soundbetter.net

Charity Navigator for Haiti

2010-01-24T15:05:00.004-05:00

Click here for the Charity Navigator page for Haiti, an extensive list of charities with links and summaries.

Michael's Influence

2009-06-27T11:35:00.001-04:00

Almost called this post "Michael Jackson still alive" though quickly realized it'd be viewed as a cheap stunt to grab hits. But with performers (and performances) like this, the spirit of Michael Jackson is well entrenched for the foreseeable future. Music will never be the same.

Video a bit choppy, but sound is so pure (plus she's rocking that hat straight MJ style.)

I know, I know. I'm way too cool to like Christina Aguilera, right? Sheeeeeeit... ever since I saw her crush this song on SNL a few years back I've never looked at her the same. Always knew she had pipes, but this goes so far beyond vocals. For me, one of the hottest tracks to drop in the last decade, seriously. I would think about seeing her live based on this performance alone.

And while I thought about embedding a string of videos and linking to other obvious MJ influenced artists... nah. This is it. What really inspired this post was listening to what for me, is an obscure live version of the song "Things I Do For You." I started saying, "Damn, that sounds just like this other song... what is it? Hmmmn. Oh snap!" It's cool, because I've had the Aguilera SNL performance saved on my tivo forever and now I find it's a nod to MJ in more ways than I knew.

Here's the live MJ cut. So Maxwell - so Jamiroquai - so D'angelo's Soulquarians. If you listened to the whole Aguilera track you'll pick up the cues taken from this MJ cut. Did you know Mike got down like this?

Live in Japan, 1987.

Where ya been?

2009-06-17T00:14:00.005-04:00

While I love the concept of this blog and have unlimited ideas that I'd like to see come to life, let's face it, I'm not finding time to actively post thoughtful, insightful, worthwhile updates. But you know what time does allow for? Twitter, where I need not be thoughtful nor insightful. Worthwhile? Most definitely.

My latest twitter update will run across the top of this page. When I have a chance to post videos and such or to really say something, this is still the place. But to see what's up in soundbetterland a little more frequently, you gotta follow me.

Think twitter is stupid? Wake up. It's information exchange, done efficient and effective. And there's stuff you won't find anywhere else. Get with it.

One week ago this evening ...

No time to cut my own videos and pics, but got some nice stuff from the pit area along with Dane shooting only a few rows up in the seats. (Video above not shot by me, btw.) Here's a sampling of some stills:

New Danger Mouse

2009-05-18T02:10:00.009-04:00

Tired of looking at Wax yet? Me too. Bigger update on the way with new music to talk about, but for now, check out Danger Mouse's newest project which label EMI has decided to shelve. Perhaps that's because you won't find the next crazy Gnarls Barkley hit or hear anything you'd expect from DM (except superb, lush production, per usual.)

The release, titled Dark Night of the Soul, features original Danger Mouse compositions with several guest vocalists and Sparklehorse collaborating on production. On a message board someone described it as bluesy Beatles/Pink Floyd. Not a terrible frame of reference, if not entirely accurate. This isn't vintage 60's/70's though the influence can be heard. And it's definitely not blues. In truth, I haven't really digested it yet on first listen. Can't say I have a strong opinion other than it's relevant. It's worth hearing, to be sure. David Lynch ties in as well, producing a series of photographs inspired by the music and appearing on 2 of the tracks, the title track included which also closes the album.

The ongoing battle with EMI to release the record has led Danger Mouse to seek out other avenues to get the music heard. The "cd" is currently being sold with a David Lynch companion picture-book (at a steep $50), however the cd is actually a blank cdr (for customers to use with the files they "steal" from the internet). Haha. Seriously. Check out the official site for details. The complete album is available streaming right now on NPR Music's website. You can expect it to show up on every popular file-sharing site as well.

Tracklisting below, with guest vocalist listed in parenthesis.

Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse

Dark Night Of The Soul

01. Revenge (Flaming Lips)

02. Just War (Gruff Rhys of The Super Furry Animals)

03. Jaykub (Jason Lytle)

04. Little Girl (Julian Casablancas of The Strokes)

05. Angel's Harp (Frank Black of The Pixies)

06. Pain (Iggy Pop)

07. Star Eyes (I Can't Catch It) (David Lynch)

08. Everytime I'm With You (Jason Lytle)

09. Insane Lullaby (James Mercer of The Shins)

10. Daddy's Gone (Mark Linkous of Sparklehorse and Nina Persson of The Cardigans)

11. The Man Who Played God (Suzanne Vega)

12. Grim Augury (Vic Chesnutt)

13. Dark Night Of The Soul (David Lynch)

You know, I wasn't planning on adding this but it's another example of a modern day, moderately successful artist dealing with record label nonsense - and in this case asking to be dropped outright, publicly, in concert. I love this.

This is Wax

2009-04-11T16:30:00.002-04:00

About 2 minutes into watching this video for the first time I knew I'd post it here. Been meaning to post about Wax for sometime anyway and then he drops this new youtube video that might be my favorite thing I've ever seen or heard from him. Unfortunately, right in the middle of head nodding to this almost flawless flow, Wax hits a bridge of "I shit in your girls' mouth and she likes it, yea, yea, she likes it, she likes it."

This is Wax. Supremely talented, inspiring dedication and grind, well deserving of the still elusive success and payday. Yet as an artist Wax is a paradox, often dumbing down his rhymes for humor, sometimes effectively, sometimes not. He's writing some of the most intelligent verses I've ever heard in Hip-Hop. His delivery is legit and often he's rocking over his own beats. Wax's talent is undeniable: multi-instrumentalist, thoughtful lyricist, charismatic performer and a healthy ego. And yes, he is funny. But the fact is, no matter how many youtube hits you get, how many blogs like mine sing your praises, at the end of the day, the majority of people really don't want to nod their head to lines about shitting in someone's mouth.

I get it. It's part of your style. You have no filter. It's what makes you you. But damn, we got references to the stock market, underpaid teachers, foreclosure crisis, self-reflection on the struggle to make it in the industry and Burlington Coat Factory! (Go head PG.) Real rhymes, real stories. But this will all be overlooked by many on first listen because the entire verse can be written off as vulgar bullshit by those not paying close enough attention. It's too easy to label Wax as "punchline guy" (as one friend of mine described his take on Wax to me). But beyond the one-liners and "shock" rhymes there's a much deeper artistry to Wax, though Wax himself is to blame for burying this truth.

Take Wax's own words from a rhyme in the video An Evening at Home:

"I know that rhyme was dumb. I apologize, I rhyme for fun. Please sue me. I don't do this for fame and wealth. I just rap to entertain myself."

If only that were true. Wax is as serious as they come. No matter how often he tells you in his rhymes he doesn't give a shit, dig a little deeper into his words and the truth is there. A line from the video embedded below:

"And besides I'm a bitter old man that stays faded talking shit on other people because I never made it. Always dreamed I would make a living as a musician. But that still hasn't come to fruition."

Yes, the real shit is in there.

Watch this video and a few of my personal favorites linked below and you'll easily respect Wax's talent and hustle. He puts his soul on public display. I have so much love for artists who take this leap. His youtube videos routinely get tens of thousands of hits each and collectively he's topped 1 million views. But it's an ugly industry and so far no one has figured out how to sell Wax. It's not an easy answer.

He's an artist with whom you must accept the bad with the good. For me, this is easy to do, if only because I believe the good is truly brilliant. But it is frustrating nonetheless, as the good and bad don't really mix well, intelligent wordplay and lyricism with a dose of unabashed vulgarity. Some listeners will undoubtedly lose respect at the first blatantly offensive line. There are plenty to choose from. But this is Wax.

Wax epitomizes the independent artist and what unfiltered art-making should be. He is completely honest and hasn't forgotten that music should be fun. He acknowledges that the dumb shit is part of what he does (listen for this reference in the go-go video) and it seems like he's making himself laugh more than anyone else. For a struggling artist, managing to make honest art while also enjoying yourself might just be the key to longevity. Unfortunately, I'm not sure the raw, unfiltered elements can follow Wax to the level his talent begs for... but let's hope I'm either wrong or Wax starts focusing on speaking to a larger audience, not just reaching them.

3/5/2009: Wax Spits Randomly - 21,314 views

11/3/2007: Wax Spits Verse For Vibe Contest - 198,141 views (Serious hustle.)

12/27/2007: One Bar Loops - 82,027 views (Serious creativity.)
1/4/2008: New Crack - 352,971 views (Not a typo... a ton of hits.)
2/25/2008: An Evening at Home - 60,458 views (Full range of skills.)

11/20/2008: Wax Goes Hard On Go Go Beat - 36,199 views (Had to post for the go-go love.)
1/9/2009: 2009 MC Showcase - 40,067 views (Is he serious? Your answer.)
2/3/2009: Low Budget - 45,722 views (Silly, but still plain silly.)

There's something ridiculously fresh in each one - definitely "catch a new line with each repeated listen" material. And while the question of how to sell Wax may remain unanswered, the answer to supporting him isn't difficult.

Purchase his latest official cd, Wax and EOM: Liquid Courage

Purchase the official cd with lifelong collaborator, twin brother Herbal T,
Wax and Herbal T: Grizzly Season

Contact your Congressman and tell them about Wax.

Check out the live Wax and EOM cd release show from this past January at the 8x10 in Baltimore. Show features Wax solo, with EOM, and backed by full live band The Grilled Lincolns plus a horn section. (Wax solo: dude has this whole alter-ego, acoustic guitar playing, singer-songwriter thing going on too. Check it. It could just as easily be that vibe that makes him a star, though Hip-Hop is where he shines brightest.)

Stay current with all things Wax and Herbal T on YOUTUBE and MYSPACE.

Lastly, I've only briefly mentioned his twin brother who goes by the name Herbal T. It's a package deal with these cats which only works because Herbal T has serious skills as well. Here's the latest video from the Wax and Herbal T crew, featuring Herbal T doing his thing.

4/7/2009: Herbal T Plays Bass and Raps - 4,881 views

Respect.

Breath of Life

2009-03-08T15:00:00.004-04:00

Woke up this morning and started my day with this song. It motivated me to come in and edit a post I started back in January but never got around to sharing. This is special.

It's not often enough that an artist comes along that gets me really excited. I'm always listening to new stuff, digging new artists, old artists I've yet to hear... but to get excited about? Not all that often.

The fact is there's so much music out and it's all so easily-accessible these days that it's impossible to come even close to hearing it all. To steal a thought from Bob Lefsetz, yes the record labels are crumbling, but in the future we'll still need filters to find the best music, (a la music blogs/websites/independent radio, etc.) And so unless I see a band live or learn about them from a personal recommendation, chances are I might not ever hear them. That is unless the hype gets so big that I reach a point where I say "Ok. What's the deal with this person?"

And so it was with the magnificently talented Esperanza Spalding. What a name, first of all... one you tend to remember. The name kept popping up on various music buzz sites to the point that eventually I felt compelled to check her out. The tipping point came when I read that she was a jazz artist and a bass player at that. I'd seen a picture of her and like everyone, I didn't expect her to be an upright bass player. Intrigued, I bought the album off iTunes after being drawn in with a few 30 sec samples, hoping it could approach the growing hype in my mind.

And then there was this song. The thing as a music lover you're always searching for, despite not knowing exactly what it is or what it sounds like. Still searching, nevertheless, and when you find it... goosebumps. This song captures what I love about music and in particular, new music and new artists. It strikes that nerve that sets good apart from sublime. [Note: I never use the word sublime, in speech or writing. But it's the first word that came to me when writing that sentence. Here's part of the googled definition "b: of outstanding spiritual, intellectual, or moral worth, c: tending to inspire awe usually because of elevated quality (as of beauty, nobility, or grandeur) or transcendent excellence." Yup, that says it beautifully, better than I even intended.]

I had assumed this song must have been the single from the record and that I was just completely late to the scene. Not so, as I couldn't find much hype on it individually and I didn't see a live version in the mass sea of Esperanza videos out there. Even so, there is certainly plenty of great youtube videos to check out, including this fantastic mini-documentary discussing how she made it and what drives her as an artist. It's 12 minutes, packed with live footage and says more about Esperanza as an artist than I possibly can in this post. It's well worth viewing if you can spare the time.

As for the "hit single" (if you can even call it that since this is Jazz we're talking about), here's a knock-out performance of "I Know You Know" from Jimmy Kimmel, June 11, 2008.

