To the Beat

Beat Authority playlist: 3/12/10

david@ncpr.org (David Sommerstein) — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 22:05:00 +0000

Free mp3s: SxSW preview

david@ncpr.org (David Sommerstein) — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 15:17:00 +0000

Austin, Texas' monster music festival, South By Southwest (SxSW) starts on Friday. I'll be honest, a lot of it is deep indy rock that really isn't my bag. But there are always new finds in all genres and it's worth paying attention to.

NPR's All Songs Considered goes whole hog into it, sending multiple correspondents down there. They've posted a sampler of the bands on their must-see list. And you can download the music for free. Click here.

Everybody's abuzz about the Danger Mouse/Shins frontman collab, Broken Bells. Everything Danger Mouse touches turns to gold...

Beat for a Monday Morning

david@ncpr.org (David Sommerstein) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:16:00 +0000

Jonathan Brown, host of Cutaway on NCPR, recommends Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears. Channeling The Godfather, Wilson Pickett, etc. Can't go wrong!

Check a cool video and hear a live version below...

PS - Make sure you chastise Mr. Brown for not posting a playlist since February 12th...

Free mp3: Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings

david@ncpr.org (David Sommerstein) — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 21:51:00 +0000

Man, do they look bad-ass (will the FCC fine me for writing that?).

Here's where to go to download for free the new single from this neo-soul powerhouse.

And here's today's playlist.

Climbing the Banda ladder, rung by rung

david@ncpr.org (David Sommerstein) — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 18:56:00 +0000

Last month, my wife and I were visiting Oaxaca, Mexico. We were strolling down the main pedestrian street early one evening and saw a poster advertising Banda la Flor (from Michoacan, I think) at 10 in a nearby bar.

Live Banda! This is what I'd been dreaming of. Banda is the Mexican version of the New Orleans Brass Band, a roving group of about a dozen musicians, brass, winds, and percussion. We had to go.

We return around 9:30 that evening and sit in the dusk on the steps of a nearby church and watch people go by until it's time to go to the bar. Suddenly, we hear Banda wafting from up the street. Down they come, marching along. A guy with them (presumably with the bar) stops in front of us with a tequila bottle in one hand, a shot glass in the other.

"Quieres un trago? Gratis!" (Want a shot? It's free!)

Free tequila imbibed, we follow the Banda parade into the bar, with high hopes of a big crowd and a great night.

Well, Banda la Flor was sensational. But the bar was dead. To make matters worse, the singer's mic wasn't working, so he had to stretch a cord that only went to the stairs, high above the band - he sang his heart out in the dark.

Later, that night, I asked a bar owner what the deal was. He said all the real Banda places are up in the northern suburbs. And anyway, this is a young band just trying to break into the Banda scene. Like with garage bands in the U.S., you gotta start gigging every night, no matter who shows up, no matter how good you are.

So tip a glass and enjoy Banda la Flor. Sorry, though, no free tequila shots.

OK Go does it again

david@ncpr.org (David Sommerstein) — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 15:56:00 +0000

You may know the band OK Go for their ubiquitous treadmilling choreographic genius of a video.

I first knew OK Go because they did the theme song for - here's some truly archaine public radio trivia - a show called Odyssey (big ups to Joel Hurd for remembering the name!) that aired on NCPR some time in the early Naughts.

Anyway, OK Go has another tremendously fascinating video for their latest single. Props to Brian Mann for posting it over at our Inbox.

Another rave Fela! review

david@ncpr.org (David Sommerstein) — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 14:43:00 +0000

This one from NCPR's very own theater critic, Connie Meng, who had never heard Fela Kuti's music before:

If you’ll be in NY in the near future, don’t miss the Broadway musical FELA. It’s about the life and music of Fela Kuti, the Nigerian daddy of Afrobeat. At the performance I saw Fela was played by Sahr Ngaujah, an extraordinary singer, actor and dancer. He alternates in the role with Kevin Mambo, as it’s extremely demanding both physically and emotionally.

The ten-piece band is onstage and is just terrific, as are the dancers, who periodically come out into the audience. The opening number lasts about ten minutes and the energy of the band and dancers is unbelievable. The costumes are gorgeous, the set fascinating and the whole thing knocked my socks off. See it if you can!

Jeez, I really want to go. Anyone else been?

Beat of the Day

david@ncpr.org (David Sommerstein) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 13:50:00 +0000

Tinariwen is just too bad-ass. Tuareg rebels who put down the guns for the guitars.

And they're playing this Friday night at La Tulipe in Montreal, before heading up to Quebec City and then to France.

Check it:

Burkina Electric

david@ncpr.org (David Sommerstein) — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 20:37:00 +0000

Just heard these guys on KCRW's Top Tune podcast (which I highly recommend - a new song everyday, downloaded to your computer).

Burkina Faso. Germany. New York City. The beat is everywhere and comes together nice on this debut release.

