Author: Antonio Diaz

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Sauna bus journey from Hanko to Nuorgam

Bus operator Savonlinja celebrates the 100th birthday of Finland with a stunt of its own. On June 7 2017, a specially equipped sauna bus will start off on its journey to drive across country. During the long weekend, the sauna will be hot and steamy from beginning to end. The entire endeavor will take 100 hours.

During the 1000+ kilometer trip – from the South Coast all the to the Norwegian border up in Lapland – the occupancy rate of the sauna will be very high indeed. As the bus makes stops in key Finnish cities along the way, sauna-lovers from all walks of life will board the bus: performers, city representatives, business people, students, journalists… And also regular citizens who won their sauna slot via a Savonlinja competition.

All participants have ID cards that they use when entering and exiting sauna. The idea is to maximize the minutes spent in the sauna during the trip. The custom-made “sauna-on-wheels” can comfortably fit four people at a time.

The host during the entire weekend will be Finnish superstar Ville Haapasalo.

The Long Hot Sauna is guaranteed to add some serious heat into the centennial festivities in a very patriotic way. After all, ‘sauna’ is the only Finnish word that has spread around the world and become a part of our common, global vocabulary.

For more information visit: www.pitkäkuumasauna.fi (in Finnish)

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Articles Misc

FINNISH BROADCASTER YLE TO DELIVER LIVE AND ON DEMAND COVERAGE OF X GAMES NORWAY 2017

YLE will deliver live coverage of X Games Norway 2017 on YLE2 and will stream all event coverage live on Yle.fi., as well as live and on demand coverage on ESPNPlayer.com across Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). Fans can watch the action live on YLE2 from Wednesday March 8. Check local listings for more information. All the action will also be available on ESPN Select – the new channel from ESPN Player which features live events from a wide range of sports. Events will be available live and on demand, allowing fans to watch the action at a time that suits them.

As the world’s premier action sports competition returns to Norway on March 8-11, the event features top athletes competing in eight different disciplines over four days for the second time. Taking place at the Hafjell ski resort, the winter games includes snowboard, ski and snowmobile events, with more than 70 competitors, among them several Olympians.

After successful competitions at X Games Oslo 2016, X Games will host Women’s Ski and Snowboard Big Air finals for the second time in Norway. The Norway X Games will also feature Snowboard and Ski Big Air (Men and Women) and – new to the event – Snowboard and Ski Slopestyle (Men and Women).

TOP WINTER SPORTS ATHLETES SET TO FEATURE

The biggest names in winter sports are set to take part in the games – including Norwegian X Games medalists Stale Sandbech, Markus Kleveland, Silje Norendal, Johanne Killi and Øystein Braaten. The world’s top ski and snowboard athletes will compete, including six-time X Games gold medalist Mark McMorris, 12-time X Games medalist Jamie Anderson, two-time defending Ski Slopestyle gold medalist and Big Air silver medalist Kelly Sildaru and X Games Oslo 2016 Ski Big Air gold medalist Henrik Harlaut. For the full list of invited athletes, please visit www.xgames.com.

Two Finnish riders received invites to compete at X Games Norway 2017 – Snowboarders Enni Rukajarvi and Roope Tonteri. A two-time medalist, Rukajarvi holds the distinction of being the first rookie to win Women’s Snowboard Slopestyle and the first female Finnish athlete to medal at an X Games event. Tonteri competed in the Big Air event in Oslo 2016 with a 13th place finish. He competes on the Air + Style tour and earned a big win at the FIS World Cup Big Air event in November.

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Articles Features Misc Music

Eurovision 2017 Predictions: Shock, Controversy, and Politics

If anyone tells you that it’s impossible to predict a Eurovision contest – they’re wrong. As we’ve seen throughout the 61-year history of the show, the one thing that you can always count on is for the unexpected to happen.

The guaranteed excitement that comes hand in hand with that volatility is what makes Eurovision one of the most exciting events of the year to follow. In fact, the tension surrounding who will win is so high, that it’s actually one of the most frequently wagered contests on the entire calendar.

