Cleveland Museum of Art's Summer Solstice Music Lineup!

Here’s the schedule of bands performing tomorrow.  These all look great - and should be a great night for music at the Museum!  All descriptions come from the Museum’s website.

LUISA MAITA 8-8:50 / South Terrace Stage
Sultry, seductive and infused with that inimitable samba swing, the music of Luísa Maita embodies the modern spirit of Brazil. Inspired by the bustling urban life found in her native city of São Paulo, her music has a contemporary vibe with influences from alternative pop and downtempo electronic music melded with an acoustic foundation deeply rooted in samba, bossa nova and MPB.

L’ORCHESTRA AFRISA INTERNATIONAL 9:00–10:15 / South Terrace Stage
Afrisas roots go deep into the rich soil of the Congolese rumba. Since the early 1960s, Afrisa ranks as one of Africas most enduring and prolific bands. An uncountable number of records produced an extraordinary number of hits and helped spread the Congolese rumba across Africa and into Europe and America.

DANTE CARFAGNA 9:15 - 10:45 / Atrium Stage
The Soul and R&B collector/curator behind the groundbreaking Boddie Recording Company box set of Cleveland singles from the 60s and 70s returns with his crates full of 45s. Carfagna, who spun at the very first Solstice in 2009, helps us tip our Centennial cap toward the musical pioneers of our city.

CENTAVRVS 10:30–11:40pm / South Terrace Stage
Mexico City-based Centavrvs is a band that could be labelled Electronic Regional Mexican music, mixing rhythms and sounds from different parts of Mexico (cumbia, northern corrido, the son jarocho, Peruvian chicha, afrobeat and even rock) and Latin America with trends in electronic music. Their musical approach is based on partying, celebration and dancing, or music for dancing and flying.

IKONIKA 10:45-12:45 / Atrium Stage
London-based electronic musician Sara Abdel-Hamid (aka Ikonika) quickly rose to international prominence with her 2010 debut album Contact, Love, Want, Have (Hyperdub), and has more recently expanded her sound by introducinga new Latin Freestyle, Electro, R&B and Boogie-influenced style.

GIORGIO MORODER 11:45pm–1:00am / South Terrace Stage
The founder of disco and an electronic music trailblazer, Giorgio Moroder made his mark as an influential Italian producer, songwriter, performer and DJ. He still has his hands in the center of EDM culture, swinging back into the spotlight in 2013 as a guest collaborator on the GRAMMY Award-winning Daft Punk album Random Access Memories (Album Of the Year).

The FULL schedule of events can be found here.

Video Day #tzaupbeat

Man Made Mountain have me ready for Summer with this smooth groove and video for Cachaça ft. Tom Scott.  Speaking of Summer, let’s go tropical (and SEXY) with Bomba Estéreo's Somos Dos.  Next up is Milky Chance who I’m just now discovering, thanks to oWOW Radio!  How did I miss this album when it was released??

Bonus:  Years & Years are back with another great video, albeit a little more risqué this time.  I’m looking forward to seeing them open for Ellie Goulding at Jacobs Pavilion (moved from Wolstein!)

Summer Solstice 2015

Another Summer, another Summer Solstice at the Cleveland Museum of Art!  This year I opted for the membership to the Art Museum - and the early entry time!  It always seems like the time flies when you’re having fun.  While the music tends towards the eclectic, it adds a certain je nes sais quoi.  Always a great time!

  

More on the event… 

"CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Things were steaming up inside Cleveland Museum of Art Saturday as more than 6,000 guests came together to celebrate the seventh annual Summer Solstice.

The indoor and outdoor event featured two stages where seven bands gave a live performance of cutting-edge world music. Visitors were also encouraged to tour the museum's exhibits with the help of CMA's new smartphone app. Watch the video above to see highlights from the night as everyone celebrated the kickoff to summer."

(Via Summer Solstice 2015 at Cleveland Museum of Art celebrates hottest party of the year (video) | cleveland.com.)

Xavier Rudd (5/7/15)

I’m thrilled every time Xavier Rudd comes to town (and even more thrilled when it’s at the Beachland).  This time he brought Mike Love as the opener.  I wasn’t as excited with Mike as I should have been - mostly because his recorded stuff did not do justice to his live shows.  As a single man on stage, he easily captivated the audience with his looping of sounds & instruments, building to these massive crescendos.  Excellent!  He’s coming back and I can’t wait.

Xavier really filled out the stage with his band from all over the world.  While I wouldn’t say it wasn’t the best performance that I’ve seen from him - he still can do no wrong.  Positive energy just radiates from him… 

Xavier Rudd (6/26/14)

Road Trip!!  This time to Pittsburgh to catch Xavier Rudd with my best friend… This was also my first time seeing a show in the Altar Bar - great concept, but an awkward layout.  Opening was Ash Grunwald who was quite the blues/rock powerhouse.

In prepping for this show, I dusted a lot of my Xavier Rudd MP3’s off and enjoyed the trip down memory lane.  The same experience was had this night, though I’d love to see some new stuff from him soon!  Until then, check out his cover of Cyndi Lauper’s Time After Time below.

