The most delicate challenge that all music festivals organizers have to overcome is putting together a lineup that pleases a large enough number of John and Jane Musicfans, but also convinces them the ticket is worth the price. It’s a make-it or break-it deal and determines whether the festival will be staged again in the future. But let’s say you got to play curator and put together your own show befitting your tastes — seems like a shoe-in success, right? That’s precisely the approach the promoters of Sao Paulo’s annual Skol Beats electronic music fest is taking for this year’s event, set to take place at the end of September. It could set a regular concept into motion for other music fests. Skol Beats just opened a special forum on their site this week to let the public discuss potential headliners and other supporting acts (even options for VJs and possible formats like indoor/outdoor, hours and venue). Fans are already excited about the idea of Justice, Erlend Oye and Air adding their names to the roster for an event that, in the past, has included acts like The Prodigy and Sao Paulo’s own DJ Marky. Skol Beats will present a shortlist of artists culled from the discussion for a final vote later, with results to be shared August 22. See, this is the kind of election that we can really get behind.

After the breakup of his band L’Altra, Joseph Costa continues his musical journey with his first solo album, Lighter Subjects. The result is a richly layered composition of electronic and acoustic arrangements with a vocal element that is spoken-word like in quailty. I found the album to be mesmerizing and relaxing and I think it could stand on its own without the vocals, though they do add a finishing touch. The track titles and lyrics are noticeably melancholy which is an interesting contrast to the music which is often upbeat. The work is a largely collaborative effort including the mixing talents of Joshua Eutisand cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm. The album drops May 6 and is worth checking out.

David Avram Brown, aka Benny Strange, is willing to do whatever he needs to in the name of his art. Having survived a cross-country hitchhiking adventure at the tender age of eighteen and spending his early twenties bouncing up and down the west coast, he finally found himself settled in Los Angeles. His thoroughly listenable second EP, When Continents Collide, is more than worthy of comparisons to his contemporaries like Keane and Cary Brothers. We’re looking forward to more from this bright shining star, for sure.

Benny Strange: Official Site | Myspace | iTunes

There are things in Brazil — like favelas, the horrible degree of traffic in Sao Paulo, and some of the bum sizes I’ve seen — that I don’t think will ever cease to amaze me even if I live here for the rest of my life. The other one is the rock-strong music tradition that still sees adolescent grandkids singing the same samba songs as their grandparents, word for word and beat by beat. I kid you not, to see it in real life can give you the warm, flush fuzzies. On my quest for more cozy feelings I found Loronix, one of those few MP3 blogs out there still big-upping Brazilian classics well after the resurge of tropicalia from a few years ago. It features rare Brazilian music from the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s in categories spanning mandolin (yes!) to samba, an artist a day with lovingly detailed description and not just one song but often the whole shebang of the album. It’s one of the most valuable resources I’ve seen yet on the subject. Moreover, it’s actually written in English, so get to it!

You won’t find many musicals on our site, but with Spring Awakening’s national tour coming soon to a city near you a few of us in the New York office saw fit to join the Broadway cast (from the comfort of a theater seat) and see what all the fuss is about. For those of you that aren’t theatrically inclined, the show is an adaptation of Frank Wedekind’s controversial 19-century play about teens and their awakening sexuality (among other salacious topics and scenes). It features a Duncan Sheik score, and lyrics from Steven Sater, which combine to create a strikingly modern and melancholy sound, particularly for the world of musical theater. But what really got our attention (and continues to hold it) is the sensational young talent the producers continue to bring to the stage. From the original cast which featured breakout performances from some of the youngest stars in Broadway history, to the recent addition of actors like Blake Bashoff (of LOST fame), the pipes on these kids are simply incredible (here come the record contracts). Now the producers are even holding open “video” auditions on the site, where you and your youngest ridiculously talented friends can submit a sample of your skills to be considered. The original cast is starting to roll over here in New York, so we recommend getting out there soon to sample the original vintage as well as some of the new talent.

