Karriem Riggins is best known as a jazz drummer and hip-hop producer for artists like Common, Slum Village, Talib Kweli and The Roots, but he doesn’t categorize himself as anything but an artist. He advises younger musicians to do the same.
“You don’t have to put yourself in a box…there’s so many different ways to go,” Riggins says. A student of late jazz bassist Ray Brown, he tours with another Brown protégé, Grammy Award winner Diana Krall. In 2011, he collaborated with former Beatle Paul McCartney in concert and on Kisses on the Bottom, McCartney’s first studio release in five years. Names of some of the jazz artists he’s backed reads like the genre’s hall of fame - Hank Jones, Oscar Peterson, Milt Jackson, Donald Byrd and Ron Carter.
But on his solo debut Alone Together, set for an October 23 release on Stones Throw Records, Riggins plants himself firmly as a hip-hop producer with a 34-track instrumental odyssey through nearly every influence on his career thus far. The project was inspired by much of the music he was creating while living in Los Angeles, and also by the love of his son and family.
Now residing in his native Detroit, Riggins is back where it all began. “I feel like I can really breath and stay inspired here, and I have room to set up my lab and be creative,” he says. This is the rationale behind the title Alone Together, taken from a jazz standard written by Arthur Schwartz and Howard Dietz that begin with the words, “Alone together, above the crowd.”
“Coming back to the machines, I feel like I can really express myself,” Riggins says. “This is the way that I express my rhythms.”
Machines, however, are just one way he expresses his rhythms. Midway through the album, the track “Water” is interrupted by a vocal snippet where the speaker places Riggins “right at the intersection of hip-hop and jazz.” Alone Together is that intersection; it’s the jazz music he’s played professionally since the age of 19, and it’s crafting beats like “Africa” on an MPC5000 while touring throughout Eastern Europe and Russia.
“I need the balance,” Riggins says, of working with the likes of Krall and McCartney, and also being able to go back to the studio and create hip-hop. “Without that, I couldn’t be who I am.”
Songs on Alone Together range from 14 seconds to a little over three minutes, and are the essence of man vs. machine. When Riggins channels Elvin Jones on the album’s climax and tribute to his longtime friend, “J Dilla the Greatest,” his tools are a Gretsch drum kit, the Fender Rhodes and an MPC3000. As versed as he is in jazz and pop, the machines will always be at the root – until the next thing.
Lee Fields "Faithful Man" available on Truth & Soul Records March 13th, 2012
A press release explains that the album, his second for Truth & Soul Records, "pushes the formulas of good soul." Tracked with producers Jeff Silverman and Leon Michels (Aloe Blacc) the album allegedly pair the R&B veteran of 43 years with a seasoned cast of session musicians. You can catch a stream of sweet and soulful first single "You're That Kind of Girl" down below.
The label touts their signee's old-school soul flavour, while describing that A Faithful Man's ten tracks "tell tales of love, heartbreak and blues in the time-honoured way."
Fields has been on the scene since the late '60s; he sprinkled the '70s with some singles, and experienced a comeback that started in the '90s, linking him up with Dap-Tone before settling in with Truth & Soul.
Sylvia Robinson has passed away at the age of 75. Sylvia Vanterpool Robinson, known as the Mother of Hip-Hop, died today at 6:28 a.m. EST from congestive heart failure.
Sylvia who was born on March 6, 1936 was a singer, musician, music producer, and record label executive, most notably known for her work as founder/CEO of the seminal hip hop label Sugar Hill Records.
Luca Trevisi aka LTJ XPERIENCE, One Man Edit, The Beatdown Soundmachine (small world disco, super value, sleazy beats, irma) out of Italy... Solid mix my friend, tracks are smokin!!!
