Beat Authority playlist: 2/27/09

Somos todos quisqueyanos!

Euro - song update

A couple weeks ago, Delaney Flushboy blogged about the first rounds of the Eurovision Song Contest. (Remember, brace yourself before clicking these links - Eurovision Songs are not for the faint of heart.) The contest is huge all over Europe, and a national obsession in Sweden.

So it's not surprising our resident North Country Swede of Colton e-mailed with a heads up that an Israeli-Palestinian song duo has ignited controversy (what else is new?), even making the NYT yesterday.

North Country Swede of Colton also has a crucial rules update:

It's great to hear that non-speaking countries can sing in English again. ABBA won in 1974 (i think) with Waterloo, they did it in English, but after that the rules changed and an every country had to sing in their native language.

Block out the week of May 11th - that's when the finals will be held in Moscow. Meanwhile, if you're REALLY brave, watch last year's winner, the Russians...

Free MP3: Hot 8 Brass Band

On Mardi Gras yesterday, a phat brass band from New Orleans, began offering a new song for free download for a week. So download the Hot 8's new track here until next Tuesday... Second line!

Happy Phat Tuesday!

It was 6 degrees outside when I woke up this morning. The snow is dry and blowing. But somewhere in a land far away, men, women, and children are shaking their thangs day, night, and everything in between.

If you want to feel the groove, you gotta listen to WWOZ right now! (At least, until 3pm, when you know Ellen Rocco will be droppin' the Mardi Gras machine Blue Note style on NCPR!) I've been rockin' to dank-nasty swamp funk, straight up second line, dixie, and jam jazz in the last ten minutes, and it ain't even 9 o'clock. And check this parade cam throughout the day to see it all happen live! Laissez les bon temps roulez!

Free mp3s: the best of latin alternative

Call it rock en espanol, latin alternative, whatever. The artists signed to Nacional Records are putting out the hottest, freshest tunes around. Aterciopelados, DJ Bitman, Manu Chao, Plastilina Mosh, The Pinker Tones, Mexican Institute of Sound...Nacional is simply the best label today.

Now Nacional is giving out a 20-song compilation on iTunes absolutely free... Click here and your iTunes will open right to it.

Beat Authority playlist: 2/20/09

It's a good day.

Amnesty International, the Next Generation

My personal/political awakening came in high school when my uncle dragged me along to an Amnesty International meeting. We wrote letters to, and on behalf of, a prisoner of conscience (in Tibet, maybe?), received letters back. Eventually the man was freed. We felt we had done something to help.

I became deeply involved in Amnesty International throughout high school and college (heck, I met my first serious girlfriend on a trip to a regional AI conference in Boston). It's a simple, non-partisan movement...we all deserve basic human rights as espoused in the universal declaration on human rights from 1948. Things like rendition and Guantanamo Bay have given AI a new urgency and relevance.

Back in the 80s, there was a cool factor to AI, too. U2 (esp. Bono), Sting, and Peter Gabriel were all figureheads for AI.

Well, today, it's a new day, and a new generation of musicians speaking out for Amnesty I. They're all Beat Authority regulars: Aterciopelados, Chiwoniso, Julieta Venegas, Chali 2na, Natacha Atlas, Rachid Taha. Check the video for their new fundraising single. It's out on iTunes today, "The Price of Silence". Buy it. It's a cause worth supporting.

Beat Authority playlist: 2/13/09

Happy weekend!

Free MP3: Extra Golden goes into extras

We've told you about Extra Golden's story before: two DC rockers go to Kenya, make a standout afrobeat-rock record with two Kenyan musicians, one Kenyan musician dies, another joins the band for a second (almost as great) record, Kenyans denied visas for U.S. tour, then-Senator Barack Obama helps them get visas, band records "Obama" song to thank him, Obama is elected President, band releases "Obama" on the Internet for free to celebrate. Happens every day, right?

Well, Extra Golden is back with a new, terrific single, and again you can get it for free by clicking (or right-clicking and saving as target (is that a verb?)) here.

P.S. - Happy Pitchers and Catchers Report Day!!

Cachaito

Of all the Buena Vista Social Club members to release a solo album, Orlando "Cachaito" Lopez' was the edgiest, the one that tried to break new ground rather than return to the hey-days that made this group famous in the first place. The CD had long, vamps, experimental sections, a couple songs even employed a DJ. It's probably because he's a bass player - they're always out there on the edge.

Sad to see Cachaito died Monday in Havana. Que en paz descanse. There aren't many of the original crew left...

A warmer planet

While it's alternately butt cold and misty slushy these days in the North Country, it's always warm and sunny somewhere. So let's take a trip to the Big Island, for Hawaii's celebration of Bob Marley's birthday last week. Alert listener Shane sent the link to this balmy video...

