15. Sziget Festival odrzava se od 08. do 15.08.2007. u gradu Budapest, Hungary. Line-up festivala je slijedeci: Babylon Circus (F), Chemical Brothers (UK), Faithless (UK), Laurent Garnier (F), Gentleman (D), Gogol Bordello (USA), The Good, The Bad And The Queen (UK), The Hives (S), Juliette and the Licks (USA), Kaizers Orchestra (N), The Killers (USA), Madness (UK), Mando Diao (S), Mika (UK), Nine Inch Nails (USA), Pink (USA), The Rakes (UK), Sinéad O'Connor (IRL), Sportfreunde Stiller (D),Tool (USA), Killing Joke (UK), Within Temptation (NL), Napalm Death (UK), Negative (FIN)... itd... itd... Cijena festivalske ulaznice za sve dane je cca 120 EUR! Sve informacije i nove vijesti na: www.szigetfestival.com .

Jim McAllister is classic rock / blues musician from Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Jim is playing the guitar since 1971, starting on accoustic. In 1972, he bought his first electric guitar, a Hofner. He've been into the blues since before he could even play. From 1978 till 1988, he didn't play in public because there was nowhere to play thanks to disco. His spare time during these 11 years was taken up by doing competitive powerlifting. He came back playing in a '50's and '60's band, then played lead guitar in the top originals band in Queensland, winning the Sunny Award in 1993. Then he formed the good-rockin' James Gang, and gigged sporadically until 1997. After being made redundant from my truck driving job after 15 years, he decided to persue a full-time career in music. The James Gang broke up at exactly the same time and at the encouragement of his drummer, he went solo. He've been a full-time professional musician since October 1997. His reportiore consists of songs by Gary Moore, ZZ Top, Stevie Ray Vaughan, George Thorogood, Cream, Deep Purple, and many other classic blues / rock artists. He keep it as real and as live as a soloist can, given that he plays to backing tracks. Since June 2005, he've also been a member of Talizman, a three-piece band playing much the same music as he does as a soloist. More information are available here: http://members.optusnet.com.au/~jimmcallister/ or here: www.myspace.com/jimmcallister . (...JG 152).

Eat Static (UK), subota, 12.05.2007. - Mocvara, Zagreb, Hrvatska. Dolazi nam sjajan techno sastav kojeg ne smijete propustiti. Nikada nisu imali veliki hit, ali su tijekom polovice 90-tih godina bili nadomak komercijalnog uspjeha. Trio iz engleske pokrajine Sommerset utjecao je na Orbital, Underworld, Mobya, The Chemical Brothers, Westbam, Shamen, The KLF, Leftfielda, Prodigy, LCD Soundsystem... zar treba bolja preporuka? I sam Merv Pepler, osnivac sastava Eat Static, upriliciti ce svoj DJ set kao Dendron (pod tim imenom je ove, 2007. godine, objavio solo album). Upad je 60 / 70 / 80 kuna. Prijatnu techno-electro partijanu kakvu u proteklih nekoliko godina niste dozivjeli!

I'm an English guy currently living in New Zealand & working on various projects for people in the industry as a session bass player or some sort of guitarist / composer. I've played with many note worthy bands & individuals over the years & look forward to touching base with reputable managers / promoters or agencies with a view developing a good business relationship but above all 'enjoy' doing it... "it" being music of course! My solo acoustic guitar album. "Beautiful Guitar "works on two levels for me: firstly, sheer mood and romanticism; and secondly, a technically adept and fluid playing style - with a freedom of expression and gusto that is truly refreshing. The intimacy comes immediately from the solo guitar and the pleasing recorded sound: not too close and yet not too much room. Then the mood builds, and with a unique signature from an unknown player, quite an astonishing free-flow of consciousness takes place in these seven heartfelt original compositions. The silences are powerful, too. There is a mature and experienced musical mind at work here, and there are times when the doership of the player disappears and the instrument plays the man. That gives some very special moments. And the variation of the musical journey paves the way nicely for this. Repeated listenings for this one, everybody. Here is a man who has quietly absorbed 30 years of some of the best music in the world, and finally decided to record himself in full flow. And if the heart has wings, the fingers have wisdom. You just got to check this one out! More info: www.myspace.com/josefd or cdbaby.com/josefd . (...JG 152).

