Krakow Weekend Music 1-2 July 2017: Short but sweet (and mostly free!)
PICK OF THE WEEK
SUNDAY 2ND JULY
NEW ORLEANS SUNDAY
Rynek Głowny (12:00 – 21:00 – Free)
Let the Bon Ton Roulet! A rare chance to celebrate the music and culture of the Crescent City 5000 miles away.
It all starts at noon with a series of concerts at four of the Rynek’s classic cafes (see link for details). Then at 16:00, make your way down to the Barbican for a classic Lousiana-style parade up Floriańska back to the Main Square, where the festivities will continue with a major show on the big stage including both Polish and American artists such as the great Karen Edwards, JBBO, and Stanley Brackenridge.
The finale will be a set by renowned bassist Marian Pawlik (who will also be presented with the prestigious Jazzowy Baranek award for his musicianship) and his quartet, which will be followed by a dance.
Hopefully, there will be jambalaya, gumbo, and red beans and rice to go with it, but that may be wishful thinking.
SATURDAY 1ST JULY
SHALOM ON SZEROKA STREET
Szeroka Street (18:00 – Free)
Looking for a crash course in Jewish music? The annual Jewish Culture Festival concludes with a seven hour cavalcade of fantastic music both ancient and contemporary. Expect everything from traditional klezmer to acoustic balladry to hip hop and electronica, and if something isn’t quite to your taste musically, remember that you’ll be surrounded by great food outdoors and in, so feel free to wander in and out of the sound.
SATURDAY 1ST JULY
JARUN / VARMIA / ROTTEN AGE / PANDRADOR
Boss Garage Pub (Piłsudskiego 27 – 17:30 – 20 zł)
Perhaps you’d rather spend your Saturday night with some heavier atmospheres – and I mean REALLY heavier atmospheres! If the stifling summer heat doesn’t melt your body, these four Polish bands will happily melt your brains. And ears.
While all can loosely be considered black metal, there are distinctions. Krakow’s JARUN have a dark folk influence while Olsztyn’s VARMIA have a slightly more Sepultura kind of vibe. ROTTEN AGE (Nowy Targ) and PANDRADOR (Rzeszów) are both black metal or death metal or blackened death metal or… oh hell, insane drums, loud distorted guitars, and that unique kind of singing that sounds like Cookie Monster on crystal meth – chances are, if that is your thing, it’ll be well worth the mere 20 złoty admission fee.