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  • Friday, April 19, 2024
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  • Thursday, July 5, 2012

    The Nonesuch album featuring works by composer Krzysztof Penderecki and those they inspired by composer/guitarist Jonny Greenwood itself stemmed from a concert in Poland last fall that presented the composers' works side by side. Tonight, the AUKSO Chamber Orchestra, which performed in the original concert and on the album, performs the works at the Open'er Festival in Gdynia, Poland. The concert will be streaming live at 8 PM CEST (2 PM EDT) at youtube.com/opener.

    Journal Topics: Artist News, Web
  • Tuesday, July 3, 2012

    Steve Reich joins the Bang on a Can All-Stars on their three-city tour of France and the UK this week: at the Cité des congress in Nantes tonight, Cité de la musique in Paris tomorrow, and the London Pleasure Gardens on Friday for the 2012 Bloc Weekend festival. As part of the all-Reich programs, the composer joins in performing Clapping Music. Later this month, he joins the ensemble for its six-hour music marathon at MASS MoCA.

    Journal Topics: On Tour, Artist News
  • Tuesday, July 3, 2012

    Emmylou Harris, who is spending the North American summer and fall on tour across Canada and the United States, will celebrate the Southern Hemispheric spring touring Australia with her band the Red Dirt Boys this November. The tour begins at the Perth Concert Hall on Tuesday, November 6, and include stops in Adelaide, Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney, and the Gold Coast. Tickets go on sale this week.

    Journal Topics: On Tour, Artist News
  • Monday, July 2, 2012

    Carolina Chocolate Drops performed a new take of their song "Country Girl" for MTV Hive's Stop/Watch, in which artists are challenged to complete a song in 60 seconds. On this take, the band's "country shuffle has a sharper twang and a steel-soul," says MTV, "with singer Rhiannon Giddens showing new dimensions of her voice as she roars through the first verse of the original." Watch it here. Carolina Chocolate Drops are in for two days of music-making at the Winnipeg Folk Festival this weekend.

    Journal Topics: Video
  • Friday, June 29, 2012

    ROMP: Bluegrass Roots & Branches festival in Owensboro, Kentucky, features return performances from Carolina Chocolate Drops, Punch Brothers ... Laurie Anderson joins Angélique Kidjo for Celebrate Brooklyn! ... Billy Bragg, Shawn Colvin each tour the US Northeast ... Dr. John, Lianne La Havas play Hop Farm fest ... Emmylou Harris is in Michigan and on Animal Radio ... k.d. lang plays in her new hometown of Portland ... Pat Metheny Unity Band tours Europe ... Joshua Redman joins The Bad Plus in Minnesota ... Sara Watkins joins her brother Sean for the Watkins Family Hour in LA ... and more ...

    Journal Topics: On Tour, Weekend Events
  • Thursday, June 28, 2012

    Dr. John kicks off a month-long summer tour of Europe and the UK, starting at the Hop Farm Festival on Friday and making stops in cities like Amsterdam, Paris, Berlin, and London and festivals like Roskilde, Montreux, and Nice. Joining Dr. John for the tour is his band The Lower 911, featuring Jon Cleary; Trombone Shorty & New Orleans Avenue also join for a few shows. Dr. John returns to the US in August for the next leg of his North American tour, starting at the Newport Jazz Festival.

    Journal Topics: On Tour, Artist News
  • Wednesday, June 27, 2012

    Punch Brothers have helped launch a new segment on MTV Hive called Stop/Watch, in which artists are challenged to complete a song in 60 seconds. In the inaugural session, Punch Brothers offer a new take on their song "New York City," a tune off their latest album, Who's Feeling Young Now?. “'Silky' isn’t a term often used to describe bluegrass yet it’s applicable for Punch Brothers‘ 60-second rendition of 'New York City,'” says MTV Hive, noting "Thile’s soulful vocals" and "the song’s jazzy elegance." Watch it here.

    Journal Topics: Artist News, Video
  • Wednesday, June 27, 2012

    Shawn Colvin kicked off her US summer tour at the Somerville Theatre outside of Boston last week. The concert found Colvin in "sterling voice," reports the Boston Globe, with a strong connection between her and her fans on full display. The concert featured songs from Colvin's new album, All Fall Down, which the Globe calls "superb," all delivered "with perfect pitch and quiet charm." The tour continues along the East Coast this week.

    Journal Topics: On Tour, Artist News, Reviews
  • Tuesday, June 26, 2012

    Chris Thile is a guest on today's Here and Now, from NPR member station WBUR in Boston. Thile talks about his lifelong love of the mandolin, from the first time he saw the instrument, at the age of two, to some of the many projects in which that has manifest itself, including Punch Brothers. Listen to the interview here. Thile and guitarist Michael Daves perform a duo show at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville this Thursday; Punch Brothers are at ROMP: Bluegrass Roots & Branches Festival in Owensboro, Kentucky, on Friday.

    Journal Topics: Artist News, Radio
  • Tuesday, June 26, 2012

    Following the US Supreme Court's ruling in the case against Arizona immigration law SB 1070, the Los Angeles Times' Pop & Hiss blog put together a list of "five great songs about immigration that are worth revisiting," including Ry Cooder's "Quicksand" along with songs by Rage Against the Machine, Bruce Springsteen, U2, Woody Guthrie, and Led Zeppelin. "For decades, Cooder has written blues-rock at the junction of L.A.'s Anglo and Latino cultures," says the LA Times. "'Quicksand' is one of his most vivid character sketches about a harrowing border crossing." Cooder wrote the song in response to the passing of SB 1070 in 2010 and donated the proceeds from its sale to MALDEF, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund.

    Journal Topics: Artist News
  • Tuesday, June 26, 2012

    Singer/songwriter Fatoumata Diawara’s debut album, Fatou, will be released in North America by World Circuit / Nonesuch Records on August 28, 2012. Diawara has been receiving rave reviews since the album’s release in the UK and Europe last year. The Telegraph says “this stylish debut doesn’t put a foot wrong"; Pitchfork calls it "beguiling." Diawara uses elements of jazz, pop, and funk along with her ancestral Wassoulou tradition in her songwriting. John Paul Jones, Toumani Diabate, and Tony Allen all make guest appearances on Fatou. Watch the official video for the album track "Bissa" here.

    Journal Topics: Album Release, Artist News
  • Tuesday, June 26, 2012

    British singer/guitarist Lianne La Havas' full-length album Is Your Love Big Enough? is due out in the United States on August 7 via Nonesuch Records. The title track—which was recently featured on NPR Music’s list of “5 Songs Public Radio Can't Stop Playing” and comes recommended by The Root—is out today on iTunes in the US, paired with the album version of the song “Lost & Found,” both mastered for iTunes.

    Journal Topics: Album Release, Artist News