Estonia
The Zebras
Feb. 17 's 24 's 19:00
Craving a little slice of sunshine? There's more than a hint of summery shimmer in the jangly guitar pop tunes of The Zebras, an Australian band who will make you smile, and possibly even dance. The group hails from Brisbane, the same city that produced that other great jangly guitar outfit, The Go-Betweens. The Australian newspaper gave their recent EP 4 out of 5 stars, but have a listen for yourself at www.thezebras.com. The Zebras will play Juuksur bar, Vaimu 2, just off Old Town's Pikk Street, below Texas Cantina. Tickets are 100 kroons, available at the door from 7:30 p.m.
Latvia
BACH CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL
Feb. 9 's April 4
Once again, the path from the winter to the spring in Riga will be marked by the music of that outstanding, baroque genius, Johan Sebastian Bach, and his contemporaries as the capital hosts the Bach Chamber Music Festival, running from Feb. 9 to April 4. Now in its seventh year, the international event will bring together an array of baroque music stars, letting listeners enjoy the harmony of this season of rebirth.
More info: www.music.lv
LITHUANIA
PANCAKE DAY (SHROVE CARNIVAL)
Feb. 20
It doesn't get much more Lithuanian than this! Pancake Day, or Uzgavenes, meaning "a little time before Lent", is Lithuania's answer to Mardi Gras. The traditional element of the day's festivities is a theatrical fight between Lasininis, representing winter, and Kanapinis, representing spring, who is meant to drive away the former. The festival also centers on a female effigy of winter known as More, who is carried through the streets by a crowd of masked merrymakers, then in the evening burnt on a huge bonfire in a ceremonial ritual. Expect Vilnius and most other towns throughout Lithuania to have a public celebration, usually beginning around 11 a.m.
More info: www.eb.lt
