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Listening to heavy metal has always been a controversial issue, especially because of this music’s connection to negative things, violence and, of course, Satan, the devil, Lucifer, or whatever word you prefer. Let’s get rid of these stereotypes once and for all. There’s no need for moms out there to worry because heavy metal music fans aren’t going to be made into devilish creatures by listening to King Diamond at midnight, they won’t sacrifice the cat for its blood, none of this type of thing.

metalheads berlin

The truth is that metalheads are one of most unified urban tribes on the planet. The heavy and fast riffs, the piercing, guttural vocals, the fast drums, and the technical guitar solos are what unite this type of rocker. Since the beginnings of hard rock, probably thanks to Cream, The Who, Deep Purple and Black Sabbath, among others, the brotherhood of metal has become larger and larger.

For outsiders, heavy metal might seem unintelligent and full of noise, with grating vocals and without the least meaning. Technically speaking, however, metal is one of the most complicated and elaborate genres of music. With scales based in blues primarily, heavy metal accelerated the velocity of rock-n-roll as well as its decibels, making this type of music much more frontal and aggressive. From its start, metal has been modifying and evolving. From the best of Blue Cheer or MC5, who are excellent hard rockers, to the experimentation of Pelican or Emperor, it can be an adventure that is both rich and diverse.

The exhibition “Metalheads” which is being presented in the Gestalten Space in Berlin is the result of photographs taken by Jörg Brüggemann over the course of three years in locations all over the world. In these photographs Brüggemann portrays the global expansion of the metal phenomenon, which has existed some 40 years while managing to maintain its appeal among young people. It shows that there isn’t much difference between metalheads in Brazil or Egypt, for example, when it comes to looking at the attitudes they adopt in relation to the music, their passion and their dedication to their favorite musicians. One also can see the heavy metal style at festivals and concerts, which includes wearing leather clothing and tight jeans and sporting long hair and tattoos, something which identifies this brotherhood worldwide. If you want to discover the world that metalheads inhabit, visit the exhibition “Metalheads: The Global Brotherhood” and check out the exhibition catalogue, which is edited by Gestalten.

For more information: http://www.gestalten.com/space

 

 

Alexa Ray Only-apartments AuthorAlexa Ray

Rent apartments in Berlin and discover the important underground and alternative rock scene there. If you’re a metalhead, Berlin offers lots of concerts and music stores where you can find everything you’re looking for to enhance your obscure collection.

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The 12th of April will present, in the frame of the 23rd Guitar Festival in Barcelona, the Spanish singer and guitarist Christina Rosenvinge in concert. It will be an anthological event performing her songs and an interesting tour through all of her stages that will take us from the beginning to Rosenvinge’s music of today.

christina <b>rosenvinge</b> barcelona

Christina Rosenvinge Hepworth was born from Danish parents in Madrid in 1964. During her teenage years, when she was still at school, she began to take an interest in music, and formed her first band. That was the time when she got involved in the movida madrileña, which emerged after the dictatorship of General Franco that had kept Spain in the dark for over 40 years. These were the years that young people tried to find their place in society and did so by throwing themselves onto the cultural scene to put an end to the double standards that the political transition had inherited.

Her beginnings came as the singer of the band Ella y los Neumáticos. Her liking for poetry and music composition captivated her to the point that she enjoyed creating songs. A new project took her to the band Magia Blanca with the instrumentalist Alex Núñez. In 1988 they both presented themselves at the OTI Festival representing Spain as the duo Alex y Cristina, which then changed to Alex y Christina, recording two albums before they dissolved.

The experiences of working in a team were fundamental for her solo career. In 1991, with more experience, she worked together with a band as the singer, Christina y los Subterráneos. During this time her songs were about all the existential conflicts that young Spanish people went through. They hid in the destape (Spain’s term for films with naked scenes), the sexual explosion, the frenetic drug consumption, the craziness of the movida and all the effects of a suppressed memory due to the political agreements of La Moncloa (the residence of the Spanish PM), where they were trying to heal the wounds of the dictatorship to enter the EU as a developed country. The first emblematic album of that time was Que me parta un rayo and the ballad Mil pedazos, both of which became iconic and are still Spanish pop music classics.