A lot of people use the ease of placing bets on online gaming sites to take a shot at predicting the winner. And even if you aren’t sure about the outcome, placing a wager on your favorite artist is just a fun way to show your support. Gambling at kasinot.com can make the betting experience even better, because it offers you a whole range of other betting opportunities that add even more action to the event.

Who is the favorite to win Eurovision 2017?

Given the thrilling and controversial finish to last year’s contest, it’s safe to say that politics will once again be playing a role. Remember, Ukraine will be hosting Eurovision 2017 just one year after Ukrainian singer Jamala took down the title with a song that many believe was anti-Russian. It’s widely expected that the ongoing tensions between Ukraine and Russia will have consequences in this year’s voting as well.

The shifting musical tastes is another important factor to consider when trying to predict the winner. Although music with a more contemporary sound does occasionally win, oftentimes something fresh and different will come out on top – like when heavy metal band Lordi took down the title in 2006 for Finland.

Another factor to consider is the televoting rules, which seem to have been controversial in one way or the other ever since their introduction in 2009. The jury/televote ratio has always been 50/50, but this year the Eurovision Broadcasting Union (EBU) has reserved the right set the ratio at its own discretion. This is another reaction to the huge disparity in national voting that many see as being politically motivated rather than about the quality of the performances.

So who is the favorite? You can never be completely sure, but given the fact that Eurovision is watched by over 200 million people and has developed a bit of a cult following in Europe, the stakes will be very high for the contestants. In the end, whoever brings the right combination of talent/song choice, is able to win over both the jury and crowd, and can steer clear of politics will take down the title.

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Features Music

Two Estonian artists at Eurosonic this week

Estonian artists NOËP and Tommy Cash are performing at the biggest European festival for new talent, Eurosonic Noordeslag this week in Groningen, Holland. Music Estonia leads the delegation of Estonian music industry professionals.

This year’s festival line-up includes two Estonian artists – original rap superstar Tommy Cash performs at the Vera club on 11th January and in Groniningen’s Platformtheater on 12th January, whilst the indie-electro-pop artist/producer NOËP takes the stage at Mutua Fides club on 12th January.

In addition, the festival offers daytime conference programme featuring 175 panels, keynote speakers, interviews, workshops, and dinners, as well as pitches, parties and meetings covering the latest developments in the international music, media, production and interactive industries.

Among the conference panelists is also the founder of Tallinn Music Week, Helen Sildna who will participate in the discussion of “Music Moves Europe” initiative on 12th January. Launched in 2016 and bringing together more than 50 music organizations around the European Commission to shape the EU’s music agenda, this cycle of high-level discussions has proven very promising. Now, Helen together with other influential players in the European music industry will voice their position on the subject, through a dialogue with representatives from the European Commission.

Eurosonic Noorderslag is the key exchange and networking platform for European music, with a proven track record for helping to break new acts on the international live music scene. Selling out each year, the event attracts more than 4,000 professional delegates, including representatives of over 400 international festivals. Each year, Eurosonic Noorderslag presents 350 showcases alongside a conference program covering the latest developments in the international music, media, production and interactive industries.

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Articles Blogs FREE! Blog Misc

Helsinki celebrating New Year and the beginning of the 100th anniversary celebrations!

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Helsinki Sauna Day on 29 October

Over 30 saunas throughout Helsinki have signed up for the event, including saunas in private homes, residential saunas in apartment buildings, rooftop saunas at hotels, and even tent and portable saunas. Helsinki’s new sauna culture will also be represented by Löyly and Allas Sea Pool.

“Locals have been very enthusiastic about opening up their saunas for others to enjoy. The first Helsinki Sauna Day proved the popularity of sauna gatherings, especially during the cold time of the year,” says Jaakko Blomberg of the social innovations group Yhteismaa ry, the organiser of the event.

In March the event attracted large numbers of locals and visitors who were keen to try different saunas. Some of the sauna sessions for the forthcoming event in October are already fully booked, but there are also several saunas participating that do not require bookings in advance.

