music

King Sunny Adé has been a pivotal part of African music for a long time–he’s been creating popular music since in Nigeria since the 80s. And his first international CD release in 10 years (Bábá mo Tundé) is as eclectic and inspired as ever. It’s beats are rhythmic and colorful,… Read the rest

The Argentine group Tremor plays music that’s part traditional folk music, part electronic rock–and it’s this fun blend of sounds that makes the band a truly enjoyable one to listen to.
This relatively unheard of melding of tradition and digitalization can be seen (and heard) in the above music video… Read the rest

If you like Latin-American hip-hop, you’ll like Ceci Bastida. She’s been singing professionally since she was 15, but didn’t become a solo artist, as she is now, until she released her first full-length album in 2009. To date, this is her only solo album, but we expect there will be… Read the rest

The words cool and German brass band… Read the rest don’t traditionally go together–but the contemporary Bavarian group LaBrassBanda has managed to combine old-world brass instrumentals with a modern-day funk style to come out with a very cool sound that makes you want to tap your feet and bob your head.
LaBrassBanda is

This isn’t a song that most people outside of this village in Zambia have ever heard. And the man singing it isn’t famous. He plays a home-made guitar and sings with a beautiful voice that we suspect wasn’t trained by voice lessons. The song itself, titled “A Traditional Era,” is… Read the rest

Nobles don’t sing. At least in Mali, that is. But Salif Keita, who descends from a noble line in Africa, broke out of this mold in the ’60s when he became a singer/songwriter. His music, which has ranged from reggae to jazz and rock, has, until this point, never delved… Read the rest

Good morning, America! Happy day-after-the-Fourth, happy day off… and happy hangover. If you watched last night’s fireworks while consuming one of our nation’s fine micro brews, then you just might be in the mood for some pleasant tunes to even out the ringing in your ears and the pounding in… Read the rest

For anyone looking to partake in a long weekend of relaxation, yoga, dancing and music, Wanderlust is the perfect end of the summer celebration. The festival takes place Thursday, July 29th through Sunday, August 1st in North Lake Tahoe, CA and is a self-described “one-of-a-kind festival bringing together the world’s… Read the rest

Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, Malcolm John “Mac” Rebennack, Jr., better known by the stage name Dr. John, is an American singer/songwriter, pianist and guitarist whose music combines blues, pop, jazz, Zydeco, boogie woogie and rock and roll to create his own brand of “voodoo” music.
Dr. John began his… Read the rest

The sixth annual Switchfoot Bro-Am surf contest and concert returned to Moonlight Beach in Encinitas yesterday, Saturday June 26. The Encinitas-bred rock band created Bro-Am to give back to the San Diego community while raising money for a local children’s charity, StandUp For Kids. Funds were raised Friday night at… Read the rest

If you’re looking for something to liven a mundane Monday morning ritual you need not look further than one of Air’s albums. A music duo from Versailles, France, the group’s name is a backronym for Amour, Imagination, Rêve. Translation: Love, Imagination, Dream.
Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoît Dunckel’s talents form the… Read the rest

Days before his tragic death while attempting to climb Mt. Edgar in China last June, renowned alpinist Jonny Copp tapped into his poetic side and penned his last poem, Border Country. The poem is strangely foreboding of the tragedy to ensue several days later.

Here it comes to take me … Read the rest

Originally composed as part of an early twentieth century Russian opera, the fast-paced orchestral piece ‘Flight of the Bumblebee’ has become a piano classic that can be heard on soundtracks ranging from the popular 2008 video game Grand Theft Auto IV to the 2003 action flick, ‘Kill Bill.’
The furious… Read the rest

If you haven’t seen the inaugural summit of Skiing Cascadia, which went down a week ago, then you need to check it out. Matt Bedrin is pursuing his dream to ski all 40 of Cascadia’s tallest volcanoes in one year, but he and the snow need your help. On February… Read the rest

If Darwinism has a soundtrack, this is it. The Symphony of Science combines the evolutionary insights of scientists such as Carl Sagan, David Attenborough and Jane Goodall into an auto-tuned harmonization like none other.
John Boswell, the mind behind the music, says this about his project:

“The goal of the … Read the rest