From CMJ:

Beasties Offer Communication About 'Mix-Up'
By Taylor Mason

The Beastie Boys kicked off their summer domination this past weekend at the Sasquatch Music Festival with two performances and an exclusive roundtable discussion where the three MCs dished about The Mix-Up, their new instrumental LP, out June 26 via Capitol. In typical fashion, MCA, Adrock and Mike D were quick on the draw, responding to questions with cocksure ease and rapid fire wit, though cautious when bombarded with enviromentally centered questions. In their latter years, the Beasties, in particular MCA, have been fighting for a more noble cause than their right to party, and while their seventh studio album may not be a political podium, Adrock addressed the concern of bringing politics to the forefront.

"This record has no words on it," he said. "And in a way it's a shitty time to not have words because we're still in the same predicament that we've been in in the past few years in America and just in the world, so it's an interesting time to not say something. But we're not telling people to give up or to not say anything, we're just making music."

Addressing the music itself, MCA added, "I think a lot of the stuff we've listened to over the last 20, 30 years, like it all kind of comes in there somehow. But I think there's some influences from dub records, there's influences from jazz records that we listened to or punk, probably influences in there from stuff from the early '80s like the Specials, the Clash, the Slits."

To support the forthcoming release, the Beastie Boys will bring the beat across the world, making festival appearances in Greece, Germany, Turkey and Baltimore, Maryland, among other locations.

Note: Seattle Weekly posted audio of this press conference at its site. We created an easy mp3 download [EXPIRED LINK] at zshare for our readers.

Mike Diamond is co-chairing a silent auction to benefit the Church Street School for Music and Art on June 5 at the Riverhouse Discovery Center in New York. Among the items available in the auction is an keyboard autographed by the Beastie Boys. Tickets to the auction are available to purchase at Acteva.com. Help Mike help the kids.

Click on the above photo to see a slideshow of my photos from the Crocodile Cafe show in Seattle, Washington, on May 25, 2007. Alternatively, you can scroll through the Flickr photoset.

I was planning on posting my photos from the shows, but Flickr is down for maintenance, so they will have to wait. Instead, I present my likes and dislikes from the weekend.

Likes

1. Adam Horovitz rockin' on the geetar. At both the Crocodile Cafe show and Gala Event set at Sasquatch, he was playing splendiforously. He was really into it. You saw it, you heard it, you felt it. After the Croc Cafe show, my friends and I argued about who should be the president of the Adam Horovitz Fan Club. I believe we agreed to co-chair the position.
   
2. Mark Ramos-Nishita. I love Mark -- and so do my friends. "Mark on the Bus" was a huge highlight of the weekend for us. I appreciate everything that is Mark: his musical skills, his sense of humor, his honesty and realness.
   
3. Michael Diamond's dance moves. Always entertaining. Always.
   
4. Beastie Boys sound crew. They're the coolest guys on the team -- and almost as goofy as the band.
   
5. Adam Yauch showing off his musical talents by playing bass guitar, upright bass, and electric guitar. But can he play the washboard and spoons?
   
6. The scenery at the Gorge and surrounding area. Pretty-pretty!

Dislikes

1. Crocodile Cafe staff. They were the worst mofos I've ever encountered in any club. The manager was a gigantic dick.
   
2. Beastie Boys new tour crew. None of them are very friendly. What's up with that? I've always been told that a crew is supposed to represent the attitude of the band. These guys apparently were not given that lecture.
   
3. Getting hurt at the Beastie Boys closing set at Sasquatch. Ouch.
   
4. $10 beers at the Gorge.
   
5. Honey Buckets.
   
6. Pooty's snoring.
   
7. Man boobs.

My friends and I listened to the Beastie Boys as they soundchecked at the Crocodile Cafe in Seattle, Washington.

In the first video, you can hear the Beastie Boys rehearse one of their new instrumental songs. In the second video, you can hear a bit of their new version of "Jimmy James," which includes a snippet of Jimi Hendrix's "Happy Birthday."

One of my photos from the Crocodile Cafe show. More photos to come.

My friends and I have said our farewells and parted ways after a fabulous Beastified weekend. Everyone has returned home except for me. I'm back in Seattle, ordered to rest after the injuries I received at the Beastie Boys show Sunday night. My friend's husband here in Seattle (he's a doctor) tells me I have a broken rib and sprained ankle. Yipee. What a wonderful present and memory.

I never expected to be seriously injured at a Beastie Boys show. Get bad bruises and bumps: Yes. Knocked in the head: Yes. Broken bones from being crushed: No.

What a disappointment that final Beastie Boys set at the Sasquatch Music Festival was. My friend Paul and I stood and held primo spots on the barrier for nine hours so we could enjoy the Beastie Boys like we wanted to (i.e., up close). We didn't eat, drink, or do anything else for those nine hours except watch the other bands on the stage and maintain our spots. For two hours, we were forced to leave our precious spots and move back when the festival organizers deemed the main stage area too dangerous to stand in because of strong wind. When they decided to let people back in the area, there was a mad rush to the stage. Paul and I managed to regain our primo spots again, but we were quickly surrounded by many aggressive people who wanted those same spots. I guess I was easy pickings, being perhaps the oldest person attending the festival. (I ain't jokin'. Where were the old rockers?) Over the course of several other bands' sets, I was separated from my friend and edged out of my barrier spot by boys who were at least half my age and a foot taller than I am.

In my 25+ years of concert-going, I've never not been able to maintain a barrier position. I am normally a rock at the barrier. I can take whatever crap is going on down there. The biggest obstacle of maintaining my spot at the Sasquatch main stage was the barrier itself. It was almost 5 feet high. At 5' 3", I could barely see over it. Not being able to hold onto the rail comfortably because it was so high made it easy for those youngsters to crowd me out.

The crush during the Beastie Boys final set was worst than at Rage Against the Machine at Coachella a few weeks ago. (See the Coachella message board for descriptions of how truly horrible that was.) What the hell is wrong with those pushy Sasquatch Fest-going youths? They were crushing before the Beastie Boys were even on stage.

The only other time in my life I was crushed as badly was in 1986 at the Werchter Rock Festival in Belgium. The artist on stage came to my rescue and pulled me out of the crush in the pit. Although I don't expect the Beastie Boys to be as gallant as my Werchter hero and save me from disaster, I do expect them to notice what is going on in the pit and to try to do something about it. They did nothing. They said nothing. They knew what was going on. Bands see everything that is happening in the pit.

After I decided I had to bail the barrier and let security pull me out of the crush (the first time in my life I've ever made that decision!), I crawled to a VIP area and hopped the fence to catch my breath and recover. The mental anguish was almost worse than the physical pain. I couldn't believe after all the work I had put in to see the Beastie Boys up close, I was sitting so far from the stage. I cried for a half an hour -- not because I was in horrible pain (which I was), but because the band had let me down. When a man approached me and asked me if I was okay, I cried harder, thinking a stranger cares more about me than the band I devote so much of my heart and time to.

When I let go of my anguish and regained my composure, I became aware of what was happening on stage. The Beastie Boys were performing an odd set that had no flow. The night before, the band had performed a fantastic set on the Wookie Stage at the festival. Adam Horovitz told the audience to expect a different kind of set on Sunday -- one that was more hip hop-oriented. But for unknown reasons, when Sunday came, the Beastie Boys decided to stage another Gala set on the main stage. The addition of a few more of their hip-hop songs created a set that had a very "start-stop, start-stop" feel to it. (I know they're trying to figure it out for the European tour, so I'm trying not to be too critical. Truthfully, I am happy to see them perform any songs.)

