"THE CRAMPS" OF BLUES MUSIC
Honey B. & the T-Bones have come a long way from the early 1980's to end of the decade and the whole 20th century. The front persons and the founders of the band, Esa "T-Bone Ed" Kuloniemi and Aija "Honey B." Puurtinen have both managed to create a notable and well-respected career in the Finnish music field. It's simply amazing how strong is their self-confidence and faith of the things they do. Even the negative feedback they sometimes receive can't bring up any upset or uncertainty feelings in their attitude. It seems it even dares them to much more boldy and challenging deeds, and lead them deeper and deeper to the unknown world of new musical visions.
Honey B. & T-Bones don't want to merge into the common population. Although they want to be different and stand out, they still don't want to make a scene or act like some kinda bold rock heroes. It's just music that matters and other things like admiration, just come with it. And what comes to their music - it's surely their own, and they DON'T want to sound like everybody else. Sure they have their musical fathers and favorites that have some affects to them, but they also have guts to admit it. In fact, their influencess come from everywhere. At this point Honey B. & T-Bones is not just steak a la honey glaze, it's more like tasty and universal planet-to-planet gumbo soup, to whom even the sky is no limit anymore. But like the astronomical laws say, the stars and the planets run around in circles, coming always back to their starting point. As much I appreciate HBTB's always-developing image, I really hope, that they haven't completely forgot their roots - which lay knee deep in blues and rhythm'n'blues. True, critics and reviewers love this new outfit, but it's the ordinary working people at those middle-class bars and beer-joints, that once raised them to the road of success, and THEY still haven't forgot that genuine, honest and god-damn-great-rockin' Honey B. & T-Bones. Thanks to many years and thousands of gigs around the country side, HBTB earned the title of the hardest-working and the most celebrated gig-band of Finland. Group's early albums "Help Me" and "Ninety Nine" represented this aggressive but still so cool garage-blues style at its best, and soon they started to achieve the worldwide fame. HBTB became 'the Cramps of the Blues', and carried for many years this name, that really belonged to them.
Alhough Honey B. & T-Bones was based in Helsinki, its members come all from the Central Finland, the southern parts of a rural-county called Savo. Esa was born in Mikkeli and Aija in Juva, which lies quite a near. Esa's first instrument was guitar, but in the late sixties, he started his band activities behind the drums. In 1973 Esa founded his first real band, the Hound Dogs, but it broke up in the next year. The next project, the F.B.I. was more succesful. Esa as a guitarist and vocalist, was now clear leader of the band, and the music was also right what he wanted it to be: straight blues and rhythm'n'blues. They toured around Savo and the neighbouring towns Varkaus-Kouvola-Lahti etc. (Esa took care of gig promotion and he also managed some other bands, like a punk group called 'St. Michelle SS' from Mikkeli). The F.B.I. period lasted two years, from 1975 to 1976, when Esa had to go to army. After that he worked at a local music store and played with some professional dance floor line-ups in 1978. Nothing remarketable was not to happen in a few years - until...
In 1980 Esa, still working at the same music store, sold drums to Aija's father, who gave them to his son, Ismo. This all had a sense meaning: Ismo and Esa made friends with each other and founded later Honey B. & T-Bones. On the other hand, Esa had an opportunity to get to know Ismo's sister Aija...
Aija was 14 years old in 1977 when she left home for studying at Kuopio Musical High School. She took one year off and spent it at Mikkeli Institute of Music. Then in 1981 she came to Helsinki and started studies at Sibelius Academy, playing the piano and singing in school choir. The next year in September both Esa and Ismo, who had founded a band together, moved to Helsinki, and all these three people started living at the same one-room flat! The idea of Honey B. & T-Bones was born little by little, and already in Mikkeli, August of 1982 the band had made its first public performance. Soon after moving to the capital city, Esa got a day job from music company Fazer, but the succesful music-making was still his main dream. The band-thing got more serious, when trio was completed with keyboardist/guitarist Markku Lähdetluoma. This line-up made demo tape in early 1983 but the gig scene wasn't quite a convincing yet: in 1982 they had only one gig (that first one in Mikkeli)! Lähdetluoma soon noticed, that he had other, more interesting things to do than playing in a blues rock band. T-Bones continued as a trio, when Lähdetluoma got married and moved away from Helsinki, to Lahti. In January 1984, the new brave Honey B. & T-Bones (Esa on vocals/guitars, Aija on bass/vocals and Ismo, the 'Little Bee' on drums) played their first real show in Lahti at the famous rock club called Torvi. At the same time they managed to do their first television appearance.
