So let us begin Ladies and Gents.
Tuesday, October 18th: Cameo Gallery, Williamsburg, BK
I didn't even intend on going to see any bands that night but so glad I did.
Headless Horseman:
I had a heard a few songs by them and was into it that's why I chose to go to Cameo. Absolutely incredible. Fareed Saja, the drummer/lead singer (love that like Hank and Cupcakes, if you don't know them, get to) and Conner O'Neill the guitarist. Fareed was jammin' out barefoot while Conner proved his talents when he pulled out a violin bow and played the guitar. When I saw that I lost my ish. Forgive me I've never seen that before in my life. Their vibe was what I like to call PassionMT. There was this calabo of Passion Pit and MGMT. Their voices were perfectly high pitched but their sound was deep; and, at times, intoxicatingly dark with a happy flair. Sounds crazy but does that not sound like a Passion Pit/MGMT Mash-Up? Headless Horseman draws you into their next level. You get lost with them; you're barefoot dancing with them in the middle of the Rainforest or any where you want. They take you away.
Twitter: @HDLSSHRSMN
Facebook: Headless Horseman FB
A Little Taste: Wavlgth: YouTube...Open Wide
Evan Voytas (& his Band)
Ok seriously, I don't know many people who love Prince as much as I do. Yes, my fave movie is really Purple Rain. Evan Voytas has a groove and style, vocal performance wise, very similar to my Prince. He has a high vocal range that is filled with soul. That is hard to do. His voice cries out to you and you can do nothing but bring it closer and let it in. His band was made up of a cute boyish keyboardist, tall Brandon Boyd physique like guitarist and bassist, one blond and one brunette, and a drummer stylish like Common. Evan goes into a trance and it is so desirable. You want to go to where he does.
After their performance I spoke with the bassist and drummer, Nick and Mic. They both loved doing what they were doing. Music is life for them. Nick also does graphic design, which is cool, but at the end of the day his bass is his home. And that man gets into his bass. The deep groves send him into beautiful rhythmic convulsions. Mic is a long time percussionist. Although he claims to be a novice with a drum kit, it made me skeptical because he was so good. He's a smiley drummer. He keeps that smile on and rocks with it. It illuminates him and his abilities to bring the beat. Mic was definitely a cool cat. I asked him about the music life. I was curious because there is lots of stress involved. So I asked him if he would have it any other way and he said no. That's proof that music is worth everything; there's no life without it.
Twitter: @evanvoytas
Facebook: Evan Voytas FB
A Little Taste: Tomorrow Night We'll Go Anywhere: YouTube...Open Wide
Chad Valley
Hugo Manuel, Oxford's own, did damage at Cameo. As he stood alone behind his synthesizer/drum/beat machine, one could only be curious about what he was really going to do. When he opened his mouth, I was not the only face filled with awe. I stood next to Mic, again Evan Voytas' drummer, and he looked at me and simply said "That dude is dope." Honestly, my sentiments exactly. Hugo (Chad Valley)'s voice was "blow your hair back" powerful. His voice is comparable to George Michael (thanks Mic) and Chris Martin. The beats he created were ill nasty and the range of his voice is impeccable. He has that deep opera flow. It felt like his voice could have carried me out of Brooklyn and laid me back in my Long Island bed. I had the pleasure of seeing him again with his band Jonquil. The best part about that was when I saw him I was ecstatically surprised.
Twitter: @Chad_Valley
Facebook: Chad Valley FB
A Little Taste: Up and Down: YouTube...Open Wide
Adventure
The whole night I noticed a young man with a outrageously stylish pink mohawk. I knew he had to be a performer because he had the attitude of "Pink hair he don't care." Him and another gentleman hit the stage. Their name was Adventure. Benjamin or Benny Boeldt is the man behind this group. Although, not necessarily my immediate style, I became enthralled by what they brought. Again with the synthesizer/mixer machine (clearly I'm not too tech savvy involving specific product names) he brought the beats. What I loved the most about them was their style. Benny has this Urban Bill Gates motif and he stood alongside his mohawk broheim and they fit famously. As Benny wore his glasses with a dark green button up, his boy rocked a pink tee with a bedazzled letter K, loved it.
Adventure has this electronic 80s super flow minus the cheddar. Benny's voice reminds me of Erasure's Andy Bell (minus the flamboyancy and the red high heels). It mostly reminds me of this, Erasure-A Little Respect. My favorite part of their show came when they needed the Bass turned up. He was so right, definitely needed to get in the groove. When more bass came, his response was a happy, "Holy Shit!" Nice! It took their Bass sound to outerspace.
