MAJOR DUDES

Summer Jam candidate. If you need a pick me up, Daft...

Thu, 02 May 2013 08:34:00 -0400

Summer Jam candidate. If you need a pick me up, Daft Punk’s Get Lucky might just be the remedy. How rad is this collaboration with Pharrell Williams?

Play on steady repeat until you’ve worn it out.

Fathom Mixtape for the Road: Coachella 2013

Sun, 14 Apr 2013 16:08:00 -0400

[My friends over at Fathom asked me to write/curate another small something for them. A medley of...

2012 Wrap Up: 5 of 5!

Sat, 13 Apr 2013 17:32:00 -0400

(Image courtesy of Vinylrecordsaremylife) Here it goes. The final 2012 wrap up post for Major...

2012 Wrap Up: 4 of 5

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 21:39:00 -0500

(From top: The beloved Sunny’s bar in Red hook, Red Hook Criterium #3/Kidd Yellin...

WILLIS EARL BEAL. He just might be Lead Belly reincarnated....

Sun, 10 Feb 2013 15:15:00 -0500

WILLIS EARL BEAL.

He just might be Lead Belly reincarnated.

Listen. His voice is breathtaking. and raw. As is the story of how his music came to be…

Teaser — He’ll be part of the final post in the year end wrap up series (coming soon…)

(Damn good smile. Photo courtesy of www.conormcdonnell.co.uk)

2012 Wrap Up: 3 of 5

Sun, 27 Jan 2013 16:55:00 -0500

Editor’s Note: You know that friend — the one that’s an encyclopedia of amazing (and all over the...

Pardon the interruption… (#3 of 5 of the 2012 wrap up is...

Sat, 19 Jan 2013 08:04:00 -0500

Pardon the interruption… (#3 of 5 of the 2012 wrap up is on its way)

I went to see the Lonnie Smith Trio with my good pals Fred and Dana last Friday night. A man in a turban, a Hammond B-3 organ and some fine company. It was a good night. And a treat for Fred and Dana, who having never seen the trio play live, trusted me blindly.

(Photos courtesy of Dana Lucas. From Top Left - The Lonnie Smith Trio. Signage. Dana’s signature drink for the night. Golden beats. and how you might feel after a Lonnie Smith show [click on the snapshot for full effect]…)

2012 WRAP UP: 2 OF 5

Sun, 06 Jan 2013 17:10:00 -0500

Next up is Michael Hartman. By way of brief introduction, Mike was my highschool prom date. Back...

2012 Wrap Up: 1 of 5.

Sun, 23 Dec 2012 16:26:00 -0500

To round out all things musical for 2012, I’ve called on 4 pals with impossibly good taste to...

Last night I took my dear friend Dana to see Gregory Porter play...

Sun, 18 Nov 2012 14:00:00 -0500

Last night I took my dear friend Dana to see Gregory Porter play at a tiny spot in Gowanus, Brooklyn; It was something else. The man did a high kick and pirouette, and got the tiny crowd to clap in sync, shimmy their hips and sing along.

His recordings don’t come close to capturing what this fella brings to the stage (I’ve seen him 4 times in the last year). A powerhouse of soul and r&b with striking vocals and unguarded delivery, and man can he wear a balaclava.

One of my favorite live acts. Hands down.

(Photos: Gregory Porter & Yosuke Sato killing it; Hometown gig and a sold out show to boot; Mr. Porter’s Dizzy’s gig earlier in November; post- show recap with the birthday girl)

I’m not sure if it was because the show was at home for him in Brooklyn or there was something just different about the crowd he caught on to (we danced alongside a 60+ year old woman with better dance moves than either of us), but this show had real magic. Mr. Porter was vulnerable up there — telling stories galore and letting the 100 or so of us in on his stories of love, loss, and all the inbetweens.

Pretty good way to celebrate Dana’s birthday. We both left with shivers.

A few minor notes on Gregory Porter:

He’s my neighbor with a home base in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.
Dons a balaclava like no one else.
Former linebacker at San Diego State University.
Be Good, a gentle lullaby, was born out of heartbreak, partially penned while Porter was biking home in Brooklyn after being dumped.
Signed with the Harlem-based label Motema Music in 2009. (they’re awesome by the way. I wrote to them to see whether Mr. Porter’s album was available as vinyl and I got the nicest note back).

If you have the chance to catch him live, I highly recommend you do… Until we meet again Gregory Porter.

Channel Orange By Frank Ocean

Tue, 02 Oct 2012 22:33:00 -0400

(Photo courtesy of Vibe Magazine) By Eric Hutchinson Editor’s note: I met Eric Hutchinson when I...

THE COUGAR'S CRUSH, THE LION'S ROAR

Wed, 19 Sep 2012 08:28:00 -0400

(Image courtesy of artistic wizard Brian Stegall) Editor’s Note: I first met Jessica Berta at Paper...

Sometimes it’s best to see things without knowing too...

Mon, 03 Sep 2012 20:58:00 -0400

Sometimes it’s best to see things without knowing too much. Which is how I watched Searching for Sugarman.