To strenghten their position within other Finnish bands, T-Bones decided to make a record (the original idea came from the producer Hannu Leidén, who suggested it already when T-Bones was making their demo recordings at his Tacca studios a year ago). The twelve inch maxi-EP, named just "Honey B. & T-Bones" saw the light of the day in 1984, and it was produced by Hannu Leidén and the band itself. One of the first notable gigs for T-Bones was in Järvenpää Puistoblues June 30, 1984, where they played in the jam session at Hummeri restaurant with Tortilla Flat, Pepe Ahlqvist, Kalle Jämsen and the Original Booze Bikers Boogie Band. In September they played at Jyväskylä Blues Live and became nationally recognized as the elite of the blues artists. In January 1985 T-Bones performed at the 'first annual Helsinki blues city festival' and it was their real breakthrough. At the Summer of 1985 they released a self-produced single "Lucy Mae Blues"/"Coming Home" and right after that, in June 1985 the major record company EMI/Parlophone put out their first full-lenght album "Anytime" (recorded in May 1985), that included also a new version of "Lucy Mae Blues". The saxophonist Tapani 'Boots' Rinne and the well-respected harmonica player Pepe Ahlqvist assisted the band on six tracks, and gave some extra-power to their sound (also Esa could play the harmonica but he used the instrument only at the gigs). The beautiful, singing bass-player woman was quite a sensation here, and Aija a.k.a. Honey B. became rapidly every media's favorite subject. The record got warm reception in radio and one of its songs "Mr. Telephone Man" was included to national tv's popular music show "Levyraati" (the Finnish version of the Juke Box Jury), and amazingly won the contest. Also the Finnish pop music magazine "Suosikki" hired them for the houseband of "The King Of Rock" qualifying trials. The bottle of success was now officially uncorked!
The second LP "Help Me" was released at Spring 1986. It contained great songs, but the record company didn't gave them enough studio time, and the result remained little bit half-done. At this point T-Bones' main problem seemed to be that they couldn't catch that unique and relaxed live-feeling, when they were working at the studio and under pressure. True, even if the band felt frustrated and disappointed to the final result, it certainly appealed their fans. Some of the tracks, like "V8 Ford" and "Wolf Is Back" became the band's most-wanted and -loved performances, and people still keep askin' them to play these songs on gigs. To myself, this rockabilly-oriented "V8 Ford" was the very first thing I ever heard by Honey B. & T-Bones, and now fifteen years later, I'm still into it. Pepe Ahlqvist guested also on this album, on instrumental version of old Nat Adderley-tune "Work Song". 
In June 28, 1986 our little three-piece group opened the stage for Luther Allison Chicago Blues Band, Robert Cray Band and Al Copley in Järvenpää Puistoblues. The concert was a blast-off success for them (despite some moronic reporter with his insulting questions and comments at the back-stage right after the gig!), and all the people there in the present still warmly reminisce the event. T-Bones started the show with Link Wray's "Rumble", which was indeed a very radical move! Afterwards, NO ONE else but the Neville Brothers have had the guts to play Link Wray song at this particular blues-festival (Nevilles sang "Fire And Brimstone", that they also recorded in the late eighties).
1987, the new year, and the new album "Queen Bee Against Dr. Oddball" (although three of its tracks were already issued in 1986 on rare "Surfin' U.F.O."-maxi EP, which also includes a nowhere else-released instro-title song "Surfin' U.F.O."). This record was produced by Riku Mattila, and it had two separate sides, the a-side was concentrated on "pop music" and its flip-side was more like blues and that normal stuff. The a-side's "Neighbourhood" became a huge radio-hit and it was also used in tv commercial that advertised Vick Sininen-cough drops! The b-side's hit-track was an Elmore James-standard "Shake Your Moneymaker" (sang by Esa, adapted from Fleetwood Mac's version) took part in television's "Hittimittari"-poll and got position no.2. On this album Aija was - more than before - the lead singer, while Esa took care of compositions and lyrics. Like on all EMI-LPs, Honey B. was pictured on cover, but this time it wasn't photo but nasty drawing - real art, in a little bit mystic, and can I say, indecent way.
By the end of 1987 Honey B. & T-Bones was signed up to another label, Polarvox/Amulet Records, and made a maxi-EP, that featured four new songs. In 1988 they recorded the new album, "Ninety Nine", which was issued also as CD-form with some bonus tracks. It was issued in Russia too, and the band has received fan post as far as from Siperia! The producer was no more Riku Mattila, but T.T. Oksala, who did wonderful job. The additional musicians, Texan multi-instrumentalist Eric Hokkanen, saxophone-man 'Boots' Rinne are great too. Even a well-known pop-artist Esa Kaartamo wrote a song just for this album, "Diamond Ring". In my opinion, this record was the culmination of T-Bones early days. Finally, their stage-atmospehere was present and the songs - both original and covers - are just splendid! After "Ninety Nine" T-Bones weren't the same anymore. The style and the whole package sort of developed way out of that Booker T. & the MG's-based playing and traditional blues-interpretation. The energy remained, and the recordings got even better and better, but the truth is, that one chapter ended with "Ninety Nine".
