Gints Smukais presents the first single “Thaw” from his upcoming album “Thaw” / “Atkusnis” and invites to the open-air album opening concert on July 31 that will be taking place on a floating stage on the Raiskums Lake in the territory of camping “Apaļkalns”.
The audience can experience the concert from the banks of the lake as well as in boats and on sup boards. The concert will start at sunset at 21:00 On the shore of Lake Raiskums in the territory of camping “Apaļkalns”. The number of tickets is limited. TICKETS
For those of you who wish to view the concert from a boat or on a SUP board – those can also be rented in advance, together with the ticket purchase. If you have your own boat or SUP board, you can use them as well – you just need to arrive at the venue before 20:30 and show a valid concert ticket.
“Thaw” is Gints Smukais second studio album and he reveals that “The second album is a very special musical story in my life. The presence of water will play an important role in the album, so I also chose a very beautiful place for the album presentation concert – Lake Raiskums, whose acoustics and sunset mood will give an unforgettable sound and enjoyment to every listener. ”
The first song “Thaw” indicates the sound and mood of the second album.
“This composition was created during an emotionally difficult stage in my life, when I was forced to tell not so happy news to someone very close to me. Its musical message reveals that it is sometimes not easy to face reality, because forced reforms in your life do not necessary come with ease.
The composition’s remarkable repetition in rhythm and harmony reflects sleepless nights, circulating thoughts about the consequences and regret for what has not been said, and at the culmination – everything is said, the words become redundant as the thaw occurs.”
Gints Smukais met his first guitar in 2008 and 3 years later he had already started to study composition in fingerstyle percussion. Since then, he has regularly performed in concerts solo with his own music as well as collaborated with well-known Latvian musicians, such as Jānis Aišpurs (The Sound Poets), Jānis Stībelis, “MUSIQQ”, Annija Putniņa, “Latvian Voices”, Kristīne Prauliņa, Olga Rajecka, Jānis Ozols ( choir “MASK”), etc. He is well known in popular music just as in the academical music environment.
Gints has also performed on international stages and participated in world-scale competitions where his guitar skills were highly praised. Some of his achievements include 3rd place at the 2019 Walnut Valley International Fingerstyle Guitar Championship, 3rd place at the 2019 Fingerstyle Collective Intl` Fingerstyle Guitar Contest and 2nd place at the 2017 Canadian Intl` Guitar Festival Fingerstyle Contest 2017.
His debut album “Flourish” released in 2018 won the “Debut Of The Year 2018” nomination at the 2019 Latvian Music Record of the Year Awards.
