Editorial: the unbearable dread of being human by Steve Sic
If you’ve managed to watch our DVD and had a good look at the easter eggs, you will have seen some evidence to support the fact that I actually used to be quite an “angry young man” and that I’ve grown up to be a rather angry grown-up man underneath my good natured and relaxed exterior. I feel that all my life has been spent kicking against society and mankind in general, because I think the whole shebang really really sucks. It used to suck, it still sucks it will keep on sucking.....big time. I’ve always wanted to change it somehow, to make a difference..to feel useful to the planet. You see I don’t like homo sapiens sapiens and most of the stuff they are capable of, I think people are gross, spoiled, uncreative and stupid and the only really positive thing about the race in general is that they will end up killing themselves and if it were up to me it can’t be soon enough.....and here in lies my biggest frustrating paradox. You see I’m (probably) human too...so this means that deep down I really hate myself for what I’m doing to the planet and I detest my own human brain that nags me constantly with all sorts of pointless bullshit that only a selfimportant monkey could make up. I mean, I’m an animal aren’t I?, I should be just thinking about sex, food and a place to sleep in a relatively safe and comfortable environment. But no!, I think about taxes and stupid laws, I worry about leaving the gas on when I leave the house. I berate myself for being lazy and I should vacuum the house more. I’m worried about the fact that I take too many substances that I enjoy but which I’ve been told are BAD for me. My psychological link to human society tells me that I should do this and I shouldn’t do that.....sigh....I almost sound like a real person eh? We are such fecked-up little monkeys living in our own dreamworld made up of horror-stories and misconceptions that justify destruction and death to all other species. Playing with electric toys that spread our confused reality around the globe to other monkeys,we stare at boxes of moving lights and sound thinking that it will make us wiser but they simply make us more scared and turn our brains to slush.We spend most of our resources making really destructive war-weapons to prevent destruction and war! We travel in progressively faster and bigger tin cans belching poison but it’s so busy out there that nobody seems to be getting anywhere. Our own perception of reality and what is important has lost all connection to logic.
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We invent rules that make sure that this planet is filled with as many living human bodies as possible. It doesn’t matter if these bodies are healthy or if they enjoy themselves or not, it just matter that they are biologically alive and paying tax “for the greater good”. Nobody is allowed to die and the “rich, civilised-city dwelling human” is the most important being in the universe. Anything he cannot understand must be wrong and/or of lesser intelligence . I have been born into a suicidal kingdom full of idiots and sometimes I’m afraid that I must be one too, because everytime I’m unhappy about this life I feel soooooo human. (ie: I tend to start whining and feel very sorry for myself) BUT then I realise (usually after having some nature forced between my lips) that I can’t be 100% “human”, my mind is also filled by the call of the Fae, my hands and head overflow with art and music, the voices of the spirits laugh and giggle at me and the sights and sounds of living nature are the ultimate expressions of beauty to me... If billions of humans can believe that they are not only the pinnacle of, but also the actual reason for the creation of the entire universe and that their own personal God (who looks like they do) considers them worthy of the deepest love and respect AND that they will all go to some sort of heaven (forever?!) when they die just for being total egocentrical wankers...then I’m allowed to think and believe whatever I like, it can’t get more farfetched than it already is on planet loony-toons. So starting today I believe I’m from a different species, starting today I renounce my humanity! No more shall I be oppressed by this psychological nightmare! On the outside I may look kinda human and I do have all the compatible body parts for interaction with humans but on the inside I’m all fae...I’m allowed to just have fun because that is he only truth that really means something to me. So there I said it... that feels a lot better! :-) Greenthingz! Stiiv Sic “I’m not mad, I’m just a Satyr” Evans van der Harten
Fairy Ball II, the Midwinter celebration! Let’s do it PAGANSTYLE!! The tickets for the 2nd Fairy Ball on Dec. 21st 2008 are € 20,- and on sale now at the Pim Jacobs Theatre! There will be lots of dancing and stage sharing with many of our weird friends as guest musicians/artists. People like our Sister Kaat!, Mr. Oliver S Tyr from Faun, some PaganClan Members and some Bulgarians maybe?...I won’t say more because we’re still planning...ah what the hell, as long as you guys are there it will be great! This is one of those gigs we arrange ourselves because we want to have freaky pagan fun with you on an actual Celtic holy-day! Did I mention there will be a dresscode? Everybody should come in Fairy-like/fantasy/forest-creature style, or failing that, at least dressed in a tasteful black omniashirt! And... for those of you who are gastronomically inclined this friendly theatre will also be offering a “dinner and concert” arrangement with as a special favour to OMNIA a completely ECOLOGICAL menu this time! For reservations: www.pimjacobstheater.nl, or by telephone: 034 6571098 extra***extra***We asked Kelvin Kalvus the alchemist if he would join us as well and this was his answer: “I would cancel a candle-light dinner with Cate Blanchett for joining Omnia this evening at the 21. of december.” so, expect to be amazed by this super-human artist with his incredible (fairy)balls!*** © Marcel Bakker 2 - The Raven Times 04 - October 2008
The Summer Tour Photo Selection by Mich
A rainy break along the road in Cornwall, just before arriving in Bodmin. The beginning of a very wet adventure...
After the show in the container (euh, sorry... the caravan) where we were accommodated. After negotiating for a long time, Pieter couldn’t get any drinks from the organisers and just bought some beer himself, and friends of Senjo clothing and Dandelion Wine joined us after a very very wet gig. Not the most accurate way to celebrate Midsummer, but if you have any complaints, contact the Cornish weather Gods for more information.
Pieter folded in the “king size” bed of our Cornish container. You can imagine the result with Eddie who’s much bigger. The fact that we had no warm water or toilet paper made it even more cosy. Did I mention that we had to pay for our own coffee in the morning? That’s what we call hospitality.