After the show, my friends and I talked to people who had seen both of the Beastie Boys' sets at Sasquatch and everyone said the same thing: the Saturday set was fantastic; the Sunday set was mediocre. Still, a mediocre Beastie Boys set is better than an average or good set by most bands.

My friends and I agreed that we were disappointed with Sunday's set mainly because we expected to see and hear something different. If we hadn't been told by Mr. Horovitz to expect something different, we wouldn't have had any expectations. We thought we were going to hear "Brass Monkey," "Egg Man," and the like because of his comment on Saturday. Sunday's set turned out to be a watered-down version of a Gala set -- one that saw people bored and talking through all the non-vocal, instrumental songs.

For the Sunday set, the band had Mix Master Mike with them. "Hooray!" is what I thought when I saw the DJ booth on stage. But with the setlist the band chose, my favorite DJ had little to do. It seemed a waste to have him there and not doing his thang.

All in all, the Sunday set was plain disappointing. I'm discounting the fact that I got injured. I'm no fool. I knew the risks. I'm not complaining about getting hurt. I'm disappointed because I wanted more hip-hop songs on Sunday. I wanted "No Sleep Til Brooklyn." I wanted to hear Mix Master Mike scratch on "3 MCs and 1 DJ." I wanted to see Mark do a handstand on his keyboard. I wanted what I was promised: a hip-hop set.

I loved the Gala set so much on Saturday. I have a lot of wonderful things to say about it, which I will in a future posting here. I have more than 500 photos from the weekend to upload and a billion thoughts to sort in my head before I try to describe the Gala Event and the Crocodile Cafe show. One thing I will say now: If you were considering going to a Gala Event show, consider it no more -- DO IT INSTEAD! Get your tickets now because the Gala Event is going to be the hottest ticket on the planet.


It hurts to breathe.

If you are still seeing the same message about the board being back soon, try refreshing the page and the board should appear right before your eyes! It's like magic! :)

From Seattle Weekly:

SASQUATCH! Beastie Boys Talk Post Season, Family, and Ass
By Chris Kornelis

It was beyond parody.

The Beastie Boys seated at a table with bed head and bottles of water for a press conference, with a dozen reporters staring at them inside a trailer at the Gorge. The three looked and smelled like a trio of rich punks from New York.

In tune with the irony, Mike D played it a la ESPN and a post-game press conference. Adrock talked about the post season, a possible trade to Bjork or the Arcade Fire.

When they did get around to talking about the new record, the instrumental album "The Mix Up," the band was nonchalant about simply wanting to, yes, mix things up a bit.

"I think you need to show people that you've got some new facets to your game. Show them that you can share the ball a little bit," said Mike D.

"I've been getting a big barrel chest," Ad Rock chimed in.

"Do you want to tell them about the stuff you're doing for your ass, too?" Adam [YAUCH] quipped.

"No, that is a condition that my doctor ..." Adrock replied.

Among the many bands who have taken shots at the George Bush, and played up their political pet projects, like freeing Tibet, Adrock said he wasn't sure how politics would bleed through on an instrumental record like "The Mix Up," a record with no words.

"In a way it's a shitty time to have no words. We're still in the same predicament we have been for the last few years. It's an interesting time to not say something also. We're not telling people to give up or to not say anything. I don't know if you can put politics into just instrumentation. I guess it depends who makes it."

From Oregonlive.com:

When Beastie Boys Attack
by Luciana Lopez

If you've ever felt like maybe, underneath Beastie Boys' flippant, smirking exteriors lie three very serious young men who really, truly want to have a dialogue about Middle Eastern politics and whether the situation in Lebanon is being exacerbated by Syria's participation or not... Well, Sunday's press conference at Sasquatch will do nothing to support that theory. Their new album, The Mix-up, comes out on June 26, and it's all instrumental. They played what was supposed to be an instrumental show on Saturday and are slated to headline tonight.

(Caveat: the answers are direct quotes; the questions are paraphrases.)

Q: How do you top (Saturday night's) show today?
Mike D: I'm trying to think of a more nonviolent word... We're going to have more artillery, more firepower.
MCA: I think the objective is in this set list is to hurt people, win them back, hurt them, win them back again.

Q: Do you ever wake up and think to yourselves, you're done, you don't have anything left?
Ad-Rock: We've got a lot. That's never crossed my mind ever. Ever. We're just trying to do something different. We can just get up on stage and play our hits. We got a lot of hits. We could be up there for hours.
Mike D: There's not enough hours in the day.
Ad-Rock: It's fun to do something you don't know how to do

Q: Why did you sign up for the Live Earth concert?
Ad-Rock: We're for the world. We're like Wu-Tang, we're for the children.

Q: Do you expect the Live Earth concerts to have some kind of impact?
Mike D: It's hard to know before hand and even in the aftermath it's hard to assess the impact. It's absolutely, absolutely necessary to do whatever we all can do to have a collective consciousness focus on the issue of global warming and the environment.

Q: What actions do you guys take in your personal lives?
Ad-Rock:I smoke a lot of weed
Mike D: I like to ride in the carpool lane. I have a special sticker on my car.
Ad-Rock: Not enough, actually. There's a lot of things you can do, (such as) recycling. I do your basic things that we should all be doing.

Q: Last night's what was supposed to be instrumental - what happened?
MCA: We didn't want to disappoint people. We didn't know what to call this show to differentiate it (from Sunday's).... Most bands play instruments, so what do you say really except we don't usually or always or all the time.

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Jenny gets her drink on at the afterparty.

Tonight's set was the least enjoyable of the three this weekend because the audience was so stupid. Beastie Boys promised us a hip hop set, but did a Gala set instead. Wtf? We were disappointed because we thought we were going to hear something different.

The setlist flowed poorly; we all scrunched our noses. "Pass the Mic," however, was good with new beats. Mix Master Mike was killer, but wasn't much a part of the set.

Pooty loved Money Mark's set on the Wookie Stage. Jenny & I loved Bad Brains' set on the main stage.

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Gratitude
Time for Livin'
Remote Control
Off the Grid
Body Movin'
Sure Shot (Turntables)
Shake Your Rump
Jimmy James/Happy Birthday
Do It (Instruments)
Egg Raid on Mojo
The Maestro
Electric Worm
Shambala
Son of Neckbone
Something's Got to Give
Root Down (Instruments)
Root Down (Turntables)
Pass the Mic
So What'cha Want

MMM Solo
Intergalactic
Ch-Check It Out
Heart Attack Man
Sabotage

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My view after bailing the stage barrier.

I had to bail the show. Mega-extreme pushing. I'm no pussy about it. I'm upset the band didn't address it.

So far on flickr I've discovered photos taken at The Gala Event last night posted here, here and here. There are so many sexy Yauch pics in all of the sets, love it! ;D

And a peek backstage! (Yes, we can see you, Mr. Yauch, perfectly clear. *chuckles*)

PS: If anybody else has any reviews, photos, videos, etc., please send 'em this way (that goes for the Croc show as well)! :)

Update: Yay, more pics!

