Austin360 blogs > Almost Urban > Archives > 2007 > June
June 2007
Weekend picks: Little Brother, H-Town rap, slammin’ poets and more
Smart hip-hop, with a sense of humor
By a long shot, the standout urban music event on this very wet weekend is Saturday night’s free Scion show featuring Little Brother. Little Brother is a soulful rap outfit from Durham, N.C., with a throwback, feel-good sound, intelligent lyricism and a great sense of humor.
If you miss the Tribe and are looking for a younger, somewhat Southern-fried version of De La, I highly recommend checking these cats out. I caught Little Brother a year or so back at a woefully underattended Emo’s show, and they dropped a killer live set.
It’s been a rocky run for the group as of late. They’ve recently parted ways with founding member, fantastic producer 9th Wonder, and their new album-in-progress “The Getback” was dropped by Atlantic Records. But after spending a good 45 minutes checking out their hilarious MySpace blog, which chronicles a recent trip to Europe and includes an eloquent defense of T-Pain, I’m feeling quite confident that the guys are in good spirits.
Also on the bill for this show are DJ Haul and Orgone. Remember, early entry is always suggested for these Scion shows. Saturday night at the Parish, doors at 9:30 p.m. RSVP here before 5 p.m. on Saturday.
Also worth checking:
Friday: Bombasta at Flamingo. This 7-piece San Antonio/Austin crew fuses elements of hip-hop, reggae and Latin sounds to create positive dance music. Austin-based Afro-marimba crew Rattletree opens. $5-$7
Friday: Capital City Takeover at Visions. Houston rappers Kiotti and ESG storm the city Friday night at Club Visions. Ladies get in free before 11 p.m., and there’s a group discount in effect for the females all night long. In addition the flier promises $2 wells till bar time.
Saturday: National Poetry Slam Fundraiser at Ruta Maya. Help ATX wordsmiths raise the necessary funds to host the “Super Bowl” of Spoken Word later this year. In addition to a preview of Austin’s slam teams, the event will include an Improv Slam hosted by Coldtowne, an air guitar slam and the ambiguously intriguing “Price Is Right” Slam. $10 suggested donation.
Saturday: El John Selector at the Continental Gallery. Self-proclaimed “subliminal beatmaster” El John has played drums and percussion with internationally acclaimed groove merchants Thievery Corporation as well as local funk outfit Topaz. This is a free DJ gig in the gallery above the Continental Club.
Sunday: Boombox at the Speakeasy. One of Austin’s favorite instrumental hip-hop acts plays downstairs, while the club claims that a DJ will be spinning up on the patio. Here’s praying for a clear night.
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Certainly not going to ‘Rehab’ anytime soon
Yes, Amy Winehouse’s ultra-catchy “Rehab” resonates with the defiant alcoholic in all of us, but wow, after checking out the disturbing videos shot by her new husband Blake Fielder-Civil at a Spin Magazine photo shoot I have to say I’m actually kind of concerned about the girl. At one point the loosely coherent Winehouse scratches her new hubby’s name on her stomach with a piece of broken glass. It’s pretty bizarre stuff. I recognize that the hard partying bad girl thing has provided the tabloid fodder that’s helped fuel her meteoric rise, but at this point I think I’d find it terribly refreshing to see a picture of ol’ girl eating a sandwich. Or something.
(Photo by Brian K. Diggs AMERICAN-STATESMAN)
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‘Making the Band 4’ this time with man tears
This week’s show begins with Puffy reviewing footage of the audition outtakes, including some of the less compelling moments from our finalists. Diddy assures us we shouldn’t sweat the boys’ shortcomings, as what we are seeing now is just “20 molds of clay.”
“Believe me,” he confides, “I’ve worked with worse.” Oh, we know, Puffy.
After a new flashy graphic intro that incorporates the faces of our young crooners, we open onto a scene of the guys entering into the multimillion-dollar NYC crib that will be their home for the duration of the show. It’s a glamorous setup, with a chandelier-lit piano, a state-of-the art weight room and extensive lounge areas with murals of famous R&B singers that will provide lovely set dressing for the backroom conflicts that will surely start brewing very soon. The boys run around like little kids.
