#i need them to play roskilde this year!

[dreamings-free]

Stone at The Garage, London 29/2/24

mattdinnadgemusic instagram story

[doomedandstoned]

Doom in a Time of Corona: Konvent Speaks From The Lockdown

~By Shawn Gibson!~

Hello, Ladies! Nice to catch up with you again. Thank you for your time. How is everyone?

Hi, Shawn! Great to talk to you again. Everyone is absolutely fine, but as you may know this is a pretty weird time with the COVID-19 situation going on. But we’re all safe and happy at the moment and we really feel like that's the most important thing right now.

How are you dealing with novel coronavirus and what are you doing to stay busy in this down time? Any writing or recording?

It's no secret that it's a boring time for everyone. We are so used to meeting a lot in the band and going to concerts, etcetera, but right now we can’t do that. So we actually watch a lot of Netflix, HBO, and get early to bed -- like true rockstars. (laughs)

We have no recording right now. It is also almost only three months since we released our album, so we took the time to breathe out after a stressful period of album release, tour, etcetera, but we are currently focusing on writing new material for our next album. Sara and Heidi have been doing some new riffs and we’re working at our own place with the new material. It feels like the perfect timing to start experimenting with different things musically. It is also important for us that we have time to immerse ourselves and retain the joy of creation.

I hate that this virus has affected everyone from musicians, fans, venue owners, festival promoters, labels, and so on. Tell me about some of these kick ass festivals Konvent was supposed to play? Will they be rescheduled? Who was on the line up?

Yes, we really hate it too. But we were incredibly lucky because the lockdown happened only a week after we finished the last show on our release tour. So when our government announced the lockdown here of all schools, universities and jobs, we’ve just stayed home and worked from our apartments and have not met since, to follow the regulations and stay safe.

It’s no secret that the virus will have some consequences according to cancellations of the summer festivals. Some of them have already been announced and some of them not, so we’ll keep you guys updated about it. We had been looking so much forward to playing at the festivals this summer, but of course we hope to be booked for 2021.

Generally, we feel very lucky with some of the offers we have been given and this really gives us the courage to keep on going and make it even bigger for 2021!

Film by Black Label Pictures

Konvent has been very busy! Your newest album 'Puritan Masochism' (2020) is excellent. I have heard nothing but praise for this album. What has Konvent been up to since we last had a chat?

Thank you so much. It makes us so happy to hear people saying that they like the album. When we signed the deal in 2018, we only had a few finished tracks, so we were far away from going into the studio. Since we had quite many concerts in 2018, we didn’t have a lot of time to work on the album. So half of the record was made in the beginning of 2019 and some tracks were even made one day before going into the studio with Lasse Skov at Ballade Studios in Copenhagen. Napalm knew this and we agreed with them to have the album out either in late 2019 or 2020, so they were very patient and weren't rushing us in any way.

Going on the Puritan Masochism tour has also been amazing! This was our very first headliner tour and we got to go to Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Germany, and the UK. We have met so many cool people and we really love to go to places we’ve never been before. We have really been blown away by how many people who want an interview and how incredible people have been when it comes to buying our merchandise and album. We have gained more confidence as individuals, but also as a band.

We also experienced all the things that could go wrong on a tour. (laughs) The support band cancels, the car broke down, the guitar and drum broke on stage, but we somehow managed to defeat all these challenges and we couldn’t think of a better experience than we had on the tour.

How was the recording process for 'Puritan Masochism'?

We really wanted that raw, gritty sound, as if the music is coming from the abyss! And that’s why we chose to work with Lasse Ballade because he had made a bunch of cool records that we really admired. Lasse Ballade has a studio in the center of Copenhagen and we got together for 14 days and recorded the whole album live. I (Sara) think we have allowed ourselves to be more creative with playing with different riffs and rhythms this time.

When we recorded the demo we weren’t as relaxed with our instruments as we are now. It comes more naturally and we’re only getting better at experimenting with new stuff.

Our producer Lasse Ballade used a lot of time together with Sara and Heidi on finding the right sound for the guitar and bass and it was his idea to record some of the drums in his basement, to give it a more deep and kinda creepy basement sound. So he was definitely the one who really helped us find our sound, and we couldn’t be happier!

How is it being signed to Napalm Records?

We love working together with Napalm Records and they are very professional. We have come a long way since we signed the deal and Napalm plays a big role in order to make most of our dreams possible so far. We couldn’t think of any better label for us right now.

We would really like to go on bigger tours and play more festivals, as long as it can work out financially. And we are steadily getting more offers, so that’s really exciting! Our booker Thorsten from Napalm Events is handling all our offers, but we often get messages directly from bookers who want to put on a show with us and then we just direct it to him.

We are already so happy with what’s happening for us at the moment and we just try to enjoy it as much as we can and not put too much pressure on ourselves.

What are some death/doom bands that have inspired Konvent?

Almost all of our dads raised us on Black Sabbath. When Julie was little, she and her dad also listened to Kiss and led Zeppelin a lot. When Sara first learned the guitar as a teenager, her biggest influence was Nirvana. Heidi was a big fan of The Darkness in her teens. In Rikke’s early high school years she was listening to Red Hot Chili Peppers a lot, but then she discovered Rammstein and became a huge fan.

As we got older, our taste in music developed and we got more and more interested in metal genres like death, black, thrash, tech, hardcore, slam, and also punk. We still listen to a lot of different bands, but we all like bands such as Yob, Mantar, Candlemass, and Paradise Lost.

Konvent is one of the heaviest death/doom bands I know! The vocals still kick my ass, Rikki! Some guys can't sound like that!

That’s a huge compliment. (laughs) Thanks!

I'm very proud to have bought the CD and t-shirt bundle for 'Puritan Masochism.' I hope Konvent has great success with the album and merch sales.

Thank you so much for buying it. We really appreciate people supporting us. We have been really overwhelmed by how many people are supporting us with buying our merchandise.

Tell me about signing with Barsk Management Agency.

Our new manager Esben, who just started Bask Management, is a friend of the band and has earlier been the lead singer of Hatesphere for the past decade, where he's gathered invaluable knowledge about the music business and the metal scene, especially.

We realized a few months ago that we needed someone to help us with the practical stuff and tour management, in general. We are actually not a super structured band and we often forget things when we go on tour. (laughs) Esben contacted us a few months ago and we had a few meetings and agreed that we would like to start a corporation about management. We couldn’t be happier about this decision. It has really removed burdens from us according to the practical stuff so we’re are able to focus on the most important thing: music!

What are your plans for Konvent when this pandemic is over? Live shows and re-scheduled festivals?

We had some festivals and shows which were cancelled, but we have already been rescheduled to 2021 for some of them -- and we are really happy about that. We know that some bands are suffering a lot more than us so we just try to be happy over the fact that we got to release the album and finish the tour before the pandemic. But we have HRH Vikings Chapter III in the UK this Autumn, which will be our first time playing at a viking festival. (laughs) But we have a pretty crazy announcement very soon and we can’t say anymore at the moment, but we are pretty stoked about it. We’ll keep you updated.

What is in the future for Konvent?

We are already so happy with what’s happening for us at the moment and we just try to enjoy it as much as we can and not put too much pressure on ourselves. We have pushed ourselves out of our comfort zones many times now and that in itself is something to be proud of. Looking back, we feel like we have accomplished much more than what we could have hoped for, for example getting a record deal, playing at Copenhell -- Denmark’s biggest metal festival -- in front of 4,000 people, and playing Roskilde Festival, which is the biggest festival in Northern Europe!

At the moment, we are just really blown away by all the positive feedback on our debut album. But, of course, we still dream big! We hope to visit more countries around Europe and we would love to go overseas, as well -- the US, Canada, South America, Australia, you name it! But our biggest dream is to play at 70,000 Tons of Metal. (laughs)

Thank you for your time. I hope you all and your families are well during this tough period.

Thank you so much. Hopefully we’ll see you in the crowd someday!

Puritan Masochism by Konvent

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[dead-planetarium]

I want to know everything about Jimi Hendrix and the Metallica experience.

Jimi Hendrix and the Metallica Experience started in 1979 when Jimi left his hometown of Narvik in the pursuit of love, adventure, obscurity and fortune. After 10 years of fighting the Prussian War and a stint with HP Lovecraft (the band, not the writer), Hendrix found himself blind… in Texas. Dallas, namely where he befriended the local bar band, Metallica. Metallica were known for their unique electropop sound that was cutting edge for the time but they were having a hard time finding an audience. Hendrix recognized their brilliance and took them under his wing. Unfortunately, his wing could only cover so many people. I don’t think Hendrix ever knew that he needed so many people but hey, he found them! The band was rebilled as Jimi Hendrix and the Metallica Experience with Hendrix on Trumpet, Geezer Butler on synths, Hunter S. Thompson on synths and steel lap guitar and Doctor Avalanche on drums. After four self-released albums and several tours on the County Fair circuit, the band was discovered by Andy Warhol of The Stooges who just so happen to witness their performance at the Carolina County Fourth of July Fair in 1991. He told them that they were going to be the biggest thing since Jackyl. Hendrix laughed and played along with him. Soon after, they signed with Nazgul’s Eyrie Productions to release their major label debut, “Transformer” to much critical acclaim but the album only entered the Billboard charts at No. 143. Hendrix was pleased with the relative obscurity of his band but in the foul year of our lord 1992, things began to change. It was that June when Hendrix and the Metallicats played the Roskilde Festival in Osaka. This would be the gig that shot Hendrix’s quest for obscurity down to shit when he ripped into an epic trumpet solo of “Das Lied der Deutschen” which was 45 minutes in length. It was all over MTV and the rendition of the old Czech Republic anthem brought Hendrix and his Metallicats to the annals of electropop history. Stadium tours with Yoko Ono and Louis Armstrong soon followed suit. After two and a half years of touring for “Transformer”, Hendrix considered quitting the band. He had developed in an increasing dependence on Hello Kitty merchandise and orange flavored popsicles to get him through the trials and tribulations of fame. In an April 1994 interview for MTV, Hendrix lamented that he didn’t really dig the kinda person he was as he downed an entire bottle of vodka in his mother’s swimming pool, much to his mother’s chagrin. He screamed, pissed his jeans and frankly, made an ass of himself. It was clear that this interview was a cry for help so rather than getting the help he needed, the band’s label enlisted Alice in Chains producer, David Tibet to produce the next album, forcing the band back into the studio despite their collective exhaustion. While this record was suppose to alienate the band’s mainstream fans with a more abrasive sound, it did the opposite. The fans loved it. The band became even more famous and was invited to play Thomas Edison’s inauguration into the Chamber of Commerce upon the album’s release date. The band filmed a video with Christina Applegate as the director. “Sheos: The Album” was unleashed to the world on January 32nd, 1995 and the critics hated it. Lester Bangs panned the record as being “just like Cream! But worse!” which provoked Geezer Butler to knife him in the skull. Butler was soon arrested and sentenced to 21 years in prison, the maximum sentence for murder in Dallas, Texas. Hendrix realized that there was nothing he could do to deter the masses from listening to his work and so, he walked away. He was last seen on the first of February. There have been reports that he was seen fixing up cars in the South Pacific but those were just rumors. Perhaps the biggest rumor was that of a conspiracy with the Skull and Bones Society to deter the masses from believing in the asinine theories that lizard people had started the entertainment industry to sell sex to kids BECAUSE THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT IS GOING ON. Many believe Hendrix came back under the assumed identity of Marshall Applewhite who started a conspiracy talk show dedicated to stopping the Illuminati and to spread the virtues of the hierarchy of lobsters to an audience of young virginal men with misgivings about their masculinity and the opposite sex. If these boys had doubts that they would ever get laid, then all doubt was removed with one chop as they each began castrating themselves to appease their new surrogate daddy. Applewhite would then scratch them on the heads, pat their butts and told them to go clean their rooms, forever ensuring Applewhite that he would always be number #1 in the dominance hierarchy.

[musicoccurred]

Album Deep Dive: Binaural

Here at Music Occurred our goal is to give you a diverse selection of music-related content to keep you discovering new bands, revisiting bands (and records) you used to love and most of all, get you off your keister and go to a show. Today we're launching a new series: Album Deep Dives. We pick one of our favorite records (it does not have to be a new or megaselling album) and go through both the production of it and the record itself with a fine-toothed comb. Hopefully it will make you dig it out of the crate (or visit your local independent record store) and listen to it with fresh ears.

