FLIGHT 666 TO HEL, AND A BIT OF PÕHJAST MUSIC

There are two Friday the 13th’s in 2013.  Today is one of them: 9-13-13.  Some people won’t leave their homes today.  But for those who want to thumb their noses at superstition, have I got a deal for you.

Actually, this news is a bit late for thumb-nosing today, unless you happen to live in Copenhagen. If you do, you still might be able to find a seat on Finnair’s Flight 666 to HEL. HEL, by the way, is the airport code for Vantaa Airport just outside of Helsinki, Finland. If you could get on that Copenhagen-Helsinki flight, you could really double-down and request a seat in Row 13. Unlike some airlines that skip Row 13 (just as most hotels have no Floor 13), Finnair does have them on their planes.

So does Estonian Air. According to Ulo Valk, professor of comparative folklore at the University of Tartu in Estonia,”Less than 100 years ago the number 13 did not have this sinister meaning. It’s quite recent in the north.” Where does this superstition come from? Here’s Prof. Valk’s explanation: “There are 12 hours, 12 months and in Christianity 12 apostles and this is a divine number. Add one more and it brings in a certain element of chaos.”

So how could Flight 666 to HEL be more chaotic? I mean, other than losing an engine and going down like a fireball into some Finnish farmer’s field? Well, here’s one idea: They could play Põhjast’s “In the Shadow of the Glass Cross” over the PA system en route.

I’ve actually featured this song on NCS before, back in June when it first surfaced on YouTube. But I’m doing it again because Põhjast picked this Friday the 13th to put it up on Bandcamp. And also because I just fuckin’ love the song.

And also because there are both Finnish and Estonian connections: The band’s guitarist/songwriter Gates and its drummer Marko Atso are both Estonian (Atso is also a member of the excellent Estonian band Metsatöll), and bass player Janne Perttilä (Barren Earth) is Finnish. The band also includes vocalist Eric Syre (from Quebec, Canada).

Sadly, the album on which the song will appear — Matused — still doesn’t have a release date because the band are still looking for a label deal. If you like this song, spread it around and go give Põhjast a “like” on Facebook, ’cause I’d really like to hear the rest of the album. Thank you, and Happy Fuckin Friday the 13th!

(thanks to Andy Synn for the tip about Flight 666 to HEL and to The Guardian for the info about it)

http://pohjast.bandcamp.com/track/in-the-shadow-of-the-glass-cross#
https://www.facebook.com/Pohjast