EarthDance has been described by the music industry as the “Dance Aid” for the new millennium. “Think Global Act Local” is the aim of the event bringing together global communities to create a synchronized global festival and dance event to help fund humanitarian causes and develop an environment of peace throughout the World.

The highlight of the EarthDance Global event is a synchronized dance floor link-up, when the specially created song, “The Prayer for Peace” is played at every event across the world at exactly the same time. 6pm Central Time Houston TX, morning in Australia, sunrise over the Himalayas, midnight in London, afternoon in California – the universal prayer is a powerful moment that unifies our intention for a peaceful world.”

The first annual EarthDance Austin is happening in September! The 3-day camping festival will run September 25th-27th, and EarthDance Austin 2009 will support the non-profit charitable organization, Lance Armstrong Foundation. Among many artists from around the world, Chillville friends and Austin locals Govinda are on the bill, along with an impressive lineup of acts that are sure to serve up lots of dance energy and a great festival experience. Guests can also enjoy the psychedelic sights and sounds of Austin’s Canartic which has joined the festival lineup, and new acts continue to be added. The fun will go down at Apache Pass in “Downtown Texas” where there are several acres of open areas and some forested spots in which to camp, play, dance, and sing. You’ll find artisans, workshops, concerts and events all weekend long on five stages and plenty of room to frolic or simply – chill. A limited number of pre-sale tickets are now available. More information at EarthDanceAustin.org, or you can check it out on MySpace.

Having just performed here in Austin for SXSW, this beautiful and gifted songstress/piano-humper has a new album entitled Abnormally Attracted to Sin due in stores May 19th. Check out the first music video from the album: Welcome To England.

The Austin musical festival formerly (officially) known as Marley Fest takes place this weekend once again at Auditorium Shores. Despite these April showers, the show will go on rain or shine, and it’s looking like Sunday will offer up a little for more “shine”. Showcasing the chillest of reggae and dub, headliners for this 12th annual event include the Ska-talites and the Wailing Souls, and local dub heroes Grimy Styles will take stage at 6:30 on Saturday. The event is just $10 per day or $15 at the door, and ticket sales benefit the Capital Area Food Bank. You can buy advance tickets through Friday afternoon at any Front Gate outlet. So support a good cause, share some positive vibes, and enjoy some ridiculously overpriced margaritas and hippie-centric arts and crafts. Gates open at noon and the show ends at 10PM each day. One love!

Kick it off Friday, March 13th at The Mohawk. Just $9 gets you in without a badge for AMODA’s Digital Showcase featuring live electronic music and digital art. 16 electronic DJs will compete in a a series of elimination rounds, battling it out on their laptops. Austin’s Phranchyze and Zeale will emmcee at the event, and a panel of judges will decide the winners of each round. Digital artists from across the U.S. and the U.K. will showcase their talents, and this is a great way to support the non-profit AMODA in a SXSW event that showcases digital art at it finest.

Thursday, March 19th there’s good news if you like Punk, Pop and Hip Hop – (even on a budget.) Daddy Fat Sacks, A.K.A. Big Boi of Outkast, is headlining a show at Austin Music Hall featuring K’Naan in this Afropunk showcase. Anyone can attend for $15, with or without a badge (or fat sacks). Also, you can follow the link above for a chance to win one of ten free pairs of tickets from Do512. Hey Ya!

Wednesday, March 18th – Saturday, March 21st – Get to the booty bar! Every day and night there’s something going on at the inside stage and in the backyard that’s totally free. Just RSVP. I’m looking forward to catching DJ Craze at 1:00AM, FREE on Friday the 20th – all cash on beer! And if that’s not enough booty for ya, check The Beauty Bar’s MySpace page for even MORE FREE SHOWS, like this one presented by Art Disaster. These free parties are happening day and night during SX.

Thursday, March 19th – Saturday, March 21st – Three nights of awesome FREE concerts at Auditorium Shores. No RSVP required! Gates open at 5:00PM Thursday and Friday, and the fun starts at noon on Saturday. Catch free performances by M. Ward, The Cold War Kids, Erykah Badu and more. Also enjoy festival food, local vendor booths and arts and crafts from some of Austin’s finest artisans. Our own Explosions in the Sky will finish things off with a bang Saturday night at 8:00PM. Though the event is free, no outside food or drinks are allowed. So go sell some plasma, and enjoy these free outdoor shows with some cold beer! (No pets allowed this year.)

