
For three nights, Banja Luka’s Kastel Fortress became a meeting point for different generations, musical worlds and thousands of people brought together by the same rhythm. The 14th edition of Freshwave Festival came to a close after once again demonstrating that music can cross boundaries that have little to do with geography.

Some moments seem almost impossible to put into words. Thousands of people stand before a stage. The lights fade. The bass slowly disappears, the rhythm dissolves, and only a handful of notes linger above the crowd. Arms rise almost instinctively, every gaze fixed in the same direction, while an unmistakable sense of anticipation fills the air.

Some musicians win audiences over with hit songs, those who fill stadiums, and those whose names become part of popular culture. Then there are the rare, almost mythical artists whose influence transcends all of that. Among them, a special place belongs to Radomir Mihailović Točak.

There are objects that serve a purpose. And there are those who carry character. A Fender guitar belongs to the latter. It was not created to be perfect. It was created to be played.

One of the most distinctive open-air festivals in this part of Europe, Jelen OK Fest, returns once again to the spectacular setting of Tjentište, deep within Sutjeska National Park. From July 17 to 19, the festival brings three days of outstanding music, a powerful festival atmosphere, and performances by artists shaping both the global and regional music scenes.

Only those deeply familiar with the local music scene knew that a true guitar virtuoso was living and working in the Republic of Srpska. The rest of the world found out recently, when American magazine Guitar World named Igor Paspalj from Prijedor the Best Electric Guitarist of 2020.