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We all agree the Sasquatch set was better thank the Croc Cafe gig because the audience was into it. The Croc was a dive, staffed with huge a-holes. The majority of the audience was Croc staff. Fohkers. My group is making fun of me for blogging from the fest. Fohkers. Bad Brains & Beastie Boys today! Yee-haw!

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The show was fantabulist!!

Time for Livin'
Gratitude
Sabrosa
Electric Worm
Live at PJ's
Root Down and Get It
Suco De Tangerina
Do It
Mark on the Bus
Tough Guy
Remote Control
Honky Rink
Pow
Shambala
Off the Grid
Jimmy James
Sabotage

Sure Shot
Egg Raid on Mojo
Heart Attack Man
The Maestro

From The Seattle Post-Intelligencer:

Beastie Boys take the Croc by storm
By Travis Hay

For 90 minutes at the Crocodile Café Friday night the Beastie Boys treated an intimate, sold-out crowd of less than 500 to a show they won't soon, if ever, forget.

Maybe it was the scarcity of the tickets (the show sold out in less than a minute and tickets were selling for as much as $400 on eBay), the debut of new material, or the performance of some rarely heard songs -- either way, it was one of the more special shows Seattle has seen in the last few years.

The Boys -- guitarist Ad Rock, bass player MCA and drummer Mike D. -- were accompanied by keyboardist Money Mark and percussionist Alfredo Ortiz for a set of mostly instrumental numbers that kicked off with "B For My Name," the first song off the band's new album, "The Mix Up."

That's right, the Beastie Boys are more than a trio of adulterated, former brat rappers; they're first and foremost a band. The New York rap pioneers hammered this point home by showcasing one of the least known aspects of their arsenal -- the ability to play instruments -- and simply put, they nearly tore the roof off the Croc with their electrifying show.

Their talent with instruments is highly evident on the new record, which consists entirely of instrumentals and hits shelves June 26. Some of the new tracks performed were the fuzzy "Electric Worm" and "Off the Grid," a song that included Ortiz hitting a trash can lid with drumsticks for percussion effects.

While there's no rapping on the new album, there was plenty during Friday's set. Several Beastie standards were given new arrangements with guitars and drums instead of samplers and turntables.

A slowed down "Live at PJs" that appeared early in the night set the tone for older songs that were rearranged. The highlights included a funky "Jimmy James" that featured Ad Rock displaying some Tom Morello-esque guitar skills with crazy squeaks and squeals, while "Root Down" and "Remote Control" were given extra flair and pizzazz with the addition of live instrumentation.

As much fun as it was to hear songs like "Sabotage" and "Ricky's Theme" performed in the close-knit confines of the Croc, it was equally fun to hear the Beasties return to their punk-rock roots with "Egg Raid On Mojo" off 1982's "Pollywog Stew."

Another rare track that surfaced was "Honky Rink," a tongue-in-cheek instrumental B-side off the "Gratitude" single released in 1992. Other punk songs making the set included "Heart Attack Man" and "Tough Guy," both great choices for the evening.

The show was called a "gala event" and the Beasties dressed appropriately, looking rather dapper in three-piece suits. Ad Rock, sporting a black fedora, was the most talkative and boisterous of the group.

As usual, the Beasties were playful, exchanging witty banter throughout the night. At one point Mike D. and Ad Rock broke into a duet of Michael Jackson's "Rock With You." Another playful moment came when a fan called Ad Rock a pimp for his spiffy attire.

"No sir, I am musician, not a pimp by trade," Ad Rock responded in a deadpan, matter-of-fact way. "I don't know if that was a compliment, but if it was I appreciate it."

The Crocodile Café set was a warm-up gig for the band's two performances at the Gorge Amphitheatre's Sasquatch! Music Festival this weekend. The band headlines the Wookie Stage at 7:15 p.m. Saturday, performing an instrumental set. The Beasties will close down the festival with a headlining, non-instrumental set, Sunday at 10:30 p.m.

SET LIST

B For My Name
Sabarosa
Live at PJ's
Do It
Electric Worm
Transitions
Son of Neckbone
Something's Got To Give [Not performed; Honky Rink replaced it]
Off the Grid
Root Down/Get It
Egg Raid On Mojo
Tough Guy
Remote Control
Mark On the Bus
Shambala
Ricky's Theme
Pow!
Jimmy James/Happy Birthday
Sabotage
ENCORE
Sure Shot
Time For Living
Heart Attack Man
The Maestro

P-I Photos: Horovitz // Yauch // Beastie Boys // Diamond // Beestea Bouys // Horovitz // Beazley Boys // Money Mark // Horovitz on geetar // Horovitz // Beestie Buoys // Yauch and Diamond // Diamond and Horovitz

05-26-07_0852.jpg

Dream setlist last night! Major props to Horovitz, Diamond & Mark! They were on fire. Yauch was on a different stage in another world - not our man. The Gala Event is not what we were lead to believe it would be. It was an eclectic mix. We all agree Time for Livin was the best song.

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So how did everyone do with tickets?

Who needs tickets and who has extras? Please post in the comment section and help one another. Unfortunately, I cannot reply to all the emails that I received, as I am on my way out West.

While we fans were fretting and fussing about getting tickets to the show on Friday, the Beastie Boys were packing up at Oscilloscope Laboratories and heading out West too.

When asked by The Observer what to expect at the Gala Event shows, Adam Yauch replied:

"Basically, you've got to dress to impress. Don't show up in your dirty knickers and your flip-flops. You should be wearing your finest: black tie if possible."

Obviously, Mr. Yauch has never attended a festival as a concert-goer. At a festival, a concert-goer's main needs and concerns are comfortable shoes (such as flip-flops), sunscreen, food and water -- not formal wear.

By the time the Beastie Boys take the stage at the Sasquatch Music Festival, I guarantee our knickers will be dirty (or possibly lost) and our flip-flops full of grass and dirt (or possibly lost).

With the Beastie Boys, you can always expect the unexpected. But having spent some time watching the Beastie Boys rehearse via the O-scope cam, we have somewhat of an idea what to expect at the Gala Event shows.


Expect to see Adam Horovitz pull double-duty on guitar and keyboards. We think he might being playing a glockenspiel, xylophone, or some instrument requiring a mallet too. (Note the drumstick or mallet in his hand in the photo on the right.)


Expect to see Adam Yauch switch between the bass guitar (left photo) and upright (right photo). No surprise there.


It's all about the drooommss!! Expect to see possibly two drum kits, one for Mike Diamond and one for Alfredo Ortiz, on the stage. (Mike and his drum kit are mostly visible in the photo on the left.) Or expect to see Fredo take Mike's seat on occasion if there is only one drum kit. (Fredo is the white spec below the window in the photo on the right.)

Fredo will also have a percussions set-up. It can best be seen in the rehearsal video for "The Electric Worm," which was posted at Beastieboys.com.


Expect to see Mike come out from behind the drum kit for a song. We're not sure what he will do. In rehearsals, it looked like he was singing to one of the new songs. This might be a real surprise!


Expect to see Money Mark (on the left in the photo) play guitar, while Horovitz handles keyboards by himself.


Expect Horovitz to shake his booty. No surprise there.


And, finally, expect to see the band sporting new suits and fresh haircuts.