I've been on a Pearl Jam kick lately, yes that's funny to some of you... I don't actually listen to them all that much, mainly around concert time and new releases. I have a couple shows coming up and I've discovered a podcast dedicated to the band so I am particularly inspired. I consider myself a superfan but there are others that have more time and money to have seen the band literally hundreds of times. In a way I'm envious but truthfully I like witnessing a variety of music to help enhance my palate. Not that I feel you have to be a superfan to do an Album Deep Dive, but my Pearl Jam pedigree is pure. Two tattoos, tens of thousands of miles driven (soon to be more) hundreds of gallons of truck-stop coffee, dozens of shows and countless hours listening to each and every record they release. You can tell a true Pearl Jam fan by asking them what they think of a new track. Their answer will invariably contain "I need to hear it live first" before they render final judgement.

Aided by the passage of time I look back at Pearl Jam's studio discography and notice a distinct pattern: their albums seem to group up as the band evolves. For example, Ten, Vs. and Vitalogy all have a conquer-the-world, angsty sound with Vitalogy giving us a hint of what's to come. Withering from the bright lights and looking to shrink their footprint a bit, the next three albums, No Code, Yield and Binaural, show a band at war with itself, TicketMaster and fame in general. These three are my favorites, mature song-writing and a band with nothing left to prove only trying to figure out how to keep it all going. There seems to be a drastic change at this point. It's like they went from rock stars to graybearded sages. In other words, they grew up. Riot Act, Pearl Jam (aka Avocado,) Back Spacer, and lastly Lightning Bolt all seem to be straight forward rock records. I took artistic liberty with my groupings, I could totally see a Ten, Vs group with a Vitalogy, No Code and Yield group with Binaural and Riot Act together but hey, it's my site.

That brings us to the album I've chosen to examine, Binaural. It's my favorite Pearl Jam record and I dare say it's at or near the top of most Pearl Jam nerds list. To me it's the birth of the modern era of the band. What we know about Pearl Jam today, starts here. Personally, the album’s release coincided with a major life change for me and the first tour of the band where I saw multiple shows in a short time. Fittingly this was Pearl Jam's first album to not go platinum. It debuted at #2 on the chart and moved a quarter-million units the first week then nose-dived. In the following 18 years (that's right Binaural can now vote) I'm fairly certain it has gone platinum at the global level. Binaural also marks the first album since Ten to not be produced by Brendan O'Brien, although O'Brien did mix a few tracks - more on that later.

Pearl Jam staggered into the studio mentally, emotionally and physically exhausted. They toured relentlessly for Yield and felt they were at a creative crossroads and needed a change, exit Brendan O'Brien and enter Tchad Blake. Known for his binaural recording techniques (hence the name) he provided the band exactly what they were looking for. Recorded at Stone Gossard's Studio Litho in Seattle from September of 1999 to January of 2000 the stories from the sessions are legendary. Amps at full volume in a room with just the door cracked and the mics down the hall. Amps in trash cans and creative microphone placements are just a few. During final mixing the band found that the slower numbers were perfect for Blake's style but the faster tracks needed the touch of O'Brien. The resulting product is certainly different than any of their records before or after with a sound of its own. While it utilized the binaural recording technique it sounds fabulous on standard hifi gear. I frequently listen to it with my good headphones for the full effect.

Ask anyone their thoughts on Binaural and inevitably the word "dark" will be used. The band was facing inner turmoil as Eddie Vedder struggled with writer's block, Mike McCready dealt with addiction issues, Matt Cameron was new to the band and control of the band had permanently shifted from Stone to Ed. During the tour for Binaural there was a terrible accident at the band's performance at the Roskilde festival where 9 concert goers died. It nearly broke the band up. What's interesting to me is that Binaural sounds as if this incident occurred prior to the recording and the somber tones were a result of it. Earlier I mentioned that "what we know about Pearl Jam today, starts here," what I meant is Pearl Jam present themselves as a unified team, clearly Eddie's team, but a team of equals otherwise. At a Pearl Jam show Eddie will frequently tell a snippet of a story about the birth of a song or who wrote the music to this one. Often it will be someone else in the band. This didn't happen in the earlier albums. Ten, Vs, Vitalogy and No Code the lyrics were almost exclusively written by Ed. Beginning with Yield we started seeing more input, lyrically, from the other members. By the time they entered the studio for Binaural this new way of doing things was in full force. From this point forward their albums are very modular. With each member bringing in already constructed components and assembling them together. It may be a riff or a few lines, or it could be an entirely complete song just needing a solo from Mike or phrasing from Ed. Timing for this change was perfect. The band was nearing a decade together, they had added veteran musician/song writer Matt and Ed was mired in a horrific case of writer's block.

Track by track

Binaural opens with “Breakerfall” a punk inspired run through Eddie’s metaphorical lyrics in a tight 2:19. Side note: Pearl Jam are incredibly thoughtful about their records. They control every aspect of production, track sequencing and packaging. This album is no different, the tracks fit together perfectly. Next up is “God’s Dice” that begins with a rapid fire Matt Cameron drum roll and jams along with a rapid pace that belies the quieter songs later. “Evacuation” has an odd timing signature (hello Matt Cameron!) will strike you as a new sound from Pearl Jam but if you listen to later records you’ll find that some of their new sounds originated with this track. “Evacuation” also serves as a transition into the slower songs on the record. “Light Years” is where the album really begins to shine, music by Mike McCready, it has the classic Eddie story arc. You feel like you’re on a journey with the protagonist, anecdotally, it’s about a friend of the band, Diane Muus from Sony Music who had passed away a couple years prior. “Nothing As It Seems” showcases the binaural recording. Jeff Ament’s bass sounds like it’s behind and below you and Mike’s guitar is sitting on my right shoulder. This slow burn of a song really comes to life at concerts. “Thin Air” is a light acoustic style track reminiscent of college radio classics being played around a beach camp fire. Soulful lyrics, lush background harmonies make you reach for your own guitar. “Insignificance” is likely my favorite of the higher tempo songs. A meditation on war, it features a style of music that’s unique to Pearl Jam, they vary tempos like no other band I’ve seen, slow burn to full on rock all inside of a single song. Next up is “Of The Girl,” if you’ve never been to a Pearl Jam show, they typically open up with a quiet song with the lights down low, then launch into a rocker. Of all of them, my favorite is “Of The Girl” the clean riff with Mike’s lead lightly picking over the top. Eddie’s soft singing really settle you into a groove. I’ll post a video of it as an opener below. 

Shifting gears back into the noisier stuff, “Grievance” is inspired by the protests at the WTO summit in Seattle. It features that signature start-stop rhythm that showcases what Matt brings to the band. Beginning with Vitalogy Pearl Jam can get weird on you from time to time. “Rival” is probably the strangest song on this record. It begins with what sounds to be a pig eating an apple. The music is pretty standard Stone Gossard riffs but with the vocals layered on top.”Sleight of Hand” begins just with a single lead guitar and drums with Ed singing over the top. When the bridge hits the full band joins in only to abruptly go back to the single guitar and drums. It’s a very hard song to describe but sounds great. “Soon Forget” is a short ukulele song that doesn’t seem to fit the album (more on that later) fortunately for us it foreshadows a full album released by Ed a few years later. The album closes with “Parting Ways” an epic closer with a sitar sounding guitar and big tom tom rhythms. 

Member by member

Ed had the music for what would become "Grievance" and "Insignificance" two songs that shine in concert by the way. But he had no lyrics and had even given up the guitar. Thankfully he discovered the ukulele and began plucking away at it. This would explain why "Soon Forget" is included on this record despite not really fitting and displacing several other great tracks. It marks his conquering the demon that is writer's block. This, coupled with releasing the somewhat strange "Nothing As It Seems" as the lead single dismisses any notion that this is anyone else's band. In typical enigmatic Ed fashion, the album ends with a hidden track called "writer's block" that is just the sound of Ed pounding away on a typewriter for a couple minutes.

Aside from the music on “Light Years, ”Mike McCready did not write any of the songs on Binaural but he "McCreadys it up" on most of them. Mike is quite possibly one of the most under-rated guitarists of his generation he can absolutely shred but more so he has an instantly identifiable tone. On "Nothing As It Seems" his feedback laced guitar solos are so brilliant that I've personally witnessed the crowd chanting "Mike" so forcefully that Ed had to stop the show so Mike could take a bow. His battle with Crohn's Disease and subsequently prescription medicines certainly took their toll on him. Thankfully he overcame it and is healthy.

Stone Gossard, so aloof in concert but seemingly an engaging person in conversation is really the mastermind behind Pearl Jam. In the beginning it was his band, he wrote most of the music and knew what he wanted it to look and sound like. As mentioned previously, that leadership role shifted over to Eddie Vedder. It's not certain exactly when that happened but my opinion is around the Vitalogy/No Code era. For Binaural, Stone wrote the lyrics and music for "Thin Air," "Of The Girl" and "Rival." He also co-wrote the music for "Light Years."

Jeff Ament is widely known as Ed's best friend in the band. His songs are usually some of the strangest with eclectic phrasing and timing. He wrote "God's Dice," "Nothing As It Seems," and the music for "Sleight of Hand." Jeff is also a very talented visual artist and plays a hand in the album cover/packaging of the records.

That leaves us with Matt Cameron. Now many people have strong opinions on who is the best Pearl Jam drummer but my vote goes to Matt. He has the pedigree of his time with Soundgarden but more importantly his steady hand gave the band a stability they didn't seem to have before, an energy even. Pearl Jam went through several drummers in their first 7 years but Matt has been behind the kit for them for 20 years now. That is no coincidence. He wrote the music for "Evacuation" on this record. One bone to pick, most casual fans will say Dave Abbruzzese is their favorite Pearl Jam drummer. While Dave is certainly a very talented drummer, he was simply the first drummer most people saw in the videos from Ten, they likely don't realize he wasn't the drummer they were hearing on the record. For what it’s worth, his work on Vs and Vitalogy were stellar, the dude can drum.

For all that's included in Binaural, what's left out is just as important. As I've alluded to before, Pearl Jam is a fan's band. Their shows are legendary and each setlist is mostly unique and contains tracks selected just for that venue, crowd and city etc. Ed is effectively Bruce Springsteen Jr so the shows started getting longer and longer, break out the B Sides! Pearl Jam deep cuts are mainstays of the concerts and Binaural has several. "Sad," "Education," and "Fatal" have all become fan favorites.

If you’ve never listened to this record all the way through or if it’s just been a while. Pick it up and drop the needle.

-JS

[letithappeneverafter]

Australian psych-rockers Tame Impala, the mind-spawn of one Kevin Parker, have gone from being an obscure college radio gem reserved for first-movers to becoming somewhat of a millennial-version of The Greatful Dead - about as much of a household name as their particular brand of psychedelic soundgasms allows for. “People talk about this psychedelic “scene”. I don’t know who we overlap with. I don’t know who else there is. At this point in our career, if you’re a dude that’s in to like psych rock, I think it’s fair to say you’ll know about Tame Impala,” says Parker. Last night, the allure of Tame Impala’s audiovisual orgies of confetti, smoke, tie-dyed laser-light, and sedating waves of psych drew a sold-out crowd of ball-trippers and sober dudes with their girlfriends alike to Copenhagen's Falconer Salen. A few TI-acolytes given away by their long hair, vacant gazes and assortment of band T-shirts matched with holey, red Chucks were already perched outside of the glass entrance six or seven hours before the show, when we arrived to catch up with 30-year-old Parker in a back room. Kevin drifts in a half hour or so later than expected, and opens the fridge, only to find it stacked with Tuborg. “I was really just looking for some water,” he says, explaining that it’s still too early for pre-show drinking to begin, for tactical reasons. NOISEY: Hey Kevin! How are you, man? Kevin Parker: Good, good. I love Copenhagen, been waiting for so long to get back here. We just found the same spot we were at last time. Really, where at? We don’t really even know where we are, but it’s kind of around the middle. Like around the LEGO shop and stuff. So we got to go by the LEGO shop which was cool. Found a couple of bars as well. When we’re touring, we just wake up and we’re there. Where’s a good place to go? The Meat-Packing District maybe. Or perhaps Christiania is more your speed. Also, it’s Fashion Week. Well, we’re big in the fashion world. So, you just got announced for Roskilde Festival here as well, which is like a huge deal in our neck of the woods. Oh, did we? Sweet! I know, right? Private concert at a venue vs. festivals – what do you prefer? These days I love playing our own shows, just ‘cause we’ve got more stuff. More confetti, all of our lights - it’s our own thing. It’s the most like, full-on headie experience, you know? But a festival’s just as cool. Sometimes it’s like afternoon, you know, and you’re playing as the sun goes down. Yeah, you’re going to like Roskilde. So you recently dropped a new album, Currents. What do you personally notice most about the changes in your music, just since Lonerism? It’s all the result of it just being one mind. One person’s perspectives change all of the time. And so like if all of the things that make up the music are coming from one mind, the music is free to wander. The other thing is, when its lots of different perspectives coming together, if one of them changes, it doesn’t mean the others will. Making music in a group is about compromise. So you control every aspect of Tame Impala's sound. But you've told our Australian brethren you're not a perfectionist, as such. If there were lots of other people involved and I was controlling everything, then I would say I was a control freak. It’s more just about creativity. Like if the song needs drums, then I’ll do the drums. The elements and vision that I have make up what Tame Impala is.

