Värttinä

My "concert period" continues. There are 4 concerts during april and may, which have attracted my attention and I have decided to visit 3 of them. This time I went to Brno to see Värttinä, popular Finnish band playing their interpretations of mostly (but not only) Finnish folk music. The typical elements of their music are usage of various both traditional and modern instruments, complex rhytmics and 3 blonde female singers, who are probably the most distinguishing sign of the band.There are bands, which you can listen to for years without seeing their concert, and still you don't miss anything very special from their music. Here I have found that I haven't actually known Värttinä before this day... the life concert brings a totally new dimension to this music. I have to say that I regret a bit those 6 musicians in the background... definitely great musicians, but most of the concert noone looks at them, because it is just amazing to see the 3 women show in the front. While singing both emotional ballads and energic songs they compound their voices in fabulous harmonies (often using quarter-tone distances) and this is all accompanied by very expressive dances and gestures... alltogether it results in a explosion of positive energy and joy coming from the beautiful music. The band shows every second, how they love to do this music for the people and how they enjoy it. Obviously the visitors of the concert react also in a positive way and in the end the concert is a 100 minute oasis of a pure happiness.Contrary to other concerts I have visited this wont probably make me listen to the band's album over and over for weeks or months, but the time of the concert itself was the most intensive concert experience I have had the chance to enjoy.

The Flower Kings concert

The Flower Kings are a Swedish music band, who would deserve much more publicity and popularity than they actually enjoy. It is sad that such amazing musicians have to organize their concerts in small clubs for 3oo people, while artificial marketing products of the entertainment industry are able to fill arenas for thousands and thousands of people.
On the other hand this also hides something positive: if there was an appropriate recognition for the great musicians, we could hardly expect them to come to have a concert in Nitra in a great atmosphere of Stara Pekaren (and the ticket would probably cost more than 500 SKK).

It was the first time I have visited this paradise of Slovak & Czech prog-rock fans. And for me it was the second best concert I have attended. Flower Kings have shown, why are they considered to be one of the top bands of contemporary progressive rock. Long compositions, instrumental mastery, hard rock pieces as well as emotional ballads and additionally good mood of the band members, who have really made a good show and after the concert they came to talk to the fans and give them their autographs. I could hardly expect more.

Majority of the setlist was put together from the new album called Paradox Hotel. I can really recommend it to people, who like rock music and who would like to try something little bit unusual... it is more catchy than most of their previous albums, so I think it is a good starting point:)

The concert has happened one week after my discotheque visit and after this dreadful experience it has filled me again with optimism... Music is still here to make life more beautiful!

The Sound of Muzak

This is connected with my previous posting... The noise at the discotheque has reminded me of following lyrics. They come from a song by one of my most favourite bands - Porcupine Tree (yes the band, whose concert I have visited in Vienna last year). It is a sarcastic vision of what will be the music like in the future... It is a hyperbole, of course... but who knows, what can be the next step, if it is now enough for some people to listen to an electronic noise with almost no melody and never changing (and the most simple) rhytm...

The Sound of Muzak

Hear the sound of music
Drifting in the aisles
Elevator prozac
Stretching on for miles

The music of the future
Will not entertain
It's only meant to repress
And neutralise your brain
Soul gets squeezed out
Edges get blunt
Demographic
Gives what you want

Now the sound of music
Comes in silver pills
Engineered to suit you
Building cheaper thrills
The music of rebellion
Makes you wanna rage
But it's made by millionaires
Who are nearly twice your age

One of the wonders of the world is going down
It's going down I know
It's one of the blunders of the world that no-one cares
No-one cares enough

(Steve Wilson)

Discotheque...

I have done something very strange for me: I have visited a discotheque. For many people this is something absolutely usual, but for me it was the second time in my life... And for the first time at a disco like this... so this is a story of a stranger in a strange place...
I have visited this cursed place with my team mates Katka and Aga, however it was my free decision and it would be unfair to blame anyone else for it:)

Chapter 1: Preparation for battle
I was aware of the fact that I have no chance to survive this without any doping, so I was very glad that we did not go straight to the disco. One week ago Aga has found a pub in the centre with tequilla for 29SKK only, so we went there. 2 tequillas combined with 1 martini drank later was my preparation. However later I have found that any preparation would be probably inadequate in this case.

Chapter 2: First blood...
The disco I had the chance to visit before was a place, where music was played. There is no sense in evaluating the quality of the music, but for sure there was a music.
This time we have visited a building, which did not look exactly like a machine plant (at least there was more neon lights), but the sound spreading around was perfectly similar to it.
Incisive regular rhytm which has not changed in a minute nor in 5 or 15 minutes (and which was going to remain the same for next 3 1/2 hours). However due to my good mood and some fresh alcohol circulating in my body I have started to "dance" and pretend having fun.
After 40 minutes I went to toilet. After another 15 minutes I went outside to breathe some fresh air. After another 10 minutes I went to toilet again and from there I went directly outside to breathe some fresh air. I have stayed there for cca 10 minutes thinking about some other possible activities which could defend me from coming back to the dance floor.

Chapter 3: Delirium
However the weather has become warmer recently, it was not very comfortable to stay outside for a longer period of time. I have returned inside and made my last attempt to join my dancing friends again. But I have found after less than one minute that my energy has been drained somewhere and I should not waste the remaining leftovers, because I might need them to survive in these inhuman conditions.
I did not leave the disco immediately for several reasons. One of them was that the night bus has left and the next one was supposed to come in 2 hours. The other reason was that I have decided to try it and it would be coward to give up. Also I wanted to try to find out, what the hell do the people find so entertaining here.
I have sat in a corner and tried to disconnect my soul from the body, which was constantly hurt by the resonant brain killing rhytm.
It would be nice to increase the dramatic effect of this story, but any inteligent reader (and I am sure that only inteligent people visit my blog:)) has probably deduced that I have managed to survive the night (simply because I could not have written this otherwise...). Therefore I am not going to waste your time with another descriptions and will come to some conclusion...

Chapter 4: Epilogue
Life brings many surprises. This time I have found that it is not necessary to travel to a distant country to experience a big culture shock. True culture shock, the moment, when you are surrounded by things you don't understand, people behaving in a way which makes absolutely no sense for you, having fun because of something, what makes you feel sick... simply the moment when you feel totally lost and hurt by things, which others consider to be normal. I would like to know, if women, who don't like football would feel the same while visiting a football game.

Blog resurrection

I haven't posted anything to my blog for months, but I have decided to start again with blogging, I hope it won't end up the same way again:)