We now enter the last week of March, which means April is right around the corner. And with April comes Opening Day, Fenway Park, and the beginning of the baseball season. The crack of the bat, the roar of the crowd… it’s music to my ears. Speaking of music- here’s your Weekly Wrap Up!
“Zoya: Plugged In” Project Raises Funds
Last November, our blog covered singer and Berklee grad Zoya’s project to raise money to install electricity in several schools in rural Udaipur, India. Zoya released a compilation of her two albums last winter with remixes by a variety of producers, and donated 100% of the album sales to the cause. Zoya’s Facebook page announced last week that the project raised $1440 in donations. The installation project will begin shortly, and you can follow Zoya online to see the the progress in installing electricity, lights, and fans in these classrooms. Zoya’s team has estimated that the project will cost $200 per classroom, so purchasing Zoya’s CD can go a long way. You can still make a donation by purchasing the CD on Zoya’s website.
Local Acts to Perform at Lollapalooza
With clocks turned ahead and crocuses creeping out of the soil we begin to think about the fast-approaching summer, Each summer seems to be filled with more musical events than the previous year’s edition of the sunny season. One of the country’s biggest musical saturnalias is Chicago’s Lollapalooza, which will be headlined this summer by Radiohead, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and other big, big names. Boston’s Honeysuckle, a progressive folk group that released their new album at Club Passim last week, as well as Northampton’s rock group Potty Mouth, will both perform at the four day festival.
Audiotree Records Ripe
Music company Audiotree, best known for its in-studio concerts, has had a bit of a Boston fever of late, recording sessions with The Ballroom Thieves, Darlingside, and now Ripe since last summer. Ripe, which garnered attention with a phenomenal performance at the ICA Summer Series last summer, teamed up with Audio Tree to record a 40 minute session. Ripe’s instrumentation and groove screams modern funk, with punchy horn and keyboard lines accompanied by driving drums and bass. What gives Ripe a different flavor is their lead singer, who has a reggae feel with clear Bob Marley influences in his delivery. If you want to support the band, purchase the session from the Youtube link!
Neighborhood Sessions: The Ladles