Music blog

January 12, 2010

Maskačkas spēlmaņi releases double album of dance tunes

The Rīga folk ensemble Maskačkas spēlmaņi in December released a new album consisting of two compact discs and a detailed, illustrated booklet of folk dances from around Latvia.

January 05, 2010

BrainStorm, Instrumenti invited to Austin’s SXSW festival

Two music groups from Latvia—one famous, the other not quite yet—have been invited to participate in this year’s South by Southwest (SXSW) festival in Austin, Texas.

December 26, 2009

Compilation of Minneapolis music includes Lini

Browsing the racks at a local record shop, I initially glanced past the display of Southside Soul, Vol. II. But something made me take a second look. At the top of the listing of songs to be heard on the compilation of Minnesota-made music was a familiar name: Lini.

December 08, 2009

Astro’n'out releases third album with bolder sound

Astro’n'out will present its third album, Ģeometrija, during a Dec. 11 concert in the Sapņu Fabrikā club in Rīga.

December 03, 2009

Catalogue covers more than 100 years of symphonic music

A new catalogue covering nearly the entire history of Latvian symphonic music has been published by the Latvian Music Information Centre.

November 25, 2009

Compilation features Latvian road music

Get your motor running: Earlier this year, the MICREC recording company released the first Latviešu Auto Roks compilation of road music, covering the 1980s. Now the second in the series, Latviešu Auto Roks 90-tie, has dropped, the company announced Nov. 24.

November 22, 2009

Updated version of ‘Manai tautai’ recalls desire for Latvian unity

The unofficial anthem of the late 1980s National Awakening in Latvia was the moving “Manai tautai,” a song performed by Ieva Akuratere and penned by California-based Brigita Ritmane and her father, Andris Ritmanis. Now, two decades after the song rattled Soviet authorities in occupied Latvia, a group of young performers has recorded a new version.

November 20, 2009

Folk ensemble Kolibri releases retrospective CD

Latvian-American folk ensemble Kolibri has released its first compact disc, a retrospective collection entitled Kolibri atskatās / Kolibri reminisces. The CD collects a selection of folk song arrangements from the ensemble’s 1979 debut album, as well as concert performances recorded at Latvian Radio in 1988, and some addition live performances from concerts in New York and Boston.

November 13, 2009

Iedomu Spārni releases second album

It has been six years since the band Iedomu Spārni released its debut album, Dienasgrāmata. At the end of October the group released its second compact disc, Lidojums.

November 05, 2009

Lauska releases third volume of folk series

The third volume of the Latvian folk music overview series, Sviests 3, has been released in Rīga by the culture management center Lauska. Featuring 22 folk songs or songs inspired by Latvian folk music, it collects performances by many well-known folk ensembles.

October 09, 2009

Pianist Circene releases first solo CD

Latvian pianist Liene Circene has released her first solo compact disc, Šūpuļdziesmas (Lullabies). It is a collection of 24 works by Latvian composers for solo piano, all with a lullaby theme.

October 02, 2009

New recording of Kalniņš’ 4th symphony out on CD, vinyl

Rīga-based Upe tuviem un tāliem has released a new recording, on compact disc and—in a rare occurrence for Latvian music—on vinyl, of what is perhaps composer Imants Kalniņš’s most popular symphonic work, “Symphony No. 4.”

September 27, 2009

Folk-rock band IVA releases debut album

The Latvian folk-rock band IVA, fronted by singer Vita Ivaškeviča, has released its long-awaited first album. Titled Tuksneša dārzi (Desert Gardens), the 10-track record was presented earlier this month in Rīga.

September 21, 2009

Tribes of the City goes on hiatus

Alternative rock band Tribes of the City, which began life six years ago as The Movies and has recorded three albums, is suspending its work for an indefinitive time. The band has one more concert planned Sept. 25 in Rīga, according to recording company Platforma Records.

September 14, 2009

Latvian bassist wins ARD Music Competition

A young Latvian double bass musician has survived two weeks of competition in Munich, Germany, to win this year’s ARD Music Competition. Gunārs Upatnieks also won the audience prize, competition organizers announced.

August 27, 2009

Swedish band Alis P returns after 20 years

Swedish-Latvian rock group Alis P has released Uz priekšu, its first new album in 20 years. At this time the group is just vocalist and instrumentalist Gundars Rullis, with Swedish drummer Svante Drake recording the percussion parts.

