Stories about Music from March, 2009
Indonesia: Traditional Javanese artists
The Aroengbinang posts pictures of old traditional Javanese artists based in Jakarta.
Cuba: Detainees Freed
The previously detained Cuban photographer and musician have been released – Sunrise in Havana has the details.
Myanmar: Hip Hop craze
According to blogger Fear from Freedom, Myanmar youth in Yangon is having a fever of Hip Hop fashion, songs and dance.
Armenia: The price of success
Blogian says that passengers on local transport in the Armenian capital, Yerevan were recently impressed by the vocal talents of his 6-year-old niece. However, the blog notes, while talent is not enough to succeed in Armenia, money is.
Trinidad & Tobago: Meaningful Art
Trin (Surviving Life in Trinidad and Tobago) is of the opinion that “while Fay Anne and other Carnival artists deserve a prize for their contributions, that prize should not be so large that it prevents the Ministry from being able to fund a balanced cross-section of artists who represent our...
Kenya: Get Kenyan Music at KenTunes
Kenyan Poet writes about KenTunes, an online music download site for Kenyan music.
Guatemala: A Violin in Silence After Murder of Youth
The latest victims to violence in Guatemala are a young violinist, Hans Castro and his two companions Andrea Robledo and Edwin Urrea. The murders took place in the outskirts of Guatemala City and bloggers are mourning the loss of Castro, who was a member of the Guatemalan Symphonic Orchestra Conservatory.
Mexico: Reviews of Radiohead Concerts in Mexico City
British band Radiohead recently played two concerts in Mexico City to a crowd of 55,000 on each night. Miguel of We Shall be Free [es] reviews both shows.
Israel: Oboe Player Wins Seat in YouTube Orchestra
Israeli musician Nir Gavrieli has won a coveted seat in the YouTube Symphony Orchestra for his oboe rendition of Rossini's “La Scala di Seta.” Israelity reports that 3,000 people video-auditioned for 90 spaces in the orchestra. Finalists were voted on by 13 million YouTube viewers. The orchestra will perform in...
Antigua & Barbuda: Election Lessons
playing with ink is glad the Antigua election is over, but still has a few nagging questions: “How much has been spent and wasted in this election campaign and how much difference could we have made to the lives of our most vulnerable with it?”
Jamaica: Payola
The Broadcasting Commission of Jamaica is now getting advertisers involved in the process of cleaning up the airwaves – Active Voice calls it “a welcome move indeed. Hopefully the BCJ will be just as uncompromising in its stand against payola as it has been in relation to ‘indecent’ lyrics.”
Chile: Local Bands at Viña del Mar Music Festival
Marcos Hurtado of La Pollera [es] responds to critics who say that Chilean rock music is not well represented at the international Viña del Mar music festival held annually in Chile. He writes that bands must raise their level in order to perform at the festival and they shouldn't perform...
Barbados: Music Man
“It saddens me that such a gifted man is nothing more than a footnote in the history of music in Barbados”: Cheese-on-bread! marks the 39th anniversary of the death of Dalton Sinclair ‘Jackie Opel’ Bishop.
Russia, Ukraine, the Balkans: Eurovision News
The controversy caused by Georgia's Eurovision Song Contest entry seems to be over (or, depending on one's perspective, has reached its climax), now that Georgia has decided not to take part in this year's event in Moscow, following the European Broadcasting Union's demand that the lyrics of the 'We Don't Wanna Put In' song are either changed or a different song entered. Russia's own entry is causing controversy now as well, however.
Caribbean: Message for Rihanna
The Rihanna/Chris Brown headlines have been capturing the interest of bloggers Caribbean-wide recently, not only because Rihanna is Barbados-born and bred, but because the whole issue of domestic abuse hits really close to home.
International Women's Day: “All women are queens”
Yesterday was International Women's Day, and francophone bloggers around the world used music, poetry and art to honor the beauty, achievements, and continuing struggles of women.
Senegal: A new documentary: Democracy in Dakar
Ethan reviews a new documentary titled, Democracy In Dakar, “It’s not just a portrait of a country’s vibrant music scene – it’s the complicated story of how hiphop emerged as a political force in Senegal, and how that force has been both empowered and thwarted in recent elections.”
Russia: Ukrainian singer in Eurovision song contest
Moskau Blog turns attention to [GER] the fact that Russia will be represented a singer of Ukrainian origin in this year's Eurovision song contest.
Barbados: Foolish Games?
The Rihanna/Chris Brown reconciliation rumours are leaving “a really bad taste” in the mouths of Barbadian bloggers.
Israel: Airport Security Detains British Rapper
When British rapper Lowkey arrived in Israel this week to help raise funds to rebuild Gaza, airport security didn't react kindly to his arrival and detained him for questioning. David of Israelity explains: “For better or worse, we invented profiling… Justified? Well, yeah. The ultimate goal is to prevent people...
Mexico: Two Musicians Selected for YouTube Symphony Orchestra
Two Mexican musicians have been selected for the YouTube Symphony Orchestra international orchestra, a collaborative project using social media through the use of auditions through YouTube videos. Manuel Zogbi from Saltillo and YouTube user Intisamente from Veracruz both submitted and uploaded videos displaying their musical talents in order to be considered for the contest.
