Scottish blues artist Dave Arcari will join forces with Estonian guitarist Andres Roots for a four-date Scottish tour in December, continuing a musical friendship that now stretches back more than 20 years.
The pair will play Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Dunkeld from 1 to 4 December, with the shows arriving just days after Arcari releases his new single ‘Cuttin’ it Fine’ through Buzz Records on 27 November. The run follows years of collaboration between the two musicians, who first met in 2005 when Roots invited Arcari to headline Estonia’s Augustibluus Festival.
Since then, the pair have regularly arranged shows for each other in Scotland and Estonia, as well as collaborating on recordings and other projects. For Arcari, the December dates offer a welcome return to the road after a year spent concentrating more heavily on writing and broadcasting.
Twenty years of friendship
“We’ve been pals for more than 20 years and over that time we’ve collaborated on various recordings and played many shows and festivals together throughout Europe and Scandinavia as well as here in the UK,” says Arcari.
That connection will form the heart of the four Scottish shows, with Roots joining Arcari as special guest across the run. The tour opens at The Voodoo Rooms in Edinburgh on 1 December before moving to The Glad Cafe in Glasgow, The Cellar in Aberdeen and finally Birnam Arts in Dunkeld on 4 December.
Arcari says the opportunity to share the dates with Roots makes the short run particularly appealing. “I’m really looking forward to this wee run of shows, and even better to be sharing these shows with my pal Andres. He’s a fantastic player.”
‘Cuttin’ it Fine’ arrives in November
The tour follows the release of Arcari’s new single ‘Cuttin’ it Fine’, which lands on all major digital services on Friday 27 November through Buzz Records. The track comes during a year in which Arcari has spent more time developing new material and less time touring than usual.
He has also launched Dave Arcari’s Deep Blues, a new DAB and online radio show on Rock.Scot, while continuing to promote his most recent album Still Friends.
Released as Arcari’s eighth solo album, Still Friends features 12 self-written acoustic tracks and was named a pick of the month by the UK Independent Blues Broadcasters’ Association. The record was later shortlisted by the UK Blues Federation in the Album of the Year category at the 2026 UK Blues Awards.
Stripped back and self-produced
Arcari recorded and produced Still Friends entirely in his own studio, taking a deliberately stripped-back approach built around acoustic performances with no overdubs. The album was captured using just two microphones, with Arcari aiming to retain the feel of a live studio performance while maintaining a polished final sound.
“I’m still really excited about this album,” he says. “It’s stripped back, all acoustic with no overdubs. I’d released seven solo albums previously, a live double album and various studio recordings, sometimes including contributions from other musicians, and although they pass muster I think I’ve managed to capture the truest, most authentic recordings for this album.”
Producing the project himself also removed some of the cost and time pressures of working in commercial studios, giving Arcari greater control over the finished record. The album was funded during the first week of a month-long Kickstarter campaign in 2025 and is available on limited-edition violet vinyl, CD and digitally.
Away from his own releases, Arcari also continues to compose music for film and television, with his work having appeared in the US series Deadliest Catch and several BBC television productions.
Dave Arcari and Andres Roots Scottish dates
1 December – The Voodoo Rooms, Edinburgh
2 December – The Glad Cafe, Glasgow
3 December – The Cellar, Aberdeen
4 December – Birnam Arts, Dunkeld
‘Cuttin’ it Fine’ will be released on 27 November 2026 through Buzz Records, with the Scottish tour beginning four days later in Edinburgh.