Finally, came across this excellent, detailed post about ES that while providing much of her background and some wonderful photos, also provided me with the title of this post. Breath of Life - a conversation about black music.

At a time when some of the most talented, young, singer/songwriters have lost their muse (D'angelo and Fiona Apple come to mind), to discover Esperanza Spalding and to think (and hope) that she might well be making music for the next 50 years... it's got me excited. So if you hadn't already heard, now you have no excuse.

www.esperanzaspalding.com

www.myspace.com/esperanzaspalding

Buy the CD "Esperanza" from Amazon.com

NIN and Jane's Addiciton (together again)

2009-02-20T08:30:00.000-05:00

I've never seen either band perform live, though own all of JA's albums and all of NIN's up to The Perfect Drug era (Halos 1-11 or something, then I gave up.) The With Teeth album started to bring me back a few years ago and lately, in part due to Trent's well-focused angst against corporate music control, I've been meaning to seek out NIN's new material. This song, while not all that new now, was the one that got me seriously re-interested a few years back.

Now comes word that the original Jane's Addiction lineup will be touring with NIN, doing small clubs over the next year. I will go. Not because I want to relive the past, which is why I skipped the Pixies and Violent Femmes recent reunion tours (somewhat regrettably) - but because I think these are important artists who have, in some ways, reached the pinnacle of success, but now find themselves focused on the music and the passion. It sounds like its not about selling out the biggest venues they can and selling $35 t-shirts to adoring fans. (That could still happen, I'd imagine.) But it sounds like they might just want to create some new magic. Maybe that's all bullshit. Maybe just wishful thinking. I'll be there to find out.

Trent's words from NIN.com

Eric's (Jane's bass player) words from JanesAddiction.com

Hip-hop needs a new classic

2009-02-20T00:32:00.000-05:00

Someone sent me this video tonight and I got hyped to post and talk about the album that dropped just this past Tuesday. Then I started listening to the other songs on the myspace page. Now I'll let someone else tell you how tight it is. Here's why.

Kanye West: Kanye is terrible. I remember first being introduced to Kanye (not in person) as an artist who would "bridge the gap" between the backpackers and the mainstream. How about an artist focused on selling as many records as possible by being grossly over-marketed regardless of quality of work. Call me a hater. Kanye, please go away.

M.I.A: See above but replace the word "Kanye" with "M.I.A." and "backpackers" with the phrase "impoverished 3rd world." That should do it.

There's just not enough time in the day to waste any of it on bleh. It might be "hot"... but it doesn't sound good. "Yo, that joint is hot!" Uhh, right, it is, but it also sounds like shit. "Kanye and M.I.A. are hot, son!" Agreed. And they both sound terrible when they open their mouths. But sound is secondary to sight (thus my eyes wide shut.)

And while those are the most mainstream, watered-down artists contributing to this record, I wasn't moved by appearances from Tom Waits, Chuck D, ODB (resurrected), or much else. I tend to think most people will feel this. It's fresh. It's cutting. It's genre-spanning, label-busting, cross-generational music for the masses. Agreed. But does it sound good?

Honestly, I wouldn't have taken the time to talk and post if I didn't think this was worth checking out. And I'm feeling this song, no doubt. But damn... was thinking we had something classic for a minute. Hip-hop needs a new classic.

You know what... jumped over to Amazon to check out more tracks. It's pretty tight. Fatlip and KRS-One on a track, Del and DJ Qbert on a nice track... I think I just needed to get that Kanye/MIA bashing off my chest.

I do feel better.

Don't Buy Daptone's Gear on eBay...

2009-02-17T22:03:00.004-05:00

... that is if you see any of it show up there or any other loosely regulated trading post. Daptone's studio was robbed Monday night. Check out the early list of what's missing from co-founder Gabriel Roth below. (Info from Brooklyn Vegan by way of email from friend.)

FROM GABRIEL ROTH

Friends and associates,
As you may have heard through the grapevine by now, Daptone was broken into last night. Unfortunately, there was a lot of equipment (mics, pre-amps, monitors, turntables, guitars, amps, computers, etc.) stolen and damaged. It is going to take us a while to go through everything and take full stock of what was stolen, and we are not supposed to touch anything until the cops come back to collect fingerprints so we can only guess what's missing from some mic drawers and cabinets.
And, no, we did not have insurance. We had been shopping around with different companies earlier this month but had not signed a check, so nothing was insured. We are working on replacing the gate in front, installing an alarm system, and getting insurance, but it is President's day so it's not going as quickly as we would have liked.
Nydia's computer was stolen (which wasn't backed up) and the modems/ phone system was ripped out, so we'll be relatively out of commission for a few days.

I would like to ask for everyone's help first in keeping an eye out for all of our stuff showing up on ebay/craigslist/local music shops, and secondly (and more realistically) keeping an eye out for good deals on headphones, mics, pre-amps, etc. I could really use a heads up on any kind of studio package for sale or studio equipment to be possibly bought or borrowed as soon as possible. We have a session scheduled for Friday to lay down some music for (I know this sounds
surreal) Rod Stewart, and I'm going to have to get the studio running by then. I know I'm going to need to find headphones, cables, mics, and pre-amps by then. I'm not sure what else yet.
Upon first glance we are definitely missing:
Fender Super Guitar Amp in case
Fender Deluxe Guitar Amp
A whole bunch of headphones and wires
Nydia's HP laptop computer
One Desktop MacIntosh Computer
One Purple Audio API style lunchbox with four Purple Audio Biz mic pre-amps
2 Yamaha NS10 monitors
Vintage Harmony Rocket Guitar
One steel string acoustic guitar
Martin Tenor sax in a gig bag
Technics 1200 turntable
Ion USB turntable
Teac Receiver/stereo amp
Sony dual deck CD burner/player
All of our modem/phone system stuff was ripped out and taken.
A whole bunch of condensor and dynamic microphones (I still need to figure out exactly what's missing) The power supply for my Trident console was tossed and the board was moved (probably not gently) so the status of that is still questionable.
A baldwin organ was tossed and is probably broken.
Lacie External hard drive
Over the next few days, as we sort out the rubble, we are going to figure out what else we lost.

We are putting in a roll down front gate, alarm system, and finally getting our insurance happening this week. We are also going to hire a security guard to watch the house for tonight as the cops and alarm guy seemed pretty confident that they will be back with a truck now that they've seen what's in here.

Thanks for keeping eyes open for us. AND PLEASE PASS THIS MESSAGE ALONG TO ANYONE YOU THINK MIGHT BE ABLE TO HELP US.

Thankfully, we all still have our health, ambition, tape machines, and sense of humor in tact. You can slow us down, but you can't stop us. Sleep well knowing we here at Daptone will continue to...

Keep putting Soul up,

Gabriel Roth

P.S. On a lighter note, it seems like the burglars did drop a few items in order to lift Alex's old safe out of here, which was VERY heavy, VERY unwieldy, and also VERY EMPTY!

Give Thanks

2009-02-05T22:55:00.002-05:00

I've been feeling Raashan Ahmad for about a year now, having been waaay late to the Crown City Rockers and Mission records that deserve all the underground love they've received over the years.

That said, it wasn't until I watched this new video that I was compelled to post something here. This man should be a star, with his name on par with the likes of Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Q-Tip, Common, Black Thought, etc. That's not to compare stylistically, because that's just too easy, too obvious and far too limiting. But my point is that most certainly recognize the names listed above and associate a certain level of respect and quality with their work. Many have never even heard the name Raashan Ahmad and yet his work is consistently impressive and inspiring. Things ain't like they used to be - otherwise this video would be in heavy rotation on MTV and I'd already be sick of hearing it on the radio (which would be a good thing.)

I give thanks for Raashan Ahmad... performing LIVE in Baltimore, MD at the 8x10, February 20. Don't sleep!

Update 2/17: Raashan Ahmand will NOT be performing live in Baltimore, Feb 20... but 3 other great bands will! So yeah, don't sleep... still.

The Ghetto Walk

2008-12-31T07:55:00.011-05:00

At this moment [you should be with us...], if I could listen to only one song for the rest of my life, this would be it. The In A Silent Way Sessions has long been my favorite Miles' period, somewhat of a bridge to the hugely popular Bitches Brew which was recorded later that year (1969). I recently just popped disc 3 in (from the Complete Sessions box set) for the first time in years and was greeted with the opening phrases of The Ghetto Walk. I keep returning to it, almost daily. There's so much soul in these recordings... and you know I'm always searching for more soul.

The Ghetto Walk
recorded February 20, 1969, Columbia Studio B, NYC

Miles Davis - trumpet
Wayne Shorter - soprano sax
Joe Zawinul - organ
Chick Corea - electric piano
Herbie Hancock - electric piano
John McLaughlin - electric guitar
Dave Holland - bass
Joe Chambers - drums

Buy it for .99¢ on Amazon here.

I came upon this Miles' Discography which I used for the lineup and recording info above. This is the most extensive, detailed list of Miles' recordings I've ever seen. Many other jazz artists on this dedicated jazz discography site, as well.

[Quick edit] - I should stress that if you haven't heard or are familiar with the original In A Silent Way release (i.e., the song In A Silent Way > It's About That Time)... you really must. You'll probably enjoy it more than The Ghetto Walk. For me, The Ghetto Walk is fresher since I completely absorbed the original material several years ago. The Ghetto Walk was almost like a new discovery, though I'd certainly heard and played it before. But if its all new to you, In A Silent Way in its entirety should not go unheard. (And you can grab the whole thing as MP3 from Amazon for only $2... since the full release contained only 2 tracks. See below for download links. You can read more about it here.)

Amazon MP3 downloads

The Ghetto Walk
Shhh/Peaceful (Original LP Mix From 1969)
In A Silent Way (Original LP Mix From 1969)

It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

2008-12-16T16:03:00.003-05:00

The 2009 Jazzfest Lineup has been announced!

Highlights include:

1st weekend: Wynton Marsalis, Dave Matthews Band, James Taylor, Joe Cocker, Earth Wind & Fire, Wilco, Erykah Badu, Robert Cray, Etta James & the Roots Band, Mavis Staples, Johnny Winter, Hugh Masekela, Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings, Galactic, Terence Blanchard, Trombone Shorty, Rebirth Brass Band Reunion with Kermit Ruffins, Ivan Neville & Dumpstaphunk, Big Sam’s Funky Nation, Henry Butler, Astral Project.

2nd weekend: Aretha Franklin, Ben Harper and The Relentless7, Tony Bennett, Kings of Leon, The Neville Brothers, Bonnie Raitt, Common, Emmylou Harris, Dr. John, Buddy Guy, Los Lobos, The O’Jays, Toots & the Maytals, Allen Toussaint, John Mayall, Solomon Burke, Chuck Brown, Meter Men: Zig, George, and Leo, Tab Benoit & the Wetland Allstars, Marcia Ball, Ellis Marsalis, Bonerama, Midnite Disturbers, Otra.

Click here to read through the complete lineup.

I Want You Back? Not really.

2008-10-31T08:29:00.003-04:00

This from Glide Magazine's quality music news page (though they sourced NME on it) - the Jackson 5 are planning a reunion tour and are currently in the studio working on new material. Yes, the entire Jackson 5 including White Mike. (I'm allowed to call him that since I'm also a White Mike.)

I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say... this will suck and I'm not excited at all.

You know, while the above statement may be true, I may be just a bit intrigued. New Jackson 5 material? In 2008? I mean, just how awful will it be? In my mind the bar is set so low that it will probably exceed my expectations. I'm expecting a Justin Timberlake cameo (which could actually help) - perhaps Nelly Furtado and the standard Will.I.Am guest appearances also. I'm sure they can talk Santana into playing a 30 second solo and then plaster his name all over promotional material. Wow. Suddenly this has the makings of a huge hit record!

This is gonna be great.

The Revolution

2008-10-29T08:51:00.002-04:00

Caught this on Washington DC's 89.3, WPFW yesterday. Classic yet timely.

It's a Soul Full Party

2008-10-22T06:00:00.002-04:00

For over a year the ForQuarters Collective have been producing a killer, monthly Funk and Soul showcase called the Soul Full Party. This Friday the party makes it's debut at the 8 x 10 in Baltimore with special guests Ms. Sara & The Help and The Grilled Lincolns joining Soul Full mainstays, Higher Hands.