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The nice weather the day after the gig made us forget the lack of comfort. Just a walk in the Colliford Park and a chilling out moment on the shores of the Bodmin Lake, where the Lady of the Lake is supposed to live. We tried to exchange Excalibur for a couple of Omnia CD’s, but she just laughed and ran away. Those fairy creatures have no taste at all sometimes.
Group picture taken by Wen (Balfolk). Wait... but Wen is on the picture... and all the members of the band, crew and Emelie and Joe’s daughter Helen are also on the picture. It must be taken by the Lady of the Lake, then.
Little trip with all the Omnia gang to Tintagel. Just a pity Joe is spoiling this beautiful Cornish landscape, but he looks very cool anyway. ;-)
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Little break at the entrance of Merlin’s Cave in Tintagel. And no, the hairy animal on the right side is not a seal, it’s Luka! (picture taken by Wen)
What can you do when you’re on stage in Luxemburg, playing your last song of the second set, and a huge storm comes over the city, flooding the stage, fusing the electricity and chasing the audience away? Just pack your stuff in, run to the hotel, take a shower, get some food... and make paper birds.
This is the dramatic result of a sound guy telling much too long jokes. If you ever meet Eddie somewhere, and he starts a story about Dumbo or Jumbo the elephant, just run away as fast as you can.
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That’s the mystery picture of the day. Is it the result of some new design tendencies? A piece of modern conceptual art from a very famous museum? Sorry to disappoint you, but it’s just the best way to dry a merch tent in a hotel room in Luxemburg.
Castlefest, after the Saturday gig. It’s for these kind of moments you live. All the bands gathering in the hotel bar for a great jam session, people dancing in the hall in front of a completely lost receptionist, good vibes and enough energy to make you forget the ugly world we live in. On the picture, you can see members of Malbrook, Lebocha, Irfan, Valravn and of course Omnia.
And what are you doing in such a case when you’re a drummer and can’t put your drumkit in the middle of the bar? You just play « beer glass », sounds very cool along with the bodhran. Greenies. Mich
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10 important musical influences in my life in chronological order by Jenny 1-When I was about 5 years old, my grandparents gave us their electric ‘80s home-organ which didn’t fit in their home anymore. We put it in our living room and man, that was fun, all those keys! But the sounds it made were pretty annoying. So I figured a piano would be all the fun with the keys but a great sound as well. I wanted one, I got one, and I played it for many, many years. I stopped taking lessons when I was 20, and during these 15 years I played everything from Mozart to Chopin to Beethoven and Bach to Bartok and Debussy. It must have made some impact I guess, and being able to read notes and understanding how a piano works are handy skills. 2-When I was about 7, I heard some music in particular that made a big impression on me; amongst other stuff there was the album from Clannad - The Magical Ring: My cool harp-playing aunt Marja who lives in England, sent my mother a tape* of some Irish band with a NewAgy (in that time it was actually “New”) kind of sound. I absolutely loved the music and the lyrics in this weird kind of language I had never heard before. I blame this tape for my later fascination for both atmospheric and Irish music. 3-Jump to me being 13, still playing the piano, still those classical pieces, but looking for some other music to listen to than the normal stuff I’d hear on the radio. I got first interested in Jan Vayne (oh gosh yes...good hair and amazing pianist who dared to improvise on classical pieces). He made me appreciate the by then for me really ‘boring’ piano, and I now and then even dared just play around and improvise on it instead of just playing stuff of long-dead composers the way my teacher wanted me to. 4-When I was about 14, the usual thing to listen to for girls of my age would have been Take That. But I didn’t even know them until we had to sing a song of theirs with music lessons at school (I hated the song, obviously). No, my hero was Valensia, a sort of “Kate Bush-the male version” (and also 15 years late) with one hit called “Gaia”. I had his CD and played it so often it got quite boring. But as I didn’t have many other CD’s, I listened to it over and over again and to make it more interesting, I sang along making all kinds of harmonies up, or listened to it on headphones only focusing on one part of the music like the bassline, the guitar or piano, unintentionally teaching myself how to arrange and listen to music in layers. 5-Meeting a cool metal-dude when I was 16 started me getting interested in My Dying Bride, Celestial Season and Theatre of Tragedy; bands that were pioneers in combining heavy guitars with classical instruments and/or vocals. I was amazed how well the combo worked and loved this sound. Later I got to know bands like Moonspell, Amorphis and Orphanage, and they all influenced me in their own way (for example, the Finnish Amorphis introduced me to the “Kalevala” and Scandinavian Lore and art and My Dying Bride got me hooked on “ostinatos”, a short bit of melody that goes on and on throughout a song).
