The Alianait! arts festival in Nunavut is being streamed live on the internet on Isuma.TV every night this week beginning at 7 pm. From the festival website:

The Alianait Arts Festival is an annual event in its fourth year. No less than ten days (and nights) of art, music, film, storytelling, circus arts, dance and theatre. Alianait is an Inuit expression of joy and celebration and to celebrate our fourth annual festival, the theme for Alianait 2008 is String Games - an ancient Inuit tradition.

The festival started on June 21 and runs until July 1. Here's the webcast schedule for Isuma.TV:

June 21: 7 to 10 pm EST –
ALIANAIT GRAND OPENING - LIVE at www.isuma.tv from the Big Top

June 22 : 7 to 9 pm EST –
FIBONACCI CIRCUS PERFORMANCE - LIVE from the Big Top

June 23: 7 to 9 pm EST –
NUNAVUT ARTS FESTIVAL WITH LIVE MUSIC - LIVE from the Old Residence

June 24: 7 to 9 pm EST –
ARTICIRQ/OATIARIO - LIVE from the Big Top

June 25: 7 to 10 pm –
STORYTELLING PERFORMANCE - LIVE from Parish Hall

June 26: 7 to 10 pm EST-
SAQIYUQ THEATRE PERFORMANCE – LIVE from the Parish Hall

June 27: 7 to 9 pm EST –
ART EXHIBIT – LIVE from the Nunatta Museum

June 28: 7 to 9 pm EST –
YOUTH MUSIC CONCERT – LIVE from the Big Top

June 29: 2 to 5 pm EST –
FREE MUSIC CONCERT – LIVE from the Big Top

June 30: 7 to 10 pm EST –
STRING GAMES FINALE CONCERT – LIVE from the Big Top

July 1: 2 to 5 pm EST –
FREE MUSIC CONCERT - LIVE from the Big Top

In the wake of the recent Conservative election spending scandal that has erupted in Canada, author and activist David Bernans sent in a nifty new tune he wrote to commemorate the issue. Enjoy!

The Harper Hokey-Pokey
aka the "in-and-out shuffle"

Tory Verse

You put a million bucks in
You take a million bucks out
You buy some national ads and you spin them all about
You do the hokey-pokey, but don't get caught
That's how an election is bought!

Elections Canada Verse

You see the money go in
You see the money come out
You see a million overspent and think "what's this all about?"
You can't get the docs, so you call the cops
That's how the Tories get caught!

Liberal Verse

You see the Mounties go in
You see the Mounties come out
It looks like a scandal, so its time to scream and shout
You do the hokey-pokey and you shout "shame, shame!"
That's how you play the game!

Voters' Verse

You vote the Liberals in
You vote the Liberals out
You vote the Conservatives in to clean the adscam out
You do the hokey-pokey, watch a new scandal on TV
In our capitalist democracy!

David Bernans is the author of North of 9/11 (Cumulus Press, 2006).

Photo by thivierr.

Democracy Now! reported yesterday morning that Israeli police and special forces stormed the tiny Jerusalem RAM-FM radio station on Monday and shut down the pro-peace media outlet because it was apparently "interfering with the airwaves" and "operating without a permit."

Pro-peace activists point out it was one of the few FM stations that took as a mandate the bringing together of Palestinians and Israeli citizens.

From Ynet News:

RAM-FM is owned by Jewish businessman Issy Kirsh in South Africa and has been on the air for a year. Modeled after a South African station that provided a venue for reconciliation after apartheid, RAM-FM says it wants to create a safe place for Israelis and Palestinians to talk.

The station attracts a diverse audience of tens of thousands, from Israeli soldiers and Palestinian students to West Bank villagers, English speaking immigrants, migrant workers and foreign diplomats. It is one of the numerous pirate radio stations broadcasting throughout Israel, which are often blamed for dangerous disruptions in airport air traffic communications and interference in regular radio broadcasts.

The self-described "eternal voice of Haiti", Vox Sambou (born Robints Paul) is a Montreal-based emcee and international hip-hop activist whose Creole raps and dancehall chants speak to the thorny political reality that continues to plague his countrymen. After 16 years of spitting rhymes in booming baritone from Haiti to Havana to Toronto's Harbourfront alone or alongside Montreal's Nomadic Massive, Paul is now set to bless us with his debut solo album.

The title of the LP is Lakay, the Haitian Creole word for home, which in Paul's case is Litero a neighborhood on the outskirts of the city of Limbe 220 km north of Port au Prince. Also known as 'ti Guinea, the small region is the source of the deep-rooted Caribbean rhythms that punctuated the lives of Paul's great-great grandparents and kept his own head bobbin' before he had ever heard of a thing called hip-hop. As he grew older, Paul also embraced Dancehall and early Reggaetone, but his true heroes were the socially conscious local musicians he saw live. Motivated by the rebellious roots music of Eddie Francois and the legendary band Bookman Eksperyans as well as Kompa groups such as Tropicana, Paul moved to Port au Prince where hip-hop was quickly becoming the subversive soundtrack of choice for the next generation of young Haitians.

Buddy Miles, the drummer in Jimi Hendrix's Band of Gypsys, died Tuesday of congestive heart failure in his Austin, Texas home. He was 60.

