Categories
Articles Misc

July’s jewels

July is a beautiful time of the year and
would be a strong contender if I had to choose a favourite month, although
December's not bad either. However, this year July is packed full of special
personal events that have made it one of the most anticipated Julys of recent
memory and is set to give the remaining months self-esteem issues that will
result in countless visits to the Seasonal Shrink.

The very first day of July marks the fifth anniversary
of moving to Finland in order to begin a new life away from the hustle and
bustle of the UK. In fact after five years I have yet to see any hustle, let
alone bustle, in Helsinki, so I can safely proclaim, "Mission
accomplished, so far." Personal landmarks, such as these, encourage the evaluation
of life and the progress of lifestyle decisions, but if you think I am going to
bare my soul to you guys and girls then think again you emotional vultures.

Okay, I'll throw you a bone. Upon my
arrival in Finland I was asked by my wife's family if I wanted a name day
because I continually complained that everybody had one, except yours truly. The
name 'Esa' was closest to mine and was celebrated on July 6th, a Finnish flag
day, so everybody pencilled it into their diaries, but the so-called luck of
the seventh month decided to bestow its fortunes upon somebody else: my
daughter.

July 6th 2005 was the day my daughter made
her debut into this world and now my name day has been relegated behind her
birthday and Eino Leino Day, which really isn't poetic justice. After two years
of being ignored I have returned to the cynical opinion that name days are a
waste of money and are merely invented by card companies and florists. Call me
bitter, call me petty, but I really don't care, although I will convince my
daughter in later years that the flags are flying just for her.

July is month number seven, a lucky number
and, thereby, a lucky month to some, as I mentioned earlier. This year the
month is particularly auspicious due to an avalanche of sevens, with July 7th
2007 inspiring our imaginations far more than the horror associated with last
year's June 6th 2006 (666). 7/7/07 is also special to me because it is the day
my little brother has chosen to tie the knot with his fiancée and requested a
Best Man speech from me. Nerves, second thoughts and sickness will be on my
mind, but then again I can't worry about the feelings of my brother's fiancée
all day.

A family wedding, my daughter's second
birthday, an ignored name day, five years away from England, an aunt's 50th
birthday, my wife's uncle and his wife both turn 80, plus a good number of
barbeques with the prerequisite burgers, sausages and ribs washed down with a
few ice-cold bottles of lager, are all pencilled in my July 2007 diary… the
aroma of grass is also welcome.

Categories
Articles Misc

Acting out and about

I can’t lie
to save my life but sometimes I do get tempted to use my acting abilities
outside the stage, often in most dubious circumstances. Like once when I was
chilling out in a London park with a friend. I saw these twins enter through
the iron gates and the urge to act came upon me. They wore identical dark suits
that had seen better days, and, as proper English gentlemen should, sported oak
walking sticks. The choice of the colour purple for both their hair and their
socks suggested an eccentricity I’m hopelessly weak for. With rhythmical steps
they headed towards a park bench and sat down.

I was
mesmerised. I had no other option but to talk to them. I grabbed my friend’s
camera and walked up to them. I put on my most innocent face and rolled my r’s a bit to create the air of a
foreigner not used to the social code of the British Isles. I told them I was a
photography student from Finland making a project about twins and I asked if I
could take a photo of them. Without hesitation they posed for me in a way that
immediately betrayed a background in show business.

An hour
later when kissing the twins goodbye I had heard stories from the set of Wizard
of Oz and from singing for the troops in the World War II. They showed me the
steps of the musicals they’d performed in and reminisced about the good old
days with Lawrence Olivier. Before hugging me the very last time they told me
I’d make a lovely actress but advised me to stay well clear of the show
business. ‘It’s a rotten business, it is.’, they said in perfect harmony.

I did feel
guilty for my deceit. But then again we all enjoyed the little encounter and no
one was harmed during the scene. I think these delightful gentlemen had
pleasure posing for the photographer played by me and I have the photos to
prove that I once acted with these kings of show business, even if the stage
was grass fringe.

Categories
Outside Finland Travel

Stylish Stockholm

Only hop, skip and a boat ride away from old Helsinki is the capital of Sweden and the home of 1,7 million of hip and trendy people. Stockholm is easy to get to, but hard to forget. Who wouldn’t fall in love with the beautiful old part of the city and the creative and contemporary cosmopolitan atmosphere of Stockholm?

