The Obama team stunned us all with their decision to
move his nomination acceptance speech from the 19,000–seat Pepsi Center to the 76,000–seat Invesco Field, home of the Denver Broncos. Today, the Dems’ Convention Committee announced another exciting twist, in the form of three special performances: Kanye West, Wyclef Jean, and N.E.R.D.
This year’s Democratic National Convention Committee revealed that a trio of hip-hop artists —
Kanye West,
Wyclef Jean and
N.E.R.D. — will
perform when the party gets together in Denver. A native of Barack Obama’s Chicago, West was likely included to keep all those politicians’ egos in check. Let’s just hope Obama’s speech doesn’t run long, otherwise Democrats
might be in for a long night. Wyclef is becoming as well known for his
humanitarian work with Haiti as his music, so his appearance at the convention makes sense. The most left-field pick is N.E.R.D., though the Democrats obviously view the band’s single “Everybody Nose” — with its chorus of “All the girls standing in the line for the bathroom” — as a shocking indictment of the current administration’s futile War on Drugs.
Other celebrities slated for attendance include Scarlett Johansson, Ben Affleck, Warren Beatty and Annette Bening, but let’s pray that
Scarlett isn’t performing.
Micah already hit up the Dose with the schedje for
this weekend’s Providence Sound Session events, but I couldn’t resist posting one of my fave hits by tonights
PPAC headliner 112.
If you missed the great shows at The Blackstone, Tazza, Firehouse 13 and Black Rep last night, it is not too late to start partying. Bachanal has only just begun!
Tonight’s official
Sound Session lineup at Black Rep includes local Reggae selectors Red Beard, Mardon Famous and Paul Michael along with Boston-based emcee (DJ if you’re savvy)
Mighty Mystic and Brooklyn-based genre-smasher
77Klash. This party will be wild so if you like Dancehall at all, or just like to shake your butt, come on down to Black Rep. ($15)
AS220 presents several left-of-center folk artists who will surprise you with their uncommon cultural referents and non-standard instrumentation. It starts at 10pm:
The Blue Hit,
Christopher Moon and
Michelle Lewis. ($6)
The Blackstone hits it again with Mike Tanaka and Friends (FREE)
Firehouse 13 is presenting an assortment of talented poets from near and far. The night is hosted by Chris Johnson and Prismatic Dreams and features far too many artists to name here, so check
this link for the full deets. ($7)
Okay everybody, so there is a lot going on tonight that discerning listeners will want to take part in.
Of course there is the
official SS’08 fare at Black Rep. Soul/R&B/House/Funk singer and songwriter
Eric Roberson headlines a night of the Funky (local artists
Grow), the sparse and political (multifaceted NYC poet
Oveous Maximus) and the Boom Bap (DJ Therion on the ones and twos). Chachi hosts in his weekly stomping ground with a beefed up lineup ($15)
Members of
AUREA Ensemble headline tonight at
Firehouse 13. AUREA’s concerts combine poetry, drama, epistles, classical and folk music, puppetry, and movement into performances that sweep from intimate chamber settings to major theatrical venues. ($10 at 8pm)
At TazzaThe Basement Bros will be playing live Jazzy, organic House and
Tevallus will be playing something shimmery and sitar-based. ($3)
Local 121 is featuring Soul Psychedelicide in the speakeasy. Its the live project of genius Monday resident, and Prince aficionado,
Abstract Soul. (FREE)
SIMULBLOGGED AT
RIPEYAMS.COM
Jazz is one of those idioms that doesn’t come easily to everyone. I’m not a Jazz head by any means, but I’ve certainly come around to a little bit of equanimity in my appreciation for Jazz. Where once the ambling solos, indirect melodic focus, rambling uneven tonal patterns and blue note syncopation, drove me up the wall, I’ve found a certain satisfaction with the music through learning its vocabulary and history. One of the things that can be said unequivocally for Jazz vocalists is that she must have an unflinching command of her instrument; its timbre, its range and its pitch must be mastered. Otherwise audiences are unable to transcend the lyrics. When I pump Ella, Sarah Vaughan or Jon Hendricks on my stereo, I try and train myself to hear the voice as if it were just another horn stepping out from the big band. This could be why José James is such a joy for me to listen to - he plays his voice like a horn. New York City, and the history of Jazz born there, shape James’ first release for world-acclaimed DJ Gilles Peterson’s Brownswood label.
The Dreamer is the title track and easily my favorite. Another standout from James’ album is Spirits Up Above, reworked
here by Simbad. José James performs for FREE at 5PM on Tuesday, July 8th at The Providence Black Repertory Company as part of Sound Session 08. Tickets for all performances on sale now at
Arttixri.com
You can peep the schedule for New England’s 2nd largest pride celebration in full
here. As
Matthew noted previously, the Saturday headliner is 80’s teen pop sensation and current mid-lifer Tiffany. Woot woot!
There is something burbling up in Brooklyn. Its one part straight island Rasta, one part BK brand Nubia and one part UK hoody culture. On Brooklyn Anthem,
Team Shadetek managed to harness some of the Burrough’s most cantankerous beas and vocals for an explosive celebration of hybrid Black music. Featured on the tune is none other than Gize Burrows, aka
77Klash. Most famous for penning the unstoppable Skallawa riddim -
Turbulence’s “Notorious” was the nearly ubiquitous hit of a couple summer’s ago that made the infectious, bass heavy backing track famous - 77Klash (pronounced Double-Seven Klash) is known for his unwillingness to play by Dancehall’s genre conventions. On
Brooklyn Anthem, Klash and Noble Society’s Jahdan tear through a heavy, badman riddim replete with squelchy acid bass and spooky synthetic strings. 77Klash performs with
Mighty Mystic, Paul Michael, Mardon Famous and Redbeard at Black Rep on Tuesday, July 8th as part of Providence Sound Session 2008. For ticketing and more information go to
Arttixri.com or
providencesoundsession.com
Butter Days will play one of their final shows of the year at the Living Room tonight. The friend rockers will make great things happen with glockenspiel and strength in numbers.
