Unrated

On March 14, 2014 I was invited to UNRATED by Exquisite Visite. I had not been to the venue for a while and I must say, I really liked the lights and vibes in the place called Level II. My friend, Queen Easy from Hamburg could not be there as announced in the flyer but it was a nice night same way. Hopefully, Queen Easy will be there another time.

Reggae Nights #124

This Reggae Night was going down at Magazingkeller with Roots Ashanti as host to the "Sound Conference 2014" on March 1, 2014. As in the previous year the Conference Members were SWS (Sound with Soul) from Berlin and Hakuna Matataa from Saxony. We all enjoyed it, same as last year and here are the photos to prove it - also starring the fog from Ben's fog machine! lol :-)

Hakuna Matataa

SWS (Sound with Soul)

Samba Carnival in Bremen

Samba Carnival in Bremen may seem to be an odd idea and the temperatures we have here in February make it an even less likely event. But the people of Bremen do whatever they want to do and brave any weather. I'm not that brave but this year the temperature was quite mild and since there even were some rays of sun in the morning on February 22, I went to see the carnival and took my camera.

By the time I got to the city centre the sun had disappeared and it was overcast from here on. At noon the carnival parade was due to start "Am Markt" and I could see from a distance that there was a stage of some sort and a red cat was raised in the air telling a story of abandonment. I could not quite follow the whole monologue but later I saw a school of paper cranes flying towards a gentleman who appeared above the crowd's heads and was talking to the cat. I guess the story continued with the cat going out into the world to find a new "home" which was the motto of this year's parade: "HEIMAT". In English there is no exact translation for this word but it means, home where you are born and where you are spiritually rooted.

The parade commenced - after what seemed like an hour to me - and I settled in a good position to take pictures with the "Rathaus" (town hall) or the "Dom" (cathedral) as a backdrop depending on which way I turned. The clouds are quite helpful when photographing because there are no harsh shadows. Although, I must say, the sun does add to a lot of atmosphere to carnival photos from around the world. In Bremen this has to be replaced by the radiance in the smiles of the part-taking people, who's costumes related to our lifestyle here in the North of Germany. There were participants from all over the North of Germany, even as far as Berlin, who brought their drums and many other percussion instruments some being quite original.

During the parade it was pointed out that the carnival needs funding and we should donate money. Some of the costumes portrayed the "Osterwiese" (spring fair) or the more famous of the two fairs "Freimarkt" (autumn fair) - a Bremen institution. One costume looked like a raffle ticket stall with soft toys that you could buy as a gift for a child spectator. What I love most about the carnival is the children who are always mesmerised by the wonderful costumes and music. A large group of the costumed participants, who all wear masks and interact with the crowd - and sometimes make you stop and think - are actors of Blaumeier-Atelier.

My friend and colleague also took pictures, some of which you can see here. My photos are not all of the best quality but I tried to include at least one photo of each group. I do hope you enjoy them, nevertheless, and perhaps I'll be able to "shoot" you next year!

callas-bremen e.V.

The "Kunst- und Kulturverein callas-bremen e.V." a non-profit organisation is giving artists who specialise is surealism and hyper-realism a platform to hold exhibitions and workshops as well as sell their artwork-work in Bremen. On March 1, 2014 I attended the vernissage of five artists, among them a friend who first exhibited her beautiful paintings here. One of her pantings was so popular it sold even before the exhibition had opened.

The venue is at Lloydhof in the city centre of Bremen. More details can be found here www.callas-bremen.de and on their facebook page. I will not say more about the exhibition and will let the photos speak for themselves. For the artists and especially my friend I wish continued success and that you may sell your art and thereby bring enjoyment to those who appreciate your wonderful work.

To see the full album you can click here. Of course, you are welcome to tag yourself there.

Silverstar @ Dancehall CoNNect

..::| Stardate: February 1, 2014 |::..
..::| Planet Earth, Germany, Bremen, a reggae enclave called Dancehall CoNNect @ Club Moments |::..

Silverstar Sound had flown in from London for this evening. King Ralph was playing the warm-up when I arrived so I had a few moments with Randy and Gussie to chat and take a few pics. Thanks to both for also posing for Help Jamaica for me!

Randy and Gussie of Silverstar Sound

The Silverstar set was a good mix of dancehall, foundation and current and the latest hits in dancehall and roots. We even got to palance likkle bit to some few soca selections. All of us had a great night and hope to see you again soon, Silverstar!

To see the full album you can click here. Of course, you are welcome to tag yourself there.