Sweden and Finland have love and hate relationship. It is because of our long history together and apart, but nowadays it is all about competing in everything, for example in music and ice hockey. Some of you may remember that we just bit Sweden  in both sports this year! We
Finns have to admit though that there are lot of great Swedish things; like Absolut Vodka, ABBA and Pippi Longstocking.

Stockholm

The weather in Stockholm is same we have in Helsinki, but sometimes just a hint warmer. After all it is to south from here! When visiting the city in winter, it is a cool and trendy, but cold city to hang out. That is why I recommend you to go right now, when the air is warm and nights are light.

Bridges and boutiques of Stockholm

The whole area of  Stockholm is build on 14
islands and the city itself on 7 islands, so almost everywhere you go you will be surrounded by water. The most spectacular part of the city is the Old Town with its old and beautiful buildings. The Royal family lives there as well.

For obvious reason there are lot of bridges and if you take a walk instead of taxi from the ferry to the city central you will discover some of these beautiful waterways. Especially walk in the old town, called Gamla Stan, is worth of doing. What the heck, you may even see the king and his family, if you stalk long enough on the corner of the Royal Palace. If you get tired of shopping or chasing the princesses of Sweden, you can relax in one of the many parks of the city.

Stockholm is very vivid and cosmopolitan city, mostly because more than 15% of its population are
immigrants or other expatriates. There are lot of cosy cafes, restaurants with all kind of menus and bouncy night clubs, like Café Opera that has been the exclusive party central of Stockholm
for 25 years now. But it is one to mention, there are lot of other great clubs in the city and many of them don’t close until 5.

Swedes know design and fashion. For some reason they always look good and show up wearing the right clothes in every occasion. So, when in Sweden, do as the Swedes do! Best shopping street in Stockholm is drottninggatan. But there are more places to buy your little piece of Sweden than the crowded shopping street and malls. Pop in one of those boutiques in the narrow alleys of the old city or in Östermalm, the art and antique district. The prices are pretty much the same as in Finland.
It hasn’t been longer than a decade, when we Finnish Fashionistas use to make trips to Stockholm
just to buy clothes and accessories. But today we can go there and just enjoy the atmosphere instead of purchasing everything we see, because we finally have H&M and Nilson in Finland too.

Attractive attractions

Those who cannot get enough of culture should check out the House of Culture, Kulturhuset in Swedish, where the galleries, stages, shops and restaurants keep you satisfied for hours! Also Vasamuseet and Moderna Museet are worth of seeing. One of the things not to miss, if you walk in the old city, is the Stockholm’s Cathedral.

If you are more into sports and activities than old culture, you may want to see Globen, the sport and entertainment arena, which has a unique shape: it’s a massive ball! You also may want to go to Eriksdalsbadet which is Stockholm’s largest aquatic Centre with a 50-metre pool, adventure bats, spa and gym. The outdoor pool is open during summer.

If you stay for longer and with kids, you may want to do a day trip to the zoo, called Kolmården. The zoo is one of Sweden’s most popular tourist destinations and only 90 minutes south of Stockholm. I was there when I was a kid and believe me: that’s a great adventure for little ones!

The love boats

Even
when you can fly to Stockholm in an hour, I suggest you to take the over night ferry to get there. It is
experience of its own. You can have massage or facial, have a nice dinner and drink colourful cocktails on the deck while watching the sunset. These ships are known internationally as love boats. So who knows, you may even meet the Mr. Right or if not, there are plenty of Mr. Right Nows on board! If it happens
that you drink too many GTs, “The It Drink” in Nordic, you really should try your best and get up early and go to the deck to see the most beautiful summer view of the archipelago of Sweden. The countless islands look amazing in the morning light.

If you are planning to take the ferry I strongly recommend you to stay in Stockholm few days in between, because the partying is usually so severe that you maybe thankful to have one day to recover from it and then have enough time and energy to discover the city. Too many people don’t even leave the boat on
their trip and that is a pity, because they miss out a lot! By the way: you can
also get off on the Åland on your way to Stockholm.

Stockholm

Åland Islands belong to Finland, but people living on them speak Swedish and that would be soft descending to the Swedish world and great way to see something new.

After all of these years that I have been exploring Stockholm,
I still don’t know what it is that makes it so much more glamorous than Helsinki. Maybe it is the certain self-confidence and style Swedes have? Or maybe it is just because the grass always seems to be greener on the other side?