One by one, we start to get snippets of background information on some of our boys. Spiky-haired Dan, who auditioned in Orlando, is actually a wedding singer from Boston. Lion-hearted young Julius was recently bagging up groceries at the Piggly Wiggly, and Brian A., one of two H-town crooners who made the cut, used to work at a doggie day care. Awww …
Also, Qwanell from Rochester is only 18, Carlos from New York used to be homeless, living on trains, and Donnie, well, I can’t remember what Donnie said, because I was too distracted by the Lee Hotti-ness of his hair. (What exactly is up with the white boys and their hair gel? Is that an East Coast thing?)
Michael Bivens welcomes the guys to the house and hips them to the game plan. There are going to be three main areas of focus to their training: physical conditioning, choreography and vocal coaching. In addition, the boys will break into groups of four and work as teams to compete against each other, setting up a surefire recipe for infighting and ego clashes. At the end, they’ll do a performance at some sort of publicity stunt open mic thing.
First, the boys are shuttled off to Amie, the fitness trainer, who weighs them in. The scrawny dudes looking to beef up a little are quickly shuffled over, and focus falls on big-boned Dan. He was 221 before the competition and now weighs in at 209. He discusses his goal to drop at least 10 more pounds. As the camera shifts off Dan’s earnest face, a flatulent-sounding tuba line picks up as an undignified intro for Michael, the true big boy of the group. Michael weighs in at 278. He’d like to drop down to 228.
Amie launches into a series of rigorous training drills. Brian, our boy from Houston, says he’s never felt pain like this, and Dyshon starts to give out halfway through the workout and ends up being carried out in an ambulance. Apparently, it was because he didn’t eat enough in the morning.
Next, it’s on to choreographer Laurie Ann, who’s decked out in an electric blue leotard, black fishnets and, um, arm warmers. She’s clearly reveling in some strange dance dominatrix fantasy. She takes the young men through a grueling ballet barre to warm up and then leads them through choreographed routines, alternately slouching sexily between them and actively taunting the boys. Chris, who can’t sing but is a great dancer, shines, and Laurie Ann cheers him on heartily. Dan, on the other hand, gets called out: “Oh, boy, white boy in the mix!” Of course, this gives our sensitive husky boy a complex, which we’ll surely be dealing with for many episodes to come.
Next, we’re given a few snippets of downtime during which the boys engage in a snowball fight, Dan combs the streets of NYC looking for a salad, and Michael demonstrates his grilled cheese technique (which includes much butter).
Then, cue the grand entrance music; it’s a surprise visit from Diddy. Puffy congratulates the boys on their progress but warns he’s going to turn it up a notch. He grandiosely points out that Danity Kane is “living the dream,” and these boys must “rise up to their level.” Everyone has the good sense to not crack a smile.
One by one, the guys introduce themselves and are assessed by Diddy. Chris, the dancer, is warned about his mediocre song stylings, Dan is given props on the weight loss, and Michael is berated for being the big dude.
Michael Bivins takes over, and the boys are split into quartets. He warns them not to get too attached to their partners, because cats are going to be cut. He then remarks on big boy Michael’s weight, at which point Diddy suddenly pops back into the conversation, and Michael gets busted for his love of buttery grilled cheese, which Diddy apparently observed through the video monitors. Diddy cracks on him hard, and while I get that you’ve got to be in shape to be in a boy band, it does strike me as a little ironic. Diddy, after all, rose to fame himself on the coattails of a very (might we say Notoriously) big man.
In a brief segment, we find Dan alone on the phone with his moms. He’s feeling alienated by his whiteness. He talks about his different kind of soul. Dan’s honest and hardworking, and I like his heart, but I have a feeling he’s going to start to get whiny before this is all over.
In the group rehearsals, it comes out that Dan has always been the lead of his various groups, and he’s not used to taking criticism. His fellow quartet members struggle with him on some communication stuff, but they seem to work it out.
Continuing the emotional revelations section of the show, we find dancer Chris on with his mom too. Mom tells him not to keep saying he’s the worst singer, because he’s setting himself up. Only, sorry, Mom, in this case it’s really true.
The show closes with the boys singing a capella for Ankh Ra.
As Chris struggles with his insecurity about his weak singing voice, Ankh Ra tries to get him to feel the emotion of his song. When he admits to snapping his fingers to cover his pain, Ankh Ra tells Chris he wants him to feel the pain. Ankh Ra coaxes Chris through a heart-tugging tale of the death of his grandfather, and Chris isn’t the only one who’s shed a few quiet manly tears by the time he’s done. At the end of the revelation, however, there is no triumphant song from Chris. He instead gets a hug from Ankh Ra.
