English
Français
Deutsch
Italiano
Español
Concert of Fanfarlo in Amsterdam
On the one hand, they only have two albums that have been released but have no videos of the latest one to be found on YouTube, and that´s hard, considering there´s everything on there. On the other, it´s not surprising that this music band, who belongs to the so-called indie pop trend and which was formed just a few years ago, has moved around environments that had nothing to do with the commercial madness that dominates the current artistic scene. The production of their first album (on vinyl!) was almost handmade. Despite all of that, Fanfarlo have managed to make space for themselves (a pretty big one, actually) on the international music scene with their mellow and melodic songs and lyrics that are just like those classic songs of the bands of the 60s, The Beatles included. However, what contemporary musician hasn´t received influences from the quartet from Liverpool? With only one album on the street, called Reservoir, and this second one that they´re promoting now, called Rooms filled with light, which is almost entirely unreleased, the London-based band lands in Amsterdam, in the popular venue Bitterzoet, on the 16th of May. TV fans, even if they´ve never heard of Fanfarlo, will have surely heard some music from these lads since they´ve played in popular TV series such as House or Grey´s Anatomy. Their songs have also been in films of the Twilight series. Regarding Bitterzoet in Amsterdam, I won´t repeat myself again and I will point the interested reader to the article published in this same blog on the concert of The Daisy Age in this same venue, an event programmed four days before this one, on May 12th. Here´s...
Regina Spektor in New York
Two weeks before her latest album is put out for sale, this prodigy child (transformed into a successful and mature interpreter) of pop music today, , has scheduled a concert in New York that no self-respecting traveler should miss for anything in the world. The event is scheduled for May 15 and, despite the demand, tickets may still be available. The artist and the site where the concert takes place deserves a possible change of travel with destination to New York. Well, and why is that? First, the undisputed quality (if you do not know her you just will be delighted with the official video that I added below) of this gifted musician that is Regina Spektor. Born in Moscow in 1980 into a family dedicated to music (her mother is a teacher at an elementary school and her father plays the violin, but not professionally), at an early age she had mastered the rudiments of piano. With only nine years she arrives in the City of Skyscrapers where she completed her musical training at the conservatory. Like all young artists of the Web 2.0 era, her first albums (“11:11” and “Songs” of 2001 and 2002 respectively) were recorded on a small scale and under the desktop publishing format. The same has not happened with her sixth release which she now promotes, and at the same time delights her fans with this concert in New York. Under the title “What We Saw from the cheap seats” comes a guaranteed success of an artist in full vocal maturity, after polishing the rough edges so characteristic of her early works. Well,...
Judas Priest in Barcelona
Metal lovers will enjoy another spectacular concert on May 16 at the Sant Jordi Club inBarcelona. The phenomenal line-up includes Judas Priest, Blind Guardian and U.D.O. The headlining band is Judas Priest, who has already given several great performances inBarcelona. They are now returning with their Epitaph tour that began last year. This tour, as the title implies, will be the last given by this legendary heavy metal band. It may be the last opportunity to hear the voice of Rob Halford, which is one of the most popular and distinctive in the world of metal. The setlist for the concert includes the most successful songs from their nearly forty year history. Among other noteworthy ones are “Never satisfied” (Rocka Rolla, 1974) from the first album that initially launched them into stardom, or the mythical “Starbreaker” (Sin After Sin, 1977) or the equally impressive “Breaking the Law” (British Steel, 1980), which was for many the most popular of the band’s career. And not to forget, some of the later hits like “Judas Rising (Angel of Retribution, 2005) or “Dawn of Creation/Prophecy” (Nostradamus, 2008) will be included. This time Judas Priest will be accompanied by the famous German band Blind Guardian, which has basically maintained the same formation since it was created in the 80s. It’s only missing the drummer Tomen Stauch, who left the band in 2005 and was replaced by Frederik Ehmke, who is now firmly a part of the group. Blind Guardian is known for being a group that combines fast melodic rhythms, sometimes accompanied by acoustic guitar or even bagpipes. Many of their songs are inspired...
Bamboozle Festival in New York
The Bamboozle Festival, during three days, will delight the devoted congregated audience at the Covention Hall of Asbury Park, New Jersey with relentless sessions of music of all kinds and hard rock classics as protagonists. Interpreters from the likes of Bon Jovi, Foo Fighters and Blink-182 will be performing. The event starts on Friday May 18 at 5 pm and will last all weekend. Since 2003 the Bamboozle Festival has been held in New Jersey, close to New York and with good access by road to the City of Skyscrapers. The event has its peculiar characteristics with supporters and a massive party after the concert ¡which is held on the beach. Tickets may be purchased online and, as I suppose you´ll want more info , then here is the link of the organizers, so you do not have to search Google: http://2012.thebamboozle.com/. Remember that the concerts are held indoors in the Convention Hall, located in Asbury Park New Jersey right next to the Paramount Theatre which is connected by a gallery. Both constructions references strong late Art Deco and are clear examples of the eclectic aesthetic (between baroque and industrial) that characterizes this little corner of the world. Well right around the corner, on May 18, I think I have mentioned it before , you will have Bon Jovi with Foo Fighters and Blink-182 on stage. Of the twelve albums of this classic hard rock band Bon Jovi little we can provide that has not already been said ad nauseum. We assume that since they are playing a concert in their hometown (New Jersey) with nearly thirty years on...