What do you think your fans get from your shows? Like, if you were a 17-year old Kevin Parker, and you, in this alternate universe, were going to see Tame Impala, what would that look like? I’m not sure of how much of an event it is for people. I don’t whether they’re just like 'Oh cool, Tame Impala are playing, let’s go check it out' you know, like [have] two drinks - or if they just get completely turnt. I would probably be by myself, because I used to go to shows by myself all the time. I mean, we used to go to shows and smoke weed and all of that. Obviously I’m not going to recommend that someone does drugs… Do people do drugs at your concerts? I wouldn’t know, you’d have to ask them. I’ve certainly seen a few people get carried out. That happens quite a bit. I think reading that fucking Noisey article about people on drugs at our show was the most insight I’d gotten to people at our gig. Obviously it was biased; they went for people that were just absolutely tripping balls. But they were there. It made sense. I mean, there’s definitely a lot of things we do to stimulate the mind. The kind of mind that could potentially be on drugs. Speaking of stimulation, I've been hooked on the riff in “Less I Know the Better” since the first time I heard it. So I have to ask: Did you know right away that it was the one? Thanks, man. Yeah, I think it was literally the first thing I played. I just remember sitting alone in my home studio, a little studio, because I was between houses, and making the demo of the song in about half an hour. Like I had the chords and the melody and I was just thinking, “It needs a gnarly bass riff.” The way that I know I’ve done a new riff that is cool, is if my hands don’t want to do it. If you let your hands do the thinking, it will just be the same old shit. But yeah, that bass riff – it’s actually a guitar with an octave pedal – but that very take is the one that’s used in the whole song. So what about life outside music? What does a standard day of chillin’ look like for you? I like to watch cartoons if there’s nothing else to do. Nowadays, if I have any kind of creative motivation, it’s probably going to be directed towards Tame Impala. Like, it’s slowly just become my life. But so much of what we do involves waiting. I think we’re professionals at sitting around and talking shit to pass the time. We’re pretty good at just sitting in a room. And talking absolute bullshit. Nice. Well on that note, if you could play your way into the face of death at one historical event – like those epic string quartet dudes on the Titanic – what would it be? How about…the plague in Egypt. (laughs) What’s one of those apocalypse movies? The Day After Tomorrow? Yeah, War of the Worlds, something like that, that would be pretty sick. Would you be playing “Let It Happen”? We have a song called “Apocalypse Dreams” but that’s just too obvious. We’ll play the album in its entirety. It would be an honor.

https://noisey.vice.com/da/article/r3n37w/we-talked-riffs-drugs-and-absolute-bullshit-with-tame-impalas-kevin-parker, Feb 4, 2016

Interview by Alfred Maddox. Photo by Sarah Buthmann. 

[marxpobert-blog]

“My life is the greatest fairy tale of all, “ says the tall man in a black coat. He doffs his hat and bows down courteously and with a twinkle in his eye, he smiles and gives a long introduction. “I should have been a shoemaker but I decided to become an actor. But then I failed as an actor, a singer and as a ballet dancer, and then I started writing for fairy tales and the rest of course is history. I am Hans Christian Andersen and it’s a pleasure to meet you.” It’s a nippy morning and I am in Copenhagen, standing in front of the City Hall, one of Copenhagen tourist attractions,  as another fantasy land unfolds in front of me. The Danish capital is one of my favourite cities and its story is like a leaf out of the many fairy tales  penned by this charming author. And the guide, Richard who is an actor and a musician has been donning the role of the legendary author for years now.My 48 hours in Copenhagen starts with this intriguing man with a penchant for storytelling. The Hans Christian Andersen tour is one of the must do in Copenhagen and is rated as one of the top ten things to do in Copenhagen.

Copenhagen’s story started eight centuries ago as a fishing hamlet and it was gifted to Bishop Absalom by King Valdemar the Great. It soon morphed into a walled city with palaces and citadels.  Walking around, I stumble upon castles and churches, amusement parks and breweries as I explore the city by bike and boat.

The grey skies are just waiting to explode. But perched atop the Richs Building is the Weather Girl on her bicycle indicating that it is a great day to be outdoors. The moment it rains, she will apparently be walking her dog with an umbrella.There is no dearth for stories here.

But my favourite is the tale of the Lur Blowers that fascinate me. Walking along the main square, I can see a couple of formidable Vikings standing on a tower and blowing the lurs, an ancient wind instrument. In a different era they were considered to be the watch keepers of the city who warned whenever an enemy threatened to knock at their doors. But there is another story as well. The Vikings apparently played the instrument whenever a virgin crossed their paths. But our Hans Christian Andersen says with a laugh, “Believe me, it has not been heard even once since 1914 when it was erected.”

Copenhagen is a city where you need to immerse yourself in the sights and sounds but if you are looking for recommendations for some of the Copenhagen tourist attractions and top things to do in Copenhagen, then here are my suggestions.

The Hans Christian Andersen tour

Your 48 hours in Copenhagen starts on a fairy tale note. There are several ways to experience Copenhagen, but nothing is more intriguing than a city tour from the fairytale man himself. Richard, the guide, has been donning the garb of the author, the Danish city’s famous resident, and he shares snippets of his life while taking us around the city. We start our trail at the Copenhagen City Hall and head to the Gammeltorv (the oldest square in the city), followed by other landmarks, listening to various tales amidst chuckles.

Say hello to The Little Mermaid.

  The forlorn mythical maid is a symbol of the city and one of the Copenhagen tourist attractions as she is often besieged by every tourist visiting the city. Perhaps that is why she is looking away into the ocean, wanting to escape the attention.  The story goes that the little statue of the mythical mermaid has been stolen quite a few times and had to be replaced. While Hans Christian Andersen may have made her immortal, she owes her presence here to Carl Jacobsen, the man behind Carlsberg. Apparently he was so infatuated by the ballet dancer who played the role of the Little Mermaid. He immediately commissioned a statue which was later gifted to the city.

Explore Nyhavn in a boat

The heart of Copenhagen lies in its canals . You can either take one of the charming Grand Canal Tours on the ferries or be the captain of our  boat and  cruise away in the solar powered Go Boat. Soak in the atmosphere, pass by the colourful monuments , sail past the boats, gaze at awe at the Charlottenburg Palace, see the stately parliament and many more sights. This is one of the top things to do in Copenhagen and should not be missed.

Discover Copenhagen by Bike

Biking is a national pastime of the Danes, jokes my guide Christian as he takes us on a biking tour of the city. Bike on your own or pedal your way on one of the several cycling tours. Some of them take you to the city centre, as you explore along the canals to Christiansborg and Nyhavn and towards Frederiksstaden, the area developed by by King Frederik V in the 18th century. Watch the change of the royal guards at the Amalienborg, the royal palace named after the Queen Sophie Amalie. Stop by to gaze at the dome of the Marble Church and bike around the old squares in the city centre and say hello to the Little Mermaid. You can also, like us, explore neighbourhoods such as Norrebro and Vesterbro. If you love biking then this is one of the must do in Copenhagen.

Amuse yourself at Tivoli Gardens

The moment you step into Tivoli Gardens, you are taken on a roller coaster ride into the past. It is the second oldest amusement park that opened in 1843 and it oozes with charm and the main attraction is the wooden roller coaster which is one of the oldest in the world. I let the child in me take centre stage when I went on the Hans Christian Anderson ride. But there are many other adrenalin-pumping rides as well. The Copenhagen amusement park is one of the top things to do in Copenhagen with kids.

The spirit of Carlsberg

There is more to Carlsberg than just beer.  There are four large carvings of elephants that greet you on the gate which introduce you to  the legacy that Jakobsen and his son Carl left behind in this brewery. There is an element of old world charm as you take a carriage tour of the brewery. museum of beer bottles adds to the atmosphere. Copenhagen’s story is linked to the history of Carlsberg, and you can see a replica of the Little Mermaid here. And of course you end the tour with beer. A visit to Carlsberg is recommended in an itinerary for 48 hours in Copenhagen.

  Lose yourself in the sea of yellow at Dragor

It is the sea of yellow that greets me in this little fishing village where time literally stands still. I am mesmerised by the pretty houses, over 350 of them that belonged to the families of ancient mariners who lived here centuries ago. Dragor, tucked away in the outskirts of Copenhagen is barely 12 kms away and is just a bus or a bike ride away and should not be missed. It is one of the best day trips from Copenhagen and is easily accessible.

Meet the ghost at Hamlet’s Castle

The Kronborg Palace neat Copenhagen, the home of Hamlet

If you are like me a fan of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, then you must visit his home at Kronborg Castle. And narrating his story to the world is his noble friend, Horatio who takes you on a tour. Shakespeare’s tale was set in Kronborg Castle, located in Helsingor or Elsinore , which is one of the day trips from Copenhagen. Personally if your 48 hours in Copenhagen allows you to explore such one of the Copenhagen tourist attractions away from the city centre, then this is one of the must do in Copenhagen.

Sail like a Viking to Roskilde

A 45 minute train journey takes you to the Viking town of Roskilde , one of the oldest capitals of Denmark. While you must stop at the Viking Ship Museum, you can also attempt to sail like a Viking in one of these wooden boats built in the boatyard here .This charming windswept town is home to the first brick Gothic Cathedral in the country  and this is where over 30 Viking kings are buried. And one of them , nicknamed Bluetooth, inspired the name for the technology as he apparently brought warring factions together. A visit to Roskilde is one of the top things to do in Copenhagen but 48 hours in Copenhagen may not suffice to include this destination.

Stroget shopping

Be it souvenirs or getting a taste of Danish design products, a trip to this city is not complete if you don’t go to Stroget, the longest pedestrian street here. A maze of streets tempts you with signature stores, such as Royal Copenhagen or Hay House, or you can sit in a café and people-watch. If you have just 48 hours in Copenhagen then you can lose yourself in these streets. Its also one of the Copenhagen tourist attractions and things to do in Copenhagen with kids.

    Night life at Vesterbro

Copenhagen’s changing ethos is best captured in the meatpacking district, where old slaughter houses, markets and meatpacking warehouses have been converted into upscale restaurants, bars and galleries. Located in Vesterbro, one of the coolest neighbourhoods here, this is where you must be to feel the rhythm of the city. It is one of the places that features high on Copenhagen nightlife

There are so many neighbourhoods in Copenhagen which are also far from the tourist circuit  but 48 hours in Copenhagen is not enough to explore the Danish capital. There are several castles and palaces which are Copenhagen tourist attractions and are must do in the city. What are your recommendations for  48 hours in Copenhagen ?

          The post 48 hours in Copenhagen appeared first on Lakshmi Sharath.

[hetmusic]

TMR TALKS TO... HôY LA | The Most Radicalist

In this interview feature, we get to know the most radicalist up and coming stars on the planet. This time we spoke to explorative electronic producer, songwriter and singer Hôy la. Over a year ago, we found ourselves inexplicably drawn to the spacious, minimalistic sound of Danish creative Ingri Hôyland, aka Hôy la. Our journey began with ‘Please’, a compellingly melancholic affair with generous nods to trip-hop and this artist’s distinctive and carefully crafted eerie atmosphere. From here we fell for ‘Purple’ and ‘Roses’, both of which featured in the X Heads EP. It’s no surprise that Hôy la is tracking the path of many contemporary pop Scandinavian names, such as MØ, Chinah and School of X, with an appearance at Vega’s chosen ones earlier this year. She’s also performed at Spot Festival and Roskilde Festival this year. Those of you who have joined us in following Hôy la will know that she recently released heartfelt single ‘Kids’. It’s a slomborious and minimalist track housing a topic that’s close to home for the artist - mental health awareness. Below we speak about the story behind Hôy la’s latest song, as well as production tips, her favourite albums, the X Heads EP, and what’s to come next. 