His story is wildly unbelievable. And absolutely stunning.

I didn’t stand a chance: The music. The animated sketches of Detroit threaded into scenes of Rodriguez’s biography. And, I’m a total sucker for stories of enduring spirit starring folks who don’t get stuck in suffering.

I won’t write too much, but a few minor notes:

Sixto Rodriguez’s music garnered little attention here in the U.S., but somehow in the 1970s bootleg recordings found their way to South Africa.
There Cold Fact went platinum, lending a poetic voice to apartheid resistance.
Little was known about Rodriguez yet myths swirled about his death with no one story the same.
And so the Great Rodriguez Hunt began. Born out of a milk carton image and the newly popular internet…

I leave you all here with two songs I’m playing on heavy rotation — Sugar Man and Crucify Your Heart.

Gentle nudge to forget everything you’ve read here and go soak up Searching for Sugarman all by your lonesome.

p.s. He’s on tour if you need a live fix.

(Image courtesy of the New York Times)

I love maps. Paired with hip hop geography, I swoon. A friend...

Mon, 23 Jul 2012 22:03:00 -0400

I love maps. Paired with hip hop geography, I swoon.

A friend shared this gem a few weeks back. And In case anyone was confused — no notable hip hop stars have ever come from the financial district.

Thank you a very small array for the nice infographic.

Mapmaker credits: A Very Small Array.

Happy 100th Mr. Guthrie!

Sun, 15 Jul 2012 17:19:00 -0400

July 14th marks what would have been Woody Guthrie’s 100th birthday. Four days before mine....

Long Live Summertime.

Mon, 25 Jun 2012 21:10:00 -0400

A smattering of favorites to celebrate beaches, busted open fire hydrants, sparklers and beyond....

Louis Armstrong Garden Party — On a warm spring day, I...

Sun, 17 Jun 2012 20:38:00 -0400

Louis Armstrong Garden Party — On a warm spring day, I swayed to music with good friends, swigged lemonade, and got my Satchmo learn on at the Louis Armstrong House Museum:

Louie was born in New Orleans’ “battlefield” neighborhood (aka the back o’ town/south rampart street section) in 1901; he never finished 5th grade.
He met his 4th wife Lucille at the legendary Cotton Club. They later settled in Lucille’s old Corona, Queens neighborhood. The bathroom (no joke, I took the house tour) is the fanciest room in the house.
Armstrong was the first person to ever record scat singing.
His favorite foods were red beans and rice and swiss kriss (it’s for sale in the House Museum gift shop).
A prolific documenter, his personal audio recordings collection has more than 650 reels.
…and letter writer. Every fan that wrote to him, he wrote back.
There are Louie recordings a plenty throughout the house. My personal favorite “Listen to all kinds of music… that’s what I’m trying to get in your head”. Very wise words Mr. Armstrong.
My friend Tiana was damn right — that place is a gem. Go visit.

Photos from top: Trumpet stoop session; Me & Tiana goofing with Louie (check out that smile); Emily Asher & band play the garden party; Welcome to Corona!

Moldy peaches. Cartoons. A barbeque and a gallery jam. I had...

Sun, 10 Jun 2012 17:08:00 -0400

Moldy peaches. Cartoons. A barbeque and a gallery jam. I had 3 Saturday afternoons in 1. Totally awesome.

A pal invited me to a little opening at Dustin Yellin’s new (stunning!) gallery space this weekend. I didn’t put the obvious together when I got the invite for “Adam Green — Cartoon and Complaint”, but shortly after arriving I realized I entered the artistic playground of 1/2 of The Moldy Peaches.

I went for the art (and to soak up some Red Hook with a friend), but the campfire-style music jamboree that erupted later was my favorite. Turner Cody treated the crowd to a few songs right before Adam Green played another few. Cody was the standout for me — a magical dose of twangy vocals with just enough of a sad country feel. I’m a sucker for that stuff. always.

(Photos by Sinead O’Mara. From top — Adam Green’s campfire jamboree; Me & the thought bubble; pretty gallery brick; bbq refreshments; Sinead & the thought bubble)

SUMMER JAM. Found it. I wasn’t paying attention in...

Sun, 20 May 2012 20:59:00 -0400

SUMMER JAM. Found it.

I wasn’t paying attention in 1992 when Would I Lie to You came out. big mistake. Poptastically indulgent in the best way possible, it makes for the perfect summer jam. Even in 2012.

Nice work Charles & Eddie. 20 years later and I wish I kept my boombox so I could blast Would I Lie to You like Radio Raheem.

Ode to Horse Feathers. Two things I love: the new Horse Feathers...

Tue, 08 May 2012 22:30:00 -0400

Ode to Horse Feathers.

Two things I love: the new Horse Feathers album — Cynic’s New Year and La Blogotheque’s take away show from a few summers back (filmed in Flatbush Brooklyn).

I’ll be indulging in a little Horse Feathers tomorrow night when they cruise through the Bowery Ballroom. My fiddle already feels neglected.