Saturday, March 21st – As if there weren’t enough to do on Saturday, how ’bout The Knuckle Rumbler with Rollingstone.com? Taking place at Peckerhead’s on 6th, this event features early sets by Austin’s Scorpion Child and Zeale. Later, Lady Sovereign and “cyber-girl from outerspace” Janelle Monáe are among other performers to take stage. Big Boi fans will recognize this fellow ATL native whose unique fashion sense and musical stylings are freakishly similar to that of Outkast’s other half, Andre 3000. (Listen to her hit song “Violet Stars Happy Hunting” for a good time.) Did I mention this entire lineup is FREE? Plus there’s lots of free alcohol, drinks, food and goodies being offered at this shindig.

Sometimes life takes badges or wristbands… but for everyone else, there’s free stuff.

I’ve had the opportunity to experience Bonnaroo twice so far, and it trumps any festival I’ve been to in super-fun-ness. There’s music 24/7. While the main acts take place in the center of the venue, or “Center-Roo”, you’ll find smaller acts and dance parties popping up round-the-clock throughout the campgrounds. But, these aren’t ordinary campgrounds… venture out and you’ll find what seems to be miles of tents, hippies, turkey legs, sno-cones, tie-dye, green endeavors and recycling, drum circles, ferris wheels, art installations, port-a-johns (and those fancy pink port-a-janes), dancers, vendors, free spirits, party favors, nakedness, you name it. In fact, “Shakedown Lane” is the place to find just about anything you want at Bonnaroo. Mention that to any glassy-eyed kid in the whole place, and they’ll direct you. One thing that sets Bonnaroo apart from highly-regulated festivals like Coachella, and even ACL, is its lack of folks patrolling the place in badges. Snoop Dogg, one of this year’s performers, will we pleased to know there are no cops here – unless they pay for a ticket like everyone else (which is not likely at “five easy payments of $50″). You’re generally alright rockin’ out in whatever fashion you please, as long as you don’t have a seven-foot bong attached to your face. After all, glass can be dangerous, and suffocating in your tent due to a leaky nitrous tank is a major festival buzzkill as well. Just be careful. The good news is, people really look out for each other at this festival. There’s a huge sense of community that is shared each year, as the venue is transformed into a nifty subculture of folks all gathered for the love of music. So, pack well, wear lots of sunscreen, and take care of yourself and your friends if you find yourself in Manchester this June for Bonnaroo’s eighth run! You’re guaranteed to have the time of your life. Seeing Sigur Ros perform last year until 3AM was one of the highlights of my concert-going experiences to date. And I lied, I actually did see some police at Bonnaroo – THE Police! Twenty years past their prime, and they were incredible. Larger than life acts like The Police, Pearl Jam, Metallica and Tool become surreal somehow on Bonnaroo’s enormously large and infinitely loud middle-of-nowhere, million-dollar farm stages?! It’s nuts. So sell some plasma now and get tickets on Saturday at “ROO“. You’ll be glad you did. Just check out this lineup! Nine Inch Nails
Santogold
Beastie Boys
David Byrne
Snoop Dogg
Paul Oakenfold
Ben Harper and Relentless7
The Mars Volta
TV On The Radio
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Andrew Bird
Band Of Horses
MGMT
The Decemberists
Of Montreal
Animal Collective
The Ting Tings
St. Vincent
Crystal Castles
and many more to come!

1993’s Zooropa remains one of my favorite electronic albums and definitely my top U2 album. Like Pop, it’s another album where the smarty pants seem to have chosen a genre just for fun and outright “pwned” it so to speak. Then again, everything U2 produces seems to shine with this epic and lasting quality that drives fans wild again and again and makes the haters even angrier. It’s awesome. Nobody can touch these guys. If anyone in music has my vote for lifetime achievement – it’s U2. The new album contains eleven tracks, and the stunning cover artwork by Japanese artist and photographer Hiroshi Sugimoto is an image of the sea meeting the sky. Produced by Brian Eno, Danny Lanois and Steve Lillywhite, the album will be released in five formats just to make us fans crazier: standard format, digipak format, magazine format, box format and LP viynl. Learn more and preorder yours on the band’s website. Get on your boots!

This was hands down one of my favorite lil’ twisted stories from my littleness. And though there’s nothing worse than having Hollywood corrupt, exploit or plain ruin such a magical childhood treasure, I have faith that Jonze is going to do this one justice. The director is sharing ideas with the book’s author in taking the tale to screen, and there are some great actors on board, including Forest Whitaker, James Gandolfini, Catherine O’Hara and Paul Dano (Little Miss Sunshine, There Will Be Blood).