It has come to my attention that there are still a few people who aren't clued in on the secret. If you are subscribed to the Beastie Boys e-newsletter (which I know you all are), check your inbox for it. You'll find full disclosure there.

Many fans have written to us and offered to help other fans with this event, which is really heart-warming. We heard from someone who has an "in" with Ticketmaster who is going to try to score extra tickets for other fans. We also heard from singles who said they will offer up their second ticket to another fan if they are successful getting through tomorrow. We've even heard from people who aren't going to be in the Seattle area that want to send good wishes to those of us who are going.

You people are the best.

The store at Beastieboys.com has a new t-shirt in stock. The shirt is available in gold, cream, light blue, and navy for $21.99.



Umm...where is the girl's design?

(Shout-out to my girl Jujube)

A damn radio station ruined the secret. If you had plans to be on your computer to obtain something special later today, please be aware that your competition has increased tremendously because a Seattle radio station had to blab. Also be aware that what you were going to do at 5 p.m. PDT today is no longer happening today. The date has changed to tomorrow (Wednesday) at 4 p.m. PDT.

Although I am not an elitist, I do believe that something special should be reserved for people who will appreciate it the most. In this case, I believe that to be the group of fans who devote some time to the band every day -- whether that be posting on the message board, writing about the band, reading about the band, drawing illustrations of them, making mixtapes of their songs, or just listening to the band's music every day. Those are the people I'm hoping get to enjoy a secret. Good luck tomorrow. May the force be with you.

From Rolling Stone:

Smoking Section When the Smoking Section was age eight, we knew every word to “Paul Revere,” so it was certainly a full-circle thrill to sit around the kitchen table eating a loaf of walnut bread with MCA, Mike D and AdRock at their Oscilloscope studio in New York. The Beastie Boys (decked out in suits and snap-brim hats, like the Specials) gave us the skinny on The Mix-Up, their dope new instrumental album. “The initial inspiration was ‘Let’s all get in a room and start playing instruments and see what comes out,’ ” says drummer Mike D. Bassist MCA adds, “It wasn’t full-on jazz-odyssey improvising, but coming up with grooves.” Soon, grooves piled up, turning into songs. “It was like, ‘Well, we could add vocals to this,’ ” says Mike D. “But we felt it worked well as its own thing.” They considered including rolling papers in the CD booklet, but no such luck. The beat drops in June. More good news: After dates in Europe, the Beasties will hit the U.S. In many towns they’ll play two nights, the first at a big venue, offering the classic B-Boy experience, and the next go at a more intimate theater, Mix-Up style. Adds MCA, “Shit is funky.”

From Harp Magazine:

The Beastie Boys' Adam "MCA" Yauch: How the Bad Brains Changed My Life

Band: Bad Brains
Album Date/Title: 1982, Bad Brains
Standouts: "Pay to Cum," "Fearless Vampire Killers," "Big Take Over," "Jah Calling"
Fun Fact: Originally a cassette-only release a.k.a. The ROIR Tape; reissued on CD 1996.

I first heard the Bad Brains when I was 14 or 15. I might have seen them at A7. It was when they first started comin' up to New York from D.C. maybe even at 171-A. I remember bein' pretty overwhelmed. They were way tighter than any other punk or hardcore band—they were on a different level. There was some fire in their musicianship and the way they played.

Once they moved to New York, they kinda moved into Jerry Williams' recording studio at 171-A. He used to have shows there and he had a bunch of couches that he had dragged in off the street, and they were crashing there. They were recording there too, like all the time, so it was kinda like their headquarters. This guy Dave Parsons had a makeshift record store; he was selling records out of the cellar. From the street, you’d open up those metal doors and walk down the little stone steps, and duck your head, then in the cellar he’d have a couple of record crates. We'd hang out all the time and hear bits of what Bad Brains were recording.

That was the ROIR cassette. I remember I had a Walkman, one of the first, the big plastic thing with the crappy headphones. I was in high school then, and I would just sit and listen to that tape over and over again. [It made me feel] amped. Jerry really managed to capture the way that they sounded live at CBGB's with the amps cranking. It was amazing.

[With the new album, Build a Nation] we're trying to get back to that and get some overdrive into the bass and some rawness back into the sound, definitely goin' more towards the sound of the ROIR tape. Mainly using more amp sounds, pushing the preamp on the bass so the different instruments kinda melt together. To me, that's part of the Bad Brains sound. The guys are so tight that they kinda merge into this one entity when they play together. They take playing music pretty seriously and once they start playing they kinda put that fire behind it.

The fact that they could go back and forth from playing dub to playing hardcore—I think it influenced us later to be able to feel confident going back and forth from playing rap to playing hardcore to playing the instrumental stuff. Bouncing between those styles during our show certainly came out of seeing Bad Brains [do it].

Interview by Randy Harward.

Only 300, folks.

Old school photographs of the Beastie Boys appear in a new book by photographer Josh Cheuse. Rockers Galore (Stussy Books) covers Cheuse's 25-year career photographing the music world.

The book and companion limited edition t-shirts are available to purchase exclusively at Stussydirect.com. Unfortunately, the Beastie Boys t-shirt is not available in the United States. It may be purchased only through French site wesoldout.com, which is currently sold out of the $66 (!) t-shirt. (Readers outside North America should check Stussy's other online stores before making an order.)


One of the photos that appear in Rockers Galore by Josh Cheuse.

Cheuse's photographs that appear in the book are currently on exhibit at Colette on Rue St. Honoré in Paris through the end of the month.


The "Play.Record.Watch.Stop." exhibit at Colette

There's a secret that the fan community is trying to keep in the fan community. Email us if (1) you are heading to the Sasquatch Music Festival and (2) you REALLY LOVE the Beastie Boys. We'll let you in on the secret.

Those of you who know the secret: please keep yer yappers closed to help your Beastie brothers and sisters.

In the current issue of Filter magazine, Adam Yauch talks with the Bad Brains about music and the good ol' punk and hardcore scene.

Our scans of the magazine: Illustration // Page 1 // Page 2 // Page 3

Here's video proof that Adam Yauch is the weirdest Beastie Boy.

From The Stranger:

It's the New Style
Adrock Talks the Beastie Boys' New Album, Selling Out, Feeling the Love, and Feeling Himself

By Jonathan Zwickel

The Stranger picked the wrong Beastie Boy to talk to.

We got on the horn with Adam Horovitz, better known as the King Adrock, a few weeks ago—a few weeks before it was announced that the Boys' upcoming album The Mix-Up is purely instrumental. As much as we pried, Horovitz danced around questions about the album and pretty much made light of the whole situation. Not surprising, coming from a self-proclaimed pistol packin', Monkey drinkin', no-money bum.

Since the early '80s, the trio of white, Jewish New Yorkers have woven their influences into a funky banner flown proudly over Generation ADD. They scored a slew of firsts: connecting the dots between punk and hiphop; mashing up rap and rock; dipping into sampladelic production; playing hiphop with live instruments; founding a pioneering hipster lifestyle magazine; discovering a higher calling; embracing web distribution technology; and generally making it cool to love your origins, no matter how littered with mass-media minutiae they may be. Few late-20th-century pop icons have pulled as much cultural weight and done it as playfully.

All I've heard about the new record is that it's taking you guys in an entirely different direction. That doesn't mean you're getting Scott Storch involved, does it?