Zoran Zmiric - Rodjen, zivi i radi u Rijeci (Hrvatska). U medijima djelovao kao glazbenik u kultnim rijeckim bendovima "Laufer" i "Grad", urednik i voditelj na lokalnim radio postajama, kolumnist i novinar. Glavni je urednik i voditelj najnagradjivanije hrvatske stranice, elektornskog magazina za PC igre, "Gamer", te prvog hrvatskog filmskog elektronskog magazina, "Popcorn". Autor je zbirke pripovjedaka "Kazaliste sjena" ("Adamic" - 2002.), te zbirke kolumni "Vrijeme koje nam je pojeo Pac-Man". Posljednjih se godina aktivno bavi fotografijom. Ucestvovao na nizu izlozbi, a za svoje radove je i nagradjivan. Vise informacija ima na: www.zmiric.com .

Belinda Bedekovic iz Zagreba. Glazbom se pocela baviti u ranom djetinjstvu, sa svoje 3 i pol godine, kad joj je majka Ivkica kupila prve orgulje, crvene Bambi na kojima je Belinda stisnula svoj prvi ton ''e''. I tako je Belinda pod pedagoskim vodstvom oca Teodora, profesionalnog glazbenika, polako svladavala ton po ton, s velikom voljom, radoznaloscu i djecjim interesom, shvacajuci orgulje kao novu cudesnu i blistavu igracku. I tako je sve pocelo. Njezin prvi javni nastup na televiziji kad je imala 5 godina prosao je popracen cudjenjem glazbenih strucnjaka jer je petogodisnja djevojcica s nepogresivim sluhom profesionalno sve snimila iz prvog pokusaja, tako da su snimatelji i redatelj zabezeknuto izjavili: ''Pa s poznatim i iskusnim glazbenicima ne uspijemo u prvom pokusaju!''. Tada su je glazbeni strucnjaci proglasili cudom od djeteta, tj. ''vunderkindom''. Nadalje, slijede razne TV emisije, zatim tisak, radio... Belinda i tada kao dijete na svojim javnim nastupima pobire ovacije publike i obavezan aplauz na sredini pjesme, te se pretvara u pravu djecju zvijezdu. Vec kao dijete lagano pocinje shvacati da ce glazba biti njezin odabir u zivotu i njena najveca ljubav... Mnogo godina kasnije, ovoj krhkoj crnki plave krvi, nedavno je izasao singl CD s kompozicijama ''Kad me ljubis'', ''Moja pjesma'' i ''Tornado'' te video CD s kompozicijama ''Tornado'' i ''Moja pjesma''. Za vise informacija posjetiti www.belindabedekovic.com (...JG 151).

Izdavacka kuca Gramofon objavila je prvi album mladog tuzlanskog gitariste Sanela Redzica. Ovaj uspjesni osamnaestogodisnji gitarista kojeg tek ocekuju znacajna muzicka priznanja, za svoj prvi CD izabrao je repertoar koji na najbolji nacin reflektira njegovu tehniku, muzikalnost i interpretatorski talenat. Na albumu se nalaze djela Domenica Scarlattija, Johanna Kaspara Mertza, Augustina Barriosa Mangore, Vicentea Asencija, Rolanda Dyensa, te Carla Domeniconija. Miroslav Tadic, recenzent Redzicevog prvijenca, ustvrdio je kako "...ovaj izuzetno talentovani gitarista pokazuje muzicku zrelost koja je rijetka za njegove godine". Album koji je objavljen u okviru ediciji Gramofon Classic snimljen je u julu prosle (2006.) godine, a producent je Edin Zubcevic. Sve naprijed receno bilo je vise nego dovoljno da sa sa tim izuzetnim mladicem dogovori interview za web stranicu Barikada - World Of Music.

