The Backpackers Hostel Blog

Wed 2 Apr
Zucchero

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10pm at Sala Apolo (Nou de la Rambla, 113) 25€ Buy tickets

Zucchero, is an Italian rock singer. His music is largely inspired by gospel, blues and rock music, and alternates between ballads and more rhythmic boogie-like pieces.

He started his career in 1970 and made his first appearance in the famous Sanremo Festival next year with the songs “Una notte che vola via”.

In 1989 Zucchero and his band recorded the album Oro incenso e birra in Memphis. The album, which is greatly influenced by American soul music. Oro, incenso e birra still stands as one of Zucchero’s most successful albums, outselling even Blue’s and includes the Italian hit singles “Diamante”, “Overdose (d’Amore)”, “Il Mare” and “Wonderful World”.

It was of this album that Zucchero’s is best known hit “Senza una donna” (“Without a Woman”), in a duet with Paul Young, was a great success worldwide, reaching the top 10 in European charts.

Between 1991 and 1993 Zucchero continued duetting with some of the world’s most famous artists, such as Sting, Luciano Pavarotti, a young Andrea Bocelli, Peter Maffay, Elton John, Brian May and Eric Clapton.

The compilation The Best of Zucchero “sugar” Fornaciari´s greatest hits was released in 1996, shooting into all European charts, and up to the number one position in France and Italy.

In September 2006 his latest album, entitled Fly, was released. Produced by Don Was and in November 2007 Zucchero released a new compilation album with several new tracks, including a cover of Black’s “Wonderful Life”.

(Taken from www.wikipedida.org)

Wed 2 Apr
Mark Knopfler

[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=9XVVZPefbR4[/youtube]

9:30pm at Palau Sant Jordi (Sants-Montjuïc) 38-48€ Buy tickets

Mark Knopfler was born in Glasgow, Scotland. He is guitarist, singer, songwriter, and film score composer.

Knopfler was originally best-known as the lead guitarist and vocalist for the English rock band, Dire Straits, which he co-founded in 1977 with his brother David. Following the dissolution of Dire Straits in 1995, Knopfler has continued to record and produce albums as a solo artist, under his own name.

Occasionally, Knopfler has played in other groups, such as the “supergroup” The Notting Hillbillies, and has guested on works by other artists, including Bob Dylan, Bryan Ferry, Eric Clapton, John Fogerty, Jools Holland, Steely Dan and Chet Atkins. He has produced albums for artists such as Tina Turner, Randy Newman, Bob Dylan and Emmylou Harris. In addition, he has scored the music to several films, including Local Hero, Cal, Last Exit to Brooklyn, Wag the Dog, and Rob Reiner’s classic, The Princess Bride.

He is one of the most respected fingerstyle guitarists of the modern rock era. Knopfler was ranked #27 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time”. (Taken from Wikipedia.org)

Fri 4 Apr
Shout Out Louds

[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=4MVlPV7AF7k[/youtube]

11:55pm at Razzmatazz (c/Almogàvers 122) 18 – 22€ Buy tickets

In Sweeden, the new pop factory, Shout Out Louds have conquered the charts of half of the world with an equidistant sound between dark romanticism of The Cure and the urgency low-fi of The Strokes.

They are usually playing in festivals worldwide and this April they come to Barcelona to make their audience dance.

(Taken from http://www.spainticketbureau.com)

One Sunday a month: “Los Domingos son de Lunares “

Sun 6 Apr

8pm at Apolo, Sala 2 (c/ Nou de la Rambla 111) 10 – 12 € Buy ticket

The promoter “Arte por derecho”, is bringing its latest flamenco creation: “Los Domingos son de Lunares”. Inspired by a song by El Capullo de Jerez, the title of this new event reflects the spirit of this famous piece of music: joy, colour, vitality, authenticity and a passion for the sounds of rumba, flamenco and fusion.

Mon 7 Apr
THE HIVES + ARTISTA INVITADO

9pm at Sala Apolo (Nou de la Rambla, 113) 28€ Buy tickets

The Hives are a rock band from, Sweden that first rose to prominence in the early 2000s as a leading group of the garage rock revival, playing punk-influenced garage rock.

Their breakthrough came with the release of the “best-of” compilation Your New Favourite Band, featuring their most commercially successful song “Hate to Say I Told You So”. The Hives are known for their “hilarious self-glorification, and performing in matching suits that change with each album, but are always black and white.

THE HIVES are now ready for global supremacy. Back in action lately at the notoriously red & white 100 Club in London, they imposed a BLACK & WHITE regime so emphatically, that one UK newspaper breathlessly reported: “They used to be our new favourite band, now they’re the best band in the world”.

(Taken from www.wikipedia.org & http://www.thehivesbroadcastingservice.com)

Tue 8 Apr
Dechen Shak-Dagsay & Group

9pm at L’Auditori, Sala 2 Oriol Martorell (Lepant, 150) 30 – 35€ Buy tickets

Dechen Shak-Dagsay is a Tibetan who has lived with her family in Switzerland since childhood. Together with about two thousand other Tibetans, her family found a new home there 40 years ago.

