In the new coming year, it will be 20 years since the release of Paul's Boutique. To celebrate this, the band is going to release a special 24-bit digitally remastered version of the album. Insound.com [DEFUNCT SITE] reports that it will be available in CD format with an 8-panel, eco-friendly limited edition fold-out poster. It will also include a free digital download for a track-by-track commentary by the band discussing each song over the music (Paul's Boutique "The Director's Cut" bonus audio). The album will be released on January 27, 2009.

According to Albumvote.co.uk [DEFUNCT SITE], the Beastie Boys are expected to road test some of the new material that they have been working on in the spring.

On another note...If you haven't been able to get your bonus tracks from The Mix-Up yet because you're not in the United States, try purchasing them from your country's Amazon or iTunes. The bonus tracks are now available in several countries—but still not all.

Tamra Davis has new videos up since last noted.
Davis is showing off his Beastie Boys T-Shirt, and Mike tries out his story-telling-skills.

[VIDEO REMOVED]

The other one is Beastie-free but still looks yummy.

Adrock had a short phonecall with Zane Lowe on BBC Radio 1 this Thursday. He didn't reveal much about the Beastie Boys new album, but he said the band will return soon, so we can just wait.

Go to BBC's page to listen to it, or download it HERE [DEAD LINK].

Money Mark was in New York City this past week to perform at two separate events. First, he performed at "Red Hot + Rio 2: The Next Generation of Samba Soul" with a number of artists at the Brooklyn Academy of Music Opera House. He also performed with Helenka, a musical collective formed by Yuka Honda (Cibo Matto), at Joe's Pub. The performance, which celebrated Honda's birthday, was "instructed improvisation." Simply put, the band jammed under Honda's direction. (See photos from the show at Flickr.)

You can hear a new song from Mark on Brushfire Record's holiday collaboration This Warm December. On Mark's Myspace blog, he writes that the song, titled "Stuck at the Airport," was

"written a long time ago but only in my head and when I was asked to contribute to Brushfire's Warm December album I couldn't resist putting it down on tape! It's just a joke and I hope it makes you laugh a little!"

The album may be purchased at Brushfire Record's Online Store. Portions of the proceeds supports children's music education.

Not a heck of a lot is going on in Beastieboysland now, but that should change soon. In 2009, you can expect a new Beastie Boys album and, presumably, a tour to follow.

From all accounts (i.e., what Adam Yauch has said in Gunnin'-related interviews and what the band told the press during the Get Out and Vote Tour), the new Beastie Boys album will be a mixed bag of sounds à la Check Your Head and Ill Communication. In other words, you can expect to hear some rap, instrumentals, and possibly some hardcore on the new album. According to Yauch, the new album should be out "early part of next year." (Hear him say so in a recent interview with XTRA Sports San Diego. [DEAD LINK])

Speaking of new music...busy with other things these past few months, we failed to report the release of four new bonus tracks from The Mix-Up. The songs—titled "LTD," "Beasley Is a Beast," "The Panda Rat" and "Politickin'"—were used in the soundtrack of Yauch's film Gunnin' for That #1 Spot. The songs are available to download exclusively at Amazon.com.

Yauch's film, which was released to dvd on October 21, is available to watch or download in its entirety via Amazon.com's Video on Demand. Amazon.com allows you to watch the first 10 minutes of the movie for free. (This service is restricted to the United States.)

Another recording from the Get Out and Vote Tour has surfaced. We converted and posted mp3s for easy download:

Beastie Boys Live in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Nov. 2, 2008
Recorded and shared by sullylove

DOWNLOAD MP3S (81.9MB ZIP file) AT MEDIAFIRE [EXPIRED LINK]
DOWNLOAD TORRENT AT DIME [account required]

As they have done for the last few years, Beastie Boys have contributed a lunchbox design to the annual Lunchbox Auction, which benefits the Food Bank For New York City and the Lunchbox Fund. The auction begins December 11 and ends on December 18. A photo of the Beastie Boys's design is not yet available on the auction site.