STOCKHOLM


For
more information

www.visit-stockholm.com


www.visitsweden.com


Ferries
to Stockholm

www.vikingline.fi

www.tallinksilja.com

A
cabin for 4 people starting from 110e


Hotels
http://www.stockholmhotell.net/


Flights
from Helsinki
starting from 110e

www.finnair.fi

www.sas.fi

www.kilroy.fi


Metro map

http://www.urbanrail.net/index.html

(Just
click Stockholm.
Here you can find metro maps in every city on the globe!)

Categories
Antonio's blog Blogs

Summer of music

{mosimage}
I look back in time and remember my summer times in Spain.
Temperatures of 40 degrees, ventilators trying to suffocate the baking hot, the
excursions to the beach (not to the beach in Madrid…obviously…so I mean really
long excursions driving many hours…), the ice creams melting 10 seconds after
you bought them… Now here in Finland
you never know what the new day will bring. Will it be warm? Should I wear
shorts or should I take a pullover with me?. And honestly, who the fuck cares?

Summer is here, and you have an amazing offer of concerts in small and big
venues for all kind of tastes. And if you do not want to stay all the time in
Finland, take a break = take a boat, and visit some of our Baltic countries
such as Estonia or Latvia; Tallinn and Riga are developing their own amazing
scene for concerts step by step, and more and more bands are visiting there.
Last year I was lucky enough to see Depeche Mode and Metallica in
Tallinn, and
this year my beloved Aerosmith will have the chance to taste a bit of
Vana Tallinn to mix with Finlandia vodka during their European tour… So if you
are not dead, you are not broke, and there are still tickets available, what
are you waiting to choose your summer concerts and festivals before it is too
late? Aerosmith

During last weeks, I have started to have my own share of action. FREE!
Magazine heavy metal fan section (meaning… me) was in Sauna Open Air
listening to Dave Mustaine and friends. Megadeth gave a great concert
and it was an excellent end for the first day of festival. It was also very
nice to see the good health that Sonata Arctica keeps showing on live
gigs. We had the interview with them a few weeks ago, and they really can
connect with big audiences. No wonder why they are one of the biggest Finnish
bands at the moment, their new album Unia sounds powerful and with very nice melodies.
At the end of the festival I reached my maximum state of happinnes for two
reasons: I sneaked off some food from the backstage area, and I saw Heaven
and Hell. Dio looks like falling into pieces, but the power of his
voice remains the same. In any case, too short concert, I must say, they did
not even play until the electricity had to be cut off. Less than 2 hours of
concert… it could have been better, it could have been worse…

Last week I also had the chance to assist to Genesis concert at the
Olympic Stadium. I have never been a great fan (in a way I should feel relieved
not to be such a big fan as Bateman's character in American Psycho), but
I truly enjoyed the show. Phil Collins is a great frontman and knows how
to entertaint the audience, and I also really liked the the design of the
stage, simulating a kind of futuristic city of machines expelling smoke all
over the audience.

And this week end more and more… Tuska festival is coming…   (a friend of mine from Spain keeps reminding
me that Tuska sounds like a dog´s name… 
What do you think, guys? Then Roskilde
in Denmark…
and then I will have to run away to New Zealand to pick up strawberries
to recover from such an intensive summer!

Categories
Cinema DVD

Fur

{mosimage}Diane Arbus, (born Diane Nemerov), was a photographer married with Allan
Arbus (and later divorced), that became famous for her personal style of
portraying “freaks”, those people living apart from the normal American
post-second world war society.

Fur: An imaginary portrait of Diane Arbus is
based on the book by Patricia Bosworth, and shows us once more how good
actress Nicole Kidman can be. A character totally made for the Australian red
haired talent, who masters like nobody else in Hollywood the art of releasing sensuality
behind a faked shyness. Together with her, the “recovered” Robert Downey Jr who
is living a second golden era with his appearance in this or other recent
titles like Zodiac.

The action is
centered in a particular stage of Diane’s life, when she starts to open her
eyes to the world and open her body to the forbidden side of sensuality that
always attracted her. Still married, she is giving the first steps into freedom
and emancipation. So for those who are expecting a detailed biography of the
photographer, better look for other sources. The film is centered basically in
the relation between the ambiguous two main roles, Diane and Mr. Sweeney, but Ty
Burrell, in the role of Diane’s husband, is a perfect third wheel for
conducting the action.

