Bye

It's come time for us to say Moi moi to the Quaint North as we are packing our bags and moving way down South. Helsinki, we'll miss you! Bye for now.

Inspire

Here's something inspiring that we here at Quaint North stumbled upon: a one day festival developed for the sole purpose of encouraging people to live their dreams! The festival brings together people who are already doing what they always dreamt of to share their experiences of daring, be it owning a little coffee shop or being one of the leading fashion designers in the country. All this for the sake of inspiring those who are still in the dreaming phase. What a cool concept, we at least feel inspired already!

Inspire Festival
26 May @
Tulli & Pakkahuone, Katajanokka
www.idbminspire.org

Zebra and Snake

Here's a band that we've been meaning to post about for quite some time, and right now seems better than ever. This quirky electro-pop duo is made up of Tapio Viitasaari and Matti Ahopelto who make some interesting music under their alter-egos as Zebra and Snake. This pair deserves all the hype directed their way on the eve of their first full-length album Healing Music, due for release on 14 May. Zebra and Snake love synths and produce music that takes its influences from the golden days of that wonderful instrument – the 80s. Their sound is polished off with the deep vocals of Viitasaari. Zebra and Snake's new single Money in Heaven is released as a digital download on 7th May, listen to it here.

www.zebraandsnake.com

Recycling factory

The Cable Factory fills with all things ecological this weekend as the Recycling Factory event takes place for the third time. The event offers tips and advice for a sustainable lifestyle and ecological consuming. The programme boasts all sorts of DIY workshops, discussions, and even a fashion show. On top of all this, a bunch of lovely crafts, second hand clothes and other ecologcal goodies can be purchased here.

Recycling Factory @
The Cable Factory 5-6 May
www.kierratystehdas.fi

Gracias

Although we here Quaint North are not all that into hip hop, we'd like to introduce you to Gracias. He made an appearance a couple of years back with a single from his first EP named HKI, which is a nice ode to this city of ours. Since then, local hip hop lovers have held their breath in waiting for a full length album from this fellow – and in a couple of days the wait is over. His debut album Globe is due for release on 9 May and boasts 12 tracks that were put together with JTT. Gracias will step on stage at Flow Festival later this summer.

www.gracias.fi

 

HAFF

There's really no shortage of film festivals here in Helsinki, but can there ever be too many of them? We don't think so. Helsinki African Film Festival takes place in the beginning of May and brings a thought-provoking selection of contemporary African films to Finland. The festival draws attention to a side of Africa we rarely see, a continent filled with different cultures and wide-ranging issues.

HAFF @
Andorra & BioRex 2-6 May
www.haff.fi

Eva & Manu

There's something very heartwarming about Eva & Manu. This pair of gifted musicians travelled around Europe finding inspiration, working with local people on organic farms, and writing their first album. Along their travels they performed songs on the streets of different cities and recorded their journey with a blog. Now the folk-pop duo is making its way through Finland, stepping on the stage at different venues. What a pair of inspirational people!

Eva & Manu @
Korjaamo 28 April
www.evamanu.com

Nuojuva

We accidentally stumbled upon a Finnish music maker who was previously unknown to us. Olli Aarni produces some incredibly beautiful sounds under the name Nuojuva. Curiously enough, he has signed with Preservation, an Australian record label, which released his album Valot Kaukaa in February. This was the first album under the current name, but Aarni actually released his debut album Nuojuva Halava already in 2010 under the name Ous Mal. This is some very interesting stuff, best listened to with headphones on and eyes closed.

www.o-a.tumblr.com

AlppiTori

Nice new places just keep popping up in the city! We were happy to test out AlppiTori, the little sister of one of our favourite restaurants in Helsinki, Tori in Punavuori. AlppiTori opened up in the corner of Sturen- and Kirstinkatu just a few days ago. Things seemed to be still a bit in the making, but the restaurant already had a friendly feel and great food. You can expect to find the delicious burgers and meatballs that Tori is known for from here as well. Welcome to Alppila, Tori!

Ravintola AlppiTori
Kirstinkatu 15

Bon Jouni

Performing under the clever name Bon Jouni, Helsinki based singer-songwriter Jouni Pesola made his appearance last spring with the debut album A Beautiful Never-Ending Nothing. Bon Jouni's songs are heavily influenced by acoustic folk, but spiced with a touch of pop. His lyrics are filled with beautiful melancholy and the overall sound carries that special sense of Scandinavia. Catch him and a bunch of other talented local musicians at Kojaamo Folks Festival this weekend.

Bon Jouni @
Korjaamo Folks Festival 21 April
www.bonjouni.com