Conan O'Brien to Perform in Washington DC
Comedian Conan O'Brien will perform at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington DC on June 8, 2010 at 8 p.m. O'Brien is hitting the road on a 30 city tour that Team Coco describes as "a night of music, comedy, hugging and the occasional awkward silence." Tickets are on sale now through Ticketmaster.com and TicketsNow.com.
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Conan O'Brien to Perform in Washington DC originally appeared on About.com Washington, DC on Thursday, March 11th, 2010 at 16:59:26.
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Legendary Irish Band Altan Celebrates 25th Anniversary in New York
Irish Band Altan will celebrate its 25th anniversary Thursday, March 11 of 2010 at Peter Norton Symphony Space, which is located at Broadway at 95th Street, New York City. Altan , which has been a major force in revitalizing the Irish music scene both in Ireland and abroad, is now celebrating its 25th anniversary.
Renowned for its dynamic twin fiddling and haunting renditions of old Gaelic songs in the sean nos unaccompanied style, Altan specializes in tunes in the powerful Donegal style that is marked by a strong Scottish influence. This supergroup features Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh (vocals, fiddle), who has been acclaimed for her glorious vocals; Ciaran Tourish (fiddle, whistles), Dermot Byrne (accordion), Daithi Sproule (guitar), and Ciaran Curran (bouzouki).
Altan takes its name from Loch Altan, a lake near Gweedore, an Irish-speaking area in northwest Donegal that is the birthplace of the group's co-founder Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh. Her father, Proinsias O Maonaigh, was a leading figure in preserving and promoting Donegal fiddle music, which Mairead and the rest of Altan have helped popularize around the world.
The traditional sounds of Donegal have a distinctive Scots flavor, the result of both Donegal and Scots workers historically migrating back and forth and intermingling musically. The quick, single-stroke bowing and staccato triplets favored by Donegal fiddlers lie at the heart of the propulsive twin fiddling by Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh and Ciaran Tourish. That core Altan sound, in turn, is enhanced by the accordion playing of Dermot Byrne and the dynamic rhythm accompaniment of Ciaran Curran and Daithi Sproule.
Altan has established itself as one of the most important live acts to play traditional Irish music in Ireland and on the world stage. A renowned cultural ambassador, Altan has toured throughout Europe, the US, Japan and Australia, performing in some of the world's most prestigious venues, including the Sydney Opera House, the Hollywood Bowl, the Royal Albert Hall, and the Alte Opera Frankfurt. It has played and recorded with The Chieftains, Dolly Parton, Bonnie Raitt, Alison Krauss, and Ricky Skaggs, among others.
The band has gained gold and platinum status in Ireland with its record sales, and received numerous awards and honors, including being named the Best Group at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards (2003) and having the group's image on an official Irish postage stamp (one of the highest honors bestowed upon any living artist in Ireland).
In recent years Altan has experimented with traditional music, using orchestral arrangements of its most popular pieces. The arrangements have been scored by the highly respected arranger Fiachra Trench and performed with the Ulster Orchestra, The RTÉ Concert Orchestra, and the Royal Scottish Opera Orchestra. In March 2010 Altan is releasing the Altan: 25th Anniversary Celebration album with the RTE Concert Orchestra, and embarking on an international tour.
This program is made possible in part with public support from the New York State Council on the Arts, a State agency, and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council.
Recordings available: Altan (Green Linnet, 1987), Horse with a Heart (Green Linnet 1095, 1992), The Red Crow (Green Linnet 1109, 1992), Harvest Storm (Green Linnet 1117, 1992), Island Angel (Green Linnet 1137, 1993), The First Ten Years, 1986-1895 (Green Linnet 1153, 1995 ), Blackwater (Virgin 41381, 1996), The Best of Altan (Green Linnet 1177, 1997), Another Sky (Narada 48838, 2000), The Blue Idol (Narada 11955, 2002), The Best of Altan - The Songs (Virgin, 2003), Local Ground (Narada70876-19196-2 2, 2005), Altan: 25th Anniversary Celebration (Compass Records, 2010)
$25; students with college ID $15 Box office (212) 864-5400
Info/charges (212) 545-7536 http://www.worldmusicinstitute.org
For video, visit: http://worldmusicinstitute.org/event.php?id=918
Related articles: Altan Releases Memorable 25th Anniversary Celebration Album
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March Break Guide for kids, tweens, teens and adults!