Dan is similarly shut down by Ankh Ra, but instead of tragedy and loss, he talks about winning his girl and learns to sing glowingly from the heart.
As we fade out of this, ahem, touching sequence with Ankh Ra’s words of wisdom about emotional breakthroughs and becoming the vehicle of emotions, I realize no one’s getting cut on this episode. Or popped in the face even. Crap. Maybe next time.
A quick side note:
In addition to pooch-sitter Brian A., there’s one other Houstonite in the mix on “MTB4.” His name is Anceo, but other than a brief admission that he snarfed one of Michael’s tasty grilled cheese sandwiches, he didn’t get any face time at all this episode, which I’m taking as a cue to not get too attached.
- Episode 8 recap
- Episode 7 recap
- Episode 6 recap
- Episode 5 recap
- Episode 4 recap
- Episode 3 recap
- Episode 2 recap
- Episode 1 recap
Diddy makes the Retrocrush “Worst Covers” list twice
Pop culture blog Retrocrush has been busy compiling a list of the 100 Worst Covers Songs of all time, and our boy Diddy made the list twice. Puffy clocked in at number 96 for his unlistenable stab at Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir” that was on the “American Godzilla” soundtrack. He then stole the number 2 spot for “I’ll Be Missing You” his take on the Police’s “Every Breath You Take” recorded with Faith Evans in tribute to the late great Notorious B.I.G.
While some of the Retrocrush list is spot on, wisely listing Madonna’s “American Pie” massacre at number 5 and Olivia Newton John’s “Ring Of Fire” at number 7, I can’t really accept that Eric Clapton’s acoustic version of his own classic “Layla” is worse than Celine Dion’s “You Shook Me All Night Long.”
And, of course, none of this wanton Diddy-bashing will keep your girl from watching tonight’s episode of “Making The Band 4” on MTV.
The return of the Urban Music Fest, the Mighty Fantasma and ‘Funky Cold Medina’
Friday: Grupo Fantasma and DJ Chicken George at Antone’s. Coming off a recent appearance backing Prince and Shelia E on the ABC telecast of the ALMA Awards, Austin’s cumbia-funk superheroes are tighter than ever. You know the drillie, leave the stilettos at home and show up dressed to move. $15
Friday-Saturday: Global Harmony celebration at Ruta Maya. Anchored around the afro-beat rhythms of Guinean Master Drummer Alseny Sylla, Ruta Maya presents a two-day event celebrating world music and benefiting nonprofits with works in Africa. The event highlight is on Saturday when Sylla’s family group, Djembe Kan, makes a debut performance. The group features Sylla’s newly arrived brother Master Balafon player Aboubakar Sylla and his children. Also playing the event are some of Austin’s finest world music players, including Oliver Rajamani, the excellent Middle Eastern ensemble Atash, and the Sabaya belly dancers. $12 a day, $18 for both days
Saturday: The Urban Music Festival at Auditorium Shores. After the second day of this year’s Urban Music Festival was shut down by a freakish April ice storm, concert organizers were forced to rearrange the lineup and reschedule. What they’ve come back with is a solid offering of classic funk, hip-hop and neo-soul groove. The day kicks off at 11:30 a.m. with a Spirit Groove, a gospel celebration incorporating music, spoken word and praise. At 3:30 p.m., L.L. Cool J’s DJ Cut Creator drops a tribute to the first 25 years of hip-hop followed by a special performance from members of the Sugar Hill Gang. The Dazz Band and The Barkays will hit the stage at 8:30 p.m. to close out the evening with funky grooves. $25 advance, $30 gate More info.
Saturday: Swoll with DJ Mel at the Beauty Bar. DJ Mel, party rocker extraordinaire brings his wildly popular booty-centric shindig back to the Beauty Bar. AM Syndicate is also on the bill. Show up early to ensure entry. (cover unspecified)
Saturday: DJ Eleven at the Whisky Bar. Meanwhile, over on the other side of downtown, DJ Eleven of the acclaimed NYC party The Rub will be mixing it up on the dance floor at the Whisky Bar. Witnes from Houston and Nerdy Harry from the Table Manners Crew will warm up the wheels. (cover unspecified)
Sunday:Tone Loc at Vicci. I was a little confused a month or so back when I stumbled across a listing for a Digital Underground show at this self-proclaimed “Vegas-style” nightclub, but somehow the maestro who brought us such hits as “Funky Cold Medina” and “Wild Thing” at this spot makes perfect sense. It’s a free show, and the flier touts a “$3 anything in the house” drink special all night long. No doubt, at least one “Medina” inspired concoction will be in the mix.