Paul Williams, 1 December 1934, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Although Paul had been an active singer in the Philadelphia area since the 50s, singing in jazz clubs and briefly with Harold Melvin And The Blue Notes, it was not until he met producer Kenny Gamble that his career prospered. After signing to the Neptune label, he enjoyed a successful spell on the Philadelphia International Records label. His instinctive, jazz-based delivery provided an unlikely foil for the label’s highly structured, sweet-soul sound but Paul’s impressive debut hit, 1972’s US chart-topping ‘Me And Mrs Jones’, nonetheless encapsulated the genre.
A classic confessional tale of infidelity, Paul’s unorthodox style enhanced the ballad’s sense of guilt. His later releases included ‘Thanks For Saving My Life’ (1974), ‘Let’s Make A Baby’ (1976) and ‘Let ’Em In’ (1977), the last of which adapted the Paul McCartney hit to emphasize lyrical references to Dr. Martin Luther King. Paul continued to make excellent records, but his last chart entry to date came in 1980 with ‘You’re My Sweetness’.
He recorded for Total Experience and Ichiban Records in the 80s, before announcing his retirement in 1989 in London. But he's since done several club dates, both in America and overseas. ~ Ron Wynn, All Music Guide and continues to perform throughout the world in addition to running his own production company.
Check the list of artist who've sampled Billy Paul Music, over 2 pages.
Charles Bradley was down and out when Gabriel Roth of Daptone Records happened upon him performing his Black Velvet act at the Tarheel Lounge in Bed Stuy. Roth recognized his raw talent and directly brought him into the Daptone “House of Soul” Studios for a session with the Sugarman 3. "Take It As It Comes" was Charles' first single on Daptone and it proved him as a worthy vocalist. Roth eventually brought Charles out to Staten Island to see Dirt Rifle and the Bullets, a young funk band playing James Brown and Meters influenced songs. Thomas Brenneck, songwriter and guitarist for the Bullets, hit it off with Charles and they began working together. They released two singles on Daptone under the name “Charles Bradley and the Bullets,” but the Bullets soon dismantled in order to form the afrobeat influenced Budos Band.
However, Brenneck knew that Charles had something more to give and after moving to Bushwick himself, he and Charles reunited. In time, they became close friends and Charles confided his life story in Brenneck. The young producer was moved when he heard Charles tell the painful story of his brother’s death. Brenneck said, "Charles, we gotta put that story to music."
At the time, Brenneck was in the process of forming Menahan Street Band, an amalgamation of members of Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, El Michels Affair, The Budos Band, Lee Fields & the Expressions and Antibalas. You may not know it, but you've probably heard the Menahan Street Band. Jay-Z sampled their signature horn sound for his smash "Roc Boys (And The Winner Is)" while Kid Cudi sampled their guitar lines for "Mr. Solo Dolo." The list goes on as Menahan Street Band is quickly becoming one of the most sampled current bands in the business. All this shouldn't come as a surprise for those who have checked out the band on their own. The music is steeped in classic soul and afrobeat but displays an acute awareness for hip hop. It is lush, gritty, retro and modern all at the same time.
Formed in Brenneck's bedroom, Mehanan Street Band began as a studio project. Brenneck was looking to record music in between his busy tour schedules when he called in friends from all sides of the Brooklyn Soul Scene. Each track was recorded over time with a rotating rhythm section all topped with the unique horn stylings of Dave Guy and Leon Michels. The final result was exciting to all those involved, and Brenneck released the first Menahan Street Band single, "Make The Road By Walking" on his burgeoning label, Dunham Records, a division of Daptone Records. Dunham continued to release Menahan Street Band singles and eventually a full-length album, Make The Road By Walking.
The records are characterized by an experimental element. Whether it be a unique instrument or simply an unusual beat, Menahan Street Band attempts to broaden the horizon of funk and soul music through these qualities. However, the term experimental far from describes the final product. The music is always founded in a solid beat and simple changes making it accessible to a broad spectrum of listeners. Brenneck's dedication to high quality analog sound is another staple element of the “Menahan Sound.” The process of recording to tape -- the limited track count, the tape edits, the natural tape compression -- has a great influence on the final product.