Our guide to making the most of the week.
For kids
If you have nothing planned for the children during March Break, don’t worry — doing nothing is OK. “The whole point of March Break is downtime,” says Kelly Pryde, a parenting and self-development expert based in Newmarket, Ont. “We’re just so busy all of the time. It’s good for kids to have that time to unwind and do nothing. A lot of parents worry that they have to do these wild and wonderful trips. At the end of the day, kids just want to spend time with you.” But in case doing nothing gets boring, the Post has compiled a few fun activities:
Back by popular demand, the musical comedy Big Bad Wolf vs. Lord Underwearface Von Schtinker returns to the Second City at 51 Mercer St. between March 16 and 20 at 12 p.m. Tickets are $12. Try a one-hour drop-in improv class right after the show for an additional $5. Call 416-343-0011.
Take the kids to the Ontario Legislative Assembly where they can tour the 117-year-old building with a scavenger hunt, dress up in robes and pretend to be MPPs. Free programming runs from Monday through Friday. Participants must pre-register by calling 416-325-7500. Or you can just drive by Queen’s Park on your way to the Royal Ontario Museum and tell the kids that you’re proroguing.
The Harbourfront Centre is running 14 arts-based programs for their March Break camps including: fashion design, digital photography, chess challenge, junior authors, architecture and pop star training. To register, call 416-973-4093 or visit harbourfrontcentre.com/camps.
Let your children run away to join the circus. Wonderful World of Circus is operated by Moscow State Circus and Cirque du Soleil performers Oleg Kantemirov and Tatiana Zoubrilina. They run a camp from March 15 to 19 at their Thornhill facility. For details, call 905-479-2411 or visit wonderfulworldofcircus.com.
The Rogers Centre hosts Canada’s largest indoor carnival with midway rides, an inflatable sports zone and a trailer full of reptiles. Spring Fling runs from March 16 to 21. All-day ride tickets for children two and up are $20, on sale via all Ticketmaster outlets or call 416-870-8000.
The Sugarbush Maple Syrup Festival offers all-day pancake breakfast. Double up on your helping of maple syrup and then work off the sugar rush with wagon rides and dancing to live music. Events begin on March 6 and run daily at two locations: Kortright Centre for Conservation in Woodbridge and Bruce’s Mill Conservation Park in Stouffville. Children four and under are free. For details, visit maplesyrupfest.com.
Ask the kids: When was the War of 1812? Answer: In 1812. To make up for your sorry joke, take them to Fort York National Historic Site at 100 Garrison Rd. where the Battle of York came to its violent climax. Children aged three to 12 can march like a soldier, cook in the historic kitchen and play music. Adults are $7.62, seniors and youths are $3.81, children are $2.86; kids under three are free. For details, call 416-392-6907 or visit toronto.ca/fortyork.
Melissa Leong, National Post
[Tapping trees. Photo by Nathalie Atkinson.]
For tweens and teens
When Sidney Crosby scored the game-winner against the U.S. at the Olympics, Peter Jagla knew the Hockey Hall of Fame (hhof.com) would be filled during March Break. “The last time double-gold happened, lineups were unrivalled,” says Jagla, whose Yonge Street landmark is extending its hours during March Break and featuring activity stations where teens can step into a simulated rink against Mark Messier and Wayne Gretzky.
“When teenagers score, they get that same look as Crosby,” Jagla says. “That mouth wide-open celebration grin.”
Of course, many tweens and teens want to experience that feeling on the ice, and Bruce Tennant, who runs Hockey Toronto (hockeytoronto.com), says there’s still time to find the right March Break hockey camp.