You are listening to the SoulFull Sampler - October 2008, featuring the ForQuarters DJs, Jason Joseph and J Mack, and hosted by the funkiest cat in town, Jay Crawdads of the Higher Hands. Produced by SOUNDBETTER.NET, this mix gives you a taste of what you can expect at a Soul Full Party. Highlights include a few choice cuts from the Soul Full DJS and two live Higher Hands tracks from the last Soul Full Party. Special guest Kevin Basiliko of The 8ohms appears on saxophone for the 2nd live cut, tearing it up as he and Matt of the Higher Hands trade solos back and forth. Killer stuff.

Scattered Thoughts at Midnight

2008-09-25T02:20:00.003-04:00

So, not finding the time to update as often as I'd like and because of this I end up never getting all of my ideas up here as I imagine them. So here's some scattered things I want people to know about.

Current listening: Palmetto Records

Have to thank the MMW listserve for this lead. I had been meaning to pick up Robert Walter's latest called Cure All, featuring Johnny Vidacovich on drums and James Singleton on bass. This music was written after Walter moved to New Orleans and had been playing with Johnny V and Singleton regularly. I've always liked Robert Walter's records, though not necessarily loved them. Adding two of New Orleans finest made it an obvious choice. Unfortunately (or actually for me, quite fortunately) I've been grabbed by the two other releases I picked up from Palmetto at the same time.

I mentioned the tip came from the MMW camp. That's because John Medeski, along with Stanton Moore and Andy Hess, play on Will Bernard's new release entitled Blue Plate Special. The first song is Baby Goats which has been an unnamed song played regularly over the past year at MMW shows. Sure enough, John Medeski is given the writing credit in the liner notes. Further connection, the band also performs a version of Gonzo, a song in MMW's rotation from 1998 - 2001. I didn't recognize it by name at first, but hearing it immediately had me thinking it was an MMW tune. It's not, having been written by Deadric Malone and performed by James Booker, but Medeski and Bernard don't stray much from the MMW arrangement I recall.

So with all this MMW connection the record must be good, right? That's what I'm saying, no? I will openly admit, I can't think of something John Medeski has been associated with I didn't dig, so that's a major plus for me. But this record is built on very solid compositions and grooves. Stanton is a heavyweight and his playing is solid and confident. I wasn't familiar with Andy Hess (bass) but probably should have been seeing that he had a short stint with the Black Crowes and appeared on their Live album from 2002. (He's most well-known as the bass player for Gov't Mule, but he also performed on Britney Spears' Baby One More Time? No shit. It's on his website.) Then there's Will Bernard, the underrated guitarist leading this group. He's not flashy, which may be why he isn't talked about more, but the guy definitely has chops and plays in and out of a groove with ease. I've seen him a few times with Stanton's trio and sitting in with the aforementioned Robert Walter. Always good, but never steps up to take the spotlight. His playing fits that same mold here. Again, it's more groove and feel than licks and solos.

Next up, Dr. Lonnie Smith's Jungle Soul. This is someone I've been sleeping on way too long. Having seen him live and loving it, I had still yet to purchase one of his cd's until now. Didn't even know he was on Palmetto, which is true for all of these cats. I'll admit, I haven't made it through the whole cd yet, that's how fresh all of this music is to me. But it's killer enough for me to be up at 1 am typing in the dark. (That and I'm tired of seeing my quick hitter of a last update because I was too lazy to actually talk about how much the Raconteurs kick ass these days, not just their website but the actual band. Hope you've figured that out by now, with or without my help.)

Seriously though, I'm listening to this recording right now and it is crushing. And you know what the best part is, Palmetto has their ENTIRE CATALOGUE available to stream online. And not just 30 sec samples, you can play the whole song from any album! Not to mention buy any 2 cds and shipping is free! Now that's the kind of record company worth supporting. By the way, the song I was playing at the start of this paragraph was Freedom Jazz Dance. And sho 'nuff, you can play it right now.

Damn. Those aren't scattered thoughts at all. All focused on Palmetto Records and my current listening.

Here's some other quick hits.

- My man Danny Powell just launched the 3rd installment of Keeping the Lights On over on RopeadopeTV. An independent film series that shines a light on independent artists... check it out and keep up with the stories as new episodes are added each week.

- My boys the Higher Hands released their debut album Grab Hold on August 1st at the 8x10 in Baltimore. Check out my man Carl Jr.'s pictures of the night, including openers Raashan Ahmad and Skribe. Since then Higher Hands have opened for Soulive at Rams Head Live (you already watched the video right?) and DC's own Mambo Sauce. Making moves, stay tuned.

- Saw Mos Def and his Big Band at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC this past weekend. Mos Def at the Kennedy Center. Mos Def at the Kennedy Center. It sounds strange. Is there a more important artist in Hip Hop today? Important. I mean, content aside, you're in a different class of artists when you can say "Oh yeah, the Kennedy Center? I've played there." Too late to get too detailed. I'm cheating you on this one. I will say Mos played almost entirely new material, which was very exciting. Rather than just hearing his classic songs with some added string arrangements, we were treated to new, unreleased material, including a stand-out track produced by Madlib. You can read a luke-warm review here. The reviewer gets it mostly right, the exception that while he was left with an overall feeling of wanting more, I was lifted by the understanding of just how far Hip-Hop has come and excited by the glimpse of where the art form can go.

- Google Mos Def and find this link on the top results. If you've made it this far you should definitely click that link for the gem of this entire post, Stuff White People Like.

- And to come full circle on these quick hits, my man Danny hipped me to this unreleased Mos Def track a few weeks back, via his super-secret, underground source... Okayplayer.

Damn, no pictures. You mean you just want me to read?

Press Space Bar to Continue

2008-09-08T22:37:00.002-04:00

The Raconteurs

One of the coolest website designs I've seen.

And the band ain't bad either.

Journalists arrested at both National Conventions

2008-09-02T08:57:00.003-04:00

It's not a political statement, but a sign of the times just the same.

ABC producer Asa Eslocker was arrested at the DNC last week. What's telling here is that he's forced into the street by an officer as other pedestrians are clearly walking in the same vicinity. He is not charged at the time with committing a crime. Two hours later more police arrive to arrest him. Notice he's told to "relax" after being choked by an officer. This is a news crew standing on a public sidewalk.

Just yesterday, Amy Goodman was on the floor of the RNC when she received word that two of her producers for the show Democracy Now had been arrested. She is arrested when she approaches officers to get information about the arrests and where the producers are being held. She attempts to show credentials but is ignored and detained.

Now many say what makes Amy Goodman special? She got what she deserved. She was warned, didn't obey and was arrested. And that's the problem. It's not about rights it's about obeying an officer's orders regardless of legality. She is a reporter, not a protester. The credentials she tried to show are the highest credentials a reporter could have had at the event, allowing her access to the main floor of the convention. But somehow this is inconsequential to the police and in truth, to many Americans as well. Freedom of the Press is just another liberal, hippie buzzword these days.

The producers, Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Nicole Salazar, are expected to be charged with "suspicion of rioting" and as of now have not been released. Amy Goodman was released last night after being held about 3 hours.

UPDATE 9/2, 1:30pm: Both producers have been released however still face felony charges. All three appeared on this morning's broadcast of Democracy Now to recount their story and those of other journalists arrested, including AP photographer Matt Rourke.

Hear the broadcast.

Watch the broadcast.

Download the audio.

Future Updates at http://www.democracynow.org/

H - I - G... H - E - R... Hands y'all

2008-08-26T16:05:00.000-04:00

Have you seen the price of...

2008-08-07T20:10:00.001-04:00

...CABLES these days?

Needed a 4 pin to 6 pin firewire cable today. Looked online and found one as cheap as $2 plus $5 for s/h on Amazon. Amazon also sells one with free overnight shipping for $15. Great. Would like to have it today though so I walk down the street to Radio Shack to see what they have. They have one, Radio Shack brand. Cool. I'm thinking Radio Shack brand is fine for this since they're all practically the same anyway. I'm a bit annoyed that they want $23 for it but I want the cable immediately and it's no hassle, walk out the door with it. I even tell the salesperson I can get it $10 cheaper on Amazon but I'll just pay extra. But then the kicker. Get it rung up and... what?! A whopping $40 shows up! Saleperson checks the price, its right. $40 for a cable that sells for $2 online. This is the business of audio/video cables these days. My cable from Amazon will be delivered tomorrow.

I first came across the ridiculuous mark up scam of retail cables a few months back. I was researching mic cables (XLR) and found some great sources for quality alternatives to Monster. At the same time I discovered the well-documented debate over the mark-up policy of Monster products. (It's not much of a debate really, since it's only between informed consumers and Monster.) That $100 HDMI cable you purchased? Could have the same results from a $20 cable purchased online. Monster speaker wire? Sure, you pay extra for the thickness of the rubber around the actual wire, which 99% of the time won't provide better results on the sound being transferred. Not here to convince though, just alert. One you start clicking links the wealth of information on the mark-up scam on all cables is enormous.

Here's just a couple of places to start:

Monster Cables, Monster Ripoff from The Consumerist
The Truth About Overpriced Cables, Again! from The Guru Guys

And a few alternative retailers worth checking out:

Amazon (check out these HDMI prices!)
Blue Jeans Cable
Monoprice
Parts Express

One thing to be clear on is that Monster does produce high quality cables, in some cases even "better" cables than some cheaper alternatives. But "better" is relative to if you can see or hear a difference. There are cheaper, quality alternatives just a Google search away. For consumers and experts alike, the results are indistinguishable. So the point is...

Don't believe the hype!

Mofro's Orange Blossoms

2008-07-20T15:00:00.003-04:00

Scheduled for release August 26, 2008, Mofro's 4th studio record Orange Blossoms.

Now that it's official I feel I can share a secret. Last October JJ Grey performed a solo acoustic set on WWOZ during Voodoo Fest weekend. One of the songs featured JJ on piano only and was my favorite piece of the entire broadcast. It was a new song and at the time JJ said he hoped it would be on the next record "if [he] could get it down right." To my knowledge this song hasn't been played live since. But I guess they got it down right because not only is it on the new record, it's the title and lead-off track, Orange Blossoms.

The performance was special, with JJ stating "I felt good about it. I ain't never played it... like that" shortly after the song's close. I almost afraid to hear the studio version since I've loved this early acoustic performance ever since I first heard it. But Dan Prothero always seems to get it right and it helps to be working with great songs.

Here's the tracklisting for the new record, available August 26th.

01. Orange Blossoms
02. The Devil You Know
03. Everything Good Is Bad
04. She Don't Know
05. The Truth
06. WYLF
07. On Fire
08. Move It On
09. Higher You Climb
10. Dew Drops
11. Ybor City
12. I Believe (In Everything)

Check out the live solo performance of Orange Blossoms below, broadcast on New Orleans' WWOZ, October 26, 2007.

Update 7/22: The entire broadcast is now hosted on Archive for download or stream. Thanks to Clay, Hollis, and Danny for their guidance.

John Ellis and Doublewide, Live at Donna's, May 3, 2008

2008-07-10T08:00:00.000-04:00

I know, I know. Enough John Ellis already. Well, what can I say? I teased this recording over a month ago in a post called Coming Soon ("soon" being relative, of course, to whenever I get to it.)

Wanted to make sure the artist was ok with me spreading the recording far and wide. Even in this day and age of youtube, myspace, free music madness, I try to get the artists' blessing before putting any of their material out there. Well, thankfully John Ellis is cool with it. And so it's my pleasure to be able to share this killer recording and performance with you.

John Ellis & Doublewide
May 3, 2008
Donna's Bar and Grill
New Orleans, LA

Featuring: John Ellis: Saxophones, Jason Marsalis: Drums, Brian Coogan: Organ

Keeping The Lights On

2008-07-07T08:40:00.002-04:00

Some of you paying close attention may have noticed the name Danny Powell under my sidebar section VISION. Some of you may have even clicked on the name, looked around a bit and moved along. But what you undoubtedly hadn't seen until just this month is Danny Powell's latest vision, the epic documentary series Keeping The Lights On [KTLO].

KTLO is simply about artists and their day jobs. The series (thus far) tells the artist's story through their own voice and perspective. It passes no judgment, gives no opinion. It simply looks into an artist's life in an attempt to manifest their constant struggle of balancing creative passion and earning an income.