MySpace: Adventure MS
Facebook: Adventure FB
A Little Taste: Rio: YouTube...Open Wide
Thursday, October 20th: 1st Stop: Cantora Records, Smart Lounge 2nd Stop: The Cake Shop, LES, NYC
Smart Lounge
I chose to come here because I love Cantora Records. They gave me one of my favorite groups, MGMT, and one of my favorite artists, Gordon Voidwell, whose single "Ivy League Circus", has been my ringtone for over a year. I trust anything they want to bring. My parting goodiebag included a new favorite band and some new friends.
The Stepkids
Okay! These dudes are like nothing you've ever heard before. When I tell you they find a way to combine funk, electronica, old school R&B/Reggae with a hint of folk, I AM NOT PLAYING. They took me back to my childhood where as a kid I jammed out in my basement to my dad's Jimmy Cliff and Temptations records. The Stepkids include, Dan Edinberg (bassist/keyboardist), Tim Walsh (drummer), and the former tour guitartist for The AMAZING Alicia Keys, Jeff Gitelman. They hail from Preppy America AKA Conneticut; who woulda thought?
Once they started I got up out of my seat because I had to make my way through the crowd to see who was dropping these soulful rhythms. Jeff and Dan rocked hard with their sunglasses. Jeff's long curly hair moved as he grooved and Dan's "That Thing You Do" haircut fit perfectly somehow with his Bass' powerful strum. Tim kept cool as he made love to his kit. There is this urban wave in their voices. At times their voices reminded me of Friendly Fires and Robin Thicke. As a girl who grew up with Caribbean parents who never shunned me from any type of music, I know they would definitely want to get a vinyl of The Stepkids and blast this through the house, not just in the basement. The way I purchase albums is by listening to a few samples and then immediately clicking buy. I did not even check out any samples on Amazon.com, I just hit buy. I will never regret that decesion. Their self titiled LP is fire. It was written for REAL music lovers, THIS IS NOT FOR POSERS OR THE "TRENDY".
Twitter: @thestepkids
Facebook: The Stepkids FB
A Little Taste (My Favorite Track on the Album, Tell me you do not hear a little Wailers in this one): Suburban Dream: YouTube...Open Wide
AraabMuzik
No, this is not the homie from the Jigga track. Abraham Orellana es Dominicano y Guatemalteco (like my Espanol skills, si?). This dude is one nasty producer. He's a Diplomat so you know what that means, he's worked on records with Cam, Juelz and Jim, my fave thugboos. He uses a drum machine (MPC) to make his ill beats. He hooks you right in and you have no choice but to get that deep head nod going. His fingers move faster then your eyes can follow and homie only took a two second water break in between his 45 minute set. If you are looking for something to try an keep up with, Araabmuzik is your man. His album Electronic Dream hit the people this summer and I have a feeling his fingers will lead him on a non-stop journey.
Twitter: @araabMUZIK
Facebook: Araabmuzik FB
A Little Taste: A Millie Mix (watch him work, wait for the reggae to kick in): YouTube...Open Wide
How I found out about The Cosmos and Theophilus London
I must say when you're surrounded by a group of people who seem like "Your People", you just want to meet every and anyone you can. Here I met a writer/promoter by the name of Shawn, SLJ. He was with the artists he works with and he so kindly introduced me. These dudes are known as The Cosmos and I got to watch them freestyle right off the dome. The two Cosmos I met were Mr. Ruxpin and Seqo. These dudes are from BedStuy and proud. Their flows did not deny that either. There was such a sophisticated, gritty swagger about the way they rhymed. Ryan Rux was so smooth that he placed "peons" in a verse and made it sound so hood. Just imagine the sunsetting and you're on a rooftop hearing original words by original dudes; now if that's not how to make it in America, I do not know what is.
I proceeded to talk to the dudes about the way they interacted with women. I asked the age old question, would you ever hit on a girl and then if she declines your offer proceed to tell her "F U, you're ugly anyway"? All the boys laughed and asked "What type of dudes are you messing with?" I replied with a simple, "Long Island". Rux answered by saying "If she doesn't want me then so be it. I'm not going to try and change anything. It just wasn't in the stars." We then engage in a conversation about reality. He was on point; reality is what we make of it. FACT!