TMR: Hi Ingri, so you’ve just released a new single ‘Kids’, which has a personal backstory and strong connections with mental health awareness. Can you explain the inspiration behind this track? I wrote ‘Kids’ to my good friend’s parents, who couldn’t acknowledge how much their son was struggling with life. There are just in general so many young people that are struggling, and yet so many find it so shameful and taboo to talk about. You can’t necessarily see how much someone is struggling based on their looks, appearance, workload etc - so we need to get better at asking one another! Our friends, sisters, lovers, parents need to know they are not alone. TMR: ‘Kids’ is akin to the minimalist style we’ve come to know as signature Hôy la. Have you always been drawn to eerie, spacious soundscapes? Yes, it has been an important starting point for me, right from the start. When I was younger I played the guitar and some piano, but I never really connected with the sounds and melodies I was able to create. But when I started working electronically and with soundscapes, it was like I was able to convey my feelings and moods into sonic atmospheres. TMR: Which artists continue to inspire you? I often listen to a couple of artists at the same time, and I listen to their albums on repeat for a month and then carry on to a new one. Probably not the most healthy way to listen to music haha, but I guess I feel the need to get it all in at the same time. There are some albums though, that I never get tired of. I can listen to Johan Johanssons album Jazz på Svenska a million times; it’s such a timeless piece and it’s such an inspirational atmosphere to be in. Also James Blake’s album from 2011 keeps inspiring me, the minimalism in it is genius. TMR: Is there a track on your personal playlist that would really surprise people? Haha, maybe ‘I Love You Always Forever’ by Donna Lewis? It’s such a quirky, good pop track! And also, Abba - people always find it surprising that I love, love, love Abba - sad people need some happy music too! TMR: Your music has many trip-hop traits, especially tracks like ‘Please’ and ‘Purple’, was this a purposeful choice? And what other genres do you blend into your sound? Hm... it wasn’t a direct choice, I guess all my first tracks are some kind of natural improvisation over feelings, melodies, rhythms and instrumental choices. I have never had one specific genre in mind when creating music. But I was very drawn to the trip hop genre around 2010-2011, and it was about that time I really started to get interested in music so maybe it has set a bigger imprint in me then I thought. But since then I’ve also found a lot of inspiration in genres such as soul, electronica and experimental too. TMR: Speaking of ‘Please’, the first track to appear on TMR, would you say that your writing and production style has evolved since then? Yes definitely, I think it evolves every time I make a new track! I’ve also been working with a lot of different people since then, and they have all inspired me in different ways. TMR: How did you get into producing your own music? Do you have any tips for anyone who wants to get into production? Download logic or just start with garageband - midi is super fun and you can do things just as you like, there are no rules and you don’t need a specific skill set to get started. And also YouTube tutorials are gold! TMR: Not so long ago we mentioned your X Heads EP in our review of ‘Roses’, did this debut feel like an important landmark for the Hôy la project? Yes I think so, I had released the tracks as singles, which felt like the right thing to do because they all represent different stories and moods. But collecting them and releasing them as an EP and cassette definitely felt like a landmark, realising that they represented me as an individual and also my first steps as a musician and producer. TMR: Are you planning to release more singles or another body of work this year? Yes! Stay tuned! TMR: Where can Hôy la fans see you play live next? I just played Roskilde Festival which was a major experience, and next up is Øya Festival in Oslo, August 6. We’re playing at Blå, which is a dark alternative kind of venue and it fits the music perfectly. Hopefully I can play at a venue like that in London sometime soon. If you know the right place, hit me up!

http://www.themostradicalist.com/features/tmr-talks-to-hoy-la/

[didiletyouknooow]

48. I Could Have Lied

Hey!

So here is the new chapter. I had a lot of time for writing this weekend.

I hope you like it and don’t hate me for this ending.... :)

________

„Good morning my love“ Josh woke me up this morning. I was surprised because it was still early in the morning. But it was my birthday so I wasn’t mad at him for waking me up. “I wish you a happy, happy birthday” he said and kissed me. “May aaaaaaall your dreams come true!” he smiled. “Thank you so much” I said a bit overwhelmed by it. He didn’t only wake me up, he also brought me breakfast to our bed. “I wanna spend the whole day with you only. But first, let’s have delicious breakfast!” he grinned. He made everything I love so much. I mean, I’m a total breakfast lover. I just love pancakes, eggs, toast, bread. I love bread but it’s not easy to get here in the States. But a few miles away from Josh’s house there is a German bakery and sometimes he drives there to get us some German bread. “It’s sooooo good!” I said while eating my jelly bread. “I’m happy to make you happy with such modest things” “See, I’m very easy to get along with, right?” “Of course!” he smiled. “Sorry that I didn’t organize a surprise party this year” he grinned. “Oh it’s totally okay. Last year’s party was great and if you would do it every year it wouldn’t be something special anymore” “You’re right!” he said. “So, what about having a walk or even doing a hike later?” “Sounds great!” I agreed.

So we drove to the San Bernardino National Park and did a hike. When we arrived at a beautiful overlook we did a break and had some lunch we brought with us. It was the best idea we had in a long time to do this hike. “Wow, what a beautiful landscape” I said. “I’ve never been here before” “Really?” Josh asked surprised. “Never?” “No….I know it sounds funny because if you grew up in LA you think that people did see everything of the city but it’s not true” “Yeah, I’m living here for nearly 37 years now and I didn’t see everything” Josh agreed. “Although I saw a lot of small fucked up clubs” he joked.   We just sat there watching the nature just being nature. I loved places like this where you can only be yourself, no one who bothers you and no one who wants you to do anything. “You know” Josh suddenly started saying. “I know we had some tough months and I’m sorry that I didn’t talk to you. But I needed some time for myself. I had the feeling you already came to terms with yourself but I didn’t. I needed time, I still need it. I still feel the pain and the disappointment and the sadness. It hurts to loose someone, even if you don’t know the person. I mean, it was only a few weeks old….” I was surprised by Josh’s honest words. “I know….it’s not easy and I can understand that you needed time” I told him. “And I’m so sorry that I was on tour almost the whole time and I will be on tour the next year. This sucks so much. I wanted to be there for you but I couldn’t” “Josh, you were there. You came to the hospital and cancelled a show for me. That’s everything you could do. And I really appreciate it. You were the best boyfriend I could imagine for such a situation” “Really? I don’t see myself as someone like that….I think I’m not a good boyfriend. Most of the time I’m not there to support you, to live with you” “Believe me, you are. And since music is your job it’s totally okay that you’re away on tour. It’s what you do, what you love” “Yeah but when something really bad happens I’m not there and that sucks to know….” ”Josh, it’s okay, ja?” “Hm….” “Believe me” I mumbled and put my head on his shoulder. “You know” he then said. “I really love you. I always missed you on tour. When I came to Europe or Japan or then back to Canada I always wished you were with me….I know it’s not easy to handle. And if you will get a job really soon we won’t have time for that but….” he paused. He did mention it. Maybe I would have a job very soon because a few weeks ago a former professor of mine called me to ask me for a job interview after he read my application for a job at a university in LA. He was working there now and he remembered me from some years ago. So I would have a job interview in three weeks.

“So….I wanna spent some time with you on the road” Josh suddenly said. “I wanna share as many memories as possible with you. And for that I give you this scrapbook where you can put all the pictures we already made or we will make in.” Then Josh gave me a dark red book. I opened it and saw a few notes he wrote on the first page.

“E….

This is for you. For you and me. We already went through so much. So much pain, so much happiness and so much luck. I wouldn’t be the person I am today if I  wouldn’t have met you. You make me happy every day!

Let’s share our memories in Polaroids in this beautiful book.

In love,

J….”

Then I turned over to the next pages where Josh already stuck some pictures we took together. It showed us at Rock am Ring in the rain, in Belgium eating fries, at Roskilde watching Damon Albarn or in Berlin posing in front of the Brandenburg Gate. Now I knew why he took so many pictures lately. He already knew what he would give me for my birthday. I almost started crying when I saw all these pictures of us. All these good memories we shared in the last weeks that let me forget all this bullshit we’ve been through in the last months.  “Wow Josh, thank you so much. I can’t find words for it” “Oh you don’t have to” he chuckled. I kissed him as a sign of my gratefulness. “I love you” I whispered. “And I love you!” he said smiling. “I hope we will share much more memories together in the next years” I said a bit lost in thoughts. “I hope so too but….it’s not the whole gift I have for you this birthday” he then said. “Okay?” I looked at him. “What’s left?” I noticed that it took him some time to finally find the right words. I think he didn’t know if I would really agree with his plan. “I booked us a beautiful hotel in the Swiss alps where we can hike and enjoy the nature on the two off days the Chilis have in October. Do you wanna come with me? It’s also around my birthday so….it would mean a lot to me if you would come with me to Europe again” “Ohhhh really?” I looked at him with a surprised face. I think I couldn’t refuse his plans. Although this touring world wasn’t really my thing I would be with him and that was the most important thing to me at the moment.  “Sounds great! Yes, of course I will come with you.” I said and hugged him. 

While we were standing there hugging I thought about our last months. He was right, we had some difficult times but every relationship has it. You become stronger if you can overcome those times. Maybe Josh and I needed some time to overcome it completely. Maybe I should enjoy our next weeks together.

Josh had two special concerts in the next week. Firstly he had to play with the Chilis an acoustic set at a gala at Flea’s music school, Silverlake Conservatory. I accompanied him and it felt a bit weird although it wasn’t the first time I was there with him as a date but I always felt a bit uncomfortable in the public. But it was a great show, they played some older songs and later James Corden (yes THE James Corden) did a speech. Josh and I had a talk with him about music and other things later. He was so nice and gentle and so funny. I even did a selfie with him and then he wanted to take a selfie with Josh and me together. I think James Corden was one of the funniest people I’ve ever met.

The next concert was only one day later in Palm Springs where Josh played together with Bob Forrest and some of his friends a few old Bicycle Thief songs. I liked the show and Josh seemed to enjoy it as well. Bob told many funny and also crazy stories about his life as a musician and about life in general. Later that night Josh and I drove home and packed our bags for the next Europe tour leg.

We landed in Spain and although we were very tired we went out to take a walk through Madrid. But since we were both very jet lagged we only had dinner at a fancy restaurant in the old city and then went back to the hotel. I spent most of the next day on my own because Josh had a lot of press to do. Between two interviews he did he managed to have lunch with me before he had another interview at the venue. Later that night I went back to the arena where the Chilis played two sold out shows. I wasn’t on my own because at the first night I met Sam’s girlfriend Linda. So we ordered some beer and danced along to the music. I wondered who the two young girls were who were dancing and filming the whole concert at the side of the stage. Linda told me that one of them was Anthony’s new girlfriend. Wow, they must’ve been only 18 I thought. The crew and the band traveled to Barcelona where Josh and I visited some art museum and spent some time at the beach. I really liked Barcelona. It’s great when a city is located at the ocean so you have everything you need: the urban feeling with a lot of people but also the relaxing holiday feeling at the beach. Just like in LA.

October 

After the concerts in Barcelona Josh and I went to Swiss to the hotel he booked for us. We had two beautiful off days there and really made use of the little time we had there. We took a flight right after the last Barcelona gig and landed in Zurich in the middle of the night. Then we took the train to the little town in the alps. We arrived there in the early morning. The mountains were kissed by the sun and the sky was so blue I just wanted to melt in it…It was also October 3rd so I congratulated Josh on his birthday. I think I never ever congratulated him so early on the day. We sat there for a while on our hotel balcony just watching the sun kissing the mountains. I never wanted this moment to end.

After only a few hours of sleep we directly started our first of two hikes in the mountains. We did a break at a small mountain hut and enjoyed some Kaiserschmarrn. The next hike on the second day brought us to a beautiful lake in the mountains. It was still hot here in Europe although it was already October. So we decided to swim a little bit in the lake. The water was fucking cold but we didn’t care. I think I’ve never felt so close to nature before – okay maybe when we were in Iceland. We went back to the hotel with wet clothes and spent our last night off before the touring circus would continue in the spa area of the hotel.

The Chilis played two shows in Zurich but after the second show I had to take my flight back to LA because of my job interview. I felt like being a teenage girl again when Josh brought me to the airport and we hugged and kissed us goodbye. I really didn’t want to leave him now. We had a great time here in Europe in the last days and somehow I had the feeling that it would never feel like this again. I didn’t know why but I think we were both very happy during the last days. I wondered if this happiness would come back to us or if it was only a one hit wonder. I hoped it wasn’t. When I sat in the plane I started crying. Maybe I already knew that it wouldn’t be like that ever again….