Yet as with any great story, there are layers. And where KTLO truly shines is in the reflections of society that find their way into these personal stories. While providing perspective on one's own life, perhaps one's own struggle, KTLO also gives perspective on broader concepts such as the role of business in art, how different cultures vary in thought, and how people see the world in general.

The series was picked up just last month by Ropeadope's newly launched RopeadopeTV. Each Tuesday a new part is added to the site.

Below I've included the first two parts from the first installment, George Ferrandi, a visual artist from Brooklyn. You can view both of these parts as well as Part 3 and Part 4 over on Ropeadope. This week the first installment concludes with George Ferrandi: Part 5. (scheduled for release Tuesday, July 8)

George Ferrandi: Part 1

George Ferrandi: Part 2

You can stay up with what's happening at the Keeping The Lights On blog. The site includes new episode announcements and a budding community of artists sharing their own stories.

While Keeping The Lights On may focus on one artist at a time, its overall vision is to provide a center for the vast community of creative people, all headed on the same journey yet each traveling down different paths. I dig.

Obama Mural - This Is Our Moment

2008-07-04T17:20:00.001-04:00

Something In The Air In Brooklyn

2008-06-29T12:05:00.000-04:00

Enjoy your Sunday (or Monday as it may be for most of you.)

Something In the Air In Brooklyn

September 27, 2007

Brooklyn, NY

Batiste and Ellis Featured on NPR Music

2008-06-18T23:30:00.008-04:00

They're both listed under my sidebar block entitled Inspiration and if you come to this site, you've no doubt heard me talk about them before. Well now bigger outlets are spreading the word and doing it with some fine quality music. Last week NPR Music featured Jonathan Batiste and John Ellis in a program dubbed "New Orleans in New York."

The official program is JazzSet with DeeDee Bridgewater, June 12, 2008 and runs 58 minutes. The show consists of Batiste's 1st set and the majority of Ellis' lone set at Jazz Standard, New York on March 17, 2008. The recording is stellar, a must listen. In addition to the official broadcast, you can hear Jonathan Batiste's entire 2nd Set as well. You'd be hard pressed to find a better sounding live recording of either of these gifted artists.

Read the brief synopsis with additional info and links here.

[Live Show] Terence Blanchard at Blues Alley

2008-06-08T23:12:00.002-04:00

I spent 2 hours with WPFW's resident "jazzologist" Jamal Muhammad back in November 2007. It was a great experience. Jamal is truly a treasure, sharing anecdotes and details about jazz at a pace in which I could hardly comprehend. I remember thinking "I wish I was writing all of this down." From talking about Bird's advice to Miles ("Learn the changes") to Duke Ellington's taste in women to describing why a certain, well-known, heavy hitting sax player is "a fucking asshole," Jamal knows his shit and isn't afraid to let you know it. That said, this post is about something Jamal got wrong.

I sat down with Jamal about 20 minutes before go time with a stack of my cds and a playlist in order of how I wanted to present my chosen music. (I was under the impression I had an hour to fill.) Not so fast. Upon going through my stack Jamal gave me some words of approval and some of dismay. The last cd in the stack was Terence Blanchard's A Tale of God's Will (a requiem for katrina). (I had planned to end the show with Funeral Dirge.) Jamal paused. In his worn, graveled voice, "Awww man. You want to play the dirge. The diiirrrge? Aww sheeeiit. It's just so damn slow, you know? I mean, it's a dirge!" I reply, "Yeah, I know, and I feel ya. But I love it. It's a powerful song." Jamal: "I don't know. You know, I like Terence. He's a good kid and a hell of trumpet player. But lately man, he's been doing that heady shit, you know. It's just too damn heady for people."

... ... ...

And so I ask you reader, have you heard this record? It says more with it's drums, bass, piano, sax, and trumpet than any speech I've heard, any words I've read, any pictures I've seen. It's a testament to the unrivaled depth of music's capabilities, striking the deepest, most guarded emotions --- anger and sadness, strength and beauty, hope and pride. You don't have to think about this music. It's music you feel. It peels away the layers of skin and bone, muscle and tissue and forces your heart to listen. Sure, it helps to understand the context of what inspired the pieces, an American tragedy unmatched in many of our lives. And yet it's not hard to translate this music to the great tragedies and crises of the current world landscape. The compositions capture the raw emotion of an incredibly personal, painful time and manage to transcend Terence Blanchard's own experiences at the same time. But do we really want to listen to something painful?

I read a review of Erykah Badu's New Amerykah: Part 1 earlier today (on Amazon) where the reviewer said it was okay, and that he understands and is all for an artist exploring their vision and all, but can't you have a little fun at the same time. Basically lamenting that the album just didn't have enough fun songs, something to play in the car, something not so serious. Well what the fuck times are you living in? I praise Erykah Badu for taking the risks, making a statement, and not worrying about if her record has enough catchy singles. It's a difficult thing to do.

Jamal explained more about why he wouldn't play the dirge, saying that people are driving home from a day's work and they don't want to be brought down. Explained that he was trying to bring the people some fun. You know Jamal, I dig. And what you do is important. But people need to wake the fuck up too and this is a serious record about serious shit and I don't really give a fuck if it brings people down. If it makes you feel sad maybe it will inspire at the same time. If it makes you feel angry maybe it will inspire at the same time. And after you've run through the range of emotions it may just lift you up... and inspire at the same time.

I feel New Orleans when I hear this music. I feel houses on top of cars. I feel people waiving signs on rooftops. I feel kids screaming at the Superdome. I feel Harry Connick Jr. pleading on national tv for help. And I feel our unfathomable, unforgivable, unforgotten response. And I wasn't even there.

So was there a live performance at Blues Alley in this somewhere? Yes, though I've pretty much said it all without even mentioning it yet. I had goosebumps I couldn't shake, a gripping, fierce chill over my upper body. When the opening phrases of Levees began and each member of the band closed their eyes (save the piano player), I couldn't help but think that each musician was calling on their own stories and memories that they hold close as a muse for the moment. And just as the band can't escape their personal stories attached to this music, neither can anyone who hears it. It is a gift.

Terence Blanchard, Live at Blues Alley, June 6, 2008 - 10pm

Mantra> Levees> Funeral Dirge> Bop bop, Badabop

I didn't record this show as Blues Alley does not allow taping. In lieu of this, I have Funeral Dirge embedded from imeem on the site (you can listen to the entire song here.) I also went looking for a live Terence Blanchard show online and came across a performance at the Monterey Jazz Festival from September 22, 2007. This show was performed with the Monterey Jazz Festival Chamber Orchestra and was a radio broadcast though the station's call letters were not given. While very different from the intimate quintet performance from this past Friday night, I have cut a mix from the Monterey show to represent the performance I just saw. I used the same setlist and order of songs though in place of the closing upbeat song "Bop bop, Bada bop" (which incidentally is a song with no official name per the band) I put in the upbeat Ghost of Congo Square with which they closed the Monterey show. Upbeat? Yup, through it all, Terence Blanchard manages to have a little fun, and implores you to do the same, telling the audience "If you want to get up, testify, dance, do whatever feels good to you... go 'head. Have a ball." This is New Orleans after all.

You can hear the mix here.

The Terence Blanchard Quintet is:

Terence Blanchard: Trumpet
Brice Winston: Saxophone
Derrick Hodge: Bass
Kendrick Scott: Drums
Fabian Almazan: Piano

3 Completely Unrelated Videos

2008-06-06T16:26:00.004-04:00

Stealth Bomber Crashes

Kinda cool Radiohead remix. Kinda.

Big Ideas (Don't get any) from 1030 on Vimeo.

This always makes me laugh.

Black Music Month

2008-06-05T09:30:00.002-04:00

Hey. How nice of Apple and iTunes to recognize June as Black Music Month. And here I was thinking music was such a white thing and the contributions of black artists never get due respect.

See, really I'm in that whole "is anyone else offended by this" camp. I'm all about promoting "black music" of course, but since ALL music is black music, this is just condescending bullshit that actually devalues the contributions of black artists. Jazz, Blues, Funk, Soul, Hip-Hop, Go-go, Afrobeat... these aren't artists I'm listing, it's entire genres of music, deeply entrenched in black history and culture. I might give you classical, rock, and country - but even then we'd get into how the Stones have openly talked about ripping off black music, Led Zeppelin's heavy reliance on blues and soul and Black Sabbath originally forming as a blues band grinding it out in the UK. Early Rock and Roll... Chuck Berry. Rhythm and Blues... come on. Elvis? Black as hell. I'm taking rock back actually, because it most definitely grew out of black music. You can have classical and country (no disrespect to either of those two fine genres, of course.)

So is this an Apple thing? Of course not. Lo and behold a quick google search turned up the 2007 and 2008 official proclamations straight from the White House, signed by the honorable George W. Bush. Ahhhhh. Now I get it. Isn't everything PR these days? (Answer: yes.)

Well, in honor of Black Music Month I'd like to offer the world my contribution. Including music written by legendary Black artists Duke Ellington, Cannonball Adderley, Bob Marley, The Meters, Herbie Hancock, D'angelo, Steve Winwood and more ---- I present to you the two latest Higher Hands at Armadillo's shows. Last Thursday's 5/29 and a special follow-up show on Saturday 5/31 are both up on archive.org. Black as hell.

You can lead a horse to water...

2008-05-26T11:00:00.001-04:00

... and you can make them drink.

Just follow the arrow.

No, I haven't stopped cutting my Higher Hands Highlights mixes, just fell behind last week. These are from 5/15 and 5/22 and I must say, they're both awfully nice. I cut 5/22 first and was a bit worried about what I'd do with 5/15 afterwards. And then, quite possibly, 5/15 ended up even better. Remember: we're sticking with the diversity theme, so while it's staying funky there's a heavy dose of soul, jazz, reggae, and go-go. (Hip-hop was 2 weeks ago.) Dig.

As always, the complete shows are up on archive.org available for download or streaming.

Lettuce Does Dilla

2008-05-20T09:00:00.006-04:00

I only grabbed the 1st set of Lettuce's show at Tipitina's French Quarter on Friday night of Jazzfest 2nd weekend. Listening back I wish I had sucked down a Red Bull or two and made the 2nd set. I hear a recording of the full show is out there but haven't seen it surface yet. This one will go up on Archive as soon as I'm done tracking it, but in the meantime...

For James Yancey

Update 1:00pm 5/20: The complete show is now up on Archive.

Update 1:23pm 5/21: My source is now up here, though I'd grab the complete source linked in the first update for 1) completeness and 2) better overall mix, especially the vocals.

Coming Soon

2008-05-19T07:53:00.000-04:00

Taking me quite a bit more time to work through my Jazzfest material than I figured. Still looking to post a breakdown of the weekend with some nice audio samples. They're coming. In the meantime, what can I serve as an appetizer?

John Ellis & Doublewide
May 3, 2008
Donna's Bar and Grill

The band was kind enough to allow me to record. I placed my mic against the stage pointing up at John, no more than 3 feet away. They started things off with the first song on their new album... called All Up In the Aisles. It's a beautiful recording and performance.

featuring:
John Ellis - Saxaphones
Brian Coogan - Organ
Jason Marsalis - Drums

All Up In the Aisles - Live at Donna's Bar and Grill, New Orleans

Raising Their Game

2008-05-10T22:20:00.002-04:00

I was already on the bandwagon, but Thursday night these cats known as The Higher Hands took it up a level. It's serious folks and only getting stronger each week. Check out the complete show over on Archive. My highlights mix can be heard by clicking the link below. Being the first show after Jazzfest, had to kick it off with a little New Orleans love. Oh yeah, they can second line too. Re-dick-uh-luss-nuss.

Raising The Game - March 08, 2008

You can stream or download all of the Higher Hands Highlights mixes over on the SOUNDS section of soundbetter.net. Might not be long before the HHH Series has it's own page.

Last Night at the Wolf

2008-05-02T11:15:00.006-04:00

[from left to right: Billy Martin, Oteil Burbridge, DJ Logic, Bernie Worrell]

Global Noize:
DJ Logic - Turntables
Jason Miles - Nord
Bernie Worrell - Keys
Karl Denson - Flute and Sax
Christian Scott - Trumpet
Topaz - Sax
Oteil Burbridge - Bass
Billy Martin - Drums
Carl Burnett - Guitar
Falu - Vocals

Here's the encore.

Great start.

