THE-BEAT
Tonight, Tuesday, Sept. 25, 8:00 p.m. be sure to check out art troupes/multimedia networks Brooklyn Wildlife and 95 Labs ode to FLESH and photography in their second episode of CITY SESSIONS hosted by Alphabet City’s Ella Lounge.Tonight’s presentation is a commentary on modern taboo, civil deviance and urban lifestyle in an attempt to educate audiences and incite debate on a range of topics produced by these ideological manifestations. CITY SESSIONS II will showcase art by photographer, musician, and local celebrity EAT THE CAKE whose controversial print series 'FLESH' has made local headlines and appeared in Hennessey Youngman’s art show, 'It’s a Small, Small World.' Tonight's show is geared to make headlines of its own featuring projector installations, a secret guest appearance and live performances from local indie musicians: Watercolor, Shottie, G.R.A.M.Z, Tyquan Sounds and Brooklyn’s own Riot !n Paris who recently stole the show at Webster Hall's Studio performance earlier this month. It’s advised to arrive early, in time for photo opportunities and drink specials. For more information click here.
This Saturday, Minus the Bear performs at New York’s Best Buy Theatre promoting their newly released album Infinity Overhead. Currently receiving relatively positive reviews in comparison to the unanimously ridiculed OMNI, Infinite Overhead is Minus the Bear’s second album out on Dangerbird Records produced by ex band mate Matt Bayles whose recent production credits include Cursive’s I am Gemini and Narrows’ Painted. One of the bands more cohesive projects, Infinity Overhead sees the Seattle natives doing less experimentation syth-wise and settling into a sound that reflects their first three albums and is once again heavily vested in dense guitar riffs, melodic baselines and heartfelt lyrics.
When you think of New York City nightlife in the 1970's, things like the infamous Studio54, drugs and disco-techs may pop up in your mind. But, you may just be recalling Saturday Night Fever and other films from that era because, despite the cinematography that strove to capture that generation, movies never tell the whole story. If you’re lucky enough to know someone who experienced the 1970’s NYC club scene first hand you will 100 percent of the time hear stories about the influx of Puerto Ricans and the Salsa music they brought along with them.
From 103rd street to the Lower East Side from sidewalks to rooftops, salsa, in its myriad of genres, spilt onto the streets of NYC in the late 1960’s taking the music industry by storm. Club owners of the time gladly booked the then trending acts knowing the exotic rhythms and style of dance would attract club goers looking for an alternative to the excessively popular disco beat. Salsa continued to remain popular throughout the 70s and into the 80s with popular venues like Roseland Ballroom and Palladium scheduling weekly Latin nights. However, as its popularity diminished among first generation Latin Americans, who found themselves experimenting with the budding sounds of hip hop, the required pianist, trumpeters, and percussionists, needed to form the traditional eight-man orchestra became virtually non-existent.
The18-year-old prodigy Madeon has just sparked attention with the announcement that he will be joining Lady Gaga on her "Born This Way Ball" tour.
Starting in January, the tour will kick off in Vancouver with the French DJ/producer accompanying Mother Monster on 17 of the North American dates as the main supporting act. The young talent has quickly risen to high ranks as a progressive house producer with hits like "Finale" and a new single, "The City," set to be released on Oct. 8th.
This past Wednesday the flashing lights of New York’s posh Stone Rose Lounge were focused on EDM prodigy Danny Avila. The seventeen year old music sensation’s New York debut was back dropped by 2012’s Mercedes Benz fashion week as fans of entertainment and style gathered to witness this monumental event. The Justin Bieber of the EDM world arrived at the Rose around midnight, beginning his set with some downtempo and deep house grooves that climaxed with a barrage of heart-pumping electro house mashups.
Avila’s talent lies in his focus and ability to transmit his youthful vigor into every performance, so as the champagne poured and the lights strobed the crowd surged with each time-change and roared with every syncopated rest, feeding off Avila's jovial vibe. By the end of the set the crowd was responding to the Spaniard's every gesture—virtually fist pumping in the palm of his hand. Winner of the coveted “Best DJ Newcomer” prize at the 2011 Vicious Music Awards prepare for Danny Avila's conquest of the US. He is currently on the “Ready to Jump” tour alongside DJ Tap Tap and Darrius Washington.