“Helsinki Sauna Day has attracted a lot of attention outside Finland, so we expect many sauna fans to visit Helsinki especially for this event,” Blomberg says.

“Sauna marathons are also popular during Helsinki Sauna Day, when you can hop from one sauna to the next from morning till night,” Blomberg adds.

The sauna has traditionally been a social gathering place among Finns, yet most of the saunas in Helsinki these days are in private use only. Many people would also like to enjoy a sauna more often if they had the chance.

Helsinki Sauna Day is representative of Helsinki’s communal urban culture. It also offers visitors the chance to try a truly local experience – a combination of excitement and peace that is unique to Helsinki

“Our city is made up of shared experiences. It’s been great to see how enthusiastic locals have been about taking part in this new event – not just as sauna-goers but also by offering their own saunas for others to enjoy. Local residents deserve a big thank you for this!” says Tia Hallanoro, Marketing Communications Director at Visit Helsinki.

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Concerts Music

Concert review: Iron Maiden 29/06/2016 in Finland

After seeing the legendary Australian AC/DC taking the stage at Kantola Event Park in Hämeenlinna last summer, it was again time to organize for second time a huge 1 day concert in this town, located around one hour away from Helsinki, with British metal icons Iron Maiden visiting Finland again as part of their Book of Souls World Tour.

First of all, kudos have to be given to the organizers LiveNation for improving significantly the logistics and organization of the event: the venue had considerably less assistants than last year, but in some way that helped to improve the general feeling around. A great selection of food trucks providing the visitors with a wide choice not to starve, cigarettes for sale, the drinking area considerably big and much closer to the scenario than last year and without having to wait one hour to order a liquid beverage, portable toilets also abundant and easily accessible, the path to reach the main gate less crowded and a lot of improvised bars around the park so you could stop for a drink in your way in and out of the concert.

Even the transportation improved. Although there was only one train available to go back to Helsinki after the show and was sold out, this time Express Bus company arranged efficiently many buses at 01:00 so everybody who wanted to come back to their home places could do it on due time.

Iron Maiden

If we add to all this that the weather was nicely warm and sunny, you have the perfect cocktail for a successful day of good metal music. And the offer was wide, apart from Iron Maiden finishing the night, before the spectators had another British, The Raven Age, the legendary local Finnish metal band Stratovarius and the Swedish Sabaton opening up.

As yours truly is a hard worker and takes a while to arrive to Hämeenlinna from Helsinki, I could only see the end of Sabaton’s gig. The Swedish visit the neighboring capital quite often, as they already gave a solid show last year at Tuska festival, and know very well how to please the Finnish audience.

Around one hour later, Iron Maiden took the stage. This would be my fifth time seeing them, the fourth time in Finland after having assisted to their concerts at Sonicsphere in Pori, at Ratina Stadium in Tampere and at the Olympic Stadium in Helsinki.

As positive things of their show, the balance between new songs from their last album Book of Souls and the old classics was perfect. It helped that actually the last album has a very acceptable quality. After a first leg of the show concentrating on their last release, the last part focused on some of their old anthems. A few nice surprises like Powerslave and for my own surprise, to feel that my favorite song of the night was Blood Brothers, with a final part of guitar riffs that gave me goose bumps. It was probably the best song of the night together with Hallowed by the Name. Another pleasant surprise was that for a change, the show was not ended with 2 Minutes to Midnight but with Wasted Years.

The negative thing: the quality of Dickinson’s micro was awful. A lot of problems with the audio so his voice was continuously getting overlapped by the guitars every few seconds. A redundant problem that, although it seemed to improve a bit after The Trooper, was repeatedly suffered all over the show.

In any case, the fans seem gladly to forgive that, counterbalanced by a good setlist, Dickinson always amusing when addressing the audience and the typical great visual paraphernalia that accompanies every Iron Maiden gig with Eddie the monster fighting against Dickinson, huge inflatable monsters, the guitar players running around the stage and Janick Gers throwing it into the air and some of the best designed t-shirts in the heavy metal universe that you could purchase for a decent price in any merchandising shop around the venue.

