Few music festivals really thrill me: Coachella, Lollapalooza, SXSW, New Orleans’ Jazz Fest—despite excellent lineups, they tend to be hot, expensive, impersonal clusterfucks (on one hand, I am seeing the Pixies; on the other hand, I’ve got a wicked sunburn, just paid $8 for a thimble of beer and am about to be stepped on by an asshole with a fauxhawk). That said, it’s more than exciting to tell you about MtyMx, a three-day, post- SXSW arts and music festival in Monterrey, Mexico—located in the northeast, it’s the country’s third-largest and reportedly safest city. On March 20, 21 and 22, acts such as Acid Mothers Temple, Hunx and His Punx, No Age, Neon Indian, Fucked Up, Thee Oh Sees, Dan Deacon and many others are scheduled to perform at Autocinema Las Torres, a mountainside drive-in movie theater. A third of the bands on the bill are Mexican—some of which rarely make it to the U.S. due to restrictive border controls. The festival is a collaborative effort between show promoters Yo Garage ( enelgarage.com) and Todd P ( toddpnyc.com). It’s an all-ages event and costs only 390 pesos for a three-day pass—that’s $30, folks. For more on this fiesta, visit the aforementioned sites. Because visiting Monterrey seems like a fun thing to do anyway—I went to a northern inland part of Mexico last year and it was fabuloso —seeing the city during a cheapo festival of underground music and artists is just an amazing bonus.
Music To Your Ears Fela! For Free
In other music-related travel news: Fela! is a buzzing Broadway musical about revered Nigerian afrobeat artist Fela Kuti, with music by Antibalas. Right now National Public Radio’s “Afropop Worldwide” is offering a chance to win a free trip for two—flight, two nights of lodging, dinners and other activities are included—to see the show in New York City. Enter by Feb. 14 at afropop.org.
Music To Your Ears Klezmerquerque 2010
Albuquerque’s eighth annual celebration of klezmer and Yiddish music, dance, language, food and culture takes place this week Thursday, Feb. 11, through Sunday, Feb. 14. All events will be hosted at and presented by Congregation Nahalat Shalom (3606 Rio Grande NW). For a full schedule, which includes performances and workshops, visit nahalatshalom.org. Inquiries can also be directed to 343-8227.