Brenneck’s new sound was the perfect compliment for the heartfelt and troubled lyrics that sprang from Charles’ story. With drummer Homer Steinweiss, Brenneck launched Dunham Records in 2008 and released Charles’ "The World (Is Going Up In Flames)" and "Heartaches and Pain" as its’ second single. A departure from his Black Velvet act, the songs showed a new side of Charles as a compelling artist in his own right and proved to be a great success. Many late night writing and recording sessions later, he and Brenneck completed their first full-length record, No Time For Dreaming. Charles always knew he was born to entertain, but in the making of this record he discovered a proclivity for songwriting as well. The record was a labor of love for both Charles and Brenneck. Charles and the Menahan Street Band have been touring, while Charles has been honing his passion as a singer and an entertainer. After years of working together, No Time For Dreaming is due for international release on Dunham Records.
Anyone who has spent time listening to producer and multi-instrumentalist Shawn Lee’s many thematic recordings knows that at the heart of all them lies a deep obsession with the sounds of soul music in all its forms. Soul in the Hole is his unabashed tribute to that inspiration. While Lee wrote or co-wrote all but one track here, his feel for many regional sounds is nigh on perfect. One need go no further than the title track that opens the set. The dirty Fortune Records drum sound, a B-3, a glorious horn chart, and his own excellent — if somewhat unrefined — vocals, capture the Northern soul vibe perfectly. (He sings on two other tracks as well, including a duet with his wife Kiren on album-closer “The Stuff.”) Lee also enlists guests in this tribute. Nicole Willis appears in a startlingly subtle performance on the shimmering midtempo ballad “Jigsaw,” with an unforgettable chorus. Mysterious soul legend Darondo appears on two of the set’s grittier and funkier tunes, adding his grainy, high-pitched vocals to the "on-the-one" toughness of “Stay Away from Me” and the more atmospheric, Memphis-influenced ballad “Playboy Bunny.” The lone cover on the set is “S.Something,” written by Al Green and Willie Mitchell, with a stellar vocal performance by Karime Kendra — who also guests on the tougher, nastier, garage funk of “Time to Say Goodbye.” Listeners are also treated to the gorgeous vocals of the criminally under-recognized Fanny Franklin (who fronts the band Orgone). Her performances on the Stax-styled ballad “Too Tired to Sleep” and the strutting “Cruel Woman” are real high points here. Paul Butler appears on the laid-back West Coast-meets-East-Coast soul sounds in “Whatever Side You're On.” The only criticism here is also the element that keeps Soul in the Hole from being merely a retro-soul album — the sometimes wispy and even cheesy retro drum machines are prominent in the intros of some tunes but also add space and ambience to these crisp mixes. But it’s a small complaint. This is one of Lee’s more emotionally upfront recordings, and an obvious labor of love. It’s sophisticated, fun, and yes, soulful in spades.
Alphonso "Fonce" Mizell, member of Motown hit-makers The Corporation and half of the production duo The Mizell Brothers, has passed away. He was 68 years old. The cause of death is unknown.
Mizell was recruited by writer-producer Deke Richards to join The Corporation, which also included Berry Gordy and Freddie Perren. The production team was responsible for writing and producing The Jackson 5's early hits, including "I Want You Back" and "ABC." After Motown moved to Los Angeles, Fonce and his brother Larry, aka The Mizell Brothers, moved as well and formed their own production company, Sky High Productions.
The first album they produced, Donald Byrd's Black Byrd, for Blue Note Records label, launched a string of albums that helped shape the jazz fusion genre as well as lay the foundation for neo-soul.
The Mizell Brothers' production work has been widely sampled and remixed by artists such as J Dilla, A Tribe Called Quest, and Madlib.
WOW Baby, Get your tickets for this show in Oakland Sunday April 3rd.. Stanley Clarke is a legend and this is the one show you shouldn't miss. Below is a little history on Stanley Clarke.
