Reykjavík Grapevine - 11.09.2009, Page 42

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The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 14 — 2009
Veltusund 3b, v.Ingólfstorg
tel: 445 4445
PARTYSERVICE
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Music | Réttir
Rounding Up the
Musical Herds
The Reykjavík Round-Up brings it all
together this fall
After one of the most creatively prolific
summers Reykjavík has seen in ages, we
are now approaching fall festival mad-
ness. There’s a brand spanking new con-
cert series on the menu bringing together
pretty much everyone involved in the lo-
cal music scene. Coinciding with the
Reykjavík International Film Festival and
the You Are In Control music, arts and
media conference (so you know there’ll
be lots of folks in town), the Réttir Reyk-
javík Round-Up runs from September
23rd until the 26th. Over the four nights
they will bring together a wealth of local
talent for action packed concerts at select
venues.
Conceived of by several groups of mu-
sicians and people involved in the Icelan-
dic music machine, initial ideas for the
programme came together loosely over
the Innipúkinn festival weekend this
summer. I met with two of the event or-
ganizers, Eldar Ástþórsson of gogoyoko.
com and Steinþór Helgi Arnsteinsson of
new record label Borgin, to discuss how
it all came to fruition and what’s to be ex-
pected.
“The concept is basically to bring
together various elements of the music
scene and celebrate Icelandic music,” says
Eldar, “It’s a really good weekend because
the You Are In Control conference is hap-
pening, so everybody was thinking of do-
ing shows anyway. We kind of thought,
why don’t we all come together and do
something?”
THe naMe SayS IT all
Rather than pitting people against one
another, the event converges artists, col-
lectives, record labels, promoters and con-
cert venues to make a stunning series for
musicians to be involved in and for music
fans to enjoy. In addition to their official
partner RIFF, the series is bolstered by
gogoyoko.com, OkiDoki, Kimi Records
and their sub-label Brak, hardcore label
Molestin Records, and new record label
Kölski, to name a few. The series will
also feature programming by Breakbeat.
is, Weirdcore, CoxButter, Trúbatrix, the
Melodica Acoustic Festival and an Eist-
naflug 2010 teaser. As an active propo-
nent and admirer of Icelandic music, the
Grapevine is also part of the big happy
family.
Every promoter, label and collective
are in control of their own night and se-
lects their line-up as they see fit. “Eldar
and I are both really well connected into
the Icelandic music scene, we’re really
enthusiastic about it and have been for a
long time, so we of course had some ideas
about artists,” says Steinþór.
“We put together some names and
then we talked to affiliates and they had
some of the same names. We’re like the
heads, and we try to get ideas from our
affiliates and gather up a nice soup.” With
the help of their booking commitee, they
will then try to bring all of these elements
into a solid and interesting programme.
DOn’T Call IT a FeSTIVal
The pair stressed to me that due to the
nature of the programming and the focus
on the local market, the event is distinctly
a smaller form of music series rather
than an full blown Iceland Airwaves-
style festival. It is easy to find similarities,
but the booking process, the events size,
ticket price and the fact its solely being
marketed within Iceland is what really
holds it apart.
Rather, they see it as a warm-up to Ice-
land Airwaves. This being the main al-
bum release season for most indie bands
in Iceland, they think it can do no harm
to have two such events so close to each
other. “I think Réttir will definitely sup-
port what’s happening with Airwaves, be-
cause if you like the experience you will
thirst for more,” says Eldar. “Same with
the bands. They like playing shows, so it
makes it a pleasant experience for both
the artist and the music lover.”
Additionally, their funding is grass-
roots based, relying only on ticket sales,
with no government funding or corporate
sponsorship. Nonetheless, all the artists
performing are getting paid. They tell
me they are not currently concerned with
whether or not the event will become an-
nual, rather focusing on highlighting the
fruits of the music scene, here and now.
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ReBeCCa lOuDeR
GaS
#89 - Issue 2 - 2009
Grapevine 101
#84 - Issue 15 - 2008
#87 - Issue 18- 2008
#82 - Issue 13 - 2008
Iceland has copious amounts of different varieties of milk products.
Yes, we got milk. And pretty women. There's an idea in there some-
where. SBB
Icelandic alt-country star Lay Low gave me one of the best inter-
views I did for the Grapevine, and photographer Baldur Kristjánsson
got this great shot of her somewhere in rainy Mosfellsbær. SBB
Christmas in the midst of a depression. What a sad thought. I am
particularly pleased with the visuals in this one. The illustration by
Bobby Breiðholt is great, and the reference to the Grinch gives it
much needed sarcasm in this hour of desperation. SBB
All hell had broken loose at this point. Kitchenware revolution, riots,
flames of fire. And we only had 32 pages to work with, which isn’t
a lot to get across one of the most tumultuous times Iceland has
seen. But we did an OK job in the end, and the cover managed to
properly express the indignation many Icelanders felt towards our
politicians. HSM