Concert Remembers the Women’s Orchestra of Birkenau at St. John the Divine
“Music in Desperate Times: Remembering the Women’s Orchestra of Birkenau” is a concert presented by the Woodstock, N.Y.-based choral ensemble Ars Choralis that interweaves orchestral music with spoken memoirs to bring back the voices and music of the only World War II women’s orchestra. Though over one million people were murdered in the Birkenau gas chambers, the lives of this small group of female prisoners were spared because they played beautiful music. Based on personal memoirs and historical records, “Music in Desperate Times” will tell the story of this extraordinary group of women through readings, choral music and representative orchestral music played in the camps (Schumann, Chopin, Puccini and traditional music). Read More…
Music Industry Publicist Launches T-Shirt Series For Charity
Holiday Matinee, a PR firm specializing in music publicity (clients include Death Cab For Cutie, Bright Eyes, Jimmy Eat World, and MTV) has launched its “artist series” of T-shirts, with a new design debuting each month. The first design is by LA- artist Ashkahn. All shirts are printed on 100% organic cotton and available in both men and women sizes. Go here to see the designs. Read More…
Yes We Can: Voices Of A Grassroots Movement
CD Inspired By Barack Obama’s
Presidential Campaign
Inspired by the grassroots movement created by Barack Obama’s presidential run, Hidden Beach Recordings has assembled a compilation CD that “taps into the creative community’s overwhelming response to the campaign’s universal themes of hope, unity, and change.
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The eighteen-song disc, Yes We Can: Voices Of A Grassroots Movement, borrows its name from one of the campaign’s central messages. Artists appearing on the disc include Stevie Wonder, Sheryl Crow, John Mayer, Kanye West, Jill Scott, Los Lonely Boys, Jackson Browne, BeBe Winans, Lionel Richie, Adam Levine, Keb’ Mo’, and John Legend. The project features current and classic material as well as speech excerpts from the Democratic nominee, which are embedded throughout. Read More…
Concert Series, Merchandise, And Foundation Launch
The Our Veterans, Our Heroes project was founded to directly address the challenges and needs of our military personnel and their families, from the devastation of health care issues to the heartbreak of home foreclosures. Through the efforts of three business executives—Ken Fry, George Nauful, and Lisa Knorr—among those of many other supporters, Our Veterans, Our Heroes offers everyday Americans the opportunity to make a difference in the daily lives of veterans by attending entertainment events, purchasing custom jewelry and merchandise, and donating to the Our Veterans, Our Heroes Foundation. Read More…
Dark Was The Night Marks 20th Annual Release In The Unique Series
The latest album in the Red Hot series, which includes Red Hot And Blue (a tribute to Cole Porter), Red Hot And Riot (Fela Kuti), and Red Hot And Bothered (’90s indie rock) is Dark Was The Night. Like earlier releases, this installment, which is available as a double CD or on triple vinyl, will benefit the Red Hot Organization, which is dedicated to raising funds and awareness for HIV and AIDS.
Dark Was The Night marks the twentieth anniversary of the Red Hot Organization and is also the twentieth Red Hot release. The album was produced by Aaron & Bryce Dessner of The National. “Dark Was The Night” is the title of an early blues song by Blind Willie Johnson, which is covered on the album. The album consists of thirty-two exclusive tracks, and will be released by 4AD next February. Read More…
Taylor Makes 50 Liberty Tree T5 Guitars
Taylor Guitars has partnered with platinum-selling artist Jason Mraz for the release the limited-edition (50—one for each state) Liberty Tree T5 Guitar. The roots of the Liberty Tree T5 date back to the Revolutionary War. According to the guitar-maker, patriots chose trees in each of the colonies to hold secret rally meetings to discuss freedom from the rule of England and individual liberty. Read More…
Song Of The Month: Holy Hail’s “Elemental”
Lots of bands mix genres, some better than others. New York’s Holy Hale is among those who do it unusually well, with big-beat, pop, Americana, hip-hop, new wave, and electro coming together in a healthy, breathing surge of energy. The lyrics strewn across their debut album, Independent Pleasure Club (due November 11 on Kanine Records) are often political—the war in Iraq, Hurricane Katrina, the environment, wire tapping, and the American-Indian genocide are are all touched upon—but, refreshingly, your body’s going to react before your brain does this time, making for a far easier digestion of lyrical agression. The band recently returned from outings in Europe (with New Young Pony Club and Bonde Do Role) and gigging in Mexico. Click here to listen to “Elemental.” Read More…
When you think about the kind of band who would be invited to play a benefit for African-American revolutionary group The Black Panthers, you likely wouldn’t immediately picture a mixed-gender hippie prog-rock group from Denmark. Then again, rock ’n’ roll was built on the unexpected marriage of wildly different streams of sound and style. Read More…