UPDATE: Can't hurt to throw in this DJ Spooky remix video...

Rock the census (and get 26 free tunes)

david@ncpr.org (David Sommerstein) — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 16:21:00 +0000

The census is a big deal. Especially in places that are losing population, like New York State, and the North Country, every person really does make a difference (like the public radio fundraiser) - in terms of political representation, all kinds of funding, and decisions based on demographic profiles.

Voto Latino - most recently active in the lead-up to the 2008 election - is organizing America's latino community to get counted.

Why is this on a music blog? A) It's a good cause. B) You can get 26 free songs, including Pitbull, Ozomatli, Rodrigo y Gabriela, y mucho mas, just by going here and promising to fill out a census form.

Rock the census!

Beat Authority playlist: 2/26/10

david@ncpr.org (David Sommerstein) — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 22:08:00 +0000

Relatively stable. Have a great weekend everyone!

Free mp3: soulful R&B from Tru Thoughts

david@ncpr.org (David Sommerstein) — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 19:21:00 +0000

Get it here.

Bomba Estereo en directo

david@ncpr.org (David Sommerstein) — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 19:35:00 +0000

Colombia's Bomba Estereo was really one of my favorite acts of 2009 - a band with a breakthrough sound they call "Electro Vacilon" (love it.)

Check 'em out here in the studios of KEXP in Seattle. Liliana Saumet sounds a little hoarse from too much touring, but it's still awesome. Download the entire set here.

I'm with the horn section

radio@ncpr.org (Dale Hobson) — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 16:20:00 +0000

I've talked a lot recently about how much I love Tru Thoughts records. Based in Brighton in the UK, their roster includes Beat Authority faves Quantic, Alice Russell, Nostaligia 77, and more. Hell, they even give away a free Brazilian funk tune every now and again.

Starting today, this little blog from the wilds of New York State gets a worldwide exclusive: part 2 of a home movie by deepfunksters from Down Under, Bamboos. The Bamboos have a new album coming out March 30th, called 4.

You can watch part one here.

A big North Country welcome to all Tru Thoughts fans checking out Part 2...

Matmos on winking out

noreply@blogger.com (Delany Flushboy) — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 14:27:00 +0000

San Francisco musicians Matmos (Drew Daniel and Martin Schmidt) wonder if we're better off digitizing our creative output or if the end result will be that culture just winks out. It's an interesting argument. Not sure if I agree with it all but it's an important discussion to have.

Potty Mouth Alert Martin Schmidt (white shirt) has a bit of a potty mouth and uses some salty adverbs in this video. Please don't watch this video if you're offended by cuss words, because if you are then this video will offend you. DF

Matmos on Digital Technology and the Internet from John Vogel on Vimeo.

Beat Authority playlist: 2/19/10

david@ncpr.org (David Sommerstein) — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 21:49:00 +0000

We're suckahs.

- The Government.

Not so fast

noreply@blogger.com (Delany Flushboy) — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 11:00:00 +0000

Thought that you'd escape updates from Melodifestivalen this year, did ya? Not so fast.

Melodifestivalen, for those of you (un)lucky enough not to know, is a national psychosis that afflicts the kingdom of Sweden every february. Technically speaking it's a song contest, a kind of American Idol type thing by which the Swedish people select their entry to the Eurovision song contest (which is exactly what it claims to be). But in reality Melodifestivalen is a mirror to the Swedish soul. And the image reflected? Both fascinating and frightening.

Last week (semifinal 2, broadcast live from Sandviken), for the first time since I've been following the festival, there was an entry which could conceivably get played on the Beat Authority. A band whose members are second-generation imigrants to Sweden from Balkan countries teamed up with the Swedish rapper Dogge Doggelito (don't even ask) to produce what they call "Balkan reggaeton". Here's a clip below. Oh yeah, I have to let you know - the Swedish public sent these guys packing and picked a couple of pretty boys singing power ballads and power pop to go to the final.

Free mp3: the newest from the Monterrey scene

david@ncpr.org (David Sommerstein) — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 14:23:00 +0000

Monterrey is Mexico's third largest city. It's a quick drive from the border with southern Texas. And it's the country's Austin, TX - the place where musical innovation thrives and the hottest bands are born.

Control Machete, Kinky, Plastilina Mosh, El Gran Silencio - all giants of the Latin Alternative scene, all from Monterrey. They mix up hip hop, norteno, punk, funk, rock, mariachi, electronica, you name it. Truly the new sound of global music.

Here's a new name to remember: Quiero Club. They sprinkle indy rock into the mix. Check out this article to learn more about them.

And download the great remix by Toy Selectah (Control Machete's DJ and a Monterrey native himself).

Putumayo for Haiti

david@ncpr.org (David Sommerstein) — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 13:38:00 +0000

Another nice opportunity to support Haitian relief and get some good music in the process, care of Putumayo.

