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  • KCRW’S WORLD FESTIVAL: THIEVERY CORPORATION, BEBEL GILBERTO, LOS AMIGOS INVISIBLES AND FEDERICO AUBELE KICK-OFF 10th ANNIVERSARY SEASON OF KCRW WORLD FESTIVAL SERIES AT THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL
  • Jun. 22, 2008
  • Thievery Corporation Performs Full Live Show;

    Seu Jorge Makes Special Guest Appearance

    SUNDAY, JUNE 22, 2008, at 7 PM

    Media Sponsor: KCRW

    The 10th anniversary season of KCRW’s World Festival at the Hollywood Bowl kicks-off on Sunday, June 22, at 7pm, with Thievery Corporation, Bebel Gilberto, Los Amigos Invisibles and Federico Aubele. Thievery Corporation performs with a full live band, and Seu Jorge makes a special guest appearance. KCRW DJ Jason Bentley hosts.

    Rob Garza and Eric Hilton have been creating their own original music as Thievery Corporation since their serendipitous meeting in Washington DC’s Eighteenth Street Lounge over 10 years ago. Together, they have mastered the art of making earthy, organic electronic music not only by utilizing their own equipment and aural philosophies, but also by inviting a wide-range of special guests with signature vocals and instrumentation to add even more flavor and style to the music. This summer they embark on the Outernational Music Tour that hits only six key cities, and features notable special guests and opening artists. Their Hollywood Bowl performance, which is their only Southern California appearance to date this year, features special guest Seu Jorge, Brazil’s ambassador of samba-style pop and pioneer of the Brazilian samba renaissance. Thievery Corporation’s new album will be released this Fall.

    Sharing the bill is Brazilian bossa-nova chanteuse Bebel Gilberto, who is still enjoying the success of her critically acclaimed 2007 release Momento, which received a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary World Music Album. The Los Angeles Times has praised her work as “an extraordinary, even liberating performance.”

    Latin Grammy nominees Los Amigos Invisibles make their Hollywood Bowl debut. The sextet’s Latin-funky mix of classic funk, disco and Venezuelan pop has attracted loyal fans throughout the world since their 1998 debut The New Sound of the Venezuelan Gozadra. They are currently working on the follow-up to their 2006 release Super Pop Venezuela, a compilation of 17 unique covers of tunes the group knew and loved during their formative years.

    Argentine singer-songwriter Federico Aubele was signed to Thievery Corporation’s label, Eighteenth Street Lounge (ESL) Music, in 2003. His atmospheric music is a unique hybrid of electronic and dub with traditional Latin styles such as Mexican bolero and Argentine tango. His 2004 full-length debut, Gran Hotel Buenos Aires, produced by Thievery Corporation, received critical acclaim, as did his 2007 follow-up Panamerica¸ which brings a more lyrical element to the forefront, complementing hypnotic dub basslines and hip-hop beats. Recently released, exclusively on iTunes, Cookin’ with Federico Aubele, features acoustic tracks from his previous albums and two brand new songs. Aubele also makes his Hollywood Bowl debut.

    Always great admirers and curators of dusty grooves and all but forgotten music styles, THIEVERY CORPORATION borrow from the classically sensual and blunted sounds of their favorite Brazilian bossa nova, Jamaican dub reggae, vintage film soundtracks, and psychedelic rock to forge into new sonic territory. Formed in the summer of 1995 at D.C.’s Eighteenth Street Lounge, Rob Garza and Lounge co-owner Eric Hilton bonded over strong drinks, dub, bossa nova and jazz records, then decided to see what would come of mixing all these in a recording studio. The duo caught the ears of underground DJ’s with their first two 12” offerings, “Shaolin Satellite” and “2001 Spliff Odyssey” and with their 1997 debut LP, Sounds from the Thievery Hi-Fi, they defined a new genre of electronic music and connected with an international community of like-minded souls. After the warm minimalism of Sounds from the Thievery Hi-Fi, Garza and Hilton raised the production value with the acclaimed The Mirror Conspiracy, which contained the seminal international hit “Lebanese Blonde” which was featured on the Grammy-winning and platinum-selling Garden State soundtrack. The next offering was the consciousness and thought-provoking The Richest Man In Babylon, which raised the stakes just as record bins began to be flooded with imitators. 2005’s, The Cosmic Game broke new ground with high-profile collaborations with The Flaming Lips, Perry Farrell, and David Byrne. Nearly seven years after releasing their first remix album Abductions and Reconstructions, the duo released Versions, a collection of rare and sublime remixes of songs by The Doors, Sarah McLachlan, Astrud Gilberto, Nouvelle Vague, Wax Poetic with Norah Jones, Anoushka Shankar and Transglobal Underground among many others. With the renowned club and record label, acclaimed compilations, legendary live shows, and sales of over one million albums to date – every one of them self-produced and independently distributed – Thievery Corporation are undisputed standard-bearers of electronic music.

