Reykjavík Grapevine - 13.04.2007, Page 12

Active Traveller
Scenic flights over Reykjavík and surrounding area.
Booking tel.: 570 3030. Price: 1,500 ISK per person. Free for children
under 15.
Air Iceland – Reykjavík Airport. 13:00, 14:15 & 15:15.
Hour long horseriding tours with Íshestar and children lead by reins.
Price: 1.500 ISK for riding tour. Free for children to be lead by reins
bewteen 13:00 – 14:30 and 15:30 – 16:30. Café buffet from 13:00
– 17:00. Price 1.000 ISK per adult, 500 ISK for 6 – 15-year olds, free
for children under 6.
Íshestar, Sörlakeiði 26 Hafnarfjörður.
Open house, Klifurhúsið – Bouldering centre. Instructor present
– free entrance.
Klifurhúsið, Skútuvogi 1G. 13:00 – 17:00.
Blokart
Highlanders offer you the chance to try Blokart on the parking lot by
the Reykjavík Harbour. Price 1000 ISK. Each ride 15-minutes.
Parking lot between Reykjavík Harbour and Geirsgata. 13:00 - 16:00.
ATV by the old harbour. ATV Iceland offers travellers the chance to
drive street leagal ATV by the old Reykjavík harbour. Price: 2.000 ISK.
Each ride 10 minutes.
Ægisgarður, Reykjavíkurhöfn. 11:00 – 18:00.
Cultural Traveller
Gljúfrasteinn – The House of Halldór Laxness
Open house Gljúfrasteinn, Mosfellsbær. Free Entrance. 10:00 – 17:00.
Reykjavík Maritime Museum
14:00 - Guided tour through the museum.
15:00 - Painter Bjarni Jónsson introduces his exhibition in Icelandic.
Reykjavík Maritime Museum, Grandagarður 8. Free entrance. 13:00
– 17:00.
Reykjavík Art Museum - Ásmundarsafn
The Shape of a Line. A retrospective exhibition of works by Ásmun-
dur Sveinsson.
Folk Tales – Icelandic stories from the oral tradition.
An exhibition of works by Icelandic draughtsmen who took on the
task of illustrating folk tales from the oral tradition.
Ásmundarsafn by Sigtún. Free entrance. 13:00 – 16:00.
Reykjavík Art Museum - Kjarvalsstaðir
Falling Water. Artists: Hekla Dögg Jónsdóttir, Ólafur Elíasson, Pat
Steir og Rúrí.
K - Factor. The painter Jóhannes S. Kjarval.
Kjarval and Childhood. An exhibition for youth about youth.
Kjarvalstaðir by Flókagata. Free entrance. 10:00 – 17:00.
Reykjavík Art Museum - Hafnarhús
Celebration Park. French painter Pierre Huyghe.
D - Project 2. Painter Geirþrúður Hjörvar.
Reykjavík Art Museum – Hafnarhús, Tryggvagata 17. Free entrance.
10:00 – 17:00.
Saga Museum.
Price 1000 ISK per adult, free for children under 12.
Saga Museum Perlan. 10:00 – 18:00.
What Did Kids in Reykjavík do, 1000 Years Ago?
11:00 & 13:00 - A special guided tour for children through the Settle-
ment Exhibition 871±2, Aðalstræti 16. Free entrance. Open from
10:00 – 17:00.
The Culture House
The Nation and the Nature, a documentary by Páll Steingrímsson
about the coexistence of man and animals in Icelandic nature.
Medieval Manuscripts – Eddas and Sagas. Exhibition of Icelandic
manuscripts from the middle ages.
The Road to Zion. Over 150 years have passed since Icelanders first
settled in North America.
Berlin Excursion. An exhibit of books from the publishing house Edi-
tion Mariannenpresse in Berlin.
Þjóðmenningarhúsið, Hverfisgata 15. Free Entrance.
11:00 – 17:00.
Hafnarborg - The Hafnafjörður Institute of Culture and Art.
French fashion photographer Gilles Bensimon. Free Entrance. 11:00
– 21:00.
Turak – Théâtre d’objets. French theatre group. Admission: 500 ISK.
Hafnarborg, Strandgata 34 Hafnarfjörður. 16:00.
