Win Free Tickets to Balkan Beat Box at the Cedar (plus a rockin' discount)

It was pouring rain when the drums started pounding and the sax started wailing but the music was so crazy we all stood up, dancing in the rain in our parkas, and rain pants. It was the Winnipeg Folk Festival and the Israeli jazz/rock/dance band  Balkan Beat Box was playing to a crowd of ecstatic hippies. Hells yeah, we were excited.
But life gets better. Balkan Beat Box is coming to the Twin Cities to play at the Cedar Cultural Center for a standing-room only concert on WEDNESDAY August 4th at 8pm. So you get to avoid the 8-hour drive to Winnipeg, the annoying Canadian accents, the mud, the rain, and the smelly hippies and just get to enjoy some of the most mind-pulsing world music you’re ever going to hear in Minneapolis. And local world dance band The Brass Messengers will be rocking it out with them, which makes it extra special. And danceable.
As always, TC Jewfolk has the hook up. We’re giving away TWO PAIRS of free tickets to the show, plus a discount just for TC Jewfolk readers (and your friends, and your cousins…) so you really have no excuse but to get yourself to this show, and then to the dance floor. Read on for the details. [TICKETS ARE NO LONGER AVAILABLE]

What is Balkan Beat Box?

Their roots are Mediterranean, their foundations are solid rock+reggae, and their hearts are in New York. Their name, their personal history and the enthusiastic media & audience reactions suggest a link with the so-called Gypsy Rock movement, but their scope is reaching way beyond that: Balkan Beat Box really transcend categories (pop, electronic dance music, world, rock) by creating a new breed of 21st century music, deeply connected to their folk upbringing yet forward-thinking, which appeals to audiences across the geographical and stylistic borders.
Balkan Beat Box are an awesome live band, their energetic live shows have become legendary. They’ve been making crowds go wild at major festivals such as Bonaroo, Roskilde, Paleo etc, and will be touring again around the world throughout the year.
They’ll probably be playing a lot from their hot new CD called Blue Eyed Black Boy (released in April 2010). Their website describes the album as weaving elements of ragga and hip hop with Balkanoid horns, Arab & Bulgarian guest singers, Greek guitars and more… Hence Nu Med (for “New Mediterranean”), a title which can be understood both as a musical and a cultural/political statement.
But don’t blindly believe me, or the band. Check out these awesome videos from their concerts. Or listen to clips from their new CD online.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmSI7DHmaAo

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6z0Z2vALLrE

Told you they’re nuts! You better be there!

How Can I Win Free Tickets?

Want to win a FREE PAIR of tickets to Balkan Beat Box at the Cedar on Wednesday, August 4th? Just tell us in the comments to this post what dance step you’ll be showing off when BBB comes to town and you’re entered to win. It’s that easy. We’ll pick two winners randomly using our favorite online tool, The Hat. Enter before Friday, July 30th at midnight for your chance to win.

Tell Me More About This Discount…

For those of you who don’t want to risk the chance of not winning the free pair of tix, and missing this contest, you can still score big with TC Jewfolk’s hot discount to this show. Just call the Cedar Box Office at 612-338-2674 and use the code “TCJewfolk” and you can buy tickets to the show at 20% off.
See you on the dance floor!