Exploding into the jazz world in 1971, Stanley was a lanky teenager from the Philadelphia Academy of Music. He arrived in New York City and immediately landed jobs with famous bandleaders such as: Horace Silver, Art Blakey, Dexter Gordon, Joe Henderson, Pharaoh Saunders, Gil Evans, Stan Getz, and a budding young pianist composer named Chick Corea.
All of these musicians recognized immediately the ferocious dexterity and complete musicality the young Clarke possessed on the acoustic bass. Not only was he expert at crafting bass lines and functioning as a timekeeper in the bass’ traditional role, Stanley also possessed a sense of lyricism and melody gained from his bass heroes Charles Mingus, Scott LaFaro, and others, including non-bass players like John Coltrane. Clarke recognized the opportunity to propel the bass into a viable melodic soloist role and was uniquely qualified to do just that.
The opportunity to state melody and to propel the bass to the front of the concert stage came to fruition when Clarke and Corea formed the seminal electric jazz/fusion band Return to Forever. RTF was a showcase for each of the quartet’s strong musical personalities, composing prowess, and instrumental voices. Clarke surmised, “we really didn’t realize how much of an impact we were having on people at the time. We were touring so much then, we would just make a record and go back on the road.” The band recorded eight albums, two of which were certified gold (the wildly successful Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy and the classic Romantic Warrior), won a Grammy award (No Mystery) and received numerous nominations while touring incessantly. And this was a jazz band!
Then Stanley, his now famous Alembic bass in hand, fired the shot heard ‘round the world’. He single-handedly started the 1970s “bass revolution,” paving the way for all bassist/soloist/bandleaders to follow. In 1974 he released his eponymous Stanley Clarke album, which featured a hit 45rpm “single” (we’re still talking about jazz here,) titled “Lopsy Lu.” In 1976 Stanley released School Days, of which the title track is now a bona fide bass anthem.
He acknowledges, quite unboastfully: “Anyone who seriously wants to learn to play the bass has to buy that record and learn to play that song.” Aspiring bassists must also master the percussive slap funk technique that Stanley pioneered as well. Stanley saw Larry Graham’s technique (Sly and the Family Stone) and seized upon the idea. He built his facility to a frightening speed, and then adapted it to complex jazz harmonies. Says Stanley, “Larry started it, but he had only one lick. I saw him do it, and I took it from there.” Stanley was the first musician to pop over chord changes. “A lot of guys could jam all day in E, but couldn’t play it over changes.”
Stanley Clarke became the first bassist in history to headline tours, selling out shows worldwide, and have his albums certified gold. The word “legend” was used to describe Stanley by the time he was 25 years old. In 1997 Epic/Sony released: By this tender young age, Stanley was already a celebrated pioneer in fusion jazz music. He was also the first bassist in history to double on acoustic and electric bass with equal virtuosity, power, and fire. He had also invented two new instruments: the piccolo bass and the tenor bass. The piccolo bass, built to his specifications by New York luthier Carl Thompson, is tuned one octave higher than the traditional electric bass guitar. The tenor bass is a standard Alembic bass tuned up one fourth higher than standard. With both of these instruments, Stanley’s melodic range is extended for playing in higher registers as he sees orchestrationally fit.
Alembic honored Stanley by offering a signature model Stanley Clarke bass, the first time in the company’s history of making only custom built instruments to do so. Whatever the instrument: acoustic bass viol, electric bass guitar, tenor bass, piccolo bass, acoustic bass guitar, electric upright, or any of the hundreds of axes in his arsenal, Stanley’s musicality and command of these instruments clearly define him as the greatest living bass virtuoso in the world, second to none, hands down, end of discussion.