Whew. Now, I'm hoping you're not saying anything anti–Scott Storch. You don't like Scott Storch?

He's alright, but he's been hooking up with all these hacks and B-list celebrities to produce their comebacks or their debuts and I'm hoping you guys didn't go that route.

Are you saying that we are B-list celebrities? Go on, go on say it. If I'm allowed to say whatever I want, you for sure are allowed to say whatever you want. I won't get my feelings hurt. I mean, I'll be angry...

Me? No, never.

No, we did not work with Scott Storch, but we were, for really, influenced by Scott Storch.

Okay.

Yeah. Just fashion-wise. I mean he does make good music, but this album doesn't sound anything like the music he makes.

It's all about the huge sunglasses and stogies.

It's all about the Miami look—a lot of linens. We're working with a lot of different fabrics right now.

So who is the producer?

Well, we actually went with the same producer that we usually go with on this one: us.

And so what makes it so totally unexpected?

I don't know about totally unexpected. I mean, these days, totally unexpected is like—what can you do today that's totally unexpected? [Laughs] I mean, kids today...

You could go for the DJ Drama–type mix tape.

Or if we had our own Trapped in the Closet chapters. That would be awesome. You've seen Trapped in the Closet, right?

Of course. But so what is it that makes it so different?

What is it? It's a CD, but I'm sure it'll be a record also. Of music. About 50-something minutes of music. So it's not that unexpected. I mean, if you listen to Beastie Boys records it's not that crazy. John—I'm with engineer J Whiz, or Jizz One, or you just wanna go with "John" today? [Horovitz confers with sound engineer John Weiner]. Okay, John. Forty-two? Yeah we cut 42 songs, but it's shorter now.

Forty-two? That's a lot of songs.

Yeah of course, we always have a lot of songs. But there are 12 on the album.

Mix Master Mike?

Not appearing on this record. Maybe that is unexpected.

Okay.

It's an instrumental record. There will be no rapping.

Aha. So the "jazz set" you guys are playing at Sasquatch—that's an indication of the direction you guys are headed?

I think "jazz" may be a little loose of a word for us. I don't know if you can call it jazz, but I guess it could be in keeping with the spirit of jazz. But that's maybe too long of a sentence.

So like Grant Green, Roland Kirk soul-jazz type stuff?

It would be nice if it was like that, yeah.

And have you played it for anybody? Your parents, your wives, your friends?

Yeah, our people. Our street teams.

And the reception?

Well, it's difficult 'cause you don't really get too many of your friends who go, "Yeah, this kinda sucks." But everything we do I play for my brother. He's my gauge. He's the brutal truth. He also really likes the band Brutal Truth. Or used to. And he likes this one. He didn't like the last one, but he likes this one.

So you guys have been getting together in the studio every day to practice? To write songs?

Well, we've definitely been getting together in the studio every day. We haven't been practicing. Or, I guess, writing songs. We're just sort of recording them and writing them after. But that's kinda how we usually do stuff anyway.

That's gotta be fun, just getting in the studio and fucking around with each other.

Well, that's for sure. We feel pretty confident. We're feeling ourselves right now. We are known for feeling ourselves. We like that to get out.

Is it easier to be a Beastie Boy now, 20 years later?

For me or for the layman?

For you personally.

Of course. It's a breeze.

What about added expectations?

Doesn't matter. If the added expectations were there, we probably wouldn't be making an instrumental record.

That makes sense.

Like I said, we're feeling ourselves.

For a long time now, you guys have been showing a sincere love and sincerity for the culture you're participating in. Whether it's New York or punk rock or Lee Perry, there's a real appreciation and love for the stuff you talk about.

A whole lotta love.

It seems like you don't find that so much anymore, or if you do it's a put-on.

In the 2000s, you're not allowed to sincerely appreciate anything.

Yeah, what happened?

You know, you just gotta make fun of things. You gotta make fun of what you love and make fun of what you hate. It's like if you stand up and say that you love something, then you're like playing the No Nukes concert. Same as if you hate something. It's a lot easier to be middle of the road.

Just hedge your bets.

Flip-flopping.

But you guys went this opposite route: You started off as wise-ass bullshitters, but the longer you stayed with it the more sympathetic you guys got. Is that fair to say?

Sounds good to me.

That's the way you guys have always gone, just doing what you feel.

Yeah, it's part love, part feeling ourselves, I guess. The mixture.

Which comes first?

The music.

And then the love?

I guess, yeah. I don't know. The love of the music and the love of ourselves go hand in hand. [Laughs] Yeah.

It's interesting to me how that love or that sincerity, that sympathy, has disappeared. Do you still feel that personally or do you feel burned out?

I don't know what it is. It's just, you know, the state of the music industry, I guess. All the same people—it's like, Pete Rock is still making music. There's plenty of music. You know, all those people who are still doing it and still love music. Q-Tip certainly still loves music and still makes music. But unfortunately there's a shift in the music industry that's not necessarily about music. But it happens. And it'll change.

It seems that that's a reflection of society as a whole.

I was hoping that when Bush first got elected—or first became the president, rather—that there would be a lot of good punk rock and punk-rock hiphop and Public Enemy–type bands. But it didn't really happen. I was sure it was gonna happen, but it didn't.

It seems like it went in the opposite direction: party and bullshit.

Which you can't be mad at. I like champagne as much as the next person. I really do.

Checking out your tour schedule for this summer, it looks like you're playing a bunch of European festivals.

Well, you know. You gonna be mad at me for making money?

I imagine they're pretty cush, set in some nice locales.

I don't know about the nice locales, but cush, yeah. That's where you get paid. And they're fun to play. I've never gone to a festival, but I've played millions of 'em and they're fun to play. You get to hang out with a bunch of different people, so they're fun.

I don't think anybody would be mad at you for going that route these days. The whole idea of selling out has changed drastically.

I don't think that people buying records or whatever really give a shit if you make money or not. I don't think they think about it. I think they just assume that whoever's onstage—wherever the stage is—are millionaires. And people still argue if they're paying more than five dollars for a show at a small place. It's ridiculous.

But the notion of selling out to a major label, that's definitely there in certain scenes. But if you don't sell out to a major label, then music's gotta be your hobby; it can't be your livelihood.

And even if you do sell out to a major label these days, it doesn't mean you're gonna make any money. The notion of selling out now is flipped. If you sell out it doesn't mean you're gonna make any money. The internet and independent ways of getting your music out there could be a more lucrative way in 2007.

T.E., the same fan who created "The Rat Cage" mp3 from the video clips posted at Beastieboys.com, has assembled an album sampler for The Mix-Up from the audio previews at Beastieboys.com.

The Mix-Up Album Sampler (dl via Zshare)

The sampler contains 20-second audio clips of every song on The Mix-Up. Download and enjoy.

Click image to see full-size invitation.

In seven days, Beastie Boys fans who pilgrimage to George, Washington, will begin the most Beastie-filled weekend ever at the Sasquatch Music Festival. Beastie Boys will premiere the songs from their new instrumental album The Mix-Up at a special set on Saturday, as well as perform a hip-hop set on Sunday. In addition, Mix Master Mike will perform a set both days, and Money Mark will perform a set on Sunday. Beastie Boys fans couldn't ask for a more perfect offering!