‘Making the Band 4’: looking for a few good men
As the show kicks off, Puffy lets us know that this time he’s trying to make a “male hip-hop soul pop group to follow in the footsteps of the greats.” He rattles off a mess of very big names including the Temptations and New Edition. With a shrug he tacks on ’N Sync. I, for one, am a little dubious about his lofty aspirations for the wannabe crooners (perhaps the Backstreet Boys would be a more reasonable goal), but when Diddy introduces his talent scouts, the first face splashed across the screen is Michael Bivens of New Edition. Also included on Diddy’s “dream team” are rnb singer Joe, superproducer Bryan Cox, vocal coach Ankh Ra and the lone female, choreographer Laurie Ann Gibson.
I never watched the first few seasons of “Making the Band,” so I’m very pleased to discover that the show is fast-paced, much more so than “American Idol,” which has a tendency to drag along agonizingly, especially in the beginning. Instead of emphasizing embarrassing outtakes, the audition sequences are a highlights montage. Only the superfools - the portly cat who thought it would be a good idea to show up in a tiara and the middle-aged rhythmless white dude who’s probably a YouTube hit in his office building right about now - manage to sneak 15 seconds of fame out of it.
Having caught an unfortunate performance or two from Season 3’s (ahem) supergroup, Danity Kane, I wouldn’t be surprised to discover a few of the ladies cut their dance chops on the pole of a local gentlemen’s club. In this season, however, as we progress rapidly through endless renditions of “My Cherie Amour,” there’s a consistent theme to how the boys learned to sing. In the church.
The show flies through the auditions, and the faces come at us fast with only a few of the young men getting enough air time to make an impression. These include Dan, the big-boned, spiky-haired white boy from Orlando who apparently could be a sex symbol if he dropped 20 pounds; Julius, the adorable, emotional crooner who at first seems too young but sings his heart out when put on the spot; and Sam, the sweet, self-described F.O.B. Asian cat who talks about coming to this country and being blown away by rnb music. I like Sam.
Half an hour into the show, the hundreds of potential Puffy protégé’s are sliced down to 48 who are granted tickets to New York. Unastonishingly enough, the cities with the strongest representation are Chicago, Detroit, Atlanta and New York.
Upon arrival in New York the boys are marched out into a snowy park where they line up in an amphitheater and get a pep talk from Puffy Michael Bivens, who tells them he wanted to meet them out in the cold because it’s a cold cruel world (or some such thing). Then the boys are sent off to rehearsals.
After a flashy montage of young men busting butt, and a brief pause, during which Puffy shamelessly plugs his sunglasses, we come to the first round of cuts. The boys are gathered onstage, and they sing a touching ensemble number about “the end of the road” setting the scene for Diddy’s grand entrance. Come to think of it, half of the show seems to be a setup for grand entrances for Diddy, take that Simon Cowell. What follows is another speedy audition montage, this one complete with unfortunate warbling and stumbling dance moves. The talent panel, all of whom are, oddly enough, wearing sunglasses in the dark theater, is not terribly impressed. Vocal coach Ankh Ra says a lot of the boys choked under pressure.
The first round of cuts whittles away half the group. Puffy moves fast through the ranks, announcing the numbers of the kids who made the cut, with a gratuitous suspense-building pregnant pause before the last two, one of whom is my boy Sam. Before our crooners even take a sigh of relief, however, Diddy let’s us know we shouldn’t get attached to anyone because another 50 percent of the kids are about to get the ax.
A select few are given a second chance to sing. “But you won’t get a third one,” Puffy warns. The second round only gives us enough time to get more attached to earnest Julius, hair gel enthusiast Dan (who, taking the potential sex symbol comment to heart, has dropped a lot of weight since his first audition) and sweet immigrant Sam.
With lightning speed the talent scouts deliberate on who’s in. Puffy Michael Bivens says Sam can really sing, but he might not be right for the band, and Laurie Ann lobbies for young Julius.
