In 2025 we celebrate our 20 years anniversary on the road with a great tour in Finland, Holland and Germany. BUT also with a brandnew highly acclaimed album People Talk released by Wraf Records (c).

PRESS RELEASE Walter Rootsie and his Blue Connection Celebrate 20 Years with New Album People Talk – Out September 21, 2025

In 2025, Finnish Roots Americana band Walter Rootsie and his Blue Connection marks its 20th anniversary with the release of their fourth studio album, People Talk, available worldwide on September 21, 2025 via Wraf Records.

Formed in 2005 around Dutch singer-songwriter Walter Rootsie, the band has built a reputation for heartfelt, genre-blending music that draws from blues, country, folk, rock, and singer-songwriter traditions. With a Dutch core and Finnish soul, the band has toured extensively across Europe and earned international acclaim for their performances, songs and sounds and previous albums Waiting, Get Up and Go, and Dark Water.

People Talk features 10 original songs written and composed by Walter Rootsie, exploring themes of love, loss, longing, and emotional truth. From the haunting ballad Empty Heart to the gritty groove of Gone, Gone, Gone, the album offers a rich and varied sonic journey. All the songs are arranged to get a unique sound to capture the stories and analogue played, recorded and mixed to keep and the right sound into each of them.

Track list:

People Talk

Depression

The Hole Time

Gone, Gone, Gone

Please To Meet

You Kiss the Wrong Guy

Empty Heart

Eternal Love

We Both Know

Old Love

Band Line-up:

Walter Rootsie – Vocals, acoustic guitar, percussion

Parska Saharinen – Electric guitar, tremolo guitar

Jan Smedberg – Bass guitar

Anssi Lehtivuori – Drums

Guest Musicians:

Tommi Laine – Electric guitar, e-bow, slide guitar, low guitar, tremolo guitar

Gona Lehtinen – Electric guitar, Gretsch guitar

Mike Roelofs – Hammond, organ, piano, wurlitzer

Production Details:

Recorded and mixed at IJland Studio, Amsterdam

Engineer: Tim Visser

Additional recordings in Vantaa, Tampere, Helsinki, and Nijmegen

Produced by Walter Rootsie

Mastered by Pete Maher (Pete Maher Mastering Studio, London)

Artwork by Sami Hopmans

Lay out by Jillem

Released on Wraf Records ©

Copyright © 2025 Buma Stemra – All rights reserved

References Tim Visser/ IJland Studio: Jason Molina, Hackensaw Boys, Pete Doherty, Brian Eno, Rome 56, Bettie Serveert. 

References Pete Maher: Nick Cave, Damien Rice, Lana Del Rey, Paul Weller, Patti Smith, Pixies, Rolling Stones, U2.

People Talk is a passionate, mature, and musically rich album that reflects the band’s two-decade journey through sound and storytelling.

“I tried to capture each story in its own song, with a distinct style and musical background that gives meaning to the words.” — Walter Rootsie

More info: 🌐 www.wrafmusic.com 📘 Facebook: Walter Rootsie and his Blue Connection

Contact:    Walter.rootsie@hotmail.com or info@wrafmusic.com