Rolling Kitchens in Amsterdam
Everyone knows that spring is probably one of the best seasons for travel inEurope. Not only can one find good offers for flights, but there’s also an end to the bad weather.
Spider-Man the musical in New York
Since its preview premiere, Spider-Man: Turn of the Dark has generated a lot of talk. Despite that, it has been on Broadway for over a year and it´s managed to satisfy the expectations of its director Julie Taymor, who has been given awards for the music of the show, which was by the leader of U2, Bono, and The Edge. The show is made up by 41 actors to which they add 18 orchestra members and acrobats. The main actors are Natalie Mendoza, who plays a seductive and evil spider, and Reeve Carney, who plays the seductive hero of the story, Spider-Man. To produce the acrobats, where the actors are launched in the air at 37mph, they hired a specialist of the Cirque du Soleil, who was in charge of designing the way to do it and training the artists so that no accidents occurred in these risky maneuvers. However, at one time, the show was stopped for a moment because the acrobatics went wrong and the actors were left hanging from the cables, facing a surprised crowd that didn´t know if it was part of the show or an accident. Initially, and due to these inconveniences, the show that cost $65m was labelled an “anthological failure” by the New York Post, although the New York Times called it a “good show”, without mentioning the cuts due to the technical aspects of the acrobatics. Regarding the music and the script, they´ve also had mixed reviews, with more positive ones since it manages to capture the attention of the spectators majestically. They all agree on the fact that it´s one of...
The Mother’s Day in Amsterdam
The new traveling families are not the same that used to be just a decade ago. Today, they are more cosmopolitan, inquisitive and curious. Any occasion is good to leave the house with the excuse of holding any event. Isn’t the Mother´s Day stated on the family calendar as a special day? Well of course. Wouldn’t it be a good idea then to take a weekend off to explore Amsterdam, the city of canals and bicycles? And if the family lives or is there by chance, you can also have fun with any of the events organized and are scattered around this educated and libertarian city. But when is the Mother´s Day celebrated? Well, depends on the country where you are, if you travel during the spring, you can even celebrate it twice. Your mom certainly deserve it, she has anyways made a great effort for you and will do more, even though sometimes you don’t understand why she is constantly moody. Your mother is the one who lays the foundation of what you really are and, like it or not, you will always be conditioned by her presence. That´s why moms have a special day in every country in the world. Dates are mixed and in some nations it matches in December, with the religious celebration of the Immaculate, as is the case of Panama, but usually it falls in the spring days of May: in Spain, like Portugal or Hungary, the first of the month, but more often it is the second Sunday in May, which in 2012 is the 13th of May. In Peru, Holland,...
Of Montreal in Istanbul
The old Ottoman capital, bridge between Europe and Asia, which has charmed such illustrious travelers as Mata Hari, Agatha Christie, Ernest Hemingway and Greta Garbo, is now a cosmopolitan city, open and so receptive to any cultural event that there is always a major event held there. Attracting the most unique musicians on the contemporary scene, Of Montreal will perform a concert on the 9th of May at Babylon concert hall in Istanbul. Of Montreal International Tour The experienced (active for the past fifteen years) band Of Montreal, which in this occasion are in international tour with their latest album (the eleventh), “Paralytic Stalkcs” will come to Istanbul, after touring Europe from north to south with concerts in Helsinki, Oslo, Paris, London and Barcelona. Much has happened since the year 1997 when they released their debut album “Cherry Peel”. The group led by Kevin Barnes, has carved a niche in the international music market with their pop-rock rhythms mixed with psychedelic seventies. Much has been said of the particular rhythmic style of Of Montreal: some people say that there is reminiscent with the Beatles, as if the subjects of Liverpool were not burned into the meanings of the current population, there is influence of Prince (no doubt), and as you guessed, there are native rhythms of India and a million of other references. But that is what has the trans-modernity, without frontiers that we live in: that every cultural manifestation is a kaleidoscope of previous works. Well, in a musical reference of the city, Babylon concert hall, which hosts up to two concerts a day, on the 9th of...
How to Make Sushi at Home
Among all kinds of food, sushi is undoubtedly one of the most popular around the world. Its preparation and presentation is not only highly attractive, but also a source of health. Its preparation involves low-calorie ingredients: fresh fish, vegetables and, of course, delicious rice. The main ingredients for making sushi are: Sushi Rice: This rice, also known as “gohan” is something different from conventional rice because its grains are somehow shorter. It is essential that you use this rice as it is the only that gets the sticky texture that allows you to make the rolls in a proper way. Nori: Nori is the seaweed used to wrap the rolls. They are usually black or dark green. Its lightweight but sturdy texture contains the sushi rolls, with a very fresh ocean flavor as well. Rice Vinegar: This vinegar will give flavor to the grains of rice in the sushi. It is also essential to the final touch. Soy sauce: Indispensable for seasoning and dipping sushi rolls once ready. Ingredients for filling: This is where your creativity and style come into action. You can use fresh fish or cooked seafood. Among the most popular fish for sushi are tuna and salmon, but other variants are possible and, of course, various vegetables from all seasons. When making sushi you will want to properly wash the rice and then cook it, with an extra touch of water, so that the rice gets a little more sticky in order to be better handled. Once cooked, the rice is seasoned with vinegar and then you will proceed to the rolls. The cutting of both...
