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Eco Lopez Interview, ex vocalist of The Ginger Ninjas band

During 2007 the Ginger Ninjas became the first band in the history of rock and roll to tour by bicycle, unsupported by vehicle. On a 8.000 km tour from North of San Francisco to Chiapas (Mexico).

They promoted transportation cycling while they explored the best horizons of the United States and Mexico also pedal- generating electricity, using their own bikes to power a hyper – efficient sound system. The system allows the band to play off-grid anywhere. When they played their songs the audience also participates getting on stage to pedal the bikes to make the sound. The group started with 15 people, the band members, the lead vocalists Eco Lopez and Kipchoge Spencer and a chello player “Chello Joe”, including the support crew people that carried extra stuff and an engineer who designed the pedal power system. By the end they were 8 members, they did everything by themselves with no manager, they worked as a community. The system and touring style enable them to avoid generating close to 60,000 pound of CO2, of 95% of what a similar sized band creates in a tour. They did all by their own body and effort. And are looking forward to make it a World tour. Sooner you will have the movie of this great experience, every movement of the first tour was recorded by the award-winning Argentine director Sergio Morkin. We got in touch with Eco Lopez, ex vocalist of The Ginger Ninjas band, she showed me her world and this fantastic experience, where they challenge the impossible and were able to make it so real.

Let´s see her story:

How was the beginning period of the band?

“I met this guy named Kipchoge Spencer, when I lived in Hawaii and he had a band called The Ginger Ninjas and I went to see the band because I really liked the name Somebody told me that the band Ginger ninjas was playing, so I went to see them. I really liked what he was doing I thought he’s a really great poet. So we connected musically immediately, we played music together; it was like instinct the voices blended really beautifully together. He told me about this idea that he had, to go on bike with no support vehicle, just bicycle, from California all over the way to Mexico”.

How many kilometers?

It’s 8000 km, from a little bit North of San Francisco to all the way to Chiapas, that was the idea that also called my attention, It was like a very good adventure, I didn’t understand how we could carry all the instruments until I saw the bike, he was with this company Xtracycle (utility bicycles, a company started by Spencer) and it’s a bicycle that it´s made to carry over 200 pounds It’s a really magical bike It’s like a long bike. it’s really good invention, you can carry people, you can carry your guitar you can carry anything you want. And when I saw the bike It started to make sense: “you can do this”. I didn’t know if I was going to be able to do this, but I never doubt it doing it. Even dough I wasn’t sure if my body could do it, I was like let’s do it! Let´s go!

Do you have any fears before beginning this experience?

I wasn’t really scared, but I was more interested than scared, I never really got scared, and I thought maybe my body will be tired; I was worried that I could physically do it. I moved to California with the band and we played some shows together and we started training and moved to the hills of California and I rode my bike for a year, and that year we started getting sponsors and we made a record so that we would have the CD to sell. The name of the record is the Pleasant Revolution which is the name of the tour, It’s LP only seven songs and we made the seven songs in California together and we kept preparing for the tour, calling people getting the bike, just like that.

Tell me about your music, what kind of music do you play?

I never changed the music, my dad is a musician, he is a writer from Uruguay, “Pato Lopez” a very underground a very good musician, so I was raced with music my hole life, I feel I have the ear for it, that I never really, really trained, until I stopped acting and then I started making music, It was like it flurried from there, It’s like passion hard that comes out, songs that I write that comes from somewhere else. I like to experiment with electronic music and I like Jass a lot, very like soft infusing, so that the rhythm in the beat can be really strong that the vocals are very soft infusing. I like the contrast of a very strong beat and a woman. When I joined this band they were like a Rock and Roll band I just kind of stick my vocals in and I sang in Spanish a lot, I could mix the English with the Spanish and I kind of put my stamp on the song and stared discovering my style, being in that band just made me stronger, because when I played with the rock band as a star you have to be very strong, as a woman you have to be very present, so I started discovering my style with the band and now I’m going to do tours by my own, that is what I wanted to do.

Tell me any great experience that you lived in this tour.

