It’s Out Of Our Hands!

Salutations, good people! The past week and a half has been an exciting and busy time, with the album finally hitting the stores, scores and scores of interviews being done — but most of all with the record release tour getting well and truly underway.

It's been almost a year and a half since we last toured for real, so you can imagine the sheer terror and excitement of getting up on those live stages again. But as nervous as we were, the first few gigs couldn't have been more fun. Once more, a great big thank you to everyone who came to see us in Oulu and Kokkola. The vibe was most definitely (45) Special! And we hope it continues to be just as special across the country.

We also had a blast playing live on the radio this past week, and it was great to meet and greet the competition winners who got to see the gig up close. Apologies for all that sweat flying around. If you missed the gig, be sure to click here for video footage in three parts.

The rehearsals in the Tank have been getting even more intense, and we are seriously working our asses off to try and get as much of the new album incorporated into the live set as we can. We also have a real guest-fest coming up on Tuesday when the tour hits Tavastia club in our hometown of Helsinki. Felix and Emma will mos' definitely be there, and they'll be joined by a number of other special guests.

In addition to rockin' live quintet of L.L.H., Check The Record, Get It Right, Dey Don't (Don't Dey), and All Hope, we're aiming to have at least two or three new songs in the bag by next week — for the gigs in Helsinki, Joensuu, Tampere and Turku. Turning the some of the new material into live versions has been a real challenge, but this time we've really tackled it head-on! And so far, we've been joyously relieved by how well the new material has worked in the live set. So be sure to check out the new and improved Johnson Party in a club or town near you!

There have been a number of extremely positive reviews of Records Are Forever published recently. Among them, both the weekly supplement of Helsingin Sanomat (Finland's biggest newspaper) as well as Rumba music magazine awarded the album with 4 out of 5 stars. Nice!

We were also genuinely pleased with the top ten position in our first week on the official Finnish album charts. R.A.F. came in at number 10 in its debut week, making it the second highest new entry on a chart slightly skewed by the fact it was Mother's Day week.

But much more importantly, we've been eagerly reading all your feedback and comments on the album — so be sure to keep them coming! At this point, it kind of feels like you've raised a child, or 13 different children, sent them out into the world — and you can't wait to hear how what the world thinks of them. We definitely gave each and every song on the album our everything, and what happens from here on is more or less out of our hands.

We are fully aware that for some, the album must feel like a dauntingly diverse journey into different directions. Yes, the styles and genres blended together are many. But in the end it all boils down to this: We've simply wanted to put together 13 of the best songs we could make. That's all. And for Don Johnson Big Band, experimenting and playing with all kinds of styles — old and new, familiar and unfamiliar — is what makes music fun. It's why we love doing what we do.

We're damn proud of this baby, and we really hope as many of you as possible will enjoy listening to it. Let us know if you do. Hell, let us know if you don't!

And while you're at it, be sure to check the bottom right corner of the page for an ongoing vote on your favorite album track. The initial results have proved really interesting. In fact, they've kind of blown us away. We didn't even plan to play Running Man live, but all that's changed now. Kind of fun to see so many people giving the top vote to a song we weren't even sure would make the album one week before the mastering! Cast your vote, you never know what a difference it can make.

That's enough rambling for now. Keep it real! And come on down to the gigs, people, you won't regret it!

Much love,

Tommy

D-Day

The counter says: 1 day, 21 hours, 55 minutes and 40 seconds. Or it did a moment ago. And whether it is the journey or the destination that counts, we are MOS DEFinitely very very close to the moment that counts. Feeling fantastic.

The album will be available in records stores across the land and online on Wednesday morning, 6 May 2009. Buy it, Check The Record, and be sure to let us know what you think. Right now, we are eager to hear any and all feedback, good or bad, praisin' and dissin'. Bring it on! And don't forget you can still listen to the ENTIRE album for a couple of days on our MySpace page! Can-you-dig-it?!?

The tram gig last week was unforgettable to say the least, thanks again to everyone who attended, and to Radio Helsinki! We will try to upload some video footage as soon as possible. This week, the rehearsal work on the new live set continues, and on Thursday we're jumping on the bus at the break of dawn for a sweet little 600 km ride to Oulu. The journey continues to Kokkola on Friday, and at 4 PM Saturday afternoon we will be back in Helsinki for a special live performance and poster signing at Record Shop X record store (Arkadiankatu 14).

After almost a year and a half away from touring, it's hard to put into words how excited we are to hit the stages again. Man, just being reunited with our tech crew is making us a little teary-eyed... Anyway, there's plenty of new goodies in store for these upcoming spring and summer gigs, so come on down to a venue near you and check it out!

The view count keeps climbing nicely for our L.L.H. video — gonna break 20,000 soon. We've loved getting all the positive comments, and the whole production team is mighty proud and happy! Keep spreading the link and the word! Word?

"Records Are Forever" is the album of the week on YleX Radio this week, so for all you Finns out there, tune in to hear a new track every day with comments by Mr. Laiho and Mr. Lindgren. Also, be sure to check out my visit to MTV3's Huomenta Suomi (Good Morning, Finland) show live on Wednesday morning at 8.50. The objective is to slap myself awake and to talk about the album. It's going to be a challenge.

Interesting times. We love you all. All of y'all.

Tommy