Everybody left happy and in high spirits, and even when being a Wednesday night, that did not stop many Finnish metal heads from also leaving quite drunk (remember, it was a sunny summer day in Finland so cans of beers were blossoming in every corner of the parks of the city). Already looking forward to seeing who will come next summer to Kantola Event Park to delight us once more with good rock and metal!

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Articles Misc

Come and have fun online!

Stepping in a casino is always an amazing experience. You can pass in a few seconds from suffering heavy rain over your head to a world of glamour with smart adventurous people, beautiful women and the excitement to gamble for a big win. In the end, is not life just a continuous gamble?

The most clear example is a poker table, where everybody famous or not are equal against each others, just having their chips, cards and wits to compete among each other. You may find yourself surprised to find that for example the World Champion of Football Table, Billy Pappas, made the final table in the World Series of Poker main event in 2014, ending 5th. Who could imagine that the same guy that could put you into shame playing foosball at a bar at night can be also one of the best poker players in the world? Pappas has been considered for the past decade one of the best football table players all over the world, being his favourite table to compete the American Tornado, and partnering often in doubles competition with another legend of this funny sport: Tony Spredeman.

And that is the beauty of the casinos, you can be a hardworking person during the day but when you come in, it is about your attitude and your smartness when playing the game what makes the difference. In the end gambling is just the ultimate challenge for a person that tries to improve every day. There are no bosses breathing on your neck and telling you what to do, you are responsible of your actions and decisions. And if you do not feel like playing, well, you can just always chill out, observe the interesting atmosphere and array of characters around you and wait until you feel the luck gathering again around you.

However, not everybody has the free time or the opportunity to go to a real casino or visit Vegas for a weekend escape. Thanks to the new online era, this is not a problem anymore if you want to test your luck, your ability and your skills against both software controlled games or other real opponents that play online all over the world. You just need a computer or a smart phone or tablet and Internet connection, and a world of entertainment, challenge and potential victory opens in front of your eyes. One of the best sites if you want to give a try to online gaming is Online Casino Ireland that provides a very nice and comprehensive guide into the world of online casino sites.

Enjoy the fun, play smart and decide what are your limits in the amount of time and money you want to dedicate to gaming. What other hobbies can provide you both entertainment and the opportunity to leave with your pockets more full of profits?

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Articles Concerts Misc Music

Mustasch on Tour!

Mustasch are starting their European tour this wednesday at Bastard Club in Osnabrück followed by many big summer festivals as Nordic Noise Festival (DK), Peace & Love (Swe) and Jurassic Rock (FI).

Upcoming Tour Dates:

04-May-2016 Wed Osnabrück (DE) Bastard Club
05-May-2016 Thu Karlsruhe (DE) Substage
06-May-2016 Fri Dresden (DE) Beatpol
07-May-2016 Sat Frankfurt (DE) Das Bett
09-May-2016 Mon Hannover (DE) Faust
10-May-2016 Tue Wien (AT) Chelsea
11-May-2016 Wed Dornbirn (AT)
12-May-2016 Thu Dortmund (DE) FZW Club
13-May-2016 Fri Kiel (DE) Die Pumpe
14-May-2016 Sat Copenhagen (DK) Nordic Noise Festival
21-May-2016 Sat Finland Helsinki (FI) Radio Rock Risteily XIX
10-11 Jun-2016 Fri Germany Loreley, St. Goarshausen (DE) RockFels Festival
07-Jul-2016 Thu Sweden Borås (SE) Sommartorsdagarna
07-09 Jul-2016 Fri Sweden Borlänge (SE) Peace & Love
16-Jul-2016 Sat Estonia Haapsalu (EE) American Beauty Car Show
22-Jul-2016 Fri Sweden Stockholm (SE) Kungsträdgården, Putte i Parken
05-Aug-2016 Fri Sweden Rejmyre (SE) Skogsröjet
06-Aug-2016 Sat Finland Mikkeli (FI) Jurassic Rock

with more to be added…

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Art Articles Exhibitions Misc