Museum of Hafnarfjörður
Museum of Hafnarfjörður, Vesturgata 8, Hafnarfjörður. Free entrance.
11:00 – 21:00.
National Museum of Iceland
Games – old and new, guided tours for all ages, workshops and
lottery.
Þjóðminjasafn Íslands, Suðurgötu 41. Free Entrance. 13:00 – 17:00.
Down Town Cultural Walk for Children
A guided tour in Icelandic for children through the city centre. Tour
starts at 14.00 by the Icelandic Travel Market and ends an hour later
by the harbour. Price: 500 ISK per adult, free for children.
Tourist Info, Bankastræti. 14:00.
National Gallery of Iceland
14:00 Guided tours in Icelandic through exhibitions of the works of
Jóhann Briem and Jón Engilberts.
National Gallery of Iceland, Fríkirkjuvegur 7, open from 11:00
– 17:00. Free entrance.
The Children’s Book Award 2006
Family programme in the Reykjavík City Library – Main Library. The
best children’s books in 2006 awarded.
City Library Grófarhús, Tryggvagötu 15. 14:00
ASÍ Art Museum
15:00 Borghildur Óskarsdóttir talks about her exhibition Opnur.
Listasafn Así, Freyjugata 41. Free entrance. 13:00 – 17:00.
90-minute Ghost Walk through Reykjavík’s most haunted places. For
reservations, call 696 7474.
Departure from Tourist Info, Aðalstræti 2. Admission 500kr. 18:00 &
20:00. (In Icelandic)
Healthy Traveller
Seltjarnarnes – A Guided Tour
A two-hour guided walk through the town Seltjarnarnes. Departure
from Fiskisaga by Nesvegur. 16:00. (In Icelandic)
The Icelandic Mountain Bike Club – Open House.
Íslenski Fjallahjólaklúbburinn, Brekkustíg 2. 17:00 – 21:00.
World Class – Laugar. Open house.
World Class, Sundlaugavegi 30. 08:00 – 20:00.
The Iceland Touring Association
Laugavegur Walk. Guided walk through the old route to Laugardalur.
Departure from Mörkin 6. Free admission. 10:00.
Hiking mount Helgafell
Departure from the parking lot by Kaldársel. Free admission. 11:00.
ÍR Cross Country Run
Registration from 11:00-12:50 in Reykjavík City Hall. Registration fee
1000 ISK.
Reykjavík City Hall. 13:00.
Traveller at Sea
Whale Watching Reykjavík. Special offer on whale watching tours,
2000 ISK per adult free for children up to 16-years old. 09:00
&13:00.
Sailing in Faxaflói. 30-minute boat trip in Faxaflói. Admission: 500
ISK per adult, free for children under 6-years old. 09:30, 11:30,
13:30, 15:30 & 19:30.
Jigging competition. Awards for the biggest catch. 14:00 – 15:00

Sea Angling. Three-hour tour, all equipment on hand. Price: 2500 ISK
for adults, 500 ISK for children 7-15-years old.
Ægisgarður, Reykjavíkurhöfn. 18:00.
Local Traveller
Nordic Walking
Bus trip to Heiðmörk, where an instructor will teach the fundamentals
of Nordic Walking. Admission: 500 ISK, Free for children.*
Energy and Underworlds
Guided tours of power plants and Caves. Admission: 500 ISK, Free for
children.*
Walking With Trolls
A two-hour family oriented walk through historic troll areas. Admission
500 ISK. Free for children.*
*All Local Traveller trips depart from the Nordic House at 11:00 and
Mjódd at 11:15. See below for details.
THE TRAVELLER’S DAY_APRIL 19_007_FULL SCHEDULE
Local Traveller Nordic House, Sturlugata 5, Reykjavík
Scenic Trips and Walks
Icelandic bus companies jointly offer excit-
ing trips to various locations. Hópbílar and
Reykjavík Excursions will take visitors for a
trip through Heiðmörk outdoor area, where
an instructor will teach the basics of Nor-
dic walking, ending in the Viking Village in
Hafnafjörður. Guðmundur Jónasson ehf. will
offer a trip to the powerplant Hellisheiðar-
virkjun, and through the cave Langahellir.
