We first heard of Steve 'n' Seagulls in 2020 when our friend Chris posted a video of the Finnish bluegrass/metal fusion band playing Dio's "Holy Diver," and we were instantly hooked. When we went to Finland in March of this year, we bought a couple of their CD's at a shop in Helsinki.
We were thrilled when we heard that they would be playing in Somerville and immediately bought tickets. This would be our first time going to the Crystal Ballroom in Somerville. We got there before doors opened. It uis mainly a standing room only club, with a few high tables. But there were two tables reserved for disabled people along a railingat the front of the upper floor. Craig sat in one of these seats and I stood behind him.
Three of the Seagulls (accordion player Hiltunen, upright bass player Jamppa, and drummer Skubu) were at the merch booth, and I bought a T-shirt from them. We had them sign the discs that we had bought in Helsinki, and told them about our trip to Finland. They were very nice, and a little while later, when it was less busy, we went back and got a selfie with them.
The bar had local beer (Craig had a Night Shift Whirlpool IPA) and cider (I had a Far From the Tree cider on tap - from the cider brewery in Salem we had gone to for my birthday this year).
The show was fantastic! They played for just short of 90 minutes
Set List:
- Master of Puppets (Metallica Cover)
- My Sharona (The Knack Cover)
- Moneytalks (AC/DC Cover)
- Joe's Little Baby (Original)
- The Trooper (Iron Maiden Cover)
- Down To The River (Original)
- Gimme All Your Lovin' (ZZ Top Cover)
- Sweet Maria (Original)
- Kickstart My Heart (Motley Crue Cover)
- Carry On Wayward Son (Kansas Cover)
- More Than a Feeling (Boston Cover)
- Uprising
- Bass Solo
- You Shook Me All Night Long (AC/DC Cover)
- November Rain (Guns 'N Roses Cover)
- Keyboard solo
- Over the Hills and Far Away (Gary Moore Cover)
- Thunderstruck (AC/DC Cover)
- Born to Be Wild (Steppenwolf Cover)
After the show, all five Seagulls were at the merch booth. We spoke to Remmel (guitar and lead vocals) and Herman (banjo), and they signed our discs. We talked to them about Finland as well. Craig told them about his MS and said that he doesn't get out to a lot of shows these days, but that we couldn't pass up a chance to see them. Remmel got a big smile and held out his hand to shake Craig's hand. He then shook mine, and Herman shook both of our hands too. These guys are just so down to earth.
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Hiltunen, Remmel, Jamppa, Skubu, Herman
Hiltunen, Remmel, Jamppa, Herman
Remmel, Hiltunen, Jamppa, Skubu, Herman
Remmel, Hiltunen, Jamppa, Skubu, Herman
Remmel, Hiltunen, Jamppa, Herman
Herman
Hiltunen, Remmel
Jamppa
Hiltunen, Remmel, Jamppa, Herman
Hiltunen, Remmel, Jamppa, Skubu, Herman
Hiltunen, Remmel, Jamppa, Skubu, Herman
Hiltunen, Remmel, Jamppa, Skubu, Herman
Hiltunen, Remmel, Jamppa, Herman
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