Music festival

Archive for May, 2011

As the New Year is upon us, many travellers will be looking to book their holidays in order to get the best deals on trips intended for fun and sun; but for heavy metal fans now is the time to start booking travel to festivals in one of the most exciting years to be a heavy metal fan in recent memory. With so many festivals to pick from, this article picks the best of the bunch to make the decision as easy as possible.

Kicking off the year in truly evil style is the Inferno Metal Festival, held annually during Easter in Oslo, Norway. With this year’s event taking place from 19–22 March, the current line-up includes such names as Satyricon, Cult of Luna, 1349 and Behemoth. Due to the extreme sound of most of the bands playing Inferno, it is unlikely the festival will ever grow to be as big as the more mainstream metal festivals, but like previous years, it is likely to attract travellers from across the globe in shared appreciation of all things extreme, and despite the brutality onstage, the festival has a friendly and inviting atmosphere.

Rock am Ring and Rock im Park are two concurrent festivals held annually in Germany, this year held between 6–8 June. Both festivals have the same line-up, Rock am Ring taking place in the west of Germany and Rock im Park taking place in the south-east, with artists rotating between the two sites over the course of the three-day event. Together Rock im Park and Rock am Ring forms the largest music festival in Germany and one of the largest in the world – last year had a combined attendance of 150,000. This year’s line-up will include Rage Against the Machine, Motörhead, Bullet For My Valentine, The Hellacopters and Metallica.

In the UK, the biggest metal festival of the year is the Download Festival. Held at Donnington Park, the venue used for the Monsters of Rock Festivals between 1980 and 1996 and the 2002 UK Ozzfest, it is sacred ground to many headbangers around the world. This year’s festival is scheduled for 13–15 June and the line–up is rumoured to include Metallica, Judas Priest, Muse, Kiss and Machine Head.

Wacken Open Air is the largest, exclusively metal music festival in the world, taking place annually in the small town of Wacken in Schleswig-Holstein, northern Germany. Since its humble beginnings in 1990 it has grown to become the major festival on the European metal calendar, attracting fans and bands from all over the world. This year it is set to take place from 31 July–2 August and the bands playing include As I Lay Dying, At the Gates, Children of Bodom, Iron Maiden, Killswitch Engage, Kreator and Nightwish.

Visitors wishing to travel to the festivals can take advantage of promotional flights throughout Europe, with most low-cost airlines currently offering their lowest prices for summer travel. While many assume that they have existing travel insurance that will cover most things, such as made available from their credit card, this type of cover tends to be rather basic and only covers accidents incurred during travel rather than after reaching final destination. Travellers should therefore compare credit cards to ensure theirs gives them the comprehensive cover required or take out additional insurance for the trip.

And finally, heavy metal fans are advised to invest in a pair of decent earplugs in order to block out nasty frequencies emanating from the amps and PAs at the festivals, ensuring their appreciation for heavy metal can be continued for years to come.

Cannes, one of the most glamorous film festivals in the world, is what most fashionistas look forward to every year. This year too, this festival managed to create quite a stir, not just with the award winning actors, films, and the masterminds behind them, but also with the hottest celebrity trends. Their dresses, accessories, and for the most part their designer sunglasses generated quite a lot of interest among people. After all, designer sunglasses and celebrities go hand in hand, don’t they?

Most of the top stars who attended this celebrated film festival were spotted wearing designer sunglasses including famous brands like Ray-Ban sunglasses, Prada sunglasses, and much more. If you want to know which brand is your celebrity’s favorite, then read on!

All eyes were on three men who knew just too well that some retro styles of the 60s are still very much in vogue. Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp, and Jude Law were spotted wearing over-sized vintage sunglasses and evidently, this trio were one of the most noted celebrities in the festival.

Kirsten Dunst, who was named the best actress for her role in Melancholia, looked great in a pair of stylish vintage Ray-Ban sunglasses. This 28 year old Spiderman star teamed up the stylish sunglasses with a black Chanel handbag, revealing her great sense of style.

Braveheart star Mel Gibson chose to pair his total black tuxedo with a pair of Prada aviator sunglasses and managed to look absolutely sleek. Men, who want to get that striking look, have just to look for similar styled Prada sunglasses.

Pop star Gwen Stefani was evidently in a mood to celebrate. She was spotted making her way around the hotel before attending the festival. What captured the attention of her fans was the beautiful white printed maxi dress, matching platform heels, and above all the cool white framed sunglasses. Though the brand of her sunglasses is not very clear, it still doesn’t deter her fans from hunting for similar over-sized white framed glasses from all top brands.

Other top celebrities who were sporting sunglasses at Cannes include Lady Gaga and Uma Thurman. Just as in the case of Gwen Stefani, the exact brand of their sunglasses is not known for sure. However, celebrity style lovers will find them out!

Once you find out, leaf through the various online stores to get those celebrity sunglasses at prices well within your budget!

Copyright (c) 2009 Jason Boehle

Any classical musician or lover of classical music will tell you that Europe was the birth place to most of the classical greats we know and appreciate today.

Unlike poets, writers, or artists, classical composers and musicians achieved notoriety for their works within their life time, and their music continues to flood our air waves. Some of greatest composers of all time, Tchaikovsky who wrote many great plays including the Nutcracker to Vivaldi who wrote The Four Seasons, were born and trained in Europe.

Any trip to Europe should include a live classical music performance, preferably at a festival. Today, there are many classical festivals to choose from, all celebrating the long European lineage of legends and looking forward to what the classical world holds in its future.

1. Bach Festival (www.bachfestleipzig.de ) Leipzig, Germany- Enjoy the sounds of the renowned composer with performances by the Academy of Ancient Music. There will also be performances from Handel and Vivaldi. Free daytime organ recitals will be available.

2. Puccini Festival (www.puccinifestival.it ) Torre del Lago, Italy- To satisfy your craving for high notes and drama, treat yourself to an opera performance. Celebrating the 150th anniversary of Puccini’s birth, the Puccinni Festival is full of performances from Puccinni’s repertoire. In addition to seeing great performances, you will be able to take a tour of Puccini’s lake side villa, which has been preserved as a museum, open to the public.

3. Salzburg Festival (www.salzburgfestival.at) Salzburg, Austria- Home to some of the most impressive churches and performance halls, Austria offers a culture rich in classical music. The Vienna Philharmonic will perform many works, including music by Wagner and Messiaen.

4. Monteverdi Festival(www.teatroponchielli.it) Cremona, Italy – In honor of one of the godfathers of Opera, Claudio Monteverdi, this 3 week festival mixes in many of the more famous 17 century classical works with the dramatic romanticism of the time period.

5. Richard Wagner Festival (www.bayreuther-festspiele.de) Bayreuth, Germany – Listen to the ear pleasing notes of Christian Thielemann who sets the atmosphere with the Ring Cycle. While you’re there, visit the eloquent Baroque Opera House and immerse yourself in the Hermitage gardens.

Europe has a strong appreciation for classical music, so seeing a live performance of your favorite classical performer is feasible for a quick European jaunt or a lengthy tour of the continent. There are both expensive performances and free performances because Europeans truly believe that classical music should be shared amongst everyone.