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The Pronto Podcast — Brown Paper Tickets’ Event Guide for Seattle

BPT_buttonWelcome to The Pronto! Brown Paper Ticket’s event guide for Seattle.

Tune in every Tuesday to check out a few of our favorite events in the Emerald City! You can check back to the blog every Tuesday at 10am or hit “subscribe” on the player and get each week’s Pronto delivered right to your computer.

Have a friend that’s visiting Seattle this week? Why not share this podcast with them and give them ideas of something to do? 

This week’s podcast features our top picks for this year’s New Year’s Eve! These are just a few ways to ring in 2014.

Conor Byrne Pub in Ballard hosts the 2nd Annual Artist Home New Year’s Eve Celebration. Lots of guest musicians on the roster including members of Big Sur, Ravenna Woods, Hounds of the Wild Hunt, Smokey Brights and more.

If you wanna get exotic this year check out Afro-Caribbean New Year’s Night at Salsa N Seattle. The doors open at 10. Breakfast at 4. In between expect lots of partying, plus an amazing performance by Sultan Clinton, DJ Toni and others.

If you really wanna feel the music this time around, perhaps a stop at Bassdrop Music NYE 2014 is the way to go. This one is at the newly renovated Monkey Loft in Sodo and features DJs Jameson Just, Paul Wheeler, Tyler Brown and others.

Lucky Strike in Bellevue hosts Cirque Glow New Year’s Even 2014. With prices ranging from thirty bucks to a ten thousand dollar VIP package (yes, you heard that right) there’s plenty of bowling, dining, drinking and dancing for everyone. Plus acrobats and other circus performers. Amazing party.

This might be the year to go back in time. Couple’s Cupid 70’s New Years Eve Groovy Dance Party goes back to the 70’s. So wear your best vintage clothes. This sexy event is limited to couples and single females only.

If you wanna go straight for the tunes this year, head over to the High Dive in Fremont. You’ll blaze in the new year with The West, Ever So Android and Dead Ship Sailing. Great bands, indeed.

In the mood for some Russian influence this time around? How about spending new year’s eve at the Russian Community Center of Seattle on Capitol Hill. They’re calling it The Firebird. Your hostess will be decked out in Russian attire. There will be plenty of Russian food and music. And of course, there will be enough vodka for everyone.

Wanna go retro? Why not spend the evening at Fuel Sports in Pioneer Square with Platinum Spandex. That’s Puget Sound’s best 80’s hair rock band. You know you sorta wish it was 1987.


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Arts >

The Mid-Week Beat: Klezmer Punk and Balkan Brass!

A few years back, with the help of bands like Gogol Bordello, Balkan Beat Box, Devotchka and Beirut, traditional Eastern European music got a, much-deserved, shot in the arm. These bands, and others, took the infectious melodies of traditional Eastern European Roma (or “gypsy”) music, klezmer and Balkan brass and infused it with modern musical influences: punk and indie rock, electronic beats and hip hop, to create a worldwide musical movement that captured the attention of the mainstream music press and took the world by storm, turning a whole new generation of music fans onto this exciting musical culture. Clubs across Europe and America boasted regular Balkan club nights and accordions, cimbaloms and tubas became common sights on rock club and festival stages.

The hype around “gypsy punk” and “Balkan beats” has calmed down in recent years but this incredible music still attracts music fans smitten with the music’s infectious, minor-key melodies and driving beats. While it seemed to be a passing phase, the movement created a viable living for traditional musicians who otherwise may not have been able to travel outside of Eastern Europe or the Balkans. Most cities in the United States now boast their own Balkan brass bands and rock clubs now feature Eastern European-influenced bands on a regular basis. You may not be reading about it in Pitchfork any more, but thanks to the massive exposure of the so-called “gypsy punk” movement, this incredible music can still pack a house full of sweaty, enthusiastic dancers regardless of their cultural heritage.

This week on the Mid-Week Beat, we feature a klezmer musician that infuses his music with a punk rock sensibility, an upcoming Balkan Night in Seattle and a legendary Macedonian brass band that is touring the U.S. in May.
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Music >