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6- Age 17, my mum and dad ‘dragged’ me along to a Harp Festival in Vlissingen, NL, where I borrowed a harp and joined the harp workshop of “Sedrenn”, a harp duo from Brittany. I had never played the harp before but was the fastest learner of all students there. Those Breton tunes were so simple to remember for me after all these years of high-brow Bach and such, that I didn’t need the good playing technique the others had to be able to learn to play the melodies on a harp. There the enthusiasm for the harp started, and the fascination for Breton music as well. 7-Age 18, I performed for the first time on my harp on a big stage for over 500 people. It was a concert experience and such, but more importantly: The Irish/Scottish band “Shantalla” from Belgium played there! I had never seen a really good live traditional Irish band before, and their performance there just blew me away. I was dancing away and almost crying, thinking ‘This is what I want to do! This is what it is about’. There and then I decided I wanted nothing else than to become a professional folk musician. And, no less important, I met their guitar player Joe Hennon who became a good friend of mine. I didn’t miss any Shantalla concert in Holland during the following years as Joe always put me on their guestlist! 8-The whole “Folk and Trad” experience took me to Irish music bars and their music sessions, lots of festivals and even Ireland. I immersed myself in the music, threw out the metal CD’s and replaced them with the Bothy Band, Planxty, Danu, Dervish, but also with Hedningarna and more of this great stuff. I learned the bodhran, banging away in my room on Shantalla tunes and got more and more sick of my conservative lessons at the conservatory. So I quit after two years, moved to Groningen (cos there was the best Irish pub with 2 music sessions a week) and played, played, played. 9-On one of my wanderings around my 19th, I went to the Sommer Musik Fest in Germany, where I met the best harp player ever, Janet Harbison. She taught me a lot, I even went to her in Ireland, and to this day I teach her stuff to my students and get in shape with her warming-up tunes. On this festival I also had my first encounter with hurdy-gurdy’s, fell in love with the noisy feckers and wanted to learn that too (although it took me years to start because of the enormous expense of such an instrument). 10-When in Germany on a Medieval Festival, I met a harp-playing guy who was performing with his new band there in the streets. He invited me over and we jammed for a week in his room in Munich. We became very good friends and to this day we still play together. Of course you know who I’m talking about, Oli of Faun :o)... Although I know I should only write about 10 things here, I haven’t told you about the most important of all my musical experiences. Because that was a handsome guy dressed in Iron Age Celtic costume with Woads on his face, who showed me how amazing two normal Irish tin whistles put together can sound like if you rhythmically spit and gurgle in them, what sound a piece of wood on a string can bring forth, and how you can lose yourself in sounds made by bits of nature itself....stones, shells, horns.... I had never encountered anything like it and next to falling in love with and marrying this guy, it broadened my musical horizons by millions of kilometres. * For our younger readers: “music cassette”; it’s a rectangular piece of hollow plastic, with a bit of tape wound up inside it which can contain a certain length of sound recordings. This system is called “analogue” and it works just fine.
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SMOKE... by Steve Sic I love to smoke, like many millions of monkeys worldwide have done for at least the last 4000 years. Jenny smokes, Luka smokes, Joe smokes a little, our festival crew Eddie and Pieter smoke a lot. JRR Tolkien smoked, Gandalf smoked, Bilbo smoked, Shakespeare smoked, Lewis Carrol smoked, Bob Marley smoked, Native american Indians smoke, Indian Indians smoke!...what I’m trying to say is lots of people smoke and have smoked... it’s a monkey habit. Smoking is a very relaxed kinda thing to do even if you are only smoking tobacco. Of course I smoke mainly tobacco mixed with herbs like cannabis and go through about 3 herbal-cigarettes on a normal day, about 8 on a concert day and anything up to 20 on a recording-studio day. It helps me relax and it helps me think with my “other” side (if you know what I mean). I started when I was 13 and haven’t stopped since, because even though I know it is harmful to my body (like alcohol, politics and women) it is also a great comfort and so simple! A cigarette never fails to be a recurring “peaceful and happy” moment during my average day, thus making my life more enjoyable altogether. Ah! the feeling, to hold a small piece of rolled up paper in your hand filled with fragrant dried plants with a warm glowing ember of burning herbs smoldering gently on the end, the smoke curling lazily through your fingers slowly dispersing the sharp-heady aromas of this timeless narcotic. And with a nice cup of earl-grey tea in the other hand the situation just couldn’t be more perfect. Smokers know this, it’s a small brown secret all smokers share among themselves, the joy of tobacco! The forbidden fruit that gives us a simple though satisfying vegetable serenity. A happy smoker is a peaceful animal, contemplating small wisdoms while twirling a thoughtful smoking stick of nature between the fingers ... so much for the past, welcome to the future. Because in this world of Governmental decency control, It’s OK to curbcrawl my HUMMER 4x4 along the inner city side walk vomiting pure carbon monoxide poison into the face of any passing baby-buggy or toddler as long as I pay my roadtax. It’s fine for me to drink myself stupid on alcohol and irritate the fuck out of people in the (non-smoking) bar. It’s fine to pump two tonnes of cancer inducing additives into children’s sweets (because it makes economic sense). It’s perfectly OK to invade a couple of countries to get more supplies of oil for my Hummer (because those fecking towel-heads attacked us first with a hobby knife) But smoking!? SMOKING!? is pure unadulterated EVIL! and apparently our government knows this. They are on a crusade , the “ WAR on CIGARETTES”! The Raven Times 04 - October 2008 - 9
So now smokers like myself are suddenly considered...unclean!, dirty!,smelly!, anti-social!. Smokers are impotent cancerous heart-patients who hate children and pollute polite society! Smokers should be ashamed of themselves, they must be driven out of all places where the clean living healthy and sane people of our world gather together! They shall be driven from the marketplaces! They shall be thrown out from the ale-houses! They shall be banished from taking part in any kind of social event! Because as everybody knows real people don’t smoke, any normal person obviously would never smoke and smokers are simply weak, unhealthy, sad antisocial feckers who don’t have the balls to give it up! I hear this philosophy a lot, and honestly, speaking as a former professional (smoking) swords man, (extremely smoking) fire-stunt, poi, staff, sword and juggling artist as well as Kendoka martial artist, long distance mountain-Hiker and Pagan-musician who eats only organic food, does NOT abuse alcohol or people, bicycles everywhere when he’s not performing, loves to inline skate. Is as potent as a Satyr at Saturnalia and who’s just got a brand new pair of bouncing “JUMPSTILTS” for his 41st birthday, I can honestly say I feel sooooooooo unhealthy!... because I still smoke...and I’ll keep on smoking. When I die I wanna be cremated so I can go out smoking! If fat unhealthy politicians want to take my cigarettes and joints away, they will have to catch me first and I’m kinda fast because physical health and healing come firstly from the head and from training not from Calvinistic fascist laws. As for protecting “the kids”, how about cleaning up the planet first instead of starting another witch-hunt to draw the public attention? People will always make up their own mind about what they should and shouldn’t do to themselves. My kids know all about smoking and were allowed to decide for themselves (so we won’t have to get them a drivers licence and a HUMMER for their 18th birthday) and now one of ‘em smokes and the other hates smoking. And as for calling me an antisocial fecker....I can only reply what’s new? So that’s about enough for this article I think I’ll go and have a smoke now ;-)
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Was there a life before Omnia? by Mich You loved to see Jenny in flamenco dress? You were amazed to discover that Joe looked like The Edge from U2 when he was young? You couldn’t get enough of Steve’s pictures from the punk years? It’s time for Mich now to share some embarrassing pics from the past. Enjoy it!