The 90s were a proliferous time for Rosenvinge. During this decade she began to develop her own personal style, closer to the latin rock that was so successful in Uruguay, Argentina, Mexico and Colombia. Thanks to this change, her songs began to be played in Latin America, where she even became a guest of honour at the Viña del Mar Festival, where she received the highest award in that event, La Gaviota de Plata  (the Silver Seagull). In 1994 she participated in the film Todo es mentira with Penélope Cruz, and two years later in La Pistola de mi hermano.

The turn of the century took her to New York. Today, she’s not in the business for the success but for a search to make quality music to dedicate it to her fans that have followed her career and evolution for 25 years.

For more information: http://www.theproject.es/es/concerts/concierto.php?idconcierto=1287

 

 


Nancy Guzman Only-apartments AuthorNancy Guzman

Mediterranean, sun and joy are the best things to beat stress so rent apartments in Barcelona so that you can forget your routine for a few days. Book with plenty of time and buy some tickets to go and see Christina Rosenvinge.

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The renewal of Pep Guardiola as coach of FC Barcelona for another season is again up for debate. As is as become a tradition at this time, speculation about the future coach of the team takes front pages of newspapers, radio, and television news, but it’s understandable. Guardiola has become an icon of FC Barcelona, his past as a youth player and captain of the first team for years has been overtaken by its short and successful career as manager of FC Barcelona. He has achieved in his nearly four years as a technician a lot of titles that makes him part the club’s assets. A total of three consecutive league competitions, three Super Cups in Spain, one Copa del Rey, two Champions League, two European Super Cups and two World Club is the balance that has reaped great Pep.

guardiola barcelona

It is not a secret that Guardiola is one of the most desired coaches for the best clubs in the world. Important teams as Inter Milan and Chelsea have their target set on the current Barcelona’s coach.

Guardiola, far from commenting on his future, he has chosen to keep silent, something that started to bother the club’s board. Its chief Sandro Rosell seeks to facilitate the coach’s renewal by all means, but as it is known by all of us, Guardiola has already expressed on more than one occasion that his long-term future will not be in the capital of Catalunya. Pep wants to grow as a coach; despite his award-winning career, his experience is quite limited. His desire to learn, evolve and new challenges are a very attractive incentive for a coach who always sees on the horizon a chance to improve.

The loss of Guardiola would be a serious setback for the Catalan club and all his followers. The technician has become more than just a football coach. His philosophy, his poise, his sportsmanship and his new and innovative concept of football have made Pep an essential and irreplaceable person for the club. His possible departure of Barcelona, would be the end of a cycle “The Guardiola’s era,” surely the most golden era of the FC Barcelona. An era in which the records have rained to the club and the Barcelona players. Lionel Messi has definitely succeeded as a player under the orders of Pep and consequently, he has received numerous awards as the best player in the world. Guardiola’s work also has been reflected in the national team. Busquets, Xavi, Iniesta, Puyol, Pique and Villa are undoubtedly the backbone of the team that won the World Cup in South Africa.

Barça’s rivals would rather not comment on the issue of renewal of Guardiola, but undoubtedly his departure would be a relief for his main sports “enemies”.

Pedro Paterna Only-apartments AuthorPedro Paterna

If you are thinking about going to see a Barca game to Barcelona, we recommend you to rent apartments in Barcelona Spend a few days of relaxation and good weather. It is an ideal way to visit the buildings, museums and enjoy all the possibilities it gives this interesting city.

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 Women can reach orgasm doing exercise

“I want to lose weight. I need to start working out.” In the end the lack of discipline often holds us back from going through with this plan. But there is still hope. Any female who has trouble getting motivated to go to the gym or do any kind of exercise has just gained another incentive to get up and just do it. And the desired beach body or looking great in the new outfit will merely become a pleasant side-effect.

women-orgasm-exercise

A recent study by researchers at Indiana University has shown that women can reach an orgasm by working out. Interesting to point out here is that most women participating in this anonymous survey reported that they had not been fantasizing sexually when they experienced exercise-induced orgasms or “coregasm.”

