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Thursday, September 4, 2008
ACL Fest: Meet the bands - Nakia and his Southern Cousins
Music Source: How do you plan to cope with Austin summer heat, will it cramp your onstage style?
Nakia: Well, to be honest with you I sweat a lot on stage. Hot or cold. Inside or outside. Rain or shine…I’ll be sweating. So not much else to do but what I always do…Drink LOTS of water!
What other bands are you looking forward to seeing at the festival?
In no particular order: Beck, Elizabeth Wills, David Byrne, Iron & Wine, Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, and more than I can probably name right now.
What’s the last CD you paid full price for?
You mean actual CD? From Waterloo? Not iTunes? Hmmm… “Mad Dogs & Englishmen” by Joe Cocker - Amazing record.
What’s the one thing you can’t live without on your tour bus/van?
That’s simple… Radio.
When you think of Texas music, who or what is the first thing that comes to your mind?
Not trying to sound too nostalgic here, but probably the “Austin City Limits” series on PBS. I grew up watching that in Alabama and so in my mind - as a kid - that was Texas music.
Do you have a celebrity crush you’re willing to reveal?
You’re naughty! I am SUCH A FANBOY and have WAY TOO MANY to name, but I wouldn’t dare spill my guts to you!
What’s the one song you’ve always wanted to cover but never have?
“Baby I’m A Star” by Prince. That song is filled with so much raw energy and emotion and it just really moves me.
What’s the one thing everyone should do before leaving Austin?
You mean besides see Nakia & His Southern Cousins live? (We play with the South Austin Jug Band at Momo’s the Thursday before ACL.) Oh… Well… I usually always take out-of-towners straight to Threadgill’s and throw down on some hot, fresh rolls. Seriously? Have you had those? They are like crack made of yeast and flour doughy goodness. Oh I need a fix now!
(Photo by Amanda Klauss)
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Weekend Picks: Aggie rockers, Latin soul and 80s pop
Friday: Squeeze, Fastball at La Zona Rosa. Glenn Tilbrook is still one of the greatest pop singers of our time, and when Chris Difford tags along, he gets to call himself Squeeze. Oh, to hear ‘Another Nail in My Heart’ live one more time. And Austin’s Fastball is no slouch when it comes to serving the Beatles in ‘The Way’ of modern rock. Doors at 7 p.m., show at 8. — Michael Corcoran
Friday: Hump! Afro-Latin Soul edition at Plush. DJs Resinthol and Paco add a little Latin flava to their weekly Friday night classic funk, soul and boogie party. Renowned jazz trumpet player Ephraim Owens will sit in on the set and Tigre Liu will play MC for the evening. Free before 11 p.m., $5 after. —-Deborah Sengupta Stith
Friday: Roger Creager at Midnight Rodeo.This Aggie from Corpus is getting great reviews for his new ‘Here It Is’ CD, co-produced by Radney Foster and Lloyd Maines. Creager has instincts to rock, but Maines’ steel guitar pulls it back to the country. 10 p.m. — M.C.
Friday-Saturday: The Hip-Hop Theater Explosion at the Vortex. Although I’m not 100 percent sold on the concept of a “hip-hop variety show” in a theater setting, the lineup of performers on the bill for the fourth incarnation of “interdisciplinary theater/performance poet,” Zell Miller’s production is excellent. Included on the bill are Eastside rap godfather Nook, profound up-and-comers Public Offenders, SaulPaul, DJ S.T.A.T.I.K. and a mess of other dancers, poets and artists. $10-$30 —-D.S.S.
Saturday: The Lemurs EP release at the Mohawk. As our colleague Brandon Cobb remarked, “The Lemurs channel the spirit of eighties New Wave giants like the Cure and New Order and give that synth-rock sound a much needed indie facelift.” Belaire, Low Line Caller and Pink Nasty will also perform and the $12 ticket price includes a copy of the new EP. —-D.S.S.
Saturday: Bett Butler at Eddie V’s. As made clear on ‘When Love Has Left the Room’ from the new ‘Myths & Fables’ CD, this San Antonio singer/pianist is a true artist, if not a great singer. Her forte is creating rich story songs fluttering over a South American/South Philly soundscape we have to call jazz because the right word hasn’t been invented. Butler’s not-so-typical Chamber Jazz Trio (with Joel Dilley on bass and Cecil Carter on trumpet) will bring a whole new vibe to Eddie V’s. 8 p.m.-midnight. — M.C.
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Live chat with Michael Corcoran today at 2 p.m.
Do I sometimes review shows I don’t attend? This is a charge I’ve been hearing for years, most recently from an irate posting from Ronnie Dunn of Brooks & Dunn, after I blasted the choice of “Only In America” as Barack Obama’s acceptance speech outro music:
“Corcoran….aren’t you the guy who used to critique Brooks and Dunn shows for some Dallas paper. We found out later that you weren’t even there!” it starts off. I’m sure this is the real Ronnie D because of other details in the posting that only the true shriller would know.