Not Going to Jazzfest

2008-04-25T13:15:00.015-04:00

No, not me. You. It's okay. While you shouldn't need the reminder, WWOZ is broadcasting live from the fairgrounds starting today. Check their website for the schedule or just listen live over the internet.

Better yet, next weekend check out this site for live video feeds from the fest. (They're also broadcasting from Coachella this weekend.) Nightime? Hit up Tipitina's for their live web feeds, both video and audio only. Tonight is Zigaboo's Funk Revue starting around 10pm EST.

And maybe, just maybe, I'll be posting some goodness from the 2nd weekend. I'll have my gear, but what I'm able to pull (and the quality of such) is yet to be determined. Click here > (May 2), here > (May 3) and here > (May 4) to see what I'm targeting. Okay, now I'm just rubbing it in.

Here's that WWOZ broadcast schedule with my picks. Sunday from 2:40 pm - 5:05 pm (est) is golden.

Friday, April 25

» 11:30 - 12:20 p.m.
Zion Trinity

Congo Square “My Louisiana” Stage

» 2:15 - 3:15 p.m.
Big Sam’s Funky Nation

Congo Square “My Louisiana” Stage

» 5:40 - 7:00 p.m.
Burning Spear

Congo Square “My Louisiana” Stage

(either this or the next group will be taped and broadcast tomorrow)

» 5:45 - 7:00 p.m.
Lizz Wright

WWOZ Jazz Tent

Saturday, April 26

» 11:25 - 12:25 p.m.
Berklee College of Music Jazz Ensemble

WWOZ Jazz Tent

» 2:05 - 3:05 p.m.
Big Jay McNeely with Jesse Scinto

Southern Comfort Blues Tent

» 5:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Ponderosa Stomp with Tammi Lynn, Archie Bell, Roy Head, Chick Willis, Dennis Binder

Southern Comfort Blues Tent

Sunday, April 27

» 11:25 - 12:15 p.m.
Paulin Brothers Brass Band

Jazz & Heritage Stage

(either this or the next group will be broadcast in the early afternoon)

»11:30 - 12:30 p.m.
Lil Freddie King Blues Band

Southern Comfort Blues Tent

» 1:40 - 2:30 p.m.
Shamarr Allen

Jazz & Heritage Stage

» 2:55 - 4:05 p.m.
Midnite Disturbers Brass Band

Jazz & Heritage Stage

» 3:45 - 4:55 p.m.
Roy Young

Southern Comfort Blues Tent

» 5:30 - 6:50 p.m.
Delbert McClinton

Southern Comfort Blues Tent

*** All times in Central Standard Time. ***

Put This In Your iPod and Smoke It

2008-04-20T18:35:00.005-04:00

Alright y'all. This is the real deal. I've started recording the killer soul-funk band The Higher Hands each and every Thursday night.* You can grab the complete shows on archive.org, but I'll also be mixing a 35-45 minute highlight mix each week and posting it on soundbetter.net. This gives me a chance to hand pick my favorite moments from each night while also showcasing the band's diversity from week to week. I'm planning on keeping it interesting and changing up the setlist just as the band does regularly. The first 2 are done (4-10-2008 and 4-17-2008) and they smoke! Don't fake on this. Download the mixes, get hyped, and then go grab the whole show. And if you're in the MD/DC/VA area don't sleep on the live show either. Every Thursday at Armadillo's in Annapolis. "It's funky. It's free. It's the place to be."® No bullshit. These cats are serious.

Higher Hands Highlights 4-10-2008 - "Angels of God"

Higher Hands Highlights 4-17-2008 - "Introducing Ben Bays"

Q: "What the hell is Angels of God?"

A: Each week I'll give the mix a name that fits the evening. Unless you attended the show it may not be apparent the relevance of the title. In the instances above, after the first song on 4-10 someone from the crowd yelled out "You guys are Angels of God, Man!" Don't hear that every day at shows. 4-17 has an alternate title of "1,2,3,4...", which you'll understand if you hear the entire show. This mix, however, showcases what a killer night Ben Bays had on percussion. Enjoy.

* Unfortunately, I will not be able to record the next 2 weeks for circumstances outside of my control. (Game 3 Wiz-Cavs and Jazzfest!)
Recordings and mixes to resume May 8.

® "It's funky. It's free. It's the place to be." is a registered trademark of The Higher Hands (or at least it could be.)

WWOZ broadcasting live from French Quarter Fest

2008-04-11T13:27:00.006-04:00

4/15/2008 UPDATE: Hear the complete broadcast of Otra's set here.

Broadcast Schedule

Friday, April 11
» 11:00 - 12:45 p.m. Rumba Buena
» 1:00 - 2:45 p.m. Ricardo Crespo and Sol Brasil
» 3:15 - 5:00 p.m. Lafourche Cajun Band
» 5:15 - 7:00 p.m. Bruce Daigrepont

Saturday, April 12
» 11:30 - 1:00 p.m. Jimmy Thibodeaux Band
» 1:15 - 3:00 p.m. Jeremy & The Zydeco Hotboys
» 3:00 - 4:45 p.m. Otra
» 5:15 - 7:00 p.m. Dwayne Dopsie and the Zydeco Hellraisers

Sunday, April 13
» 11:15 - 1:00 p.m. Roddie Romero and the Hub-City Allstars
» 1:15 - 3:00 p.m. Amanda Shaw and the Cute Guys
» 3:15 - 5:00 p.m. Keith Frank and the Soileau Zydeco Band
» 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. Ovi G and The Froggies

*All times in Central Standard Time.

Listen Live Here

This Strange World

2008-03-28T21:36:00.002-04:00

I've found myself liking the song in the Macbook Air commercial quite a bit lately. So I went and looked it up and found myself liking the real video for the song quite a bit too. I was only the 5,447,070 person to view it.

The artist's name is Yael Naim and the song is called New Soul. A nice, quick read here sheds some light on her struggle with the industry before this huge break.

I'm thinking I might start a new blog just about commercials.

Amazing

2008-03-20T21:10:00.006-04:00

So recently I've been hearing this song on a DWS [correction: DSW] Shoes commercial and immediately recognized it but couldn't quite place it. It was a tight groove too and I'm saying I know I have that on something. Well after the third time or so seeing the spot, it hit me... no[ne] other than The Bamboos' "Happy", who happen to still be on my Recent Listening list.

I say to myself, "I should post about this," because I love to talk about commercials even though I hate commercials. I start thinking how the commercial jingle is dead and that the people working behind the scenes are actually using real music to sell their products, whether it be current or retread 80's hits. Still, this may not have made it to print until tonight.

Sitting at home watching the NCAA tourney, toying with the blog template, I notice that The Bamboos are still in my recent listening. I actually say to myself, "Ha. I bet all of my recent listenings are in commercials these days." A fairly baseless musing to myself, especially when I look over what's there and see Maynard and Saul Williams, cats who aren't popping up in commercials anytime soon. And then... literally within 20 minutes or so... this commercial:

No shit! And while the title of this post is "Amazing", truth is it's really not that amazing anymore. At the end of the day music doesn't pay the bills unless you're selling platinum. Artists make their name from the music and make their money from everything else (merchandise, touring, licensing, etc.)

When the commercial was over how did you feel? "Damn straight!" That's what I said.

Missing D'angelo

2008-03-09T17:10:00.003-04:00

I missed the track Really Love leaking last April. It is available on this recent mixtape release that is definitely not the new album everyone is waiting for.

This is the most definite info I've read on D'angelo's forthcoming release, tentatively titled James River.

Below is a sample grab that has nothing to do with the new album. (You'll have to trust me that he does in fact talk about the new album or click the link and read for yourself.)

i turned him onto hendrix just before we started voodoo (hence the album title) and he just went crazy. it was like a revelation for him. he realized (for the first time) that a lot of his heroes were greatly influenced by hendrix, including prince, sly, george clinton...everyone!

So after reading that, of course I wanted to know more about this Russell Elevado. Who exactly was he and how legitimate was his info? I'm almost ashamed that I didn't recognize the name, being someone who avidly reads the liner notes of most of my cds. Turns out Russ Elevado has worked as a mixing engineer on many of my favorite albums. These include Blackalicious' Blazing Arrow and The Craft, Saul Williams' Amethyst Rock Star, Roy Hargove's RH Factor - Hard Groove, a few tracks off of Erykah Badu's Mama's Gun (including Bag Lady and the epic Green Eyes), and of course, D'angelo's Voodoo. Okay, my interest was really peaked now.

Last year Russ was featured on Gearslutz.com where he answered many user questions. Check out what he had to say on the following.

R.E. on Blazing Arrow

R.E. on Amethyst Rock Star

Looking for his website led me to Wikipedia where a link for his personal site was discretely located at the bottom. Here's where I think it gets interesting. I jumped to his site and it says "Welcome to my temporary website." Well damn, won't be much here I figure. But I click his blog link and he just put the first message up Thursday, March 6 2008. Hmmmmn, looks like Russ is just starting this thing. The website doesn't show up on a Google search so my guess is it hasn't been active very long. Well over on recent projects he says:

currently i'm in the studio with D'Angelo. we started the next phase of tracking for his 3rd album. this album has been a work in progress since just after the voodoo tour in 2002. we haven't done any work on it since around 2006. D'Angelo is in good spirits and is ready to make another masterpiece.

I'm taking this as confirmation that D'angelo is still working and moving towards completing the long awaited next release. Not a surprise or anything new really, as it's been reported for some time that work was being done. But this at least sounds like it's moving forward right now and hopefully that means it won't be much longer.

You can check out Russ Elevado's full discography here.

Over on that gearslutz forum, someone re-posted what ?uestlove had previously posted on Okayplayer awhile back (years ago now) about the new project. I had never seen this, but it's got me excited.

-----Here's the deal: 11 songs are done. Most need lyrics. Most are in the 7-9 minute range. All are epic as ****. Most need a haircut. Shit I love. But shit I know the marketplace ain't even ready for. If "Untitled" video is what got him over on the idiot side of things, he is gonna have to get his physical game back and come with some strong ass imagining to make up for the fact that there will be no radio friendly single -- newbies I'm warning you now, if you want to "understand" this record--you must purchase and study the following: [Funkadelic's] Maggot Brain, America Eats Its Young, Cosmic Slop, Standing on the Verge of Getting It On, Let's Take it to the Stage, Tales of Kidd Funkadelic, [Sly & The Family Stone's] There's a Riot Going On, [Miles Davis'] On the Corner, [Shuggie Otis'] Inspiration Information, [Brian Wilson's] Smile, [the Beatles'] Abbey Road, Revolver, [Jimi Hendrix's] Electric Ladyland, [the Sex Pistol's] Nevermind the Bullocks Here's the Sex Pistols, [Prince's] Dirty Mind, [Tony Williams'] Ego and Emergency!. Study and absorb and research this shit now. Memorize it. Understand why the albums I mentioned were important in their historical context. Lower your expectations. This will throw you for a loop. ----- [?uestlove on D'angelo's new material]

And finally, how 'bout some D'angelo obscurities from YouTube. I went searching for some nice live performances and ended up finding these gems.

First, a young D'angelo performs Bill Withers' Use Me with David Sanborn and a few very recognizable "friends." 1998.

And at the 1996 Grammy Awards (though I swear that doesn't look like the same young D), a very cool tribute to Stevie Wonder performed with Tony Rich. I have a hard time focusing on the different parts while listening, so I can imagine how tough this was to sing and play.

WPFW Tribute to Bob Marley - TODAY!

2008-02-29T11:06:00.002-05:00

Listen Live

New General Elektriks Remixes

2008-02-24T20:30:00.003-05:00

General Elektriks has produced a bunch of new tracks for their 2nd full-length record, release date not yet announced. But in anticipation of the new album, Good City for Dreamers, GE is making available an exclusive, download-only, mixtape dubbed Pocketful of MCs. These remixes will not be on the new record but are available as free downloads from the General Elektriks website.

The first was released in September with the intention of releasing one track each month leading up the official release. This didn't happen in the coming months but looks to be back on track. Last month a 2nd track was released with the word of a 3rd coming soon.

September 2007: "Coming Up For Air" featuring Lateef the Truthspeaker (MP3, WAV)

January 2008: "Requiem For A Neo-Con" featuring Mr. Lif (MP3, WAV)

February 2008: "Death of an 80's Limo" featuring Beans (MP3, AIF)

Notable New Release

2008-02-24T16:40:00.004-05:00

Yeah, Erykah has a new one coming out in 2 days. The Black Crowes new one is set to release a week later. And Jill Scott just released a live cd/dvd combo. But you probably know about these already, right? Really don't need me to hype these major artists.