I’m 3 months, and my grandma from Bosnia who was visiting us is already trying to make me clap in my hands while she’s singing. As you can see it, it leaves my grandpa a bit doubtful. And me even more.
With some family friends in my grand parents backyard in Belgium, the place where I grew up until the age of 10. I must be a bit more than 2 years old, and guess what I’m holding in my hands? Indeed, my first drummer boy toy! Precocious, isn’t it?
Sitting with my grand-father during the party for my third birthday, fascinated by my mother’s cousin Pero playing accordion. As the playing and singing was part of every family gathering, I was already able to sing a lot of ukrainian and south slavic folk songs along with my father who was an amazing singer and entertainer.
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3 years and half, and already rocking! The fact that my older cousins were listening to rock and new wave stuff had definitely an influence on me.
But even then, I never forgot my roots. At the age of 11, I joined Pero (you know, my mother’s cousin with his accordion) and his ukrainian dancing group Doumka. I’m on the left of this pictures. I danced with them until the age of 16, travelling around Europe to bring some acrobatic cossack stuff to the people.
At the same time, I joined some college friends as a drummer. We were all music fans, from goth to metal, punk and alternative rock. Here, it’s my first stage experience as a drummer, I must be 14 or something. Our band was called Yolk. And you can notice that our keyboard player Jef was listening too much to the Cure.
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When I stopped dancing for Doumka, they asked me to join as a musician. So the folk adventure continued, but behind my drumkit. It was quite funny for me to play in dark pubs with my rock friends one day, and with really classical musicians the other. A bit schizophrenic, but a great experience as a teenager.
My very first studio recording experience with Yolk. One of our teachers at school had a home studio and we spent two days at his place making our first demo. No, you won’t get the opportunity to hear it. Believe me, you really don’t want to.
And here comes the Dark Side. Mich in his nihilistic glory. It’s the kind of situation which can label you for ages. When I still had a « normal » job in the office of the Ministery of Transport (working for mobility projects), I was called « the satanist » by some colleagues, just because I was dressed in black and listened to dark music. Funny period of my life...
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Two weeks before my wedding with Lies, our friends organized a big party, and reformed our band Yolk, after years of standby. I hadn’t touched a drumkit for ages, but what a pleasure to grab the sticks again. Especially for the bloody blisters on your fingers.
Les Anthinoises 2006. My father died one or two months ago, leaving us in shock. And this is the first time I go outside with friends since then. I had proposed them this festival some months before, just attracted by a weird band on the program with swirlies on the faces and playing Pagan Folk. And then we saw them play... and it was the beginning of a big love story.
Anno Domini 2006, Luxemburg. A great week-end with Lies at this medieval festival. And the first time I talked to the Omnia band members. This is actually the first picture of me with Omnia band members. A funny « autophoto » I made this day. A few months later, I started to do the merch for the band, building up a strong friendship with them, and you probably know how the story ends... 14 - The Raven Times 04 - October 2008
If you were... by Joe
If you were a reincarnation: It would be déjà vu all over again If you were a feeling: It would be a good one If you were a question: What? If you were a prophecy: It would be better than some of that guy Nostradumus’ If you were a sound or a music: It would be cow horns in the Alps If you were a sacred place: It would be somewhere in Ireland If you were a god: I would be the god of Guitar Heroes ®
If you were a word: It would be Feck! If you were a pain: It would be in the lower rear region If you were an animal: I would be a tiger so I could keep Richard Parker company If you were a vegetable: I would be a potato – versatile! If you were a quest: It would be for knowledge If you were a truth: It would be indisputable If you were a lie: You wouldn’t believe me If you were a dream: It would be long, complicated, confusing and you would wake up thinking ‘huh?!’ If you were an object: It would be sharp If you were a faith: You wouldn’t believe me If you were a colour: It would be black If you were a country: I’d have my own flag If you were yourself: I AM myself!
