The Chicago-area Web site cikaga.com is at it again. In the long-running tradition of media outlets having some fun on April 1, the site has reported that an aide to President Barack Obama is entering Latvian politics.

Michael Strautmanis, the adopted son of Čikāgas piecīši founding member Juris Strautmanis, is organizing a political party called The Chicago Way to run in the Latvian parliamentary elections in October, according to the Web site run by Artis Inka.

Strautmanis is chief of staff to the Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Relations and Public Engagement, according to the whitehouse.gov.

“President Obama has embraced Michael’s new career path,” cikaga.com reported. “The President has directed Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and Senior Adviser David Axelrod to provide political guidance and assistance.”

Referring to similarities between questionable political practicies in Chicago and in Rīga, cikaga.com suggested Strautmanis might feel right at home in Latvia.

We still recall with pleasure cikaga.com’s 2008 prank in which the Web site reported that the Democratic Party was going to selected its presidential candidate during a meeting at the Latvian center Gaŗezers in Michigan.

“Total Chellout à la Mozart,” a new single by maniacal Latvian cello trio Melo-M, is available as a free download until March 10, the Rīga-based recording company Platforma Music has announced.

The track combines elements of W.A. Mozart’s “Turkish March” with American bluegrass and Russian folk music. The new composition is what Melo-M plans to perform later this month in the Terem Crossover Competition in St. Petersburg, Russia. The competition, which will feature some 70 professional ensembles from around the world, requires performance of some variation on a classical music theme.

Melo-M was founded in 2005. The ensemble consists of three classically trained musicians: Kārlis Auzāns, Valters Pūce and Antons Trocjuks.

The trio has released three albums. The eponymous Melo-M appeared in 2004, followed by Singalongs in 2007 and Around the World in 2009.

“Total Chellout à la Mozart” is available on Platforma’s Web site. For more information on Melo-M, visit melo-m.lv.

Through the years, composer Raimonds Pauls has teamed up with quite a few young talents. The latest to benefit from the Pauls’ touch is Andris Ērglis, who worked with the composer to record the new album Caur rozā brillēm.

The 12-track album of light pop tunes was released a few weeks ago on the MICREC label. All lyrics are by Guntars Račs. Recorded in Liepāja, the album features guest appearances by singers Annija Putniņa, Ieva Kerēvica, Ance Krauze and Zane Biķe.

Ērglis, 27, has been associated with music since childhood. Born in Aizpute, he moved to Liepāja at the age of 15, according to a profile on MICREC’s Web site. He has performed both as a solo artist and as a member of bands, most notably the short-lived ensemble Cacao. Two years ago, he was a member of Bonaparti.lv, the six-man tenor act that performed the Italian-language “Questa Notte” as Latvia’s entry in the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest. His solo debut album, released in 2008, was Sirdspuksti.

Songs on Caur rozā brillēm include:

• Divreiz
• To, kā nav(a)
• Dziesmas
• Misters Liktenis
• Ziemeļa glāsts
• Nekādu cerību
• Tik daudz ir bijis
• Neskati vīru no cepures
• Caur rozā brillēm
• Jūra līdz ceļiem
• Viss ir daudz vienkāršāk
• Nekad un vienmēr

For more on Ērglis, see his page on the draugiem.lv social network.