The whole tour is a life changing, from the beginning to the end. It’s very difficult when you do a tour or you have an adventure it’s like you have to download all the information, it’s so much information and so many things happened. But I can say when we went from Toluca to Mexico City, Toluca it’s a town and there’s a hill and a super high way and when you go up the hill is like 50 k up hill and fuels and gas and cars, I didn’t think I was going to make it, I said: “I hate this I don’t want to do this anymore”, we spend like 6 hours going up hill, and then when we got to the top of the highway there are two: la “libre” y la “cuota” in Mexico, and there are five huge lanes! “Ruumm rumm”! (making the sounds of the cars passing by) So we get to the top of the hill and It’s like 8 bikes and we take the whole lane of cars, 8 bikes is like one car. So we take the whole lane that is the way that you want to do it, you don’t want to ride by the side, you want to be very present, but I was really scared! And I was the only woman in the whole group and I didn’t want to be the one in the back because you make a small circle and you don’t want to be the one in the back near a car so I stayed in the middle. When you have a lot of weight your bike moves a little bit, so you have to put your knee against the rail and you have to hold it because it kind of shake, so my bike shook at one point and my heart was biting very fast, I could hear my mum saying “If you die I´m going to kill you!”…and we went through a highway tunnel and we merged all the way down to Mexico City It was an unforgettable moment that only the people that are with you really understand. And when we were at a red light we all stopped and we looked at everybody with crazy eyes, couldn’t believe what we just did! Some times you sleep under a bridge or sometimes you sleep in a huge mansion.

What´s the thing that you learned the most in this trip?

The thing that I learned the most in this trip is that the power of manifestation it really, really exists and the mind is so powerful that when you put your mind to something the Universe response. It’s sounds crazy but it works. I have an example: when we were in “Baja California” we were staying at this horrible beach, it was really ugly we have no where to sleep, it was like under a bridge, it was really uncomfortable. So we went to have “Margaritas”. The drummer and I sitting there having Margaritas and there is a Tour guy book, and the cover of the Tour guy book had this beautiful beach shack, that it looks very pretty with the Ocean and the blue sky and there is this surf boards and sand; We looked at each other and we say: “Where is that place I want to go there!” and we laugh about it. A month later we arrived in Todo Santos and we were playing a show, and this woman arrived and she was like an Indigene women wearing a white fur coat and she offered us to stay at her home. And again I had to convince everybody to do this… I really trusted this woman, I had an instinct that I wanted to go to her house. So we go to her house, to this beautiful ranch, two blocks from the sand like a beautiful place, I’m walking to the beach and I see the shack that was on the cover of the book, it was her beach shack, her beach shack is the shack from the cover of the Baja California Mundo. It’s the mind, you know. The drummer and I couldn’t believe it… In this trip kept happening like that…the more open you are the more receptive the Universe is to you, so that is the really powerful lesson to me… and sometimes you have to be very clear with what you want, if you are confused it’s harder, but if you are clear like this is what I want and every possibilities are completely open, to leave, to go, to make money, everywhere is anything to be make and there is family everywhere in the world, from here to China there is people that you are going to meet that even if you don’t speak the same language you are going to feel like they are your family.

Why did you decided to leave the band?

Well I’ve been on tour for almost a year and doing a tour it’s really intense, you are living with people in your face all the time and it’s intense on your body, on your spirit and everything, even ought it’s really magically how it’s turns on you. So after the tour ended I just had a vision of coming to Uruguay, kind of settling down my body a little bit, downloading all that information so that it could go back into the world and do something like that again. It’s hard to make it a way of life because you need to find the balance. So when the tour was over I decided to come and find my own balance. It’s hard, I still think about the bike, I can still hear the spinning of the wheels, I like the adventure! I go for the webpage and I could see that they are near Chiapas and the cool people they are meeting, stuff like that. But I thought that was a really good opportunity to find my own voice and trying in a band that I wasn’t completely in love with. So being in Mexico and understanding the audience, understanding the music gave me a lot of strength to have the guts to be able to do my own thing. So that kind of my inspiration for leaving was to be able to give myself space, so that I could hear everything that I have to give, to offer musically and that would be so mixed with the bike and the tour. I needed to take some space so that I could understand what I was going to do next.

Green Day and “21st Century Breakdrown” coming soon

The Californian band, Green Day, has just published the title and the cover of their eighth album’21st Century Breakdown ‘which will reach stores next May (09). Green Day is still with it´s claiming actitude, as it did in 2004 against the Bush administration with ‘American Idiot’, which they sold over 15 million copies worldwide and turned this triplet of “children” punkis of San Francisco Bay Area into a serious rock band.

After the success of ‘American Idiot’, “We wondered if we could be more

ambitious yet? “says singer -guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong.

“We could have taken a different path or return to our roots.

We decided to move!” Breakdown’21st Century ‘will surely be one of the disks

Highlights in 2009 (supported by a summer tour).

The new record refers to the working class, personal problems, and the apathy of the fading of the American dream.

“It reflects what has been happening the last three years. We have composed songs with messages. ”

The most controversial song might be “March Of The Dogs,” which cries out against the hypocrisy religion. “I have nothing against religion”, said Armstrong. “But some religions try to take advantage of people´s the blind faith”. “He says that he´s not against spirituality. “Nothing more spiritual that the Rock ‘n’ Roll”.