A few days later – still a bit jet lagged – I had my job interview. My former professor greeted me and we chatted for a while until the official part started. The commission asked me some tough questions but somehow I could make it and didn’t feel that intimidated or petrified like I thought I would. The job would be a job as a teacher at school. Only a terminated job but I would get the opportunity for a longer contract. They seemed optimistic that they could offer this job for a longer time. After my interview was done I went out of the room and sat down at a bench. The next applicant went into the room. I think they invited 20 people for a job interview. I didn’t expect so many applicants here today so I felt a bit disappointed after my job interview because I think that my curriculum wouldn’t convince them. Some of the other applicants even started doing their PhD. I didn’t. But when I was waiting there in the lobby my former professor Mr. Bergenfels came to me. “Miss Puritz, it was great to see you again” he said. “I didn’t know you were living in Berlin for work after your graduation. Great step! I always tell my students that they should take an opportunity like this if they can. I know not everyone has the opportunity but you with your German background did it and that’s great!” he told me. I was shocked that he obviously liked my career progression of the last years. I’ve never looked at it like that. I’ve never seen living abroad as a big step in my curriculum because I only did it to get away from my ex Steve at that time. “Miss Puritz I wanna be honest with you” professor Bergenfels said. He originally was from Germany so that’s the reason for this German surname. “You won’t get the job at the university. Usually I don’t talk about this decision that open right after a job interview”. Okay, fuck. I think he saw my disappointment in my face.

“But I thought about it and….I need someone in my faculty” he then continued talking. The job I applied for was at a different faculty than the faculty he was working for. He was only in the commission who makes the decision in the end who gets the job. “So I suggest….maybe you wanna work for my faculty? I think you would be a good fit in my team” Wow….um what? Did he really offer me a job at his faculty? Okay where was the issue? “But it would mean that you have to do your PhD at the same time. Only then I can appoint you in my team. So maybe you’ll think about it and then call me in a few days?” “Um yes….sure…I….I’ll call you! Thank you Mr. Bergenfels, that’s a great opportunity” I answered still in shock. “Great. So if you’re interested you can call this number. They can give you all the information you need for a PhD in history at our university. You know I really like your curriculum and your attitude. I think you would fit in my team and I’m sure you will write a great dissertation. So just think about it, maybe think of a topic you’re interested in that fits to my faculty and then call me okay?” And with this offer he left me standing in the hall of the university. I was speechless. My former professor just offered me a job in his team and also offered me the opportunity to do my dissertation? I mean, I never really thought about it before if I want to do my PhD but….maybe I should take this opportunity?

Later that day I called Josh. He was in Bologna. I told him about the job opportunity. But his reaction was very reserved. “Great” he said. “Sounds like a great opportunity and you should do it if you want to” “Yeah, right? I still can’t believe it. I mean, I would have to work in the uni cosmos for some more years but….that would be such a great opportunity and the fact that my professor offers me the opportunity just makes me speechless” “Yeah I can imagine. Must be great” I had the feeling that Josh didn’t really want to talk with me. Or maybe he didn’t want to talk about this job opportunity? “So….I think I’m gonna call him tomorrow just to assure him that I will take the job. No matter which bureaucratic stuff I have to do to enroll at the uni for my PhD. I will do it!” “Great, do it” Okay, now he responded the same way three times in a row. What was wrong with him? “Is everything okay?” I asked him. “For sure it is” he answered me. “It’s just….I’m a bit bothered by some fans who were waiting outside of the hotel and filmed us” “Oh noooo I’m sorry….those idiots” “Yes but….I’m good” “Okay….I miss you. I wish I could be with you now. I wanna celebrate this job with you! But….we’ll do it when you’re back home, okay?” “For sure we do” “Good….so….how was your day so far?” “Just like any other day….we rehearsed and I had lunch with Sam…..the fans pissed me off here” “Hm…” ”That’s the negative side of my job” “But I bet the fans will greet at you and sing along at the concert later. Don’t think about the idiots….they just…..don’t think about them, okay?” “Mhmmm” Josh grunted. “Hey look Eileen, I have to hang up now. I’ll call you later before our gig okay?” Well, he didn’t.

I spent my next days grinning the whole time because I finally got a job. I called Mr. Bergenfels the next day to tell him that I would take the job and he organized some bureaucratic stuff for me and then informed me that I could start my PhD in January. I also had to teach at university as teaching assistant so I would be very busy.  

I skyped with Josh the other day again. He was now in Paris to play three sold out shows there. I felt happy for him for playing in front of such a huge crowd. I asked him about his last days and told him that I was looking forward to the day he would come back home. Only two days to count. Although I really missed him I didn’t had the feeling that he felt the same. He seemed so absent and barely talked with me. Maybe he was stressed out and still bothered by some fans in Italy but….I didn’t know what was wrong with him. But I told myself not to analyze everything. This man was on tour for half a year now. I bet he was just very tired and exhausted.

When Josh arrived back in LA we immediately packed our bags and flew to Cuba. Finally we had one week in Cuba to relax. I remembered our fight about this planned holiday. Josh told me in August that we would postpone our holiday to September but he was busy again in the end of September. He kind of compensated my frustration about our cancelled holiday to Cuba with booking a hotel in the Swiss Alps. Sure we had two beautiful days there but I was still a bit disappointed that we didn’t find time for our planned holiday. But on our train ride from the Alps to Zurich Josh told me that we can travel to Cuba after his tour leg in October. He would have time for a one week holiday because the Chilis had to play a special Halloween show on October 28.

So I agreed and now we were laying at the beach of Cuba. Wow, I was so impressed by this country. After two days at the beach we went to Havanna and visited the old city. We walked along the river walk Malecón and watched some glory buildings of the colonial era. Surely we rent a vintage car and cruised through the city. We then headed to Trinidad and visited La Casa de la Musica. I could even force Josh to dance with me. I mean, everyone here was dancing to Cuban rhythms. We did a hike and later relaxed at the beach again. On our last days before coming back to Havanna we went to Santiago de Cuba and visited the fortress Castillo del Morro which is an UNESCO World Cultural Heritage. We took so many pictures on our journey that I couldn’t stick all of them into my scrapbook.

On our last night we were having delicious dinner and later went to a beach bar where we tried some cocktails and when the sun was going down we sat down at the beach. I laid my head on his shoulder and just enjoyed the moment. Josh was smoking a cigar and even I tried it once but I didn’t like it. While we were sitting there, staring at the ocean, I realized that all the good moments we shared in the last months were at places where we were far away from home. But every time we were back in LA we had problems again and fought a lot. I knew that it meant that something was wrong in our relationship and I noticed that we still didn’t talk like we talked with each other one year ago. It’s like something was gone. Something was taken from us, from our easiness. We always lived the easy going way but now we even started fighting because someone forgot to put the trash out. It was ridiculous but we couldn’t help it. It just happened.

“I think right now in this moment I’m the happiest person in the world” I let Josh know. “Yes me too….” He said a bit lost in thoughts. “Can we just stay here forever? Can this moment never end, please?” “Well….it will end” “Why are you always destroying my dreams?” I laughed. “Sorry, I didn’t want to…” he chuckled and looked at me. I looked into his brown eyes, his hair was covering one of it. “You know, I’ve never thought about visiting Cuba one day and when you suggested it I didn’t think that I would like the country but I fell in love with it immediately. I love the countryside so much….” I told Josh. “It’s just beautiful and the attitude of the people here is great. I love these easy going mentality” he said. “But in a few days you have to go back on tour and I will be home alone…” I moaned. “Come with me. One last time before your job is starting next year. I mean, you have time, haven’t you?” “Hm….yes I have. Do you really want me to come with you for a forth time this tour?” I laughed. “I would love to have you by my side every day of the tour!” he said. “Oh, don’t be so cute all the time…” I said and laid my head on his shoulder again. “Aren’t the others bored by the fact that you always have your girlfriend with you on tour?” I joked. “No, why should they? They like you! Flea is very happy that we’re back together and that we overcame this pain. I mean, Anthony has a new girl every tour leg but I don’t care. I mean, some of these girls are nice and kind to me but most of the time I don’t really talk to them. Flea will bring his new girlfriend to the UK tour and I bring you with me all the time I can” he grinned. “You and Chad are the constant, aren’t you?” I laughed. “Why?” “Because you have serious relationships going on” “Well, okay….maybe Anthony and his girls aren’t so serious. But maybe they are, I don’t know” “Probably” I started laughing.

Oh I didn’t want this night to end because tomorrow we had to go back to LA. But now I wasn’t that frustrated coming back home because I would join Josh once again on his Europe tour.

Sadly the night was over anytime and we arrived back in LA. Josh was busy rehearsing with the Chilis at the Fonda Theater for the Kroq Halloween Show. I went there together with Molly and Eric and we had a great time. I think I’ve never saw the Chilis playing in such a small venue before. It was very hot and tempting. I liked it! One day later we flew back to Europe. We spent Halloween in Munich. Josh and I went to a bar that was decorated very Halloween like. Together with Sam we had some cocktails and went to bed very early – right before the witching hour started.

November

The next day they played their first concert of The Getaway Tour in Germany. The Olympiahalle in Munich wasn’t crowded that fast. I sometimes looked out of the backstage area and watched the audience. While Deerhoof was opening for them this night Josh and I went to the side of the stage to watch their concert. They were kind of crazy and I didn’t know if I liked it or not.

One hour later the Chilis finally entered the stage. I watched their concert and got goosbumps when Josh suddenly started playing “Heroes” by David Bowie. The whole arena was lightened by flues or phones. It looked so beautiful. Also It was Anthony’s 54th birthday and the audience even sang him a “Happy Birthday”.

After the concert the whole crew had some drinks at a pub before heading to Berlin the next day. Surely Lara came to the show again. I spent my day with her while Josh was rehearsing and did some interviews. In the evening Lara, Felix (they weren’t official dating but I had the feeling that there was something going on between them), Josh and me went to a fancy restaurant in Kreuzberg. On our way back to the hotel I recognized a person jumping out of a bush running away. I didn’t pay it much attention because there were so many crazy people living in Berlin that I didn’t really care about it anymore. Josh didn’t seem to see it. But the next morning I was woken up by a text message from Lara. She also sent me two pictures.

 “Hey,

Maybe you noticed it yesterday. I didn’t. But seemed like there was a paparazzi or so who took some pictures of us four leaving the bar where we had some drinks in Berlin Mitte. These pics are now posted on Instagram by some fan accounts. Even fans of Felix’ band posted them because you can definitely see him in these pics. I just wanted to inform you about it. Maybe Josh can do something against it and the pics can be deleted?

Love, Lara”

Then I clicked on the pics she sent me. It showed the four of us leaving the bar in Berlin late at night. While Josh was hidden by Felix’ head in the first picture you could definitely see Josh and me holding hands in the second one. I sighed. I knew he wouldn’t like it. But in the end he couldn’t do anything against it because even if it was a paparazzi it already happened. What should he do then? After checking out Lara’s message I opened Instagram and for the first time in years I took a look to the hashtag #joshklinghoffer. It didn’t take long until I found these pics there. Some fans already posted them and were discussing if I was his girlfriend or not. Well, I think holding hands is a good sign, right? I was rolling my eyes. I noticed that Josh woke up. “You’re already up?” he asked me and yawned. “Yes….we were photographed yesterday” I told him and confronted him with the pics. “Oh no….seriously? Who did these pics?” “I don’t know. I think it was a fan. I heard someone running away but I didn’t look who it was. I mean, we’re in Berlin. Here are living so many crazy people” “Yeah….well, whatever. Let’s have breakfast”

I was surprised that Josh wasn’t that mad about the pics. I think he tried to suppress it.

