Edmonton - Hail to the Hammer

Band: Týr
Venue: Starlite Room
Location: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Date: April 9, 2013

Edmonton isn't far from home, so I've been there a number of times before.  For this trip I headed north using Greyhound bus, and stayed in a hotel basically across the street from the venue.

Týr was one of five bands performing for PaganFest (or more accurately, PaganFest America) and possibly the highlight of the evening for me.


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Of course, after reading more about Týr and their homeland, the Faroe Islands... I think that I have a new destination on my travel wish-list! Want to know more? Read this article about music in the Faroes!

Singer Heri Joensen

Edmonton - Honour Thy Valkyrie

Band: Helsott
Venue: Starlite Room
Location: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Date: April 9, 2013

Helsott, from Menifee, California, USA was the first act to open PaganFest in Edmonton on April 9, 2013. The band combines American Thrash/Death and Pagan Metal, and put on a very well-received show to what I felt was a fairly small audience in the upstairs Starlite Room venue.

Helsott playing PaganFest

I was actually a bit surprised to see the show not only start on time (likely because there were five acts for the night, and because they were on the road again immediately after) but also to see the audience immediately get into the spirit of the show - credit probably to the opening act, and the multiple bars in the venue.


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Welcome to Throwing Horns Abroad!

This is the first of many posts, all devoted to a combination of travel and music.

There are lots of great reasons for picking one vacation destination over another. Maybe you have family in Toronto, or your best friend is offering up her timeshare in Hawaii.  Maybe your vacation is planned around your sister's destination wedding in Mexico or you'll tack on a few extra days to a work trip and check out the areas around New Orleans outside of the boardroom.

Maybe you pick your travel destinations around art galleries, museums, or theatres? Maybe sports events draw you to one city over another? Maybe you just want to see the beach where LOST was shot?

For me, I've designed a number of vacations around music. 

Part of it is practical; I like a lot of not-so-mainstream bands, and they just don't come to my city all the time for tours.  This means I have to travel to see them, and I'm not the only one.  Hopefully over the course of this blog, I'll share with you stories from other people who have done the same thing. Music is an important part of this blog, but I also hope to bring you practical travel advice and interesting stories. 

For more information about this blog, please check out the page "Why Throwing Horns Abroad" and then please feel free to read and post comments!