Black River Ghost – Fire of Love (2024)
Imagine the scene: a dark, slightly eerie night in Helsinki, Finland with a cheery gathering in the house ahead. Enter three musicians set to cause a bit of mayhem. Picking up some acoustic instruments, Pekko Manzin (vocals and guitar), Bryan Ugartechea (bass) and Sirpa Immonen (drums) begin jamming – not necessarily mayhem but a degree of enthusiasm rippling across the crowd. All members of the punk group Daggerplay, this evening was a night filled with songs Manzin penned but weren’t suited to Daggerplay. Joined later by Rudy Laakso (percussion), Juhis Grönlund (mandolin) and Perttu Kesäniemi (violin), Black River Ghost was born.
Veteran musicians, each Black River Ghost member brings different influences and experiences to the melting pot of music. In 2022, the band took their pot of music to the studio and produced their debut EP Blues, Leave My Heart with multi-instrumentalist and producer Bjarki Kaikumo. Received with critical acclaim, Black River Ghost continue building their repertoire with the most recent addition being ‘Fire of Love’.
Following the 2023 track ‘Strawberry Sky’, ‘Fire of Love’ melds vintage folk and indie-folk leaning toward the sounds of Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson and Hank Williams. Soft and soothing, ‘Fire of Love’ is an acoustic guitar-driven tune with Manzin taking the fore with charming guitar and soothing vocals. Yet, beneath the lead tones, a rhythmic wave of mandolin, drums, bass and percussion flow adding comfort to the melody. Interestingly, while ‘Fire of Love’ is a melodic narrative of today’s challenging society, the calm oozing from Black River Ghost lessens the blow. Manzin explains:
“I wish this little song could bring some comfortness and soothing to everyone who’s feeling sick, sad, lost or troubled in a way and also more joy and peace for the ones who are doing good. This is my love song, dedicated to everyone who finds this little tune meaningful…”
In addition to the single, Black River Ghost released an official music video for ‘Fire of Love’. You can view the video below or on their YouTube channel.
Find out more about Black River Ghost on their Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
Listen to more folk songs on The Other Side Reviews Folk playlist:
