Public radio from Western Michigan University 102.1 NPR News | 89.9 Classical WMUK
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Available On Air Stations
Conversations with creators and organizers of the arts scene in West Michigan, hosted by Cara Lieurance

Euro-fest favorites Puuluup come to Kalamazoo on first U.S. tour

puuluup-2019-foto-taavi-arus-3-low-1024x647.jpg
Taavi Arus
/
Puuluup

How do you pronounce Puuluup? It's easy: "pool-oop." "Puul" is the Estonian word for wood or tree, and represents the duo's talharpas, which are traditional bowed lyres popular in Northern Europe since the early middle ages. But electronic looping is also intrisic to the music of Marko Veisson and Ramo Teder. Adds Teder about their name: "It's a palindrome."
At 7:00 pm on Tuesday, Sept 27 at the Dormouse Theatre, Puuluup will bring their catchy folk-fusion blend to Kalamazoo, singing in a mixture of Estonian, Finnish, and words they make up. In a conversation with Cara Lieurance, they say their tour takes them from Massachusetts to New Mexico. Does the playfulness in their music and videos reflect a life philosophy? Says Veisson: "When you start a rather successful band in your 40s or 50s and you take yourself very seriously, maybe that's not good."

More information is at the Connecting Chords Music Festival website.

Cara Lieurance covers local music with live morning interviews, and produces WMUK's Let's Hear It weekday mornings at 10 am Mon-Fri, showcasing local interviews and performances. She also produces The Pure Drop, an hour of Celtic music, with musician Dave Marlatt.