Free mp3: Zuco 103 remixed

david@ncpr.org (David Sommerstein) — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 20:29:00 +0000

When I first heard ZUCO 103's album, Whaa!, from 2005, it was one of those gasp-I've-never-heard-anything-quite-like-this moments that makes listening to new music such a reward.

The Brazilian outfit's latest album from last year, After the Carnival, didn't exactly stop me in my tracks like that. But it's terrific Brazilian cutting-edge beats nonetheless.

Following the trend of most "outernational sound" artists lately (Balkan Beat Box, Novalima, Nickodemus, Alice Russell, Vieux Farka Toure, etc.), ZUCO 103 has released a new remix album of Carnival.

The track by Dutch producers Kraak & Smaak is yours for the taking, thanks to Six Degrees records. Enjoy!

A report from Fela!

david@ncpr.org (David Sommerstein) — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 14:49:00 +0000

The buzz on Broadway this winter (not like I know anything about Broadway) is the musical Fela!, the story of the music of the creator of Afrobeat, Fela Anikulapo Kuti. Bonus is that the house band is one of the inheritors of Fela's legacy, Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra, based in NYC.

Later today, I'll blog more about Fela. But I wanted to share a report from Penelope, a Beat Authority listener who saw Fela! over the weekend:

I can't come up with sufficient gushy verbiage to say how wonderful it is - not a mere play, a life experience-the singing, the music, the dancing, the lighting and special effects, and maybe most importantly, the history you will learn --you need know nothing about Nigeria when you walk in - they do a great job of weaving all that into the entertainment -- worth every penny, if you see no other show this season,etc - all the cliches - etc.

One thing - it is hard to SIT through it - because you want to get up and dance -- My teen aged nieces were spell bound - I am saving my pennies to see it again. Please pass this along so it runs a long while!

I'm definitely trying to line up a time to go to the City to see it... Have you seen it? What's your review?

Beat Authority playlist: 2/12/10

david@ncpr.org (David Sommerstein) — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 21:51:00 +0000

Let there be song to fill the air.

blogs, laws, and beats

noreply@blogger.com (Delany Flushboy) — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 15:22:00 +0000

Hello People of the Beat. Been a while since I've checked in at To the Beat. I'm going to try to be less of a stranger.

I've been reading a lot about music blogs being shut down for copyright violations. Both this article from London's The Guardian and this one from Silicon Valley's Crunch Gear are about well-known music blogs being removed from Blogger (the blogging service on which To The Beat is published) by Google (the little old company that owns blogger).

According to the articles the blogs in questions have posted mp3s that they -- allegedly -- received from record labels and bands for promotional coverage, but were nevertheless copyright protected. This is kind of a gray zone. Music producers have learned that they can generate interest by giving away some copyrighted material. Problem is, the law doesn't make it very clear how they can do that short of signing a contract with the blogs they're distributing to. These semi-official leaks are usually down with a wink, not with a written agreement. In the absence of any written proof that the mp3s were distributed with the consent of the copyright owner, Google was probably right to take some sort of action. But pulling the blogs without looking into the mater might have been a bit drastic.

So you know, the links to mp3s on The Beat Authority lead back to labels' websites where they do have the right to give it all away. This is not a gray area, just a very funky one with lots of fat beats.

All the publicity the Beat Authority needs

david@ncpr.org (David Sommerstein) — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 18:50:00 +0000

Last summer, I posted a video of a young woman beatboxing something wicked. Turns out it's 17-year-old Canadian, Julia Dales. She won a world beatbox battle championship, and even got a tip of the hat on Nah Right, a bigtime Hip Hop blog.

Blog reader Carolyn e-mailed me to say she's been keeping up with Julia's trajectory since she read about her here. Carolyn suggests this stand-out... (If only Julia could do one for the Beat Authority.)

Get down and boogie with the family!

david@ncpr.org (David Sommerstein) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:35:00 +0000

For years, the Burlington area has enjoyed a family funk dance party called Boogie Wonderland. I reported on it here.

Well, in that proud tradition, the Canton-Potsdam-greater St. Lawrence County community now has the same! Bring the family on down to La Casbah in Potsdam on Saturday February 20th from 2-4pm for family-friendly disco, funk, and fun. There'll be food for the kids and a bar for adults. I'll be laying down the groove.

Here's the official press release from the Family Funk-Shun:

Round up the family, dust off those bell bottoms, and get ready to shake your groove thing on Saturday, February 20^th from 2-4pm at La Casbah, 6 Elm St. Potsdam. It’s a new series of dance parties! We’re called Family Funk-shun. The party will feature music from DJ Tapatio (David Sommerstein from NCPR’s Beat Authority), snacks for the kids, and a cash bar for adults. The party is geared toward kids under 10 and all kids must be accompanied by an adult. Funky costumes are encouraged. Admission is $3/person or $10/family. For more info email familyfunkshun@gmail.com.