Reykjavík Grapevine - 07.10.2011, Síða 56

Experience
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nasa harpa iðnó Fríkirkjan tjarnarbíó
As the all-time topper for the big party
shows, this huge nightclub-style venue
packs up quickly and tightly but never
quite to the point of insanity. There are
balconies on each side of the room and
space in the back for those who don’t
want to get sucked into the vortex
of people up front so it’s suitable for
everyone’s enjoyment. The bathrooms
can get crazy though…
The newly built-and-inaugurated
Harpa Concert and Conference Hall
celebrates its first year as an Airwaves
venue by providing four host rooms.
The Harpa bar is pretty damn swanky
with some excellent bartenders, but
expect to shell out quite a few krónur.
It’s also seated so don’t expect to do
too much dancing here.
One of two grand old historical
theatres by the pond in the festival
circuit, this charming venue is decked
out in swanky 19th Century décor and
holds a super fancy restaurant where
the MPs from Parliament next door
like to lunch. It’s got a great capacity
and wonderful sound quality, giving a
unique character to whatever act plays
in it. It can be a bit of a tight squeeze
to navigate once the place fills up,
especially to the small bar, but it’s a
real experience in concert refinement.
Sitting comfortable and beautiful along
the edge of Tjörnin pond, this lovely
white church provides the festival a
prime location for showcasing acoustic
music. Regardless of your religion, this
space is undeniably majestic when
one hears the acoustics it was built for.
Don’t expect to buy any drinks here
(although you might find some “blood”
lying around…) but that doesn’t really
matter. Seeing a show here isn’t about
getting boozed up anyway.
On the other side of Parliament from
Iðnó, Tjarnarbíó is the second of the
old-timey theatres hosting shows.
This former movie theatre went largely
empty and unused for a ridiculously
long time until its great facilities
and stage were finally put back to
use mostly for theatre and dance
productions. It occasionally has some
sound issues that they are working
on improving since re-opening, but
overall it has a lovely, unpretentious
retro charm.
Austurvöllur by the harbour Vonarstræti 3 Fríkirkjuvegur 5 Tjarnargötu 12
iceland airwaves 2011 Venues
04 Grapevine Fancy Airwaves Special Go to www.airwaves.grapevine.is for extensive + up to date festival coverage
I have a few favourite places for dining
in Reykjavík, and I have listed a lot of
them below. The ones I have listed all
have in common the fact that they all
get their ingredients straight from vari-
ous farmers (and fishermen) around the
country, and—believe it or not—this is a
fairly new concept with restaurants in
Iceland (but then again, dining in Reyk-
javík has changed drastically over the
last few years). So on the below places’
menus, you will frequently find explana-
tions as to where a particular piece of
fish or fowl came from and who farmed
it. This is a good thing
Grillmarkaðurinn
Go with a group of people. Or sit alone
at the bar and watch the grill, which is
frequently on fire. Always packed on
the weekend, so you’ll need to book
ahead.
Fiskmarkaðurinn
Similar to the Grillmarkaðurinn (with
some of the same owners), i.e. fun
modern cuisine. For here, I would defi-
nitely recommend the lunch sushi offer.
That’s only available on weekdays,
though (I think).
Fiskifélagið
Another great fish place that belongs to
the ‘New Scandinavian Cuisine’ tradi-
tion (whatever that actually means).
hótel holt
This one is a classic, with a beautiful
interior and an amazing selection of
paintings by some of Iceland’s best
artists. More conservative than the
above choices, but definitely worth a
visit. Also Reykjavík’s best place for
happy hour!
For pizza, I recommend Eldsmiðjan.
Raw-foodies should go to Gló or happ.
For coffee, go to Kaffismiðjan.
Eating | By Daníel Bjarnason
The Young Composer’s Guide To Reykjavík Dining
thursday 20:00
Harpa Eldborg
swag | By Axel Björnsson A CLOSER LOOK AT BEDROOM
COMMUNITY
“STOP WASTING YOUR TIME LISTENING TO A
BUNCH OF CRAP”
WE, THE DANDELION SEEDS, ARE HERE
TO SAVE YOU
Along with the rest of tasteful folks
everywhere, us at Grapevine have been
closely following the Bedroom Com-
munity collective (which comprises, at
its core, messrs. Valgeir Sigurðsson,
Ben Frost and Nico Muhly—all super
internationally acclaimed for all sorts of
genius stuff) ever since it first reared
its head in 2006. In the five years the
community has been active it has
blessed us with some pretty darn great
music and some very memorable live
performances.
And now they have a film out!
And you can see that film at some
special Airwaves screenings, in Bíó
Paradís!
Fancy that!
The film, entitled ‘Everything,
Everywhere, All The Time’, was made by
long-time BC collaborator Pierre-Alain
Giraud. The idea was initially to docu-
ment ‘The Whale Watching Tour’, a mas-
sive trek that the aforementioned Nico,
Ben and Valgeir along with the wonder-
ful Sam Amidon made across Europe
in 2010. However, what emerged from
the cutting room is described as “much
more than a ‘band on the road’ kind of
film.” Instead, it is described as more of
an “in-depth look at the vision behind
Bedroom Community, the collaboration
between the artists and the heart of the
label, the Greenhouse studios.”
Actually, a ‘band on the road’ type
film about those guys would have made
for a pretty great watch in and of itself.
However, these added dimensions
ensure ‘Everything, Everywhere, All The
Time’ a must-see status for fans of for-
ward thinking, great music everywhere.
Catch screenings at Bíó Paradís on
Airwaves Wednesday, Thursday, Friday
and Saturday at 16:00.
GARAGE ROCKERS, PSYCH HEADS
AND WILD ROCK ‘N’ ROLL FANS:
OUR TIME HAS COME! Soon people
will notice that this is the shit. Yeah, I’m
talking about the retro—the revival of
the old and simple. Old and catchy.
When did music start being so bor-
ing? I’m not so sure. Of course there
has always been bad and good music.
But in this case, we’re talking about
rock ‘n’ roll rather than other genres.
It started in the ‘50s with Elvis Presley,
Fats Domino, Eddie Cochran and all
those fellas. Heavily influnced by the
Mississippi Delta and gospel music.
Later peopl like Link Wray and Bo
Didley made it badder, rougher, like a
dash of whiskey had been added to the
cocktail of what was already known as
rock ‘n roll. Then we have the ‘British
Invasion’, with The Beatles and The Roll-
ing Stones, added more perfection to
rock ‘n roll worldwide.
This is when we come to the top
of the hill. When rock ‘n roll started
transforming from its ‘50s incarnation
and being heard like never before. I’m
talking about the time when musi-
cians started taking ACID. In the mid
‘60s, everyone was dropping LSD. The
Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Byrds,
The 13th Floor Elevators and all these
major bands were tripping out. It’s not a
rumour. It is a fact.
You might ask yourself, how is pos-
sible that this one little chemical would
change music history forever? It’s not
really about the dope. It’s about the
vibe.
That’s what my band, The Dandelion
Seeds, is all about. GETTING WILD!
Bringing our audience to a whole
other dimension. Making you dance
like you’ve never had a chance to with
today’s pathetic modern music. Stop
wasting your time listening to bunch of
crap! Allow yourself the PLEASURE of
seeing The Dandelion Seeds at Iceland
Airwaves. The REVOLUTION has begun.
‘Everything, Everywhere, All The Time’