Beastie Boys to headline Osheaga Music Festival



Beastie Boys will be headlining the Osheaga Music Festival on Sunday, August 2. Tickets for the two-day music festival in Montreal go on sale this Friday (April 3).

Beastie Boys to headline All Points West

Organizers of the All Points West Festival announced the line-up today. Beastie Boys will be headlining the first day of the three-day music festival, which takes place at Liberty State Park in Jersey City, on July 31. Ticket presale begins on April 2; public on-sale on April 3.

Adam Horovitz remixes Mexican Institute of Sound

A new remix by Adam Horovitz, titled "Alocatel (Ad Rock Remix)," by Mexican Institute of Sound, is available to download at RCRDLBL.com [DEAD LINK]. The song is a bonus track on M.I.S.'s album Soy Sauce, which will be released on April 7.

According to an official press release for the album, Mike Diamond is responsible for pairing Camilio Lara (aka M.I.S.) and Horovitz. Lara says:
"I've been friends with Mike D of the Beastie Boys for a long time. So one night after one of their shows in Mexico City, I had the group over to my place for dinner. Mike introduced me to Ad Rock and I gave him some of my music from the new album that I had been working on. Months down the line, he got back in touch, saying that he wanted to collaborate."

Adam Horovitz backstage


Photo by Valérie Jodoin-Keaton

If you flew on Air Canada this month, you might have recognized a familiar face in its in-flight magazine En Route. The current issue contains a feature of photographer Valérie Jodoin-Keaton's work that includes a photo she took of Adam Horovitz.

Narrating the photo, which was taken at the Montreal Gala Event in September 2007, Jodoin-Keaton says:
"He looks like Robert De Niro. It was after a show at the Métropolis in the outdoor backstage. After that pose, I asked him to give me a more natural stance; I was curious to see what he'd look like without playing it up. But he said, 'Oh, but I always pose!'"

Beastie Boys announce Los Angeles show



Out of the blue, Beastie Boys have announced a single show this fall in Los Angeles on September 24 at the Hollywood Bowl. The date is posted on the new Beastieboys.com home page that also announces the collector's edition release of Check Your Head on March 30. Avoid clicking and reading the information titled "Beastie Boys Live at Hollywood Bowl" on Beastieboys.com; it'll only confuse you. I will explain it in plain English.

Starting today (March 16), you may buy tickets for the Beastie Boys show in Los Angeles on September 24 if you participate in the Hollywood Bowl's special program. The program allows you to buy up to 9 tickets for any 5 shows that you wish to attend this year at the venue. You must buy tickets to 5 shows. The program is impractical unless you live in the Greater Los Angeles area and attend shows frequently. The benefit of this program is it allows you to buy tickets in advance of the general on-sale date -- meaning, you can get the best seats in the house now if you're willing to make the investment.

The general on-sale date for the Hollywood Bowl show is May 2. Ticket prices range depending upon seating choices. The most expensive ticket is $75 and the least expensive is $25.

Gonna go back in time with the Beastie Boys


A rarely seen 1985 photo of the Beastie Boys shooting water guns at Madonna

Last fall, Cey Adams introduced me to Bill Adler, his friend and co-author of DEFinition: The Art and Design of Hip-Hop, when their book was first published. Adler, who was the director of publicity for Def Jam in the eighties, was moving his office and packing up its contents. When he learned that I was a Beastie Boys fan, he shuffled through his records and presented me with a file. "This should tickle your fancy" were his exact words. The file contained all of the press clippings from the time when the Beastie Boys toured with Madonna in 1985. Adler directed me to the closest Kinko's to copy the file.

These days, it would be difficult to locate the articles without going through microfiche at a library. Although most of the articles are more about Madonna than the Beastie Boys, they provide insight on the Beastie Boys' early career and how they were perceived by the media.

See the contents of the Bill Adler File on Flickr.

Beastie Boys to headline Lollapalooza?

The Chicago Tribune reports that Beastie Boys are expected to perform at Lollapalooza 2009, which takes place in Chicago on Aug. 7-9. Multiple industry sources have supposedly confirmed that Beastie Boys, as well as Depeche Mode and a reunited Jane's Addiction, will headline the three-day music festival. The Lollapalooza line-up will be officially announced in April.