Two new temporary exhibitions in Pärnu Muuseum (Estonia)

Two new temporary exhibitions in Pärnu Muuseum (Estonia):


„Resort Fashion”

From April 29th to August 31st

The resort fashion started to develop in bathing places of late 18th century France and England. A necessity for light and athletic clothing emerged from the development of resorts and the changing traditions and lifestyles. The first resort collections or cruise collections were developed by Jean Patou, Coco Chanel and Elsa Schiaparelli during the 1920s.

Resort fashion in Baltic states developed in the context of common European trends until the end of WWII. The ideology of communism and Soviet-type economic planning influenced and controlled all aspects of life, including fashion. Clothing is an eloquent historical evidence – it tells not only about the personality of the wearer, but also about the times – ideas, events, prejudices and achievements, about ideals which the society establishes in a certain point in time, and the dreams, hopes, expectations, and people’s views on beauty.

The exposition „Resort Fashion” acquaints with the fashion of clothing and accessories in resorts from the end of the 19th century until the 1990s. The stocks of Jurmala- and Pärnu Museums and private clothing collection of Ainars Radovics has been used in the exposition.

„People, Streets, Houses”

From April 29th to June 26th

The exhibition is made possible with the cooperation of Jurmala Society of History , Jurmala City museum ( Latvia), Sopot Museum (Poland), The Institue of the History of Architecture in St. Petersburg (Russia), Hanko Museum (Finland), Birstonas Museum (Lithuania) and Pärnu Museum (Estonia) . The exhibition is part of the project “The Northern Stars on the sea coast – the cultural heritage of the Baltic resorts”, and is financially supported by the Northern and Baltic States Mobility program “The Culture”. The exhibition intoduces the influence of resorts on architecture and everyday life in baltic cities.

Ticket price for temporary exhibitions:

– adult: 3€

– children: free

– pupils: 1€

– 2 adults + 2 children: 7€

– concession (ISIC card, pensionners, students) : 2

Pärnu Museum´s permanent exhibition is also open during summer time.

It provides an overview of 11,000 years of history in Pärnu County through exhibits and displays that introduce the life and conditions of the various eras. The main exhibit shows local developments from Neolithic times right up to the late 1980s, and includes a mini-cinema showing archival films. The institution’s pride and joy is the so-called ‘Stone Age Madonna’. At around 8,000 years old, it is the oldest known human-shaped sculpture in the Baltic Sea area. Other star attractions include a fragment of a 14th-century merchant ship and a glass floor that lets you look down onto archaeological remnants of one of the town’s historic gates.

Ticket price for permanent exhibition:

– adult: 4€

– children: free

– pupils: 2€

– 2 adults + 2 children: 10€

– concession (ISIC card, pensionners, students) : 3€

The museum is open from Tuesday to Sunday, 10am-6:30pm

Pärnu Museum
Aida 3, Pärnu 80010, Estonia
Tel: +372 44 33 231, +372 44 30 585

E-mail: info@parnumuuseum.ee
www.parnumuuseum.ee

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Articles Concerts Misc Music

Imagine Dragons live in concert in Helsinki at Hartwall Areena. 27.01.2016

Just a few years ago, if a rock band would introduce themselves to the audience playing in a big venue as coming from Las Vegas, Nevada, most of the people would have thought automatically of The Killers. But not anymore, Imagine Dragons, the young Americans from the city that never sleeps, have suffered a meteoric raise with just 2 studio albums released, Night Visions (2012) and Smoke + Mirrors (2015) that led them to appear in the capital of Finland for first time as show headers.

I was really curious to see them live also for first time ever, having heard so many good things about them, and not forgetting that if you are just a normal human being who watches movies, sees TV or play video games during the last 3 years, at some point you are going to recognize easily their 4 or 5 biggest hits once they start being played.