After the “Zephyr Song” debuted on The Getaway Tour in Berlin the fans were all pleased. Lara and I enjoyed the concert. When the show was over I asked her about Felix. “So, what’s happening between you two, Hm?” “Well, we’re just friends” “Yes of course!” I didn’t believe her. “You spent like….every day with him. I know you two already had something going on!” “I know….but we’re just….meeting….as friends!” she assured me. Of course, of course…..I didn’t believe her any word! Whatever. Josh and I had to travel to Antwerp and later to Amsterdam, Luxembourg and Cologne. This would be my last station because I had to fly back to the States to organize some stuff for my new job. The last touring days were kind of weird. While Josh and I had quite fun in Munich and Berlin – although these pictures were taken – we kind of were both mad at each other during the following tour. We didn’t really speak and he seemed very pissed off. I ask him why but he didn’t tell me. It was just his feeling right now he said. Surely we did some sightseeing in Amsterdam but Josh wasn’t in the mood for anything. So we spent most of the time in our hotel room. One day we wanted to meet for lunch. He had an interview in the morning so I waited for him at the hotel lobby. I waited 30 minutes, an hour, 1.5 hours. He didn’t show up. I was so pissed at him! I texted him and let him know that he behaved like an idiot. He didn’t even answer. I met Sam in the lobby. He asked me what I was doing here. I told him that I would wait for Josh and then Sam told me that Josh was going to have lunch with Ian and some other engineers. Great. He totally forgot me.

We fought a lot during this day and later Josh played a very bad concert in Amsterdam. I didn’t care. I wasn’t even in the mood to go to the concert but I didn’t want to be the pissed bitch so I went there, sat down at the terrace and watched the concert. 

When we arrived in Cologne Lara texted me. Again someone took pictures of me and Josh. It happened in Amsterdam and Cologne. So it seemed like someone followed us around. I showed it to Josh and he even showed it to their management. Now it was a serious problem here I thought. The management discussed who it could be and when someone asked if maybe Josh’s girlfriend (aka me) was involved in it because she only wanted to have the fame on the internet Josh got carried away. He almost beat the guy up if Flea wouldn’t have stopped him. “I dare you to say this EVER again about my girlfriend, okay?” he said to one of the guys from the management. I didn’t say anything because to me it was just bullshit. I knew that I was serious with Josh and so did he know it. So I didn’t care about the guy’s comment. But Josh did.

When Josh and I decided to take a walk through Cologne to visit my grandma’s grave a guy from the security should follow us. That’s what the management ordered. Josh didn’t want it and neither did I but we couldn’t help it. So the guy followed us and in the end even he couldn’t stop the unknown person who took a pic of us again. I checked out Instagram after coming home to the hotel and saw the pic. There were even two pics that showed Josh and me at the cemetery. I found it disgusting that this person pictured us at such a private moment at the grave of my grandma. No one knew how this person could follow us without being seen. But this person must’ve waited at the hotel – undercover – to finally follow us around. Even the security didn’t see this person. So we decided to stay in our hotel until Josh had to leave to get to the venue. I followed him later. After the concert the van drove us back to the hotel and we left the car with our heads covered by sunglasses – although it was night – and our hoods.

The management of the Chilis decided to call the police because it was now a case of stalking. So the police came to our hotel that night and we told them the whole story. Surely, they couldn’t do anything but it was good to know that they were aware of the situation. The management wanted to avoid it that the media would get wind of it but it was too late. The next day a cologne newspaper wrote about the “Stalking case of the Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist”. Well, yeah.

The day after the concert in Cologne was my last day on this European tour leg so Josh and I had to say goodbye for the next two weeks. Because of the current situation we decided that he wouldn’t accompany me to the airport. So we said goodbye in the hotel room and then I left to catch my flight to LA.

When I sat in the plane I already felt like a cosmopolitan. I traveled to Europe four times in a row in the past five months. It was crazy. I think I never passed the Atlantic Ocean so often in my life.

On the plane I thought a lot about the past two weeks. It was the first time I noticed how hard it is to live in the public space. Since these pics were posted on the internet I even got so many friend requests on Facebook and Instagram because suddenly the people knew my name. Surely all my accounts were private and I didn’t accept any of the requests of people I didn’t know but….it was weird. I wasn’t a person who was famous for doing anything special. I was just Josh’s girlfriend but now people wanted to follow me just to see how my life was like. Just to see if I was posting pics of him and me – which I barely did. Or how often I was accompanying him on tour. I couldn’t get along with it. It just wasn’t my world.

But on the other hand I thought about Josh and how we both acted in the past weeks. First everything was great when we were in Munich and Berlin but then out of a sudden everything changed and I didn’t know why. I really asked myself what went wrong here? Again…

Josh and I avoided each other sometimes. We barely talked. Again, we barely talked. It was just the same damn shit happening like a few weeks ago. I hate it. I was so exhausted of analyzing him and his behavior. Why did he act like this? I didn’t know and I was too tired to ask him again and again, all over again.

This was also the time when I asked myself for the second time in the past months how long I could do this. I think I wasn’t able to live in a relationship where my boyfriend acts happy the one day and is grumpy and avoids me the next day. That’s not a relationship to me. And that was a huge problem for me right now. On the one hand I kind of missed him – but did I really miss him? – and on the other hand I was pleased to fly back to LA because I needed time for my own.

We barely skyped or texted the next following weeks. Josh only sent me some pics from Vienna to show me what he visited there but that’s it. And I didn’t really care. I had to organize my own life. I had some appointments at the university for my upcoming start of my PhD. So I didn’t really care how often Josh and I called or texted each other. But when these two weeks were over and I remembered that he would come back in one day I realized something that scared me: I didn’t really miss him in the last two weeks. I was okay with him being far away. I didn’t even want to know how he was doing. But what did it mean????

When Josh finally arrived back in LA I welcomed him with a short kiss and we had some pasta I cooked for us. That’s it. The next days we spent together but it still felt like we were far away from each other. It felt like I couldn’t reach him anymore. I didn’t know what was going on here but I knew that there was something wrong with us, with our relationship.

One day I woke up and I knew what to do. I finally realized why I felt so bad and tired during the past months. Most of the time it was because of Josh. I was so sick of him not talking to me. Surely we had some great moments together in September and October but that’s it. A relationship that only makes you happy at foreign places far away from home isn’t a good one, right?

So I finally realized what I had to do.

I told Josh that I wanted to talk to him this evening. He came back from a day of rehearsing with the Dots. I saw that he was very tired but when I asked him how he was doing he didn’t say anything except of “Mhmmmm”. That’s what I meant. I couldn’t reach him anymore. So I sat down with him this evening at the end of November and started telling him what I had to tell him. “Josh” I said. “Yes?” he answered looking up from his phone. “I really have to talk to you so can you please put your phone away” “Oh, sure” he said and put it on the table. “So….Josh, please listen” I started saying. “I can’t….” I couldn’t say it out loud. My mind already knew what I would tell him and he was looking at me expecting me to say the things I wanted to say. But I didn’t. “Yes….um, what did you wanted to tell me?” he asked. His arms were crossed. 

And suddenly without thinking about the next steps anymore I said it. 

“I can’t do this anymore”.

“What do you mean?” he asked shocked. “This….all of it….” I said and pointed at us. “You and me. I can’t do it anymore. I’m so sick of trying to reach out to you but you’re not talking anyway. I’m so sick of skyping with you but having the feeling that my boyfriend isn’t really interested in talking to me. I’m sick of planning my life along your tour schedule. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the adventures and journeys with you on tour but I realized that it isn’t my lifestyle. I want my boyfriend to be here in LA. But you won’t be here the next year and I don’t know how I should handle it….” I paused. While I was saying these words I was wondering if I lied to him when I told him a few weeks ago that it’s totally okay that he’s on tour because it’s his job? Did I lie to myself? 

Josh looked at me shocked. “I realized in the past weeks when you were still on the road in Europe that my feelings for you weren’t the same as they were a few months ago. I don’t know what happened but….I didn’t even miss you” I told him. Josh still didn’t say anything. “Josh, please, believe me. This was one of the greatest relationships I’ve ever had. You are such a great man and during our relationship I couldn’t imagine any other guy by my side than you but….my feelings flew away. It just did and I couldn’t control it. I think we should go different ways now….” “How can you say this?” was the first thing he said to me. “How can you say this? I love you and I will always love you….how can you say your feelings are gone?” “I don’t know….I wish I would….but….they just went away” “Eileen….seriously, I can’t understand any of the words you just said. Why do you wanna end our relationship? We were so happy all the time! Don’t you remember the moments we shared in Europe or in Cuba? Don’t you remember what we’ve went through?” “Of course I remember but….I have the feeling that it destroyed our relationship” “Why should it destroy it?” “Because we stopped talking. One year ago we were talking about everything that was going on in our lives but now….look at us, we fight about every little thing. It changed. A lot has changed and I realized that I can’t do this anymore….I just can’t! It burns me out every day” “How can you say this….I can’t believe you do this to me….” Josh seemed very shocked. I didn’t know what to say. “Josh, please believe me. I loved you, I really did. But I realized that my feelings went away.” “Feelings don’t just go away” he argued. “Did you meet any other guy?” “No….I didn’t. It just happened” “Wow, I can’t believe you do this to me….” He repeated. I felt so bad for breaking up with him. He had tears in his eyes and so did I. It was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever made but if I was honest with myself I wasn’t happy in the last months. The first time I asked myself if I’m still happy was in August….it’s four months ago. I think I had enough time to think about my decision and I did the right thing. I had to end it until it would destroy myself.

“I thought everything’s fine when we were in Europe or in Cuba” Josh said. “Yes Josh, it was fine back then….but what does it mean if we’re only happy when we’re far away from home?” I said with tears in my eyes. “I….I don’t know” he said, his voice was very quiet. “I think we should stop here and go different ways from now on….” I said and got up from the chair. Josh took my hand and looked at me. I knew he wanted convince me to stay but I couldn’t. I had to go. ______

[hbincph-blog]

Planes, Danes, and Silent Trains

I had high hopes for my first transatlantic flight the moment I took my seat, mainly since the in-flight entertainment offered four solid episodes of my favorite show, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. It’s hard to imagine a better way to leave the states than enjoying a show which has watered down countless American issues in the City of Brotherly Love.

A few weeks prior to my departure I updated my British Airways profiles to ensure I’d receive vegan meals, and I’m happy I did because I was quite hungry when I boarded. Granted, it was airplane food, but was satisfying enough. After exhausting the episodes of Sunny and watching the movie Skate Kitchen, I was able to sleep for three hours or so, and was awakened by a flight attendant pushing a box of fruit in my direction. I caught my first glimpse of Europe as we began to descend, most notably my first sight of a true football stadium, Brentford F.C.’s Griffin Park.

I basically sleep walked through Heathrow and on to my flight to Copenhagen, only to continue sleeping. I’m thankful for this though, as I had plenty of energy for the brief DIS welcome session and to meet my host family! My host mother, Sanne, and host brother and sister, Rasmus and Emma, came to pick me up, and we picked up my host father, Axel, on our way home to Roskilde. I unpacked and then went to Kvickly, a grocery store, with Axel and Sanne to shop for dinner. They have been very accommodating to my diet and Axel is a fantastic cook, probably because he worked as a chef in England for a bit! So far I’ve enjoyed many medleys of fruits and vegetables, my favorite probably being either the potato and mushroom home fries or the honey roasted beets, chickpeaks, parsnips, and walnuts. However, my most exciting food moment yet has been my reunion with Violife cheese, a vegan cheese I’ve only ever had from a pizza vendor, Screamer’s Pizzeria, who frequents NJ Vegfest events. I gasped when I saw it on the shelf and nearly ran over to make sure my jetlag wasn’t causing me to hallucinate. Guess all I needed to do to find it in stores was come to Denmark!

After a wonderful night’s sleep following a long day of travel, I joined Axel to watch Rasmus’s soccer match. I was blown away with the differences between the American and Danish approaches to youth soccer. First off, we drove to their club’s facilities to meet up with their trainers and the rest of the squad. I can’t even begin to explain how helpful this practice could have been to my team growing up, since anywhere from one to six guys were late to any given match Another thing to note is the quality of the facility, which had multiple locker rooms, a cafeteria, plus turf and grass fields - probably over ten total. If I had these types of facilities growing up, I would’ve felt like a professional and taken everything a bit more seriously.

Although the game did not go as we had hoped, the quality was certainly better than any U-13 match I’ve refereed in the states. I’d credit two things for the impressive play. First, the emphasis on the education of the game. Axel stressed this a lot, he coaches a team a step below Rasmus’s level, which I thought was quite telling since I’d never heard the words “education” and “soccer” in the same sentence. The most obvious sign of this value was the pre-match routine, where equal time was spent in the locker room and on the field. Second, and this may be true for Danish children in general, was their level of discipline. The on field warm ups were crisp and organized, something my dad, who coached me for twelve or so years, would have enjoyed from my team when we were U-16’s.

