Hi, this is Gemma Dempsey and welcome to another edition of The Global Gig Guide. This week Spring is making way for Summer as we head to Spain for Primavera Sound in Barcelona and to California for the Ojai Music Festival.
The full name of this festival in Barcelona is Estrella Damm Primavera Sound – Estrella Damm being the name of a famous beer from Barcelona, and Primavera refers to this annual festival occurring at the end of Spring, welcoming the Summer in with a bang! The Festival site is the massive Parc del Forum, right on edge of the Mediterrenean, within easy reach of Barcelona - a city famed for the art of Picasso & Miro, Gaudi architecture, and the vibrant Las Ramblas district. So why not combine some culture with your love of music and head to Primavera Sound? This year the event will be curated by the staff of All Tomorrow’s Parties with loads of great acts appearing over the 3 days – there’s Barry Adamson, Fujiya & Miyagi, Patti Smith, Hot Chip , and DJ sets from Diplo, Kid Koala & DJ Yoda. On Saturday night Sonic Youth will be performing their famous 1980’s album Daydream Nation – regarded as a cornerstone of the Alt- rock music scene. The tour of this landmark record is popping up all over the world, so check the Sonic Youth Website to see if its coming to a venue near you!
And now, for something completely different, lets take a trip to the serene and beautiful ‘village’ of Ojai in California. Ojai gets its name from its original residents, the Chumash Indians, and is nestled in the Ojai valley between Santa Barbara and Los Angeles. Thanks to its specific geographical location and surrounding mountains, the sunsets in Ojai produce a ‘pink moment’ for local residents and lucky visitors to enjoy. If that isn’t tempting enough for you, there is the Ojai Music festival in June.
Since 1947 this event has welcomed the great and the good from the classical music world and this year is no exception – under Music Director Pierre-Laurent Aimard, highlights for 2007 include the piano duo Helena Bugallo and Amy Williams, performing work by Stravinsky and Ligeti and contemporary composer Peter Eotvos , Ojai Music Festival’s featured composer . He will be at Ojai conducting his own compositions as well as those by Bartok & Stravinksy; is the subject of the documentary ‘The Seventh Door’ and his ‘Chinese Opera’ will receive its US premiere courtesy of The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. Canadian percussion ensemble Nexus will be bringing their particular musical style to the music of Steve Reich as well performing live to the Japanese classic film ‘ A Page of Madness’ in a free event at the Ojai Playhouse.
The main venue of the festival is the Libbey Bowl, named after Edward Drummond Libbey the glass entrepreneur from Ohio, who fell in love Ojai many pink sunsets ago.
Other artists on tour around the world include:
Prince
The Long Blondes
A great double bill of Lyle Lovett & k.d lang
And Feist – she just performed a rousing set with full band at the studios of KCRW – you can find this and many other great live performances archived on our website.
We’d love to hear about festivals in your part of the world, so why not send us an email ? 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 theme music is composed by The Plush Interiors.
Calendar listing:
Celebrate the Whitsun Bank Holiday May 26/ 27 at the UK’s Dot To Dot Festival in Bristol and Nottingham, feat. New Young Pony Club, Scout Niblett, Datarock, Candie Payne
Milan’s MI AMI Festival – ‘indie music and kisses’ who can resist that?! June 8/9/10, featuring Luca De Gennaro, A Toys Orchestra, Jennifer Gentle, My Awesome Mixtape, Teatro degli Orrori.
Sonar Festival in Barcelona June 14/15/16 feat. The Beastie Boys, Romantica, Simian Mobile Disco, Sunn O)), Spacek & Benji B, Timo Maas
Meltdown Festival in London,curated by Jarvis Cocker 16-23 June feat.Motorhead, Gonzales, John Barry with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, The Jesus and mary chain, Iggy Pop & The Stooges
Fusion Festival Germany June 28 – July 1st
Line up TBD.
Torino Italy Traffic – July 11-14 – FREE! feat. Daft Punk & LCD Soundsystem, Artic Monkeys, Antony & the Johnsons, Art Brut, Franco Battiato and Lou Reed plays ‘Berlin’.
Iceland Airwaves music festival October 17-21– featuring Bloc Party, Gus Gus and many more.
Disclaimer: Although I have tried to make the Global Gig Guide as accurate as possible, KCRW accept no responsibility for any loss, injury or inconvenience sustained by any person resulting from information contained in the Global Gig Guide . We would recommend that you to verify any critical information with the relevant authorities before you travel.