Twilight Concert Series, Amadou and Mariam: August 18, 2012

Vol. 8 august 16th, 2012

Amadou & Mariam

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2012 Twilight Concert Series Table of contents Pg. 5

User guide Learn more about the TCS

Pg. 8-9

Map

Make your way around the pier with ease

Pg. 6

From Mali with vigor

Amadou & Mariam blend traditional music with a touch of rock ‘n’ roll

Pg. 7

More the merrier Concert-goers group on the beach in comfort and creativity

Pgs. 12-13

Future shows Find out who will be playing upcoming concerts

Pg. 14

Looking back Pictures from previous concerts

About this publication This Twilight Concert Series guide has been created as a partnership between the Santa Monica Pier Corporation and the Santa Monica Daily Press.

It is intended to help concert-goers navigate the popular summer concert series.

The Santa Monica Pier Corporation is a non-profit created in 1983 by the Santa Monica City Council to preserve and enhance the pleasure pier experience for people of all ages and for future generations.

For more information, visit santamonicapier.org, or call (310) 458-8901.

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Twilight Concert Series user guide Here’s the skinny on this year’s shows Tickets, cost No ticket or reservation is necessary for the concerts. And all of the concerts are free.

However, should you find yourself wanting to express your appreciation for the concerts you are welcome to make a tax deductible contribution to the Santa Monica Pier Restoration Corporation either by donating online at santamonicapier.org or in person at one of the concerts by visiting the pier booth.

What time do the concerts begin and end?

Hundreds of bikes are parked during each show so make sure you get a spot.

First aid/lost and found If you require first aid or assistance, please visit the pier booth/tent and we will contact the proper authority. If it is an emergency, please call 911. The lost and found will also be located at that location.

Smoking Smoking not permitted on the Santa Monica Pier.

7 p.m. — 10 p.m.

Parking Parking is available in the 1550 Pacific Coast Highway Lot, on a first-come, firstserved basis. There is no parking permitted on the Pier Parking Deck.

There are also a number of city structures located in nearby Downtown Santa Monica.

For more information, visit the City of Santa Monica’s parking site for directions and pricing at parking.smgov.net/overview.html.

For directions to the Santa Monica Pier, visit santamonicapier.org/location.

Bike valet There is a free bike valet located next to the beach bike path just south of the Santa Monica Pier. It’s the reward for being kind to the environment.

Volunteer

Pets Dogs are welcome, but must be on a leash.

Weather It never gets really cold, but after the sun goes down it can sometimes get a bit chilly requiring only a sweater or light jacket. It’s always a good idea to have something to throw on just in case.

Seating Seating is not provided. You are welcome to bring beach chairs and blankets and sit on the pier deck or the beach. We ask that you bring low beach chairs. Many people do sit on the sand at the beach below the pier deck.

Food and drinks Alcohol consumption is not permitted in public spaces in Santa Monica. However, there are several full-service bars on the pier.

Food is permitted.

Have a drink “Sonoma on the Deck” Wine and Beer Lounge will be located on the pier overlooking the sand, where guests can enjoy a selection of specialty wine and beer, see the concerts in a relaxed environment, all while taking in the sunset overlooking the Santa Monica Bay.“Sonoma on the Deck” will feature locally-owned, award-winning Solsticio Wines from Argentina, California labels, specialty beer and more! Beer and wine will be offered for $5 and $8 respectively. Must be 21 years of age and present an I.D. “Sonoma on the Deck” is a perfect place to enjoy a summer’s night with great wine, friends and entertainment!

The pier is always looking for a little help with the dance series.

Volunteers are needed to help with raising funds, assisting the crew and providing hospitality for artists.

If you are interested in assisting at the concerts, please contact us at (310) 4588901, or e-mail Anne Railsback at Anne@santamonicapier.org. Please provide the following information: • E-mail address • Phone Numbers: Cell/home • General availability • Special skills/interests • Fundraising ideas

Santa Monica Pier contact info Telephone: (310) 458-8901

Internet: santamonicapier.org

Mail: 200 Santa Monica Pier, Suite A Santa Monica, CA. 90401

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Amadou & Mariam

From Mali with vigor Amadou & Mariam blend traditional music with a touch of rock ‘n’ roll t’s been an exciting week what with the Summer Olympics wrapping up. But luckily the excitement doesn’t have to end.

If you’re looking to keep that momentum going, think about taking in this week’s Twilight Concert Series at the Santa Monica Pier with Amadou & Mariam — the internationally acclaimed blind musical duo from Mali, who mix traditional Mali sound with rock guitars.