Forty years ago, the late club owner Hilly Kristal could never have imagined the day his new bar's toilets, phone booth, pieces of it's walls and the entire bar itself would be shipped across the country to Savannah, Georgia as part of an effort to shoot a feature film documenting his now legendary CBGB & OMFUG. But that's exactly what writer Jody Savin and director Randall Miller have done in attempt to keep their aptly titled movie 'CBGB' as authentic as possible.
The film which was also shot in parts of NYC as well as Hilly Kristal's farm in New Jersey, follows the story of the legendary downtown New York club known for spawning key Punk Rock and New Wave acts like Blondie, Ramones, the Talking Heads, Television, Misfits, the B-52s, and countless others. "It is a story of Hilly and how he basically was the catalyst for this gigantic, sea-changing music. And he didn't set out to do that initially, but he became sort of the godfather of punk and underground rock," Miller told Rolling Stone. Director Jody Savin added "Places that opened their arms to music, art, poetry – anything – were the places we went to. And Hilly definitely had that,"
A list of 40 nominees have been submitted for the inaugural batch of inductees to the soon-to-be American Pop Music Hall of Fame in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. Some of the 'Top 40' Nominees include iconic selections such as the Beatles, Elvis Presley, and Frank Sinatra- but also include such greats as the Beach Boys, Tony Bennett, the Supremes, Stevie Wonder, Chubby Checker, the Carpenters, Bob Dylan, Neil Diamond and Simon and Garfunkel.
The Hall of Fame's first class of 20 inductions will be formally announced in May of 2013, with a formal ceremony to follow at the grand opening on July 2. While raising funds for a permanent structure, the actual venue will be temporarily located in a cafe in the downtown section of the small town just outside of Pittsburgh. Known by locals as the "small town music capital," Canonsburg hopes to cash in on being the birthplace of music legends the Four Coins, Bobby Vinton, and Perry Como.
Anyone who grew up in the 80s remembers the lunchbox with matching thermos, the red leather jacket, and of course, moonwalking everywhere you go. In the years to follow, Michael Jackson would become an international superstar despite the controversies that would conjure up images of a strange mix of characters that became associated with "The King of Pop." With 2012 marking the 25th anniversary of the 5th best selling album of all time, the Sept. 18th release of '"BAD 25" hopes to take us back in time and shift our focus back to what was really important; the music.
In addition to a re-mastered version of the original album, the two-disc set will contain demos from early recording sessions, remixes by NERO and Afrojack along with previously unreleased demos of songs that were not included on the final version. A deluxe version of the release will include a highly anticipated DVD of MJs 1988 performance at Wembly Stadium (oftened cited as being one of the best performances of his career), as well as a third disc containing audio from the same show. Furthermore, a special edition box set will include the above, 2 booklets of never before seen photos and a two-sided poster. As if all this wasn't enough, a stand alone 12" vinyl LP picture disc is also available.
A Spike Lee documentary of the same name, recently debuted at the Venice International Film Festival, takes an in depth look at the behind the scenes process of making the multi-platinum classic. "This is a time to just concentrate on the music- the genius of Michael Jackson, a chance to dig into his creative process," said Spike Lee in a press statement. "We all are blessed with the final work, but it's rare that you see how something was put together. We just see the final product but we dont see the blood, sweat, and tears, all the work that goes into how the masters work".
Uncovering the history behind Smooth Criminal's gravity defying lean, and 'Shamon' the full documentary will remind us who's bad on November 22 on ABC.
When early December descends upon us, yes we remember that the holidays are just around the corner, but music and art lovers alike have their own little holiday to anticipate: Miami Art Basel. In 2011, there was a record attendance of 50,000 (up from 40,000 just one year earlier) so it's clear that the annual exhibition is flourishing. The roster of music fueled events that hit Miami each year are adding up and it's no surprise that a new music festival is in the works to correspond with Art Basel. Alex Omes and Emi Guerra of GO BIG Productions are adding yet another musical force to their agenda with the introduction of the first annual UR1 Music Festival in Miami.
The musical genre of Latin dance-rap known as Reggaeton has without a doubt exploded in the past 10 years, rising from the basements of Puerto Rico to the top of the pops worldwide. With major hits like Daddy Yankee's 2004 anthem 'Gasolina', or Don Omar's more recent song 'Danza Kuduro', it's no surprise that there's a rising youth culture surrounding the movement. Known as Reggaetoneros, members are known to sport mohawks, facial piercings, spikey hair, and make-up (regardless of gender). And, like any subculture, it's being heavily frowned upon by the mainstream society it's rebelling against.
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