But before everyone runs to the closest gym continue reading, because the results of the study have also revealed the most common exercises associated with orgasms, so take note:

 

1.       Abdominal exercises

2.       Weight-lifting

3.       Yoga

4.       Cycling

5.       Running

6.       Walking/hiking


Especially the abdominal exercise called “Captain’s chair” has been reported to cause this workout related orgasm. An interesting conclusion that the researchers are drawing from the results is that the orgasm might not be a purely sexual event. But more importantly – and also not to take away from the pleasure that we derive from the sexual act – this knowledge has the potential to improve the female sexual experience, but more research needs to be done. What remains absolutely undisputed is that part of the thrilling experience of an orgasm certainly is the physical and often given emotional human interaction that is happening during sex.

Until research will shed more light on this topic, knowing which exercises are likely to induce orgasms might be enough for the time being. What needs no further scientific proof is that both exercise and sexual pleasure are great for our mental and physical well-being. And with that said, a vacation never fails to do well for the body and the soul. On a vacation in a destination like Barcelona you will be able to kill 3 birds with one stone. In and around the city there are excellent routes for hiking, running and cycling. You have the beach close to soak up the sun and relax.

 

Miss Moci Only-apartments AuthorMiss Moci

But more importantly you will have Barcelona accommodation that offers you the comfort of your own home where you and your partner have the opportunity to contribute some knowledge to this topic by doing some research on your own.

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On the 9th of April the Belgian trip hop band Hooverphonic, will perform a concert at Café de la Danse in Paris. The concert of this prolific band formed in 1996, whose songs have been part of the soundtrack of the film Belleza Robada by Bernardo Bertolucci, is part of their annual tour, aimed to promote the tracks from his latest album.

hooverphonic paris

Originally the band was called Hoover, but as time went on they discovered that the name was taken by another group and decided to transform it by adding the term phonic. Although it has been framed as a trip hop band, its musical interpretations go beyond that classification, still quite eclectic songs of an evolution in time that has led them to innovative sounds and even perform with a symphony orchestra. Despite this, one can say that their music is partly into electronic music.

Hooverphonic is one of the most famous bands of trip hop, a type of music born in 1990 in the port of Bristol, which includes various rhythms of British underground electronic music, like the house and hip hop that came to the United States influenced by Jamaican music.

The members of the band are the guitarist Raymond Geerts, the bassist and programmer Alex Callier and vocalist Noémi Wolfs, who joined the band in 2010 after the abandonment of Geike Arnaert.

Their persistent hard work made them become internationally recognized through the inclusion of their song 2-Wicky, which is part of the album A New Stereofonic Sound Spectacular, in the Bertolucci’s film and the soundtrack of the horror film I Know What You Did Last Summer.

Their six albums have been very successful. Their first was A New Stereofonic Sound Spectacular, thanks to this album they reached the international music scene. The second album was Blue Wonder Power Milk, that was realesed in 1998, with the vocalist Geikie Arnaert (18 years at the time). Their third album The Magnificent Tree was a continuation of the work done on previous albums. With their fourth album, Hooverphonic presents Jackie Cane, released in 2002, they proved, they were capable to captivate the audience and were awarded a platinum record for top sales in Belgium. This album was followed by Sit Down and Listen to Hooverphonic, No More Sweet Music and The President of the LSD Golf Club.

The Night Before released in 2011, was awarded several prizes and double platinum for sales. However, Hooverphonic album with Orchestra is the most elaborate album that the band has released so far; the process of creating and recording left them great satisfaction by the high standards that required. This album was recorded in January this year in the Galaxy studio and was accompanied by a symphony orchestra.

For more information: http://www.songkick.com/concerts/11862233-hooverphonic-at-cafe-de-la-danse

Nancy Guzman Only-apartments AuthorNancy Guzman

Enjoy this spring by taking a few days off in apartments in Paris Come and visit this magnificent city where music is everywhere, Hooverphonic await for you at Café de la Danse.

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On the 8th of April 2012, Magnet Club in Berlin presents a concert of the American progressive metal band Animals as Leaders. The concert is part of their annual tour that the band is carrying out to meet their fans again and show off their new sounds, as well as to promote their new album.

concert-animals-as-leaders-berlin

The band, one of the most professional ones in their musical genre, has decided to go full on in the presentation of their new album, with the guitarists Tosin Abasi and Javier Reyes and the drummer Navene Koperweis, who explode on stage with their sounds.