Now king of the acoustic and electric jazz worlds, in 1981 Stanley teamed with George Duke to form the Clarke/Duke Project. Together they scored a top-twenty pop hit with “Sweet Baby,” recorded three albums and still tour to this day. Stanley’s involvement in additional projects as leader or active member include: Jeff Beck (tour of Japan and Europe, 1978-1979), Ronnie Wood's & Keith Richards’ New Barbarians (North American tour, 1979), Animal Logic (with Stewart Copeland, two albums and tours, 1989), The "Superband”(with Larry Carlton, Billy Cobham, Najee, and Deron Johnson, 1993-94), The Rite of Strings (with Jean Luc Ponty and Al Dimeola, 1995), Vertu’ (with Lenny White, 1999). A much more detailed listing of Stanley Clarke’s bands can be found in Discography. Clarke has won literally every major award available to a bass player: Grammys, Emmys, every readers’ poll out there, all the critics’ polls, gold and platinum records, walks of fame- you name it. He was Rolling Stone’s very first Jazzman of the Year, and bassist winner of Playboy’s Music Award for ten straight years.
Ever seeking new challenges, in 1985 Stanley turned his boundless creative energy to film and television scoring. Starting on the small screen with an Emmy nominated score for Pee Wee’s Playhouse, he progressed onto the silver screen as composer, orchestrator, conductor and performer of scores for such blockbuster films as: Boys N the Hood, What’s Love Got to Do With It (the Tina Turner Story), Passenger 57, Higher Learning, Poetic Justice, Panther, The Five Heartbeats, Little Big League, and Romeo Must Die. He has even scored a Michael Jackson video release directed by Jon Singleton entitled Remember the Time. Currently his scoring may be heard on the number one rated show for the Showtime Network: Soul Food. Stanley has become one of the elite in-demand composers in Hollywood.
Stanley says that: “film has given me the opportunity to compose large orchestral scores and to compose music not normally associated with myself. It’s given me the chance to conduct orchestras and arrange music for various types of ensembles. It’s been a diverse experience for me musically, made me a more complete musician, and utilized my skills completely.”
His artistry has spanned classical, jazz, R&B and pop idioms. He has already succeeded in a multitude of diverse careers, any one of which would be satisfactory to anyone else. Yet he still pushes on, as invigorated and as passionate about music as that teenage prodigy from Philadelphia with a dream.
Loleatta Holloway has died aged 64 following a short period of ill health. Her manager Ron Richardson broke the news last night.
Holloway was perhaps best known for her 1980 disco hit Love Sensation, which was later sampled by Black Box for their 1989 club smash Ride On Time. Her vocals were originally used without credit, but she successfully sued the band and received an undisclosed share of the royalties.
This is just one of many occasions on which Holloway's vocals have been sampled, while she also a sang on Dan Hartman's original version of Relight My Fire, which was later covered by Take That. Salsoul Orchestra classic Runaway features her vocals, too.
Join us Fridays on Historic Haight Street, across from Amoeba Records in the heart of San Francisco. Come on down, catch up with friends for a pre evening drink where you can relax and unwind in a blissful social setting. You never know who might stop in and play.
Sounds Provided By:
DJ Vinylrichie (Hear The Sounds / Sweater Funk Crew)
ALWAYS GUEST DJ's
+ Sweater Funk DJ's:
drink specials $3 cocktails $3 draft beers
Jazz Funk, Modern Soul, Oldies, Lovers Rock, R&B, Low-Riders, Steppers Etc
Happy Hour: Milk Bar (SF) Free 1840 Haight Street 5pm- 9pm $3 cocktails $3 draft beers
New Music from Oliverday Soul produced by Eric Lau. You might be familiar with Olivers voice from the one of my favorite tracks "Long Distance" ONRA's album. It’s unclear whether or not this will make Olivier’s forthcoming album Mr Saint Louis, but either way – it’s sounding real nice.