Imagine Dragons

As other compromises did not allow me to check the opening band Rival Sons and just arrived to Hartwall Areena a few minutes before Imagine Dragons started, I cannot give an opinion about them. Around 15 minutes after 21 Imagine Dragons stepped onto the stage and from there on that was madness coming out of the throats of hundreds of fans that would turn crazy on every movement or wink that Dan Reynolds would dedicate them on stage.

The venue had around 3/4 of capacity fulfilled, which is not bad taking into account that the concert took place a Wednesday and the weather in Helsinki did not really invite to go out. As I said, a lot of female teenage fans among the audience, but also audience pretty mixed with all kind of ages and looks. I even saw myself sitting close to me an old couple in their sixties that were really thrilled with every song. And that seems to be the strong point of Imagine Dragons, although sometimes they may sound too edulcorated (there were moments in the show when I was really thinking that they sound as some kind of Black Keys for teens) and aimed at young fans, they do not overdo it and they have the enough amount of good doses of rock to reach a wider audience. The vibe is always positive, soft indie rock with touches of funk, electronic music, ska… Listening to them live automatically transports you mentally to a warmer place, like watching a sunset during a beach party.

Undoubtedly their vocalist Dan Reynolds is the one where most of the eyes are focused on. Dan looks in general like a good boy with a touch of hipster mischief, the kind of pal that you could share a smoke in the terrace of a bar or accept as the new girlfriend of your sister. But the same with their style, the band does not overdo that “cool pose” and that is something that makes the difference. They really seem honestly flattered with the chance given to play for bigger audiences, they are humble and grateful in their interaction with the public (Dan commented that “he was blushing” when some female shouted a spicy comment at him in the middle of the show) and they had the small detail after the show to stay a couple of minutes throwing guitar picks, drum sticks and greeting goodbye to the audience, small details that make the difference.

Imagine Dragons

About the concert itself, the scenography was decent but nothing mind-blowing, the quality of the sound was ok taking into account that Hartwall Areena does not have the best acoustic eve for live shows and although I got a bit cold at the beginning, once they started to play hits like It’s time, I found myself rising from my seat dancing with the rest of the crowd. The big fireworks came at the end of the show when they linked anthems such as Demons, On Top of the World, I bet my Life and Radiactive with a very fun cherry on top of the cream as all the members were switching position onstage while hammering mercilessly big drums.

Things to improve? Maybe the setlist was a big short in general, and also the guitar solo Wayne Sermon did not provoke any special reaction on me (that could be cause once some months ago one sees a master as Joe Satriani, it is impossible then to measure with same standards). But all in all, I left the venue happily surprised and satisfied with a band that probably will have a lot to say in the indie rock scene during the last years. Not a bad plan to fight with positive energy and good music the gloomy cold weather of Helsinki.

Setlist:

Shots

Trouble

It’s Time

Forever Young
(Alphaville cover)

Roots

Hopeless Opus/Polaroid

Guitar Solo

I’m So Sorry

Gold

The River

Bleeding Out / Warriors / Amsterdam / Tiptoe / It Comes Back To You / Smoke and Mirrors

Demons

Drum Solo

On Top of the World

I Bet My Life

Friction / Radioactive

Encore:

The Fall

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Antonio's blog Blogs

R.I.P. David Bowie

Today one of the greatest artists of the last century, David Bowie, passed away at the age of 69.

I had the luck to see him for first and last time performing live during the year 2004 at Provinssirock festival in Finland. A very fun festival with great environment. Being 24 years old, as you can imagine, the fun was just equally enjoying the music and also the booze and pretty girls around. It was a rainy weekend, but when Bowie appeared on stage the sun appeared on the horizont.

Lizard Dusk

I was not even a huge David Bowie fan at that time, knew a few of his famous songs, but I was at that point more into hard rock and epic heavy metal. However, Bowie not only captivated me, but the whole audience. His charisma on stage was unbelievable, joking with the audience, moving like the star he was, making everybody have a great time putting the cherry on top of the cake to a superb weekend of music. I can certainly say after many years, many concerts and many artists checked live after that night, that Bowie was probably the artist that most unexpectedly blew my mind when I saw him first time live.

