Bamshakalah!

[MIDWEEK MIXTAPE] DJ FITZ - SUMMERTIME SPECIAL MIX

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:36:03 +0200

Dude, if you are not familiar with DJ Fitz yet, you are missing out.
He’s the Mixtape Master of the Universe, get’s the party started (and going) like no other and gives great hugs.

Listen to all of his amazing mixes here.

DJ Fitz - summertime special mix by Fitz5000 on Mixcloud

SUNDAY VIDEO:SOUL AMBASSADOR

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 10:30:17 +0200

Hey there

This is a recent (May 31st 2013) documentary about soul singer Otis Redding, featuring his 1967 tour of Britain, his subsequent success in America at the Monterey Festival and his posthumous hit Dock of the Bay.

-Enjoy

Aldo

[MIDWEEK MIXTAPE] SUGAR & SPICE - INFOURMENTAL

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 17:02:07 +0200

Just when you think there’s no words that add up to your end of spring feeling.. sit back and take our instrumental mixtape in. Infourmental we’d like to call it, cause we’re all a little mental sometimes.

yours truly,

Sugar and Spice

Sugar & Spice - INFOURMENTAL by Sugar & Spice on Mixcloud

Top Secret

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 16:50:00 +0200

Howdy,

Guess what? They brew their coffee with love, they love the artists they work with and this place is lovely! I’ve walked into their office this morning and now I’m writing this piece for the Bamshakalah! community. Love it.

You want to know what else I love? Secrets. Fun secrets though, the ones that makes you want to share them. I’m about to break a promise I made regarding a secret called Jessica Pratt and her self-titled album. Fun fact: Someone we loved started a label in order to bring her record to the world. Thanks for that, White Fence!

Jessica Pratt makes these intimate, seductive and enchanting songs that make you want to tell everyone you know about them. However, I made a deal.. What makes some records magical is the fact that you get by it on a special way. The person telling me about this record told me he wanted to share this with me, but I would be the only one for him to share it with. From that moment on it was my turn to tell only ONE person about this record. Telling it to everybody is illegal, and you’ll probably get punished for it. But here I am, sharing this wonderful secret with all of you.

Punish me, I deserve it. Jessica Pratt got me hooked on her record and you need to hear this. Just promise me from this moment on, you are telling only ONE person about this. And tell them they need to do the same. That way we’ll keep the magic that girdles this album in touch.

Knowing that, I can peacefully finish my coffee.

Groetjes,

Alex

SUNDAY VIDEO:THE MILES DAVIS STORY

Sun, 09 Jun 2013 10:30:24 +0200

Hey there!

Trumpeter-bandleader Miles Davis (1926-91) was a catalyst for the major innovations in post-bop, cool jazz, hard-bop, and jazz-fusion, and his wispy and emotional trumpet tones were some of the most evocative sounds ever heard. He was also one of the most identifiable and misunderstood pop icons of the 20th century. This engrossing British documentary shows the complex layers of this magnificent and mercurial artist. Through rare footage and interviews, we learn of Davis’s middle-class upbringing and his early days with bop legends Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker. The documentary bluntly deals with Davis’s narcotic nadir and his rise from the depths to become a bona fide jazz icon in the mid-’50s to late ’60s. But the most penetrating and poignant portraits of Davis come from musicians who played with and were influenced by him, including Shirley Horn, Herbie Hancock, Joe Zawinul, and Keith Jarrett.

-Enjoy

Aldo

Midweek Mixtape + Monthly Flyer Freshness!

Wed, 05 Jun 2013 22:41:00 +0200

It’s TIIIIIIIIIME!

Come with us on a journey through June: the weather’s fine, and so are the tunes.

So get your jam on, courtesy of the Misses Sugar & Spice. (If you’re a Spotify-er, you can check the mix there too.)

For more information on this delicious spread of upcoming shows here in The Netherlands, visit here. And big ups to Johnny Slack for this month’s radically bizzybuzzy design!

To stay updated on all things Belmont, follow us on the innerwebs via Facebook, Twitter, AND Instagram. Boom.

