From the BBC:
Buena Vista Social Club founding member Orlando "Cachaito" Lopez has died in Cuba aged 76.The double bass player died in a Havana hospital from complications after having prostate surgery.
Lopez became a worldwide sensation as part of the group of elderly musicians who were living quietly in Cuba before being brought together in 1996.
He was considered to be Buena Vista's "heartbeat" in the band's mix of traditional Cuban rhythms.
Earth to Tour Selected Parts of Actual Earth (Namely Europe)
Legendary drone band Earth, better known to you as both the band that destroyed most of your inner ear during freshman year of college and the band that released its well-received seventh album The Bees Made Honey in the Lion's Skull (TMT Review/TMT Feature) last year, is packing up the Sunn amps and heading to Europe this spring. In addition to promoting last year's album and split LP with experimental guitarist and Sun City Girls member Richard Bishop, the band will be spreading awareness about Wikipedia's terrible disctinction between its pages for Earth (the band) and Manfred Mann's Earth Band
03.26.09 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Paradiso
03.27.09 - Leuven, Belgium - Stuk
03.28.09 - Nantes, France - L'olympic
03.29.09 - Poitiers, France - Le Confort Moderne
03.30.09 - Bilbao, Spain - El Balcon De La Lola
03.31.09 - Porto, Portugal - Passos Manuel
04.01.09 - Madrid, Spain - Caracol
04.02.09 - Barcelona, Spain - La[2]
04.03.09 - Lyon, France - L'epicerie
04.04.09 - Paris, France - Glaz'art Moderne
04.05.09 - Kortrijk, Belgium - Sonic City Festival
04.06.09 - Hamburg, Germany - Molotow Club
04.08.09 - Oslo, Norway - Inferno Festival
04.09.09 - Stockholm, Sweden - Strand
04.11.09 - Berlin, Germany - Prater
04.12.09 - Leipzig, Germany - Ut Connewitz
04.13.09 - Munich, Germany - Feierwerk
04.14.09 - Stuttgart, Germany - Club Schocken
04.15.09 - Koln, Germany - Gebaeude9
04.16.09 - Brighton, UK - St Andrews Church
04.17.09 - Birmingham, UK - Hare and Mound
04.18.09 - Manchester, UK - Islington Mill
04.19.09 - Glasgow, Scotland - Stereo
04.21.09 - Dublin, Ireland - Whelans
04.22.09 - Leeds, UK - Brudenell Social Club
04.23.09 - Bristol, UK - The Croft
04.24.09 - London, UK - The Borderline
04.25.09 - Tilburg, Net - Roadburn Festival
Ratatat Tour North America; If Ratatat Isn’t Your Cup Of Tea, This Article Also Talks About Animal Collective!
Ratatat seem pretty cool to me; their signature guitar-electro sound evoke ecstatic feelings that tingle throughout my body. That is why I recently slapped on LP3 (TMT Review) and proceeded to do a “happy dance,” which was not a pretty site but certainly worth it for the band. Then I realized the band would not be touring anywhere near me, so I began to sulk. But I suppose that is another story for another time... Anyway, according to The Beggars Group, Ratatat will take their show to the masses this March and April, which must be exciting for those of you who can actually attend.
One thing that has always made Ratatat that “extra” kind of special are their mixes, where they remake rap songs to fit their own personal aesthetic (Ratatat, if you are reading this, please send us a sign that Volume 3 is in the works). However, it looks like another pretty popular act, Animal Collective (TMT Review) have stepped up to give Ratatat the remix treatment, turning the track "Mirando" into a 10-minute techno ear-orgy. The track has been available since February 3, so if you haven’t scooped it up yet, get over to your iTunes store and get downloading!
