Monday 31 October 2022

Live music and stuff in Santander and Las Palmas, October 2022

It was an unusually warm month. I enjoyed it a lot.

Three exhibitions that I saw in Teatro CASYC (Calle Tantín, 25) on 1 of October:

A lot of music — more than I expected!

  • 5 October: Nusondia @ Rvbicón, Calle del Sol, 4, Santander
      African music meets jazz-funk. Featuring Sabari Kurra (kora, vocals), Chema (keyboards) and Dani Martín (drums). Watch the full concert here.

  • 6 October: Maud the Moth @ Teatro CASYC, Calle Tantín, 25
      The Edinburgh-based composer, pianist and singer Amaya López-Carromero aka Maud the Moth opened her Spanish tour with this intimate concert, playing (mostly) the material from her last album Orphnē. A sumptuous and singular fusion of folk, electronica, classical music and prog-rock charmingly presented by a lady at the piano.

  • 6—9 October: Sala del órgano @ El antiguo túnel de Tetuán
      An audiovisual show (lasting about five minutes) by Pablo Turanzas, at the Sardinero exit of the old Tetuan tunnel. A part of the festival Hágase la luz.

  • 7 October: Tranki & Los Palos de Blues @ Plaza Pombo
      A local trio playing good old rock’n’roll; with collaboration dancing folk courtesy of Asociación Punto Swing Santander.
  • 7—9 October: Sol de Otoño @ Calle del Sol
      I couldn’t attend all the activities but I went to see Deaf Dogs (Friday), Tomasito (Saturday) and Hendrik Röver & Los Míticos GT’s (that is, Goyo Chiquito & Toño López).

  • 12 October: The Skin Tree Project @ Rvbicón
      A modern jazz trio featuring Sergio Rowles (electric guitar), Guillermo Suárez (double bass) and Mario Fuentes (drums). Watch the full concert here.

  • 14 October — 9 November: Tierra de sueños @ Plaza Porticada

A short holiday in Las Palmas...

  • 17 October: El Mundo de Van Gogh @ INFECAR, Avenida de la Feria, 1, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
      I missed (or rather ignored) this immersive experience all summer in Santander (26 May — 31 August), but it followed us to Las Palmas. We decided to give it a shot and were not disappointed. There was no need to buy tickets online as that involved paying €1.50 “gastos de gestión” per person.

  • 19 October: Mariana @ Palacete Rodríguez Quegles, Calle Benito Pérez Galdós, 4

Back to Santander...

  • 23 October: Phil Grijuela @ Rvbicón
      A proof, if any was needed, that Spanish is not the best language for blues and rock, effortlessly provided by Phil Grijuela (guitar, harmonica, voice) and some guests who, thankfully, did not sing.

  • 27 October: Solana @ Rvbicón
      A world music fusion band featuring Tamsin Elliott (accordion, flutes, voice), Rowan Elliott (violin, viola, cajón), Elio Araúz de Marcos (drums, percussion, voice), Jp Wolfgang (guitars) and Henry Edmonds (double bass, electric bass).

  • 29 October: Context @ Café de Las Artes Teatro, Calle García Morato, 4
      A creation by Alessandro Carboni performed by Sara Capanna. I found its 30 minutes excruciatingly long and at the same time not providing enough value for its €11.

  • 29 October: Crash Normal @ Cafe/Bar Bolero, Calle San Celedonio, 35
      Later the same evening: the Paris-based musician mixing the Greek rebetiko rhythms with psychedelic rock and electronica sounds in his new project Hypno Rebetiko, plus a mind-blowing version of Tomorrow Never Knows. To quote his BandCamp page,
      I’m here to celebrate the music of the outlaws, the pot smokers, the jailbirds and the gamblers but also those who would be able to spend 15 years in prison just for the love of someone.
      Free entrance and very agreeable ambience.

  • 30 October: MAR (Micrófono Abierto Rvbicón) @ Rvbicón
      Many familiar faces, nothing extraordinary. I was half-expecting something in a Halloween-ish mood but no such luck, apart from a face-painted couple next to me.

Goodbye, October.

Thursday 13 October 2022

Filibus

a film by Mario Roncoroni

It’s been a while since I watched a film that old. A delightful silent — but not exactly black-and-white, as many scenes were toned — proto-steampunk adventure movie starring Valeria Creti as a cross-dressing (and potentially non-binary) Baroness Troixmonde/Count de la Brive/Filibus and Giovanni Spano as an esteemed but easily sedatable Detective Kutt-Hendy. The special effects which were not impressing anyone already in 1915 now only add to the charm.