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Year In Review:

2006 The Year in Review


Looking back at 2006, it has been a great year to be a Beastie Boys fan and collector. With the theatrical release of the Beastie Boys first concert film Awesome; I Fuckin' Shot That! came media attention and several opportunities for fans to see the Beastie Boys perform. In support of the film's release, the Beastie Boys performed at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah, where the movie made its U.S. premiere, and South by Southwest Music and Film Conference in Texas. The band also appeared on U.S. television shows, including "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" and "Late Show with David Letterman," to promote the film. As director of the film, Adam Yauch made several appearances at theaters in America and Europe to introduce the film and participate in Q&A sessions with fans. The film was officially released on DVD in July.

While Adam Yauch was busy promoting the film, Adam Horovitz was in the studio with other artists, producing Northern State and remixing songs for Lady Sovereign, Fatboy Slim, Measles Mumps Rubella, and Matisyahu.

Michael Diamond spent time answering questions that writer Dan LeRoy posed to him for the 33 and 1/3 book about Paul's Boutique. Questions such as "Did the Beastie Boys tour at all in 1989-90?" were finally addressed in the book. Also hitting bookshelves was the unauthorized book The Skills to Pay the Bills by Alan Light. This book was comprised of interview material that originally appeared in the 1998 Spin Magazine and some updated content.

In October, the Beastie Boys were recognized for their contributions to hip-hop music at the third annual VH1 Hip Hop Honors, where they were treated to a tribute performances of their own songs by Q-Tip, Phabulous, and Diddy before performing themselves.

The last few months of 2006 have been particularly busy for the band. First, there was a string of U.S. club shows, beginning with the Gimme Shelter Benefit in New York, followed by several shows in California and one in Las Vegas, Nevada. Then, the Beastie Boys flew to South America to play a handful of festival dates. Upon returning to the United States, they entered Oscilloscope Laboratories, their New York studio, and have been working on recording a new album ever since.

For collectors, 2006 was hit and miss. Sure, a few noteworthy items turned up on eBay.com, but overall it was not the bountiful year that 2005 had proved to be. When not watching eBay auctions close, fans were viewing old TV appearances and performances on the Beastie Boys YouTube.com group.

Here at Beastiemania.com, we continued to improve the sections with which you already are familiar: discography, gigography, merchandise, and who's who. At the same time, we have been working on material for new sections yet to be unveiled. We also said farewell to one of our beloved founding members (David aka MavsMan), who decided to take his own hiatus.