Ratatat tourdates:
03.21.09 - Cincinnati OH - Bogart
03.22.09 - Pontiac MI - The Crofoot
03.23.09 - Chicago IL - Metro
03.24.09 - Columbia MO - Blue Note
03.25.09 - Omaha NE - Slowdown
03.27.09 - Aspen CO - Aspen Gondola Plaza
03.28.09 - Boise ID - Knitting Factory Boise
03.29.09 - Seattle WA - Showbox SoDo
03.30.09 - Portland OR - Crystal Ballroom
04.01.09 - San Francisco CA - The Fillmore
04.02.09 - San Francisco CA - The Fillmore
04.04.09 - Los Angeles CA - Hollywood Palladium
04.08.09 - Houston, TX - Meridian
04.16.09 - Washington, DC - 930 Club
04.20.09 - Boston, MA - House of Blues
04.21.09 - New York, NY - Terminal 5
Live Nation and Ticketmaster Announce $2.5 Billion Merger Deal
By the second half of 2009, Live Nation (LYV) and Ticketmaster (TKTM) hope to merge into one giant entity called Live Nation Entertainment, "the world's premier live entertainment company." The deal would be a tax-free, all stock merger, totaling roughly $2.5 billion. According to the official press release, Live Nation Entertainment hopes to:
- Improve Access and Transparency
- Improve Ticket Pricing Options
- Invest in Better Ticketing Technology
- Increase Event Attendance
Sounds pretty good right? WRONG. If the merger goes through, don't be too surprised if you have to start fighting with your concert buddies for those tickets ("ticket-moshing"?): among the many fears is that the new company would bypass the primary ticketing market and begin auctioning tickets (through the Ticketmaster-owned TicketsNow) in the secondary market. Not only would this system favor the tech savvy who have the cash to pony up, but it'll also create a ridiculously overwhelming presence in both the primary and secondary markets for a single company. Hell, even if the company chooses to focus on the primary ticketing market, there would be significantly less competition for venues and tours after the merger. And those much-hated "convenience" fees? They'll probably be rolled into the face charge.
Of course, the actual merger hasn't taken place yet, as the companies still need to go through the usual legal process -- namely, the regulatory review -- and I'd expect to hear some loud antitrust cries resonate throughout the industry (there are already plenty, including this one from LiveStub CEO Michael Hershfield). Hopefully the cries will be loud enough to reach the smellholes of the Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission. Obama, where are you?
Meanwhile, TMT's rebranding experts hail the possible enterprise a great idea, as the word "Ticketmaster" itself is already among the chief causes of high blood pressure in music lovers between the ages of 15 to 28. TMT's in-house critics, however, are puking as I type this.
You Care About This: Bonnie “Prince” Billy Announces Spring Tour to Coincide with New Album, Beware
Since you're reading Tiny Mix Tapes, you are obviously excited to learn that Bonnie "Prince" Billy has announced dates for his upcoming spring tour, which will coincide with the release of his new album, Beware, on March 17 via Drag City. Following up on a bunch of stuff that you already know about, Billy will play a show nearly every day until April 11 starting in mid-March. He will then take a break for over a month to do that eclectic and charismatic stuff that you have read about him doing in his free time before returning to touring on May 21. If he chooses to add tourdates to this gap in time, they will be posted to this website, and you will definitely read him.
Bonnie "Prince" Billy, whose real name you already know, first affected your life in the early ’90s with an album that you quickly came to identify with and find comfort in. In the intervening years, he has released several albums, all of which you own, under several different monikers, all of which you have memorized. While you have appreciated the evolution of his music and enjoy his recent creative direction, his early work still holds a special place in your heart, having provided emotional solace during a difficult and formative period in your life. You will definitely purchase tickets for one of the following shows:
03.12.08 - Bloomington, IN - Buskirk-Chumley Theatre
03.13.08 - Urbana, IL - Independent Media Center
03.14.08 - Chicago, IL - Vic Theatre
03.16.08 - Des Moines, IA - Vaudeville Mews
03.17.08 - Iowa City, IA - The Picador
03.18.08 - Milwaukee, WI - Turner Hall
03.19.08 - Minneapolis, MN - The McGuire Theater (Walker)
03.21.08 - Winnipeg, MB, Canada - Pyramid Cabaret
03.22.08 - Saskatoon, SK, Canada - Broadway Theatre
03.23.08 - Edmonton, AB, Canada - McDougall United Church
03.24.08 - Calgary, AB, Canada - MacEwan Hall
03.25.08 - Vancouver, BC, Canada - The Vogue Theatre
03.26.08 - Seattle, WA - Moore Theatre
03.27.08 - Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom
03.29.08 - Sonoma, CA - Sonoma County Historic Church
03.30.08 - San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore
04.02.08 - Los Angeles, CA - El Rey Theatre
04.04.08 - Santa Fe, NM - Santa Fe Brewing Co
04.05.08 - Denver, CO - The Bluebird Theater
04.07.08 - Lawrence, KS - The Granada
04.09.08 - Omaha, NE - The Waiting Room
04.10.08 - St. Louis, MO - The Pageant
04.11.08 - Indianapolis, IN - The Vogue
05.21.08 - New York, NY - Apollo Theater
05.23.08 - Alexandria, VA - The Birchmere
05.24.08 - Charlottesville, VA - Fry's Spring Beach Club
"How strange it is cool to be. How uncool it is to be strange." - Carla Bozulich