A big guy with an even bigger afro, the acclaimed rock drummer made history when he joined Hendrix and bassist Billy Cox to form the Band of Gypsys, the first all black rock group, according the the New Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll.

The association was short lived, however, as Miles was fired by Hendrix's management in 1988. According to the drummer, the suits were wary of continuing with an all black band.

"It had to be a racial thing," Miles told The Times. "I think it had to scare them because of the political aspect at the time."

Also of interest:
System of a Down screams genocide in controversial doc
Radiohead on how music is killing the planet

This December, I attended Jackie Gallant’s performance and discussion at GIV (Groupe intervention vidéo, in Montréal, Canada). Gallant’s “drumming” is nothing short of hypnotic, soothing and brilliant. I had the opportunity to interview her in light of her innovative sound work, curious about her inspirations, motivations, and how it all came together technologically. Gallant’s set-up was, her, surrounded by various drumming pads and mixers, pedals and wires—but the sounds were unmistakably affective.

Art Threat: Hi Jackie! So, how would you describe what you do? How would you describe your sound?

Jackie Gallant: With this project I am triggering samples using an electronic drum pad to create sound pieces. Basically I find samples, manipulate them using keyboards and computer software and then map the sounds into drum pads so that they can be ‘played’ much like a traditional drum kit. I then improvise using the processed samples. The source material comes from a variety of places, digging into old records or sounds that I’ve created, but there always seems to be an inherent rhythm in most of the samples and I guess there is always a hint of the rock or punk background that I have. I find that no matter what source material I use there always seems to be a driving, hypnotic rhythm that becomes more layered and more intense and then breaks down and builds back up again. I like slowly layering rhythmic samples until there is almost a solid block of sound with interweaving rhythms and textures.

There's nothing like an anti-war cartoon to get American neocons all in a ruffle. "Sorrow of the Soldier", a beautifully animated music video launched earlier this week, is pushing the buttons of right-wing yanks who continue to support the occupation of Iraq.

The video features US Rapper Mark Prysler who tells the story of Lucas, a blue collar guy who runs out of options and turns to the army for escape. He's shipped of to Iraq where he learns that the war isn't anything like the fantasy sold to him by Bush and friends.

Released simultaneously in five different versions featuring remixes by five different artists, this video has more options than George W has supporters in the Republican primaries. Available in plain, mint, banana, cheese, and peanut butter flavours, everyone is sure to find a version that jives with their musical preferences.

Oh right—everyone except those right-wing nut jobs who are polluting blogs with insightful comments like this: "If this kid knew anything about the 'hood or about Iraq, he'd know that it's much safer living in Iraq."

Safer in the hood then Baghdad, eh? Is a response even necessary? Nah, didn't think so. Here's the plain vanilla version of the video. Enjoy.

The world-renowned Israeli conductor Daniel Barenboim is now a Palestinian citizen. He accepted honourary citizenship in what he hopes will serve as a public gesture of peace. If only more classical celebrities had such chutzpah. From the CBC:

"I hope that my new status will be an example of Israeli-Palestinian co-existence," said Barenboim, who received a passport at the end of a Saturday night concert he played in Ramallah in the West Bank.

Ramallah is a town that Barenboim has visited often, promoting contact between young Arab and Israeli musicians.

"I believe that the destinies of … the Israeli people and the Palestinian people are inextricably linked," said Barenboim, who is also music director at the La Scala opera house in Milan, Italy.

Previously on Art Threat:
Zionists censor Rachel Corrie play in Toronto.

(Photo: Wikimedia Commons.)

Breakfast links—of the meatless variety—for Thursday.

• Despite the online experiment, the CD version of Radiohead's In Rainbows tops US & UK charts.
• Beirut's contemporary art scene struggled through 2007.
• Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert return to the tube sans writers—and censors.
• Burnt out car from Iraq competes for space on Trafalgar Square.

Previously on Art Threat:
Radiohead offers up new album as pay-what-you-can to fans
Radiohead on how music is killing the planet

Image by Heretakis.

Ludicrous: causing laughter because of absurdity; provoking or deserving derision.

As a wee lad, I was a Spaceballs fanatic. And much like Spaceball One's top speed, the film was ludicrous. That one word, which is ludicrous in itself, has forever meant one and only one thing to me: Spaceballs.

That was, of course, until I learned that ripping a CD onto your computer in the UK was illegal. British lawmakers had officially surpassed Rick Moranis and friends on the ludicrous scale.

If all goes as planned, however, British law will soon be downgraded to ridiculous as parliament is poised to give consumers several new rights, including a right to parody and to format-shift copyrighted material.

Not surprisingly, the proposed changes are as clear as mud, raising a number of questions—such as those asked yesterday by Ars Technica.

Perhaps the murkiest issue would be whether the law would be retroactive. It's possible that music published before 2008 might only be listened to legally in its original format, while tracks published after the law takes effect can be ripped ad nauseam. Actually, that whole ad nauseam business isn't quite clear either, as the current proposal doesn't stipulate how many format shifts would be allowed.

Fear not Spaceballs—you might not be lone amongst the ludicrous after all.

Previously on Art Threat:
Negativland cuts up copyright on Our Favourite Things DVD
30 ways to fight the DCMA
The Pirate Party: "On The Stump" against copyright