July 13, 2009

Heritage of Siberia’s Latvians captured on CD, DVD collection

Latvian descendants living in Siberia, some of whose ancestors first moved to the region two centuries ago, have managed to preserve their ethnic identity in various degrees. A new compact disc and DVD collection, Sibīrijas latviešu dziesmas, captures some important expressions of that identity: songs, dances and games.

June 07, 2009

Iļģi concert, streamed from Rīga, focuses on Midsummer

I watched a wonderful concert live over the Internet today. The post-folklore band Iļģi introduced its latest album, Isākās nakts dziesmas, with a set of both old and new material in Rīga’s Club Essential.

June 06, 2009

Latest album from Iļģi comes just in time for Midsummer

With the Midsummer holiday—celebrating the shortest night of the year—approaching later this month, the post-folklore group Iļģi has released its latest album.

June 01, 2009

Latvian violinist named laureate in Queen Elisabeth competition

A 22-year-old woman from Latvia has been named a laureate in the 2009 Queen Elisabeth violin competition held in Belgium.

May 16, 2009

Norway wins Eurovision Song Contest, Latvia left in dust

Norway has won this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, gaining the right to host next year’s competition. Belarus-born performer Alexander Rybak and the song “Fairytale” earned an amazing 387 points.

March 22, 2009

World media take note of Nothing Special

Nothing Special is pretty special at the moment, at least according to Latvian media reports that note how the group is garnering international press attention.

March 21, 2009

Rapper Ozols releases new album

Latvian rapper Ozols has released a new album, Neatkarība, full of guest appearances by a number of hip hop artists.

March 03, 2009

Latvian Blues Band releases first solo CD

Latvian Blues Band has released Unreal, its first solo compact disc.

February 20, 2009

Song and Dance Festival highlights now on DVD

A DVD has been released of the highlights of last summer’s XXIV All Latvian Song and XIV Dance Festival. The DVD, entitled Dziesma ir spēks (The Song is Power), includes highlights of 34 performances from the festival, including selections from the opening concert, the dance performance, the wind orchestra concert and the closing concert.

February 09, 2009

Yin and yang unite in Zigrīdas kalpi

The recent fusion of two groups with youthful Australian Latvian musical talent has resulted in a new sound: Zigrīdas kalpi.

January 26, 2009

Rock band Crowd offers two more downloads

Rock group Crowd, which is scheduled to release its second album this spring, is offering fans two more songs as free digital downloads. The tracks “Dod tēvs” and “Aizej prom” are available on the band’s Web site, www.crowd.lv.

January 13, 2009

Nominees named for Latvian Music Recording Award

The 2008 nominees for the Latvian Music Recording Award (Latvijas Mūzikas Ierakstu Gada Balva) have been announced by the Latvian Music Producers Association, and ex-president Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga is among them.

January 11, 2009

Tribes of the City presents dreamy album

The indie “dream pop” band Tribes of the City is set to present its second album Jan. 16 during a concert in the Studentu Klubs in Rīga. The album is titled Recipe of the Golden Dream.

January 11, 2009

Dabas koncertzāle returns with more nature music

The Dabas koncertzāle project, which consists of Ingus Ulmanis, Aigars Voitišķis and other musicians, has releaed its second album of nature-related ambient music, Hydropsyche instabilis, Rīga-based recording company Platforma Music announced Jan. 7.

January 08, 2009

Choir director Gido Kokars to receive Great Music Award

Choir director Gido Kokars is to receive the Great Music Award (Lielā mūzikas balva) for his lifetime of achievement, the award’s nominating committee announced Jan. 7 in Rīga. Kokars has led several choirs through his career, has taught at the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music and has been principal conductor of several Latvian Song Festivals.

January 05, 2009

Indie band Tramplīni releases third EP

Tramplīni, a Latvian indie rock band, has released its third EP, Ziepju trauks. The compact disc appeared in Rīga stores on Dec. 16.

December 23, 2008

Vaikule, Stībelis set North American tour

Latvian pop and jazz singer Laima Vaikule is teaming up with pop singer Jānis Stībelis for a 12-city North American tour geared toward Russian-speaking audiences.

December 22, 2008

Čikāgas Piecīši catalog now available for download

What’s on your iPod? What, you don’t have the complete Čikāgas Piecīši catalog?! Now you can, thanks to Platforma Music. The Rīga-based recording company is offering digital downloads of all Piecīši albums.