To begin the weekend right, a group of fans are hosting a party for the Beastie Boys fan community at the festival campgrounds on Friday night (May 25). Join Pootytang, Paulb, Jennygirl, and Miramanee ('tis I) in a celebration of all that is Beastie.

A special feature of the party will be a Beastie Boys impersonation contest. Fans may rap, dress, act, vocally impersonate, or wear a mustache (really anything) like a Beastie Boy to win prizes. The contest will be videotaped for future amusement.

In the following video, Beastie Boys fan Steve-Onpoint provides an example of something that would make you WIN the contest. (Filmed in October 2006, a day before the Beastie Boys show at the Hiro Ballroom in New York)

In the following video, Beastie Boys pet fan Pootytang provides an example of something that would make you NOT WIN the contest. Just kidding, Poots. (Filmed in October 2006, a day before the Beastie Boys show at the Hiro Ballroom in New York)

Something that both videos illustrate is that Beastie Boys fans have a great time when they get together and party. Please come and join the fun at the festival!

The tickets for the Beastie Boys concert in London on September 4 are already sold out; however, you may still grab tickets for a second show on September 5. Buy the tickets here.

Update: A new allotment of tickets for the September 4 concert, which we reported as being sold out, are now available. Quick! Get 'em while they're there!

Both shows are now sold out.

An unusual Beastie Boys collectible has just been listed on eBay. Someone is selling an old skateboard deck that he/she claims belonged to Adam Yauch.

The description for the item at eBay reads:

This board was originally owned by MCA of the Beastie Boys. It was his deck for over 10 years and has Beastie Boys/Run DMC tour passes as decals. It was featured more than once in promotional shots of the band. Tagged by Adrock. Again, this was HIS board and was ridden worldwide. An amazing piece of music history and the ultimate collectible for a Beastie Boys fan.

With the bidding for the item beginning at $3,000, we recommend interested buyers request additional proof that the item is for real.

Neither of us at Mic to Mic are collectors; however, we are history buffs. If any reader learns more information on the item, please contact us.

Single-day tickets for the Virgin Festival go on sale this Saturday (May 19) at 10 a.m. ET. Use this link at Ticketmaster.com to purchase a Saturday (August 4) ticket, which is the day the Beastie Boys will be performing at the festival.

There has been some confusion about the presale for the show at the Brixton Academy in London on September 4. A Beastie Boys e-newsletter, providing the correct link to purchase presale tickets, was distributed yesterday; however, the majority of subscribers (including us) did not receive the newsletter.

Presale tickets are on sale NOW. This is correct link to use to purchase tickets online at Seetickets.com.

Brownstoner.com, a blog devoted to the historic brownstones of Brooklyn, reports Adam Yauch was spotted with his wife and daughter at an open house of a brownstone for sale in Clinton Hill last Sunday.

The property, located at 219 Washington Avenue, is a 3,800-square-feet, 4-bedroom home with -- get this! -- a toilet in the master shower. The house is priced at a whopping $2.4 million.

Yauch must be expecting The Mix-Up to sell well.

According to Beastieboys.com, three more performance dates have been added to the Beastie Boys tour:

• June 16th – Heineken Ejekt Festival – Athens, Greece
  Tickets cost €70 at the door or €60 if purchased in advance. We could not find a link at the festival site to buy tickets online. If you can find one, please contact us.
  
  
• July 28th – Fuji Rock Festival – Naeba, Japan
  A 3-day festival ticket costs ¥39,800. A 3-day ticket is the only kind of ticket a non-Japanese citizen may purchase by email order. If you want a 1-day ticket (¥16,800), you'll need to make arrangements with a Japanese friend.
  
  
• September 4th – Brixton Academy – London, UK
  Presale tickets will be available this Thursday (May 17). The public on-sale will begin this Friday (May 18) at 9 a.m. local time through Seetickets.com.

WARNING: The surgeon general has determined the Beastie Boys to be dangerous to your health.

Nasty Little Man has posted two more promo pics of the Beastie Boys at its site.

Beastie Boys Contain Carbon Monoxide

As requested, here's an audio rip of the "Off the Grid" video posted on Beastieboys.com.

Off the Grid (dl via Zshare)

In our inbox:

FYI #2

It's back up. Ok, so why do these fools keep blasting me with these e-mails? But this is real. New site goes up today. Check it. All types of foolishness. Bloggishness, and even the odd new tour date. International, y'all! Hope you enjoy.

The all-new Beastieboys.com is now public.

This video, which we misappropriated from Beastieboys.com, was shot at yesterday's (May 14) rehearsal. The band are rehearsing "The Electric Worm."

Eh, so we snagged it! They'll just have to shoot more video.

The needs of the fans outweigh the moral issue of taking something that's not ours. We're Jean Valjean, and their video is a loaf a bread.

Click on image for enlargement.

Looky-looky at what we found! It looks to be the new design for Beastieboys.com.

Here's what we found in the tour section:

"Now we are practicing for our upcoming tour (check the tour diaries section) and blasting all up in the blogosphere with this stuff. Hope you like it. And if you don't, we'll try harder, or you can just blog on your own damn self! What am I supposed to be blogging about anyway? The beautiful weather we have been having here in the NYC? The vegan banana chocolate chip muffin I am eating, actually more on that in the future. Blog blog blog blog yada yada"

by Mike

And wowie! Oscilloscope has a Flickr account too! (Turn on the comments, guys. That's the best feature of Flickr.)

Here are some more pics from the new site:


You click on the buttons and they play snippets from the new album.

Do you recognize this person in the studio with Bad Brains? Do you recognize the studio?

We have been so focused on the Beastie Boys' new album The Mix-Up, to be released on June 26, we have neglected to talk much about another must-have album that will be released on the same date. We are referring to Bad Brains' much-anticipated album Build A Nation, which was produced by Adam Yauch.

We scored a promo copy of the album a while back, and it has been melting our sound system. It's HOT!

You may preview two of the songs from Build A Nation at Bad Brains' Myspace page, as well as download a few tracks that were uploaded by an unscrupulous hardcore fan (see links below).

Build A Nation Track Listing

1. Give Thanks And Praises
2. Jah People Make The World Go Round (dl via zShare)
3. Pure Love
4. Natty Dreadlocks 'Pon The Mountain Top
5. Build A Nation [preview at Bad Brains' Myspace page]
6. Expand Your Soul (dl via zShare)
7. Jah Love
8. Let There Be Angels (Just Like You) [preview at Bad Brains' Myspace page]
9. Universal Peace
10. Roll On (dl via zShare)
11. Until Kingdom Comes
12. In The Beginning
13. Send You No More Flowers
14. Peace Be Unto Thee

Our favorite tracks: Jah People Make The World Go Round, Let There Be Angels (Just Like You)

Beastie Boys and Bad Brains fans who are heading to the Sasquatch Music Festival may be interested to know that Bad Brains will be filming a video during their set at the festival.

Here's what you wanted! Watch the full video* for the Beastie Boys' "The Rat Cage," and then download an mp3* of the song (via zshare).

*Compiled and edited from the video clips posted at Beastieboys.com
Thanks to DJZap for the video edit and T.E. for the mp3 edit.

A gapless edit of the video can be viewed at Youtube.com, compliments of Martijn.

In part 7 of the Beastie Boys' video for "The Rat Cage," nothing concludes except the song. View the video clip at Beastieboys.com.

