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.