While I am excited about hearing new music from all of those artists, I'm looking forward to March 25th for an upcoming release from one of my favorite, lesser-known artists. I've mentioned him here before, saxophone player John Ellis.

His new project is called John Ellis & Double Wide. It features Gary Versace on organ, Matt Perrine on sousaphone and Jason Marsalis on drums.

Though Ellis is currently based in Brooklyn, this new release is heavily influenced by the city of New Orleans, where Ellis previously resided. Without hearing most of the the tunes, the presence alone of New Orleans heavyweights Perrine and Marsalis makes this evident. A few tracks can be heard now though, with "Three Legged Tango" and "Dream and Mosh" up on his myspace page. The name of the record is Dance Like There's No Tomorrow. There's a nice write-up over at All About Jazz that breaks down the music and discusses the title and inspiration for the project.

Check out the new video of the title track here.

Among other things

2008-02-03T23:45:00.000-05:00

And just like that its been 2 months without an update. I've tried to limit this blog to music-related content, but as an individual I'm finding that just talking about new (or old) music is not always what's most important to me. It's time I finally widen the scope a bit and lift my self-imposed restrictions for what appears here. So while soundbetter.net will always represent a pursuit of better music, the blog itself will now be a pursuit of better music... among other things.

Miles Davis, 1962

2008-02-03T23:40:00.000-05:00

Not sure why I've been holding on to this for so long. I've had this interview with Miles saved for posting for months and have been waiting for the right time to put it up. Over 5 months later I still haven't done it.

Stumbled across it one day and found it incredibly fascinating. It's as much a look at race relations in 1962 as it is a discussion of the jazz scene. Here's a sample grab that touches on both topics.

PLAYBOY: Are there any particular places or clubs that you don't like to play?

DAVIS : There are plenty I won't play! I won't take a booking nowhere in the South. I told you I just can't stand Jim Crow, so I ain't going down there in it. There's enough of it here in the North, but at least you have the support of some laws.

I won't play nowhere I know has the kind of audiences that you waste your breath to play for. I'm talking about them expense-account ofays that use music as a background for getting high and trying to show off to the women they brought. They ain't come to hear good music. They don't even know how to enjoy themselves. They drink too much, they get loud, they got to be seen and heard. They'll jump up and dance jigs and sing. They ain't got no manners -- don't pay their women no respect. What they really want is some Uncle Tom entertainment if it's a Negro group on the stand. These are the kind will holler, "Hey, boy, play "Sweet Georgia Brown!" You supposed to grin and play that. I hate to play in a place full of those kind of squares so bad that if there wasn't nobody else to play to, I'd invest in some more property and just stay home and collect rents. I can't stand dumb-ass people not respecting the other customers that have come to hear the music. Sometimes one table like that has bugged me so that when I get home or to my hotel, I walk the floor because I can't sleep.

The complete interview is well worth the read.

Wow. Just came across this NPR Tribute which can be downloaded free. Listening to it now, it's steady music behind Miles' life story. Plenty of interviews and anecdotes... good stuff.

Been meaning to check out this NPR music site for awhile now (and post about it too.) It hasn't been up long but it has a ton of great stuff. In fact, this is the song of the day featured on the homepage as of Sunday night. I'll have to get over here a little more often.

CeU

2007-12-04T19:10:00.000-05:00

A Roda

Malemolencia

Proof that Pop Music sounds better when sung in Portuguese. Not really. While CeU has a strong pop sensibility, she also has a tight band (musically speaking) and a heavy influence of groove, soul, and afrobeat. At times her voice recalls Les Nubians, Fiona Apple, and yes, a bit of everyone's favorite pop/soul-lite vocalist, Corinne Bailey Rae. It all gets pulled together into very likable, catchy, songs which fit the "pop" genre easy enough, but I think there's some depth to the talent here. Check out the Fiona influence on the free download, Ave Cruz. I've also pulled some of her best performances available on YouTube. In particular, there are versions of Malemolencia and Lenda featuring a stripped down band consisting of just her guitar player and percussionist. Young, with only one album to her name, definitely an artist I'm keeping an eye on.

Read - YouTube - Her Home - Her Space - Download - Buy

The conversation stops at Stevie Wonder

2007-11-17T19:30:00.000-05:00

I remember having a dialogue over email with someone from an MMW online group. I had posted something about seeing Erykah Badu live or maybe something about loving Mama's Gun and he responded asking about Badu, because for whatever reason he just couldn't see it. I appreciated his interest, especially since he wasn't a fan of hers but took the time to try to understand the hype surrounding her name and music. I explained that Badu is one of modern music's innovators and that along with people like D'angelo, Maxwell, and Jill Scott have reinvented modern Soul music. Still, he had plenty of doubts and the conversation continued for a few days. In one of my emails I began to inquire about the depth of his music collection. In particular I asked if he owned any Stevie Wonder records. Stevie was never mentioned in the dialogue previous to this but it was something to give me a frame of reference for who I was talking to. Despite his lack of Badu affection, I was more than a little surprised when he said that he, in fact, did not own any Stevie Wonder but "You know, had heard his songs before." My next email went something like this:

"Forget about Badu. Seriously. If you don't own any Stevie Wonder you might as well forget trying to get into Badu and go listen to some Stevie instead. I mean it. Don't bother trying to understand Badu until you explore Stevie."

Why try to convince someone of the greatness of Badu if they don't recognize the genius of Stevie Wonder? The conversation stops at Stevie Wonder.

I'm falling in love with Stevie Wonder for the second time in my life. The first was initially discovering his music, listening to various "Best of..." albums where I heard the songs that define his legacy. It still took years for me to recognize his greatness. I was in high school and listening to a lot of Tool, Rage, Go-go and other anti-mainstream music. (Coincidentally this was also the time when I first heard "On & On" every damn morning, during a car ride of mostly awful music. 1997.) But back to Stevie, over time there were just too many great songs where I'd say, "Damn. This is Stevie Wonder too." For some fans, these songs are good enough, after all, its the so-called "best" of what he has to offer. But for others, it eventually only leads to wanting to hear EVERY PIECE OF MUSIC he has ever produced... ever. Overkill? Depends on who you ask, but the answer is a resounding NO. I own just about every Jimi Hendrix record, official or bootleg, that you can find. I'm satisfied to the point that I have stopped searching. I own over 40 or more Miles Davis records but admit I haven't fully explored them yet. I'm satisfied there too, knowing I have work to do but have the resources on hand to do it. And then there's Stevie.

After picking up a copy of the 4-cd retrospective released a few years ago (thanks Adam), I figured I was good. Over 4 hours of Stevie Wonder all in one nice, neat package. I also owned the live record, Natural Wonder, which I still love, a 2-disc compilation of greatest hits, and a few others as well. Great, I've heard it all and I love it. But sitting here now, listening to Innervisions, I'm wondering how it took me this long to explore ALL of Stevie. At the same time, there's such an excitement to listening to these records as intended, start to finish. It's really a completely different experience digesting the albums as complete albums rather than the songs as individual songs. Higher Ground just started and its placement makes those opening lines stand on edge, cutting through the speakers, sounding better in this context than any time I've heard it before. Really. Alone it's a great, funky song. Here, you are pulled into the beauty of the record when Higher Ground rips through, making a powerful statement.

As Thanksgiving approaches, I can tell you that at this moment in time, I am incredibly thankful for the gift that is Stevie Wonder's music.

Words just can't do the music justice. I have so much more I could say, like the fact that today I just realized he was only 22 years old when Music of My Mind and Talking Book were released, 23 for Innervisions, and 24 for Fullfillingness' First Finale. That's fucking incredible. I mean, that... is fucking... incredible! Genius is a word that can get thrown around lightly, but there's a reason Stevie is pretty much universally hailed as a genius. And as much as I thought I already dug him, I'm just starting to realize the depth of his greatness.

There is Stevie... and then there's everyone else.

The Inevitable Rise

2007-11-10T16:00:00.000-05:00

The joint release from longtime trailblazers Saul Williams and Trent Reznor is much more than a collection of songs.

It is the sign of changing times.

It is a call to action.

It is the motivation that founded soundbetter.net.

It is the movement.

Read what Saul says about the record.

Download the entire album right now.

The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust!

Support Independent Artists.
Support Saul Williams.

2007-10-30T14:35:00.000-04:00

All things Harlem Experiment.

$10.

Voodoo Music Experience

2007-10-26T18:33:00.000-04:00

This weekend in New Orleans...

Broadcasting live on WWOZ and streaming video at iClips.net. Video lineup includes Mofro tonight at 10pm . Tomorrow: Porter/Batiste/Stoltz at 7pm, Ivan Neville's Dumpstaphunk at 9pm, New Orleans Social Club at 11pm. Sunday: The Black Crowes at 7pm. Plenty more though. (All times in EST)

If only you could record that streaming video?

[Update 7:45pm] Hmmmm, conflict... WWOZ will broadcast JJ Grey performing a live solo set tonight between 10-10:30pm EST. At the same time over on iClips.net, Mofro's entire performance from earlier today will be video broadcast. Can't go wrong with either. Me? I'll figure a way to get both.

If you don't get it...

2007-10-22T23:15:00.000-04:00

First up is a concept long overdue.
(By way of the Washington Post) I present to you...

The Moby Quotient

and

The Equation

What is the Moby Quotient? I should really just let you read and come back. But for those who understandably don't read blogs just to be directed somewhere else to read, I'll briefly summarize. Simply put, it is one man's attempt to quantify how much an artist sells out with various commercial endeavors. The article breaks down how the theory came about while the equation clearly illustrates factors used in the calculation. Readers are also encouraged to calculate their own values for custom scenarios. Brilliant!

Next up, Dave McKenna accurately assesses the show that kicked off the Experience Hendrix tour at Constitution Hall last Tuesday night. I was there and it wasn't good. Sure, it had a few moments (Kenny Wayne Shepherd providing the best highlights). But once the house lights came up, the stage cleared, and the crowd ushered out, it was a letdown.

Driving home I debated what to title the post I would write that night about the show. Possibilities included "The Buddy Guy Experience," "Get off the stage Buddy!" and "Fuck Buddy Guy." Not kidding. You get the idea. After a promising start to the show that included some solid performances, followed by some awful performances, followed by some killer performances, we got 45 minutes of Buddy Guy doing Buddy Guy. Not just being Buddy Guy, but doing Buddy Guy, as in all Buddy Guy songs. Two words he never mentioned the entire time he was on stage? "Jimi" and "Hendrix." Neither one. Not once. He drained the energy from the entire room and made the Purple Haze>Voodoo Child>Hey Joe finale feel anti-climactic. Buddy wasn't the only problem though. And looking back, I can't completely agree with the sentiment of the article's title. It was worth the experience, just not what it could have been.

Read Hendrix Tribute: Not Worth the Experience.

And finally, this tidbit from an article about copyright law and how some "violators" are fighting back. I had to read it twice.

Ric Silver, the choreographer of the Electric Slide, says he spent three years contacting 17,000 Web sites about what he says is their "incorrect portrayal" of the famous line dance. Silver also told YouTube to take down a number of videos showing the dance, including one clip of a concert filmed by Kyle Machulis.

Machulis sued Silver for copyright abuse. As part of the settlement, Silver agreed to allow the video to be reposted with a tagline crediting him for the choreography, but he now says he's waiting for paperwork from the Library of Congress that will allow him to open new lawsuits over clips like Machulis's.

"I can't go to every wedding and bar mitzvah in the country, so this is all I can do to make sure people learn it right," Silver said.

Not a shred of sarcasm in there? No follow-up joke? Maybe it's just me.

[Live Show] 3 Foot Icon

2007-10-03T10:30:00.000-04:00

When: Friday, September 28
Where: 8 x 10 Club, Baltimore MD

3 Foot Icon is a new project fronted by Speech of Arrested Development, Chief Xcel of Blackalicious, and Kyle Hollingsworth of String Cheese Incident. They came to Baltimore this past Friday night for a late (10:30pm doors) show and exceeded my already hyped expectations.

