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ONLY BE BARCELONIAN
Only-Be Barcelonian
Fina la Ina, Barcelona’s reigning queen of cabaret punk
It’s difficult to describe the artist Fina la Ina though one critic has tried their best: “Fina La Ina is a whirlwind spectacle who leaves no one indifferent.” If you have ever seen her you know her performances happen “with the force of a cyclone,” or as the song says, at the end of the show even the tables want to applaud. She masterfully interprets songs that are a bit cabaret, a bit punk, incorporating dancing and wisely seasoned theatrical elements to portray different characters in each of the songs. This is how Fina La Ina creates a special musical treat that delights audiences. Her voice, dancing, drama and hilarious performances will impress lovers of music, theatre and laughter. She collaborates with a talented team of musicians like Ayose Armas a musical creator with formidable acting skills, capable of adapting his show to any space, pianist Oscar Machencoses and coaxes the audience to eat right of her hand. Under her spell, even the most abstemious take a drink and end up hooked. The scene is reminiscent of chanteuses of the past, but with a decidedly more punk flavour, a dose of hyperbole and the space allows for improvisation. As they play, the songs characterize their protagonists, generating dramatic tension as to what, how and when the action will happen. Intermission leaves you spellbound with suspense as to how the spectacle will end. Following the scene’s conclusion, you will laugh, cry and jump out of your seat to ask “When is the next show?” Fina was born in Guardiola de Berga, Barcelona, in 1972 and, as she says, was raised...
Interfront and Front 242 Concert in Barcelona
Apparently this fall is Barcelona’s moment to shine musically, and there are some great concerts coming up. Not big stadium gigs, just really amazing concerts by stand-out artists. Get ready for a concert by the founders of the EBM genre, Front 242, who will perform with Spanish electronic stars Interfront. Let´s talk first of Front 242. The band was formed in Brussels in 1981 by programmers Patrick Codenys and Dirk Bergen, who the same year released the group’s first album “Principles.” In 1982 Daniel Bressanutti and vocalist Luc De Meyer joined the group and they released their second album “Geography.” Percussionist Geoff Bellingham signed on and was later replaced by Richard 23. Front 242´s success is mainly due to pioneering a sound that combines electronic sounds with a more aggressive sound, and creating the genre Electronic Body (EBM), as we understand it today, as well as influencing important bands like Nitzer Ebb, Skinny Puppy, Front Line Assembly, and others. In 1987 the band signed to Max Trax! and in 1988 released the album Front by Front, a true jewel of their oeuvre and contains hits like Headhunter and Welcome to Paradise. After this great step by Max Trax! They jumped to Epic Records, which put them on a more commercial track, but they didn’t sacrifice the power and quality of music. In the late 90´s the band returned to a more underground circuit and signed with the label Zoth Ommog / Music Research. What else can we add, this concert should be a real treat for fans of EBM and industrial, to see this Belgian group lighting up the...
Merce party Barcelona
Welcome the best barcelona music festival which will bring together a variety of genres, from folk to rock, to hip hop, pop, and even rumba. Like always, organizers have ensured that they are the most interesting and relevant bands on the current music scene. This year, for example, some of the most anticipated groups are the mythical Goldfrapp, Maika Makovksi, Nueva Vulcano, El Guincho … As the schedule is not yet completely closed, we will introduce the groups have already confirmed their participation in the BAM to give you an idea of what to expect in the 2010 edition of BAM. Goldfrapp: Sure, for many the legendary IDM duo Goldfrapp needs no introduction. Led by the lovely Alison Goldfrapp, this group has became known over the last decade for their intelligent and sensual electro dance, or as described by BAM organizers “pop with tights and an extra helping of neon.” Maika Makovksi: BAM is not only one of the most anticipated indie festivals for its international programming, but because it is known for supporting and promoting musical culture in Spain. One of those players in the Spanish indie scene is the Mallorcan rock vocalist Maika Makovski, who will present her third album on the stage at BAM. El Guincho: Three years ago, Reixa Pablo Diaz, known as El Guincho, swept Spain and the international indie scene with his debut album Alegranza, an exquisite fusion of tropicalia, electronics, pop and dance, which placed him among the largest in the alternative music scene with the likes of Panda Bear and Animal Collective. His new album Black, will surely make you shake...