Green Day was formed as a band during 1989 in Berkeley, California. Has been an absolute reference point for contemporary music, with more than 67 million copies sold and countless awards for her albums, songs, videos, tours, etc.

It’s not me, it’s you

“It’s not me, it’s you”, the name of the second album Lily Allen. Which at first was called “Stuck on the naughty step”.

It´s an 11 song album recorded at the Eagle Studios in Los Angeles, with the producer and composer Greg Kurstin from the Bird And The Bee, he had already produced three songs of her debut “Alright, still”.

Below the full track list of the album:

1. Everyone’s At It - 4:35

2. The Fear - 3:26

3. Not Fair - 3:20

4. 22 - 3:05

5. I Could Say - 4:03

6. Back To The Start - 4:13

7. Never Gonna Happen - 3:27

8. Fuck You - 3:40

9.  Who’d Have Known - 3:49

10.  Chinese - 3:27

11.  Lily Allen - Him

12. He Wasn´t there - 2:50

Cate Blanchett as Maid Marian

Cate Blanchett has been cast as Maid Marian in Sir Ridley Scott’s upcoming Robin Hood film.

The as-yet-untitled movie - originally called Nottingham - will begin shooting in April, having been postponed last July over script concerns.

And according to Variety, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button star Blanchett has been cast as the “strong, independent woman” who meets her match in Robin of Loxley (Russell Crowe).

British actress Sienna Miller had been cast in the role and had spoken excitedly of the film, but left the production last year, with Crowe and Scott said to have decided an older actress would be better suited to the part.

Producer Brian Grazer, who will develop the film for Imagine Entertainment along with Sir Ridkey and his Scott Free company, said Blanchett and Crowe would make a fine onscreen pairing.

“They are both highly accomplished dramatic actors who are taken seriously playing rich characters in period pieces, but each has the ability to show you fun,” he explained.

The Robin Hood film, originally scripted by Ethan Reiff and Cyrus Voris and since rewritten by Brian Helgeland, is said to have become “a Gladiator version of the Robin Hood legend”.

Sir Ridley, who directed Crowe in Gladiator and has worked with him on five other occasions, revealed last year that the film is to be shown from the sheriff’s point of view, returning to England as the late King Richard’s right-hand man “to carry forward Richard’s dream about England”.

While Richard’s brother, the unpopular new king John, arouses discontent through introducing taxation and arresting outlaws, the sheriff’s attempt to instill order are threatened by the anarchical exploits of Robin Hood.

This article is from Contactmusic.com

Slumdog millionaire child star´s future

According to The Independent.com Two of the child stars of the Oscar-topping movie are going to be moved from their Mumbai slum. “In what will be seen as either an act of kindness or a cynical ploy designed to secure public support before elections, officials in the city’s housing authority have sought approval from the chief minister to provide two flats for the child actors Azharuddin Ismail and Rubiana Ali Qureshi. The children, who flew to Los Angeles to experience the red-carpet excitement of Sunday night’s Oscar ceremony, live in the Garib Nagar slum, an area riddled with narrow alleys of shanty homes, open sewage and rubbish. Azhar lives with his sick father in a makeshift cloth shelter and Rubiana lives in a small room”.

When MTV News caught up with the cast on the red carpet, the actors were still starry-eyed in the face of what is surely the most surreal experience of the lives.

“I haven’t met Brad,” said star Dev Patel, who plays Jamal, when asked if he’s been hobnobbing with the Hollywood elite. “I met Angelina briefly, and I didn’t do much talking. I was just like [he falls into shocked silence].” What did she have to say to the tongue-tied 18-year-old? “I don’t know,” Patel confessed. “It’s all a blur.”

Patel should practice playing it cool in front of A-listers, because it seems like he has a long Hollywood career ahead of him. First up is a starring role in M. Night Shyamalan’s fantastical martial-arts flick “The Last Airbender.” The director cast the British-born actor after seeing him in the “Slumdog” role.

During Oscar weekend, Patel wasn’t the only “Slumdog” star acting less than smooth in front of celebrities. “There was a party last night, and I spilled wine all over Matthew Perry!” said Madhur Mittal, who plays Jamal’s brother, the gangster Salim. “He was cool about it, because I’m his biggest fan.”

“Slumdog” became just the 11th film in Oscar history to be nominated for a Best Picture award and not receive a single nomination in any actor category. The entire group did, however, win the Screen Actors Guild award for outstanding performance by a cast.

Many of the youngest actors were plucked by director Danny Boyle directly from the Mumbai slums and had never boarded a plane before zipping across the globe and landing outside the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles. As they shuffled up to MTV Movies Editor Josh Horowitz, the kids were ecstatic.