Finally, the boys are marched back out, and with little ceremony (but ample adjusting of sunglasses) the finalists are announced. Laurie Ann wins, and Julius makes the final cut. My boy Sam doesn’t. The camera pans to him in the room full of sullen disappointed faces and with a genuine smile he tells us he tries to keep a positive attitude about everything, he’s glad he made it this far and he’s going to continue working hard and singing. Aww… Puffy’s right, though. As a brief flash of a Danity Kane video flits through my head, I realize the kid’s probably way too good-natured and well-adjusted for this show.
Coming soon on “Making the Band 4”? Along with singing and dancing expect boxing, brawling and perhaps even a little quiet manly tear or two. And, of course, sunglasses, more sunglasses. Your girl will be watching. Stay tuned.
- Episode 8 recap
- Episode 7 recap
- Episode 6 recap
- Episode 5 recap
- Episode 4 recap
- Episode 3 recap
- Episode 2 recap
- Episode 1 recap
Juneteenth Special: Mr. Blakes delivers ‘The State of Texas Hip-hop Address’
A year ago, on Juneteenth weekend, I launched this blog with a write-up of “The State of Texas Hip-hop” showcase hosted by prominent local rapper Bavu Blakes. To commemorate the occasion, I asked Bavu to deliver a “State of Texas Hip-hop” address, which he did, with great dignity, here.
In the year that has passed, Bavu has kicked it with Matthew Knowles in L.A., received props from the Village Voice in N.Y.C. and been promoted to the position of urban music director for ME Television in Austin. In honor of the Juneteenth holiday, I asked the venerable Mr. Blakes to take a moment to reflect, once again, on The State of Texas Hip-hop.
With no further ado, Almost Urban proudly presents: A guest entry from Mr. Bavu Blakes.
My fellow Texan hip-hoppers and rap music lovers:
2006 was a crucial year in hip-hop for two reasons.
First, Nas said “Hip Hop Is Dead” and further opened a huge, desperately needed dialogue. The consensus reply, especially from a Texan’s perspective, was “Hip Hop Ain’t Dead, It Moved to the South.” Second, Rap CD sales dropped tremendously. In fact, no rap releases cracked the Top 10 for the year.
A recent USA Today article titled “Can Rap Regain Its Crown?” analyzed the effects of rap going pop, and whether fans are tired of current trends or if the corporate business model pushing major rap releases is just too old.
It’ll be interesting to see how well 2007 releases from Paul Wall, Mike Jones and Chamillionaire sell. Let’s face it: In the industry’s eyes, Houston is Texas. The current XXL magazine cover reads “What’s the Problem With Houston?” Meanwhile, Dallas’ superstar-in-the-making Big Tuck had lukewarm sales for his national debut “Tha Absolute Truth” (Universal) to put it gently.
So what’s anyone going to do about it? Lay down and concede that the Texas wave is over? Create the next big movement? Just humbly take it a day at a time? I subscribe to the latter, because that’s how every movement or wave was ever made - by persistence, humility, patience and consistency.
Hip-hop is far from dead. But it is swiftly and ironically returning to its humble beginnings, where the dead are laid to rest -underground!
So ask not what Texas hip-hop can do for you. Ask what you can do for Texas hip-hop! Otherwise, no further questions.
Thank you,
Mr. Blakes
(photos by Ricardo B. Brazziell)
Weekend Picks: Hope in Hip-hop, High-steppin’ horns, Juke Joint blues, Euro-crunk and more
Friday: Scion B.E.A.T. Tour with Radio(expletive), Prince Klassen, Digg and Nerdy Harry at the Beauty Bar. Radio(expletive)’s MySpace page describes the UK-based European DJ duo as “Disco House / Melodramatic Popular Song / Tropical.” On first listen I thought these self-proclaimed “Euro-crunk” cats were going to be a little too electro for me, but much like their Brazilian collaborators Bonde Do Role they reject the monotonous thwump that defined techno music in the ’90s for electro-centric polyrhythmic experimentation. The Afrobeat groove that anchors “There’s a pot brewin’” is particularly nice. They also have a great reputation for rocking a party hard, and best of all, this Scion-sponsored event is 100 percent free, no RSVP required. Prince Klassen and TMC’s Digg and Nerdy Harry open. Show starts at 9 p.m., and I recommend showing up early.