A new event is organized by Sziget Cultural Management this season for the first time. The festival will take place at the Southern coast of Lake Balaton, at Zamárdi between July 12-15, 2007. The event is characterized by an exciting program and high quality services. The names published so far show a variety of genres but a clear direction with strong international stars like Beastie Boys, Basement Jaxx, Kruder & Dorfmeister, Eric Prydz, Roger Sanchez, José Padilla and many other. Beside many small venues the major programs will take place on the three main stages of the event: Heineken Mainstage, T-Mobile - LG Lounge with a program from morning till dawn and the Aréna. The organizers tried to collect not only big names from the mainstream but also artists with exclusive shows and performances. More information will be available on www.balatonsound.hu. Coming soon!

U svom stanu je u nedjelju, 06.05.2007. godine, umro Djordje Novkovic - hrvatski kompozitor zabavne glazbe, bosanskohercegovackog porijekla. Jedan je od najproduktivnijih autora glazbe u ex YU. Djordje je rodjen 2. rujna 1943. godine u Sarajevu. Sa 6 godina je krenuo u glazbenu skolu, a na Muzickoj akademiji u Sarajevu diplomirao je dirigiranje u klasi profesora Mladena Pozajica. Sezdesetih je svirao s grupom Indexi, a zatim osniva grupu Pro Arte. Godine 1968. se preselio u Zagreb i iste godine s pjesmom "Stari Pjer" postigao prvi uspjeh. Pisao je pjesme za Misu Kovaca, Nedu Ukraden, Zdravka Colica, Duska Lokina, Dzoa Maracica, Djanija Marsana, Tomislava Ivcica, Terezu Kesoviju, Ivicu Serfezija, grupu Pro Arte, Gabi Novak, Srebrna krila … i postao najtirazniji skladatelj na prostoru cijele ex YU. Ploce izvodjaca za koje je on skladao prodavane su u vise od 100,000 primjeraka . Od 1989. do 2000. zivio je u Rovinju. Godine 1993. njegova pjesma "Don't ever cry", u izvedbi rijeckih Putokaza, bila je prva hrvatska predstavnica na Eurosongu. Godine 1996. dobio je Porina za zivotno djelo. Sudjelovao je na gotovo svim festivalima na ovim prostorima i dobitnik je mnogobrojnih nagrada (Zagreb, Split, Opatija, Krapina, Slavonija …). Do danas je napisao vise od 2,500 pjesama i prodao oko 20 milijuna gramofonskih ploca. Od 1997. suvlasnik je i direktor programa u najvecoj hrvatskoj diskografskoj kuci - Croatia Records.

Izuzetan dogadjaj u Zagrebu - izlozba fotografija portreta i omota CD-a Charles Lloyda u povodu nastupa americkog jazz glazbenika na Proljetnoj reviji jazza, 8. svibnja 2007. godine u Maloj dvorani Lisinski - autor fotografija: Davor Hrvoj. Program otvorenja: Jasna Kovacevic - uvodna rijec; Ivica Zupan - rijec likovnog kriticara; Antun Tomislav Saban - najava koncerta Charles Lloyda i Proljetne revije jazza 2007. Davor Hrvoj - predstavljanje Charles Lloyda i DVD-a "Directions: In The Charles Lloyd Mood". Projekcija DVD-a s tridesetminutnom snimkom televizijskog nastupa Kvarteta Charles Lloyda iz 1968. (Charles Lloyd - tenor saksofon, flauta; Keith Jarrett - klavir; Ron McClure - kontrabas; Jack DeJohnette - bubnjevi). Sponzori: Veleposlanstvo Sjedinjenih Americkih Drzava i Foto Badrov. Otvorenje izlozbe i projekcija DVD-a odrzat ce se u cetvrtak, 3. svibnja 2007., u 18 sati u Knjiznici i citaonici Bogdana Ogrizovica, u Americkom kutku, Preradoviceva 5. Izlozba ostaje otvorena do 15. svibnja 2007. godine.