Live shows and long tours were HBTB's thing right from the start. If you wanted to get even some kinda international fame, it was necessary evil. To T-Bones it was all okay. They actually liked it. During 1985-1986 they did some occasional performances at Germany night clubs and even appeared in the former Soviet Union, Moscow, at the International Youth Festival of 1985 (with dozen of other Finnish bands). Actual international touring however started from closer. In 1987-89 Honey B. & T-Bones toured frequently in Norway, especially in the capital Oslo (in September 1987, January 1988, September/October 1988 and February 1989). Their records were also issued there, sometimes before they came out even in Finland! Then, also the other Scandinavian countries paid attention. On the last Norway-tour their road led also to Denmark, Copenhagen, where the boss of Sundance Records came to see them playing, and offered the record contract. The valid deal with Polarvox Records was falling due, so they had nothing against the new one. Sundance Records had two recording studios, one in Copenhagen and the other in Bremen, Germany. T-Bones' choice was the latter, and that's where their next album "On The Loose" was to put together in January 1990.
"On The Loose" is a very variable album. It contains almost any kind of roots music, from the Byrds-oriented pop ballads to mean garage-rock'n'roll, funky blues and wild rockabilly. Still, the balance is missing. The songs are wonderful, but they won't open up until you listen to them separately. When this record was released, people started talking 'bout the psychoblues, blues punk or even gothic rockabilly and hey, that's what this really is! "On The Loose" was a radio hit in Canada, and T-Bones also made there a video/tv program "Fire Hall Blues", that includes live versions of the album-tracks and nasty interviews of the time of tour. Meanwhile in Tampere, Finland, in June 1989, the Honey B. & T-Bones FUN CLUB started out. By 1992 it released four numbers of its own magazine "T-Bone News" and all the members got a trendy membership card and a photo with autographs!
At the busiest periods Honey B. and co. made almost three hundred gigs a year. At the summer of 1988 they did a illustrious show in Holland, Oerol Festival, and it opened some new gateways in that direction. Between 1989-1994 they did annually at least two separate tours (totally seven) in the Middle Europe (Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Holland etc.) and Scandinavia (Denmark and Sweden mostly). In 1993 they were three times in Germany, and did overall a hundred shows abroad. In addition, they performed as many times in Finland too! A very popular destination was also Canada, where T-Bones visited three times in 1989-92, and where their records (at least "Ninety Nine" and "On The Loose") sold well and became the radio stations' all-time favorites. Cold and distant Iceland turned into a familiar place for them as well. By 1994 Esa and Aija had played there five times (to begin with 1988). In September 1988 T-Bones did one show in Lithuania, Vilna (where also another Finnish 'export band' Hannu Leidén's Havana Blacks performed at the next day). A local television company shotted their whole performance, and added effect texts as "Zap!" and "Pow!" to the film, just like in the 60's Batman-series during the fighting-scenes!
Although T-Bones didn't make any recordings in 1989, they still got their name in the papers - and in the movies! They had a remarketable part in the Finnish flick "Hyvästi Ennen Aamua", directed by Jorma Kalliokoski, starring Jarkko Rantanen, Anna Haaranen, Lasse Norres etc. T-Bones performed their own "I Can't Help", which is naturally featured on the soundtrack album (same version as on "Ninety Nine"). The rest of motion picture's music is by Juha Björninen and Reijo Hirvelä.
In 1988 Honey B. & T-Bones got to know a Texan harmonica blues-guy Gary Primich, who was then in Finland with the Mannish Boys. The fellows teamed up together three years later and organized a Summer tour. The result is now heard on the mini-CD "Maantiekiitäjät '91" (6-track live recording). The next year another Texas-musician "Lowdown" Mel Brown did the similar tour in Finland, backed with the T-Bones. Brown used to play the guitar with Bobby "Blue" Bland and Wayne Bennett, and the keyboards in Angela Strehli Band, until he moved to Canada. T-Bones and Brown recorded a whole bunch of studio songs, but only one "You Were Wrong", was finally released (on rare compilation CD "Hot Dog Pop, Hit Singles").
In 1993 HBTB made the second Sundance-album "Shake Your Shimmy" (recorded in Copenhagen and Helsinki). The record in its entirety, is very multisided and professional. Maybe you can say it gets nearer to T-Bones' live-sound than any other of their albums. The title song, which joins together pop and roots-elements with distinction, even was a radio hit in Finland.
