Damas Gratis en DC

[via Pogofilms]
Los reyes de la cumbia villera, Damas Gratis, estarán en el Black Cat DC el día sábado 22 de mayo. Entradas a $20 aquí.

Damas Gratis, the kings of cumbia villera (shantytown cumbia), will be at DC's Black Cat on Saturday May 22. Tickets are $20 here.


Yo tengo una piedra or how Pablito gets told by his doctor that the rock in his kidney came in by his nose.

Encore une fois pour Haiti

On Thursday May 13th, Station 9 will open it's doors to anyone with a love of music, dancing, and drinking for one of the biggest parties in Washington DC this Spring. FaiBien*, a DC-based non-profit dedicated to the people of Haiti, will throw a fundraiser for over 600 people to help rebuild schools and jump start education in Haiti following the 2010 earthquake. With two full floors of live bands, DJs, and great drink specials, this party is one you won't want to miss!

Tickets purchased in advance are $15/$20 at the door (every $1 goes directly to the cause). A silent auction will take place on the upper level.

Music provided by CODR** includes a stellar performance on the main floor by DC Mambo, a 9-piece band from the DR preforming salsa, merengue, and bachata, and Haitian music upstairs followed by DJ RBI (Ill St. Grooves WPFW 89.3FM) on the 1st floor spinning RnB & hip hop and the Globaltropical DJs (www.globaltropical.blogspot.com) on the 2nd floor pumping tropical bass music.

*FaiBien builds schools in Haiti for children who would not otherwise receive education and offers skills and trade training to adults. More info. can be found at www.faibien.org. FaiBien was featured by local News Channel 8: http://www.news8.net/news/stories/0110/698774.html.

**CODR is DC-based non-profit supporting higher education for rural students in the Dominican Republic, showing support for their neighbors on the island of Hispanola!

21 and over w/ID.

Tickets available here.

Please come and show your support for the ongoing relief efforts in Haiti.

Woofah's here again

Woofah is a short-run, irregularly produced but completely essential fanzine covering "dancehall / grime / dubstep / dub / bashment / roots / and all points in between", with words and images from some of the most knowledgeable and well-connected writers, bloggers, shakers and movers in these exciting but crucially underreported musical fields.

The fourth issue is now available through the Woofah site and costs less than a plate of food (including shipping to the US!).

Hurry, there are only 1,000 copies worldwide and they absolutely do not do reprints or digital editions.

Record store day

While every day should by rights be a record store day, today is the official event of the same name, so make sure you make time to head to an independent vinyl purveyor of your choice and give them some love

[via Record Store Day]

Rupture comes to town

What a lineup!

Griga jam

A mad Belizean punta rock jam from Aziatic and Griga Boys

Zombies for Money

Lisbon duo DJ Manaia & Klipar a.k.a. Zombies for Money have just released their debut EP on Trouble&Bass recordings and it's a killer!

Here's a teaser with all the tracks from the EP.

Tracklisting:

01. Bhangra Dance [00.00]
02. Bhangra Dance (Malente & Jay Robinson Rmx) [01.55]
03. Sacanagem [04.20]
04. Sacanagem (Drop Top Rmx) [06.00]
05. Numbra One [08.10]
06. Numbra One (Foamo Rmx) [10.00]
07. Bhangra Dance (Zeder Remix) [11.55]

[via Wizards Are Better]

Grab the whole thing at the 'Lab.

Afrocolombia

As it's both February (Black History month) and 2010 (the bicentennial of Colombian independence), the Colombian Embassy in DC has put together a nice series to celebrate Afro-Colombian culture and the whole thing starts off this Sunday with:

Grupo Creole hails from the heart of Colombia’s Caribbean Ocean, the islands of San Andres and Providencia. Grupo Creole interprets the traditional music of the islands. Founded by maestro Orston Christopher in 1986, with the mission to preserve the Creole language and the musical diversity of the islands, the group interprets all of the characteristic rhythms of their heritage: Calipso, Mentó, Shottish, Quadrille, Reggae, Polka among others. With the use of three acoustic guitars, a mandolin, the maracas, a horse jaw, and a ‘tina’, the group invites the audience to an authentic Caribbean fiesta.

On Feb. 24, there is a lecture on "The Afro Colombian contribution to the Colombian Process of Independence" with Colombian historian Dr. Alonso Valencia, director of the History Program at the Universidad del Valle in Cali, Colombia. 12:30 - 2 PM, The Elliott School of International Affairs, Room 505, 1957 E St. NW...

And on Feb. 27, a screening of the film Da Nation: Naturaleza Viva and a Q&A with director Maria Posse. 5 PM at Busboys & Poets, 2021 14th St. NW. RSVP for this at culturalinfo[at]colombiaemb.org.



[via Embassy of Colombia website]

Was The DC Record Fair Too Crowded?

Is not a headline you see too often...[from the Washington City Paper Artsdesk column]


Photo: Three Bucks for the Archie Record, by Matt Dunn











Some impressions:
- Lots of people in DC are into buying records
- Loved the diversity of the crowd - more than a few of which were kids under 21 (judging from the black X on the back of their right hands) - good on them and a welcome change from the standard digger (45+, balding, overweight, pale from spending too much time underground, has a weird cough from inhaling record box dust, mutters to himself as he flips through the vinyl) I came across in good ol' Europe
- Kid Congo Powers played some awesome funky records, but the music was good throughout - where else are you going to get a house party type vibe with a DJ lineup which includes him and members of Thievery Corporation, Fugazi and Animal Collective on a Sunday afternoon?
- Good to see the guys from the Plan 9 store in Richmond VA, this time I bought up their entire reggae section minus what I already own - look forward to playing these tunes out!

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musicblogocide2010 is off for the moment...so we'll stay. But we can't say we weren't warned...