The name of the band, Animals as Leaders, was taken from the novel ‘Ishmael’ by Daniel Quinn, published in 1992, which is about anthropocentrism and the human inability to share their space with other species. When Abasi was asked about the name, he pointed out that it was to “remind everyone that all of us are a little bit of an animal”.

The origin goes back to the separation of the metalcore band Reflux, when Abasi decided to accept a proposal to record an album with the heavy metal record label Prosthetic Record, for which he needed someone with him. The first album was finally produced in 2008. On that occasion, Abasi recorded an important part of the guitar tracks. The guitar and drums solos as well as the synth effects were made by programming by Micha Mansoor, the sound engineer of the band Periphery and Haunted Shore.

In 2010, the band had a very intense year with large tours, including the Summer Slaughter, together with bands such as Decapitated and Vital Remains. Since that tour, it has played many times with the band Circa Survive and Dredg.

In June 2011, they recorded new songs with the band complete for their new album, also releasing a DVD with their tour concerts, which will be focused on their music and on showing essentially their way of working on stage. This DVD iwill be on sale soon and will be a complement to the album directed to their fans.

Their progressive metal style oscillates between the lines of metal and progressive rock, although the majority of people can’t tell the difference between them since they’re so small. The differences lie in the tempo line, the tempo changes the solos and the drum patterns, interesting details that make their music more enjoyable for those who don’t know these type of sounds in depth.

Progressive metal was born in the late 80s in the United States and its musical origins come from heavy metal and progressive rock. It’s a fusion of both musical trends. However, one could say that it’s a softer heavy metal or a progressive rock with metal sounds.

This music was born with small garage bands looking for their own sounds. That was the spark that lit up many small bands, few of which survived and entered the commercial circuit of the world of music, bands such as Animals as Leaders.

For more information: http://www.magnet-club.de/

Nancy Guzman Only-apartments AuthorNancy Guzman

Don’t let stress get to you and take a break in apartments in Berlin to make the most of the concert of Animals as Leaders, where you will lose all your bad vibes.

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The melody that the trumpet player just played was so intense that, a superhuman effort was supposed to resist its magnetic pull. Rumor has it that his melody came from the north with the tide, in the same way that the seabirds punctually wind up in the heart of any land. Their oceanic origin speaks through them; similarly, this player from Bilbao is highlighted through the crowd in Barcelona.

juandediego barcelona

Around the hot pan of a boiling fish stew -and occasionally mixing it with a wooden spoon- it is very common to see him enjoying in his own sauce. Some people say that in his best days, he is able to reach tremendous refinement. Perhaps he practices what might be called ‘musical gastronomy’. As far as I know, from the content of his pans are never leftovers. Perhaps that is why, I can still picture the last time, I heard his music, while licking an empty pan. I licked it while floating on his metallic note, which was bounced off the walls.

From his curiosity, should come his stunning conversational skills. He charms people with great talks that exaggerate his nice company that you can spend countless hours talking without stopping. Touching the unintelligible, he always arouses laughter after leading you to the certainty that we know nothing. Perhaps it is the essence of his way of playing the trumpet, with his own life.

Watching him play exudes the humility of the ones who known the road very well. Seasoned with security he also enjoys just too many different scenarios, his personality stands out among the components of its various configurations. Among these, Freaky trio and Juan de Diego trio and are first and perhaps more ‘de Diego’ essence. Currently, his father also doses his energy between DeDiego Brothers and Trakas. The second, more radioactively subversive, diving into jazz-groove. In his case, he presumes to have acted in the XXI Festival ‘ La Hora del Jazz ‘ and, after an intense month of March, rehearse the next scene to start late April.

Among his publications, “Kea” by Freaky trio- Artimaña Records, 2003- , “Panza de burro”  by Juan Diego trio -Errabal, 2008 – and “Odola Sangre” by DeDiego Brothers-Errabal, 2010 -. With Trakas, he said, he is cooking “Erbestea” that meaning “exile”, which promises to reveal us the recipe for “Calçotsalda”. Derivation of the typical Basque porrusalda, while replacing leeks by calçots amb barretina.

