Ben Granfelt & Band @ De Cactus (Blues/Rock, Finland)
Schedule
Fri May 22 2026 at 08:30 pm to 11:30 pm
UTC+02:00Location
Pastoriestraat 37, 7551DJ Hengelo, Netherlands | Hengelo, OV
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Ben Granfelt & band op vrijdag 22 mei 2026 in De Cactus!BG has played guitar since the age of 11 (1974).
This year (2023) on June 16th he celebrated his 60th birthday and released his 20th solo release Gratitude which is a homage to his heroes Gary Moore, Jeff Beck and Robin Trower. **His past bands include Gringos Locos, Guitar Slingers, Leningrad Cowboys, Wishbone Ash, Los Bastardos Finlandeses.**
Ben Granfelt’s 21st solo album “It’s Personal” is a special release, as not many artists are releasing their albums on CD and vinyl these days. Not to mention a double CD/double LP as a combination of studio and live album. “I’ve been so inspired to play lately and a lot of people have been asking for instrumentals for a long time... here you go, one instrumental album coming up.”
“It’s Personal” is just that. Ben playing guitar for the sake of his own enjoyment, no rules nor restrictions but a fine collection of musical statements.
These are songs with melodies, riffs, different sound textures and yes, of course there are solos but they are kept as a part of the songs rather than the songs being an excuse for endless noodling.
"We recorded the basic tracks live together with Masa Maijanen (bass) and Jari Salminen (drums) in a big room, then I locked myself into my little studio and had the most wonderful time recording guitar tracks and creating sounds. I honestly think I've done something very special and personal. I'm very proud of the result."
The live CD/LP proves that Ben is also an excellent singer and at the same time it's a further testament for a band having maximum fun doing what they do. Recorded during the 2024 tour of the anniversary album "Gratitude", Ben's homage to Jeff Beck, Robin Trower and Gary Moore, it shows that no two Ben Granfelt concerts are alike. There is a lot of jamming and the songs change from the recorded studio versions quite a lot.
"It's just the way we are, we like to create something new into our songs live. We push the musicianship to the max. It was interesting to hear all the different versions we had of some of the songs and hard to choose which ones to put on the live album.”
First digital single from the instrumental album: “Crash Test Dummy”
“This is my inner Jeff Beck coming out in the riffs, I'm not trying to hide it at all. The repetition of the first riff gave me the idea for the name, those stops are like some kind of crash. Instead of having a normal blasting speedy solo I decided to create something mellow and melodic before we go back to the riff again.”
Ben and his band will tour to support the release of “It’s Personal” starting early June in Finland through the summer and then in September/October in Germany.
Gringos Locos 1986-1990: Great melodic hard Rock with one of the first international careers from Finland.
Guitar Slingers 1990-1998: a side project that grew to be one of the biggest AOR/Rock bands in Finland in the -90’s
Leningrad Cowboys 1991-1996: A fantastic circus ride around the world with a bunch of crazy guys. Performed with the Russian Red Army choir and orchestra at the MTV awards + played huge events in Finland, Sweden and Germany with them too. “It was a pure Vodka, Tractors and Rock’n’roll experience around the globe!”
Wishbone Ash 2001-2004: “What a chance to play with such a legendary group!” 4 musically fantastic years around the world... again!
Los Bastardos Finlandeses 2010-2013: ”Pure biker rock fun with 4 best friends”.
Ben Granfelt Solo 1994 - still going: “Simply put, my heart and soul!”
1991: Nominated for a Venla (a Finnish Grammy) for his work in the TV program Dynamo where he had a special guitar corner and introduced a guitar in every episode + he was the houseband leader.
1997: Wrote and performed the Theme song for the World Ice Hockey World Championships held in Finland. The song “Slapshot” appears on his 3rd solo album LIVE.
1997: Awarded the Golden Emma Guitar Award by the Sounds Society in Finland.
**Vrijdag 22 mei 2026, koffie klaar vanaf 20.00uur, showtime 20.30uur!**
Voorverkoop vanaf €15,- (ex service fee, maar inclusief Buma/Stemra afdracht).
Aan de deur (indien niet voortijdig uitverkocht) €20,-
(Voor Vrienden van Cactus Live zijn er speciale tickets beschikbaar als ze ingelogd zijn met hun account).
*Tickets kunnen voor/door iemand anders gekocht worden. Gekochte tickets worden door ons niet retour genomen, tenzij de show definitief vervalt. Wij zullen altijd eerst proberen om samen met de artiesten vervanging of een nieuwe datum te zoeken, de tickets blijven geldig. Mocht je tickets overhebben of te kort komen: www.ticketswap.nl*
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Where is it happening?
Pastoriestraat 37, 7551DJ Hengelo, Netherlands, Pastoriestraat 37, 7551 DJ Hengelo, Nederland, Hengelo, NetherlandsEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
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