Come out and Listen to real Chicano, Soul, & Sweet Soul musica on original wax from some of L.A.'s oldest and fiercest Record Collectors on the WEST COAST
Others on that list of Chicano groups who never received their due respect and place in musical history are Randy Garibay, the Dell Kings, the Dell-Tones, the Satin Souls (originally Whitie and the Escorts), Charlie and the Jives, Tito and the Silhouettes, the Broken Hearts, Jimmy Casas, Vince Cantú and the Rockin’ Dominos, Sal and the Centennials, Ricky Dávila and the Laveers, Henry (Peña) and the Kasuals, the Óscar Martínez Orchestra featuring Pepe Cavazos plus so many others, just their names alone could fill an entire book. And that’s exactly what Molina did. He filled the void left by many other musicologists.
WHO IS RUBEN MOLINA:
" started collecting 45 rpm records when I was playing drums in Washington Irving Junior High School in Lincoln Heights and they only cost a quarter. That was in 1966 and I never bought albums because I always had this thing for 45s because you got the song that you wanted, it was very personal,” Molina said during an interview at his home in La Puente, California".
“At that time I was into soul, rhythm and blues; and Motown. Huggie Boy was the big DJ in the community and played nothing but R&B that local Chicano bands were recording. All the Chicano groups in L.A. were covering popular R&B tunes and oldies. Very few bands performed Spanish language tunes at the dances, but groups like Thee Midniters, The Romancers, and (Steve and Rudy) Salas Brothers (who later became Tierra) played Spanish-language tunes at wedding and quinceñeras.”
In 1972, Molina joined the U.S. Marines, but he continued to follow and buy musical releases recorded by Chicano rock bands, groups such as Santana, El Chicano, Tower of Power and later Tierra.
Although groups like Rudy and the Reno-Bops, the Dell-Kings (Los Blues), Mando and the Chili Peppers and Sunny and the Sunliners made the long trip to Los Angeles during the fifties and sixties Molina who was eleven-years-old in 1964 and never got a chance to see them until 1980 when East L.A. promoter and owner of Whittier Records Eddie Torres put together a touring group. Along with R&B legends like Tony Allen, Mary Wells, and Brenton Wood, several top Chicano artists as Sunny Ozuna, Rosie, plus Rene and Rene and Thee Midniters filled the bill.
“They met at the corner of Whittier and Atlantic Boulevards in East L.A. that’s where the artists boarded the buses, which took them as far north as San José (California),” Molina recalled. “They carried the Chicano sound to places like Bakerfield, Fresno, Oxnard and Delano where that sound is still popular. When they did their shows at the Montebello Ballroom we got a chance to see some of the great Tejano singers”
Before he knew it, Molina’s collection had grown to over 4,000 (45 rpm) singles mostly R&B,, doo-wop and Soul. The collection also includes approximately 600 recordings by Chicano artist from the 1950s and ‘60s. “Those have become my prized possessions” says Molina “I am really proud of being able to show the world the contributions that the Mexican-American has made to American pop music.”
In 2002, Molina self-published “The Old Barrio Guide to Low Rider Music 1950 – 1975,” which is a 184-page encyclopedia with an alphabetical listing of 75 percent Black, some White and Brown musical groups and vocalists who wrote and created thousands of hits that appealed to the Chicano Low Rider crowd.
Three of those major hits were War’s “Low Rider,” “Cisco Kid” and “Cinco de Mayo,” written by Howard Scott, whose songs were inspired by his years growing up in the mostly Chicano neighborhood of Long Beach, California.
“That book was a tribute to the Low Rider movement and the style of music that it adopted. People were writing books on surf music, punk music and the English invasion. I thought why not us.” Molina said as he thumbed through boxes of 45 rpm records.
As for ‘Chicano Soul,’ Molina said he wrote that book “because there is a need for us to document our contributions to American culture. And to recognize those music pioneers that laid the path for future groups to follow. The book has sold over 1,500 copies in the U.S., Japan and Europe, where there’s a big interest in Chicano culture. I am proud to say that Chicanos here bought the book because they became interested in their own culture.”