Summer Solstice Party (6/21/14)

Another Summer, another Summer Solstice Party from the Cleveland Museum of Art.  At this point, it’s becoming an institution - and with any “institution” there’s room for critique.  This year we got the early entry tickets, which seemed reasonable, particularly when realizing the event ends at 1 and the 10:30 entry people really only have 2 good hours of fun - which flies by super-fast.

This year there was no awesome exterior art experience, and while the music was very cultural and interesting - there was very little that you could dance to - inside or out.  While those have been two of the coolest things about the party that were missing - the people watching, GLBC beer and the Art Museum itself still made this an event worth considering.  I just hope they ramp up the music back up for next  year.

Xavier Rudd (7/10/13)

I was on a roll this week, with fun. and Tegan & Sara the night before, and then Xavier Rudd the next night!  I also had a good friend in from out of town for this show, who I saw my first Xavier Rudd show with.  After staring off with some grilling at friends place on the lake, we made it just in time for Xavier to take the stage.  As hoped, he whipped the patchouli fueled crowd into a frenzy.  OK, maybe that's just how I sold it to my friends… but Xavier really does have a great connection to his roots, his country, the music, and the audience.  I'd put him up there with Bob Marley.  I enjoyed it so much that I never really stopped dancing to take a video… (though now I kinda wish I would have).  :-) 

Xavier Rudd (11/4/12)

Seeing Xavier Rudd again was such a treat - and a sort of another "coming home".  His last show at House of Blues (7/24/07) was the first show I ever received a press pass for, and how thrilling it was - despite the embarrassment of my little point & shoot camera that I was using.  Flash forward 5 years, 3 albums, and a much better camera - and I was giddy about this show.

As expected, there was a hassle at the box office (oh HOB).  Upon walking in, I could tell this wasn't going to be the same as last time.  This time he was solo on stage, a smaller crowd, and I could already see a bunch of drunk Browns fans meandering about (why were they there??).  I was anticipating an acoustic nightmare.

Total props to Xavier because he was still as connected, sincere and relevant as ever.  His blend of world, folk, drumbeat is equally uplifting and inspiring - despite the drunk Clevelanders yelling at inappropriate times.  With a pared down stage & crowd, I would have much rather seen him perform at the Beachland Ballroom (omg I would LOVE that).  I'm still a die hard Xavier fan and would follow him anywhere.

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Summer Solstice Party (6/30/12)

After the Waterloo Arts Festival, we got cleaned up from the heat and headed over to the Cleveland Museum of Art for the 10pm entrance of their Summer Solstice Party.  I've gone every year and plan to continue the tradition - as I've always said, I think it's Cleveland's party of the year.  The music, food and people were amazing, including the stunning interactivity of slinging graffiti on the front facade of the building.  Win Win Win. Win.

 

Gang Gang Dance 10:00 p.m. Gang Gang Dance has honed a type of electronica that is equal parts tribal-futurism and dance music based on perfectly controlled havoc, emphasizing the ritualistic elements of their sound.

Nortec Collective Presents Bostich & Fussible 11:00 p.m. In Tijuana, Mexico, the so-called Nortec movement took shape when producers began fusing cutting-edge electronic music with traditional music of the region such as norteño and banda. This collective explores their take on the norteño and techno blend.

Novalima 12:30 a.m. Novalima is the band that has revolutionized the music scene in their native Peru. Novalima combines a passion for traditional Afro-Peruvian music and modern DJ culture. Their shared fascination with afro beat, dub reggae, latin, and electronic music has resulted in platinum status and worldwide touring.

New Xavier Rudd

This unseasonably warm weather was met today with the discovery of a new Xavier Rudd track.  A heavenly mix.  This guy just oozes summer & sun.

No word on a full album release, but you'll hear about it here when it does happen.

Bomba Estereo on La Blogotheque

And speaking of La Blogotheque, I was captivated by these Bomba Estero performances.  Not only is the music great, but just seeing the life happening around the music is beautiful.  Catch a glimpse of beautiful Colombia.

Khaira Arby (3/23/11)

So the Wednesday night concert series at The Spot (UBP/CWRU) had their own little SXSW night last week.  After doing a little research, it seemed like an extremely varied evening of music with a LOT of potential.  On the bill was Khaira Arby, Wise Blood, and Pictureplane.  Luckily I was there to make the first show, and was a little surprised it was Khaira Arby and her group from Mali.

Ever since seeing Babatune Olantuji back in my BGSU days, I've had a soft spot for the African Rythm (how cheesy does that sound).  Anyway, another one of my favorites has been Ali Farka Touré (who I unfortunately missed at the Spot last year).  I later found out Khaira is a cousin of Ali...

I can't say I have any legitmacy in saying anything about the music itself, but Khaira sounded as good as any other in that genre of music for me. Great to hear recorded, even more amazing live.

Here's what I'm talking about:

As for the rest of the night, the other acts... it's best I just keep this positive and leave them out.

Free Josh Rouse EP

Josh Rouse is offering up a free live EP... Some great, end of summer music. Check it out.