on the airwaves.

my trip last fall via reykjavik was filled with music. the airwaves festival is such a cornucopia of music that the overlapping shows have you first devastated: you find yourself standing in line for phantogram and patrick wolf while you know you're missing out on some other great name. later on it is a relief to realize that just sitting down, sipping a beer anywhere in the city offers something great to listen to. even the off-venue program is so extensive that your brain will be intoxicated with sound.

stella reminded me of one of the songs i sang and hopped along during the long weekend, and i realized that there were so many sounds i was unfamiliar with before that i should probably share the gems – not all of them icelandic – with y'all.

sóley's quiet, dreamy pop reminds me of stina nordenstam. her acoustic gig at a cafe was amazingly calming and soothing.



danish nelson can, a girl group with a rough lo-fi sound, rocked a small bar venue. it was definitely one of my absolute favorites.



of monsters and men seemed to be the band of the moment in the icelandic music export. they were the most buzzed and anticipated local show in harpa and had the international crowd singing along excitedly.



the double take of elín ey – as the singer songwriter with a guitar and as a part of the sisy ey electronic group – displayed a stylish queer talent that was understandably followed around by a doting entourage everywhere she went.





another visible presence around town during the weekend was retro stefson and their lead singer unnsteinn manuel stefánsson who featured in several of the live sets we stumbled into from the smallest bar venue – including a great hip hop show with icelandic lyrics that just took away although we had no idea what was going on –  to the their own show at the harpa main stage.



the bubblegum queen thorunn antonia offered a set of happy pop songs the likes of annie that brought a smile on our faces and a wiggle to our toes.



bloodgroup had harpa dancing with their electronic beats late into the night.



finally, elektro guzzi and their intoxicating live set at the little upstairs club venue. sweat. no cloakroom. more beer, more sweat.



if you ever wanted to visit iceland, airwaves is definitely a bad choice to book a trip for.

gusty travels.

on my way to nyc last november, i realized a long awaited dream of mine. visiting iceland had been on the list of to-dos for years, and the opportunity presented itself almost accidentally.

friends were heading over to airwaves festival in reykjavik and offered their couch for me to crash on on my way. the layover on icelandair costs no extra, so well, why the hell not.

the festival packs the city with music fans from all over the world, and therefore my experience probably wasn't the most typical in reykjavik. for example, i've heard you only need a couple of days and end up knowing the locals and becoming a regular customer at your favorite spots. the city is small, granted, and the local people are friendly, but the selection of inviting bars and restaurants is quite extensive, really, and i could not pick my favorite.

i was expecting mind-blowing nature and was delivered an amazing scenery unlike anything i've ever seen before. one day we took a ride around the golden circle, a popular tourist route with geysers, volcanic lakes and icy waterfalls. the strange, barren landscape inescapably reminded nothing familiar and turning corners revealed sights that seemed indefinitely novel.

gullfoss waterfall.

a chair next to the geysers.

we were also greeted by the tropical (!!) storm rosa with winds that quite literally blew me off the street. at times on all fours, mostly hanging on to street signs and chains lining pedestrian walkways, we managed to get around in the city during the storm. the locals were startled but in a country where the rental cars all sport a sticker that instructs to open the doors carefully because of gusty winds, i guess it wasn't that radical.

seriously hanging on. i actually used those chains to get forward.

my favorites were still the unexpected human interventions, such as a small chapel in the middle of nowhere next to a private farmhouse and a summer house trailer park. the round and cuddly sheep stared back at us and run away ruining every single photo opportunity. the ponies with their wild hair. the smell of rotten eggs everywhere as a source of endless fart jokes – yes, we are that lame.

trailer park hugged by the mountain ridge. 

graffiti in the middle of nowhere.

sheep running away. again.

finnish store.

chapel at a farm.

reykjavik idea of subtle.

amazing paint jobs.

the first performers at next year's airwaves festival are out. cannot wait to go.

here.

i took the two required minutes to read my blog posts of last year. 19 in total; more pictures than text, so unlike me.

i was not here. i was hardly present anywhere.

2012 started in the limelight at the senate square and my year was boosted and shadowed by the blue ball wherever i went. a rewarding ordeal of a year workwise. the hours put in taught in many ways more than the miles of books i read for my dissertation: if i ever was, now i am pragmatic and practically prepared for any ordeal to come.

otherwise i shattered, collected myself, crumbled again, reassembled what i could find of myself with a clingwrap that muddled with its thick layers but still managed to reveal everyone around me how broken i was.

pieces are lost forever. new ones will surely caulk even the most gaping holes.

nonetheless, there were moments of happiness, many of them. i traveled, alone and with friends. i shared meals and moments of drunken exhilaration. i read books on which i wasn't able to concentrate for the past years. i danced for hours.

blowing off some steam.

midsummer and one of the best guarded secrets near my summer cottage.

ruisrock with silver.

sleepyhead.

boldly go wherever i want.

lavender in stockholm.

roxy in stockholm with bff.

kumpula.

reminders, part one.

fountain and flow festival.

flow festival.

restaurant day and hillbilly haystack.

reminders, part two.

new pups.

city happenings: laughs, speed and tight curves. this time with my little sis.

crazy, impromptu fun.

new puppies.

everyday discoveries at suvilahti.

farmers' market at teurastamo.

lovelies moving to their dream home.

london. sitting in a fountain.

dear friends getting married. love.

iceland. a dream come true. freezing.

muru pops down in tytyri and finlandia vodka platinum launch.

williamsburg, brooklyn, right after sandy.

i did not make promises for the new year.

i decided that i would just concentrate on being. being present. being here.