Music: Erja Lyytinen

I guess if the sun doesn't rise for months, that means you can practice and write kick-ass music. Today, my discovery of the Finnish musician Erja filled me with joy.

I have a back-channel with fellow Stacker,

Susan Niemann

, where I drop almost daily a new music find. A couple of weeks ago, I dropped a video by Erja Lyytinen in that DM feed, and not only did Susan say it rocked (because it did), but she said I clearly have a type.

And, upon reflection, yes, yes I do have a type. Allow me to explain…

My day starts early. I am usually up by 4:30AM¹. That is just who I am, an unreconstructed morning person.

I wake up, I brew coffee, I take my blood pressure (as a heart attack survivor, it is a daily ritual along with a slew of medications), and then I go hunting for music on Youtube.

Like Marlon Perkins², I hunt for gems in the wild, the gold among the chaff, and my quarry? Kick ass women who play guitar, or make great rock music.

So, yeah, I do have a type. And fortunately, the ecosystem is chock-a-block full of great talent.

Today’s find is from Finland, Erja Lyytinen is an old school, straight up rocker. Her guitar chops are spectacular. The band behind her complements her style, and as a front woman, she excels. I see that from her bio on Wiki that she’s about a decade younger than me, so not an up and comer, but a seasoned, battle-hardened warrior of the rock wars.

Erja blends soulful interludes with frenetic connective tissue, to deliver a compelling thematic riff that falls on your ears like tonal poetry.

Just a soothing song, sound, and atmosphere. It all fits, and boy is it tasty.

I hope you enjoy this as much as I did!

1. The one benefit is, I am pretty sure it has been more than a decade since I have needed to set an alarm to wake up in time for … well anything

2. Gen X alert here, if you remember “Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom” as a kid, you probably need to schedule a colonoscopy