Also, Boston bands This Is How Rumors Get Started and Devil and a Penny will make their Providence debut.
Metropolis, aka Providence’s singular “Psycho-Electro-Acoustic-Islamo-Judaic-Hindu-Afro-Dance-Surf-FreeJazz-Metal-Groove Music” superstars, are playing their final performance EVER tonight at Tazza on Westminster St. Some of the band will be departing for the summer so if the concept lives on, it will at least have to be constituted from a different lineup. This is can’t miss shit.
The Narrows show with Surprise Me Mr. Davis is tomorrow (the 22nd). Surprise Me Mr. Davis is The Slip in collaboration with songwriter Nathan Moore. It’ll be the last and best OFFICIAL show of the tour.
The Low Anthem (opening)
Surprise Me Mr. Davis
April 22 - 8pm
The Narrows
16 Anawan St.
Fall River, MA
(15 mins out of Providence) http://www.ncfta.org
The first ever 2008 Spring Weekend Battle of the Bands (also, the kick-off concert event) held Thursday April 10 from approx. 8-10:30 inside Sayles Hall. With performances by:
-The Bruce Band
-Jose Hernandez
-Mister Tamel
-IQ Ballers
-The Trolleys
-Metropolis
-Potential Pillows
-and To The Sun ft. The Poler Bears
LIVE / WHIRLED – Perishable Theatre, Rhode Island’s Research & Development theatre, is pleased to announce the final concert in this year’s Live/Whirled Series.
“Girl-Whirled” on Sunday March 9 @ 3:00 PM.
Featured performers are two fabulous singers with very personal styles, Ellen Santaniello and Michelle Cruz.
(more…)
Among the monster acts who have announced thus far: “John Rich (Big & Rich), Alabama’s Randy Owen, Dierks Bentley, Kellie Pickler and Gretchen Wilson will be joining Aaron Lewis (Staind), Tesla, Twisted Sister, Kevin Max and Stryper featuring Tom Scholz and Gary Pihl of Boston and the just added, Winger among others.”
John Rich will host the country portion of the concert while Dee Snider [of Twisted Sister] will do the honors for the rock segments. Emmy-nominated composer and musician Marc Bonilla who will serve as music director for the benefit, Carmine Appice’s SLAM!, Eric Martin (Mr. Big), Danny Seraphine with CTA, Gary Hoey and others still to be announced.
“What happened at the Station Nightclub could have happened at any rock venue across the country,” said Tom Calderone, Executive Vice President and General Manager, VH1. “We want to help raise awareness of the survivors’ challenges to a national level through both VH1 Classic and VH1. We are hoping to tap into that huge community of music lovers and remind everyone about the redemptive power that music, and the great people who make it, can provide.”
VH1 Classic and VH1 will air “VH1 Classic Presents: AFTERMATH: The Station Fire Five Years Later” a one- hour special of concert highlights on Sunday, March 23, 2008 10:00 p.m.
(more…)
My itunes randomizer at work has a tendency of playing
weird,
NSFW, and
mildly embarrassing songs at least three or four times an hour, so it was very nice of the folks over at
Warped Reality to post some new tracks today, so I could have something new to listen to that I wouldn’t have to skip out of shame.
Although it’s been around since late 2005, I didn’t know about Warped Reality until
Idolator posted about it recently. Started by Providence-based Andrea Feldman (not
the dead one), the blog posts consistently good stuff. Although I might just be saying that because she likes the
Valerie and Her Week of Wonders soundtrack, Lubos Fiser’s creepy score that surely
makes my coworkers hate me.
Check out the
not-super-frequently updated site for tracks by some bands that are hitting the area this weekend, like Calvin Johnson (Saturday at Brown), These Are Powers and Neptune (both at Great Scott, also on Saturday.)
To quote an article written about her in November: “Porter Singer is a Borders’ Books and Music favorite. Considering that the Wesport (CT) resident will perform more than handful of times at stores all over New England, the nationwide chain seems to understand what makes the 24-year-old performer’s songs so precocious.”
Ok, so like, it’s a massive book chain you say…, but the emerging chanteuse and pianist (and Brown grad) will make you forget that, even despite the lighting. Her songs are intricate, her lyrics are beautiful, and her voice is lovely, rich and nuanced.
People describe her with a whole bunch of comparisons (Regina Spektor, Fiona Apple…), but she has a truly unique command of the song form.
Entries
The Obama team stunned us all with their decision to
move his nomination acceptance speech from the 19,000–seat Pepsi Center to the 76,000–seat Invesco Field, home of the Denver Broncos. Today, the Dems’ Convention Committee announced another exciting twist, in the form of three special performances: Kanye West, Wyclef Jean, and N.E.R.D.
Tonight’s official
Members of
The Blackstone
There is something burbling up in Brooklyn. Its one part straight island Rasta, one part BK brand Nubia and one part UK hoody culture. On Brooklyn Anthem,