The duo is looking forward to playing the gig.

“We hope that we will have a nice big crowd and that they will love and enjoy the show. Our music is about love and solidarity,” Mariam said. “We would like them to feel that our music is universal.”

Their upbeat world music blends intricate rhythms and a danceable beat and their show is sure to have the Santa Monica crowd rockin’ out.

Amadou and Mariam met at Mali’s Institute for the Young Blind, where they performed in the Institute’s Eclipse Orchestra, directed by Idrissa Soumaouro, and found they shared an interest in music.

Their first album, “Sou Ni Tile” and its title track, “Je Pense a Toi,” was a hit in France selling 100,000 copies. The duo became inseparable and eventually married, continuing to play concerts while they gained a strong following. By 2003, world-Latin music star Manu Chao approached them to produce their 2004 album “Dimanche a

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Bamako,” and later in 2006 they recorded, together with Herbert Gronenmeyer, the official anthem for the 2006 FIFA World Cup that topped the German charts that June.

Since then, the couple has toured with Coldplay and U2 and jammed with musical greats David Gilmour and Johnny Marr.

They’ve played at the opening ceremonies of the last two World Cups, played major festivals in the U.S. including Coachella and Lollapalooza and had the great honor of performing at a Nobel Peace Prize concert in honor of President Barack Obama.

“We felt it was a big honor to play for President Obama and it was an amazing moment in our life,” Amadou said. “To prepare for the event we tried to be ourselves and simple and be able to enjoy that moment.”

When they first started out, they never expected their music to be so widely recognized and loved by so many people.

“We knew that it would please people but not this huge level,” Amadou said.

Amadou & Mariam boldly break fresh ground, while preserving their instantly recognizable trademarks: the exquisite song craft, Amadou’s thrilling electric blues guitar and the magical interplay of their two voices, which first brought them popularity.

And as their celebrity has grown around the world, the scope and ambition of their music has grown with it. Amadou has often said that the invitation to share songs and

ideas with other musicians and finding new ways of expression is the most exciting adventure any musician can undertake. And it is that sense of shared openness and collaborative opportunity which is at the heart of Amadou & Mariam’s new album “Folila.”

The story of “Folila” — the word means music in Bambara — boasts three distinct chapters and is a tale of how two records became one. Marc-Antoine Moreau, the duo’s long-time manager and producer explains.

“The original idea was to make two albums: a crossover record in New York City, where Amadou and Mariam have many musical friends and relationships and the other

a more rootsy album recorded in Bamako with mostly African guests and African percussion instead of a drum kit,” he said.

Both plans came to fruition, but when Amadou and Mariam listened back to the richness of the two sessions, a third way suggested itself: to combine the two recordings in a seamless, organic fashion.

The result is “Folila,” a near-perfect example of how tradition and modernity can work together to generate creative forward movement, two parallel rails leading to a common musical destination.

For more information, visit www.amadoumariam.com.

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More the merrier Concert-goers group on the beach in comfort and creativity On a lazy Thursday afternoon, four people at Santa Monica State Beach took turns throwing sticks at woodblocks that had been carefully lined up, all while racing to strike a taller wood-block, topped with a painted red crown, first.

This was kubb, an ancient Viking game of hand-eyecoordination and skill, said Emily McGrath.

“You knock blocks of wood over with other blocks of wood,” McGrath said with a laugh.

McGrath, a Santa Monica resident, had gathered with friends to play kubb while they waited for the start of the Australia Rocks the Pier performance at the Twilight Concert Series.

“We do this every week,” McGrath said. “It’s really fun.”

Kubb is just one of the many ways people amuse themselves on the beach while waiting for the next performance in the Twilight Concert Series.

Hours in advance, hundreds of people gathered and sun bathed or played ball while they waited for the show to start, setting up blankets, chairs and tables of food and beverages in preparation. And sometimes, they set up more unusual things.

“It’s a desert dome,” said Santa Monica resident Shawn Aguilar of the half circle of interlocking metal pipes he’d erected with friends.

The dome was a veteran of previous Twilight Concert Series performances, as well as the counterculture festival Burning Man, he said.

The dome, which would be decked out in camouflage netting and battery operated lights by the end of the evening, would serve as a beacon for Aguilar’s companions to gather at his corner of the beach and watch the show.

“I have all my friends here,” he said. “It’s kind of become the meeting spot.”

Tony Hicks, a Santa Monica resident and local musician, was also waiting for a group of friends.