“I’ve gotten 15 calls since the Olympics. I tell parents, ‘Don’t worry, we’ll find the right place,’ ” laughs Tennant, who pairs children with hockey camps according to location and skill. “The most important thing is finding a camp that’s right for their level,” Tennant explains, adding that most week-long programs are about $250.
Of course, hockey isn’t for everyone, and the Scratch Lab DJ Institute (scratchlab.ca) is the perfect destination for music fans. Whether your kid listens to the Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus or Lady Gaga, everyone’s invited to jam.
“The only rule is no gangster rap,” says managing director Nick Doerr, 25, adding that his one-day lessons for $99 or $449 five-day programs equally attract boys and girls. “Parents like seeing their kids behind turntables,” Doerr says. “It’s funny to them.”
Would-be James Camerons will have the chance to make their parents laugh (or cry) at Film Camp for Teens, a week-long filmmaking camp held at the Centre for the Arts (centreforthearts.com). Participants will write, direct, star in and edit their own films in the $600 program, which has featured guests such as Bruce McDonald and Nicholas Campbell, and is held at Ballet Creole (375 Dovercourt Rd.). Meanwhile, for youngsters veering towards animation, the National Film Board of Canada (onf-nfb.gc.ca) is holding a week-long program entitled Green Scenes Camp, a five-day film school where teens can make their own animated short.
“They learn pixilation, animation and even get their own little Q&As after screening their film,” says Lindsay Wright, supervisor of NFB’s educational programming. The five-day course is $275, but the NFB also offers $5 daily drop-in workshops and free screenings each day of March Break of Finding Farley, a film about Farley Mowat.
“For teens or tweens interested in animation,” Wright says, “the programs are awesome.”
Awesome is the word to describe the Amazing Race competition taking off from the Christie-Ossington Neighbourhood Centre — it pits families against each other in a mad dash across town.
“It’s about interacting with the community,” says Alia Abaya, organizer of the three-year-old race. According to Abaya, the competition, kicking off March 17, is usually held between rival teenage factions, but this March Break, teens asked that their parents get involved.
“They thought it’d be neat to pit their families against each other,” says Abaya, whose event is free, save for the $9 TTC family pass, good for unlimited travel for two adults and four kids. “I know it’s going to be lots of fun.”
Ben Kaplan, National Post
[Sidney Crosby celebrates after scoring at the Olympic's gold medal game. Photo by John Mahoney / Canwest News Service.]
For adults
Once the kids are dropped off at March Break camp, parents and teachers may find themselves with some free time this month, making it a perfect opportunity to indulge in grown-up fun. Fortunately, Toronto is ready to step up, with events ranging from indoor beach parties to cult-rock film screenings. Here are our suggestions for what to do when you don’t have to bring any little ones along:
Kick off March Break with a healthy — if not slightly kooky — few hours at the Total Health 10 conference, which this year focuses on the connection between health and the environment. Speakers will lecture about everything from global-warming inspired diets to “Interstellar Mysticism and Sound Healing;” there’s even a workshop dedicated to Hawaiian healing techniques. Says the program: “Feel the power and accept the Gifts of Aloha within You as your cells vibrate with the resonance of truth.” At the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, March 12 to 14. Friday tickets are $15, Saturday and Sunday are $25.
The 1983 cult film Streets of Fire: A Rock & Roll Fable is hard to find at video stores these days (probably because it’s so awesome). Starring Diane Lane and Willem Dafoe, it takes place in a world “where rock stars are worshipped like gods” — more importantly, it also screens March 12 at the NFB Mediatheque headquarters, as part of Canadian Music Week. If you have time for a double-feature, stick around afterward for Phantom of the Paradise, Brian De Palma’s reimagining of Phantom of the Opera as a 1970s rock-musical. Think baroque spandex. Streets is Friday at 7 p.m., Phantom starts at 9 p.m. At the NFB, 150 John St. Tickets are $10 or free with a CMW wristband, available at canadianmusicfest.com.