Under the influence

Wed, 05 Jun 2013 14:13:00 +0200

Five years ago, journalist and filmmaker Matthijs van der Ven founded Onder Invloed.

Onder Invloed literally translates to ‘under the influence,’ referring to musicians and their influences. Since 2008, Matthijs has filmed numerous national and international musicians covering their favorite songs in both short sessions and at Onder Invloed live shows.

For the project’s five year anniversary, a special online magazine was launched, featuring some of Matthijs’ favorite artists. Check it out here.

Onder Invloed has worked with many Belmont artists, such as broeder Dieleman, Thus:Owls and Damien Jurado. These sessions are truly something else; check ‘em out here.

BONUS: A special Anniversary live show, featuring Belmont artist Idiot Glee, Dutch singer-songwriter Case Mayfield and new kids on the block Color Reporters, takes place at the EKKO in Utrecht, NL, Thursday, 6 June.

Tickets and info are here; see you there!

Beaches Brew II: A Rock 'n' Rollers' Slowfest

Mon, 03 Jun 2013 16:35:00 +0200

“Last week, I had the pleasure of fleeing the real world for a little while and spending a few blissful days at Hana-Bi, a gorgeous venue in Marina di Ravenna, on the Adriatic coast of Italy, for the second annual Beaches Brew festival. It’s hard to recap the amazing experience, but here goes:

THE VENUE

If you ever have the chance to visit Hana-Bi, please do. It’s surrounded by trees, the beach and the beautifully blue Adriatic Sea. Hana-Bi also homes a great restaurant and they won’t let you leave without stuffing you with pasta, seafood, an amazing espresso for dessert, the specially brewed Beaches Brew beer and lethal mojitos. The atmosphere was so relaxed and perfect, words can’t begin to describe it.

THE PEOPLE

There has rarely been so much love at a music festival as there was at this years’ Beaches Brew. The lovely locals, the marvelous musicians, everyone at Hana-Bi and the great folks from Bronson Produzioni (the organization behind this endeavor, along with the Belmonsters) were all amazing and full of sunshine.

THE MUSIC

Oh my word, did I discover some new jams at Beaches Brew! The line up included so much greatness, including The Dream Syndicate, Sacri Cuori, Dead Skeletons and Chris Cohen. My personal highlights were White Fence, Dirty Beaches, Daniel Norgren, Brothers in Law, Beach Fossils, King Tuff, and party king, lovely-haired cool dood DJ Fitz.

THANK YOU Belmonsters, Bronson Produzioni (Enrico and Chris in particular), everyone at Hana-Bi, and everyone who was at Beaches Brew 2013. See you next year!” - Sarah Oranje

Bye Bye Beaches Brew, Day 3 Recap

Mon, 03 Jun 2013 16:12:00 +0200

With heavy hearts, we bid a fond farewell to last week’s second annual Beaches Brew festival at Hana-Bi in beeeyoootiful Marina di Ravenna, IT.

The third and final day of free festivities included performances from Brothers In Law, The Chris Cohen Group, Beach Fossils, and King Tuff, all wrapped up in a disco dance party from the one, the only, DJ Fitz.

We rocked, we rolled, we drank bunches of Beaches Brew-skies and not enough mojitos, and we miss the sand in our toes already.

Addio amici, until next year!

SUNDAY VIDEO:WHEN ALBUMS RULED THE WORLD

Sun, 02 Jun 2013 10:30:16 +0200

Hey there!

Between the mid 1960s and the late 1970s, the long-playing record and the albums that graced its grooves changed popular music for ever. For the first time, musicians could escape the confines of the three-minute pop single and express themselves as never before across the expanded artistic canvas of the album. The LP allowed popular music become an art form - from the glorious artwork adorning gatefold sleeves, to the ideas and concepts that bound the songs together, to the unforgettable music itself.

-Enjoy

Aldo

Beaches Brew, Day 2: Back to da Beach!

Thu, 30 May 2013 16:30:00 +0200

We’re crushing SO hard on Italy right now.

After a positively magical first day of Beaches Brew festivities, we spent Wednesday just as enthralled.