December 21, 2008

New CD set presents all Trīs no Pārdaugavas recordings

A three-compact disc set containing all songs recorded by the Latvian-American trio Trīs no Pārdaugavas (Felikss Ērmanis, Mārtiņš Ērmanis and Vilnis Baumanis) is now available.

November 21, 2008

Čikāgas piecīši releases career-spanning collection

To coincide with the its first major tour of Latvia in more than a decade, the Latvian-American group Čikāgas piecīši, led by founder Alberts Legzdiņš, has released a career-spanning “best of” collection called Zelts. The compact disc features 27 tracks, covering the band’s entire career, spanning a nearly five-decade career. The group’s other CD retrospective, Agrīnie gadi, released in 1996, focused mainly on early work.

September 22, 2008

Detlef Zoo competes for MTV’s ‘Best Baltic Act’

Rīga-based rock band Detlef Zoo, fronted by former “Talantu Fabrika” singer Detlefs, is one of five acts competing for Best Baltic Act, which will be announced during the MTV Europe Music Awards 2008.

September 07, 2008

Inara George is Latvian in name only

A while back the downloadable “song of the day” from The Current, a service of Minnesota Public Radio, was a tune by Inara George. Inara, as in Ināra? Is she Latvian?

August 30, 2008

Sax quartet combines classics with the modern

A recent question in the daily “Brain” quiz on draugiem.lv asked what instrument the quartet n[ex]t is known for playing. The cello, I guessed. But I was wrong: The answer is the saxophone.

August 05, 2008

‘World famous’ Rezgale to perform in Vecpiebalga

Reading on Notikumi.lv about the Aug. 9 festival “Satiksmies Piebalgā” in Vecpiebalga, this line jumped off the page: “Šogad mūzikas festivāla īpašais viesis būs pasaules slavenā dziedātāja Endija Rezgale no Dienvidāfrikas.” A world-famous singer from South Africa named Endija Rezgale? Gee, never heard of her. Or, rather, I had heard of her, but in a different context.

April 24, 2007

Mielavs un Pārcēlāji featured on new DVD

A DVD of a Dec. 1 concert by Mielavs un Pārcēlāji has been released by UPE Recording Co. The DVD is appropriately title Koncerts Jaunajā Rīgas teātrī. The concert took place in Jaunais Rīgas Teātris and featured the group performing some of its newer material as well as songs by Jauns Mēness.

April 16, 2007

MICREC releases Bonaparti.lv single

The MICREC recording house has released a two-track compact disc single of “Questa notte,” the Italian-language song performed by Bonaparti.lv that is Latvia’s entry in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest. Bonaparti.lv will start in the Eurovision semi-final on May 10 in Helsinki, Finland.

April 08, 2007

Goran Gora releases first album

Goran Gora, a singer-songwriter from Baldone in Latvia, has slowly made a name for himself in Latvia and in selected appearances abroad. Now he has his first full-length album, JetLag, released March 26 by the independent label Rudolph Records.

March 30, 2007

LMK is one source of music videos online

Any number of resources for viewing Latvian music videos can be found online, but a relatively new one is the Web site of music television service Latvijas mūzikas kanāls, or LMK. Visitors to the site may view about 30 current videos and vote for their favorites.

March 16, 2007

Kīns and Mednis to perform on Latvijas Radio 2

The song getting the most airplay last year on Latvijas Radio 2 was “Putni” by Ēriks Kīns and Edmunds Mednis, a couple of Latvian singer-songwriters based in Chicago and Milwaukee. The pair will perform a live concert on LR2 from 17:00-18:00 hours Latvian time (15:00-16:00 GMT) March 19.

March 15, 2007

Dzelzs Vilks releases new album

After a three-year break, rock group Dzelzs Vilks has released a new album, Sārtā rītausma, featuring nine new songs. The group now begins a tour around Latvia to promote the record.

March 13, 2007

Latvia to perform last in Eurovision semi-final

Latvia’s entry in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest will perform last during the semi-final competition scheduled May 10, according to results of the draw announced March 12 in Helsinki.

March 10, 2007

A Latvian prone to violins

Perhaps you have heard the late Jimi Hendrix’s rendition of the “Star Spangled Banner,” played on electric guitar. But what about Armands Melnbārdis’ rendition of the American national anthem on electric seven-string violin?

March 10, 2007

Welcome to our music blog!

Here is something you see every day: yet another blog. We are introducing Skaņas, a blog about Latvian music, which will serve to capture information that does not always fit into other places on Latvians Online.