Musiikki & Media: American Kitsch

Music and media professionals from Finland and abroad have once again made the annual pilgrimage to the hippest, most happening music city (err...) in this neck of the woods, otherwise known as Tampere. An extended weekend of seminars, talks, networking, gigs and generally approved intoxication in the form of Musiikki & Media 2010 kicked off last night.

As M&M first-timers, we rock up to Tampere in good time, decide to get the lay of the land and grab some lunch. I persuade Aleksi into checking out Classic American Diner, a place i've wanted to visit for ages. Now, i'll admit right here that i have a serious thing for all things kitsch and Americana. Which is why i can happily overlook the superficial, plastic pseudo-nostalgia of this 'roadside diner' situated in the middle of a shopping center in Tampere, and love it despite all its goriness. And the spicy veggie burger, fries and mint chocolate milkshake i had weren't too bad either.

 

 

the mint-chocolate milkshake

Later last night, we decide to delve deeper into the depths of this Americana experience, and go check out some rockabilly at Klubi. Turns out it was an awesome idea, cause they have a three band lineup of rockabilly ranging from the toe-tapping, bass-slapping gusto of Relentless to the sombre, cinematic melancholy of Last Calls, topped off with Fatboy from Sweden. Contrary to the diner experience, there was nothing pseudo or plastic about the music. 

Relentless

Last Calls

Last Calls

We wander home in the early hours, in good spirits, and decide that Tampere is, indeed, a great city.

Having by now almost recovered physically from the after-effects of yesterday's Americana trip, i can only guess what's gonna happen tonight. If we're feeling adventurous, we might ditch Uusi Fantasia, Jätkäjätkät, The Capital Beat, Iiris, Neufvoin and a whole host of other bands for another nostalgia trip, this time to the teenage era, and go check out revamped pre-teen idols Jimi Constantine (formerly Pääkallo, of Technicolor fame) and Jonna Geagea (formerly Kosonen, of Nylon Beat stardom) instead. Trippy indeed.

i heart in October

1. Girlfriends by Carol Ann Duffy. I found my copy of her Selected Poems at the bottom of a pile of books, opened it and didn't put it down until i'd re-read all poems. This one in particular is beautiful.

2. Thunderbaum. Who am i kidding, these boys are the dog's bollocks. Having seen them live five times in the last year, i know what i'm talking about. (Even though said gigs have been enjoyed in various states of pint-throwing wild drunkenness). Having said that, it's probably appropriate to be stupidly drunk when you're seeing the Morons of Rock.  

3. Roller Derby. I haven't been this excited about something since i discovered sex, alcohol and hard drugs. Just kidding. Seriously though, Freshmeat Training Period starts in November, and i can't wait to get rolling.


4. Etsy shopping. There are realms of enchanting things out there i could (and do) spend hours exploring. Like, i never knew i couldn't live without personalized, custom quad skate toe guards.

5. Mr. Nobody. Chaos theory, parallel realities, the opportunity cost of choosing, string theory, the nature of time...oh, and then there's that guy, Jared something.

6. Autumn. My favorite season. Clear skies, crunchy leaves and crisp, cold afternoons are what i'm all about.

7. Morrissey. The 20th anniversary reissue of Bona Drag has been blaring out of my speakers for days now. Loudly. I hope the neighbors dig the Moz, too.

8. Théhuone. At my house, it's tea time all the time. This place is a tea drinker's fetish house. Last time i came home with a little bag of Chai, which i can't stop sniffing. I'm like one of those Japanese underwear-sniffers, but with tea.

9. Bored to Death. I always feel anxious watching Jason Schwartzman in this show, cause he's got really bad hair and he's always seconds away from some sort of awkward encounter. Also, Ted Danson is perhaps the most awesome character. Right after Barney Stinson, of course.

10. Nightvisions. Halloween's a-coming! And so is the Mutant Girls Squad, apparently. Will go see them, and other gory, dark, frightening stuff at the epic scare-athon, armed with a thermos of black tea, a gigantic bag of candy, and someone whose arm i can dig my nails into when the going gets scary (or i hit a combined caffeine and sugar high and can't sit still). Whichever happens first.

Free Lunch? No. Delicious, decently-priced Lunch? Hell yes.

I found out today that there's a little known of secret when it comes to lunch venues in the city. The secret in question is located in what used to be known as Finnair Stadium (now Sonera Stadium) and it's called FreshCo. I'd never heard of it, until the good peeps i work with suggested we go there for lunch today.

Honestly, when it comes to any kind of food served at a sports stadium, i'm all set to have my culinary hopes shattered by mystery-meat masquerading as a hot dog and a pint of beer boasting a higher percentage of plastic flavor than alcohol.

Which is why i was baffled by the awesomeness of this place. (Which, as i found out later, might be explained by the fact that the man behind it is none other than Jyrki Sukula himself). The decor is a little office cafeteria, but the place is light, spacious and clean. The lunch menu has a meat, fish and veggie option (from around 10-12e), all of which looked tasty (well, as tasty as some sort of hacked steak can look to a vegetarian). Or you can go for the salad buffet (9.30e). Personally, i've always thought salad buffets can be the biggest ripoffs and downers of the buffet world (it's like, meh, dunno what to do with all this semi-frozen sweetcorn, wilted lettuce and 20kg bag of onions. We'll call it a salad and charge them 12 euros). Well folks, on seeing the salad buffet at FreshCo, i take back that nasty assumption.

Not only did this one feature huge olives, croutons, toasted pumpkin seeds, marinated zucchini and chickpeas in addition to the standard salad fare; there were also little veggie Caesar sandwiches and Jerusalem artichoke tarts. Not to mention freshly-baked bread with a herby spread. There's also mineral water on tap, which is awesome. The salad bowls are big, too, so this is no skimpy little salad you're putting together, either. And if all that weren't enough, your nine euros will also get you tea, coffee or hot chocolate, accompanied by the dessert of the day. Which, today, was a dreamy, chocolate mousse and red berry kind of affair. Forget breakfast of champions - this stadium-side lunch is where it's at.

 
FreshCo, Sonera Stadium, Urheilukatu 5, 00250 Helsinki