GO! Issue 12: December 2, 2004 - February 10, 2005

   Drinking & Dancing

Bilingua If you like the OGIs, you’ll love Bilingua. For starters, Bilingua is a member of the OGI family, with its trademark mix of books, bohemians and budget beer.

   Gigs

Bomfunk MC’s: SDK MAI, Dec. 3 Finland is not widely known internationally for its music industry, but Bomfunk MC’s are doing their best to change this situation.

Finland Independence Night: B2, Dec. 5 Mieskuoro Huutajat, or the “Huutajat Screaming Men,” headlines a multi-media festival featuring a bunch of vastly diverse, fringe Finnish bands that are to perform in Moscow on the eve of Finland’s Independence Day.

Refree: 35mm, Dec. 10 The Barcelona-based jazzy folk-pop band Refree returns to Russia as a quartet, with a set that its frontman and songwriter Raul Fernandez said he hopes will be “more energetic” and better than its February gig here as a trio.

Kid & Khan: B2, Dec. 9 Look out for a rare example of America and Old Europe cooperating with each other at this year’s B2 birthday bash in the form of Kid & Khan, as the US/German born duo look to ignite the festivities with some electro-fuelled blues, punk and pop sounds.

ZUCO 103: Tinkoff, Dec. 15 While the name of Zuco 103 might not be widely known in Moscow, this Netherlands-based trio has achieved renown among locals on the lookout for something new and non-mainstream on the international music scene.

Blast: Phlegmatic Dog, Dec. 25 Indie rock group Blast’s Christmas Day gig should be a good opportunity to hear live versions of the songs on their new album “Fuck the Industry,” which was released locally in November and is scheduled for UK release in February.

TAYLOR SAVVY: Zapasnik, Dec. 11 One of the funniest rookies on the international pop scene, Canada’s Taylor Savvy has been touring the United States with Peaches and is now coming to perform at Art Garbage.

   Restaurants

Barashka I have to admit, when the call came to review a new restaurant featuring Azeri cuisine, I was less than enthusiastic. After all, upscale food from the Caucasus can be a bit of a three-ring circus in Moscow: native costumes, writhing belly dancers and overblown decoration, all set to the beat of a shrill pseudo-Middle Eastern house band.

Banana Leaf Attention, sports fans. Craving a curry with your cricket? A tikka with your tennis? The new Banana Leaf restaurant and sports bar, just off Tverskaya Ulitsa, offers both.