A happy new year to you all! There's a whole lot brewing with the DMG for 2012 including album releases and tours by most of our artists, so for now we'll keep it short and sweet. A warm welcome to our new full time associate Ms. Mari Akita and new signing The Giving Tree Band.
October 18, 2011
Sorry for lack of updates, it's been a very busy start to fall. Just got back from an epic journey to Greece and India...here are some of the highlights:
Oct 4th to 7th - Rhodes, Greece for the World Public Forum "Dialogue of Civilizations" Conference. Serious academics from all over the world with specialties ranging from art, theology, cultural studies, economics, history and much more. I especially enjoyed the roundtable discussion on improving early music education and awareness in impoverished or underserved communities worldwide. You obviously can't change the universe in two hours, but at least you can to begin to assess the issues. I was also good boy and went to synagogue for Yom Kippur at Kahal Shalom and fasted for 24 hours, which I broke in Athens with a massive meal of feta, tzatziki, olives, roasted aubergine (eggplant) and fresh pita.
Oct 8th & 9th - Athens, Greece. It was great to meet the REAL movers and shakers in Greece, the Exarchians and the proprietors of the art/music/community space Nosotros; organizing protests and rallies against years of governmental abuse and mistreatment of the masses, banking systems, schools, hospitals and beyond. And of course, I checked out the Acropolis.
Oct 10th to 12th - Mumbai, India made my orginal hometown of New York look like a small city and my current hometown of Austin look like a tiny rural village. I ventured out on as many long walks as I could to take in the sights, tastes, smells (good & bad) of this massive and multi-cultural mecca. My favorite part by far was spending time at the one of a kind blueFrog - India's premiere live music club and fully integrated music consultancy service, PR agency, label and much more. Not only was I blown away with the club itself as far as the design, construction, sound system, sight lines, food & drink, etc but I very much enjoyed the company and like-mindedness of it's vibrant staff. I hope to see them all very soon! To all my manager / booking agent / industry friends - if the blueFrog asks your band to play, stop asking questions and make it happen!
Oct 13th to 16th - the Rajasthan International Folk Festival (RIFF) in Jodhpur bridged ancient musical traditions with contemporary sounds, not to mention it was held in the 15th century Mehrangarh Fort that overlooks the "Blue City". I've seen the Alhambra and other magical places over the years, but my personal tastes give the fort the highest of praise. We were put up at the Bal Samand Lake Palace Hotel - acres of gardens and lots of nooks and crannies to explore. Several days of wonderful music was capped off by a jaw-dropping and inspired performance by Rupa & the April Fishes under a full moon and packed dancefloor. Since it was my last real day in India besides travel, I braved the night and early morning and made it to Dawn Devotions at 5:30am. There I sat and saw the sun come up over an ancient city, as it has done for a millenium. A special thanks to RIFF Artistic Director Divya Bhatia and the staff of the Jaipur Virasat Foundation, who took the chance on some crazy Americans.
Oct 17th & 18th - 47 hours of travel back to Austin. Ouch.
I'll be posting pics and such on my personal facebook soon.
August 4, 2011
Summer is here in Austin, TX. Almost 50 days so far of 100+ degree heat, and the forecast is for 107 today. Time to escape...
So, what's brewing with the DMG?
Grupo Fantasma returns from Europe and a headline appearance at the Tempo Latino Festival in south France, plus two shows supporting Gogol Bordello. They'll be at the Pickathon Festival in Portland, OR this weekend along with Brownout.
Rupa & the April Fishes just finished up over six weeks in North America and I had a great time with them here in Austin and San Antonio. Took them to the legendary Salt Lick BBQ and sent the band for a dip in Barton Springs.
Jonny Meyers wrote all the tunes on Skatalite member / trumpeteer Kevin Batchelor's Grand Concourse album, the band is pretty much a ska supergroup with members from The Toasters, NYC Ska Jazz Ensemble and others.
Foot Patrol are freakier than ever and their next show will be with Queen cover band Magnifico at the Mohawk in Austin on August 13th.
Forro in the Dark is off to Italy for a week of shows including the Ariano Folk Festival. Meanwhile, their percussionist Mauro Refosco is out on the road with the Red Hot Chili Peppers as they support their new album due out at the end of the month. He'll be back in NYC quite a bit as the band prepares to go into the studio in the next few months to record their third full length.
That's about it! Happy summer to you and stay out of the heat.
Off to Bonnaroo this weekend to spend a little time with Forro in the Dark. They play at 2:15pm on Saturday in the Other Tent.
April 28, 2011
Foot Patrol is the featured story in this week's Austin Chronicle and will celebrate the release of Pussyfooting at Playland Skate Center on Sunday, May 1st from 6-10pm. $20 gets you skate rental, free beer brought to you by the fine folks at Real Ale, the new CD and of course music by FOOT PATROL!
March 24, 2011
SXSW has come and gone...it was utter mayhem this year and it's amazing to see my hometown transform completely for 10 days and then return to "normal" after that.
Rupa & the April Fishes kick off their April Fools TOUR with a show at the Independent in San Francisco on April 1st.