She is the eldest daughter of a Tibetan lama, the Venerable Dagsay Tulku. Her family was always trying the best to live and preserve the Tibetan culture in the west, and at an early age Dechen was fascinated by the traditional Tibetan songs and dancing.

“I hope I can reach out as far as possible with these Tibetan Peace Songs in order to convince people all over the world, that together we can definitely make a difference and make this world a better place to live” says Dechen. (Taken from http://www.dechen-shak.com)

Wed 9 Apr
Faust

9pm L’Auditori ( Lepant, 150) 20€ Buy tickets

Faust is the pioneer in the use of the drone and repetition extreme as compositional elements in a pop context.

They have been called as the inventors of the industrial music, post-punk precursors and even the techno godfathers.

Interpreters: Hans-Joachim Irmler (keyboards), Steven Wray Lobdell (guitar), Lars Paukstat (percusion, harmonica, voice), Michael Stoll (bass), Jan Fride Wolbrandt (drums), John Silkn (sound).

Fri 11 Apr
The Vienna Boys’ Choir

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0purlSxoKGU&feature=related[/youtube]

9pm at Palau de la Musica Catalana (C/ Palau de la Música, 4-6) 39 – 58€ Buy tickets

The Vienna Boys’ Choir is a choir of boy sopranos and altos based in Vienna. The boys are selected mainly from Austria, but also from many other countries around the world.

Known for its exceedingly high vocal standard, the choir has worked with musicians including Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Antonio Caldara, Antonio Salieri, Heinrich Isaac, Paul Hofhaimer, Heinrich Ignaz Biber, Johann Fux, Christoph Willibald Gluck, and Anton Bruckner.

The Vienna Boys’ Choir is divided into four sub-groups or touring choirs. The choirs are of equal standing; the tours, appearances in Vienna and recording projects are shared among them. Each choir has a choirmaster, and two tutors or prefects who travel with the boys.

The choirs are named after famous Austrian composers associated with the choir’s history, Bruckner, Haydn, Mozart and Schubert. The choir still performs much of their music. (Taken from www.wikipedia.org and http://www.wsk.at/)

Sat 12 Apr
Ian Brown

[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=V75ybmmoGMs[/youtube]

8:30pm at Razzmatazz (c/Almogàvers 122) 22€ Buy tickets

Ian Brown, English musician and former lead singer of the Manchester band The Stone Roses.Since the band’s acrimonious and prolonged break up in 1996, Brown has released five solo albums. He has appeared on several club tours and has performed at the Glastonbury Festival three times since 1998, though he is considered to be mainly an influential artist he has still landed twelve UK top 40 singles.

His last release “The World Is Yours” represents a more political approach in his music, particularly the anti-war single, Illegal Attacks.

[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=pqfBH1IJkWo&feature=related[/youtube]

Fri 18 Apr
Danko Jones

9pm at Sala Apolo (Nou de la Rambla, 113)  22 – 25€ Buy tickets

Danko Jones is a three-piece hard rock band from Toronto, Canada.

The band is integrated with Danko Jones (vocals/guitar), JC (also known as John Calabrese) (bass guitar), and Dan Cornelius (drums).  Formed in 1996, they played consistently for two years in and around the north-eastern United States and Canada.

Danko Jones have attained genuine rock hero status in Europe over the past five years. Their no holds barred performance style has made them now-permanent and much-loved fixtures on the huge European rock festival circuit (Lowlands, Rock Im Park, Rock Am Ring, Wacken Open Air, Rock Werchter, Hultsfred, Leeds and Reading just to name a few), and they regularly sell-out increasingly larger venues on their own European headline tours.

They’ve also made fans of some of their heroes, with Danko being invited on two separate occasions to perform with Motorhead. In 2006 the Raconteurs covered the Danko original “Samuel Sin” on their European tour, much to the surprise of JC and Dan, who made the discovery while in the audience at one of their shows. All three members of Danko Jones saw it as “a huge compliment”.

The band had received the following Juno Awards:

2004 Nominated, Best Rock Album (We Sweat Blood)
2003 Nominated, Best Video (“Lovercall”)
2003 Nominated, Best Rock Album (Born a Lion)
2000 Nominated, Best Alternative Album (My Love Is Bold)

(Taken from www.wikipedia.org and www.dankojones.com)

Tue 29 Apr
James

[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=Ew7Zkkucos8[/youtube]

8pm at Razzmatazz (c/Almogàvers 122) 22€ Buy tickets

With the charismatic and spiritual Tim Booth at the front of the band, James have discovered how to combined an inborn commercial instinct with a brave experimental will, releasing unforgettable songs such as: ´Sit Down´, ´Born Of Frustration´, ´Say Something´ or ´Lose Control´. In April they will release their play live in concert in Barcelona to present their new album.

(Taken from www.spainticketbureau.com)