MALAYSIA : Rainforest World Music Festival

The Rainforest World Music Festival is a unique festival that brings
together on the same stage renowned world musicians from all
continents and indigenous musicians from the interiors of the
mythical island of Borneo.

Its formula of afternoon informative workshops, ethno-musical
lectures, jamming sessions and mini concerts, followed by evening
performances on the main stage has proven to be a hit with the
audience, who come from near and far.

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Banned and Denounced in the Middle East, Renowned Lebanese Musician Hits Unexpected Roadblock in U.S.A.

Just a few weeks ago, a venue in San Diego, California denied on political grounds the use of their theater to renowned Lebanese musician Marcel Khalifé, after local concert organizers had already arranged the event with the Salvation Army, who operates the venue, The Joan B. Kroc Theatre at the Salvation Army Corps Community Center.

The possibly discriminatory incident demonstrates the misperceptions and tensions that exist in today’s political climate towards Arabs, even those who advocate for peace. Concert organizers—who had been in touch with the venue for several months and had followed their application process rigorously—were told that a concert by Khalifé—an UNESCO Artist for Peace— would be "divisive" and "unbalanced" because it does not present an Israeli artist alongside Khalifé.


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The Billboard 200 [TOP 5 LIST]

List of Top 5 Billboard
1. Kanye West
2. 50 Cent
3. Kenny Chesney
4. Soundtrack
5. Miley Cyrus

MUSIC AND MUSICIAN : With 2005's "All the Right Reasons" still sitting in the top 10 of The Billboard 200 music after 102 weeks, Nickelback has no plans to rush a follow-up into the marketplace. "Everything is completely up in the air, and no one's in a hurry to do anything," frontman Chad Kroeger tells Billboard. "We just finished up two years touring on this record, and we're all a little crispy.

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New CDs from Foo Fighters, Will.i.am

NEW YORK - Foo Fighters, ‘Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace’
On their sixth album, Foo Fighters have renewed their membership in the “if it ain’t broke” school of songwriting. And essentially, there’s nothing wrong with that. “Echoes” hosts plenty of the Foos’ usual soft-louder-loudest “radio friendly unit shifters” (to borrow a phrase from frontman Dave Grohl’s old band): Lead single “The Pretender” and “Let It Die” start with near-whispers before kicking into giddily catchy, fuzz box-driven hollered hooks, while “Erase/Replace” chugs with shouts and power chords from the top. Amid a brace of undifferentiated midtempo rockers and a couple of quieter pieces (hence “Echoes, Silence ...”), the only truly disappointing track is the treacly strings-and-piano closer, “Home.” Meanwhile, the brooding, melodic “Stranger Things Have Happened” and “Summers End” stand out for their delicious sundown grooves.

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Traditional music

The Malays of Kelantan and Terengganu are culturally linked to peoples from the South China Sea area, and are quite different from the West Coast of Malaya. The martial art of silat, while essentially still important as a branch of the self defence form, is also popular among the Malays as an art presentation. Similar to tai chi, though of independent origin, it is a mix of martial arts, dance and music typically accompanied by gongs, drums and Indian oboes.