The collection of
freaks show their human side in a film subtly intended to break the borders of
discrimination and alienation in the world. Many will not understand the movie
and will get bored, but for others, me included, director Steven ShainbergSecretary) achieves a different and
entertaining film.
(who already shocked many conservative minds with his previous little essay
about love and sadomasochism)

Categories
Concerts Music

Provinssirock 2007

{mosimage}Provinssirock
2007 was supposed to be the festival of the three queens, but one of them
didn’t show up. Amy Winehouse, the last diva on top of the charts, canceled
her performance just a few hours before she hit the stage on Sunday. Without
Amy, Tori Amos on Friday and Patti Smith on Saturday reigned over Seinäjoki.

Fashionably
late, Tori Amos appeared on stage in front of an enthusiastic crowd that packed
the big tent, excited in anticipation. As in her last album, American Doll
Posse, the singer played different roles. In the first act of the show, it was
Pip, brunette, rocking and sexy. Then it was Tori, long haired redhead,
elegant. The setlist was mostly based on American Doll Posse, but the fans
received these new songs as instant classics, shouting and singing along. The
performance was intense, with Amos showing off her strong charisma and
arrogance.

Due to an
unfortunate tour schedule, at the same time as Tori’s show, Flogging Molly had
their particular Irish party going on. On the other side of the festival area,
people jumped and danced the drunken lullabies of Dave King and his band. A
combination of traditional Irish music and Californian punk, Flogging Molly’s
music is much about passion, celebration and fun. One must be deaf and blind to
avoid being uplifted by the fiddle-driven punk with great melodies and stories.
A really good time.

{mosimage}But if
someone is meant to represent punk, that one is Patti Smith. She turned 60 last
December and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame earlier this year,
but she still maintains a defiant attitude. Her voice sounded strong, she
gesticulated to underline the lyrics and ranted about the environment
preservation while a Palestinian flag rested on top of the amplifier during the
whole show. She sang classics like Space
Monkey, Free Money and the crowd
favorite Because the Night. In her
latest album, Twelve, Patti Smith covers some great rock hit and so she did in
Seinäjoki: Gimme Shelter, Soul Kitchen, Are You Experienced? and even Lou Reed’s Perfect Day and also Smith’s peculiar arrangement of Nirvana’s
Smells Like a Teen Spirit that is transformed into an acoustic jazzy ballad. But
in spite of being a solid show, there was a certain feeling of laid back
performance, lacking the wildness that those songs need. Energy was kept in the
can and it wasn’t until the last song (Rock
‘N’ Roll Nigger) when the band sounded loosed and at full speed.

The other
great concert on Saturday was supposed to be Velvet Revolver. The crowd was
really into it and the excitement of seeing three ex-Gunners on stage was high.
It’s great to see Slash and Duff McKagan perform, but there is something wrong
with this band. The who seems flat and lame. It is like a movie with a bad
unbelievable plot. Perhaps it is the singer Scott Weiland and his excessive
attitude. Or perhaps it is just the lack of chemistry or really good songs, but
Velvet Revolver’s performance provokes indifference and the feeling that
nothing great happened.

This year’s
edition of Provinssirock had fewer visitors than expected. The last minute
changes, cancellations and the schedule conflicts of the big names create many
difficulties for a festival that needs to start working to organize a top class
30th anniversary programme next year.

Photos by Eduardo Alonso 

Categories
Misc News

Headliner Amy Winehouse cancels Provinssirock

The British soul singer had already arrived in Finland on Saturday, but never made it to the festival ground in Seinäjoki. According to her manager she suffered such a bad throat ache on Sunday morning (17 June), that a doctor ordered her to go home and get rest.

Amy Winehouse was one of the most anticipated contemporary foreign acts of this year’s festival summer in Finland.

Young Finnish metal band Sturm und Drang took her spot in the festival’s big tent. Remaining performers on Sunday included Scissor Sisters from New York, fellow Americans Lamb of God and Finnish The 69 Eyes and Jonna Tervomaa.

Earlier the event had to put up with cancellations from British band The View and Finnish metal group Stam1na, who also had to pull back because of medical reasons.

Provinssirock is Finland’s biggest rock festival. This year’s other foreign headliners included Patti Smith and Band (USA), Velvet Revolver (USA), Tori Amos (USA), Aiden (USA), The Go! Team (UK), Flogging Molly (USA) and MUCC (Japan).

 

Amy Winehouse – official website

Provinssirock

 


Related:

newsflash Don Johnson Big Band and Mokoma replace cancelled acts 

Categories
Misc News

Don Johnson Big Band and Mokoma replace The View and Stam1na

Provinssirock, Finland’s biggest rock festival, will take place this weekend (15-17 June) in Seinäjoki.