Iceland Excursion and TREX Travel Experienc-
es invite you to experience the Troll infested
areas around Tröllagjá and Tröllafoss. All trips
depart from the Nordic House at 11:00.
(In Icelandic)
Active Traveller Íshestar, Sörlakeiði 26, Hafnarfjörður
Program With Íshestar
Íshestar Riding tours in cooperation with
the Traveller’s Day offers an extensive pro-
gramme during the day. Riding tours for visi-
tors, and short walks for children where they
ride a horse lead by reins by an experienced
instructor. Visitors will be able to witness a
horse being shoed at 14:30 and 16:30, a pet
competition will be at 14:00 where dogs,
cats, rodents, birds and horses will be dis-
played for a price. Coffee and delicious cakes
will be sold all day.
Traveller’s Day 2007
The Traveller’s Day will be held Thursday 19th April, the
First Day of Summer according to the old Icelandic calen-
dar. This special day is dedicated to the tourism industry
and travel-related leisure activities in the Reykjavík Capital
Area with the aim of introducing local residents to all the
delightful activities on offer for tourists. The Traveller’s Day
programme is family-oriented, exciting and very inexpen-
sive. Different leisure activities will be offered at discounted
prices (or for free) and most will be free for children accom-
panied by adults.
B_REYKJAVÍK_GRAPEVINE_ISSUE 04_007_INTERVIEW/MUSIC
Iceland’s favourite sons of rock n’ roll,
collectively known as Mínus, are back at
it. After being hailed as the saviours of
metal by several esteemed rock publications
following their third studio release – Halldór
Laxness in 2003 – this April will finally see
them release a long-awaited follow up:
The Great Northern Whalekill. A Grapevine
reporter sat down with two members of
the band, guitarist Bjarni and drummer
Bjössi, and learned more about their
feelings of brotherhood and their fear of
disappointment.
On the surface of things, the name ‘The
Great Northern Whalekill’ seems to be an
obvious reference to both metal legends
Pantera, and the delicate political climate in
Iceland over the recent decision to resume
commercial whaling. Yet the boys admit to it
being designed to throw people off as much
as anything else. “The title is just a private
joke within the band, like all our other titles.
There is no special message at work, it’s
just a big, cool title,” says Bjarni when the
subject is broached. “I mean, I know you
are waiting for a real answer, something
profound,” Bjössi adds, “but there is nothing
more. There is no propaganda behind the
title, no politics.”
So they haven’t taken a stand on one
of the most controversial political issues in
Iceland in recent memory? “We’re just not
that kind of band,” Bjössi states. “The only
stand we have ever taken is to make music
together. We have never been a political
band, we’re just making rock n’ roll.” Bjarni
jumps in, saying “We were thinking about
titles left and right when we were recording
in Los Angeles. This was the last thing that
came to us, at the airport really. When the
release of [Icelandic girl pop-band] Nylon’s
album was cancelled in the UK because of
the whaling issue, it became a factor as
well. Now we have an excuse if our album
flops,” he says and they both laugh.
New Directions
The Great Northern Whalekill was recorded
over 20 days last November and December
at The Sound Factory in Los Angeles, the
first time the band has recorded outside
Iceland. The California sun proved to be
a welcome change of scenery from the
Icelandic winter darkness, but it was more
than just the scenery that changed and they
both agree that they could not have made
the same record at home.
“The standards are just so different.
There were people there to do the grocery
shopping for us, a guy to set up my drum
kit. All we had to do was concentrate on the
music and not worry about everyday stuff
like work; I think that resulted in a tighter
album,” says Bjössi.
For their fourth album, the band elected
to bring in new producers, opting for Joe
Barresi (The Melvins, Jesus Lizard, Tomahawk
and Tool) and Husky Hoskulds (Fantomas,
Peeping Tom), after collaborating with
Icelandic producer Bibbi Curver on their
last two albums. “This is a new era,” says
Bjössi. “We wanted to try something new,
so we brought in a new guy to produce it, a
new guy to mix it, we recorded it in a new
studio, using analogue technology instead
of digital. This was just a good time to go in
a different direction.”
“Working with Curver was very
different. We have known him for so many
years, and with him in the studio we would
all just be goofing around, making jokes,”
Bjarni says. “It can be difficult to get that
chemistry with a non-Icelandic producer.
