Monday Mar. 8th 2010

Balkan Beat Box beckons March 17 @ Neumos

By Tom.Blodgett

The uber-eclectic world band, Balkan Beat Box, has a new album out later this month, Blue Eyed Black Boy; and for those who can’t wait, or have been waiting patiently since 2007, you can experience the new material live March 17th at the Showbox.

Few modern acts are as undefinable, moving, and in constant transformation as Balkan Beat Box (Beirut and Beck also come to mind). Their music is a fusion of traditional Jewish, Gypsy, Arabic, and Balkan music with modern hip hop beats, dub, and electronics. The globally acclaimed first album, self titled (2005) featured Mediterranean influences; and the second album, Nu Med (2007), changed it up with Arabic and Spanish influences. By creating harmony, seamlessly combining the music of different regions, they hope to raise political awareness; promoting peace, unity, and the elimination of political borders.

On stage, the three person band (Ori Kaplan, Tamir Muskat and Tomer Yosef ) expands to a full seven live performers from around the world, bringing diverse musical influences to the show. Balkan Beat Box set out to update traditional music, which they had personally grown up on, and ended up with a highly danceable sound with global appeal; worthy of concert hall or dance club.

Day: Wed, Mar 17, 2010
Doors open: 8:00 PM
Ages: 21 & Over
Ticket Prices: $17.50 ADV-$20.00 DOS

Listen to the track, “War Again”, from the upcoming album here
Watch the “War Again” music video here