Our boy DJ Fitz opened up on the 1’s and 2’s, delivering obscure worldfunkdisco jams to coast us into an Italian surf rock haze from the outstanding Sacri Cuori. Daniel Norgren followed up, spinning his special threads of jam-rocking blues with an intensity that is truly unparalleled. Dead Skeletons swept us into a darkly glazed psychedelia, complimented perfectly by Hana-Bi’s DIVINE mojitos.

Ciao!

Beaches Brew at Hana-Bi, Day One!

Wed, 29 May 2013 16:04:57 +0200

It’s finally here!

The Belmonsters have invaded Hana-Bi for the second annual Beaches Brew festival, nestled in the lovely city of Marina di Ravenna, Italy.

Yesterday kicked off with an electric set from California psychers White Fence, followed by the slow-burning blast that is Dirty Beaches. We finished the night with the legendary Dream Syndicate, who seriously took us to a whole other level with their unparalleled shredfest of a set.

We’ve got our very own, very special, Beaches Brew Beer flowing, courtesy of Birrificio Cajun, and the mojitos here at Hana-Bi are tippity-top notch.

And of course, we gotta give big ups to our amazing hosts and co-presenters, Bronson Produzioni.

Below you’ll find some of our favorite moments from yesterday’s festivities. Follow us on Instagram at @Belmont_Bookings to keep up with all the Beaches Brew shenanigans.

Enjoy!

[MIDWEEK MIXTAPE] SUGAR & SPICE - DIVEFORTHEEFIVE

Wed, 29 May 2013 15:10:55 +0200

This week we’re rolling in the sand at Beaches Brew so we’ll leave you with this surf mixtape. Catch some rays if you can.

- Sugar & Spice

Sugar & Spice - DIVEFORTHEEFIVE by Sugar & Spice on Mixcloud

SUNDAY VIDEO:THE MANY LIVES OF Q

Sun, 26 May 2013 10:30:10 +0200

Hey!

Another long gem!!

The Many Lives Of Q is a documentary, which celebrates the life and career of top American jazz musician, composer, arranger, record producer and entrepreneur, Quincy Jones, to mark his 75th birthday. In a career spanning six decades he’s won more Grammy awards than any other artist and helped make Michael Jackson the ‘King of Pop’.

Enjoy!

Aldo

Le Guess Who? May Day, Photos & More!

Fri, 24 May 2013 11:26:40 +0200

We had a BLAST at last weekend’s monumental Le Guess Who? May Day, an amazing and diverse little sister festival to Utrecht’s annual Le Guess Who? event. (Pssst…early bird tickets for November’s main event are already up for grabs here.)

Our friend, cool dude and gorgeous photomakerman Remco Brinkhuis was there, too! Below, read his take on this wonderful night, and check out his stunning pictures his favorite sets from the mini-festival: Deerhunter, Dirty Beaches, and Eraas.

“The line-up was as expected impressive – the festival has a very good reputation when it comes to quality music. Visitors came from all over The Netherlands and even some music enthusiasts from Belgium and France were spotted. Amongst the various high quality performances, these were my absolute favorites:

Deerhunter, exciting indierockers from Georgia, USA…

Dirty Beaches, easily the best performance of the festival, the Death Grips of dance: dark, rock & roll dance music with distorted vocals and guitars…

ERAAS! Despite some technical difficulties, the Brooklyn-based band stayed focused, and managed to impress with their dark, hypnotizing, danceable music.”

-Remco Brinkhuis

Thanks, Remco! We can’t wait to see what November’s LGW? will bring!

[MIDWEEK MIXTAPE] MIXOLOGY - SHTRAK CDRC

Wed, 22 May 2013 14:49:56 +0200

This mix is all over the place, in a good way!

The Collective Shtrak consists of musicians, artists, producers H-SIK, MORESOUNDS, E.A.R.L & CDRC which objective is to deliver music without borders, genres or styles in their productions or selections, as you can hear from this diversified mix by CDRC so rich in unreleased and forthcoming tracks… from dub to club.