My second night of sleep was not as pleasant as my first, probably due to the fact I was following the Eagles play by play as they blew it against the Saints. My excitement for my first day in Copenhagen kept me going though, and I was out the door before 7:30 to walk to the station, a very convenient three minute walk around the corner.

The DIS ceremonies kicked off at the cirkusbygningen (circus building), which opened in 1886 and was originally used for, you guessed it, circuses! An up and coming Danish artist, Elisha, played three songs between speeches from DIS staff about different ways to optimize the study abroad experience. Following the ceremony, a group of four other students who I was sitting with and I went looking for the meeting point for a tour of Copenhagen. Once we found out the tour was self-guided, we put our trust in the hands of Michael, who had arrived a few days earlier and already familiarized himself with the city. Giving him our trust paid off, as we started off with a walk up the Rundetaarn, or Round Tower, for a view of Old Copenhagen and the Øresund Bridge to Sweden. Next up was the picturesque Nyhavn canal, followed by Amalienborg Palace, home to the Danish royal family. After a quick look inside Frederik’s Church, we walked out to the Royal Life Guard, who are responsible for guarding Amalienborg Palace, marching through the streets. Finally, after a quick walk around Kastellet, one of the best preserved fortresses in Northern Europe and still an active military area today, we made our way back to the DIS lounge to enjoy lunch and discuss the upcoming semester. It was quite the day exploring the city! I was overwhelmed with its beauty and comforted by the willingness of locals to guide any puzzled students in the right direction.

I ended my day in Copenhagen with an introductory meeting with other homestay students in and around Roskilde, which is nice since we can plan to commute and go out together. I took the train home with two of them and got my first taste of the silent car. There is a very noticeable difference between a quiet car on American public transit and the silent car here, since anything beyond the noise that filters in during stops will surely draw a few glares. While it’s strange that a portion of public transit here has a lower tolerance for noise than the infamous third floor of Swem (William & Mary’s library), it’s actually quite peaceful. It’s great for dozing off, reflecting on the day, or just enjoying music - with your headphones at a low level of course.

My study abroad experience is off to a great start, albeit without the study portion so far. I enjoy spending time with my host family and learning that hygge is inherently Danish. The contentment and warmth that embodies hygge calls for a reduced-stress work culture, communal family dinners, and a cold, rainy, rarely sunlit environment to hide from under a blanket with a cup of liquorice and peppermint tea nearby. My interactions with other DIS students have all been pleasant, and everyone is eager to explore the city far and wide, even if it means a six mile walk in occasional sleet.

I took a stroll through Freetown Christiania today to get a peak at noma, the four-time named world’s best restaurant. My next post will be about the history of the anarchist commune, its three rules to follow, and my feelings on the community there.

[bunnybosss]

I'm gonna miss christmas..

I had such a good month :3

The first week of december, the 5'th I think, I went to a friends house. She lives on a farm with ducks and chickens and cats. (I got to hold a fat chicken mama) She had the whole house to herself that weekend so she invited a lot of people, 20+ I think, and made a big christmas dinner with pork roasts.

There was many friendly faces and a few new. We sat up playing warewolf, deerlordi, dark overlord and a bunch of other games all night. We watched httyd, shreck and madagascar christmas specials. My allergies were trying to kill me, but there was no stopping me. It was just too damn cozy so I stayed all weekend. We also watched the nightmare before christmas and a fuckload of cookies.

There were regular chocholate chip. Vanilla rings, jew cookies, and other christmas cookies. We had a lot of fun makeing them together and chased eachother around with towels while the host was talking with a friend from newsealand on skype. Another one of my bros had brought along his el-guitar and a stereo speaker thingy to plug it into. He is pretty fucking talented and gave a little concert while we were dying on food coma on the couch.

The house was so nice too. You could tell it was old. And they went all in with decorations. Honestly it’s the first time in years I really felt like it was really christmas. You know that real cozy and nice christmas spirit/mood?

She had also bought little presents for everyone (I got two wahaha) so I bought her a nice box of chocolate as a surprise. Cause she told people she didn't​’t want anything in return.. but I mean.. it would feel weird not to give anything .-.

When I got home I started on vikings and am really digging it. It made the got need go away a bit xD And the way they portrayed Ivar? he a scarry bitch.. well done A+.

Around the 15'th i hosted my yearly dinner thing. I got really sad cause a lot of people cancelled 2 hours before. And it felt like a waste of money too. So I felt the sadness creeping up and thoughts of my family started to come up. But then I pulled myself together and made a few calls. We ended up filling all seats at the table (7) and I was happy.

It was a bit hard financially but I had so much fun with them. We laughed till we cried and I made everyone a kick-ass christmas dinner with ducks and everything. We sat up all night playing til 5 am. Then they slept on my sofa a few hours untill one of the boys got up in a panic and had to be in a church in cph at 10am cause he promised his parents to help with something.

After they left the 16'th I slept all day, and then at night i left for Roskilde. A friend, Helena, had invited us over for burgers and that “m.o.t.h.e.r.” game with the robot quizz game on the tv. I lost my credit card, and went into a panic cause like.. food i need. It was nowhere outside so i called the bank to close it, thinking i dropped it on the but cause i did last time.

I was planning to take the train to Havdrup around midnight, cause it takes 3 hours to get there. I had promised to join some friends i went to school with once. Cause the 17'th at 11:20 I was upposed to be there so Patrick could pick me for our dnd session with simon and them dnd people. But the next train was not leaving Roskilde untill 5am. So I played sivilisation with Rune all night, concurring the world and stuff, till the sun came up.

It was snowing outside and it was so pretty. I called patrick, saying sorry for not keeping my promise, and he was so sweet driving all the was to Roskilde to pick me up. I got a two hour nap, and felt a bit gross cause I didn't​ shower since friday.

So it was sunday, i felt like dying, and we ended up playing from 12 to 19. We had fun at first but then I kinda went into zombie mode.

I was a bit tired and confused, so I ended up missing the train home :c But Patrick the personal taxi service came to the rescue and drove me home. He complains a bit, but he always helps. So i bought him a christmas present as a surprise.

Hmm.. around christmas things got a bit sad. My uncle didn't​ invite me for christmas. He also got married this year I had no idea.. but my grandparents invited me over the 25'th. But then my mother showed up and everything was mayhem. Granddad called me and was very upset. We were supposed to do so she would join the 24'th and then work the 25'th like always. But now she did it the other way around. So he told me I would have to come sometime after christmas. They raised me and I haven’t seen them for 10 months. It got me down. But I already had plans with the lovely Erin

I spent christmas at her house with her family and it was amazing. No drama. Just good food, good people, fun, cozy vibes, pretty decorations and presents.

I got some pretty awesome stuff. You could really tell she had put thought into them so they were personal and it made me so warm and happy inside.

Today is the 25'th I’m enjoying some of my gifts from erin and some snacks her mom gave me. Tomorrow I will clean up my apartment and go to a friends place in cph for games and some good food. :3 The 27'th I’m gonna watch the new star wars movie at the the cinema (wuup wuup) with with my boyfriend and then we go for dinner afterwords.

We gonna be together till new years and then have a small party with some of his old friends. I’m so ready! I think it’s gonna be a lot of fun and I have some sweet Asti and some expensive Champagne from my great-grandmother I might bring.

It’s been a good year, and looking forward to the new one.

[makedeathmybitch]

blur and rhcp

Blur: 

Do you like sunny weather? i like when it’s sunny but not hot, sunny autumn days are my favorite Do a lot of people know about your sexuality? I don’t know and I don’t care, it doesn’t matter Are you a city or country person? Definitely country!! Favorite brand of athletic wear? Nike probably Do you like your smile? No not really.......

Red Hot Chili Peppers:

Are you a go-with-the-flow person? No not at all! I need routine! What’s a dream you’ve had that you’ll never forget? I once dreamed that I was hanging out with Jeff Ament and he asked me to go outside and talk for a moment. There, all of Pearl Jam were waiting for me and asked me if I wanted to play with them at Roskilde. I remember saying to myself “this is real, this is not a dream. God, I really need to practice!” and then I woke up... Are you spiritual at all? Yes, probably more and more every day What was the saddest point in your life? Probably my 2 year long depression, not really a sad “point”, just a long phase that I remember as being a grey, sad blur What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done? Is it sad that I can’t think of anything??

thank you for asking! ♡

[doomedandstoned]

Konvent Debut Neck-Breaking Death Doom Masterpiece

~By Willem Verhappen~

It's not often that I'm impressed by a demo, but every so often Bandcamp treats me to something special, a diamond in the rough. It was only last year that I came across the 2017 demo of Danish death doomers , but it stuck with me. This demo promised me a good mix of stuff I like, namely nasty death doom with some catchy stoner hooks molded into it. Just listen to "Square" to see what I mean. I'm happy to say that I wasn't the only one impressed by the demo, because Austrian metal merchants Napalm Records once again prove that they have an ear for talent, picking up Konvent and releasing their debut record, 'Puritan Masochism' (2020).

Listening to Puritan Masochism makes it clear that these women have developed their sound quite a bit in the last couple of years. The stoner influences are pushed to the background. What remains is crushing, relentless death doom. Straight forward, no-nonsense, hard hitting metal in its purest form, but with a keen sense of melody.

By the time you've reached the third track, "Trust," anyone who says they're not hooked on the riffs, is lying. If you're more a fan of the really heavy death metal, "World of Gone" will serve you well. Musically, I keep comparing Konvent to the slower Dutch death metal bands like Asphyx and Grand Supreme Blood Court. Heidi Withington Brink (bass) and Julie Simonsen (drums) deliver a pounding, sluggish base, while Sara Helena Nørregaard adds an extra dimension with her thriving, faster guitar work.

Rikke Emilie List's grunts are the (rotten) cherry on top. This woman has a set of pipes that would make many of her colleagues blush. Her vocals alternate between growls similar to those of Nick Holmes and the sub-bass grunts you'd expect on a Demilich record. On the stomping "Waste," List gets some help from Morild's Tue Krebs Roikjer, who throws some black metal screams in the mix.

While I consider this record more of a death metal record with doom influences, this is changes during the two-parter "Ropes." In the first part, the band is leaning more towards black metal, with dissonant melodies and some much needed air to breathe. "Ropes Pt. II" is by far the most dynamic song on Puritan Masochism, mixing death doom with faster parts, sounding almost like post metal, but dirtier. Much dirtier. With this the band proves that there's more to Konvent than just death and doom.

In their promo sheet, Napalm blatantly states that Copenhagen might become the new death doom capital, and while that might be a bit much, I can't deny that Konvent is a force to be reckoned with. It's not often I find a straight forward death doom record that manages to grab me from beginning to end, without being over 20 years old, but this is one of them. Up until now, I associated Denmark mostly with Mercyful Fate and Lego, but you can add Konvent to that list.

An interview with Sara from Konvent

First of all, thank you for this interview. 'Puritan Masochism' (2020) has been out for a couple of weeks now. How are the reactions so far?

Hi! And thank you so much for wanting to talk to us. Yeah, Puritan Masochism has been out since 24th January and we just finished our tour in Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Germany.

We’ve been overwhelmed with the attention our album is getting and it’s really exciting to see how people are reacting to it. The reactions have been really good and we couldn’t think of a better reception of the album. Of course it’s a matter of taste whether you like it or not, and we know that our album isn’t for all. But seeing so many people coming to our shows in cities or countries we have never been before, and people actually buying our vinyls and merchandise just makes us so happy and gives us the desire to keep on going.

Since this is our debut album we already got a lot of new ideas for the second album and we actually see this very much as a learning process where we are able to evolve over time. There has also been a lot of people wanting to talk to us and interview us, and we really haven't seen that coming to such an extent. But people have been really nice and it’s always fun to meet people. So we’re happy!

Puritan Masochism by Konvent

There’s quite a gap between your demo and your debut record and it’s clear you’ve grown as a band. Can you tell us a bit about what has been going on in the past three years?

Thank you so much! The first year we pretty much spent on getting to know our instruments and each other, but we quickly started working on our own material, and the demo that came out in 2017 was a result of that. Then we played a lot of shows around Denmark and that really helped us grow as musicians and as a group. During all these shows we were also working on songs for a debut album, but it was a very slow process. It wasn’t until after we got on Napalm Records, that we really stepped it up and got to finish it.