© Marcel Bakker
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Roots, distant roots... by Luka While we were figuring out what to write for this issue of the Raven Times, Mich (the head editor of this fine fan-e-zine you see before you) asked me: “Luka, could you maybe write something about your cultural background?” I replied: “Yeah, sure”, before I fully realised what this meant, and needed several days to get past the spontaneous writer’s block that instantly occurred as I didn’t know what the hells I was supposed to write. I decided to take the ‘vertical plunge’ approach on this article and hoped the water beneath me wouldn’t be too cold, or at least not below 0 degrees centigrade. So, starting off with this chosen attitude, the following information may shock you. Ready? I am not from New Zealand and I’m not a Maori! There. I said it. I did not star as the leader of a pack of bloodthirsty Uruk-Hai in a certain popular fantasy movie. The lunula-shaped patterns I wear on my face are mostly based on Hallstatt- and La Tène period artwork from the Celtic Iron-Age in Europe. I couldn’t even perform a haka to save my life with a taiaha. Apparently all the tongue-in-cheek remarks about my fictional Maori heritage (while standing next to a real Maori actor - Lawrence Makoare - who did star as the leader of some bloodthirsty Uruk-Hai in aforementioned movie) went on just a little too long, and those remarks slowly evolved into wild rumours and pseudo-facts like a bunch of rabid Pokémons. Maybe it was the whole aboriginal didgeridoo image that accounted for some of the misconceptions (and New Zealand is only 1300 kilometers from Australia). Nevertheless it just seems to me the time has finally come to set things straight. I sincerely apologise for the inconvenience and any mental suffering all this may cause or may already have caused you. Really. Now then, on to the condensed history section! The fact is that I’m about half of European ancestry (1/2 Dutch, 1/8 Corsican), and about half (well, 3/8..) Asian; my father was part European and born in Surakarta in the land nowadays known as Indonesia, the former Dutch East Indies (distance to New Zealand; 8000 km). As you can tell from that name, it used to be a Dutch colony, and started being an important asset for the income of the VOC (Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie or ‘United East-Indies Company’) when its ships first disembarked its occupying force there in the seventeenth century. Already then Holland (NL ~ NZ =18800 km) managed to make the first multinational trade company sound like a hard corporate business. All this of course meant that the local population was enslaved by a conqueror with mainly superior weapons technology (ironically not much has changed over the centuries). In 1942 they were defeated by the Japanese who then also occupied the land. Many people, among which my uncle Louis after whom I’ve been named, were deported to the notorious Burma railroad and never seen again. Immediately after the Second World War, Holland tried to regain control of the colony during the infamous “Policing Actions”. But in the end they did not succeed. In 1948 the indigenous people took the power back and kicked out the last occupiers. Unfortunately, many people of mixed blood (also known as “Indische Nederlanders” or “Indoes” for short) were now caught between two cultures. Often raised in a western manner for generations, they suddenly felt alienated in the country where they lived as it underwent drastic political and cultural changes. Yet they were clearly not European, and for many the unreal shock of moving to live in Holland was tremendous. A small anecdote illustrates this, wherein a Dutch farmer became furious with the immigrants that chopped down his apple tree for firewood during the cold autumn days to which they were unaccustomed. The Indoes didn’t understand the farmer’s anger; wasn’t the tree dying anyway since it was already losing its leaves from the bitter cold? 16 - The Raven Times 04 - October 2008
After the Indonesian declaration of independence and my father being an Indo, he also moved to Holland and married an all-Dutch country girl. This created a remarkable physical combination in their offspring which was highly unusual in those days. Their children had a dark complexion but were physically very tall. So a two meter tall man with black curly hair and a deep southern (Dutch) accent did not really register as a second generation Indo to most people. I have been called Mexican, Moroccan, Spaniard, Maori, Mongol, Arab, Chinese, Jew, Aboriginal, Japanese, Iraqi and Indian; sometimes not even in a derogatory sense. Apparently I can either be a cultural anthropologist’s wet dream or nightmare, depending on if that person likes me. I have given this issue a lot of thought during my life. I admit that in the past the inclination of people to ask me to explain my ethnic background sometimes bothered me. Not that I considered such a question implicitly racist, but my point is that I think several European countries ceased to be a all-Caucasian nations as soon as it started claiming other lands across the globe and their inhabitants as theirs. Even though I’m beyond pointing a finger to the colonialism of the past, it seems to me that its legacies nowadays are only natural, but that even today many people are still ignorant of these facts in their own country’s history. And so I come to the end of this story about my roots. I consider myself a real Indo-European. You can look up several definitions of that term on Wikipedia (don’t you think ‘wiki pe dia’ sounds kinda Maori?). Although all this information sometimes seems too much just to explain things again and again, I hope it illustrates that real cultural diversity goes much deeper than only being a mere trick to push yet another mega-commercial event under the promotional banner of ‘multicultural’ society that actually forces everything into a monotonous mush. I see this diversity just as a simple fact of life, nothing more, nothing less. And I am proud that my own roots are so intensely wrought with history (guess what one of my favourite classes was in school!) and to be able share this with you. Selamat jalan, Luka
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© Marcel Bakker
However, most of them quickly adapted to the European way of life. This possibly also proves how intense the western culture was in some places of the former colony and why it made most Indoes move to Holland despite the fact that they were leaving their native country and most of their belongings behind. But anyway, in the end the Dutch learned to eat new tasty and spicy dishes, and the Indoes found out that central heating isn’t as useless as it sounds when you’re not exactly living on the equator. So on the whole things seem to have worked out acceptably enough.
Behind the song by Jenny Does one have to suffer to create art? Well, at least sometimes! Here’s a little story about how one of our most popular songs was born.... Midwinter, 2003. Three bedraggled, tired and disappointed Pagans come home from one of the most horrible experiences they ever had. For days, Luka, Steve and Jenny had been working, out in the cold winter air, building a beautiful Wickerman, dedicated to the Horned God Cernunnos. Their intention was to burn this effigy after the last concert, at the end of the festival they had helped to organise. But someone decided that neither they, nor their friends needed to be present to light the sacrifice, so that when they arrived with all their sacrifices in their hands (too late, because they had been kept waiting for the festival boss in his office), at the place where the proud statue should have been standing, their unbelieving eyes only saw smoke and ashes... That night, finally at home, spirits very low and body temperature even lower, I decided that only a long, hot shower could help me relax and calm down. I was too tired to even stand under the shower and sat down on the floor, letting the hot water cleanse body and soul. After a while of just sitting like this, I thought I heard tones, like little bells. I wondered if Steve had maybe picked up his bouzouki and if I was hearing a little of it (don’t forget, I mainly heard the sound of water on my head). The tones became a melody in my head, and I started softly humming it. Somehow, a beautiful and ancient-sounding melody formed itself, and I could hear the way Luka, Steve and me should sing it. I kept humming the tune to myself, anxious to remember it. I came out of the shower and dried