Right after "Shake Your Shimmy" Ismo left the band, sold out his drums and all his property, then traveled to the USA and finally stayed there permanently, runnin' now his own imports company. Esa and Aija continued as a duo, playing country blues-oriented stuff. The drummer's stool was suited to a couple of people (Pimme Korhonen, Okko Laru, Peeter Jögioja) until the brave new Honey B. & T-Bones found its present form, when Jari 'Kepa' Kettunen, the real force of nature, joined them in 1995. Jari is so professional and experienced drummer, it would be more truthful to talk about a real percussion artist. When he became a member of T-Bones family, he had already played with almost everybody (and almost anything), so it was natural, he caused the major changes to the T-Bones' sound and expression. Kepa's skills and deep view to the music-makin' gave Esa and Aija a huge amount of new possibilities. Earlier these things wouldn't have been workin', 'though the original drummer Ismo's playin' wasn't any bad either (just different kind of).
The new line-up made its first appearance in 1995 on CD-single "Dream About You"/"Fais Do-Do", for the Finnish independent label Bluelight Records. It was followed by the CD "Supernatural" (produced by Hannu Leidén), which was one of the year 1995's most respected (and surprising) records in Finland. For the first time T-Bones succeeded in doing the 100 percent wholeness. 'Though all the songs are not that familiar Honey B.-material, it still honors the traditions. The instruments (and vocals) are used with diverse and openminded. The selection of different music styles is impressive: r'n'b, surf, country blues, pop, psychedelia, anything...
HBTB continued touring around Finland and Scandinavia, but Esa, Aija and Jari had also their own solo-projects. Jari played with big entertainment/jazz orchestras (television shows etc.) and Esa founded an instrumental group called the Hypnomen with Pekka Laine and Juha Litmanen (Esa resigned in 1999, and he was replaced by Juha Grön). In 1994 Aija worked with Finnish pop artists Liisa Akimov and Matti Koskiala in the project "Duo Il Mondo". In 1995 she launched her solo-career as Aija B. Puurtinen, releasin' three CD-singles and two full-lenght albums (between 1995-1997). Aija has been performing with National Opera-process the Lunatic Express (1995) and New Orleans-styled band the Brassholes (1997), as well as Carita Holmström's recent jazz-productions. She has also made several television-appearances singin' in Finnish songs like "Merimies" (="C.C. Rider") and "Jokilaivan Bändi" (="Hot Time In The Old Town Tonight"), and works still at the Sibelius Academy teachin' pop and jazz-singing. Maybe the weirdest thing Aija was involved, is the record label Kalevala, ran by Bill Drummond, the leader of the London-based band KLF. One of their compilation albums features a mysterious Christina Brook, Finnish top-model, who had recently suffered from drug-addiction, and oh yes, that Christina B. is no one else but Aija "Honey B." Puurtinen! (All this's now possible to read from Drummond's brand new book "45", issued by A Little Brown Book, Penkiln Burn 2000.) Since 1995 Esa, Aija and Jari have all worked occasionally as Honey B. with Blues'n'Roots, playing sixties/seventies groovy soul and rhythm'n'blues. Naturally this music style requires, that the band must be strenghtened with horn section and the keyboards. In the Blues'n'Roots all the additional musicians have always been very talented and dedicated, as you can hear on their only recordings ("Express Yourself" and "Tell Mama") from the compilation-CD "Scandinavian Blues BBQ". These tracks were recorded live at the Järvenpää Puistoblues-Festival in 1995. And what comes to Esa's side-projects, he has been doin' radio-shows since 1986 for the national radio Yle/Radio Mafia (at first under the name "Blues Ilta" once a month, then twice a month as "Rytmiä Ja Bluesia", and eventually from 1990 weekly as "Ulvovat Sudet"). He's also written columns and instrument/record-reviews for years to the Finnish music-magazines as "Soundi" and "Rytmi".
In 1997 HBTB made a CD-single "Drown"/"Somebody's Calling" for their self-produced B-Tone Records. The next year they started again a whole new period, foundin' their own Wunderbar label, that released "Psychosonical"-album in January 1998 and "Mrs. Bright"-EP in September 1998. These recordings were co-produced by Janne Haavisto of Laika & the Cosmonauts fame. During the year they also toured quite a lot and appeared at some festivals in Germany too. In november they did a memorable collaboration performing together with a Finnish organ-legend Erkki Ertama. In 1999 HBTB celebrated the new millenium with "Celebration" - a 1-track single/video, released on Raja Records (again produced by Haavisto).
"Now And Eternity", the latest HBTB-album that consisted of new material only, came out in March 2000. Once again, it introduced a completely reborn T-Bones, featuring young and skilled new drummer named Toni Porthén. In 2002, EMI-Parlophone released a double-compilation cd "Go-Go Shoes" that wrapped up the group's whole career in a one package.
The year 2002 was a 20th anniversary for Honey B. & T-Bones, and during this respectable two decades' period, they haven't actually had a single serious break-up. What that means for the future, I hope, is that they won't be leaving us for a long, long, long time! In conclusion - big hooray for the long-livin', never-out-givin' and always-stunning Honey B. & co.!
