Very Cool People and Arnis Mednis Play ODIS

“Very Cool People” and Arnis Mednis play “ODIS”

The group “Very Cool People” announces new major concerts, this time dedicated to the music of the legendary band “ODIS” and this year’s birthday celebrant Arnis Mednis. They will take place on November 6 at the Riga cinema “Splendid Palace” and on November 14 at the Vidzeme concert hall “Cēsis”, with the leader of “ODIS” himself also taking part.

The band “ODIS” is a legend of Latvian funk and soul music, so the standard-bearers of this genre in modern Latvia, “Very Cool People”, have decided to pay due respect to their predecessors and offer listeners old songs in new arrangements. The first sign of this program is the already publicly released song “Radio”, created in collaboration with Intars Busulis and Daniela Masi.

“Ten years ago, while creating the program “Funkology”, we already wanted to include songs by Latvian funk and soul artists, but back then we stuck to foreign repertoire, planning to take a more serious look at our own latitude sometime in the future, and now that moment has arrived!” says band leader Elvijs Grafcovs. “In the autumn Arnis Mednis will celebrate his 65th birthday, we have built up our musical muscles to mark it properly, and of course the best way to do that is in the most patriotic month in Latvia!”

Both concerts will be special events for both “Very Cool People” fans and Latvian funk and soul music lovers in general, because Arnis Mednis will also join the band on stage, playing keyboards and vocoder.

“It all started with asking for permission to record two “ODIS” songs, but our meeting with Arnis Mednis quickly turned into a couple of hours of conversation, playing together in the rehearsal room, and the idea for an entire concert program,” says Elvijs. “Arnis is a true music professional with a great sense of humor, and he fit very quickly into our creatively crazy circle.”

The band “Very Cool People” has created several powerful concert programs dedicated to funk, soul, rock and pop legends, and the new one is guaranteed to be no less energetic and musically vibrant.

The lineup will include vocalist Daniela Mase, trombonist Laura Rozenberga, guitarist Elvijs Grafcovs, trumpeter Oskars Ozoliņš, tenor saxophonist Māris Jēkabsons, baritone saxophonist Kristaps Lubovs, keyboardist Māris Vitkus, bassist Jānis Olekšs, percussionist Andris Buiķis and, of course, special guest Arnis Mednis on keyboards and vocoder.