myself as fast as I could, knowing that if I didn’t try to play the tune right away I could lose it as easily as I had found it. I ran downstairs, and found that luckily, one of my harps was still in tune. Playing the melody was strange, it felt as if it had always been in my repertoire, it felt so natural. Steve really loved it as well, and after playing it a couple of times I was too exhausted to write it down or record it. I was sure I would remember... Well, of course, I found out why one should ALWAYS RECORD! The next day I had quite forgotten it. I knew the key, the notes, but couldn’t make the melody sound the way it sounded before. Awful, but I kept hoping it would pop back into my head, just as other tunes taught to me would sometimes disappear the day after, but then come back at the weirdest places and moments. For days I tried not to think about it too much, knowing that I would definitely not remember it that way (like trying to remember a name of a person, when you try too hard it doesn’t work, then you let it go and suddenly it’s there). It worked, which is just as well, because the melody I suddenly remembered while cooking one night, was the melody you now know as “Etrezomp-ni Kelted”. I thought this melody sounded so much like the An Dro’s from Brittany that I chose words from a Breton poem about the gathering of the Celts to sing to this melody. Although I first played it on the harp, the melody would eventually be played by Steve on his bouzouki, leaving me free to express the emotion with voice and drum. After playing it for five years now, first with three, then four, and now five people, it remains one of my favourite Omnia songs to perform live. It has so much more feeling than the words can convey and it can still give me goosebumps. An Omnia concert is just not complete without it. And sometimes, when hundreds of people are singing the chorus along, I remember the wickerman that was taken from us and the anger I felt on discovering the lack of respect to us and the Gods. But no longer do I feel angry, I feel enormously grateful, to the spirits that decided to give me a little energy boost by giving me this song that has the power to make people, all over the world, so extremely happy, they could cry! 18 - The Raven Times 04 - October 2008
Alive! by Steve Sic The OMNIA-Alive! CD comes in a special “book”-like sleeve which the PaganScum art-monks (Miez and me) filled with drawings by Alan Lee and all sorts of stuff as you well know. But now I’d like to explain some details and facts to you about the hidden depth and meaning behind the Art.(because with us it’s not all just for show) First of all it looks like an old pocketbook because I love old books. And I’m also in the habit of scribbling notes and drawings and ideas into messy little pocket notebooks. So I imagined the pocketbook of a 19th century poet/artist (someone like myself, and what it would look like filled with notes,sketches, bits of card, pressed flowers etc. and then what it would look like after it had been carried around and used half a lifetime, put away in a desk eventually being dumped by grandchildren on an old attic and later found and left in an antique-book shop where I bought it last year...something like that. Ofcourse the main theme of the CD is the cycle of life and death mixed with remembrance for the ones that came before us plus the life of art beyond death. To emphasise this heavy load as honestly as possible and to underline our pure way of thinking and working we used all sorts of real things to “build” the book. So instead of just using whatever we could rip from the internet to build our artwork (the “normal” way) we made and photographed everything ourselves. ie: scans of antique book pages and covers from our own collections, bits of card and bark close ups of plants in Stenny’s back garden etc. So that means that every pressed flower was handpicked by me or Miez and holds some special meaning (like the flowers growing over the grave of Miez’s dad) or the flowers from my mum’s garden (she died while we were recording Alive!). Except the disc itself, Miez found that strange device on the internet, and we both loved the look of it (it’s an ancient and very obscure navigational device). So Miez photoshopped it onto the disc adding the brilliant double pun “Misia Fecit” for all those millions of latin speakers who buy our cd’s... (Strangely enough a few months after printing Alive! Miez was up solo-hiking cross country in england. It was raining so he stepped into a small museum in a village somewhere and what did he find staring at him from the first exhibiton cabinet he saw?...you guessed it... that very same bloody weird disc! (so eventually even that was photographed by one of us personally although slightly later than the actual print...) Some facts about the art of Alive!: The front inside cover: the introduction piece: “Everyone dies...” was the last thing to be written at the very end of the whole project (the last shall be the first) The bookstore label is based on a real old company label but changed to come from Ankh Morpork in the Discworld of Terry Pratchett. Because that’s one of the alternate universes we get a lot of inspiration from. You can easily see on this page that not only did we put in pressed flowers but also the actual “splat” they made on the facing page . (details details)
The wytches brew pages: the brown things are slips of yew bark we took from the forest.(so now you know what they look like)
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The Raven pages: the translation of the Latin vocals is: “Hail Raven of Evil, Get thee back to Hell, Begone Raven of unconquerable Death, Bird of Death fly, farewell...” The second Raven drawing has a beak full of Daffodils (which refers to the last poem in the booklet) the wine stains took an entire evening to make, experimenting with different wines and methods of getting the glass wet just right to get a lovely gothic paperstain. In the end I used red Port utilising the “swirling rim-dip”method ;-) The feather is actually crow, because we ran out of Ravens to pluck.
Were you at the rock?: The Drawing represents the spirit of my Mum and me.
The Alive pages: yes, the Cannabis leaf is from one of our own previous harvests
Richard Parkers fancy: Richard Parker is Joe’s fuzzy tiger and he get’s his name from a story book character, a huge hungry tiger, trapped on a life boat full of animals, all of which he eats from a weird book called Life of Pi by Yann Martel. the first part of this set we play for Richard is called “Sheep on the boat”, something he loves to eat...so the second faster part is the sound of the first tune being ripped up and consumed by a happy tiger hence the name “Richard Parker’s fancy” and the big picture of a tiger jumping on a picture of a sheep. 20 - The Raven Times 04 - October 2008
The Elven Lover pages: the herbs here are (obviously) parsley sage rosemary and thyme from our garden.
Satyrsex pages: Rosy Palm is a double pun because a: she’s the top “madam” of the Ankh Morpork seamstres’s guild (the prostitutes) and her name itself is a joke on she who comforts young men everywhere “Rosy Palm and her five sisters” (think about it). This all emphasises the sexual/fun nature of this piece.
The equinox pages: the stamp is our Octagram and runes which together symbolise the whole universe and all it (totality),the torn piece of paper is a medieval representation of some christian saint gazing beyond the stars and the firmament onto the slopes of heaven itself. The winestain is from a rather sturdy cabernet sauvignon. The fairytale pages: the drawing on the card over Alice Liddell’s photograph is a drawing by Sir John Tenniel from the early Alice in Wonderland. It show’s one of my favourite Alice characters the Hookah smoking caterpillar... Jenny’s photo..what can I say, we only had to photoshop it into black and white, she really looked like that and her mum actually dressed her in victorian clothes! the book-writing fairycreature is Alan Lee’s prototype of the Fairystory-teller drawings in the “PaganFolkLore” book
The back inside cover: The druïde-like weirdo with a cd around his neck is a sketch uncle Alan sent us a couple of years ago in a letter, it’s a self portrait of Alan’s hidden Pagan-self. The last poem under the tray: “The Daffodil” is the first poem I ever had to learn by heart in school (by William Wordsworth) which I re-wrote and updated. (so the first shall be the last and so we come full circle). So that gives you some insight into the visuals of Alive!.. end of lecture...