And then there's this:
Must see and must hear Austin based act to release new album May 3, 2011
The dozen or so tracks on Foot Patrol’s upcoming album Pussyfooting might have the common lyrical theme of worshipping the body’s southernmost extremity, but to define the band solely by this so-called “fetish” would be single-minded in its approach. From the opening number, the 1980’s Minneapolis funk inspired “U R What U Feet” to the odd-metered and robotic “Raw Footage,” the album’s approach to making you move while simultaneously paying homage to its main inspiration is one of a kind to say the least.
TJ Wade, Foot Patrol’s blind lead singer and keyboard virtuoso might have as strong affinity to feet, but the band’s combination of showmanship, humor, and accomplished musical skills help to transcend the gimmicky trappings of other themed ensembles. Production on the album was led by Vietnamese born bassist Hung Nguyen and mixed by Grammy Award winning Adrian Quesada (Grupo Fantasma, Brownout, Ocote Soul Sounds).
Pussyfooting demonstrates the effortless chemistry between TJ and Hung who met over 15 years ago while Hung was an instructor at the Texas School for the Blind & Visually Impaired. Their synergetic relationship when it comes to music and life in general has shaped a music making machine with a back catalog of over 200 songs. “This album is the band’s quintessential and last collection of tunes exclusively about feet” states Nguyen. “No foot pun was left unused or unburned in the making of this record, it’s just good old fashioned sole.”
"An air-tight funk band." - Spin Magazine
“Vocal performance and the power of their inescapable rhythms was enough to make you surrender to their outrageous presentation…not just a foot-worshiping novelty act. Foot patrol puts the fun back in funk.” – Austin American Statesman
“Resuscitates the party-up vibe of early-1980s synth-funk via clever toe-tappers.” – Austin Chronicle
“Inspiringly crazy and awesome on stage.” – Vice Magazine
“Slithering, sexed-up funk.” – Onion AV Club
Find out more about this incredible project HERE
February 14, 2011
LATIN ROCK, ALTERNATIVE OR URBAN ALBUM
Acclaimed Austin-based Latin funk orchestra Grupo Fantasma receives their first Grammy Award. Garnering "Best Latin Rock, Alternative or Urban Album" for their latest album, El Existential, the band's guitarist, Adrian Quesada says, "Considering the DIY and homegrown effort we've built over the last decade, including the immense undertaking and process of producing this album all by ourselves, it feels unbelievable to finally go home as winners. And with so many genres combined into this one category with such fierce competition, it's even more of an honor and statement of our hard work over the last ten years."
Released on Nat Geo Music, El Existential is being praised by critics including the Huffington Post who declared it "a sound done so right that you have to hand the crown to this group," while Billboard states that by "tightly weaving Anglo, Afro and Latin musical genres, El Existential takes on an identity of its own." Though this is Grupo Fantasma's first Grammy, this was their second nomination, which they celebrated with a short tour of the Southwest.
Grupo Fantasma are widely known for their energetic live shows, which NPR declares "seamless…whenever and wherever they're on stage." The 10-piece orchestra has received praise from The Wall Street Journal, La Opinion, and by USA Today, calling the band "Latin-funk masters."
Brought together by Austin's bustling music scene, Grupo Fantasma formed in 2000 and is comprised of musicians with Latin American and Texan backgrounds. Praised as one of the most important independent acts in the Latin genre, the band draws from influences including cumbia, salsa, old-school funk, reggae and more.
Meanwhile, check out this awesome poster for Rupa & the April Fishes at the Independent in San Francisco on April 1st, done by French politcal artist Wozniak. The Fishes will also take the show on the road for a 10 days on the west coast starting this weekend. Go HERE for all of those dates.
January 5, 2011
Happy 2011 to you all. Here's a quick update on what's brewing with the DMG family...
Grupo Fantasma was nominated for Grammy, will tour out to LA for the awards show, and just released a brand new music video (below).
Brownout is back in the studio recording their 3rd album.
Foot Patrol's album is mastered and release date will be sometime in April.
Rupa & the April Fishes will tour the west coast of US in Feb, do a full European tour in April, hit up summer festivals and concert series in North America, and then head back in the studio.
Forro in the Dark are on their way back from Brazil and will head back into the studio soon.
Jonny Meyers is putting the finishing touches on the Kevin Batchelor Grand Concourse album.
December 1, 2010
Some wonderful news to share...Grupo Fantasma's latest album El Existential has been nominated for a Grammy in the "Best Latin Rock, Alternative or Urban" category, their second nomination (2008's Sonidos Gold). Full list of all the nominees HERE and the awards will air on February 13th, 2011. I'm proud to say that I've been with this band since day one. Here's a great video piece by Aaron Brown on the making of this album, which was completely self produced by Adrian Quesada and many of the guys in the group.
Stay tuned for lots more DMG news in the next few weeks!
November 10, 2010
The mighty Grupo Fantasma celebrates a decade of existence this Friday night, November 12th in their hometown of Austin, Texas. Antone's will play host to this madness which will feature many specials guests from the past and present, two full sets, video projections of all the memories, and the world premiere of their brand new music video for the song "Montañozo."
I went up to Boulder, CO a couple weeks ago to spend some time with Forro in the Dark while on tour with Gogol Bordello. The shows were great! Here's some video of the band at the Boulder Theatre with an appearance from Eugene Hutz.
Read previous DMG news posts here.