Why was I expecting good things? The answer is simple really; the presence of Chief Xcel. I'm of the opinion that everything Xcel touches is golden. Examples include the Blackalicious classics NIA, Blazing Arrow, and The Craft and his collaboration with Quannum labelmate Lateef the Truthspeaker entitled Maroons: Ambush.

I was also looking forward to checking out Speech. At the height of his popularity as the leader of the hugely popular, MTV regulars, Arrested Development, I was busy digging Tool, NIN, the Pixies etc. to recognize. But later on I grew to respect Speech as an artist, a voice, and a talent. And so this setting was a great opportunity to see where he's at now.

And then there's that String Cheese guy. Have to admit, not a fan of String Cheese Incident. But the fact that Kyle was involved in a project with the two aforementioned artists earned major points before the show ever began. Then I heard him play. Alright, as if this comes as some surprise, Kyle Hollingsworth can definitely play.

Band started tight with an instrumental jam consisting of Kyle on keys, Chief on turntables and laptop, guitar player, bass player, and drummer. (I regret that I don't have the names of the other players in the band. Apparently 3 Foot Icon has ignored the universal law that each and every musical endeavor, no matter the quality or legitimacy, requires its own separate myspace page.) Speech entered stage left moments into the second song, driven by a "nod-your-head-to-this" Chief Xcel beat. The band started to fall into the beat (somewhat off) until Xcel faded it out and ripped into some nice scratching.

Ended up getting a Mr. Wendel, Tennessee, and encore of Everyday People. And you know what? It wasn't lame at all. The sound lived up to the hype. Hip-Hop met Jam met Soul. These cats rocked.

[Got more to say but it's taking me too long to finish posts and get them up. So this one's going up almost done. I know, pretty weak.]

New Orleans is Alive and...

2007-09-01T15:20:00.000-04:00

Well... there's still a lot of progress to be made. Those who know me are aware of my deep affection for NOLA. We made it down for Jazzfest this past April/May and again for the first week of August. I'm starting to upload some pictures to Mac.com's new web gallery site and have now finally documented the latest Jazzfest trip. Check out those pics and others here.

These trips reaffirmed for me that New Orleans is indeed, alive. Work is being done, albeit slower and less efficient than ideal. There is an amazing resiliency amongst the locals. While acknowledging the great tragedy and disaster in which they have suffered, they'll make clear their complete faith in recovery. The people I spoke with aren't waiting for the government or volunteers or handouts to get it done. People are working. Whether it's busing tables, filling drinks, playing for tips, driving a cab, or cleaning the streets, New Orleans is working. New Orleans is alive.

New Music

Gov't Majik
A new incarnation of a band who didn't survive the storm, this 12-piece ensemble is self-dubbed "The Dirty South Afro-Beat Arkestra." New CD entitled Reality (It Hits You...) available for download here or purchase here.

Gov't Majik (bass player/bandleader Bru Bruser missing)

Gov't Majik live at The Hookah Cafe, New Orleans, Sunday August 5, 2007

Non-Static
I just discovered this band last week on the internet, so admittedly, I know very little except what can be read and heard on their myspace page. Though they appear to be primarily based out of Brooklyn, most band members have strong ties to New Orleans, either splitting time there currently or having lived and worked there in the past. Project is lead by Mitch Paone, a keyboardist with whom I am not familiar; however, I do recognize the excellent cast of musicians he's managed to enlist around him. They include John Ellis (sax), Cocheme'a Gastelum (sax), Matty Williams (bass), Eric Kalb (drums), and Simon Lott (drums). Debut record is set to be released this October and is tentatively titled Nuyorkleanians. Samples on myspace sound good, but I have a feeling this will be music best heard in a live setting. Then again, the best music always is...

Recent Reporting

Washington Post Article, Still Singing Those Post-Katrina Blues

This is a nice, long piece on the struggles New Orleans' musicians are facing earning a living after the storm. There are also links to photos and a short video of Troy Andrews driving through the 9th Ward discussing his return to the city.

Offbeat Interview with Louisiana Lieutenant-Governor Mitch Landrieu

This is an interesting discussion on the balance of art and commerce, with a focus on New Orleans and how to "sell" the music and art without losing authenticity. It's a discussion I've had personally with close friends many times and an issue I still struggle with today. The balance of staying true to your art and yet trying to make a living off of it at the same time... it's difficult. New Orleans artists love their City and their culture, but they deserve to enjoy some commercial success, a reality that has become increasingly difficult in the aftermath of Katrina (as detailed in the Washington Post article). Lieutenant-Governor Mitch Landrieu expresses the necessity of accepting business with art and yet seems to respect the balance between the two that should be maintained.

Experience Hendrix Tour

2007-08-26T12:13:00.000-04:00

The following text is from www.experiencehendrixtour.com:

A five city tour, featuring some of the best known and most respected figures in rock, blues has been set to celebrate the legacy and music of Jimi Hendrix next month. The tour launches October 16 at Washington’s Constitution Hall. Experience Hendrix, LLC, the Hendrix family-owned company charged entrusted with preserving and protecting the legacy of Jimi Hendrix is the presenter of the tour and lends its name to the endeavor which runs through October 20th. Other tour stops include New York; Hampton Beach, NH; Atlantic City and Waterbury, CT.

Featuring artists who will be performing music written by and associated with Jimi Hendrix include blues giant Buddy Guy, pedal steel innovator Robert Randolph, contemporary guitar greats Jonny Lang and Kenny Wayne Shepherd. Special guests include Robbie Krieger, guitarist of the Doors, Rolling Stones veteran guitarist Mick Taylor and Hubert Sumlin, the Mississippi-born guitarist who worked with both Howlin’ Wolf and Muddy Waters. Most remarkably, Mitch Mitchell (drums) and Billy Cox (bass), the same Jimi Hendrix Experience rhythm section that played behind Hendrix at Woodstock will be on hand for the Experience Hendrix tour dates as will Chris Layton and Tommy Shannon, a/k/a Double Trouble, the late Stevie Ray Vaughan’s highly regarded rhythm section. Native American band Indigenous, Eric Gales, the Memphis guitarist who is heard on the Power of Soul Jimi Hendrix tribute album and Kenny Olson of Kid Rock’s band are also part of the Experience Hendrix Tour. Various combinations of these artists in performance are sure to make the concerts very special events for both new and veteran Hendrix fans.

The new Experience Hendrix tour is an exciting prospect for Billy Cox whose history with Jimi Hendrix dates back to their days in the Army together. He commented, “It’s a thrill for me to play Jimi’s music for audiences now as it was in the early 1960s. The Experience Hendrix tour just show you how timeless this music really is.”

Tour dates:

October 16 Washington, DC, Constitution Hall
October 17 New York, New York, Beacon Theater
October 18 Hampton Beach, NH, Casino Ballroom
October 19 Atlantic City, New Jersey, Etess Arena, Trump Taj Mahal
October 20 Waterbury, CT, Palace Theater

Courtesy of Experience Hendrix, LLC

Update

2007-08-17T22:00:00.000-04:00

Hey there. Thanks for checking out the blog, whether it's your first time or if you're one the faithful who keep coming back despite my lack of updates. I still have a lot of ideas for this blog and plan to share more music and information in the coming months, and hopefully post more often.

For now, I've updated the Current Listening section with some of the music I discovered on a recent trip to New Orleans. It also has a link to Amir Sulaiman's website, an artist I previously mentioned on this blog. If you've still never heard him, do yourself a favor and go to his website, click on music, and listen to the first track, "Like a Thief." For more tracks and videos check out his myspace page.

Good stuff on the horizon...

From The Corner To The Block

2007-07-09T19:20:00.000-04:00

RELEASE DATE: August 21

Track List:
01. I Got It (What You Need?) (with Lyrics Born)
02. ...And I’m Out (with Mr. Lif)
03. The Corner (with Gift of Gab)
04. Second and Dryades (with Big Chief Monk Boudreaux)
05. Think Back (with Chali 2na)
06. Bounce Baby (with DJ Z-Trip)
07. Hustle Up (with Boots Riley)
08. Sidewalk Stepper
09. From the Corner to the Block (with Juvenile & Soul Rebels Brass Band)
10. Squarebiz (with Ladybug Mecca and Nino Moschella)
11. Tuff Love (with Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews)
12. No Way (with Lateef the Truthspeaker)
13. Fanfare
14. Find My Home (with Vursatyl and Ohmega Watts)

The first single is the title track featuring Juvenile and the Soul Rebels Brass Band and is available for download on iTunes.

Galactic also performed a special set at this year's Bonnaroo festival featuring many of the guest MC's from the new record. The complete live show is available for download on etree's tracker using bittorrent. (If you're still new to bittorrent but are interested, here's a good place to start.) Hoping to post a sample or two soon. Performers included Gift of Gab, Lyrics Born, Charlie 2na, Lateef the Truthspeaker, Boots Riley of The Coup, Mr. Lif, Vursatyl, and a few more. Killer.

Ready for the New Beasties

2007-05-25T13:20:00.000-04:00

Set to be released June 26, "The Mix-Up" is the second completely instrumental album recorded by the Beastie Boys. Yet to be seen (or heard) if it becomes the instant classic that the first one was, but I'm ready for it and expecting good things.

Someone on the inside has posted some nice new videos and in-studio clips on youtube, two of which can be seen below. Click here to see the rest.

"Electric Worm" (rehearsal)
Short but sweet. Nice footage of new material being rehearsed in the studio.

"Off the Grid" (from the forthcoming release "The Mix-Up")
New video. New material.

Like A Thief In The Night, Amir Sulaiman

2007-05-09T00:30:00.000-04:00

Amir Sulaiman, who forever lodged his voice and words in my mind with a stunning performance on HBO's Def Poetry, drops his new album next Tuesday, May 15th. It's available right now on iTunes for only $10. 16 tracks include "When I Die" with Mos Def and the same piece performed that night in Brooklyn, "Danger." Judge for yourself below.

Jazzfest 2007 - The Midnight Disturbers

2007-05-06T19:25:00.000-04:00

Listening to Maurice Brow n live on the last day of Jazzfest, broadcasted on WWOZ, I'll finally take a shot at running down what was another great three days of music last week in New Orleans.

Thursday Night: Papa Mali's Stoned Soul Picnic, featuring The Midnight Disturbers and Henry Butler - Howlin' Wolf, 2am

The Midnight Disturbers proved to be a highlight of the entire trip, an all-star brass band led by Stanton Moore on snare drum and Kevin O'Day on bass drum. Trombones: Big Sam Williams (Big Sam's Funky Nation, Dirty Dozen Brass Band) and Mark Mullins (Bonerama). Trumpets: Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews (Orleans Avenue, ReBirth Brass Band) and Alcedrick Todd. Saxophones: Ben Ellman (Galactic) and Skerik (Garage-a-Trois, Critters Buggin'). Sousaphone: Kirk Joseph (Kirk Joseph's Backyard Groove, Dirty Dozen Brass Band). Drums and Percussion: Stanton Moore (Galactic) and Kevin O'Day (Walter "Wolfman" Washington & the Roadmasters).

It was monumental to say the least. MVP probably goes to Troy Andrews, one of New Orleans rising superstars. He delivered some amazing solos that left the other players on stage just as impressed as the audience. One of the great things about being front stage for a show is watching the interaction between the band. These guys were having fun and it was clear they felt the immeasurable energy in the room.

Henry Butler also played a short set as did the Papa Mali Trio. Eventually everyone ended up on stage together and they worked out a nice extended groove. A great way to kick-off Jazzfest, especially after the ordeal in getting there just a few hours earlier.

Wilson, Party of Two

2007-04-28T09:57:00.000-04:00

We arrive at the airport 1 hour 45 minutes ahead of departure, plenty of time. Even hit up an express shuttle parking lot, no problems getting to curbside in a jiffy. Hey, niiiiiice, no line at curbside check-in and hey, we're not checking any bags so even easier. Print the boarding passes and go.

Delta Curbside: "I'm sorry. Seems to be a problem. I can't print your passes here. Just go through these doors and check-in at that counter." (Ahh yes, we'd be seeing quite a bit of that counter.)

Read the entire post here.

Future of Internet Radio In Jeopardy

2007-04-25T12:16:00.000-04:00

In some ways this is a follow-up to the last post. I feel somewhat irresponsible posting about all these great sites for hearing new music at a time when the mere existence of independent internet radio is being threatened by an enormous royalty rate increase.

