JAZZ ARTISTRY NOW (JAN) is a new publication that was established to bring more focus toward this seriously engaging now music and many of the exciting now artists who are creating it everyday.  JAZZ ARTISTRY NOW (JAN) presents feature articles, interviews, reviews, music and videos.  We will also include many high-quality, prescreened independent artists and producers among our feature subjects. Information and access are powerful resources to the continuum and practice of jazz music.  We are very interested in the perpetuation of the historical aspects of the music.  And, JAZZ ARTISTRY NOW (JAN) maintains that all worthy musical artistry merits publicity and due consideration. Thank you for reading, listening and watching ...

Finley Sound provides recording, mixing and mastering services for independent musicians and record labels.

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Film/tv/advertising composer, working in Los Angeles for...well, quite a while now. I also have a lot of fun working in voiceover as a producer and director for production, and as a coach for actors and other on-mic talent.

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Icelandic pop/rock band Menn Ársins (en.: Men of the Year) was founded on 2005 in Reykjavík, Iceland by singer/guitarist Sváfnir and keyboard player/singer Halli (Haraldur Vignir). Their main goal in the beginning was to work on a few songs that Sváfnir had up his sleeve and wanted to work on.
Recordings were made and few of the songs got some considerable airplay on the national radio station. Drummer Diddi (Kjartan Guðnason) has been on board from the early days of the band.

With Sigurdór Guðmundsson joining the band on bass, the band started to work on some more songs with all the members chipping in on the songwriting. After an intensive rehearsal period in the fall of 2007 they locked themselves away at Lundgaard Studios in Denmark and recorded 12 tracks for their debut album (released on their own label in September 2008).

In 2010 the band participated in the Eurovision preliminaries in Iceland with an original song, Gefst ekki upp.  Early 2011 Sigurdór left the band and the remaining three started working on a new album, although heavily delayed due to the members' other engagements. In September 2012 the first single from an upcoming album was released, Morgundagurinn. The plan is to release one track per month for a year, releasing the 12 songs produced as an album in fall 2013.

The music of Menn Ársins does not easily fall into one category. All members are active musicians and have played in most styles of music. Haraldur has been with (grunge) rockers Dead Sea Apple for over a decade and is also composing and arranging in classical settings as well as composing for commercials. Drummer Diddi has played, for instance, with (Balkan folk sensation) Rússíbanar, rockers Ske and modern classical ensembles Ísafold Chamber Orchestra and Caput. Sváfnir is firmly rooted in the singer/songwriter (troubadour) tradition with some punk and new wave as an early influence as well.

So it’s easy to say that Menn Ársins have a big palette of influences and experiences to choose from and add to their musical musings. But at the core their music is melodic pop/rock with arrangements ranging from string laden ballads and horn driven grooves to stripped down up-tempo rocking out!


Menn Ársins are:

Haraldur Vignir Sveinbjörnsson - keyboard, guitar, vocals
Kjartan “Diddi” Guðnason – drums and percussion, background vocals
Sváfnir Sigurðarson – vocals, guitar

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