Giving credit where it’s due, among the many people Molina cited as helping him when he began to amass all his information on Texas Mexican American groups in 2004 was Juan Mendoza in San Antonio, Joe Sílva, in Dallas; and George Reynoso of All That Music in El Paso.
Locally, Mendoza has been highly instrumental in getting all the artists together for the recent Patio Andaluz Reunion oldies concerts at Plaza Guadalupe and another show at the Josephine Theater. He has also been instrumental in getting Sunny, Rudy Tee and the late Dimas Garza to perform with the Austin-based Larry Lange and his Lonely Knights.
What makes “Chicano Soul” a coveted reference book is that it is chocked full of vintage photos, rare posters and color graphics of groups that produced the “Interstate 90 Sound” from Lake Charles, Louisana to San Antonio. This also translates into a trip down memory lane for the old school crowd and an insightful look at Chicano music history and a source of pride for today’s youth.
As a result, this book has created a demand for Molina to speak at Chicano Studies classes at universities across the country and on February 2, he and members of Los Lobos plus Los Lonely Boys will be the featured panelists at a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame symposium on “The Direction of Chicano Music After 1958.”
Truly a unforgettable night. Two of my favorite groups at the moment "Kings Go Forth + Myron & E. Vintage soul sounds with modern twist were about to set the night on fire! San Francisco was ready and welcomed them in with open arms.
Starting the night off is my good friend & San Francisco's favorite MOD "The Selector DJ Kirk". As always Kirk brought the Sweet Soul Sounds of the late 60s through the Mid 70s. Heavy weight records on the dance floor. While grooveing I took a second to look around, you could really feel the anticipations in the air as the crowed piled in waiting for the Myron & E to start. (By the way Both bands did a fantastic job)
Hitting the stage first was Myron & E backed by Hot Pocket (who sounded real tight + The Soul Investigators is there regular band) performed "On Broadway" to kick things off. The combination of the 2 sounded perfect, The vocals were on point and Hot Pocket sounded real tight. Its like 2 have been performing for years.
Fast forward Kings Go Forth also did an amazing job. This was my first time seeing them live and they really blew my mind. These guys have mastered the live performance and crowd interaction. For me the Horn Section stole the show. This was the best Ten Bucks I've spent in a long time.
If you have the chance to see this band live I highly recommend you do so. Oh yeah, also after the show I had a chance to talk with Kings Go Forth. Once again they said San Francisco was the best show of the tour.
"San Francisco heads just understand the music and vibe" Andy Noble
I also captured a few videos from the night, unfortunetlly I had a few drinks and found myself singing along. My voice is not the greatest and I really killed the songs. "On Broadway" by Myron and E is probably the only video where I'm not singing
This is article was posted by SF Bay Guardian to hype the Highly anticipated "Kings Go Forth Show" along side "Myron & E" + our Sweater Funk Brother "The Selector DJ Kirk" in San Francisco Tonight.
ARTICLE:
MUSIC If you type "Myron and E" into the search engine on YouTube.com, you'll likely find a simple video clip of a record player with one of the duo's 7-inch singles on the turntable. Play the video clip, and the turntable's needle will descend on the vinyl. And then some of the most wonderfully sweet grooves will pipe through your speakers.
Ba-ba-ba's fill the air, and the backbeat pops along like a Holland-Dozier-Holland gem, perhaps the Supremes' "Back in My Arms Again." The voice of Myron is ragged yet soulful and insistent. "This old heart of mine can't take much more of what it's been given," he sings, as E contributes "shoo-bee-doo-wah" ad libs. "And you showed no shame breaking my heart." The entire performance lasts just under three minutes, just like they used to make 'em.
The song, "It's A Shame," was released on Helsinki, Finland, imprint Timmion Records in January. It's one of four singles Myron & E has recorded with The Soul Investigators, a Finnish soul band whose members run Timmion. (L.A.-based major-indie powerhouse Stones Throw Records has licensed two of the singles, "Cold Game" and "It's A Shame," for U.S. distribution.) All of the singles sound like a lark, but that's part of their charm.