    BEBEL GILBERTO’s soulfully restrained blend of Brazilian and international music took the world by surprise with the release of Tanto Tempo in 2000. Although Gilberto has an impressive genealogy, she never had any intention of following in her parent’s footsteps. She developed her own unique style moving to New York City and working

    with artists as varied as David Byrne, Caetano Veloso, Towa Tei (Deee Lite) and Thievery Corporation. By the time she recorded Tanto Tempo, she had already forged her own musical identity, combining Brazilian pop, European sophistication, and cutting edge electronica with a unique silky vocal style that entranced audiences all around the world. While Tanto Tempo became the third biggest selling Brazilian album in U.S. chart history. On her second self-titled collection, there are still touches of electronica, but it’s largely a showcase for her sweetly affecting vocals and polished songwriting. The backbone of acoustic guitars, strings, traditional Afro-Brazilian drumming, bass and piano, balance the sound of her homeland with her forward looking vision of global popular music. The album captured positive press worldwide and earned her another Grammy nomination for Best World Music Album. Her latest release, Momento continues Gilberto’s upward momentum, and presents some of her most elegant and personal musical statements since bursting on the scene in 2000. Momento’s blend of samba, pop, bossa, electronica, and Gilberto’s growing confidence as both singer and writer, catapults her into the first rank of international performers.

    LOS AMIGOS INVISIBLES is a performance-oriented Latin dance band from Venezuela heavily indebted to funk and disco (with a dash of acid jazz). In 2004 they released the Latin Grammy-nominated album, The Venezuelan Zinga Son Vol. 1, which was rated among the top 10 releases of 2004 by the Los Angeles Times. With their latest release, SuperPop Venezuela, Los Amigos Invisibles set out to pay homage to the Venezuelan artists and songs that most influenced the pioneering Latin Dance and Alternative group. Having already won a wealth of praise as “the richest thing to come from Caracas since oil” (NY Daily News), SuperPop Venezuela received a Grammy nomination for Best Latin Rock, Alternative or Urban Album. This marks the second Grammy nomination for the transplanted Venezuelan New Yorkers.

    FEDERICO AUBELE began playing guitar at the tender age of eleven. From there he delved into music in all its forms and became an avid vinyl junkie. After playing guitar, composing and arranging for several pop bands, and DJ-ing in scores of clubs and lounges in Buenos Aires, Aubele began working on a solo project. Based on sampled beats and sounds taken from his many records, the tracks were led by a hypnotic guitar line. The addition of vocals led to the composition of properly written material brought together with his arsenal of existing instrumental tracks. Aubele sent demos to Thievery Corporation’s ESL Music label. Impressed, Rob Garza and Eric Hilton signed Aubele and they produced his debut album, Gran Hotel Buenos Aires, a sound collage of latin guitar, tango flair and dub-influenced tracks with Spanish lyrics. Aubele’s longings for Buenos Aires and South America set the tone for his latest album, Panamericana, released by ESL Music in September 2007. “… the idea and the actuality of a road that links these disparate places and cultures together became a very strong influence on the album. Since the Panamericana was officially commissioned in Buenos Aires,” Aubele continues, “it became the perfect metaphor.” On Panamericana, one hears guitars, the bandoneon, and horns that play out Latin rhythms. There are tango influences, a touch of bolero, reggae/dub bass lines, hip-hop beats, and electronic sounds. Spanish vocals float over congas, drums and heavy bass beats. Aubele, who wrote all songs and lyrics—with the exception of “Lluvia,” lyrics written by Gonzal Garces—sings solos and duets on 6 of the tracks. A variety of South American artists are featured throughout “Panamericana,” such as singer/songwriter Amparo Sanchez of Amparanoia, the Columbian singer Vernie Varela, and Natalia Clavier, one of Aubele’s live show singers. Among other groups who collaborated on Panamericana are Calexico (trumpets and wah guitars) and the legendary Argentinean Latin ska band Los Fabulosos Cadillacs (horn section). Eric Hilton of Thievery Corporation produced the album from the ESL Music Consulate in Washington, DC.