“It’s unbelievable!” said Tanay Chheda, who plays Jamal when he’s an adolescent. “It’s still not sunk in. We’re on the red carpet. It’s our first awards ceremony, and it’s the Oscars.”

“All we can see is lights flashing!” one of his co-stars added.

The giggling youngsters were so excited that at one point, they almost toppled off the red carpet and into the nearby shrubbery. When they were asked which star they were hoping to see, the actors popped off with names as if they were just kids watching the celebrity craziness at home.

“Brad Pitt or Tom Hanks!”

“Kate Winslet!”

“Tom Cruise!” Ever met him? “I’ve seen him only in movies.” And what would you say to Tom if you met him? “Hi, I’m your biggest fan!”

Article from MTV news

Rio Carnival 2009, the best party ever!

“Although Carnival (Carnaval in Portuguese) is celebrated in towns and villages throughout Brazil and other Catholic countries, Rio de Janeiro has long been regarded as the Carnival Capital of the World. The Rio Carnaval is not only the biggest Carnival, benchmark against which every other carnival is compared but also one of the most interesting artistic events on the Globe. Pretty much everyone has heard of the Rio Carnaval. Foreign visitors to it alone number around 500,000 every year”.

“Rio Carnival is a wild 4 day celebration, 40 days before Easter. It officially starts on Saturday and finishes on Fat Tuesday with the beginning of Lent on Ash Wednesday after which one is supposed to abstain from all bodily pleasures. Carnival with all its excesses, celebrated as a profane event, can thus be considered an act of farewell to the pleasures of the flesh. It usually happens in February, the hottest month in the Southern Hemisphere, when the Rio summer is at its peak”.

“There are carnival celebrations in virtually every corner of Brazil, the best-known ones taking place in Recife together with the neighboring Olinda (in the Northeast of Brazil) and Salvador. But the biggest and most famous carnival is undoubtedly the Carnival in Rio de Janeiro”.

“One of the greatest elements of the Rio Carnaval is that it not only provides entertainment for many people around the world but at the same time it gives also a chance to learn about the true culture of Brazil. Carnival is very important to the Brazilians being their very rich cultural manifestation”.

It`s an euphoric event where people dance, sing, party and have tons of fun. There are many parties that take place before, during and after Carnival all night and all day. It allows someone’s true heart to come out and have as much fun as possible.

“Rio Carnival is the result of months of preparation. People eagerly anticipate the start of each year’s Rio Carnival. It begins with the crowning of the Fat King (King Momo), who is presented with a giant silver and gold key by the city’s mayor”.

For further information and to enjoy the Carnival music go to Rio Carnival Web page.

Jackman´s Performance at the Oscar ceremony

The Australian actor Hugh Jackman, encourages the Oscars in a very cool way, singing and dancing at the show. His performance as a comedian took part on Sunday (22 February 09) in the brightness of the brilliant Broadway ceremony, at the Kodak Theatre.

The X-Men hero tested his abilities as a veteran in a Broadway musical that satirized the five movies competing for best film. The Australian actor was the first non comedian to take the lead in the ceremony since 1985, when the actor Jack Lemmon filled that role.

Jackman went to the first row of the theatre, took nominee actress Anne Hathaway to the stage to perform a duet where he paid tribute to Frost / Nixon.

Organizers of the ceremony choose Jackman (40) to bring new perspective at the broadcast, whose levels had declined in recent years.



Producers Laurence Mark and Bill Condon who worked together in the 2006 film “Dreamgirls” musical, during the show they made some movements, also they included segments of the assembly scenes of action films, and other romance comedies of the year.

The Oscar producers promised changes at this year´s show, but Jackman´s jokes were very similar to the long list of predecessor´s comedians.

He also picked on Meryl Streep, who won a record with his fifteenth nomination at her work in Doubt, a film about false allegations surrounding the Catholic Church.   


 


American Idol at the big screen?

According to Contactmusic.com Sir Anthony Hopkins wants to turn The American Idol TV hit into a movie  and star as the show’s Simon Cowell.
Hopkins admits he and his family watch every week as they tune into the latest episode of the singing contest, and he would like the opportunity to play the sharp-tongued British judge on the big screen.
He tells MTV.com, “We watch American Idol. We are American Idol addicts.”
“Simon (is my favourite) because he’s so brutally honest. There’s no political correctness with him. He says it as it is.”
“And Cowell’s fellow judge, producer Randy Jackson, has already given the idea the thumbs up”.
He says, “I’m a huge Anthony Hopkins fan… Let’s do it!”


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