If you made / heard a great mixtape please send it in, Bamsh loves them all shapes and sizes!

SHTRAK CDRC Xclusive Mix by Mixology on Mixcloud

SUNDAY VIDEO:FESTIVAL EXPRESS

Sun, 19 May 2013 10:30:12 +0200

Hey !

I found this gem posted online. “Festival Express” is a 2003 documentary film about the 1970 train tour of the same name across Canada taken by some of North America’s most popular rock bands, including The Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, The Band and Delaney & Bonnie & Friends. The film combines live footage shot during the 1970 concerts, as well as footage aboard the train itself, interspersed with present-day interviews with tour participants sharing their often humorous recollections of the events.

Enjoy!

Aldo

Memories from Ravenna: the artists' take on Beaches Brew

Thu, 16 May 2013 17:53:00 +0200

Last year we hit the east coast of Italy at the beautiful Marina di Ravenna for the first edition of Beaches Brew festival. We were joined by some of our favorite live acts and we had the time of our lives at the intimite festival at Hana Bi. The second edition is coming up in less than two weeks, and features The Dream Syndicate, Beach Fossils, Daniel Norgren, White Frence, King Tuff, our favorite DJ Fitz, and loads more. Get all details including places to stay here. Did we mention access to this heap of amazingness is FREE!?

Check out how the cool people from Bear In Heaven, Sleepy Sun, The War On Drugs and DJ Fitz liked last years Beaches Brew below.

Jon Philpot (Bear in Heaven): Looking out on the beach that opposes the stage was almost enough to burst my tour rattled heart. Thank god we got there early enough to feel the full effect. Ping pong, amazing food, a beach nap and laundry. By the time our show came around I nearly forgot what we were there to do. I love you Beaches Brew, I truly do.

Brian Tice (Sleepy Sun): Oh man, Hana Bi is definitely one of my favorite venues. I remember driving up and seeing someone mediating in the sun up on the grassy hill just to the right of the building. I remember feasting on the sand and hanging with the Belmont family before the show, and swimming in the Adriatic after sound check… and of course leaving way too soon. The whole thing was too good to be true.

Evan Reiss (Sleepy Sun): My first thought when I arrived in Ravenna was “Nooooooo, I can’t believe we have to leave this paradise tonight right after the show! Damn you, Bob!” But once I saw our buddies in the War on Drugs sound checking and received a friendly wave from them and the Belmont crew, I knew everything was going to be OK. Watching them play under the Italian moonlight was an unforgettable experience. Swimming in the ocean and trying to convince the Hana Bi crew to let me have a summer busboy position were also highlights!

David Hartley (The War on Drugs): Beaches Brew was a really special moment for us in the middle of what was a really hectic run of shows. We had just played a ton of festivals in a row, and were pretty much in a tour daze. When we got to Ravenna, we were welcomed by friends and shared a delicious family style meal together, played basketball in the sun and dipped our feet in the sea. Afterwards we played to a blissed out crowd under the stars.. what could be better?

DJ Fitz: Beaches Brew was the best festival I went to in 2012. Set against a backdrop of the deep blue sea and rolling sandy beaches of Italy’s Adriatic coast, the shows were amazing, the atmosphere was great and the food was off the hook. Don’t miss the second edition of this amazing three day party.

We are so stoked for Beaches Brew 2013. Make sure to catch it, and to collect your own set of amazing, beach filled memories.

[MIDWEEK MIXTAPE] CIGAR IN SPACE - THREESOMEINSPACE

Wed, 15 May 2013 14:26:00 +0200

During this weeks Midweek Mixtape we’d like to introduce you Cigar in Space, navigating you through space ways and beyonddddd!

Cigar in Space - THREESOMEINSPACE by Sugar & Spice on Mixcloud

SUNDAY VIDEO:ANALOGUE HEAVEN:THE MUSEUM OF SYNTHESIZER TECHNOLOGY

Sun, 12 May 2013 10:30:27 +0200

Hey !

This is a documentary of the short-lived synthesizer museum in Berkshire in the UK.

-enjoy!

Aldo