmas

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Sardinian National Anthem • with Elena Ledda & Mauro Palmas

My first trip to Italy kicked off on the island of Sardinia where I met Elena Ledda and Mauro Palmas, two of the most respected musicians in traditional Sardinian music.

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Hutsul Warrior Song for Ukraine • with Nikolaj, Marian, Martin & Michal

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Hutsul Warrior Song for Ukraine • with Nikolaj, Marian, Martin & Michal

While in the Czech Republic a few months after Russia invaded Ukraine, a group of musicians from different cultures within the Carpathian Mountains (Valach from the Czech side and Hutsul from the Ukrainian) came together to play a Hutsul warrior song for Ukraine.

Covid Mashup • with Antti Järvelä, Esko Järvelä & Maija Pokela

Covid Mashup • with Antti Järvelä, Esko Järvelä & Maija Pokela

Here’s a Finnish/American musical mashup of traditional tunes from my final Otherlands collaboration of this first year. Lockdowns hit hard around the world while I was in Finland and the gigging landscape changed in a big way. Testing the waters with Antti Järvelä (guitar), Esko Järvelä (fiddle), and Maija Pokela (kantele, voice).

Love Song From Kauhava • with Maija Pokela & Antti Järvelä

Love Song From Kauhava • with Maija Pokela & Antti Järvelä

After a couple weeks in Kaustinen, I hit the country roads and headed southwest to Härmä. There I spent the afternoon with a great vocalist and kantele player, Maija Pokela, and guitarist Antti Järvelä on a rare happy love song from the region.

Finnish Cabin & Fiddle House • with Esko Järvelä [OTHERLANDS: Finland]

Finnish Cabin & Fiddle House • with Esko Järvelä [OTHERLANDS: Finland]

Winter turned to spring as coronavirus took over and we hunkered down in cabin in the small town of Kaustinen, Finland. It’s a place known for its strong fiddling tradition, and Esko Järvelä helped show me the ways.