My homie Shawn was talking to me about this Trini dude Theophilus London. He pulled the CD out and I was already intrigued by the cover art. It was just one dude, dressed to the nines with 80s Fresh jewlry. SLJ told me I had to check this dude out; he's serious. At a later point in the night he just hands me the album and says I can have it. That night I put Timez are Weird These Days in my laptop. Halfway through the first song, Last Name London, I go to my Facebook, post the link and tag Shawn in it and said, you were right. That album is already in my top favorite albums of this year and probably will be a life long one as well. Theophilus reminds me of KiD CuDi, that singers melody with serious yet playful lyrics. No track is like the next one; every single song brings something new to the table. I am so impressed that I'm going to see him tomorrow at Terminal 5 (he's opening with Chad Valley and for Friendly Fires). I was so mad at myself for not knowing him until I got to the last track, I Stand Alone. All my How to Make it in America fans, it was the song for the promo. I felt a little bit better that I at least heard a song by him before but disappointed that I was not obsessed long before.
The Cosmos:
A Little Taste: Stuyvesant Swing SoundCloud...Open Wide
Want More: The Cosmos SoundCloud
Mr. Ruxpin's Tumblr: Mental Pantry
Theophilus London:
Twitter: @TheophilusL
Facebook: Theophilus London FB
A Little Taste (My favorite track, ft. Sara Quin of Tegan and Sara): Why Even Try:YouTube...Open Wide
The Cake Shop
I came down to The Cake Shop to see Evan Voytas and his band (including Mic and Nick). My childhood friend Rachael S Dot came to meet me. We saw the boys kill it. After the show we stayed for a little and talked to Mic. He reminded me that there was to be a "Secret Show" at 3AM. I looked at Rach and could tell she was in. So we decided to grab dinner, make it to a 12AM opening night showing of Paranormal Activity 3, then headed back downtown for the "Super Super Secret Show" (that's what we renamed it). We got back at around 1:30. We felt the beat of a rap group from Minnesota and then proceeded to stand in the front for the next band. A young man with piercings and expanders tapped us on the shoulders and said "Are you girls sure you want to stand here, it gets pretty rough?" We of course say yea why not. He then informs us that the next band, Trash Talk, is a hardcore, heavy metal band and that people usually "punch each other in the head as soon as they come on." Rach and I took that as, "I'm going to feel bad if I punch you in the face." We then moved immediately.
To my surprise, as we sat in the back of The Cake Shop and watched Trash Talk and their fans get rowdy, Rach's face began to light up. She was infatuated with the lead singer. Rach said she loved that everyone just went crazy as soon as they started playing. Now, moshpits are not my thing, but that rush and energy is definitely captivating and intoxicating.
Where did I get Kidz in the Hall from?
As we're entrhalled by the chaos going on just a few feet away from us, Rach turned and whispers in my ear "Tall Drink of Water, right behind you, back it up now." I immediately laugh and turn around. She was not joking. There was a man, a gorgeous one at that, standing right behind me. I had to double take but this time he caught me. Rach and I then struck up a conversation with Dan. We talked about undergrad and the infamous UPENN and PENN STATE rivalry (Dan went to UPENN and Rach PENN STATE). He asked what I was involved in and told him about my recent Masters of Sports and Entertainment Management. Dan tells me that he manages these artists known as Kidz in the Hall. The name just reminded me of the Brain Candy series, which used to creep me out, just a little. We talked about the music management business and he reminded me that this business is not easy. I informed him that I'm not scared and that's what I want.
Later on he introduced us to Naledge, a member of Kidz in the Hall. He was very soft spoken, also could have been tired but it was probably just his swag. He had fresh gear but was not flashy. Thinking about it now, he is very modest. I made sure to go home and check them out. And besides, so you ladies know, the best way to see if you could even consider a dude is by what music he stands behind. Kidz in the Hall is made up of Naledge and Double 0. What I love is that Naledge rhymes flawlessly as Double O makes beats and plays the drums. Drums and Bass get me every time and anyone will tell you that. I went straight to Amazon, listened to one sample and immediately purchased Land of Make Believe, their last album released. Naledge's words are truth. Everything he speaks is something you have thought. He preaches and I dig it. Another reason I bought it was because I saw that Just Blaze and Colin Munroe did a song together on their album. Okay, if you do not know Just Blaze, you need a lot of help that I cannot give, but Colin Munroe is the artist Kanye West sampled from to make "Flashing Lights". (Want a great remake, "Sunday Bloody Sunday" by Colin is BOSS). This album just made me want more, thankfully Occassion, their next LP, is coming out 4 days before my bday, November 22nd. Ahh and they were touring with my boy Machine Gun Kelly. These dudes speak of Fresh Academy but it's truly where they belong.