Many of the live performances will be carried on digital TV channel YLE Extra
(14 hours in total) as well as on YleX radio (Fri 6-9 pm, Sat + Sun 2-6
pm – listen live).

 

Provinssirock

The View – official website
Don Johnson Big Band – official website

Stam1na – official website (in Finnish)
Mokoma – official website

YLE Extra (partially in English)
YleX (in Finnish) – live stream

Categories
Misc News

Sofya Gulyak wins First Prize in Maj Lind Piano Competition

Gulyak won the finals with her interpretation of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3. She will take home the 20,000 euro prize mony that comes with the First Prize in the competition.

Second Prize (15,000 euros) went to Roope Gröndahl of Finland after his performance of Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1. He was also the audience’s favourite. Russian Violetta Khachikian ended in third place, winning 10,000 euros.

Marko Mustonen (Finland), Yoonjung Han (South Korea) and Irina Zahharenkova (Estonia) took up fourth, fifth and sixth places respectively. They were each rewarded 4,000 euros.

The competition started on 24 May and concluded with the finals taking place on 6 and 7 June at Helsinki’s Finlandia Hall. The six finalists played with the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Leif Segerstam. Their performances were judged by a seven-member jury led by Gustav Djupsjöbacka.

Besides the top prize, 27-year-old Gulyak also won the Taneli Kuusisto Foundation Prize (1 900 euros) for the best performance of a Finnish piano work. She was awarded the prize for her recital of Joonas Pohjonen’s Bagatelles in the second round of the piano competition.

Sofya Gulyak originates from Kazan, the capital of the Russian republic of Tatarstan. She currently studies in Imola, Italy. In September 2006 she also won the Allegro Vivo International Piano Competition in San Marino.

 

HELSINKI INTERNATIONAL MAJ LIND PIANO COMPETITION

> Oldest and biggest piano competition in Finland

> Arranged by the Sibelius Academy

> First international edition: 6 – 22 August, 2002
(won by Italian Alberto Nosè)

> First organized as a national piano competition in 1945

> Until the sixties open to students of the Sibelius Academy only 

Official website Helsinki International Maj Lind Piano Competition

Competition pages Finnish Broadcasting Company YLE

Categories
Misc News

Platinum debut for “HevAri”

Sales of the album instantly exceeded the amount of copies needed for platinum in Finland: 30,000.

Fuel for the Fire went straight to Number 1 of the Official Album Chart.

After winning Idols 2007, metal singer Koivunen, nicknamed “HevAri” (Finnish slang for 'heavy metal guy'), immediately got to work with some of the top names of Finnish metal and rock. Composers for his debut album included Marco Hietala (Nightwish), Pauli Rantasalmi (The Rasmus), Timo Tolkki (Stratovarius) and Teräsbetoni’s Jarkko Ahola.

Children of Bodom’s Janne Wirman and Thunderstone members Mirka Rantanen and Nino Laurenne are some of the top musicians that can be heard on the long player.

23-year-old Ari is also part of this year’s line-up at the Sauna Open Air Metal Festival in Tampere. On 27 July he will play Helsinki’s Tavastia Club.

Ari Koivunen's official website (partly in English)
Suomen virallinen lista – Finland’s official album chart.

Categories
Misc News

Bigger audiences for domestic films at Finnish cinemas

While there were slightly fewer premieres than in the year before, also the total number of cinema-goers grew in 2006. Nearly 6.7 million tickets were sold, about 600,000 more than in 2005. According to statistics from the Finnish Film Foundation, total box office revenues last year amounted to 50.3 million euros.

The most watched film in 2006 was the Finnish Matti (international title: Matti – Hell Is For Heroes) directed by Aleksi Mäkelä, which drew 461,665 people to Finnish cinemas. The second biggest box office hit in Finland was Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest.

 

OVERALL TOP 5 MOST WATCHED FILMS 2006

1. Matti / Matti – Hell Is For Heroes (FIN; 461 665 admissions)
2. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (USA; 458 833)
3. Casino Royale (GB/USA; 368 621)
4. The Da Vinci Code (USA; 365 276)
5. Ice Age 2 (USA; 272,104)
 

 

TOP 5 DOMESTIC FILMS 2006

1. Matti / Matti – Hell Is For Heroes (461 665 admissions)
2. Kummelin Jackpot / Jackpot (229 511)
3. FC Venus (223 590)
4. Lupaus / Promise (84 389)
5. Jadesoturi / Jade Warrior (79 600)

 

 Source: Facts & Figures 2006, the Finnish Film Foundation