The Egyptian Museum of Barcelona more than forty new works until December 30
From now until December 30th this year, the Egyptian Museum of Barcelona will present a series of archaeological pieces showing from different representations of daily life and rituals surrounding death in the mysterious ancient Egyptian world. There will be many new acquisitions on display for the first time, as well as many which have just been returned to the museum after being lent out for use in international collections. Among the new acquisitions, of special interest are the beautiful examples of pharaonic jewellery such as rings, choker and pendants. Some of the most important jewels in the collection are necklaces that belonged to the collection of the German Baron Hans Wolfgang Herwarth von Bittenfeld, closely linked with the inner circle of Nazi Germany politics. Other featured articles include a solid gold ring inscribed with the name of Nefertiti, the wife of the Pharaoh Akhenaten, drinking vessels made of stone, ceramic pots, a head rest with parts made of gold and replicas of pieces that are displayed in the Cairo Museum. All kinds of artefacts will be exhibited alongside specialized books that come directly from the museum´s library. In addition, no less than 10 000 documents will be accessible to the public. The Barcelona Egyptian Museum was opened in ´94 and it shows hundreds of pieces an environment dedicated to showing Egyptian history. If you want to attend this exhibition, you can rent apartments in Barcelona and enjoy this blast from the...
Sitges 2010: A festival to commemorate Stanley Kubrick
Sitges is one of the most important film festivals in Spain and the new official poster pays tribute to the “Shining”, a film directed by Stanley Kubrick 30 years ago and starring Jack Nicholson, and probably one of the most famous horror movies in film history. But the homage doesn’t end here. The festival will also pay tribute to “Back to the Future” by Robert Yemeckis and “Psycho”, the world’s most famous film by Hitchcock. Up to date the collaborating directors, actors and producers are still yet to be confirmed, but the list of the movies that are going to be shown at the festival have already been published: “Outrage”, Takeshi Kitano`s comeback to yakuza film (Japanese mafia) and “A Serbian film” a gory movie that is surely going to surprise the viewers. One of the things that was most relevant for the organisation of Sitges this year was the incorporation of films from new countries. That’s why this year we will be able to see movies such as “Somos lo que hay” by Mexican filmmaker Jorgen Michel Gray, and “La casa muda” by Uruguayan director Gustavo Hernández, and the Turkish film “Kosmos”, just to name a few. One of the most anticipated films is “Uncle Boonmee Who can´t Recall His Past Lives” from Weerasethakul, which has never been shown in Spain before. And Guillem Morales, Belén Rueda and Lluís Homar will present “Los ojos de Julia”, and Eugenio Mira will show his film “Agnosia” starring big actors like as Eduardo Noriega, Bàrbara Goenaga and Sergi Mateu. This is only a small part of the Sitges film program this...
The journey to happiness, love and the power of the mind
Eduardo Punset is a versatile Barcelona born writer lawyer, economist, professor, philosopher, scientist, and documentary film director and minister, born at the beginning of the Spanish civil war in 1936. He is described as an innate fighter for his teachings about love, happiness and consciousness about what makes our lives easier. Recently he finished his trilogy: “Journey to love”, “Journey to happiness” and, to complete the series: “Journey to the power of the mind”. In his journey to happiness Punset has discovered how fortunate we are to have more than 40 years to live. A hundred years ago life expectancy was around 30 years, which is just enough to survive and procreate. Nowadays the vast majority of us don´t have to fight for basic needs. Thus we have enough time to worry about ourselves. Punset even dared to elaborate a mathematic formula for happiness: F= E(M+B+P) / FR+CH Which means: Happiness= Emotions multiplied by the sum of maintenance+searching+relationships divided by the sum of reductive factors+ hereditary problems Up until now love has been considered as almost a magic response by literature and morality. But in the present day we know that love has also evolutionary and biological reasons. The incredible technological progress of the last few years has allowed science to do research about love. Most of us have been – or are still- in love and still we don’t know the chemical and biological factors that produce this feeling. The truth is that it is much easier to make love than war. In his journey to the power of the mind Punset has discovered our inner selves. Through...
The Labyrinth of the Cerdanyola valley
Opportunities for leisure and exploration abound in Barcelona, but few that give the same opportunity to enjoy an imaginative and interactive way for people of all ages to enjoy their time together as the Labyrinth This timeless challenge begins as an ephemeral installation which can be set up in unexpected spaces like parks, gardens, plazas, squares, streets, terraces or roofs. Thanks to its modular design, it can be adapted to a variety of proposed sites. The Labyrinth does not know night or day and its aesthetically tempting effect is spectacular at any time. The metal maze of doors and false doors, walls, false walls, paths to a destination or those that take you directly to the exit, creates a new space where there was never anything and is a catalyst for laughter and also occasionally, anger, for the passengers entering it. With the aesthetics of the typical range of fairground circus freaks, its creators mount the installation on-site, pulling a magic maze out of their sleeves on demand. Let yourself take the road less travelled, and give free rein to your imagination, solve riddles and lose yourself in its paths. Gaze at the sky from inside or watch others stumble through invisible walls. This installation is a gift to the spirit because the maze is the impossible made real in a here and now which invites return. Close your eyes and find that without them, now all that remains is the echo of their voices. During this summer, this installation will be erected in public spaces at festivals and fairs in the UK and Italy, in the Barcelona area,...
