St. Patrick’s Events: Celebrate the Emerald Isle

March 15, 2014
By Jimmy Berg

I know. I know. It’s a big week for music fans this week with SXSW raging in Austin and countless musical icons making guest appearances and performing in tiny venues. But, we should not forget that St. Patrick’s Day is in a week and for fans of Celtic music, or drinking music in general, this is a great holiday to get out of the house and enjoy some live music. Sláinte!

Saturday, March 15

Colcannon – Broomfield, Colorado

Colcannon formed in 1984 in Boulder Colorado, and their reputation has grown steadily over the years with the release of eight CDs on the Oxford Road Records label. The band’s recent CD The Pooka and the Fiddler received a Parent’s Choice Award for its artful interweaving or music and storytelling. The Emmy®-award winning PBS special, Colcannon in Concert, filmed at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts has aired nationwide.
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The Mid-Week Beat: RIP Pete Seeger

January 29, 2014
By Jimmy Berg

Music fans got some sad news yesterday, legendary folk singer and rabble rouser Pete Seeger passed away at the age of 94.

Over the last 24 hours, it’s been interesting watching the variety of musicians come out with memories and tributes to Seeger on Facebook:

“Peter Seeger towered over the folk scene like a mighty redwood for 75 years. He travelled with Woody Guthrie in the 1940s, stood up to Joe McCarthy in the 50s and marched with Dr Martin Luther King in the 60s. His songs will be sung wherever people struggle for their rights. We shall overcome.” – Billy Bragg (UK-based singer/songwriter)

“To everything there is a season and a purpose under heaven. Turn, Turn, Turn Pete Seeger 1919-2014 Pete Seeger, America’s tuning fork”, believed in “the power of song” to help bring social change.” – Willie Nelson (legendary country music singer/songwriter)

“RIP, Pete 1919 – 2014 – “You want to know why Pete Seeger is beaming (see photo)? He was watching a rocking set from Wanda Jackson. So much for the old folk music versus rock and roll conflict.” – Elvis Costello (UK-based singer/songwriter)

“Pete Seeger was not satisfied just having spectators. He believed that getting people to sing with him would bring them together, bringing more awareness to social injustice. RIP Pete Seeger” – Mike Ness (founder of Social Distortion, legendary Orange County punk band)

“Yes, he really was a swell guy wasn’t he? And by “swell guy,” I mean an absolute bad-ass pioneer of punk, free will, free expression (save for his distaste of the electric guitar) freedom for all humanity, equal rights…you name it, he tried to save it! R.I.P. Pete!” – Mark Pickerel (Seattle-based drummer for Screaming Trees, Neko Case and others)

“R.I.P. Pete Seeger. The Pope of capitalism-hating banjo nerds passed away today. You will be missed Petie!” – Blackbird Raum (Santa Cruz-based folk-punk band)

“Pete Seeger is the reason I’m a banjo player. He invented the job I have. His example has been illuminating and inspiring, and his voice will be missed. If you’ve ever seen Pete perform, you’ve lifted your voice in song with him. He showed us that our voices were just as important as his. In honor of Pete, we should all sing out today, but don’t sing alone! If enough people join in, It might feel like he’s still here. We do have a hammer!” – Curtis Eller (North Carolina-based acrobatic, yodelling banjo player)

Artist Ticket Picks: The Royal Oui, A Tribute to Harry Smith, Burlesque, Bellydance and more!

November 25, 2013
By Brown Paper Tickets

Welcome to this week’s Artist Ticket Picks! The Artist Ticket program gives our customers a way to donate to causes that we care about.

If you’re an event producer, you can allow your ticket buyers to purchase limited-edition tickets printed with original artwork in your event settings. The ticket buyer will pay a small, additional charge of $0.25 and receive a limited edition, collectible ticket imprinted with original artwork. The current charity of our choosing will receive 100% of the additional charge. Physical tickets must be enabled on the event.

If you’re a ticket buyer, you can check to see if the limited edition ticket is available to you at the beginning of the ticket checkout process or by visiting the Artist Ticket page. You receive a small piece of collectible art and support a valuable cause just by checking the box in the Artist Ticket widget when you’re purchasing your tickets!

See a full list of events carrying the tickets on the Artist Ticket page, as well as find out more about the beneficiary for the current run of Artist Tickets.

So, without further ado, here are this week’s Artist Ticket picks:

Thursday, December 12 I The Royal Oui, Pretty Broken Things, and Elk and Boar – Seattle, Washington

“There’s never been any shortage of music in the Adrienne Pierce–Ari Shine household: Vancouver native Pierce has released four-albums-plus of retro-mini epics known to fans of TV’s Grey’s Anatomy, Veronica Mars and beyond; Shine’s songwriting chops have shone on his solo releases (including last year’s Songs of Solomon) and his work as a composer. The husband-and-wife duo have collaborated before, but not under a band moniker until now, when the sometimes-L.A.-based couple decided to make music (and puns) as the Royal Oui. Their first 7-inch, “When You Lose Your Mind” (b/w “Actual Size”), displays not only their quirky sensibilities but their admirable restraint. And that opening lyric is a keeper.” – Kevin Bronson Buzzbands.LA

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The Mid-Week Beat: Modern Traditionalists

April 24, 2013
By Jimmy Berg

American music is something that has always managed to incorporate many, sometimes disparate, influences. A lot of this has to do with so many different cultures living and working together in the American “melting pot.”

Probably the quintessential American music, jazz, incorporated elements of European brass band music, African tribal music and southern blues. Bluegrass blended English reels with African-American blues phrasing. Rock and Roll blended country with rhythm and blues. Hip hop blended American funk with the Jamaican sound system’s thundering bass lines and dancehall toasting, eventually incorporating electronic music, rock, jazz and a myriad of other genres into the mix as well. Taking all of this into account, what we call “American” music is, in fact, a blend of influences from around the world, brought together on American soil and affected by the American experience.

Musicians are constantly looking to re-define what is thought of as “traditional” music and today I focus on three upcoming shows that feature artists that effectively blend traditional music with modern styles. Two are firmly rooted in American roots music while the third takes Eastern European music and mashes it up with experimental and global styles.
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Music >

St. Patrick’s Events: Celebrate the Emerald Isle

The Mid-Week Beat: RIP Pete Seeger

Artist Ticket Picks: The Royal Oui, A Tribute to Harry Smith, Burlesque, Bellydance and more!

The Mid-Week Beat: Modern Traditionalists

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