Alaska In Winter: Dance Party In The Balkans
Zach Condon of Beirut first toyed with electronica elements before he found his love for Balkan music. His interest in the synth realm has found him contributing to a Alaska In Winter’s debut Dance Party In The Balkans. Released in the US on March 25, this album features Condon and violinist Heather Trost of A Hawk And A Hacksaw.
Brandon Bethancourt stayed in “an isolated cabin on the south coast of Alaska,” while he wrote the songs for Alaska In Winter. Later Brandon teamed up with Condon and Trost to add their Eastern European feel to this unique project. Condon appears on five tracks, contributing vocals, ukulele and trumpet. Originally released in Europe as an eleven song album, the US version brings a bonus track and two remixes, which are streaming on Myspace.
“Brandon [Bethencourt] takes much of his influence from all his early years of growing up in the (American) South West, immersed in the musical low-rider culture of Santa Fe, New Mexico, as well as a slight Arabian influence on the part of his parents and their Byzantine church music.” (Milan Records)
On April 7 Alaska In Winter and Regularbeat Recording Co. will release a limited-print split 7″ vinyl. Brandon’s Close Your Eyes – We Are Blind will be on side a and Marianne Dissard’s Trop Exprés is on side b, which was “co-written and performed with Calexico’s Joey Burns.”
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPIvgxkcWds[/youtube]
April 6 – Head of Steam, Newcastle
April 8 – Brudenell Social, Leeds
April 9 – View 2 Gallery, Liverpool
April 10 – 93 Feet East, London
April 15 – Le Botanique, Brussels
April 22 – Astra Stube, Hamburg
April 24 – Duncker Club, Berlin
June 5 – Organ, Reykjavik