Although Gossips criticize his driving skills, he has got great leadership skills. No one explains, among his mysteries, to what, that smiley look answers to. Bachelor of Industrial Engineering, Bilbao, 1993 – and with a Higher Degree in Trumpet granted by the Conservatory of Barcelona -2003 – Juan De Diego today is wandering the streets with the vehemence of the one who knows how to survive the black period of live music -particularly for jazz in the city of Barcelona. For more information www.juandediego.com

 

ManuManué Only-apartments AuthorManuManué

To learn more about Juan de Diego and enjoy his live performances, come around and rent apartments in Barcelona

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The Mallorcan singer-songwriter Marka Makovski will perform a concert on the 14th of April at Bikini concert hall in Barcelona. The underground muse of alternative Spanish rock, comes to show her new songs that have earned recognition from critics and the audience during 2011.

concert-maika-makovski-barcelona

Makovski Maika was born in Palma de Mallorca in 1983. Maika composes, plays piano, guitar and performs songs full of passion that fill the soul to those who like rock. Daughter of multi-instrumentalist Vangel Makovski, she grew between music and artistic inspiration that led her to start playing instruments and read music when she was just a child.

When she was 15, she was already recognized as a professional musician by winning the Pop Rock Festival in Palma de Mallorca, where the jury was composed of members from Sony Music, Radio Nacional of Spain and Rockdelux. In 2002 she won the awards Balearic sounds and Eurofest in Macedonia.

The first two albums so Kradiaw and Kraj so Koferotand were well received by critics and quickly spread through the whole Europe, becoming one of the favorites for the rock lovers. Thanks to these albums, she was considered one of the best underground rock female representatives.

In 2009 she performed in the studio of John Parish, in Bristol, her third album Maika Makovski, released in 2010. Parish is a producer of Tracy Chapman, PJ Harvey, Aels and other artists of this level. In this album she worked in collaboration with Jim Barr and Billy Fuller, in addition to her band comprised by drummer David Martinez, bassist and percussion JC Luque and guitar and backing vocals Oskar Benas. The promotional tour for this album included London, New York, Austin, Chicago, Texas and the whole Spain, lasting throughout 2010.

In 2011 she released her fourth album Desaparecer. This album is warmer, there’s a nice change in which Maika favors the piano over the guitar and the blues over rock, the lyrics are more intimate, making it clear that she isn’t an artist who only works within one type of music but that she can go further and renew herself. She said that before starting this album felt a desire for change, “a sound change, and a change in the way of writing” which is clearly perceived by her fans, who appreciate this opportunity to hear another perspective on her music. This album was nominated for five UFI awards of independent music and she won the award for best Myspace artist 2011.

But the multifaceted Maika devotes her time to painting, design and photography, doing all the artwork on the covers of her albums. The truth is that Maika is a talented artist, restless, always working for her audience and creating new ways to perform her music to capture their interest.

For more information: http://www.bikinibcn.com/ca/concerts/_mes:04,dia:14,anio:2012/

Nancy Guzman Only-apartments AuthorNancy Guzman

There is nothing more entertaining that a few days of pleasure in the Mediterranean, rent Barcelona accommodation and remember that it is a good idea to buy the tickets in advance to see Makovski Maika.

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Antoni Tàpies, who was one of the representatives of modern Spanish art, famous for his in painting, sculpture and drawing, has died aged 88. Barcelona says good-bye to this great artist with an exhibition of his works, to be held at Antoni Tàpies Foundation, which was created in 1984 by the artist, with the intention of promoting contemporary art. The foundation has more than 300 works from all periods of Antoni’s career and has a library of modern art, one of the largest in the world, even its building designed by Lluis Domenech, has a modernist influence; this facade exhibits an excellent combination of iron and brick. In the basement of the gallery, visitors can enjoy the private collection of works by Tapies with the most diverse styles and backgrounds, including works by Marcel Duchamp, Paul Klee, Georges Braque, Vasili Kandinsky, Willem de Kooning and that of other Spanish and Joan Miró, Pablo Picasso, Francisco Goya and Francisco de Zurbarán. Asian Art lovers should not miss the opportunity to meet many of the most exquisite pieces, as Antoni Tapies was a great admirer and collector of Oriental art.