In part 6 of the Beastie Boys' video for "The Rat Cage," Mr. Yauch joins the story. View the video clip at Beastieboys.com.

Photo: Fujirockfestival.com

According to Fujirockers.org, Beastie Boys have been added to the Fuji Rock Festival line-up. Beastie Boys will play at the 3-day music festival held in Naeba, Japan, on Saturday, July 28.

We recommend waiting for a confirmation at Beastieboys.com before purchasing tickets. We've heard that Beastieboys.com and the message board will return in full on Monday or Tuesday.

Alfredo Ortiz and Money Mark join the story in part 5 of the Beastie Boys' video for "The Rat Cage." View the video clip at Beastieboys.com.

The extras on the tram look a little familiar, don't they?

Mike D packs his briefcase and takes a tram ride. View part 4 of the Beastie Boys' video for "The Rat Cage" at Beastieboys.com.

Nasty Little Man, the Beastie Boys' publicist, has posted three new promotional photos of the band at its web site. Download 'em and go bananas making desktop wallpapers, greeting cards (it's Mother's Day this weekend!), and CD art for your illegal download of The Mix-Up.

The Beastie Boys video continues...

What does Mike D. find inside the donut? View part 3 of the video for "The Rat Cage" at Beastieboys.com.

Popeater has published a new interview with Mike Diamond in which he talks about the planned second version of The Mix-Up, which will include the work of guest vocalists and producers. Asked to name names on the Beastie Boys' wish list of guest collaborators, Mike replied:

"It's tricky because we have producers and performers on there, but we have M.I.A. We're big fans of hers. She's on the A-list. Mark Ronson is hopefully doing something with somebody, but I'm not at liberty to say because that's up to him. We played some shows in Australia with Snoop Dogg and we had a very nice time with him so we're hoping to do some stuff with him some time."

Mix Master Mike and Mike D. join the mysterious story in the video posted at the Beastie Boys official site. View the clip at Beastieboys.com.

The Beastie Boys' publicist, Nasty Little Man, has posted an announcement on their site concerning the new album.

"The follow-up to 2004’s To The 5 Boroughs, The Mix-Up features Diamond, Horovitz and Yauch back on drums, guitar and bass, with able assistance from Keyboard Money Mark and percussionist Alfredo Ortiz, on 12 brand new wordless, sample-less, scratchless originals. Sure to please fans of the instrumental cuts from Check Your Head and Ill Communication and the cult hit compilation album made up largely of those tracks, The In Sound From Way Out!, The Mix-Up finds NYC’s favorite sons drawing on one of their arsenal’s primary strengths and pushing it into bold new directions."

To read the entire press release, visit the Nasty Little Man site.

Beastieboys.com has a new look today. The redesigned site features a video clip with an audio sample from the Beastie Boys' new album The Mix-Up. It appears the band will be posting a video clip with an audio sample each day. The first audio sample is from the song "The Rat Cage."

Also new on the site is an additional tour date: July 15, the Lake Festival in Hungary (ticket information to be announced later).

The Sasquatch Music Festival performance schedule was announced today.

Saturday
Mainstage:
Bjork 11:00 - 12:30
The Arcade Fire 9:15 - 10:30
Manu Chao and Radio Bemba Sound System 7:35 - 8:50
M.I.A. 6:10 - 7:10
Citizen Cope 4:50 - 5:50
Neko Case 3:40 - 4:30
Ozomatli 2:30 - 3:20
The Hold Steady 1:30 - 2:15
The Saturday Knights 12:45 - 1:15
Mix Master Mike 12:00 - 12:35
MC: Sarah Silverman

Wookie Stage: (in the meadow)
Beastie Boys "A Gala Event - Exclusive Instrumental Show!" 7:15 - 8:15
Grizzly Bear 5:50 - 6:40
Ghostland Observatory 4:40 - 5:30
Electrelane 3:30 - 4:20
Two Gallants 2:20 - 3:10
The Slip 1:10 - 2:00
Loney, Dear 12:00 - 12:50
MC: Aziz Ansari

Yeti Stage: (in the plaza)
Aqueduct 6:30 - 7:45
Mirah 5:25 - 6:10
Visqueen 4:20 - 5:05
Viva Voce 3:15 - 4:00
The Blow 2:10 - 2:55
Gabriel Teodros 1:05 - 1:50
Blitzen Trapper 12:00 - 12:45
MC: Michael Showalter

Adjacent to the meadow:
Incredibly Strange Wrestling 2:00 - 2:30; 6:40 - 7:10

Sunday
Mainstage:
Beastie Boys 10:30 - 12:00
Interpol 8:45 - 10:00
Michael Franti & Spearhead 7:05 - 8:20
Spoon 5:40 - 6:40
The Polyphonic Spree 4:20 - 5:20
Bad Brains 3:00 - 4:00
Blackalicious 1:50 - 2:40
Mix Master Mike 12:50 - 1:35
Total Experience Gospel Choir 12:00 - 12:35
MC: Sarah Silverman

Wookie Stage: (in the meadow)
The Dandy Warhols 7:40 - 8:40
The Black Angels 6:10 - 7:10
Tokyo Police Club 4:45 - 5:45
Money Mark 3:30 - 4:20
Patrick Wolf 2:20 - 3:10
Earl Greyhound 1:10 - 2:00
St. Vincent 12:00 - 12:50
MC: Michael Showalter

Yeti Stage: (in the plaza)
Jesse Sykes & The Sweet Hereafter 6:30 - 7:15
Smoosh 5:25 - 6:10
Common Market 4:20 - 5:05
Helio Sequence 3:15 - 4:00
Minus The Bear 2:10 - 2:55
Stars Of Track & Field 1:05 - 1:50
The Blakes 12:00 - 12:45
MC: Aziz Ansari

Adjacent to the meadow:
Incredibly Strange Wrestling 2:00 - 2:30; 7:10 - 7:40

With the first Beastie Boys tour date of the summer approaching soon, we are beginning to hear a little bit about how the tour will be staged.

A source working on the tour tells us that the band are "really into" the suits and retro motif. You can expect them to don the same sharp-looking suits they first wore in Las Vegas last fall and have been sporting in the studio every day as they worked on their new album The Mix-Up. (Check out O Watch to see photos of the Beastie Boys working in the studio.) The Adidas tracksuits have been permanently stored away in the warehouse.

For the stage design, expect a retro look and feel. The band have requested a visual show of abstract paintings from the 40s and 50s be assembled for projection during their performance.

The threads, the stage visuals, and the new instrumentals combined will transport fans to a time and place they have never been before. Like crazy, like wow!

Because of the Beastie Boys' diverse music catalogue, they tend to draw a lot of music heads (i.e., people who love all kinds of music) as fans. One of the best things about being part of the Beastie Boys fan community is connecting with other music heads like me. Last week I met up with two music heads with whom I have become friends because of the Beastie Boys. We spent a weekend seeing some of the best musical artists in the world (minus the Beastie Boys) at the Coachella Music Festival in Indio, California.

I thought when I stepped on the plane to begin my weekend at Coachella, I was in for a Beastie-free weekend. I was wrong. As I took my seat on the plane, I received a text message from a friend in Los Angeles who works for the Beastie Boys label. The message said: JUST GOT NEW BEASTIES. WANNA HEAR? I sent a reply: I'M ON MY WAY TO LA NOW.

