VILNIUS -
Be2Gether, a one-of-akind
open-air music
festival taking place
near the Belarusian border
Aug. 24 - 26, is setting out to
connect various cultures
through music, dance and
art.
To achieve that noble
goal it'll bring in some bigname
bands from around
the world including The
Bloodhound Gang and The
New York Ska Band
Ensemble along with U.K.
artists The Young Knives
and Morcheeba.
More than 30 popular
bands and well-known DJs
will hit center stage in the
fields outside of
Norviliskes Castle, 80 kilometers
from Vilnius.
They'll be joined by
we l l - k n o w n
artists from around
Lithuania as well as from
Iceland, Finland, Belarus,
Latvia and Poland.
The festival's motto,
"Music Opens Borders,"
celebrates the different
tastes in music everyone
has, the show's manager,
Giedrius Klimkevicius,
stated in a press release.
The theme also fits in
with the 50th Anniversary
celebration of the
European Union and the
Vilnius Capital of Culture
2009, according to press
representative Rytis Sabas.
"The basic idea is to
bring the cultural event
together for people
from different countries.
We need to
show this through
communicating
with music,"
Sabas said.
Klimkevicius,
the mastermind
behind the
Be2Gether project,
is known for
opening up
Lithuania's first
independent record
company, "Zona
Records" and for taking
an active role in
the tourism industry.
He spearheaded the
renovation of the
16th century castle
and has been planning
this outdoor
event since last
November.
The line-up
includes musicians
from all
three Baltic
c o u n t r i e s :
L i t h u a n i a n
artists Andrius
Mamontovas, Skamp, G&G
Sindikatas, Pieno Iazeriai
and Metal on Metal; Tribes
of the City from Latvia;
and Estonia's Tanel Pader
and the Sun, which is fronted
by the winner of the
2001 Eurovision Song
Contest.
Much of the music combines
rock, hip hop, postpunk
and electro. Northern
Ireland's band Therapy?
use drums and bass instruments
in their performances,
while showing metal,
jazz, new age and trance
influences.
Belarusian rock bands
Lyapis Trubetskoy and
IQ48, the Norwegian trio
Datarock, Leaves from
Iceland, Poets of the Fall
from Finland and the
Bloodhoung Gang from the
U.S. are also scheduled to
rock the night away on the
two stages.
Organizers are preparing
a dance nightclub that
will feature world-class
DJs. DJ Food and DK, Alex
Gopher, and Boogaloo will
spin electro, funky tunes.
Games, art and food shows
will take place on the festival
grounds too.
"The expectations are
very big. We want this to be
a tradition for Lithuania,"
Sabas said.
The best part of the festival,
he said, is the fact
that people will be coming
across borders to be active
participants. Sabas said
several buses have been
arranged to bring in over
60 journalists from Belarus
and Kaliningrad for the
show.
Be2GetherAug. 24 - 26
Norviliskes Castle
www.b2g.lttickets140 litas,
www.tiketa.lt
