Spotlight E.P. News

“Brass Monkey Brass Band”

Posted on 29. Jul, 2011 by admin.

Brass Monkey Brass Band is an 8-piece band of which the tuba/bass player is an El Paso native and prominent indie rock musician Ed Ivey, who formed iconic punk rock band Rhythm Pigs back in the mid-eighties. Ivey grew up in the Lower Valley playing in both the Clint High School band and the UTEP band. Relentless drums, rumbling tuba, and wailing horns; nothing kicks the party into high gear like a smokin’ brass band! Now you don’t have to trek to New Orleans to catch second-line fever – the Bay Area’s own BRASS MONKEY BRASS BAND (BMBB) brings the infectious energy and funky good times to Music Under the Stars, El Paso, TX.

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URINE TOWN The Funniest Musical with the Worst Title in History!

Posted on 07. Jul, 2011 by admin.

One of the most uproariously funny musicals in recent years, Urinetown is a hilarious tale of greed, corruption, love, and revolution in a time when water is worth its weight in gold. In a Gotham-like city, a terrible water shortage, caused by a 20-year drought, has led to a government-enforced ban on private toilets. The citizens must use public amenities, regulated by a single malevolent company that profits by charging admission for one of humanity’s most basic needs. Amid the people, a hero decides he’s had enough, and plans a revolution to lead them all to freedom! Urinetown catapults the “comedic romp” into the new millennium with its outrageous perspective, wickedly modern wit, and sustained ability to produce gales of unbridled laughter.

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Uncle Sam Immortalized at El Paso Museum

Posted on 24. Jun, 2011 by admin.

Uncle Sam, El Paso Community College (EPCC) Government Instructor Leon Blevins, will be honored by the El Paso International Museum of Art during their exhibit, “Happy Birthday, America!” Mr. Blevins has donated his entire “Uncle Sam” memorabilia collection to the International Museum to be used in this annual patriotic exhibit.

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One Outfit is Enough For Grace Potter

Posted on 10. Jun, 2011 by admin.

Grace Potter doesn’t shy away from looking her best when she’s on stage with her band, The Nocturnals, or in her new music video with country-pop star Kenny Chesney, “You and Tequila.” But this Vermont-bred organist, guitarist and hard-rocking vocal dynamo is determined to make an impact with her formidable musical gifts, not her wardrobe.

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At Almost 70, Bob Dylan Doesn’t Look Back

Posted on 26. May, 2011 by admin.

Bob Dylan, who sounded wise and world-weary at 21, remains forever young — at least in some key respects — even as he turns approaches his 70th birthday on May 24. Or as famed film director Martin Scorsese recently told AARP The Magazine: “Bob is ageless because he keeps turning new corners, beating down new paths, redefining himself and his art as he goes.”

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Blink’s Mark Hoppus Fuses Talents on TV

Posted on 01. Apr, 2011 by admin.

The answer, he insisted, is a simple matter of wish-fulfillment, if not destiny.

“Growing up, I always, always wanted to host a TV show,” Hoppus said as he sat in a bare, 9-by-6-foot Fuse dressing room, which he jokingly describes as “party central.”

The lanky bassist and singer, who is 38-going-on-18, grinned.

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The Evolution of Linkin Park

Posted on 11. Mar, 2011 by admin.

Tampering with a winning formula can often be commercial suicide, especially in the intensely competitive world of pop music. But when Linkin Park recorded its latest album, 2010′s “A Thousand Suns,” the members of this top Los Angeles rap-rock band did more than just consider deviating from their winning musical approach of the past — they all but abandoned it.

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Gustavo Galindo – Entre La Ciudad Y El Mar | NEW ALBUM!

Posted on 07. Mar, 2011 by admin.

Gustavo Galindo’s music is a reflection of his life’s journey between two countries and two cultures. Born in Mexico City in the early 1980s, his childhood included several years living in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, followed by a period living with his cousins in Mexico City, and then a stint in Sacramento.

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BALÉ FOLCLÓRICO DA BAHIA

Posted on 24. Feb, 2011 by admin.

Balé Folclórico da Bahia (BFB) bursts into the Sun City for evening performances on February 25th & 26th as part of their 2011 North American tour. Known for their sensuous moves, vibrant costumes, and scintillating rhythms, Balé Folclórico da Bahia performs traditional ‘Bahian’ folkloric dance forms including slave dances, capoeira (a form of martial arts), samba, and those that celebrate Carnival.

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Celebrating Blues Icon Robert Johnson

Posted on 10. Feb, 2011 by admin.

The list of artists who credit Robert Johnson as a profoundly important musical inspiration ranges from Eric Clapton and ZZ Top to the White Stripes and bassist-turned-Grammy Award-winning album producer Chris Goldsmith.

But when Big Head Todd & The Monsters leader Todd Park Mohr first heard an album of Johnson’s solo acoustic classics during a music appreciation class in college, he was decidedly unimpressed.

“I didn’t think much of him, initially — he sounded warbly and old-fashioned to me,” recalled Mohr, who at the time was a fan of Led Zeppelin, Cream and other amped blues-rock bands that had built on Johnson’s innovations.

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Heavy Metal Thunder: Halford Roars Back

Posted on 31. Dec, 2010 by admin.

Judas Priest singer Rob Halford launched his own band, Halford, 10 years ago, a well-documented fact that recently came as a surprise to him.

“Has it been 10 years?” asked the veteran heavy metal vocal star, a native of England and a longtime San Diego resident, who concluded a North American concert tour on Dec. 19 and heads back out on the road in January with Halford as the opening act for Ozzy Osbourne. “In my (heavy) metal life, careening about as much as I do, I tend to lose track of things. Wow.

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Gorillaz Swing Across the United States

Posted on 11. Nov, 2010 by admin.

Many musicians strive for success, artistically and commercially. Damon Albarn is one of the few who places a greater value on failure.

“I think everything I’ve done is a failure, in the sense that I haven’t totally realized what I was setting out to do, and that’s what keeps me going,” said Albarn, who this week concludes an extensive North American tour with Gorillaz, his eclectic all-star band. “I learn through failure, and I want to learn as much as I possibly can.”

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Jack Johnson Pays Homage to Jimi Hendrix

Posted on 05. Nov, 2010 by admin.

Jack Johnson and Jimi Hendrix?

What could the acoustic-guitar-strumming Johnson, one of the most mellow-sounding troubadours around, have in common with Hendrix, who revolutionized electric guitar playing in the 1960s and was just 27 when he died in 1970?

A lot more than you might think.

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