Tónlist

Here is the list of the various Icelandic and other Nordic/Arctic musical groups I’ve mentioned in FITK over the years:

Áki Ásgeirsson
Amiina
Andy Schauf
Apparat Organ Quartet
Árný
Árný Margrét
Atli
Ásthildur Ákadóttir
Ateria
Áuslaug Magnusdóttir
Æla

Baggalútur
Bára Gísladóttir
Bárujárn
Bedroom Community
Benni Hemm Hemm
Between Mountains
Biggi Hilmars
Björk
Björt
BKPM
Bláskjár
Borko
Bríet
Brimheim
Buff

Cosmic Call
Cyber
Daníel Bjarnarson
Ditka
DJ Margeir
Dr. Spock
Egill Sæbjörnsson
Eivør
Elin Hall
Elisapie
Evil Madness
Flesh Machine
Fókus
Frid Fufanu

Gabriel Ólafs
Geðbrigði
Ghostigital
GKR
GDRN
Greyskies
Gróa
Grúska Babúska
Guðmundur Óskar Guðmundsson
Guðni Thorlacius Jóhannesson †
Guðrið Hansdóttir
GusGus
Gyða

Hafdís Huld
Halla Tómasdóttir †
Halli Guðmundsson
Ham
Hekla
Hekla Magnúsdóttir
Hellvar/Heiða
Hildur Gunðadóttir
Hildur
Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson
Hjaltalín
Hjörvar
Högni
Hraun
Hudson Wayne
Hugar
Iðunn Einars

Jakobínarína
Jana
JFDR
Jófríður Ákadóttir
Jóhann Jóhannsson
Jóhanna Elísa
Jóhanna Rakel
Jonathan
Jonfri
Joshua Wilkinson †
Júniús Meyvant
K.Óla
Kaktus Einarsson
Kalli
Kevin Cole †
Kimono
Kira Kira
Kiriyama Family
Kitchen Motors
Kjallarakabarett Kónguló
Kristín Sessala
Kvikindi

Langi Seli Og Skuggarnir
Larus Halldór Grimsson
Liva Mo
Ljáðu Okkur Eyra
Lupina
Mag og Tómas
Magnús Jóhann
Marius DC
Markús & The Diversion Sessions
Marta Ákadóttir
Mikado
Mezzoforté
Mr. Silla
Mugison
Múgsefjun
Mukka
Múm
My Summer as a Salvation Soldier
Mysterious Marta
Neonme
Nini Julia Bang
Nóra

Oculus
Ojba Rasta
Ólafur Arnalds
Ólöf Arnalds
Orphix Oxtra
Osmé
Óttarr Proppé
Pale Moon
Páll Óskar
Pellegrina
Pascal Pinon
Pellegrina
Peter Evans †
Petúr Ben
Rakel
Red Barnett
Retro Stefson
Reykjavíkurdætur
Róshildur
Rokkurró

Salka Valsdóttir
Samaris
Screaming Masterpiece
Shadow Parade
Shahzad Ismaily
Sigrún
Sigrún Stella
Sin Fang Bous
Sindrí
Siggi Ármann
Sigur Rós
Ske
Skúli Severrisson
Sóley
Sólstafir
Sprengjuhöllin
Stórsveit Nix Noltes
Sunna Margrét
Svavar Knútur
Sycamore Tree
Systur

Tappi Tíkarrass
Team Dreams
Tilbury
Toggi
Úlfur Eldjárn
Ultra Mega Technobandið Stefán
Una Torfa
Uni
Unun
Útidúr
Valgeir Sigurðsson
Vicky
Wim Van Hooste †

† = Fellow Travelers

Mondays in Iceland - #22

After Party

12 Tónar is a charming little record shop and independent record label in Reykjavík. Serving up hot espresso and even hotter tunes, it is as comfortable as your living room (and possibly smaller.) I went in last Monday morning to meet up with the blogger Wim and his friend Heiða who is active in the Icelandic music scene as the lead singer and guitarist of the group called Hellvar who I saw perform at the 2006 Airwaves. Our gracious host was Johannes, who arranged Wim's acquisition of a classic shirt from the Icelandic supergroup Unun, and is shown below in his shop- flanked by Heiða and Wim:



Later on, Wim had arranged for me to meet Villi Knudsen, the famed film maker, and producer of the The Volcano Show in Reykjavík. We were escorted into his study by his assistant, Ellen T'Joen, and offered refreshments and pastries. It was a special day, his late father, who would have been 110 today, was nevertheless very much present in the room for most of the furnishings were built and/or designed by him. A loose stack of photos was lying on the table, chronicling his father's many and varied pursuits:



A stroke had slowed Villi a little, but he was still sharp, his piercing stare missed nothing, and his humor is as wry as ever as he talked with Wim and me.