Icelanders have a special sense of humour
and sometimes that doesn’t translate very
well to a foreigner.”
Bjössi nods. “For a long time Curver was
effectively the sixth member of our band,
and did everything with us, we just saw him
as a part of this project. From the moment
we started working with Barresi, if you were
not pulling your weight, he would chew
you out, which is something we had never
been through in our eight years as a band.
It was a slap in the face to hear that from
somebody you didn’t even know. But still, it
was good slap in the face.”
Channelling the Chaos
Both Bjarni and Bjössi have recently
experienced fatherhood for the first time,
doubling their parental duties with their
careers in a band that has always been
known to party just as hard as they rock,
earning quite a reputation for their partying
ways. Bjarni readily admits that the added
duties make a difference, but don’t really
transform anything.
“Look, our partying lifestyle has always
been a little misunderstood. There have
always been certain members of the band
that have done more to uphold our honour
in that department.”
Bjössi agrees, saying “Through the
years, people always seem to have formed
a very different opinion of who I am before
they meet me. People always tell me ‘you
are so different from what I thought you’d
be’. Fatherhood wasn’t a big shock for me,
it came at the right time and didn’t change
much for me personally, and all the guys
in the band backed me up one-hundred
percent.”
Does that mean there is balance within the
band?
“No,” they answer simultaneously and
laugh. “That is what drives this band,” says
Bjössi. “Total chaos,” adds Bjarni, “the
beauty within the chaos if you will.” Bjössi
picks up immediately, saying “That is just
how this music is. Chaos does not necessarily
have to be anything bad. We have learned
to channel it in the right way. I think a lot
of bands would probably have given up,
had they been in our shoes. A lot of things
have happened, but by now it would take
something monumental for the band to
fold. The fire and the passion to keep this
brotherhood going are still there.”
Defining a Sound
Our talk turns to their new product. On
their breakthrough album, Halldór Laxness,
the band moved away from the screamo-
core elements that characterised their two
previous releases. The Great Northern
Whalekill takes that move a step further and
sees the band develop their own catechistic
sound, juxtaposing so many different
elements that it easily escapes definition. It
just sounds unmistakably Mínus.
“What I find most positive about this
album is the sound. It doesn’t sound like
anything else, it is just our own sound,”
Bjarni says contemplatively. Bjössi adds
“This is really the sound we’ve been looking
for. We are really happy we managed to find
that. When I was younger I had a hard time
understanding that a band could change
its style. If they did, I thought they should
also change their name. I didn’t understand
that musicians evolve, and now I am at that
point myself. We have already done a noise
core album, and a hardcore album, and we
don’t want to repeat ourselves.”
The first single from the album, Futurist,
was released last month and caught many
of the band’s fans off guard. With voice
effects, poppy hooks and sing-alongs, it
is far removed from the band’s previous
singles. “We chose that song for our first
single on purpose, just to fuck with people,”
Bjarni says. “Just so people would have no
idea what to expect from this album.” But
despite coming out of left field, the single
has topped almost all radio charts in the
country so far. Did they expect it to be so
successful?
“No, not really, this has never happened
to us before,” says Bjarni. “The last time
we released an album, there were only
a handful of people who knew who we
were.” Bjössi has a more pessimistic view of
the whole situation: “The name Mínus has
always been connected to our negative way
of thinking. Every time we play we expect
noone to show up and nothing to work out,
just so we won’t be disappointed. So I never
expected anything from this single. It will
just be exciting to see how it goes.”
The album’s release date has been
pushed back from the scheduled April 16 to
the end of April. I ask them if any plans have
been made for the follow up. “Not really,”
says Bjarni. “Right now we are just taking
it one step at a time. We have just released
the first single, now we just want to get the
album out. After that we’ll just wait and
see what comes up. We have nothing big
planned so far.”
Judging from the reception of their first
single, it will be safe to assume that they
have a busy summer ahead of them.
The Great Northern Whalekill is scheduled
for release at the end of April.
www.myspace.com/minus
The Brotherhood of the Negative
Text by Sveinn Birkir Björnsson Photo by Skari
“Look, our partying lifestyle has always been a
little misunderstood. There have always been
certain members of the band that have done
more to uphold our honour in that department.”