What does the Great White North know about hip-hop culture? More than you probably know about curling. Their national sport. The one with the big rock and the ice…never mind. Pound is an intelligent hip-hop magazine straight outta Toronto, that combines the Source’s subject matter, Nylon’s sense of style, and the New Republic’s mission statement. Feature articles delve into the “real” state of B-Boy culture, from MCs to graffiti artists, all the while asking it’s readers to separate “honesty from authenticity,” as publisher Rodrigo Bascunan editor’s letter states. You can download the last issue on via PDF file. That’s what we’re talking aboot.

While older Rock & Roll souls R.E.M. and Portishead prepare to drop new tunes on a clamoring public, we’ve kind of got a hankering for some seriously classic tunes from a newer talent. No we’re not talking about Beirut covering Jimi Hendrix; we’re referring to 21 year-old Cellist Peter Gregson. On April 25th at 7:30pm Scotland time, the Edinburgh string-smith will be performing “Spem in Alium”, a 40 part vocal motet, as well as 5 newly commissioned pieces at a show in Greyfriars Kirk being broadcast live over the Internet. We know internet concerts are nothing new but this performance is sure to be something special as it will be sponsored by Fujitsu Ten’s Eclipse speakers and will be performed in eight speaker surround sound over Spemcast, the special site set up by Gregson. If you set up your speakers just right, you’re sure to get the 15th Century concert experience. We just hope that doesn’t come with another 15th Century experience known as the black plague.

I guess I haven’t been keeping tabs on the garage rock, post-punk scene but the first I heard of the French Kicks was hearing the song embedded in my friend’s MySpace page. I know, stop harassing me. I took a listen to their sophmore album, “Swimming,” and I like what I am hearing. For a band that was influenced by the hardcore scene, the quartet produces some subdued music with a cool sound that is not overproduced. (Ed note: I went all the way to New Jersey to see them last year. New Jersey, people! -H) This album was produced and mixed entirely by the band and is said to be their most melodic work. I especially like the spotlighting they do on specific instruments, like the drums in the track “Over the World.” I think this album definitely earns a coveted spot in my car’s CD changer. The album releases exclusively through iTunes on April 1st and will be in stores on May 20th.

Due to tape decks being nearly obsolete, the mixtape is fast becoming an extinct art form. However, the downside to the mixtape artistry was that if you wanted to share it with more than one person you had to make copies, which inevitably made the second and third generation version sound reasonably worse than the original. Mix CDs remedied the generation problem, but distribution still required sitting down and making multiple copies. Fortunately, with the popularity of the some thing called the ‘internet’, you knew someone was bound to remedy this problem. Enter Muxtape. The site, created by New York based web designer and photographer, Justin Oullette allows users to create their own mixtape by uploading their 12 song playlist, then storing said muxtape on their own subdomain. Users can then share their creation by sending a link to their friends. No copies to distribute. No mess. It’s all so very clean and filled with Ajax-y goodness. Anyone want to start a Muxtape club?

Oh Michel Gondry, we’re so sorry. You have no longer cornered the market on stop-motion videos using toys. Montreal band Miracle Fortress (which is mostly just multi-instrumentalist Graham Van Pelt from Think About Life) made a dazzling day-in-the-life video for Have You Seen In Your Dreams off of Five Roses, using only four magnetic sketch pads. The song is reminiscent of some other psychadelia-pop revivalists (like Rogue Wave). The band is currently on the European leg of their tour with fellow quebecois Patrick Watson, but hopefully they’ll be swinging through North American this summer.

Several months ago, I wrote an embarrassingly impassioned post regarding a music blog. It was a sappy, raison d'etre-style diatribe, involving too many adjectives, too many hallelujahs, and way too many myspace references. I don't think I was drunk when I wrote it. Anyway, being blessed with a good editor, the post had hardly left my email box when it was returned with a gentle reminder that “We're not in the general habit of publishing love letters," and “Could you please cut it down to about 200 words?" [Ed note: Think slobber-soaked, pre-teen romance; that’s about half as sloppy as that love letter was. -H]

I did cut it down, and you can still read the slightly saner post here. However, in all honesty, I still have shamefully strong feelings for the music blog Catbirdseat, and equally strong feelings for Catbird Records, the related indie record label whose pure love for music represents just how closely sound is analogous to art.