I also want to officially declare "Bougie Girls" as my new anthem. I hate when people try and call me Bougie because they mean it as I'm stuck up. I am anything but. Naledge does give me a shout out, not to his knowledge (haha you like that right :-/ ), in the song he says "She's so LA chill." The best part is at the end because it made me proud to say that I am a Bougie A** B***h. He speaks this at the end, "She's a Bougie Ass Girl, but that's what I like. Like she went to college and shit. She got 2 parents, good home, stable and shit. But she wilds out from time to time." If anyone knows me can I get a FACT that please. This group is beyond innovative and what saddens me is that they have been around for years and 1) I did not know them and 2) Why the F are they not signed to a major label. It's disgusting the kind of garbage that gets played 17 million times a day on the same station at the same time.
Twitter: @kidzinthehall Naledge @NaledgeKIDZ Double 0 @Double0KiDz
Facebook: Kidz in the Hall FB
A Little Taste (from the new album ft. Bun B and David Banner...YES): Pour it Up YouTube...Open Wide
Friday, October 21st: Spike Hill Music, Williamsburg, BK
We Are Augustines
They are the reason I chose Spike Hill. Now this is the second time that my girl Dana and I have seen them. The first time was at Williamsburg Music Hall. I really wanted to see Boxer Rebellion, who are amazing. We Are Augustines were their opening act and I knew soon enough they would be headlining. The band includes Billy, the lead singer/guitarist, Eric, the bassist, and Rob, the drummer. Last time Dana and I had the pleasure of standing with Rob's proud parents, who traveled all the way from England to watch in awe. These boys killed it once again. Billy's voice is comparable to Caleb Followill, in the sense that their voices are inomparable, if that makes any sense. There are other musicians I place into that category, Lykke Li, Marcus Mumford, City and Colour, Thom Yorke and Anthony Kiedis to name a few. Rob Allen murders his drum kit. I cannot help but get lost in him when he plays. He plays hard and with all the most powerful emotions. Eric plays his bass then jumps on his keyboard. To say he is multi-talented would be a major understatement. Their individual melodies come together to make perfection.
Their set had the best ending. Billy wanted to keep going but "Steve" the sound guy said only one more song allowed. So Billy says, "Fine, we're gonna do one more song, but it's gonna be 10 minutes long, FU Steve." That was absolutely great. But Billy's best quote of the night was, "Sorry, we just did three shows today, we've been sleeping in a van, which I don't get because we live in New York, what the F***." I will see them over and over and over again. Dana and I started our year seeing them and I'm glad we ended it with them as well.
Twitter: @weareaugustines
Facebook: We Are Augustines FB
A Little Taste: Chapel Song YouTube...Open Wide
Fallulah
WOW WOW WOW WOW! Fallulah and her gang blew me away. Their Gypsy family feel could have kept me enthralled for hours. Between the stomping, clapping and tambourines, I was hooked. Fallulah and her band are from Denmark and came all the way out here to play for CMJ. Now her band consists of a keyboardist/accordionist, bassist, drummer, banjoist/guitarist and a background singer. Once I saw the ensemble and the banjo, I was done for. Fallulah rocked this small venue like it was MSG. You had to move when they started playing, there was no way around it. Her music jumps down into your soul and does something inexplainable. It is almost as if the music is coming from the inside out.
Fallulah did a cover of the Yea Yea Yeahs "Gold Lion", incredible. After their set I ran into her in the hallway. I spoke with her briefly and tried not to gush, but that was impossible. I told her that Karen O would have been so proud of that cover. I also told her that I've been a dancer since I was three and that her music brings my dancer's soul right out. She was so excited to hear that; she replied, "I feel like I have succeeded once I see people dancing." What an amazing response. Fallulah, you are more than ok in my book.
Twitter: @fallulahmusic
Facebook: Fallulah FB
A Little Taste: I Lay My Head (so familiar cannot figure out where I know this from): YouTube...Open Wide
Jonquil
Okay, so my boy Hugo is all over the place. Remember he's my boy from his one man band, Chad Valley. Jonquil also includes a drummer, bassist and guitartist. They are definitely a funkier band with lots of English boy style. I get a little ska from them as well as a little Pauly Simon. The bassist whipped out a horn and I fell deep into the Jonquil rabbit hole. They are a fun band who seem to have a mellow good time.
Twitter: @jonquilband
Facebook: Jonquil FB
A Little Taste: Pillow Quest: YouTube...Open Wide
In Conclusion...FINALLY
Not only did I discover new artists to love, I met people whose passion seeps out of their pores like mine does. CMJ Music Marathon was more than just a social gathering, it created a haven for all of us. It was amazing to stand in a room with people of all colors, classes, religions and styles; and watch them all interact and move to all the same things. Music unites and never segregates. Everything I learned, I am taking with me to the next level. Last week rescued me. My drive and motivation to succeed in this industry has gone through the roof. I am fearless, let's do this.
No comments:
Post a Comment