No more samba this year, at the World Soccer Championship. This is both sad and disapointing. :(

Just discussing with some friends a couple of days ago….why did Heineken, one of the best beers in the world, positioned itself in Romania in relationship with house and party music ? I always considered them something like a beer for smart people (of course, it might be because it is my favourite beer and I have a very high self-esteem:) )

I know, it is highly typical for beer producers / marketers like to position their products in circumstances like parties, footbal, music and so on. This is because beer is considered as a drink for the masses and these are the places where masses gather and enjoy a nice drink.

Heineken did the same but…is it really working ? If I would go to a concert, I would prefer drinking some long-run beers insted of Heineken, which I love to enjoy over some nice talking in a pub.

I was quite happy today to find out that a former colleague, Valentina Neacsu, launched a blog about recruiting, interviews and all the others related to this theme.

Vali is one of the best HR people I knew and I had the chance to work with her for several years, every time learning a lot from her in this field.

So, highly recommended for all of you who are interested in the recruiting field (hopefully she will post more on other topics, as well): http://valentina-neacsu.blogspot.com.

The third edition of the Fan (Hay) Festival in Rosia Montana – an event that aims at encouraging responsible behavior toward the environment – will take place between August 25 and 27, gathering over 30 performers and bands from Romania and abroad to support pro-bono the “Save Rosia Montana” campaign.

The lineup for the festival includes Romanian bands Luna Amara, Implant pentru Refuz, Altar, Kumm, Blazzaj, Guerrillas and Da Hood, and international acts Cartweel from Bulgaria, Nada and La Papa Verde from Germany and Agent Smith and No Substance from the U.K.

I remember that in the beginning mostly hip-hop bands would play at this, but now the line-up has changed a little bit. So if you enjoy some rock – and not only – music, you are welcome at the Hay Festival.

The lineup for the Artmania Festival from July 14 to 16 in Sibiu sees Finnish bands H.I.M., Nightwish and Amorphis sharing the stage with Romanian acts Kumm and Luna Amara. 

For the first time ever, H.I.M. has decided to include Romania on a tour, playing Sibiu on July 15 as part of their “Dark Light” world tour.

Nightwish, another top Finnish export, is no stranger to the Romanian public, as the band has played in Bucharest both in 2004 and 2005. The band will present their latest DVD “End of An Era” during the event.

Also, Amorphis is going to play in the same festival, so a nice rock night is granted.

Cesaria Evora will return to Romania on October 16 to perform her third concert in Bucharest, as part of the tour in support of her most recent album, “Rogamar.” The concert is included in the “Pour les connoisseurs” series of events organized by the Aurel Mitran Foundation, the same group that brought the “barefoot diva” to Romania in 2003 and 2004. “Rogamar” is the her tenth album, appearing three years after her Grammy Award winner “Voz d’Amor.”

Chris Rea is going to be here on 1st of November, as part of his farewell tour. It seems he has serious health issues which will keep him off the stage for the next years…too bad !

Both of them should be a delight, my personal favourite is going to be Chris Rea.

Yesterday evening at about 10 PM I called Dana to ask / remind her to write about the Apocalyptica concert which, of course, I did not manage to attend. Surely, she did not pick up the phone or called back….who is the jerk disturbing her that late?

Well, the good thing is that she read my mind and posted the review of the concert, which you can find it here. Thanks, Dana ! :)

“On arriving at the Arenele Romane at 19.34, 4 minutes after the concert was supposed to start, I learned an important lesson: NEVER arrive at a concert on time….“

Well, I could not attent the concert, but luckily a friend was kind enough to write her impressions on it. So here it is, as Carmen saw it:

„Argentina…Buenos Aires..”

Gotan Project gives a trance taste to tango. All dressed  in white, playing violins, piano, cello, guitar and un unfogettable accordion, all „brushed” of the electronic sound of the synthetizor, they served the Bucharest public a lesson of what classic musicians can do when they approach electronic music.

The show also had a visual component: a screen on which were made projections of psyhedelic images of horse races in slow motion, looking as if they were following the rhythm of the song, naked women spinning torches, walks in woods. „Lunatico”, the name of  their last album and of this tour, was given after tango hero Carlos Gardel’s champion racehorse of the 1930′s, very inspired chosen, as this electronic-tango has the power and the wildness of a running horse.

In Sala Palatului many seats remained empty but the crowd that was there obviously knew their music, as it gave a great feed-back to the performers. Everyone, musicians and listeners, enjoyed two hours of rushing blood through the veins.  

I am still wondering how this week I managed to find a couple of hours for myself to try to put some order into stuff that was in my mind and on the hard-drive :) As expected, this proved to have amazing and quite unexpected benefits, as I discovered a lot of things:

- Wyclef Jean is still great and I love it, for example this track – Where Fugees At.

- Apocalyptica sounds also great and it’s a pitty I never managed to get to the concert. But maybe I’ll find someone to write about it ;) Meanwhile, Enter Sandman is heavily played.

- Erin Bode is very relaxing. I still wonder how would Graceland look like.

- Racla was one of the Romanian bands I used to love some years ago and I rediscovered how good they used to sound. Too bad they are not playing anymore. Even though a little commercial, this track – 2 in 1 – gives me a very nice feeling everytime I listen to it.

- Some bands can bring back great memories. For example Tapinarii. This track – Doi Bani – is about just sitting alone on the beach in Vama Veche while Puiul meu …. is really special.

- Once I was staying in a rented apartment in Titulescu and this track – Pearl Jam – Even Flow – was excelent for waking up. Thanks Cris !

- A new business idea has been put down on paper and it looks like it’s going to fly. The entrepreneur feeling gives me amazing energies :)

- Filling up your fridge with Heineken is always a good thing :)

- I need a better connection as upload is taking too much time.

- and a lot more which is going to be crystalized later.

Cheers ! 

Yesterday the great singer Gica Petrescu said goodbye and passed away. I am sure all of the Romanians know his work, great talent and extraordinary influence he had in music.

He sang for dozens of years, performing some 1500 songs in his career. His favourite songs themes were Bucharest, women and drinking, although he was never a heavy drinker.

He passed away at the age of 91, in the same day it was scheduled for him to receive an award from the Nationa Romanian Television.

In his memory, here it is for you to listen to – Gica Petrescu – Uite asa as vrea sa mor. Rest in peace !