Frederick Bolton was born in Talladega, Alabama, to the Rev. A.C. and Vera Mae Woods Bolton. He grew up attending church where his father pastored. At an early age he developed a passion for music and singing and taught himself to play and master many different instruments. He states, that he has been singing and playing music since he was nine years old. The Bolton's had a gospel group called The Boltonetts and sang and played at churches and concerts around Alabama. Later Fred sang with many Gospel groups, eventually forming his own called The Anointed Ones. Gospel music was spiritually rewarding, but Fred found it hard to make ends meet as a mature young man with a family to support. So he began playing with R & B bands to subsidize his income. It was at an R&B performance that he came to the attention of Wilbe Records. After months of negotiations and meetings, he was finally signed to Wilbe. As Fred states: "Music is my life and as long as my heart is pure God understands my intentions! My songs are about love, life and positive living." With that attitude and frame of mind, Fred Bolton will have a successful and blessed career singing R&B or any music he desires. (...JG 151).

This 21-year-old singer / songwriter was introduced into the world of music by his mother, a piano teacher at an early age of 5, when he started taking piano lessons. He continued his musical training and graduated from music high school, majoring in piano and musical theory, also taking up the guitar and few more instruments in the meantime. At the age of 13 he seriously got into rock music and when he was 14 he started writing songs and playing in a band. After coming across the music of Neil Young, Luka fell in love with a very personal approach to music, characterized by meaningful lyrics and finding his own way as a singer / songwriter. Nowadays he is a solo artist, writing music which he himself describes as 'soulful’. He is also inspired by many contemporary artists such as John Mayer, Gavin DeGraw and Dave Matthews. He performs as a solo acoustic act and also with a supporting band. His first solo EP "Out of this world" has been released. For more information visit: www.myspace.com/lukabelani or broadjam.com/lukabelani . (...JG 151).

Zapisite si ove datume i mjesta (pogotovo vi iz dalje navedenih gradova): 27.04.2007. - Club Mr. X, Banja Luka; 28.04.2007. - Kulturni Centar, Gornji Milanovac; 29.04.2007. - Klub Akademija, Beograd; 30.04.2007. - Klub Route 66, Novi Sad. Naime, rijec je o zdruzenom umjetnickom dogadjaju - izlozbi stripa Vladimira Nedeljkovica i koncertu austrijske experimental / psychobilly / blues grupe The Striggles koju cine: Robert Lepenik (Fetish 69, LaLeLoo) - gitara; Gottfried Krienzer (Code Inconnu, DuoAde) - gitara; Martin Plass (Pol - Ton, Die Sekte, Nektarius Soft) - bas gitarista, glas; Slobodan Kajkut (Mizar, Jubbooko sa Negrass) - bubnjevi. (...JG 151).

Koncerti avangardnih Svicaraca, The Young Gods, oduvijek plijene posebnu paznju, a ovaj put specijalnu zato jer im je ovo bio prvi uropski koncert na kojem pocinju promociju svojeg najnovijeg albuma, "Super Ready / Fragmente (p.i.a.s.)". O njihovoj "indie" popularnosti dovoljno govori i podatak da su vec unaprijed rasprodali tri koncerta u Pragu, a na ovome nastupu publika ih je pozvala na tri velika bisa. Jos jedno ugodno iznenadjenje veceri priredila je sjajna slovenska predgrupa - Hard.Com iz Celja. Koncert je, doduse, nesto sitno kasnio, no kada su Hard.Com, troclani sastav iz Celja, zapoceli svirku, odjednom se otvorio prozor u Europu i svijet. A onda, Bogovi... Pomalo se cinilo da ce The Young Gods u nekoliko zadnjih sezona izgubiti "kompas" i zalutati u sferu zaboravljenih elektro-industrial pionira poput Pankow, Borghesie, Noise Unit, Skinny Puppy, Throbbing Gristle, Front 242, Nitzer Ebb, Stabbing Westward, Neon Judgement... Tako sam razmisljao nekoliko godina prije njihovog 20. rodjendana, no njihov povratnicki koncert u Zagrebu 2005., nakon punih 15 godina nedolazaka na "Balkan", opovrgao je mnoge sumnje. The Young Gods su izgarali na sceni, te je prosto nevjerojatno kako sitni Franz uspjeva naci tolike kolicine energije da uz pjevanje, ples, kontrolirano divljanje i neprekidno kovitlanje rukama i prstima (svim svojim bicem) jos smogne snage da u skoro svakoj pjesmi uzme mikrofon spojen sa svjetiljkom kod poda da obasjava svoju publiku koja ga bodri i upija svaki atom njegove snage.