Happy Thanksgiving. Hopefully there are many things that you can reflect upon and to be thankful for. We would like to extend thanks and recognize all the many blessings in our lives especially the Shine On Me family.
Ok...there's more lines like that than we can actually type. CLASSIC is the word. Emerging from the already crazy worldwide pop phemomenon New Edition, what could be done that would match that. Well...it was accomplished by these guys.
This is huge. An intimate experience with the boys who brought you some of the most high energy R&B dance hits of all time. POISON has got to be one of the baddest songs of all time. Still a complete banger in the clubs. Has saved a stagnant dancefloor for probably most DJs on the planet. Hell...you can maybe save a relationship by turning this song on in the middle of an argument! And they held their own on the Quiet Storm side of things too...."When Will I See You Smile Again?". All you need to add is a rainy night and you'll be humping your pillow like a juvenile again.
Brought to you by Shine On Me Producitons and V.Smith Entertainment
The Soul Sister Sy Smith is back in DC for a quick stop at Liv, bringing with her all that funk and soul and jazz that she shares with the rest of the Hollywood on a regular basis.
****Weird Fact****
Sy Boogie is actually the first person who hipped me to the Antoine Dodson madness. Last she was in town, I looked up and found myself wondering what "Climbing in your windows, Snatching your people up." had to do with anything. Of course this was a good couple months before the madness built to critical mass. No one had heard of this yet. She was quoting the man himself from an earlier more edgy production by Jneiro Jerrell...Listen
****Return to Relevance****
You may have heard great things about her (or even heard her for yourself) if you were aboard the Capital Jazz Cruise. Either way...she'll be rocking the house with her highly unique style.
The young lady has been on the stage with giants like Whitney Houston, DJ Quik, Me'Shell N'degeocello, Chris Botti, Usher, Chaka Khan, Macy Gray, Raheem Devaughn, Eric Benet and Brandy. Of course she still brings it right back to some of the cult classic current day folks like Eric Roberson, Nicolay, Rich Medina, W.Ellington Felton and Geno Young.
The Town Crier, as it were, doesn't quite exist anymore. However, if he did....we would whisper in his young (currently cold) ear and off through the streets of DC he would go running. Carrying the news of the day.
"EPMD is coming."
"EPMD is coming."
One of the illest rap duos of all time will be here for one night only @ Liv. This is obviously a show you don't want to miss.
Another installment of the HipHopLivs Series.
Past events:
Brand Nubian
Dead Prez
Duck Down XV Anniversary Tour
(Pharoahe Monch, Bucshot, Sean Price, Smif n Wessun, Skyzoo)
This exemplifies the random fun had by all who attended the Alice Russell Show way back 4 years ago at Bohemian Caverns. TM Juke on tracks (as Alice gave deference to the various musicians as though the band was right behind her), then on to (a now infamous left handed guitar) playing acoustic all while Alice sang. Then on to a DJ set by TM Juke that had the remainder of the crew dancing for hours. Was that Sexual Healing by the Hot 8 Brass Band you just played? Where in the hell did that come from?
We need to get her back here....
We'll always love Alice and Ginger!
PS - Is anyone missing their grandmother? (See pic.)
We are happy about this to say the least. Really really glad to announce and public service in the return of maybe the most infectious group we have ever witnessed in person. Little Dragon. Yukimi & crew are currently on tour with the Gorillaz. So this time we fully expect all of DC to turn out in masses, so we have teamed up with longtime quality programmer/promoter outfit MN8* and are presenting this early favorite for show of the year 2011 @ the Black Cat in late January.
Also performing on the bill, Stones Throw artist Nite Jewel.
Easiest good deed of the day...tell a friend about this show.
The Philly Soul Sister comes back to her beloved to rock with us for one night only. Come on out and kick off the HU Homecoming weekend in grand style this weekend.
For all the young 80's and 90's babies who love hip hop, PLEASE come out to this show. This is the base upon which the skinny jeans and fat laces and medallions (DID I JUST SEE AND AFRICAN MEDALLION ON SOMEONE'S NECK AT THE BUS STOP?!?!) were built. And for all you all who do know and remember, I promise that this will be worth every second you spend on the Monday at the beginning of the week. It will MAKE you have a good week.
This is when hip hop was raw, mildly commercially successful and still very, very real. We determined fashion on our own. No one paid us to do that. Le Coq Sportif and Bally probably still have no idea where all those young hiphoppers came from....or why. We own this...we are this.
This is the essence of an art form that is so real it has transcended every boundary known to modern human culture. Language, age, race, geography, sex, sexual preference, culture, religion or form of government. Nothing can stand in it's way. It's infectious. I'm sure someone or something is beatboxing out there in the galaxy and rocking a raccoon tail hat with ski goggles turned to the side.
Come out and see one of the best combination of hip hop artists assembled in recent years. Shout out to Duck Down. Congrats on holding us down for 15 Years!
See you at the show.
Just a taste below. Pharoahe never will disappoint. He's joined by Boot Camp Clik w/ Buckshot, Sean Price, Smif n Wesson & Skyzoo
Our good friends, the people at District51, are expanding the scope of the Breakfast Klub. Introducing Afternoon Acoustics. Laid back acoustic sounds to bring a mild and warm fuzzy feeling to round out your weekend. FREE from 4-6pm. This week features Levi Stephens and Jayne Kennedi.