With a number of stellar music videos under his belt for acts like Bjork, The Beastie Boys, Weezer and Daft Punk, you can count on this film sounding as incredible as it looks. Jonze has enlisted the talent of former girlfriend, Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, to write nearly the entire soundtrack for the film. Umm… awesome?!

According to IMDB.com, the movie will hit theaters October 16, 2009. I’ll be there. Maybe even in a monster suit, covered in bells. Here are a few stills from the film, and some “leaked test footage” here on YouTube. (Does anyone else hear Beck in that clip?)

While you’re at it, check out Karen O’s sweet run with Adidas and Spike Jonze here. Also, Yeah Yeah Yeahs fans can count on a new YYY album this year, per the group’s blog.

Next in excitement… new Massive Attack in ‘09! The group’s highly-anticipated fifth studio album is rumored to see its release in the spring. According to red-lines.co.uk, the album once thought to be called Weather Underground will be a double-album. “LP5″ is now the working title of the record. Whatever the name, the album will be a follow-up to 2003’s 100th Window, and Collected, MA’s Best Of record, which was released in 2006. Various sources on the net mention collaborations with TV On The Radio frontman Tunde Adebimpe, Stephanie Dosen, Dot Allison, Gorillaz mastermind Damon Albarn, Horace Andy, Mike Patton and Liz Fraser of Cocteau Twins fame. Guess we’ll just have to wait and see. Whatever the formula of collaborators, Massive Attack always delivers magic. Fingers crossed that it’s sooner than later. “Let the wild rumpus start!”

We couldn’t make that up. Robert 3D Del Naja and Grant Marshall of Massive Attack have collaborated with rapper Snoop Dogg under the name of 100 Suns for a song featured in the film In Prison My Whole Life that was released in the UK last weekend. The film is a documentary about the controversy over the case of Mumia Abu-Jamal, a man who has been on death row since 1981 after being convicted of shooting a policeman. In the song “Calling Mumia”, Massive Attack demonstrates their political activism (not suprisingly), while the legendary rapper takes a brand new opportunity to %@$k the po-lice in rhyme (not suprisingly). The result of their efforts is as hard-hitting as the song I Against I, MA’s collaboration with Mos Def, recently played on Chillville. Both Snoop Dogg and Mos Def also appear in the movie. Other artists featured in the music-heavy film span from Billie Holiday to Rage Against the Machine and The Roots.

MA have been featured in many films, including The Matrix, Go and Snatch. The band also created the entire soundtrack for Danny The Dog, a 2005 film starring Jet Li which was called “Unleashed” in its U.S. release.

Until In Prison My Whole Life comes to the States, grab some gin and juice, and plug into this.

A leader in the digital fine art community, Android’s work is featured on the box cover of the newly released Corel Painter X, impressively reflecting the limitless possibilities of the medium from someone who has obviously mastered its application. He created the album art for Soulfly’s recent release as well. Yet, all of his work seems to capture light and energy in a beautifully original way, no matter the subject. A great deal of his art is musically-themed or inspired, featuring MCs, turntablists, cell phones, iPods and other aspects of technology that color his world and ours. Android Jones has recently been touring with underground DJs and bands, performing live on-stage as a digital painter as well. This is something we’re definitely looking out for.

Find more on Jones on MySpace.

Another artist to check out is Scott Hansen A.K.A. Tycho on sounds or ISO50 for his visual work. Also from San-Francisco, this multi-talented artist played an amazing show at the Mohawk in March, and we can’t wait for him to return! Fans of Boards of Canada will also like Tycho’s textural and beautifully-layered soundscapes. His 2006 release Past is Prologue is great for a dreamlike listen.

Fans of Sigur Rós might also enjoy the similar themes of innocence and wonder that dance around in Tycho’s world. Tycho music creates a beautful atmosphere for anything you may be doing. Try it with a rainy drive or anytime you need a positive chill. In fact, check it out Sunday morning here on Chillville. You may have seen Hansen’s art featured on the recent tribute album to Björk’s Post.

ISO50 graphic designs are a compliment to Tycho’s music as well, adding inspired visual representations of his sound to any release. If you like his style, there are ISO50 prints and t-shirts available for purchase here. Yoink!

Art and music does the soul good.

If you know any chill’d artists of note, please share with us!