Photo: Ellen T'Joen

Of course, there were leather bound copies of the work of Halldór Laxness on one of the shelves- behind the chair where Halldór himself had once sat:



"I never read him." Villi said with a smile. We talked for nearly an hour, and when had I to leave to catch my flight Villi gave me a copy of one of his DVDs.

And then I went home.

Iceland Airwaves — Day 1

As I was going out this morning I met my host, Björk, in the stairway. “I’m going to meet the President!” I chirped, “At Grund!”

Each year the kickoff for Iceland Airwaves is held in Grund, a senior home, with Icelandic artists performing to the crowd that consisted of seniors, Airwaves attendees, pre-schoolers, and Guðni Thorlacius Jóhannesson, the president of Iceland. He gave a welcoming speech, honest and genuine, thanking the Airwaves attendees and, in a broader sense, all the visitors to Iceland. His speech was followed by a short set from Una Torfa, singing her songs in Icelandic, who charmed the crowd:

Then came Mugison, troubador par excellence, who wowed the assembly with his songs accompanied by guitar and accordion. At one point he asked the audience if they wanted a song in English or Icelandic, with the response firmly for the latter. He played an old song, a waltz, on accordion, that had the crowd spellbound, even some of the seniors were seen “waltzing” in their seats. The assembled group demanded an encore in which Guðni joined the throng in a singalong on the chorus.

A beautiful start to a beautiful day.

On the way to the pool I helped a woman who had lost control of a box of mandarin oranges, and she gave me one for thanks!

The pool was divine, again. I spoke with some Airwaves attendees from Slovania and then made it back home for a bit of lie-down.

My first off-venue event of the day was at Smekkleysa record store where the noise trio Osmé was grinding out metal machine music, two guitars ans a technician on various noise generators. Mesmerizing, and I had my second Kevin Cole sighting of the festival:

I left to check out a happening on a boat in the harbour with free cocoa!

On the crowded boat there was a small dog on a leash, and attached to the other end of the leash was JFDR, to whom I actually spoke—thanking her for her music and semi-apoligizing for all the Wikipedia pictures I had posted of her. She graciously said that they were alright. After my fill of cocoa I went back to Smekkleysa where the techno duo Pellegrina was playing. Kevin Cole was still there, but also Heiða of Hellvar fame who I met in 2009! Then JFDR and her husband Joshua Wilkinson came in (without a dog this time) and cuddled in a corner while techno duo Pellegrina made the most unromantic music imaginable, although they were much improved over last years Airwaves:

Then the chanteuse Sigrún came on with a series of kenning tunes with prerecorded backgrounds:

She was very affecting but I left before her set was over in order to see the band Kvikindi at the Airwave information center stage (too Many Choices!):

The lead singer appeared to be visibly pregnant (a fact which she happily acknowledged!) and she didn’t let that stop her fun. The show seemed a little packaged (“Hello, Airwaves!”) but the band was good.

I went back to my flat to gather strength for the rest of the night. After a bit of a lie-down I was putting my shoes on in the entry when Unnur, the daughter of my Airbnb hosts, came in. She was honestly delighted that I was enjoying my rooms (I suspect she may have had a hand in their decoration.)

At Fríkirkjan Sunna Margrét was performing in a power trio. Very strong songs with great arrangements made this the best surprise of the day:

Over at Gaukurinn the female-fronted group Fókus was playing hard-nosed hard rock:

I had never seen Cyber put on a full act, so I went to see them again at the IA headquarters stage. They were as fun as ever but seemed to run out of gas toward the end. All that gyrating is hard work!



Best costume award goes to Jonathan who performed at Fríkirkjan with backing tracks, very ethereal:

Konx-Om-Pax is a Glasweigan techno artist with a penchant for spewing obscenities. No picture—he wanted the stage in Iðno to be “F-n black.” When his ‘music’ began I lasted about 20 seconds before I made for the exit.

12 Tónar Treasure

Quite possibly the hippest record store in the universe. Located in an old house at Skólavörðustígur 15 in "downtown" Reykjavík, this humble establishment has been at the forefront of Icelandic music for years. I had previously stopped in in 2009 with Wim of I Heart Icelandic Music and Heiða of the Icelandic band Hellvar. Last week I returned and Johannes was still there, greeting me with hot coffee and all the latest in Icelandic music. One display had a group of hand-painted CD boxes with a home-made CD nestled on a bed of grass inside:

Needless to say, when I discovered that it was an EXTREMELY LIMITED* edition of the music for the National Theatre's adaptation of Sjálfstætt fólk (Halldór Laxness' Independent People) I snatched up the one with the most 'artistic' cover. The music is melancholy and spare; I found it to be most enjoyable (althogh the Weaver thought it to be almost unbearably sad), and was more than a little surprised (although I shouldn't have been) when I discovered that the composers were Högni Egilsson and Guðmundur Óskar Guðmundsson, of the group Hjaltalín. I last saw them playing with Páll Óskar at the 2009 Iceland Airwaves festival:


         Högni Egilsson                                                               Guðmundur Guðmundsson

*18 copies!