Friday-Saturday Juneteenth Celebration and Victory Grill Benefit. Remember when the Victory Grill was a standalone building on a run-down section of East 11th Street, where you’d sneak off to for the occasional BYOB underground hip-hop show? Now the historic “juke joint” which has been serving Austin a diet of Down South blues since 1945 is surrounded by condos, office spaces and hipster clubs and cafes. This benefit aims to help preserve the classic establishment in the midst of the urban renewal. On Friday night the lineup includes fantastic youth R & B act Urban Soul and The Big Daddy Bluzz Band with Gilberto Gonzales. Then on Saturday night Richard Earl and The Original House of Blues Band, takes over with special guest, The Texas Blues Legend, Spot Barnett putting in an appearance. Your $20 admission includes a plate of Clifford’s famous toothless barbecue. 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. each night.
Friday-Saturday: Alvin Patterson Battle of the Bands and Drumline Competition. Man, I love me a good marching band. Beyond my afore-mentioned affection for polyrhythms there’s something about high-school kids busting their chops to work as a unified competitive performance ensemble on the street and the field that gets my heart pumping. This year’s competition includes all-star bands from Austin and Houston and high-steppers from as far away as California. The event kicks off Friday with a parade down Congress Avenue at 2 p.m. Then on Saturday the actual competition goes down at Toney Burger Stadium at 6 p.m. The parade is free and the competition is $10 advance and $15 at the gate for adults and $10 at the gate for students with ID. Children younger than 5 are free. Advance tickets are available through Friday at Mitchies Fine Black Art and several Central Austin H-E-B stores. The event benefits the Austin Eastside Story Foundation.
Friday-Sunday: Sharon Bridgforth’s Love Conjure/Blues at the Off Center. Award-winning local playwright Sharon Bridgeforth has been developing the choreo-poem “Love Conjure/Blues” as a theatrical work for a good three years now. The piece combines storytelling, movement, prayer and song. I’ve seen the play (which features Almost Urban homegirl, performance artist Florinda Bryant) twice. The first time it was in a workshop setting with the performers seated in a circle, and rising to center when they took on characters or broke into song. The material was alternately gut-wrenchingly painful and raw and hysterically funny. I laughed, I cried, I became a huge fan of Bridgforth. The second production I saw a year or so later was more polished, but somehow less cohesive and a little less stunning. But the depth of the material was still compelling. In this latest incarnation, Bridgforth has collaborated with Philly film artist Jen Simmons to create a multimedia installation. I, for one, am very intrigued to see how it pans out. 7 p.m. Friday, 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday-Sunday $8-$13
Saturday: Positivity for Purpose presents ‘There is Ho.p.e in Hip-hop’ at the Co-op bar. Lady Legacy is a gritty, streetwise ATX female emcee who adamantly refuses to be defined by her sexuality alone. She founded Positivity for Purpose out of a genuine desire to “put some much-needed balance to our hip-hop culture.” The kick-off event at the Co-op bar aims to embrace the less fortunate in Austin’s African American community in honor of the Juneteenth holiday. In the early part of the event from 3 to 7 p.m. DJ P.O.W. will drop jams while Nubian Queen Lola serves up food. Later in the evening DJ Natural takes the decks with a hip-hop showcase of new local talent scheduled to start at 11:30 p.m. With any luck the Lady herself will spit a verse or two at some point in the night. By midnight there will be a $5 cover for the fellas but since Legacy loves you my chicas, females are free all night.
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Yo’ Majesty at the Beauty Bar on Thursday
These ladies go hard. For real. They’ve got this crazy electro-funk-crunk thing going on. Something like a blend of Bonde Do Role and the Geto Boys with a few extra splashes of nasty thrown in for good measure. They’ll be down at the Beauty Bar tomorrow night and it’s only a $4 cover plus there will be $2 wells all night long. Sounds like a party.
Photo courtesy of myspace.com/yomajesty4life.
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‘Making the Band 4’ (with boys!) plus Irish soul
Puffy makes a boy band. Dance sequences, soulful crooning, delicate male egos gleefully crushed. I’m a little embarrassed about how excited I am about this. The show kicks off Monday at 9 p.m. on MTV and your girl will be diligently blogging the gory details.
Completely unrelatedly, I was cruising Houston-based soul music blog honeysoul.com this afternoon and stumbled across this breath-taking cover of “Killing Me Softly” by 19 year old Irish soul sista Laura Izibor. She’s been signed to Atlantic USA, so hopefully we’ll hear more from her in the not-too-distant future. More tracks available on her MySpace page.
