Music Monday: Thievery Corporation & Ween

Nobody can resist dancing at the Pier Review!
photo via pizza comedy

Good times are fast approaching, as we count down the days to the 2010 Pier Review at the Maine State Pier in Portland's Old Port. The pier is an great outdoor venue, and the two bands that will be playing, Ween on Friday July 16 and Thievery Corporation on Saturday July 17th, are poised to blow your mind with their tuneful talents.

Perhaps you are asking yourself, "How might I win some sweet free tickets to this deluge of rocking awesomeness?" Well, wonder no more, for it is easy as can be! Become a friend of Mexicali Blues on Facebook and post:

"Like Mexicali Blues and you can have a chance to win 2 tickets to Thievery Corporation 7/17 and Ween 7/16 in Portland, Maine!"

for your status update. Or, follow Mexicali_Blues on Twitter and re-tweet:

"RT @mexicali_blues to win 2 tickets to @ThieveryCorpDC 7/17 and #Ween 7/16 in #maine! #wakemeupwhenIwin! #freetickets"

Best of luck to everybody who enters! For those of you who would rather not leave your fate to chance and want to purchase your tickets, you can do so here and also feel good about your purchase, because proceeds from ticket sales will benefit Preble Street, a local social services agency. Sweet!

Now it's time to check out what all the fuss is about, so read on!

photo via this ween fansite

Ween was formed in 1984 in Pennsylvania, when Aaron Freeman and Mickey Melchiondo met in an eighth grade typing class. The pair became known respectively as Gene Ween and Dean Ween as they work together on their musical creation and adventures. Their music is often considered to rest under the genre umbrella of "alternative", although one of the things that we like about Ween the wide variety of styles they embrace and pull off.

Here is a reggae-style tune from their Friends EP:



Here's a pretty straight up alternative song called "Transdermal Celebration":



Watch this sweet video of Ween performing "Big Jilm" live:



This is a versatile band with an expansive catalog of songs (check out their long discography here) with a quirky, danceable, funny sensibility. Do be aware, these guys often curse and address adult subject matter in their tunes, so it may not be entirely appropriate for younger concert-goers. Check out their website here for more music and information.

photo via trip-hop

Thievery Corporation is a DJ duo consisting of Rob Garza, Eric Hilton, and their supporting artists. Their music style mixes elements of reggae, acid jazz, and smooth world music, creating songs that are simultaneously mellow and perfect for dancing. The two men formed the group in 1995, when they bonded over a shared love of dub, bossa nova, and jazz records.

Check out this video of the band performing their song "Warning Shots":



Not content to just make good music, the band takes a progressive political stance on various issues, opposing war and exploitative trade agreements, while supporting human rights and food programs. Those are ideals we can surely get behind!

And here's a song we can all surely dance to:



Visit the Thievery Corporation website for more good stuff, enter to win free tickets to either of the shows, and we hope to see you there!