"It just came together," says Myron Glasper, snapping his fingers to illustrate, during an interview at Eric Cooke's apartment in the Lower Haight. Cooke, better known as DJ and producer E Da Boss, cohosts a club night at Oakland spot the Layover on Saturdays called "The 45 Session." His bedroom is filled with boxes of 7-inch records, including mint copies of Myron & E's latest jam with the Soul Investigators, "The Pot Club." As an ode to "Oaksterdam" and California's burgeoning cannabis industry, complete with midnight-hour "rapp" vocals from Myron, it's the duo's most contemporary-sounding effort to date. A full-length album, Going in Circles, is due for imminent release. E Da Boss thinks it'll drop by December, but early 2011 appears more likely.
The Myron & E thing happened by accident. A few years ago, E Da Boss was on a European tour with local producer Nick Andre; as E Da Boss and Nick Andre, the duo has released projects such as 2010's Robot Practice EP. Traveling through Helsinki, they met the Soul Investigators and sparked an impromptu jam session. E Da Boss grabbed a microphone and began singing. "They kept telling me, 'You sound good, you must sing.' I didn't really pay attention to it," he remembers. Later in 2008, E Da Boss was assembling a solo production showcase for Om Records, and reached out to The Soul Investigators for sounds he could chop up into hip-hop beats. (He says Om Records dismantled its hip-hop division before the album could drop. All that came from it was a 2007 single, "Go Left.")
When E Da Boss contacted The Soul Investigators, the group made a counter-offer: if they sent him some music, would he sing on it? E Da Boss thought of Myron; the two have been friends since touring around the world as part of Blackalicious' backing band. "When they sent the beat over, I called Myron and said, 'These guys want me to sing on some stuff. Come over here and help me write a song.'" Within an hour, they wrote an endearingly classic tune called "Cold Game."
Perhaps Myron and E Da Boss' years of experience in the music industry accounts for their effortless throwback soul. Originally from Los Angeles, Myron has worked as a dancer (he made a few appearances on the classic hip-hop sketch comedy In Living Color), an R&B singer (he has recorded sessions with Sir Jinx, Foster & McElroy and Dwayne Wiggins), and a backup vocalist (for CeCe Peniston, the Coup, and Lyrics Born). When gigs are few, he even drives a big-rig truck. "Real talk, I will jump in the rig if there ain't no work. Yeah, cuddy! Rrrr-rrr!" Myron says, eliciting peals of laughter as he trills a few lines from Willie Nelson's "On the Road Again."
Myron & E's first four singles have made an impact among soul fans and bloggers in the States, but the two say they've had far more success in Europe. Last summer, they performed for thousands at Helsinki's Pori Jazz Festival. Myron opines that audiences there are more accepting of all forms of music. "They can go from gangsta rap to Norah Jones," he says. Suffice to say that U.S. audiences don't want Snoop Dogg at a Norah Jones concert.
And then there's the question of the "retro-soul" resurgence itself. It can hardly be called a trend anymore since it's been more than a decade since Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings recorded its first singles for the now-defunct Desco imprint, arguably marking the scene's evolution from acid jazz revivalism to full-on deep funk aesthetics. Much of the genre's creative energy hasn't come from the black community, though, but from discerning record collectors inspired by a musical world that disappeared long ago. That has made for some uncomfortable conversations about appropriation — E Da Boss compares it to the way British rockers adopted Southern folk blues idioms in the 1960s.
"If I went up to the homies in the hood and said, 'Let's do this music,' it probably won't happen because it's all about the R&B and neo-soul, the Chris Browns, and the R. Kellys," Myron says. Some notable black artists like Raphael Saddiq, Cee-Lo Green, and Solange Knowles have begun using a "retro-soul" sound, particularly as the style has grown popular. Still, Myron & E know their efforts, however great, can't compare to the soul legends of Motown and Stax. As Myron says, "It's easy to make something that already exists better."
