Traditionally the New Year doesn’t have that much going on by way of festivals but I’ve found a few to tell you about as well as some advance news of events later in the year.
Making the most of their summer time, Australia’s Good Vibrations is one of the country’s biggest annual music events. Taking place in Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney and Perth ,Good Vibrations celebrates its fifth year with an outstanding line up including Kanye West, Calvin Harris, Cypress Hill, Pigeon John and The Nextmen.
A special mention about the exclusive Thievery Corporation set at Good Vibrations – they’ll bring their full live band, complete with percussionists, sitar, horns, an array of vocalists, with the Thievery duo Rob Garza & Eric Hilton mixing beats, keys, and samples .
Tickets for the Sydney event are already sold out so you better get clicking soon!
While it may not be as warm as Australia, you might find some winter sun in the Spanish city of Barcelona, home to the Mini Festival – so named as they champion new artists as well as those that are not on the usual festival circuit. This is an event for keen music lovers and with tickets priced at a mere 13 euros you’ll have plenty left over to buy cds and some tasty tapas.
The international line up includes Damien Jurado, Paula Frazer , Dot Allison and Polandsonora from Barcelona.
For those of you who are singer songwriters or in a band and need some help at getting your music careers kick started check out Sellaband.com.
Based out of Germany, it aims to bring artists and believers together by posting music by new talent and attracting fans to invest in their creative vision. It’s another interesting example of music lovers trying to re invent the music business as the old model continues to implode. Sellaband has been involved in a number of concerts around the world but this February will see it’s the first ever event in the US.
The Sellaband Rio Grande Festival will take place at the wonderfully named Truth or Consequences in New
Mexico and will feature artists such as Mysti Mayhem, Cubworld and Spellbox. For more information checkout myspace.com slash sellabandriogrande.
http://www.myspace.com/sellabandriogrande
June may seem a long way away just now, but if you are an avid music fan and not averse to inclement weather, its time think about Glastonbury! You will need to register for the festival in February to make you eligible to apply for tickets later in the year. Full details can be found at the Glastonbury website.
The Glasto Line up isn’t announced til much nearer the time but the rumour mill is already cranking out names such as Jay-Z and Kanye West.
Radiohead will be headlining Roskilde in Denmark – taking place in July, it’s the largest festival in Northern Europe and tickets are now on sale.
Its just been announced that The Chemical Brothers will also be on the bill –more information about Roskilde and Glasto as we and and when we get it.
That’s it for this first edition of 2008.
If you want to tell me about festivals that you’ve been to or that I should check out, send an email to
Global@kcrw.com.
Otherwise check back with us next week for more information on Global Gigging.
The Global Gig Guide is produced for KCRW.com by JC Swiatek and the music is composed by the Plush Interiors