We chatted with the man behind both Catbird Records and Catbirdseat about how it is that he runs such un-average enterprises, and decided we were right all along: Ryan is the cat(bird)s pajamas.

Joshspear.com: Which came first – Catbirdseat or Catbird Records?

Ryan Catbird: Catbirdseat begat Catbird Records, and I think ‘begat’ is definitely the right word there because the relationship remains a very much Parent/Child one. Catbirdseat.org came to life in 2002, essentially as a means for me to share my listening habits with my friends (who were always asking, “hey, what are you listening to these days?”). (Read More…)

Not just drum and bass…and not just music. Dublab, the Los Angeles based DJ collective, has run their Web radio site for seven years, reaching an international community of 300,000 musicians, disc jockeys, artists, and a couple of people who just like records. Their goal: to spin out a well-edited selection of streaming music and visual media to compliment it. At the center of the site are the “labrats,” guys with handles like Daedelus, Frosty, and our favorite, The Gaslamp Killer. They podcast, compile playlists, and generally keep things from getting stale. It’s inspired Web radio, because while the site offers a mix of dance floor fare — from trance to house and all points in between — as well as a fair share of indie rockers, they also give their collaborators the freedom to select some truly bizarre cuts…and not Weird Al bizarre.

As Brazil’s totally unofficial pop culture diplomat, I thought it would be appropriate to dedicate a post to telling you about some of the Brazilian bands playing at South by Southwest that no doubt a few of you will be attending starting tomorrow in Texas. While it’s still hard to call if any of these bands will be the next Cansei de Ser Sexy, music heads will get an idea of what’s being scouted and what you might be rockin’ out to from a soundsystem near you soon.

• MixHell: Iggor Cavalera, ex-drummer of Sepultura, and his wife are the DJs behind MixHell, which uses electro as its base with rock on top. Electro’s what everyone’s into here in Sao Paulo. Cavalera sometimes drums along live with the mixes, so with all the dates they’re playing for Vice during the event, your chances of seeing the legend behind his kit are high.
• Curumin: Blackalicious introduced Luciano Nakata Albuquerque a few years ago stateside, and he’s about to release his second album on hip-hop label Quannum. Curumin isn’t entirely hip-hop though; think grooves, think samba.
• Alexia Bomtempo: Alexia Bomtempo’s amazing voice is like syrup. This songstress’ songs have the nostalgic feel of classic bossa nova.
• Pierre Aderne: Easy-listening for the world music set, and like Alexia Bomtempo, harkens back to Brazil’s national music.
• Marcelo D2: This rapper has a storied history in hip-hop in Brazil as part of a band called Planet Hemp, and his solo career has taken off. Do not miss him.
• Debate: Their music reminds me a little of the mid-’90s indie rock I used to listen to, and more recently, the Trail of Dead. High energy and angst-y.
• Nancy: Rock band fronted by a talented female singer and has some Garbage-esque moments if the latter hadn’t gone so pop.

You might be surprised to learn that Static Revenger has been one of the most prolific names in dance music for the better part of 10 years.” Dennis White’s latest album, Love Song Surprise, is a return to production after a year long break to produce and direct two indie documentary films. There are the obvious elements of electronica and dance, but each track is paired with distinctive deep male vocals that mellow out the song a few notches. Having collaborated with musicians like Madonna, Fatboy Slim, the Chemical Bros., and Oakenfold, I am glad to see that this DJ’s own album is able to show off not only his electronic prowess but also his production and writing skills. The album is released digitally on April 15, with a physical release on May 6.

I am not sure how I feel about male lead singers that sound like whiney complainers, but this sort of “new” rock has a firm foothold on the airwaves and I better learn to like it. And I have. Having been involved in music at an early age, David La helped form the five piece, Ambershades. Despite considerable initial success, the group soon parted ways. Now armed with a clear vision of where to carry his music, La’s debut EP Rotten in Denmark delivers amazing vocals, an upbeat tempo, and guitar and piano-lined tracks. A talented songwriter, La is additionally blessed with the ability to deliver powerful live performances. You can hear this for yourself, on track 4 of the EP, Don’t Let Me Down. You’ll love it if you like The Beatles, Elvis Costello, Franz Ferdinand, and in particular, The Killers and is released April 15.