For some reason, the only two things I am lucky with are getting great parking spaces and having strange and fantastic Beastie Boys things happen to me. What are the odds the same day I have a trip scheduled to Los Angeles, I would get a message about hearing the Beastie Boys' new album in Los Angeles? It's weird.

I wish I had my camera in my hands when my friends, Paul and Jenny, picked me up at LAX.

"How would you like to hear some new Beastie Boys?" I asked them. They did happy dances for their reply.

And so we met up with my friend and listened to the Beastie Boys' new, all-instrumental album, titled The Mix-Up. This is our review.

Track-by-Track Review of



1. B for My Name
"B for My Name" is most like the instrumental songs fans are familiar with by the Beastie Boys, which may be why it begins the album -- so fans don't go into shock because the rest of the songs on the album are quite different.

Paul described this song pretty accurately as "Sabrosa Meets Groove Holmes." Although I agree with Paul's description, I'm a bit leary to compare any of the new songs to the The In Sound From Way Out! songs and mislead people to believe it's a repeat of The In Sound. The new songs are very different than the Beastie Boys' earlier instrumentals.

On the plane ride home from Los Angeles, trying to make sense of my notes from our listening sessions, I listened to The In Sound for comparison purposes. The thing that struck me most is the new instrumentals are much more richly layered than the band's earlier instrumentals. Having spent months watching the Beastie Boys on the O-scope camera, I knew that this would be a finely produced album because I saw them spending more time on the production than playing and recording.


2. 14th St. Break
After discussion, Jenny, Paul, and I decided that this is a rock song. It's Mike Diamond's drumming that makes it a rock song. Overall, Mike's drumming style is more rock than his band mates' contributions, which are more funk-oriented. They fuse the styles to create a unique sound.

"14th St. Break" begins with a drums and organs jam. The organs have a BS 2000 vibe. Jenny said, "It's BS 2000 Meets the Beastie Boys." In other words, it's two kinds of goofy coming together to create another kind of goofy.

I made a note that there is a constant tamborine shaking throughout the song. It's the small things like the tamborines, whistles, bongo drums, bells, etc., on The Mix-Up that make the album so rich in sound.

Mike's drumming on this song is aces!


3. Suco de Tangerina
"Suco de Tangerina" is like the cantina music in Star Wars. It's goofy BS 2000-style keyboards and jazz drums. The song builds as it progresses. Jenny, Paul, and I really like this song. It's fun. You laugh and want to dance when you hear it.

Again, I love Mike's drumming on this track.


4. The Gala Event
"The Gala Event" is my favorite song on the album. It's the "spy music" track that we were told about. It could easily be a James Bond theme in the Sean Connery era. The song is full of Moog effects -- lots of sci-fi noises like whizz-whizz-whizz, woo-woo-woo, and bzzz-bzzz-bzzz. The backbone of the song is its strong, groovin' bass line.

The ending of the song is a great wee-wee-wee-wee fade-out that transitions into the band talking to each other. We couldn't make out what they were saying without headphones.

I love the Moog effects because they remind you that you're listening to the Beastie Boys. Those sounds are goofy like they are. (I'm having fun writing out the sounds, in case you couldn't tell.)

Paul thought "The Gala Event" sounds like it could have fit on Ill Communication.


5. The Electric Worm
"Do I hear cowbell?" Jenny asked while we were listening to "The Electric Worm."

"The Electric Worm" has a funk bass and waka-waka electric guitar. Paul thought the song had a slight reggae feel to it. Again, there are lots of sci-fi noises throughout the song.

The song ends sort of abruptly. When it did, Jenny yelled out, "More cowbell!" causing Paul and me to crack up. Jenny has good timing.


6. Freaky Hijiki
"Freaky Hijiki" is a tiki lounge song. It's very chill -- a song to de-stress to.

Adam Yauch shines on this song with a big soul/funk bass guitar solo in the middle of the song. Adam Horovitz goes into space on the guitar, creating some really odd noises with his instrument. Those fans who don't think much of Horovitz' guitar playing may possibly be won over by his guitar work on this album. (I have always thought the man can shred.)

"Freaky Hijiki" features hand clapping, whistling (human, not instrument), and drumstick clicking for effects. The song ends with applause and whistling. I think it may be the band applauding themselves.

Jenny really liked this track because of the bass.


7. Off the Grid
"Off the Grid" sounds like it could be music for the closing credits of a film. The song begins with a low-key guitar and keyboard jam and then crescendos into a full band rock song. Horovitz is BS 2000 on guitar instead of keyboard for this track. His guitar styling is goofy (good goofy, that is). The song kicks into a full-on rock out about two minutes into the song.

Paul thought the song felt like it could have vocals, which I agree with.

Jenny said, "The best part is when it kicked in."


8. The Rat Cage
"The Rat Cage" is a Yauch song. It has the most bass guitar of all the tracks. It's another goofy song with whistles and other strange effects.

Paul thought the song sounds like music the characters in "Star Trek" would listen to in their living quarters. Spock will rock!


9. The Melee
"The Melee" is another drums and organ songs. It has a happy, upbeat feel to it. This might be the Northern Soul track that we heard about, although it's not my idea of Northern Soul, which is heavy-beat soul music (precursory 70s funk). This song has Horovitz and Money Mark (we think) dueling on keyboards, with Yauch breaking up the fight with his bass guitar.


10. Dramastically Different
Jenny came up with the best alternate title for this song! She called it "The Tandoori Jam." The Beastie Boys interject a little India into their album by using a sitar instead of an electric guitar (they probably used both -- but it's the sitar you hear and remember). Although the song features the unusual instrument, it really is all about the drums. Again, we have another duel -- but this time it's Diamond versus Ortiz (at least we think it sounds like Alfredo Ortiz).

The song ends with a bongo drum roll.


11. The Cousin of Death
"The Cousin of Death" is another track that Jenny, Paul, and I really liked. It's very effects-heavy. Yauch uses the fuzzbox.

Listening to this song, I pictured girls dancing the go-go in a mod club in the 60s.


12. The Kangaroo Rat
"The Kangaroo Rat" has a this-is-the-end quality to it. Jenny said it made her think of Beck's Odelay because of some of the percussion on the song. Paul said it reminded him of "Ricky's Theme."

Toward the end of the song, there are jingle bells. We were giggling about the bells. Jenny yelled out, "Beastie Boys Christmas album coming out December 2007!" (Good idea, btw.)

The album ends with a Moog effect. Wah-wah-wah-wah-wah!! Jenny said it sounds like the band were vaporized.

Our final assessment of The Mix-Up: WE LOVED IT!! Utterly and completely. To say we were wowed by it is an understatement. When we were done listening, Paul's mouth was hanging open, Jenny's eyes were gigantic, and I had a grin that reached from ear to ear.

I think if you're open to all kinds of music, you'll dig this album. My friend at the label really likes this album. She is not a fan of the Beastie Boys' earlier instrumentals at all. So, if you are among the fans who didn't like the Beastie Boys earlier instrumentals, don't automatically write off these new songs. You might like them.

I think music heads are gonna go ga-ga for this album. Musicians will be inspired by this album. This album has the power to draw new fans and make current fans renew their vow of fandom.