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Merchbabe Lies Can you first of all introduce yourself in a few words to the PaganClan members? Lies, Mich’s wife and OMNIA’s merch”babe”. How did you get involved in the OMNIA Crew? I first saw OMNIA at the Anthinoises festival (Belgium) in April 2006. Mich and I went to a few gigs and in April 2007 OMNIA asked us if we could help them out and do the merch in the AB in Brussels. We had so much fun and it worked out very well, and so we continued to do the merch. From this year Mich is on stage (as you may have noticed) so I’m alone at the merch stand but when needed I get help from friends. What does your work consist of? Go to the bank to get € 2 coins and € 5 notes because everybody gives € 50 notes :-), prepare the merchstand, check if there is new stuff to sell and if we brought everything, check if there’s electricity for the lights, decorate the stand, sell the merch, give info about the band and the concert, keep the merchandise from getting wet when it rains, assure the fans that OMNIA will be there after the show to sign their CDs, try to keep the stickers and T-shirts from blowing away when it’s windy, clean up the merch stand, pack everything in and (my favourite part) count the money... What do you consider the best and the worst part of your job? The best part: meeting the fans, all you guys, though I don’t always have the time to talk as much as I would like. I also love meeting up in the hotel room after the gig with the whole family (band and crew) to hang out because during festivals and concerts I hardly see or talk to them more than you do. The worst part: Mmmmm, is there a worst part? Oh yes, horror, travelling in a car... I’ve had a few accidents (which were never my fault by the way...) and so I’ve lost confidence in other drivers and I’m actually very scared in cars. Luckily Joe is a very good, cool and relax driver and that helps a lot :-) If you had to work with some other bands, which ones would you choose and why? No idea... The band in which Mich would be the drummer? A word about your fellow band and crew members? Maybe it’s safer not to give an answer to this question but I’m going to anyway ;-) Steve is the most dynamic and creative of the group. But I’m still looking for the « off-button ». Luka is very sweet and childlike but in a very positive way, he’s a dreamer. But he’s taking too much space, especially in the car. :-) Mich is ... euh ... well...my husband... Joe is Mr Cool and very wise, that’s maybe why I don’t always understand his jokes. Eddy is very charming and I just love his very dry humour but he is unbearable in the morning when he doesn’t get his cup of coffee. Pieter is very protective (and hairy). He is always taking care of something, the ideal older brother-type. And luckily for me there is sweet Jenny for all the girl talk about lace tops, periods, men, make-up and van driving skills. You were part of many pagan adventures with OMNIA. Can you maybe share some anecdotes? Which one do you prefer? The naked crew members that go swimming in a freezing lake? The story about the trailer with miniature beds we got as ‘hotel’ room in England? The best way to hide weed when you cross the border? Just let me know... :-) 22 - The Raven Times 04 - October 2008
The Omnia Shirt World Tour After a little trip to the Egypt of the farao’s with Sandra (see the second edition of the Raven Times), we come back to Europe for this Omnia Shirt World Tour, with a great picture taken by our official and extremely talented photograph Marcel Bakker during a family trip to Italy. You can’t find better elements for a great picture: his beautiful daughter Chloé, an Omnia Raven shirt and the magnificent piazza San Marco in Venice. Compared to this, even the most stylish pics from fashion magazines look like amateur’s work. Thanks you for sharing it!
Want some squirrels? Do squirrels appreciate Omnia? Difficult to answer this question, I don’t have every day the opportunity to invite a squirrel friend for a pint just to ask him if he loves our music. But Lydia could check it out during a trip to London, in the Kensington Gardens. And the conclusion is: squirrels maybe hate Omnia’s music, but they love the design of the new bags. ;-) Thank you for this lovely pic!
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Fan Art Sometimes, even if they don’t use the band as a subject for their drawings or paintings, fans are simply inspired by Omnia’s music in their work. Roos sent us two of her works which are obviously linked to Omnia’s universe, « Raven’s Nest» and «Dancing Spirits». Thank you Roos for sharing it with us and keep up the good work.
Omniotic Walkingmeet, Spijkenisse, July 27th 2008, ‘The Fellowship of the Oak’ by Jaschenka It is common knowledge that Omniots also like to seek each others company outside of the festival, concerts and forum-visits. That’s how the idea of ‘Omniot-meets’ was born, and various times cosy gatherings have been organised. This time it was Spijkenisses’ turn, where on Sunday July 27th a walking meet took place. A group of 14 fanatics (how funny that my spelling check suggests I replace this word for the term ‘show-offs’!) signed up for this undertake. The route covered about ten kilometres and went partially along the dyke of the Hartel canal and through three parks in Spijkenisse north. Along the way various stops were made, the longest of which with an extended picnic. There was plenty of eating and drinking, chit-chat and laughter and of course walking. The weathergods were on our side. Despite the forecasted rain with thunderstorms it was dry all afternoon with a cheerful sun, at 24 degrees Celsius with a comfortable breeze. The heavy showers did not arrive until early next morning. The wildlife around us was thoroughly enjoyed and the photographers among the walkers were spoiled. Many beautiful pictures were taken.