Hicks was as impressed with the line-up as he was with the Santa Monica Pier’s responsiveness to the fans of the music.

Hicks contacted the pier via its website to mention the uneven quality of sound on the first performance, he said.

After his message, he never heard the problem again.

“Ever since we complained about it, the mix has been great,” he said.

Hicks has been to four shows this year, but for Hermosa Beach resident Justin Simon, the concert was his first.

“I’ve been a fan of Kasey Chambers,” Simon said. “The chance to see Kasey in this setting is a hell of a night out.”

Another group of first-timers was Christina Kretschmer and her daughter Sophie.

“We’re winging it,” Kretschmer said.

The Kretschmers were on vacation earlier, and returned to Santa Monica hoping to catch one of the series’ performances.

“We said, ‘does anybody want to go to that pier thing?’”

Kretschmer asked her friends.

Luckily enough, many of them were already in the Twilight Concert Series mood; so an hour before the concert, the mother-daughter duo was waiting on the beach for a group of people to join them.

“I think, it’s summer, you’ve got to take advantage of these shows,” Kretschmer said.

Whether you’re going to a concert for the first time or the 15th, and whether you sunbathe or play kubb while you wait, the Santa Monica Police Department is on hand to provide public safety, while still helping people have fun.

“We want people to come here and have a good time,” Sgt. Richard Lewis said.

The SMPD reminds concert-goers that dogs, fires, smoking and alcohol are prohibited on the beach.

Bikes are also prohibited on the beach; the department recommends that people coming to concerts on bicycle use the bike valets to help prevent their vehicles from being stolen, Lewis said.

And, if you need any assistance, police officers are patrolling the beach and the pier, and officers on horses, and occasionally all-terrain vehicles, can be found around the beach, Lewis added.

Finally, concert-goers should remember to dispose of their trash responsibly and take their belongings with them when they go.

“Leave the beach as you found it,” Lewis said. “And then, have fun.”

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Santa Monica Ford Lincoln Mercury

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1230 Santa Monica Blvd. | Santa Monica, Ca., 90404 | (800) 809-1283

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S u b a r u o f S a n t a M o n i c a 1229 Santa Monica Blvd. | Santa Monica, Ca., 90404 | (800) 809-1283 www.SubaruSantaMonica.com | Twitter: @SubaruSM | Facebook: facebook.com/SubaruSM

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Twilight Concert Series 2012 lineup Week 8

Alex Cuba Plus Lucky 7 Mambo

Alex Cuba

Aug. 23 Alex Cuba is a rebel.

“When it comes to creativity, I need to go to places I’ve never been before,” he says.

With the wanderlust of a world traveler, the Cuban-Canadian singer-songwriter explores new sonic spaces on “Ruido En El Sistema/Static in the System.”

Following the compass points of rock, soul, pop, and Latin-funk on his fourth album, Cuba continues his journey as a critically acclaimed independent artist who’s charted his own destiny across the world stage while earning a growing legion of devoted listeners at each new juncture.

As rebels are often wont, Alex Cuba views his music as a liberating force. It’s a quality that’s transmitted through the artist’s songs and has made him a fascinating exception to the staid rules of category.

He explains, “The purpose of my music is to free up people, to free up musicians, to free up writers and composers and creators in the world. That is the purpose of why I do music. Music, for me, is not one style. I’m

not creating for one kind of people.” Armed with a Gibson ES355, Alex Cuba consistently challenges perceptions about what Latin music is, and who listens to it, by simply being himself.

A self-proclaimed “musical sponge,” Alex Cuba first learned the music of his native Artemisa, a city located just west of Havana.

His father, a guitarist and music instructor, earned a Master’s degree in music at age 55 and remains a source of inspiration for the artist. Beyond sharing a natural affinity for music, the multi-instrumentalist Cuba learned the discipline of honing his musical talents from his father and later formed The Puentes Brothers with his brother. Citing influences that range from “Kind of Blue” by Miles Davis to The Beatles’ “White Album,” Cuba looked beyond the rich heritage of his homeland to develop his own singular style — one fueled by spontaneity, or what Cuba characterizes as the “tension of imperfection.”

Week 9

Hot 8 Brass Band Plus The Gumbo Brothers

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Shows FROM PAGE 12 Aug. 30 New Orleans’ own Hot 8 Brass Band has epitomized New Orleans street music for over a decade. The band plays the traditional Second Line parades, hosted each Sunday afternoon by Social Aid and Pleasure Clubs, infusing their performances with the funk and energy that makes New Orleans music loved around the world. The members of the Hot 8 Brass Band were born and raised in New Orleans and many began playing together in high school. What makes the Hot 8 so special are the sounds they coax from their well-loved, well-worn instruments. An evening with the Hot 8 is like no other.