Leopold Museum pays $ 19 million for a work of Egon Schiele
The Leopold Museum, one of the most important in Vienna, paid no less than $ 19 million to restore a work by Austrian painter Egon Schiele. The museum’s director, Peter Weinhäupl, revealed that the agreement was made through a settlement that ended a long legal battle concerning the painting’s provenance. The painting is called “Portrait of Wally” and the museum is content to have the picture back in its collection following its seizure in 1998 by US authorities, concerning suspicions that it had been stolen from its rightful owners by the Nazis. To make this purchase Weinhäupl said the Museum sold various paintings and a U.S. bank will finance the transaction. As collateral, they took five gouache paintings by Schiele. According to both Elisabeth Leopold and Diethard Leopold, the wife and son of the late founder of the museum, Rudolph Leopold announced that when “Portrait of Wally” is back at home will be a special presentation with a text to be written by both the Foundation and by the heirs of original owner. This text will explain the history of the work and the various changes of ownership, as well as all the legal wrangling that took place afterwards. “Portrait of Wally” was stolen from a Jewish collector in Vienna by the Nazis in the ´30s. Years later, in the ´50s, Rudolph Leopold finally managed to acquire it. If you want to visit the Leopold Museum, where you can see paintings by Schiele and other very important Austrian artists, you can rent apartments in...
Les Gens que j’aime, a romantic hideaway in the heart of Barcelona
In Barcelona near Paseo de Gracia, you can find one of the most original bars in the city on Valencia Street, in a basement just barely marked. It´s called Les Gens que j´aime and it’s known for its modernist aesthetics, its red velvet couches and live jazz and soul. In addition, a friendly tarot reader offers her services there … Barcelona is full of places that are out of the ordinary for one reason or another: places with special charm because of their original decor, activities that are held there, beverages, music … or all these factors like in the case of the Valencia Street pub called Les Gens que j´aime (ie, “The people I love.”) I discovered this beautiful bar almost by accident, wandering aimlessly one sunny summer afternoon in the Eixample. Incidentally I noticed a few white ball lamps, located almost on the floor, pointing to the presence of a shop in a basement. A silver metal plate and stairs to the entry confirmed to me that there was actually a bar, so curiosity led me inside. Descending the stairs I had to stop for a moment that my eyes become accustomed to the nice cool shade of Les Gens que j´aime … I looked around, surprised by the ambiance of bohemian yet modernist style: Elizabethan red velvet couches, dozens of paintings and old photographs, period lamps … Later I learned that the place has not changed at all this decoration since its opening 1967, when it represented a breath of fresh air during the late afternoon of the Franco era in Barcelona. I sat in one...
Horoscopes: Junk or a Blueprint for Life?
We´ve all had the sneaky pleasure of reading our horoscope in the newspaper and most of us don´t really pay much attention to it. But some folk are so deeply involved in birth charts, predictions and the subtle movements of the skies that astrology has become a blueprint for their lives. So what´s the deal with astrology? Is it a science, handed down to us from the ancients, or is it about as useful as any other kind of weird superstition? The short answer is that the jury is still out – but there´s more to the psuedo-science of sky watching than we may think at first. Basically, astrology is about as scientific as medicine. In other words, not very. Medicine is the art of trial and error, and is a good analogy for astrology. Remember when we discovered a new planet? It was Pluto, for those of you born after the dawn of the 20the century! This was good cause for astrology-haters to dismiss the whole thing as lies and superstition: After all, if we have been basing our predictions on missing information, how accurate could it be? Good point, until you remember that no-one dismissed medicine as superstition just because we discovered germs and penicillin. Instead, say the top astrologers, it is important to simply accept that astrology is an evolving art (or science) and that new discoveries are a sign of advancement, not a reason to throw the baby out with the bath water, so to speak. There is a simple, yet powerful scientific indicator that astrology is not a made-up way to guide our day,...Promotions