For 8 years, I played bass in a reggae band there with Sahra, the woman in the video. We played that park every year for Bob Marley's Birthday (1994-2001)! The Big Island has a great music vibe. Jawaiian music (Hawaiian Reggae) is some of the freshest, most melodic reggae on the planet.

Thanks, Shane. I wish I were there right now...

Melodifestivalen: Week one

Well, the results are in for the first week of Melodifestivalen and the big winner is, as always, cheese.

The first competition was held on Saturday night in Gothenburg (Göteborg in Swedish. Pronounce it yuh-tuh-boy and Swedes will think you know what you're talking about.)
In their own words, the winning songs were "A tribute to the ones we love and the warmth they bring" ("You're My World" by Emilia) and "A good party song with pretty unusual harmonies" ("Stay The Night" by Alcazar). Here they are, for your listening pleasure torture.

A Wish That Your Heart Makes?

It's definitely been over a decade since I've had a dream about being at a Grateful Dead concert, but I had one last night.

I was at a small club watching the Dead - in their 1960's incarnation - with David. They finished playing St. Stephen and then Phil pulls out a flute and plays a little melody and I turn to David and, all excited, say "they're going to play The Eleven!" In my dream I knew that The Dead hadn't played The Eleven in years and that this was a major event. Nobody in the audience seems to realize this or even recognize the song. They're all standing around, bored, completely unimpressed. Then Jerry forgets the lyrics and the band gets all confused. I want to help them get back on track (and show off that I know the song) so I shout out "Eight sided whispering hallelujah hat rack!" which just causes more chaos and everyone looks at me like I'm an idiot.

When I wake up, my first thought is "did I really just remember the lyrics to The Eleven in my sleep?" The phrase "hallelujah hat rack" has been on the tip of my tongue all day, which is pretty useless even if you're somewhere where English is the primary language, but I'm in Sweden so it's worse than useless.

Here's a taste of The Dead from this era, back when, in the words of David, they were still one of the edgiest bands around. It's from Seminole Indian Village, West Hollywood, FL, May 23, 1969. The Eleven is the last song in the stream.

Beat Authority playlist: 2/6/09

So how will the wolf survive, anyway?

Välkommen till schlagerfestivalen!

February is cold and dark in Sweden and life here would be completely gray for these twenty-eight days if it weren't for...Melodifestivalen.

For the uninitiated (and why wouldn't you be uninitiated?) Melodifestivalen is kind of a cross between American Idol and the Olympics. It's a song contest held in Sweden every winter, a marathon six-week contest, the winner of which is granted the right to represent Sweden in The Eurovision Song Contest (I didn't know about it either until I moved here, but believe me, it's huge.) The final of Melodifestivalen – always held in Stockholm's Globen arena – is the single most watched television event in Sweden every year. A higher percentage of Swedes participate in the election for the winner of Melodifestivalen than Americans do in a typical American presidential election. OK, that's an exageration, but not a big one.

At first I was skeptical of Melodifestivalen. Very skeptical. But over time I've been won over by the cheese and the fun. Somehow or another I always end up having a favorite cheesy song and I always end up voting. Hey, I voted in the past 5 presidential elections too.

I'm going to try to keep you updated on Melodifestivalen whether you like it or not. Remember: this music contains lethal quantities of cheese so listen at your own discretion.

The video below is Carola performing "Evighet". She's kind of the patron saint of Melodifestivalen. She's won the contest three times.

The window of the (godfather of) soul

You know we're interested in all things JB here at To The Beat. Delaney Flushboy forwarded me this review from Pitchfork about a new compilation of Mr. Please Please's (or Please's Please?) singles from the hottest era. It's great for two reasons: it helps tell the infinitely fascinating and often contradictory tale of the life of James Brown. And it tells you there's new funky music to listen to.

As DF wrote:

1. Jump back.
2. Kiss self.

The official smart phone of The Beat Authority™

Well folks, it's finally here. The Pomegranate. The first cell phone that lets you call in a request to The Beat Authority while you simultaneously play accompaniment to Stuck Inside of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again.

We're all connected

Last Friday, I featured some hip hop by MCs from places other than the country where hip hop was born. Timbuktu, Daara J, Emmanuel Jal, etc. Hip Hop is a massive global musical phenomenon that rivals only the rise of rock 'n' roll in the 1960s for true global reach.

I'm always amazed at how much Beat Authority listeners know about the world of music. I mean, here we are in an isolated (and now freezing cold and snowy) corner of New York, and so many people are plugged in to a dizzying range of musical phenomena.

So it shouldn't surprise that Michael from Colton e-mailed with a tip on Sri Lankan hip hop from Iraj. Thanks for the heads up, Michael!