Few days after that concert Bowie’s health got worse and he never stepped on stage again, although recently he had released a new album. However, his music and his memories will remain among us. In the years to come, I will always remember with a smile on my face that I was there, I saw the man with the million faces on stage making the audience fall in love. And that piece of memory will remain. Rest in piece Ziggy!

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“Choke”, probably the best documentary on MMA ever made

Nowadays Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is a well recognized sport that provokes admirationa nd moves a good amount of money and fans around the world. Right at my office we can have a discussion with my co-workers about Ronda Rousey´s defeat or Emelianenko coming back from retirement like if we would be talking about the latest football match. UFC is a big organization in USA, you can see reality shows in TV channels where future fighters are getting prepared to go pro, the fighters are multidisciplinary athletes that can both perform great standing up, kicking, punching or going to the ground and working on submission techniques…

But if we take a look back not so many years ago, mixed martial arts were pretty much unknown to the great sports public and most of people who had heard about it would consider it a brutal activity done by some crazy violent people. The Gracie family was one of the pioneers to expand MMA to the big audience, and at the same time promote their Gracie Brazilian Jiu Jitsu style, and Rickson Gracie was the jewel of the crown for the family, never officially defeated in any fight before.

What “Choke”, a documentary shot during a Vale Tudo fighting tournament in Japan in 1995 and released in 1999, shows is a period where mixed martial arts was growing and in development, where the fighters were still not so well rounded in multiple disciplines but were more defending their different styles of fighting and where you could see a more brutal way of fighting than nowadays, where the rules are much more measured. At that time, pretty much everything except of hitting the genitals of the opponent would be allowed between fighters.

“Choke” counts with a wide array of memorable moments for the spectator. Apart from the usual and a bit boring ranting from Gracie family members always self promoting their style, you see the real Rickson gracie backstage between fights. The documentary revolves about his figure: masculine, handsome, dominant. But he also shows that outside that facade, he is also like the rest of the fighter human, nevous before a fight, sometimes humble, sometimes big-mouthed.

As some mythical scenes and moments to remember we can see Rickson godalike enjoying the energy of the freezing water under a cascade in a Japanese river, his umbelievable training and movement of his abdominal muscles like they would not belong to his body (maybe you remember to have watched exactly the same if you saw “The Hulk” movie with Edward Norton training with Rickson in Brazil), the recognition in front of the camera of holding the rule not to have sex with his wife 2 weeks prior a fight, the moment at the fighting venue when he surprises his brothers telling he literally needs to take a crap seconds before having to go to the arena to fight, Rickson throwing Yamamoto during his first fight out of the ring noticeably pissed off at him for holding on the ropes all the time, his cat flip on the air during his fight with Kimura (his son Rockson, sadly deceased years after this documentary on a motorbike accident, commenting in the dressng room that he saw him flying like Superman) the moment before the final of the the fight when suddenly he says he wants next time to get a belt as a champion instead of a trophy…

Choke Rickson Gracie

The show however gets partially stolen from Rickson by the other finalist of the fighting tournament, the small but brave Japanese Yuki Nakai. A small wrestling specialist that subsequently will lose the vision in one eye due to his fight with Gerard Geordeau (who will pass to the history as one of the dirtiest MMA fighters ever stepping onto a ring) who soccer kicked him on the head and gouged on his right eye. Nakai shows a total lack of concert about his own health, and as a true samurai, challenges guys double his size. He also became a legend by hiding for years that this tournament provoked him to be blind in one eye for the rest of his life just to protect the reputation of mixed martial arts. On favour of Rickson Gracie, we have to say that he avoided as much as possible punching Nakai on the face and moved the fight just to a grappling match.

The documentary is not the best technically shot, neither has the best structure or dialogues. But nowadays you cannot deny is an instant classic to understand the roots of MMA sport. And the best is that is fully available for free in Youtube to watch. Enjoy:

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Cover story Misc

Do not miss the next incoming X Games in Oslo on February 2016!