Can’t afford to go anywhere hot this year? Not to worry, because there will be an indoor beach party happening tonight at the Royal Crown Lounge — it even requires driving out to the airport, so you can pretend you’re off to the Caribbean. The so-called “No Snow Beach Party” features the Craig Ruhnke band, who will play sunny Beach Boys songs as piña coladas and more are served in sand pails. Doors open at 9 p.m. and there will be prizes for “the most sun-drenched outfits.” Admission is free, drinks are not; Crowne Plaza Toronto Airport Hotel, 33 Carlson Court.
It’s a long way to Tipperary, but it’s not very far to the Distillery District and the warm atmosphere of the Young Centre (especially the bar and lobby, which are worth going to regardless of whether you have tickets for a play). Catch Soulpepper’s Oh What A Lovely War, premiering March 11, and kick-start the evening with a cozy butter-chicken pizza at Archeo (one of the best entrées in the neighbourhood). Runs until April 10; performances begin at 7:30 p.m. Adult tickets are $37-$70, available at soulpepper.ca.
It may sound like something for kids, but the new and improved Bat Cave at the Royal Ontario Museum is worth checking out, even if you’re an adult — it’ll be partly nostalgic and partly creepy. Admire the bat animatronics and the Jamaican narrator in the cavern who talks about things like bat poop. Free with general admission. From March 13 to 21, the museum is open from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, 9:30 p.m. on Friday and 8:30 p.m. all other days. $22 for adults, with half-price admission after 4:30 p.m.
Vanessa Farquharson, National Post
[The ROM's Bat Cave. Photo courtesy Royal Ontario Museum.]
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SXSW Mixtapes Vol. 3 of 3
South By Southwest press registration was a snap. I thought the convention center was managed really well, and yet the woman who handed me my badge apologized for making me wait so long. To make it up to me she gave me complimentary drink cards that if used strategically would get me 40 free drinks over the course of the festival. Ridiculous.
Inside the cavernous registration hall are magazine racks loaded with alternative newsweeklies from around the country. I picked up a recent copy of Boise Weekly to share with my Austin hosts. Gotta say we look pretty damn good compared to the national competition. I think I'll go with the Boston Phoenix for best cover in the piles. Looked them up online and found a writer who loaded videos for 25 hip hop acts playing this year's SXSW. Cool.
The third and final installment of my SXSW mixtapes is all about hip hop. To get you in the mood for the festivities, I've put together three mixtapes of songs from artists playing official showcases during the music festival.
"American: The Bill Hicks Story"
Radioactive Gavin's SXSW 2010 Mixtapes Vol. 3: Hip Hop Future Now
SXSW Hip Hop Future Now Mixtape tracklist-
Invincible "Viewer Discretion a cappella" (Live in Memphis, TN)
Slum Village & Dwele "Say How I Feel remix"
Bahamadia "Funky For You" (Jay Dee remix)
Afro Classics "Do Thangs"
Illa J & Debi Nova "Sounds Like Love"
La Melodia "Sounds of the City"
Madlib "Understanding (Comprehension)"
One Be Lo "Propaganda"
Zion I "In the Mornin (Caged Bird Part 2)"
Invincible "Sledgehammer!"
Blue Scholars "Second Chapter"
Flying Lotus "Massage Situation"
Antipop Consortium "Reflections"
Gonjasufi "Ancestors"
Madlib "American Dream & Future" (OJ Simpson remix)
Sage Francis "Conspiracy to Riot"
Tobacco & Aesop Rock "Dirt"
Solillaquists of Sound "Marvel"
4th Pyramid "Memories of a Dream"
Josh Martinez "All Rapped Out" (Live in Bozeman, MT)
Daedelus & Paperboy & Taz "Touchtone" (Thavius Beck remix)
Major Lazer "Hold the Line" (Mexicans with Guns remix)
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