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For a minute there Cer thought he heard a rare kind of bird singing during the picnic break. Fully concentrated he glanced up to spot the tiny creature, convinced it was hiding somewhere in the tree above his head. How hilarious when he discovered (last!) that the bird was actually AnamCara with a bird whistle! Still we are not to complain about the company on this walk. A big variety of birds including herons, sparrows, blackbirds, siskin, finches and even buzzards and the kingfisher showed themselves. The in the park residing mowing machines, the Galloway’s and Scottish Highlanders, did not even blink with the passing of the parade of Omniots, something that can not be said of several human spectators. During the organisation of this walk the thought occurred to seize the opportunity to do something very Pagan and Eco-Anarchistic, while we were at it! A by Cer lovingly grown baby-oak was given a beautiful spot in the park during this meet, planted with loads of good energy, dear sacrifices and accompanied by well wishes between its still tiny roots. Now, a week or so later, he stands firm, straight next to his big brother. We keep an eye on him and feed him encouraging words from time to time. We hope this action will have many followers and are determined to do it again, maybe not in the same place or with the same people, but definitely with the same devotion, enthusiasm and Omniotic warmth that makes us get together. And this is how ‘The Fellowship of the Oak’ came to be! On the picture, from left to right sitting down: Len, Jaschenka, Squinty Standing from left to right: BlackRaven, AnamCara, Nocturne, Pica, Domi, Spunky, Cer, Hendel, Lydia, Cat. (Group photo by Carla van Mill, picnic photo by Squinty all photos used with permission) The Raven Times 04 - October 2008 - 25
Agenda 17-10-2008 OMNIA "European Roots" Theater Tour, Theater de Reehorst, Ede (Gld), NL, concert starts: 20:15 18-10-2008 Nox Obscura, Rijtuigenloods, Amersfoort, NL 19-10-2008 Nox Obscura, Rijtuigenloods, Amersfoort, NL 31-10-2008 OMNIA "European Roots" Theater Tour, Theater De Maaspoort, Venlo, NL, concert starts: 20:15 22-11-2008 OMNIA "European Roots" Theater Tour, Theater Twee Hondjes, Hellevoetsluis, NL, concert starts 20:15 23-11-2008 Temple of Fantasy, Pieterskerk, Leiden, NL 28-11-2008 HH Stage, Gorinchem, NL 29-11-2008 OMNIA "European Roots" Theater Tour, Theater de Skans, Gorredijk, NL, concert starts: 20:30 21-12-2008 Fairy Ball II, Pim Jacobs Theater, Maarssen, NL.
2009
17-1-2009 OMNIA "European Roots" Theater Tour, Schouwburg Amphion, Doetinchem (NL), concert starts: 20:30 24-1-2009 OMNIA's first ever concert in France! More info will follow... 31-1-2009 OMNIA "European Roots" Theater Tour: Stadsgehoorzaal, Kampen, NL, concert starts: 20:00 6-2-2009 OMNIA "European Roots" Theater Tour, Isala Theater, Capelle a/d IJssel, NL, concert starts: 20:15 10-2-2009 OMNIA "European Roots" Theater Tour, Fortis Theater aan de Schie, Schiedam, NL, concert starts: 20:15 12-2-2009 OMNIA "European Roots" Theater Tour, Theater Castellum, Alphen aan den Rijn, concert starts: 20:30 14-2-2009 OMNIA "European Roots" Theater Tour, Cultureel Centrum De Ruchte, Someren, concert starts: 20:30 21-2-2009 OMNIA "European Roots" Theater Tour, Theater de Purmaryn, Purmerend, concert starts: 20:30 28-2-2009 OMNIA "European Roots" Theater Tour, Theater De Stoep, Spijkenisse, NL, concert starts: 20:15 7-3-2009 OMNIA "European Roots" Theater Tour, Schouwburg Orpheus, Apeldoorn, NL, concert starts: 20:00 12-3-2009 OMNIA "European Roots" Theater Tour, Schouwburg de Kring, Roosendaal, NL, concert starts: 20:00 20-3-2009 OMNIA "European Roots" Theater Tour, Theater 't Kielzog, Hoogezand, NL, concert starts: 20:00 28-3-2009 OMNIA "European Roots" Theater Tour, Theater de Dialoog, Ermelo, NL, concert starts: 20:15 3-4-2009 OMNIA "European Roots" Theater Tour, Rabotheater, Hengelo (Ov.), NL, concert starts: 20:30 11-4-2009 OMNIA "European Roots" Theater Tour, Theater Agora, Lelystad, NL, concert starts: 20:15 12-4-2009 Trolls et Légendes, Mons, BE 16-4-2009 OMNIA "European Roots" Theater Tour, Schouwburg Het Park, Hoorn (NH.), NL, concert starts: 20:30 25-4-2009 OMNIA "European Roots" Theater Tour, Goudse Schouwburg, Gouda, NL, concert starts: 20:30 2-5-2009 OMNIA "European Roots" Theater Tour, Theater Geert Teis, Stadskanaal, NL, concert starts: 20:00 8-5-2009 OMNIA "European Roots" Theater Tour, CC Cascade, Hendrik Ido Ambacht, concert starts: 20:15 14-5-2009 OMNIA "European Roots" Theater Tour, CC de Pas, Heesch, NL, concert starts: 20:15 15-5-2009 OMNIA "European Roots" Theater Tour, Theater de Poorterij, Zaltbommel, NL, concert starts: 20:15 22-5-2009 OMNIA "European Roots" Theater Tour, Theater de Lampegiet, Veenendaal, NL, concert starts: 20:00
The Raven Times - PaganClan Team Michel “Mich” Rozek: coordinator, editor, french translation (mich@omnia-neocelt.com) Liesbet “Lies” Mignolet: coordinator, lay-out (mich@omnia-neocelt.com) Christa “Squinty” Kloosterman: editor, dutch translation (squinty@omnia-neocelt.nl) Sabine Barbara “Bienchen” Schrader: editor, german translation (bienchen@omnia-neocelt.de) With the priceless collaboration, help and support of Jenny, Steve, Luka, Joe, Miez, Marcel Bakker, Wen and Cécile.
© OMNIA - PaganClan www.omnia-neocelt.com
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