Tickets to Norway’s biggest action sport event ever are now available online. The world’s best snowboarders, skiers and skateboarders will meet in Oslo to compete for prestigious X Games medals, to the backdrop of a musical and cultural extravaganza in the Norwegian capital.

Ticket prices are being kept accessible so the entire family can watch X Games Oslo together.

Some of the events at the inaugural X Games Oslo will have facilities to accommodate large numbers of spectators, while others are limited. The biggest arena is located at Tøyen, where 15,000 tickets are available for the Big Air finals, at which skiers and snowboarders will compete on the same day. There is seating for 9,000 spectators at Wyller for the Skiing and Snowboarding SuperPipe finals. The smallest arena is Skur 13, at the Filipstad wharf, where only 1,000 tickets are available for Skateboard Street (indoors).

The event will also feature concerts and entertainment at the Tøyen arena, the X Games Oslo Village and its collaborative partners will offer innovative fun activities for the public, and parties will be held all over the city.

X Games 2016

The world’s greatest athletes are ready for Oslo

50 action sports superstars have already qualified for competition, and among them are the Scandinavian Ståle Sandbech, Silje Norendal, Tiril Sjåstad Christiansen and Kjersti Buaas from Norway and Peetu Piiroinen and Roope Tonteri representing Finland.

The world’s best skateboarders are making their way to Oslo: Nyjah Huston, Chris Cole and Curren Caples. In addition, the lists of competitors for snowboarding and skiing are full of world champions, Olympic medal winners and stars of action sport films.

“We will be bringing together the most experienced athletes from all around the globe at our world-class arenas, so this is going to beat anything that’s ever been done in the past on the Norwegian sports scene,” said former pro snowboarder and head of the sports committee at X Games Oslo, Stine Brun Kjeldaas.

The countdown has already begun. The world’s toughest action sport event is on its way to Oslo, with banners flying: X Games Oslo, February 24 to 28, 2016.

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Demons Of Old Metal Premiere New Single

British metallers Demons Of Old Metal recently streamed their latest single “The Quiet Ones” via Puregrainaudio! Taken from their upcoming new album “Dominion”, which is due for release on December 7th, fans of the band can check out their latest offering ahead of time!

Check out “The Quiet Ones” here – http://puregrainaudio.com/audio/demons-of-old-metal-the-quiet-ones-exclusive-song-stream-premiere

Sat somewhere between classic Exodus, Pantera & GWAR; theatrically tinged British metallers Demons Of Old Metal have been making an unholy din across the UK for a while now. And if latest record “Dominion” is anything to go by, they’re just getting started!

Formed at the tail end of 2010 by four veterans of the UK metal circuit with the sole intention of cranking out classically tinged metal and engulfing venues in a sea of blood, sweat and beers. Coupling a cracking knack for writing quality songs, their penchant for schlock horror imagery and an otherworldly stage show, DOOM set about putting together their debut record; “The Demonic Chronicles Vol I”. Released on Halloween 2012, the response from fans and the media alike was overwhelmingly positive and saw the band begin making a name for themselves.

Demons of Old Metal

In 2013 the band released “The Demonic Chronicles Vol. II”; a further addition to their stunning repertoire. This was followed in 2014 by the final part of “The Demonic Chronicles Trilogy” which was greeted with critical acclaim in Europe and the U.S. They proceeded to hit the road and carve their mark viciously into the psyche of the British live scene; scoring slots at Beermageddon in the UK, as well as shows in Ireland.

Simultaneously, they began work on their new record “Dominion”. Set for release on December 7th 2015, “Dominion” stands as a huge leap forward, as the band have pushed their musical boundaries and created a work that will no doubt appeal to fans of both the new and old schools. Tracks like ‘You Version 2.0’, ‘Fakeskin’ and ‘Behind The Mask’ are groove laden gems on a record full of brilliance. Tall and short of it; you need Demons Of Old Metal in your life.