    SEU JORGE comes from the outskirts and hits us directly in the soul. His powerful presence and rough-but-sweet voice brought his music to a new global audience with his David Bowie renditions in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, contributing to the success of his critically acclaimed solo album Cru (a September 6, 2005 release on Wrasse Records). Jorge was once a homeless kid in a favela (Brazilian slum) outside of Rio de Janeiro. By age ten, Jorge was repairing tires to help support his family. Having spent years turning his energies to music and theater, Jorge landed the part of Knockout Ned in City of God, the film that put an international spotlight on favela life, poverty, and violence. This untainted street credibility shows through whether Jorge is on screen or on stage. The music on Cru (which translates as Raw) is driven by Jorge’s voice, and while the most obvious accompaniment is acoustic guitar and percussion, there is a subtle electronic presence at times as eerie as a musical saw. Other times the acoustic percussion hints at a hip-hop beat. But the mostly-bare production allows the voice and soul of Jorge to shine through, not too different from a kind of Nick Drake universe. Seu Jorge’s live performances give audiences a chance to see why his presence has led to his unexpected, substantial following.

    One of the largest natural amphitheaters in the world, with a seating capacity of nearly 18,000, the HOLLYWOOD BOWL has been the summer home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic since its official opening in 1922, and in 1991 gave its name to the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, a resident ensemble that has filled a special niche in the musical life of Southern California. The 2004 season introduced audiences to a revitalized Hollywood Bowl, featuring a newly-constructed shell and stage and the addition of four stadium screens enhancing stage views in the venue. To this day, $1 buys a seat at the top of the Bowl for many of the Los Angeles Philharmonic's concerts. While the Bowl is best known for its sizzling summer nights, during the day California's youngest patrons enjoy "SummerSounds: Music for Kids at the Hollywood Bowl," the Southland's most popular summer arts festival for children, now in its 40th season. Attendance figures over the past several decades have soared: in 1980 the Bowl first topped the half-million mark and close to one million admissions have been recorded. In February 2008, the Hollywood Bowl was named Best Major Outdoor Concert Venue for the fourth year in a row at the 19th Annual Pollstar Concert Industry Awards. The Bowl's summer music festival has become as much a part of a Southern California summer as beaches and barbecues, the Dodgers, and Disneyland.

    EDITORS PLEASE NOTE:

    SUNDAY, JUNE 22, 2008, at 7 PM


    HOLLYWOOD BOWL, 2301 N. Highland Ave. in Hollywood



    KCRW World Festival



    THIEVERY CORPORATION

    SEU JORGE, special guest

    BEBEL GILBERTO

    LOS AMIGOS INVISIBLES

    FEDERICO AUBELE



    Media Sponsor: KCRW

    Tickets ($10 - $96) are on sale now at HollywoodBowl.com, at the Hollywood Bowl Box Office (Tuesday–Saturday, 12 p.m.–6 p.m.), or by calling Ticketmaster at 213.480.3232, and at all Ticketmaster outlets. Groups of 10 or more may be eligible for a 20% discount, subject to availability; call 323.850.2050 for further details. For general information or to request a brochure, call 323.850.2000.

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  • Contact:

    Adam Crane, acrane@laphil.org, 213.972.3034; Lisa Bellamore, lbellamore@laphil.org, 213.972.3689; For photos: 213.972.3034