Taste of Iceland in Boston 2010

Thanks to everyone who joined us for Taste of Iceland in Boston 2010!

Boston will host a Viking invasion this spring to celebrate Icelandair’s nonstop service between Boston and Reykjavík with A Taste of Iceland! The event features the best of Icelandic music, cuisine and films through a series of ongoing events in and around Boston from March 11-17, 2010.

Schedule of Events

Chef Thorarinn Eggertsson & Chef Tom Holloway Combine Culinary Forces at Rustic Kitchen March 11-17

Chef Thorarinn Eggertsson, owner and head chef of Orange in downtown Reykjavík, will inspire Boston-area foodies with unique Icelandic dishes at Boston’s esteemed Rustic Kitchen restaurant. Working closely with Chef Tom Holloway, Rustic Kitchen will offer a taste of Chef Thorarinn’s exquisite cuisine as part of a special tasting menu from March 11-17.

Icelandic Film Festival – Enjoy Free Screenings of “Reykjavik Rotterdam” and “Country Wedding” at Kendall Square Cinema

Enjoy free screenings of two recent Icelandic hit films. Country Wedding (6:15 pm) is a comedy of errors set in the beautiful Icelandic countryside. This will be followed by Reykjavik Rotterdam, (7:45 pm) an award winning crime thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Kendall Square Cinema. Admission is free.

6:15pm – Country Wedding, directed by Valdís Óskarsdóttir
The course of nuptial love doesn’t run smoothly in this quirky comedy of errors. Two busloads of wedding-bound oddballs leave Reykjavik with barely a clue of how to find the far-flung chapel. As infighting, secrets and lies compound, the buses are soon seething with a hilarious tension that threatens to derail the happy couple’s big day.Country Wedding has been featured in eight international film festivals and nominated for The Sutherland Trophy. In Icelandic with English subtitles, 99 minute running time.

7:45 Reykjavik Rotterdam, directed by Óskar Jónasson
For Kristofer (Baltasar Kormakur) life has been little more than a never ending series of failures and disappointments. Among other things, he made the colossal mistake of smuggling alcohol during his tenure as a shipworker – a little stunt that promptly landed him behind bars. Now, following release, he struggles to pull his life together while working as a security guard and continually attempts to support his family. Then the opportunity arises for Kristofer to do one final tour on a freighter running from Reykjavik, Iceland, to Rotterdam, Holland. Kristofer initially embraces the opportunity to work with his old friends once again – little foreseeing the malestorm of crime into which this move will plunge him. In Icelandic with English subtitles, 88 minute running time.

DJ Baldur Spins His Steel Wheels at the Middlesex Lounge and RISE

Otherwise known as DJ Jezus, Baldur was named best DJ of Boston for 2007-2008, and will be working the turntables at the following venues:

Thursday, March 11 – DJ Baldur will be playing at the Middlesex Lounge with its resident DJ’s from 9 p.m. – 2 a.m. Admission is free.
Friday, March 12 – DJ Baldur and a very special guest DJ will spin at RISE on Friday, March 12 from 1 a.m. – 6 a.m. Admission is $25

Ólöf Arnalds Concert at T.T. The Bears

Ólöf Arnalds will play for the public at T.T. the Bear’s Place (10 Brookline Street, Central Square, Cambridge, MA) on Friday, March 12. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. and admission is free, 18+.

Icelandic Mega-Music Star Mugison Performs at The Middle East and Framingham BBC

When Tom Waits astutely pointed out that “no dog ever pissed on a moving car” Mugison must have been nodding in bemused agreement. Impulsively nomadic, creatively restless, Iceland’s Mugison is the kind of post-modern dude that flows with the flux – one of those ants-in-the-pants artists that naturally negates stagnation and actively seeks out new challenges. Recognized at the Icelandic Music Awards, Mugison’s album Mugimama Is This Monkey Music? was named best album and his song “Murr Murr” was named best song. CLASH MUSIC describes Mugison as, “An invigorating, electric listen…landing a devastating punch. Worth so much more than a fleeting investigation.”

See Mugison on March 14 to the The Middle East Restaurant & Nightclub at 9 p.m. Doors open at 8 p.m. and admission is free.

See Mugison at Framingham BBC from 8-9 pm.

Ólöf Arnalds and Mugison Perform at Walpole BBC

Ólöf Arnalds will perform on Saturday March 13th at Walpole BBC from 7-8 followed by Mugison from 8-9. Arnalds, who Vanity Fair called “ethereal voiced,” is known for her emotionally-rich folk music that’s wrapped in the melodic sounds of her acoustic guitar. She released her celebrated debut album Við Og Við (or “Now and Then”) in 2007 and has enjoyed growing popularity in the Icelandic and Northern European music scenes ever since. Her sophomore album, Ókídókí, is scheduled to be released in early 2010.

A Taste of Iceland, a multi-day cultural program, will include a variety of public events, such as live musical performances, Icelandic culinary promotions and a film festival. A Taste of Iceland is presented by Iceland Naturally, in cooperation with Icelandair, Icelandic USA, Inc., 66° North, The Blue Lagoon, Icelandic Glacial, Rustic Kitchen, British Beer Garden, Kendall Square Cinema, Middlesex Lounge, The Middle East and T.T. the Bear’s Place.