Brief summary from DiMA:

On March 2 the Copyright Royalty Board issued the rates and terms for Internet radio royalties covering a period from 2006-2010. The ruling ignored webcasting community proposals and set out the SoundExchange proposed “per performance” rates (below) and a $500 minimum fee per station/channel.

As I understand it, the $500 minimum per station applies to each user defined station. For example, I have eight stations set up on Pandora (I believe the limit is 99). Under the new pricing, Pandora will be required to pay $4,000 / year for my account alone, regardless of how often I listen to the stations. Of course, for the stations I do listen to, the per play rate for each song will also increase. That $4,000 represents only the minimum Pandora would owe; the actual amount would be significantly higher. While Pandora is a free service, they do offer an "upgraded" pay service which I choose to support. It costs me $36 per year.

Worse yet, the rate hike is retroactive to January 1, 2006, so that most of these independent stations will immediately be hit with a massive debt.

For more information, please check out SaveNetRadio.org, Digmedia.org, and Live365.com. If you only click on one link, make it this one, and take a moment to read the three posts there. Among other well written thoughts, the second post includes an explanation of who SoundExchange is and where they came from.

Lastly, it is important to note that internet based radio DOES pay royalty fees. While many sites offer free service or charge minimal monthly fees, there is still a cost to broadcasting. It's this cost that has kept "soundbetter.net radio" in the idea stage for several months. (Hopefully it'll happen, assuming the cost stays affordable.) This current debate is over the extreme prices the new rates will lead to, which greatly exceed the fees assessed to Satellite and standard AM/FM radio broadcasts. All explained in more detail at the aforementioned sites.

Find Free Music

2007-04-18T19:44:00.000-04:00

I'm always looking for new music, and to that end, ways of finding new music. The April 2007 issue of Macworld features a nice write-up on some options for finding new sounds on the internet. I've been hip to some spots for awhile now, such as bt.etree.org, archive.org, and iTunes' podcasts. (As a side, my current list of iTunes Podcasts include Futureboogie, Ninja Cast, and ATHCAST's Georgia Theatre Podcast.) Still, many sites mentioned are completely new to me including all of the music blogs. You can read the full article, complete with links, here.

Surprisingly, one site that the article failed to mention is Pandora. Definitely worth checking out, I owe it to Pandora for introducing me to these cats.

The Worst Commercial On TV... Ever?

2007-03-29T15:09:00.000-04:00

Forgive me if I'm late seeing this one, but saw it for the first time this morning and... uhhhhh. Speechless.

Oh, where to begin? The guy pumping his fist early on? The seriousness of the verse? And of course, the big finale. They did it with lighters. Nowadays mo-rons use cell phones. Why not a glass of water with an alka-seltzer in it? I get it. It's funny. Ha ha. Just awful.

Then again, I just posted it on my blog... so what's that say about the effectiveness of the commercial? A marketer will tell you a bad response is better than no response. The suits win again!

Blackalicious Live in Seattle DVD

2007-03-04T11:40:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of spinner.com, this DVD is streamed in its entirety. You can view it below with compressed video and audio, but to really get down pick up a copy here. Featuring Lateef the Truthspeaker, with appearances by Pigeon John, Fatlip, and the Livesavas. This tour also features Herve (RV) Salters on keys, the mastermind behind General Elektriks, whose debut record is available from Quannum Records. For a ridiculously tight sample of what Salters brings to the show, click here. Say what? At a hip hop show?

I also posted Rock the Spot from the DVD, both samples available over at soundbetter.net under the sounds section. Rock the Spot isn't available on any of Blackalicious' commercial releases but has always been one of my favorite live performances.

Also over on spinner, which appears to be a front for AOL Music, check out DJ Shadow's new video for This Time (I'm Gonna Try It My Way).

MOFRO releases Country Ghetto

2007-02-20T21:09:00.000-05:00

MOFRO released their 3rd record today, February 20, 2007. Production is top-notch once again. Like Lochloosa and Blackwater before it, Country Ghetto is produced by Dan Prothero of Fog City Records, one of the finest producers out there.

Of some interest on this release is the definitive separation of JJ Grey and "his band" MOFRO. Not only is the new name present on the cd itself, but the website has been changed to reflect it and all shows on the current tour have been billed under this new moniker. At first I was a bit put off by this, but after listening to the cd and now discussing it here, I don't really care much. The name is a reflection of the business side of music, not the music itself. Any focus on that undermines the point that this new release continues in the MOFRO tradition of honest, soulful, authentic music. While clocking in at just 45 minutes, there aren't any miscues here, so it's a 45 minutes well spent.

The Post Show

2007-02-09T15:09:00.000-05:00

New Jill Scott Release

2007-02-01T13:35:00.000-05:00

This hasn't received much promotion because it contains previously released material and there is growing anticipation for Jill's next official new album, The Real Thing, which is due this summer. But at $10 (from Amazon) and including a Hidden Beach New Music Sampler (which contains the title track from the aforementioned upcoming release), it's a no-brainer. In fact, I just received my copy today. A wide range of styles here, heavy rotation to commence.

Tracks

1. Love Rain (Head Nod remix) - featuring Mos Def
2. Daydreamin - featuring Lupe Fiasco
3. Good Morning Heartache - featuring Chris Botti
4. Said Enough - featuring The Isley Brothers
5. One Time - featuring Eric Roberson
6. Let Me - featuring Sergio Mendes & Will.i.am
7. 8 Minutes To Sunrise - featuring Common
8. Funky For You - featuring Common & Bilal
9. Sometime I Wonder - featuring Darius Rucker
10. Slide - featuring Jeff Bradshaw
11. The Rain - featuring Will Smith
12. God Bless The Child - featuring Al Jarreau & George Benson
13. Kingdom Come - featuring Kirk Franklin
14. Love Rain (Coffee Shop mix) - featuring Mos Def

"Good Morning Heartache" Performed Live

More Jill Scott? Listen to this interview about her book of poetry, The Moments, the Minutes, the Hours.

Galactic Recording Hip-Hop Record

2007-01-30T14:13:00.000-05:00

Galactic has performed with hip-hop acts for years and their current tour is no different, with Lateef the Truthspeaker as well as J-Live performing on a few selected dates.

Text below lifted directly from GlideMagazine.com.

Galactic Recording Hip-Hop Album With Plenty Of Collabs

New Orleans funk band Galactic is working on the follow-up to their 2003 release, Ruckus. The band has been co-writing tracks with a variety of vocalists and MCs including Jurassic 5’s Chali 2na, Gift of Gab from Blackalicious, Mr. Lif, Lyrics Born, The Coup’s Boots Riley, Lateef the Truthspeaker, Ladybug of Digable Planets, and others. In addition, the record will include various New Orleans icons including Mardi Gras Indian Big Chief Monk Boudreaux and Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews.

The hip-hop themed record will meld Galactic’s own New Orleans street funk with some of today’s most progressive MCs, something the band has experimented with in their live performances. Over the last several years, the group has appeared with the likes of Lyrics Born, Talib Kweli, The Roots, Jurassic 5, and Z-Trip. They also recently backed Juvenile on Jimmy Kimmel Live.

“Everyone in the band listens to a lot of hip-hop” says saxophonist Ben Ellman. “We have always felt there is a natural connection between the New Orleans funk and brass band music that has inspired our sound and the rhythmic aspects of hip-hop. We wanted to push ourselves on this record to do something really different. We felt it would be fun to make an album with some of our favorite MCs with us as a foundation since its always felt great when we’ve had the opportunity to do it live.”

The band is currently considering whether to put the record out on their own imprint or through a label. They are targeting a late summer 2007 release.

Charity Auction for Sudan

2007-01-21T23:00:00.000-05:00

Waxploitation, Inc. has launched a Charity Auction for Sudan with 100% of proceeds going to Oxfam, Human Rights Watch and the Save Darfur Coalition. Bidding for some items ends today, though several auctions will be open through Sunday, 1/28. Items up for bid through the week include cds, posters, and vinyl signed by artists such as ?uestlove, Dangermouse, Talib Kweli, Common, Kanye West and several others.

Waxploitation founder Jeff Antebi: “Even though Darfur has become a prominent issue, it’s important we don’t forget that it’s a dire crisis there that is getting worse. We can’t assume the attention Darfur is getting is the same thing as assistance. Real help is as crucial now as it ever was.”

What It Is!

2007-01-04T21:24:00.002-05:00

After that short JB tribute, this box set is perfect for some "under the radar" funk and soul grooves from years past. My favorite Xmas present of 2006... thanks Dane.

30 second teasers:

Funky to the Bone - Freddi/Henchi & the Soul Setters
8 Days on the Road - Howard Tate
Cold Bear - The Gaturs

Listen to Some Godfather

2007-01-04T21:15:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of the Paris DJs, here's a nice James Brown mix with just a few tracks that you may not have heard before. Other groovy podcasts available on their site as well.

CD of the Moment

2006-12-07T22:13:00.000-05:00

Deep Concentration, Vol. 2: Deeper Concentration

Listen to a 30 sec sample of the Beat Junkies - They Don't Understand (RealPlayer required)

TRACKLISTING:

1. What It Is - Sole
2. Intersellar Hydroponics - Apollo
3. They Don't Understand - The Beat Junkies
4. Madhattan Bound - DJ Ming
5. Ritual of the Nile - J Boogie
6. Cure for Stagnation - Siah & Yeshua
7. Demo Type Shit - Mass Influence
8. Age of Television - Rob Swift
9. Intermission: Get up and Stretch
10. Murder by Syntax - DJ Spooky
11. Def con 2.01 - Mei Lwun
12. Brother in the Back - Ill Media
13. Schwartz Via Aghaarta - Mix Master Mike
14. Liquidized Language - Task Force
15. Yambooze - Push Button Objects
16. Wireless 2012 - Part 2
17. Course of Action - Scratch Perverts
18. Eddie Def Land - DJ Eddie Def

Current Listening

2006-11-16T21:03:00.000-05:00

At some point I'll discuss what this is all about, a general purpose for the site. But for now, here's what I'm listening to right now.

The Wood Brothers - Ways Not To Lose

www.thewoodbrothers.com
www.myspace.com/thewoodbrothers
Stealin' (live)

Club D'Elf - Now I Understand

www.clubdelf.com
www.myspace.com/clubdelf

The Roots - Game Theory

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Roots
www.myspace.com/theroots
www.myspace.com/questlove

Medeski, Scofield, Martin, Wood - Out Louder

www.mmw.net

www.myspace.com/medeskiscofieldmartinandwood

Lyrics Born - Variety Show - Season II

www.lyricsborn.com
www.myspace.com/lyricsborn

Cut Chemist - The Audience's Listening

(Actually I just bought this at the show the other night but haven't played it yet. Still it gets mentioned because by the time you read this...)
www.cutchemist.com
www.myspace.com/cutchemist

You may notice every link is to a myspace page, which is ridiculous considering my long running disdain for myspace. But its time to turn the corner on that, because it is pretty nice to be able to not only listen to tracks from each artist but also download them free(in some cases anyway). Myspace, like most everything, has good and bad. It still amazes me that *everyone* has a myspace page.

You'll find one of the more interesting here.

Late Edit: Haha. By surfing myspace for these links and checking out some tracks, I was reminded why I really don't dig myspace much at all, which is why the official links were added. In general, I'll support official sites from here out, unless you can only hear the music on myspace. In the case of The Roots, their official site redirects to myspace, so I included the Wikipedia entry, which may be the most interesting link in this post. Wikipedia is great. The myspace thing... forget I mentioned it.

Work in progress

2006-11-15T21:51:00.000-05:00

First things first, find time to make this thing happen. Next:

1) Current Listenings
2) Show Thoughts
3) Live Mixes
4) New Material
5) Back In The Day
6) Random Acts

I caught a bunch of shows over the last week. Black Crowes at Rams Head Live, Medeski Scofield Martin and Wood at 9:30 Club, Written Prisms at Rams Head Tavern, and Lyrics Born/Cut Chemist at 9:30 Club.

Thoughts?? Yeah, I had a lot of em a day or so after the shows. Trying to capture that now would be forced. Then again, why write this in the first place? Still figuring that out.

Just heard Del on the Tony Hawk's Project 8 commercial. Is that the original beat? Sounds like its been beefed up a bit.

Genesis

2006-11-04T12:28:00.000-05:00

So I guess this is more than the new "in" thing. Blogging... we'll see if I can find my way to something worthwhile.