At the same time, it was also important to do it in our way and not let ourselves be pressured of someone else expectations to us. The demo was a big learning curve for us regarding our sound. It just expanded our minds on how creative we could get with the sound. This really helped us when we went into the studio with Lasse Ballade from Ballade Studios to record our debutalbum, because we spent a long time tweaking the sound of the instruments and putting small things in here and there. And Lasse was imminent in making the sound of the album! He is a beast at what he does and was such a treat to work with. I think this gap between our demo and the album reflects a lot of what many other bands are “struggling” with as well.

On the one hand, you really want to get out and play as many gigs as possible, but on the other hand you also want to prioritize making some great songs - and sometimes it can be difficult to achieve it all. It takes time. We also had many people asking us why we didn’t put some of the demo songs on the album. But we really wanted to make new songs, because some of the demo songs were from 2016 and we felt like we had evolved as musicians. So we knew we could make even better songs if we just pushed ourselves.

Demo by Konvent

What were your inspirations, both musical and lyrical for the record?

Our album isn’t a concept album, but if you were to put a theme on it, or around the lyrics of the songs it would basically be losing control over your life.

The song "Puritan Masochism" -- which is also the title of the album -- is about how everyone has a tendency to do things, or thinking things that actually hurt us, but we keep thinking/doing those things because we feel we have to, in order to fit into something or to live up to some imagined expectations. And sometimes we keep doing these things without even realizing it because you just go on autopilot. It’s sort of our way to say that we don’t have to live like that.

But our inspiration comes from everyday life experiences, both ups and downs, but mostly downs. Musically we all have a lot of different genres that we like. Julie likes hardcore and punk and Rikke likes tech death. So we all drag different genres and styles into the rehearsal place and it just goes on from there.

Your music has quite an old school vibe to it. Was that intentional?

We really wanted that raw, gritty sound, as if the music is coming from the abyss! And that’s why we chose to work with Lasse Ballade, because he had made a bunch of cool records that we really admired. Also, we don’t like too many guitar solos and a lot of effects and that was important to us when we picked our producer.

We never sat down and decided to play death doom. The only thing we talked about from the beginning, was to play heavy music with an evil sound and growling vocals. So after the first rounds of rehearsals where we were playing covers, we quickly felt like just playing something of our own. And we just jumped head first in there and made riffs before we even knew exactly what we were doing. I don’t think we knew in the beginning that the songs we were making sounded doomy and old school like and it wasn’t until other people heard it that the genre doom came up. We remember having to write something about our music before our first show in 2016 and just not knowing what to write. So we had to get people in, to get their opinion on it. We've also been compared to some bands that we didn't even know before -- we just play the music we feel like.

Your agenda appears to be quite empty so far. Can we expect to see you on tour again soon?

We just finished our Puritan Masochism Tour with 10 gigs in Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Germany. And we’re going to London and Oslo this month also. We also have some festival gigs for this summer. It’s a pretty big thing for us, when we’re able to go to new places or countries, we have never been before.

We are still a very young band that not a lot of people know of, so we’re actually really happy about our agenda this far. We’ve played at Roskilde Festival and Copenhell, which is the two biggest festivals in Denmark. And to see our first single “Puritan Masochism” on YouTube get so many views is crazy to us, too. Regarding people showing up to shows and buying merch, we’ve always been pretty lucky. People are really good at coming out early to see us and eager to support us in the merch booth, so that is a huge thing for us.

Of course, we would really like to go on bigger tours and play more festivals, as long as it can work out financially. And we are steadily getting more offers, so that’s really exciting! Our booker Thorsten, from Napalm Events is handling all our offers, but we often get messages directly from bookers who want to put on a show with us and then we just direct it to him. And, yes, we have more plans for 2020, but we can’t tell anymore at this moment, sorry!

Your label states that Copenhagen might become the next death doom capital. Do you agree? Are there any death doom or doom bands from your local scene that we should keep an eye on??

That’s a big statement! But there are so many great bands here in Copenhagen and the rest of Denmark. I don’t think that death/doom is the most popular genre here in Denmark. People tend to like it faster. But worth mentioning is the danish band Katla. We just played two gigs with them and they appear to do it pretty well on the Danish scene with a debut album to come in 2020. Otherwise we have bands like Alkymist, Bethmoora, Drukner, Dirt Forge and, of course, Saturnus.

The title 'Puritan Masochism' has a clear religious context. Is Denmark a religious country?

Not really. "Puritan Masochism" is the title for our first single from the album, as well, and it was the first track that was finished for it several years ago. The song is about how us humans have a tendency to put ourselves in situations where we don’t feel good enough. With this song we’re hoping that people will identify and question their habits of doing that. We felt like this would be a great album title because it was something we really resonated with. We did not think of it in a religious context.

Once again, thank you for your time. Any last words for our readers?

Thank you so much and thank you for wanting to interview us! Hopefully we’ll see you at a show at some point. And thank you to all the people out there listening to our music and buying our stuff. This means the world to us.

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[marxpobert-blog]

“My life is the greatest fairy tale of all, “ says the tall man in a black coat. He doffs his hat and bows down courteously and with a twinkle in his eye, he smiles and gives a long introduction. “I should have been a shoemaker but I decided to become an actor. But then I failed as an actor, a singer and as a ballet dancer, and then I started writing for fairy tales and the rest of course is history. I am Hans Christian Andersen and it’s a pleasure to meet you.” It’s a nippy morning and I am in Copenhagen, standing in front of the City Hall, one of Copenhagen tourist attractions,  as another fantasy land unfolds in front of me. The Danish capital is one of my favourite cities and its story is like a leaf out of the many fairy tales  penned by this charming author. And the guide, Richard who is an actor and a musician has been donning the role of the legendary author for years now.My 48 hours in Copenhagen starts with this intriguing man with a penchant for storytelling. The Hans Christian Andersen tour is one of the must do in Copenhagen and is rated as one of the top ten things to do in Copenhagen.

Copenhagen’s story started eight centuries ago as a fishing hamlet and it was gifted to Bishop Absalom by King Valdemar the Great. It soon morphed into a walled city with palaces and citadels.  Walking around, I stumble upon castles and churches, amusement parks and breweries as I explore the city by bike and boat.

The grey skies are just waiting to explode. But perched atop the Richs Building is the Weather Girl on her bicycle indicating that it is a great day to be outdoors. The moment it rains, she will apparently be walking her dog with an umbrella.There is no dearth for stories here.

But my favourite is the tale of the Lur Blowers that fascinate me. Walking along the main square, I can see a couple of formidable Vikings standing on a tower and blowing the lurs, an ancient wind instrument. In a different era they were considered to be the watch keepers of the city who warned whenever an enemy threatened to knock at their doors. But there is another story as well. The Vikings apparently played the instrument whenever a virgin crossed their paths. But our Hans Christian Andersen says with a laugh, “Believe me, it has not been heard even once since 1914 when it was erected.”

Copenhagen is a city where you need to immerse yourself in the sights and sounds but if you are looking for recommendations for some of the Copenhagen tourist attractions and top things to do in Copenhagen, then here are my suggestions.

The Hans Christian Andersen tour

Your 48 hours in Copenhagen starts on a fairy tale note. There are several ways to experience Copenhagen, but nothing is more intriguing than a city tour from the fairytale man himself. Richard, the guide, has been donning the garb of the author, the Danish city’s famous resident, and he shares snippets of his life while taking us around the city. We start our trail at the Copenhagen City Hall and head to the Gammeltorv (the oldest square in the city), followed by other landmarks, listening to various tales amidst chuckles.

Say hello to The Little Mermaid.

  The forlorn mythical maid is a symbol of the city and one of the Copenhagen tourist attractions as she is often besieged by every tourist visiting the city. Perhaps that is why she is looking away into the ocean, wanting to escape the attention.  The story goes that the little statue of the mythical mermaid has been stolen quite a few times and had to be replaced. While Hans Christian Andersen may have made her immortal, she owes her presence here to Carl Jacobsen, the man behind Carlsberg. Apparently he was so infatuated by the ballet dancer who played the role of the Little Mermaid. He immediately commissioned a statue which was later gifted to the city.

Explore Nyhavn in a boat

The heart of Copenhagen lies in its canals . You can either take one of the charming Grand Canal Tours on the ferries or be the captain of our  boat and  cruise away in the solar powered Go Boat. Soak in the atmosphere, pass by the colourful monuments , sail past the boats, gaze at awe at the Charlottenburg Palace, see the stately parliament and many more sights. This is one of the top things to do in Copenhagen and should not be missed.

Discover Copenhagen by Bike

Biking is a national pastime of the Danes, jokes my guide Christian as he takes us on a biking tour of the city. Bike on your own or pedal your way on one of the several cycling tours. Some of them take you to the city centre, as you explore along the canals to Christiansborg and Nyhavn and towards Frederiksstaden, the area developed by by King Frederik V in the 18th century. Watch the change of the royal guards at the Amalienborg, the royal palace named after the Queen Sophie Amalie. Stop by to gaze at the dome of the Marble Church and bike around the old squares in the city centre and say hello to the Little Mermaid. You can also, like us, explore neighbourhoods such as Norrebro and Vesterbro. If you love biking then this is one of the must do in Copenhagen.

Amuse yourself at Tivoli Gardens

The moment you step into Tivoli Gardens, you are taken on a roller coaster ride into the past. It is the second oldest amusement park that opened in 1843 and it oozes with charm and the main attraction is the wooden roller coaster which is one of the oldest in the world. I let the child in me take centre stage when I went on the Hans Christian Anderson ride. But there are many other adrenalin-pumping rides as well. The Copenhagen amusement park is one of the top things to do in Copenhagen with kids.

The spirit of Carlsberg

There is more to Carlsberg than just beer.  There are four large carvings of elephants that greet you on the gate which introduce you to  the legacy that Jakobsen and his son Carl left behind in this brewery. There is an element of old world charm as you take a carriage tour of the brewery. museum of beer bottles adds to the atmosphere. Copenhagen’s story is linked to the history of Carlsberg, and you can see a replica of the Little Mermaid here. And of course you end the tour with beer. A visit to Carlsberg is recommended in an itinerary for 48 hours in Copenhagen.

  Lose yourself in the sea of yellow at Dragor

It is the sea of yellow that greets me in this little fishing village where time literally stands still. I am mesmerised by the pretty houses, over 350 of them that belonged to the families of ancient mariners who lived here centuries ago. Dragor, tucked away in the outskirts of Copenhagen is barely 12 kms away and is just a bus or a bike ride away and should not be missed. It is one of the best day trips from Copenhagen and is easily accessible.

Meet the ghost at Hamlet’s Castle

The Kronborg Palace neat Copenhagen, the home of Hamlet

If you are like me a fan of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, then you must visit his home at Kronborg Castle. And narrating his story to the world is his noble friend, Horatio who takes you on a tour. Shakespeare’s tale was set in Kronborg Castle, located in Helsingor or Elsinore , which is one of the day trips from Copenhagen. Personally if your 48 hours in Copenhagen allows you to explore such one of the Copenhagen tourist attractions away from the city centre, then this is one of the must do in Copenhagen.

Sail like a Viking to Roskilde

A 45 minute train journey takes you to the Viking town of Roskilde , one of the oldest capitals of Denmark. While you must stop at the Viking Ship Museum, you can also attempt to sail like a Viking in one of these wooden boats built in the boatyard here .This charming windswept town is home to the first brick Gothic Cathedral in the country  and this is where over 30 Viking kings are buried. And one of them , nicknamed Bluetooth, inspired the name for the technology as he apparently brought warring factions together. A visit to Roskilde is one of the top things to do in Copenhagen but 48 hours in Copenhagen may not suffice to include this destination.

Stroget shopping

Be it souvenirs or getting a taste of Danish design products, a trip to this city is not complete if you don’t go to Stroget, the longest pedestrian street here. A maze of streets tempts you with signature stores, such as Royal Copenhagen or Hay House, or you can sit in a café and people-watch. If you have just 48 hours in Copenhagen then you can lose yourself in these streets. Its also one of the Copenhagen tourist attractions and things to do in Copenhagen with kids.

    Night life at Vesterbro

Copenhagen’s changing ethos is best captured in the meatpacking district, where old slaughter houses, markets and meatpacking warehouses have been converted into upscale restaurants, bars and galleries. Located in Vesterbro, one of the coolest neighbourhoods here, this is where you must be to feel the rhythm of the city. It is one of the places that features high on Copenhagen nightlife

There are so many neighbourhoods in Copenhagen which are also far from the tourist circuit  but 48 hours in Copenhagen is not enough to explore the Danish capital. There are several castles and palaces which are Copenhagen tourist attractions and are must do in the city. What are your recommendations for  48 hours in Copenhagen ?

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