Anyway, now’s your chance to have at me, to wonder if we were at the same show, to ask what sort of credentials I have to review music, to ask what a 52-year-old man could possibly be doing at a punk or hip hop show. And did I really sit at home watching “thirtysomething” while Loggins & Oates were doing “Boot Scootin’ Boogie”?
Now’s your chance to pin me down, exactly 33 1/3 years after I published my first record review. Let’s mix it up like the old days.
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Jon Dee gets flavor, favors
Jo’s Coffee (1300 S. Congress) is hosting a benefit for Jon Dee Graham this Sunday from 12:30- 3:00pm. There Amy’s Ice Cream unveils the new Jon Dee Honey Graham ice cream, perhaps the only dessert to contain nicotine (just kidding).
Live music will be by Tina Rose and the Jo’s Band and Sweet Leaf Tea will be selling lemonade, with all the proceeds going towards Graham’s massive medical bills after a serious car accident July 25 on I-35.
Jon Dee CDs and the new DVD “Swept Away” will also be available.
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Review and live shots: GZA at Emo’s
Rapper GZA of the WuTang Clan was in the house for Emo’s 16th birthday celebration last night. Check out live shots from the show.
- Photos: GZA at Emo’s
Orson Welles had it easy. Shackled as he was throughout his career by his early greatness, and inability to replicate it, at least he didn’t have to trot around the globe doing stage renditions of “Citizen Kane” every time he needed to score a buck.
Which brings us to Wu-Tang Clan shining light GZA/Genius, who should just have the phrase “performing ‘Liquid Swords’” legally added to his name at this point since he’s been operating under the shadow of his monstrously revered debut album for the better part of a decade.
It was there on the bill for Wednesday’s show at Emo’s, attracting a mix of hardcore hip-hop heads who were either hip to GZA’s precise lyrical dexterity from the beginning or latched on as “Sword“‘s reputation blossomed through the years while his able followups have foundered.
That’s what the jam-packed crowd came for though, and they were happy from the moment the Long Island MC stepped onto the stage — outfitted simply in a black GZA T-shirt and backward ball cap — and laced into the razor-sharp lyrics of classics like “Duel of the Iron Mic” and “Swordsmen.” It was obvious GZA hasn’t lost any skill or enthusiasm for this material and on Wednesday seemed much more engaged than during a particularly lackluster “Liquid Swords” Revue in March at Stubb’s during SXSW.
The downfall of the revue approach, though, is that it caters to the past and that the few cuts from “Beneath The Surface” or the new “Pro Tools” scattered in the 85 minutes got a merely polite reception when they deserve much better.
The ravenous cheers were, of course, reserved for classics like a verse from deceased Wu-Tanger Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s “Shimmy Shimmy Ya” or the mere mention of “Clan In Da Front,” his standout track from Wu-Tang’s artform-changing debut.
By that point it was clear that for GZA and his fanbase “Clan” and “Liquid Swords” have become their answer answer to Welles and Charles Foster Kane’s “rosebud”; an escape to an earlier, simpler time that gains luster through the fog of years.
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LP review: Terrence Howard
Terrence Howard
“Shine Through It” (Columbia)
Would this be a record worth buying if Terrence Howard wasn’t a well-known actor, the Billy Dee Williams of his time? That’s the $15.98 question. Turns out that Howard, so brilliant in “Hustle & Flow,” is the anti-Bruce Willis. Hide your head in shame, Scarlett Johansson; this is no vanity project, but a work that overflows with self-expression.
Untrained and unbridled, Howard sings the moonlight outta this one and with a Columbia Records recording budget to work with, produces a grandiose backdrop of strings and fluglehorns.
“Shine Through It” sounds like the child Nina Simone and Quincy Jones gave up for adoption. The rapid-fire recalling of “Mr. Johnson’s Lawn” is the closest Howard gets to hip=hop, but then, he doesn’t really align his music with any genre, though if pressed, jazz-soul would be in the ballpark.
If there’s an obvious criticism it’s that this album is a bit overwrought, with each number a soul-drenched workout. Howard goes through a wide range of emotions, usually starting each song with a James Taylor-derived lilt, but then letting the music overtake him until all the fury flies out.
A ditty or two would’ve been nice, but instead co-producer Howard (with Miles Mosley) creates space by putting the salsa-favored big band instrumental “Spanish Love Affair” at the midpoint of all the drama. The palate-cleanser leads into two of the highlights, “Plenty” and “I Remember When,” which, along with the title track, are most primed for radio.
But lyrically, Howard is more into obtuse personal poetry than creating hit songs. His words make better sense when they’re playing off the everpresent saxophones and violins.
Impressive as most of the album is, the outlandishly dense closer “War” tips the hand that, regardless of Oscar nominations, Howard is in the same cluster as other debut artists. A bit more simplification would’ve served this project better.
“All I ever wanted to be is a little bit more like me,” Howard sings on the arms-out title track. He’s getting there.
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