The main course is up next with smash sensation Black Alley featuring a special MJ Birthday Tribute this weekend. Last year we celebrated the life of Michael with DJ Dredd right after his passing. This year we team up with D51 and Black Alley and have Infinite Soundz with all the MJ you can handle.
One of the mainstays of hiphop all time. Many of the labels that we think back to .... 4th& Broadway, Sleeping Bag, Nervous, Rawkus.....Duck Down holds its own in any discussion and still maintains the Boot Camp Family affiliation. They are celebrating their 15th Anniversary with a tour featuring and MONSTER lineup.
This is a show that any hiphop fan, young or old will be sure to leave feeling that energy you can only get after the whole crowd goes crazy listening to MCs rock 2 turntables and a microphone!!!
Our good friends stic.man and M-1 are back at it again. You didn't forget did you? You need this in your life. Helps to balance the worker bee syndrome that has been beaten into your dome since birth. Get a taste of liberation.
Back in September of '09, we had a magical evening with a vocal monster, the likes of whom it is hard to compare to another artist. Jose James. He is equally comfortable on a stage singing classic jazz ballads with a pianist tinkling a 9ft. grand piano, and leading the soulful electronic production from today's electronic musical visionaries (Flying Lotus, Taylor McFerrin). On one hand you close your eyes and you think Andy Bey, Joe Williams...the great jazz male jazz voices. Then you open your eyes and you don't know what to think. Does this guys have a Yankees cap on with jeans and sneakers? Sho nuff he does. And why not?
At the time he had just fled the streets (and closed club doors) of NYC for the open arms of Gilles Peterson's Brownswood label(see The Dreamer)...and thank God for that. Since then Europe has embraced James as the wonderful artist that he is. The States...well we tend to take a little longer to recognize true talent sometimes. Just a couple days prior to our show, Jose wowed audiences as the surprise of the Charlie Parker Jazz Fest in NY.
Well he's back now. With a fresh new album Black Magic and For All We Know, a wonderful collection of duet recordings with he and Jef Neve out on the Impulse label.
Young, fresh and maybe our favorite voice on the planet. Check it out for yourself. Then realize...THIS GETS EVEN BETTER LIVE!! See you at the show.
This is one of the coolest, laid back and talented people on the planet. He plays great guitar, writes Grammy Nominated songs and sings great to boot. Maybe it's in the water down there in Georgia (or the biscuits?). We don't know what it is, but Anthony David is one of the performers that we imagine will be making big moves and we can only hope that he remembers us when he's playing for the First Family and the stadiums around the planet.
This is the writer and that voice behind "Words", the wildly popular single ft. Indie Arie off his last album Acey Duecy that was Grammy Nominated.
His latest project As Above, So Below is due to come out in October, so we're hoping to hear some of that new material.
I just heard this CD by Anthony David, who's an R&B guy -- I put him on there. That's brand new, so I'm kind of enjoying that a lot now. - Michelle Obama Marie Claire
For those in the know...we'll see you at the show. Make sure to tell your friends. People were mad for weeks after their last shows in DC. This group is opening for Erykah Badu on the West Coast...has opened for Prince...need I say more? You need to see them when you can.
Ms. Maimouna Youssef is also on the bill. Having been on tour with and the voice behind the Almighty Roots Crew's song "It Don't Feel Right", singing behind Zap Mama and the young end of the genre defying 3 Generations...last we heard of her she was rocking to stage with her good friends Navasha and Cody Chesnutt for her birthday. We missed her though. So she's back to warm up things for the Dynamic Duo, Brook and Jack.
And now a message from our sponsor...
"We've recently wrapped recording on our Warner Bros debut album titled New Designer Drug, & we're ready for a breath of fresh inspiration that only the wide open road can provide. Brook & I have been working hard to revamp our live set in an effort to include new songs, jarring visual accompaniment & an electronic stimulation that only J*DaVeY can create." -Miss Jack Davey
So this is one you gotta check out. Think golden era, Native Tongues type production and a good solid flow, cadence and...drumroll...a FEMALE MC! Yeah man. This is something that is underated in hiphop and you probably don't know you miss it but you do. (jedi mind trick wave of the hand)
You like Radiohead right? Well...they like her. (At least Thom Yorke does.)
Well...more importantly we like her too. :) We've teamed up with re/route dc (watch for them) to bring this to you just after her appearances at Summer Stage and Latin Alternative Music Conference.
JUST ADDED.....DTMD! Dunc and Toine get things warm with their true school inspired style of hiphop.
We bring you more of all the rage nowadays, electro-pop from the Norse States. The unique, where did they come up with that sound from the great expanses of the north. (Our theory...they're receiving some kind of mental download from aliens that was really meant for the Vikings but has been bouncing around in space for the last few hundred years.)
Quadron hails from Denmark and has recently been signed to Plug Research (Bilal, Ammon Contact, Flying Lotus, Carlos Nino). The duo is bringing a fresh new feel and sound to the soul/R&B genre.
Our good friend over at NPR always intrigues with his description of his many travels and experiences on the planet. Check his posts on the DC Jazz Fest happenings at the Legendary Bohemian Caverns
We've been around for a little while now and we keep getting questions and emails form the peoples. So we've given in...here we are. Blogging. After a couple years. (We may go back and catch up...but for now..look forward to announcements of things to come and much more.)
We are now adding to the insanely wide variety of collections of images, sound and text on out here in the madness. Hopefully you find that we bring you real content and choose to interact with us. We welcome all thoughts positive and constructive. Come join us on our brief literary journey. Great things to come.
