Maison du Festival

The Montreal Jazz Fest is one of the biggest in the country, and it's a true pearl for those of us living in the rural Northeast. We're just a couple hours drive from one of the most respected gatherings of jazz giants and beyond worldwide. Too bad it's only two weeks out of the year, usually pivoting around July 4th.

Not anymore.

The city of Montreal and the festival has invested in a brand new performance space. It has so many names (like the festival stages always have fifteen different names - "The GM-Something Different-Molson-After Dark-Cool Vibes stage") it's hard to know what to call it. Probably "Maison du Festival Rio Tinto Alcan" (see what I mean?). Let's just call it the Montreal Jazz Fest place.

No matter what it's called, the emerging lineup is top notch. Like a jazz-fest year-round (and just as expensive (but no free shows)). Iris Dement, Wax Tailor, Afro-Cuban All-Stars, Suzanne Vega, like the festival, a great range of genres represented.

If you go, let me know what the place is like (and what it's really called).

DJ gig at La Casbah - 10/17

Just got an e-mail from Derek Maus, who books La Casbah in Potsdam, and DJs with me from time to time. We'll be doing a DJ-ing gig Saturday, Rocktober 17th, probably starting sometime around 10pm. Gonna rock, gonna roll. Come shake yo' boo-tay.

Double Dutch

There's a movement growing in Potsdam. Some friends have been organizing Double Dutch parties. It's beat, for sure, trying to grab the pulse of the ropes so you can slip into the middle, then capture that groove so you can *stay* in, jumping to the beat.

I manage a few seconds, usually, if I'm lucky. But I keep trying. And it's lots of fun.

But when I see this, well, dang, that's a groove...

I'm back (and I'm superbad)

Back from a lovely trip to El Valle de San Luis en Colorado, to Alamosa, where I used to live. I digging out and catching up. But I wanted to get the blog up and running again after some languishing.

Did you know the number one album in Egypt is by a Brazilian band called Chiclete Com Banana? And Beat Authority shameless-summer-jam-fave Pitbull is the top artist in Kazakhstan?

You can spend hours exploring the top ten in countries around the world (and find some great new music) with this handy music map from Gracenote.

I leave you with Paraguay's hottest artists right now, reggaeton's Wisin y Yandel...

Beat Authority playlist: 9/11/09

Sorry for the lack of posts this week. It's been a crazy news week.

Here's da playlist. Have a great weekend!

Swimming in Speakers on BA plus four free downloads

Yo peeps! This is it! The Swimming in Speakers live in-studio download page. Below are four songs you can download, and here's the entire session with interview... Pass it along...



Downloads:
Nevergreen
Near My Ear
Mind Does Take
Svoboda

summer jam?

Pitbull's "I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)" has definitely been our family's pop jam of the summer. What's yours?