A song for summer
The hubby and I were kickin’ it watching “Smooth” on METV last night, and we happened across this fantastic video for Kelly Rowland’s latest “Like This” (featuring Eve). Ol’ girl is adorable! Charming, coy, and diva-esque in a way that’s refreshingly un-Beyonce. I’m going to be bumping this one all summer long.
Rowland’s album, “Ms. Kelly” is scheduled to drop on July 3.
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Weekend picks: Smooth grooves and supple moves
After a couple of very slow weekends in the ATX, the city is beginning to hit a good groove again. Friday’s urban entertainment offerings are still pretty sparse, but by Saturday night the clubs start to get hot.
Friday: Nothing specific lept out at me, but if you’re out on the town looking for hip-hop, DJ Tats is at the Whisky Bar, DJ Digg is at 219 West, DJ Protege is at Barcelona and DJ In/Verse is at the Red Fez. If you’re looking for cheap drinks (and are unfazed by generalized club cheesiness) the Beat 104’s DJ 2DQ will be down at Paradox where ladies get in free til 11:30 p.m.
Saturday: DJ Chicken George and McPullish at Ruta Maya The thing I like about DJ Chicken George is that he’s free-thinking and extremely versatile. He certainly knows how to drop the jams that will keep a Saturday night Sixth Street crowd pumped up and partying, but he also knows how to blend obscure soul, euro-house and underground hip-hop into a sublime mix that expands the mind as the body moves. For this gig, CG is partnered with the McPullish Soundsystem, and he promises an “eclectic live show with dub, ambient, electronic, reggae, spacey jazz, hip-hop and plenty of CG ‘Jazztronica.’” Cover unspecified.
Saturday: Sage Francis at Emo’s I have to admit that the first (and only) time I saw Sage Francis perform live I wasn’t terribly impressed. But really, it was probably me not him. Your girl used to be a pretty serious partier, and the Sage struck me as a somewhat angsty white boy who took himself very seriously. Certainly, not the best sounds to shake your thang to. But I spent a little time on his MySpace page, where there’s a broad sampling of his new material, this week. Some of it goes pretty hard, (although it still won’t necessarily inspire booty gyration). I can’t front on the man’s skills, and he’s pretty big with the indie kids locally so expect a solid turnout. $13.
Saturday: Salsa lessons and Sahara Nights at Copa Hip-switches from two different cultures will rock the dance floor at Copa on Saturday night. Show up at 9 p.m. to take Salsa lessons from Rhonda and Cesar then stick around for shimmies and shakes from the Sabaya Bellydancers at 10:30 p.m. $5 Salsa lessons, $5 cover before 10 p.m., $7 cover late.
Sunday: DJ Orion at the Beauty Bar. A couple weeks ago my husband (wow, that still sounds kind of crazy) came home from a party speaking glowingly about this cat DJ Orion who reportedly dropped a killer mix of bangin’ hip-hop mixed with Latin flava. I logged onto his MySpace page to investigate for myself. I’ve gotta say, I’m not a huge fan of mash-ups (or MIA, for that matter) but the cut “mia vs. diplo vs. bon…” is pretty choice. When MIA’s “Bucky Done Gun” meshed with The Eurythmics “Sweet Dreams” it was nice, but the addition of a snippet of “Tell Me More” from the movie “Grease” took it over the top. Good stuff.
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Photos: Grupo Fantasma backing Prince
The show airs on ABC at 7 p.m. Tuesday, but the Tinseltown taping went down tonight and your girl managed to dig up a few choice shots of ATX’s cumbia-funk kings backing the Prince of pop at the ALMA awards. That’s some “soon-to-be superstar”-looking business if I ever saw it.
Is it a shadow? A phantasm perhaps? Nah, it’s just Grupo Fantasma guitarist (and longtime Almost Urban homie) Adrian Quesada basking in the Purple One’s aura.
(all photos by Mark J. Terrill ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Grupo to back Prince at ALMA Awards
It’s been a minute since Almost Urban has checked in with Austin’s own all-terrain cumbia-funk unit, Grupo Fantasma, but I’m happy to report that they’re doing extremely well. The band is currently in L.A. taping a spot for the 2007 ALMA Awards. They’ll be backing Prince and Sheila E. in the performance. (Crazy, right?) The Awards show, which is hosted by Eva Longoria, will air on ABC at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
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