BY EVENTSEEKER STAFF
Today is June 8th and although summer doesn’t officially start till the solstice on the 21st, we have officially plunged into summer festival season. Whether you plan on road-tripping across the country to catch the festival stops of your favorite band or just wandering to a nearby stage in the woods to vibe on some heady jams, you will be seeing a lot of great bands (and others not so great) that you haven’t heard of yet. One band that you should know about in advance, because there is a good chance you will encounter them in your summer festival plans (and a great chance you will love them), is Beats Antique.
The NorCal group is becoming a great festival mainstay, if there is such a thing. They will be hitting a lot of festivals this summer as they tour the country, including Bonnaroo, Camp Bisco, and Lollapalooza. I was able to catch Beats Antique for the first time last summer at the Wanderlust Festival in Squaw Valley, CA. I was immediately hooked.
Photo provided by Beats Antique.
Their name gives somewhat of an indication of the melding of time periods and regions that they combine to produce their textured sounds and movements. Beats Antique is an eclectic fusion of heavy bass and acoustic; belly dancing and electronic; roots, world and dub-step. Imagine journeying across the desert in a Gypsy-caravan of camels and elephants, complete with a violinist, a dub-savvy DJ, some Balkan-esque horns, Turkish lutes, a beautiful belly dancer, and a giant hookah. This all adds up to Beats Antique. But in a surprisingly small package, as all these accents are harnessed by just three individuals to produce their deep and heavy live sound- not to mention that one of them is busy dancing. Zoe Jakes is the world-renowned belly dancer who gives seductive physical expressions to the live instrumentation and beats of David Satori and Tommy Cappel. Classically trained, these musicians have travelled far and wide, mixing contemporary hip-hop and jazz with the foreign sounds they have picked up along the way.
Witnessed live, you will see that the sum is even greater than its very talented parts. The trio takes you to another place where all these different elements can co-exist and they captivate you both aurally and visually. Seeing them at a festival is just as good of a setting as any. Some bands simply can’t translate their show to a big festival stage in front of a varied audience. Others can, and Beats Antique is of that variety. Plus, their sound translates so well to outdoor venues. With the fresh air and open sky above, Beats Antique easily leads you to a far-away and mystical land. Did I mention they are about to play Red Rocks on the 18th? I can only imagine how Beats Antique will own that Amphitheater.
I’m looking forward to seeing them again this summer at the High Sierra Music Festival in Quincy, California which is just a few weeks way. They will hit the stage twice- July 1st and again on the 3rd. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate Independence Day weekend than dancing in the woods to some beautiful beats.
Beats Antique will be coming to a town (or a middle of nowhere) near you, so check out their summer tour schedule here.
RELATED LINKS
Beats Antique Official Twitter
Beats Antique Official Facebook
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