barcelona <b>antoni</b> tapies

http://www.fundaciotapies.org/site/spip.php?rubrique65

Tàpies was born in Barcelona in 1923 and in his early teen age, he came to the arts through drawing. Great defender of Catalan culture, he was self-taught artist with only a short study period at Nolasc Valls Academy and then continued his training on his own. In his early work, he came to realism, portraits of friends and family, but his contact with other artists like Miro, who he deeply admired, broght him closer to the avant-garde and his work took on a surreal tinge which was crystallized with the formation of Dau Al Set, an artistic movement Dada and Surrealist influences that spread beyond the boundaries of visual art to create expressions philosophical, literary, musical and more.

As time passed Tàpies political concerns were stronger in his artistic development, after a period of geometric abstraction, his work becomes more informalist, movement that emerged after the Second World War, as repudiation of reality human turns to abstraction. Back in the ’70s Tàpies has got a mature style and own that will make his most famous works in what was called the ” pintura matérica”: a style that used art materials to compose works of art reminiscent of “assemblages and the “objet trouvé” by Marcel Duchamp. During this period the predominant materials of his works come from the trash and found objects such as cardboard, paper, rope, cloth, sand, straw, etc., all fused or juxtaposed in collages and paintings assembled.

 

Eli M Only-apartments AuthorEli M

Thanks to this extensive experience, Tàpies gained fame and recognition that led him to exhibit in major cities in the world. If you want to know more about this great artist, book apartments in Barcelona and don’t miss a chance to see his work.

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The English indie pop retro band Veronica Falls will perform in concert at La Flèche D’Or in Paris on April 5. The concert is part of a grand tour the group is undertaking in 2012 to promote their new album, which is titled with the band’s name. The mixed quartet will be traveling through Europe and other countries around the world.

concert-veronica-falls-paris

Following a trend started by North American bands, Veronica Falls has created with this album a combination of songs drawing on 50s American rock and 80s British pop music, creating a great mix of two transitional epochs in music history. It was rock’s debut on the worldwide stage and the resulting aesthetic-cultural transformations but also the dawn of electronic music at the end of a more conservative epoch that have revolutionized the music scene.

Their latest album was highly anticipated by the British critics, which have given them favorable reviews and recognized their talent, emphasizing their selection of songs as well as the aesthetics of the presentation. They have referred to their songs as fresh, joyful and full of emotion.

Although many think that the group is working in the style of lo-fi American retro like other alternative British bands such as the Dum Dum Girls, Crystal Stilts or Vivian Girls, the truth is that they are mistaken. Veronica Falls is searching for a distinct musical niche.

Their album was edited in the United States by the Slumberland label, which has worked with bands such as Brilliant Colors, Liechtenstein and others with which Veronica Falls has commonalities. They depart from the pop of the 60s and play with vocal harmonies in a way similar to the style of the famous group The Mamas and the Papas, merging and mixing obscure gothic musical elements, which results in a distinctly British feeling. It’s an interesting and well-done work which demonstrates how far their work may take them.

This distances them completely from the North American bands, since their musical complexity gives them a different fan base and places them outside of the style indie pop. Their style has been clearly defined since their singles Beachy Head and Found Love in a Graveyard, which were edited by the North American label Capture Tracks.

Since its release on the market, various press avenues have celebrated the album, commenting on how refreshing it is and that it enlarges the musical spectrum. The Guardian remarked that the U.K. had space for a group of their quality for a long time to come. MusicOHM gave them 3 of 5 stars and said the band will always have a small and loyal group of fans among the British. Others remarked that this album was a stellar entrance for the band and that it will become a hit among pop fans in the U.K.

Neither the concert by Veronica Falls nor their album will be the cause of a musical revolution. However, the experience can be revolutionary for their audience, who become drunk with their candor and charmed by the good indie pop to which they are devoted.

For more information: http://www.songkick.com/concerts/11143338-veronica-falls-at-la-fleche-dor

 


Nancy Guzman Only-apartments AuthorNancy Guzman

Get out of the cold and enjoy the spring by renting apartments in Paris where you could attend the concert by Veronica Falls and fall in love with the rhythmic sounds of indie pop.

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