Members of the Hot 8 Brass Band have toured in Japan, Italy, France, Spain, Finland, England and Sardinia. The band performs annually at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and at world and jazz festivals across the U.S. and Europe.

Members of the band have been featured in both Spike Lee documentaries, “When the Levees Broke and If God is Willing” and “Da Creek Don’t Rise.” The band was also featured in the second season of the HBO series, “Tremé.” They recently appeared at The Apollo with Dr. John, Lou Reed, Nicolas Payton and others for the annual Great Day in Harlem. The Hot 8 has released three critically acclaimed recordings and is featured on the latest Blind Boys of Alabama recording on TimeLife Records.

The Hot 8 Brass Band has been part of an important relief project following Hurricane

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Katrina. SAVE OUR BRASS! is a local grassroots project that has brought music and instruments to shelters, temporary trailer parks, and communities across the Gulf Coast.

Week 10

Best Coast Plus No

Sept. 6 Combine the sophisticated chill of a New York City winter with the girlish, laid back romance of California in the summertime and what to you get? The answer is Best Coast, the latest musical endeavor by perennially cool, self-described “weird girl” Bethany Cosentino.

Best Coast was born when Cosentino decided to come home to L.A. after a time in New York City, to get a fresh start at living in the place she knows best — California. Quickly garnering praise from critics and listeners with the single “Sun Was High (So Was I),” Cosentino was approached by UK-based label Blackest Rainbow, who released her now sold-out tape “Where the Boys Are.” A Los Angeles native, Cosentino grew tired of what she had grown up with and did what so many have done before — she picked up and left for the East Coast, specifically Brooklyn, with the intention of going to art school for creative writing.

“I was like, I hate the beach, I hate flip flops. I want to go to New York,” she said.

But Brooklyn quickly turned out to be far different from what she had envisioned. “I realized that I actually liked all those things, they reminded me of home,” and life in New York was too cold, both literally and

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figuratively, with too many people trying way too hard, “it’s like, there are people in New York who look like they’re at the beach sometimes but it’s not real, it’s not the same.”

Looking for a way to get a taste of her native land all the way in Brooklyn, Cosentino was drawn to the 1950’s and ‘60’s aesthetic of The Beach Boys and The Everly Brothers, which, she said, “made me happy.” Creating her own little Southern California in her bedroom wasn’t enough, however, and one weekend Cosentino decided enough was enough.

“One weekend I just decided to leave New York. Two days later I was back in L.A.,” Cosentino said matter-of-factly. She started making music almost immediately, having been “inspired by the music I was listening to in New York,” Cosentino “wanted to be making the music I wanted to listen to.” Because of this, the project’s aesthetic is intended and natural, a combination of Cosentino’s influences and her inherent Californian-ness.

Best Coast

The Great Bike Giveaway is back!

Presented by BIKE ATTACK and PURE FIX

e k i b e i x i Win a fconcert! every

Raffle tickets will be available for sale at the concert, and a drawing will take place at the end of every show.

You do not need to be present to win.

BIKE ATTACK 2400 Main St. Santa Monica

310-581-8014

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Series in pictures The PARADE Collective gave weekly show a worldly feel Musicians from Cirque du Soleil going by the name of the PARADE Collective made week six of the Twilight Concert Series something special.

They brought their world of experience to a setting fit for their status.

This week will feature Amadou & Mariam and their blend of traditional music with a touch of rock ‘n’ roll.

Snap away We’re asking concert-goers to send in their photos from each week’s show. E-mail them to daniela@smdp.com or post them on our Facebook page at facebook.com/SantaMonicaPier.

If you’re on Twitter we can be found at twitter.com/SantaMonicaPier. If you’re more into hashtags, tag it #pierconcerts.

2012 Twilight Concert Series lineup • Aug. 23: Cuban singer-songwriter Alex Cuba and the salsa dance sounds of Lucky 7 Mambo • Aug. 30: New Orleans’ Hot 8 Brass Band and Louisiana funk band The Gumbo Brothers • Sept. 6: Southern California Indie breakout act Best Coast with No opening up * All shows begin at 7 p.m.

Week 6 - PARADE Collective

Week 5 - Kasey Chambers

Week 4 - Jackie Greene

Week 3 - HAIM

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