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Stevie Wonder- Wonderful at the Apollo Theater recap
Fresh night at The Apollo as the honored and inducted Stevie Wonder into the Apollo Legends Hall of Fame. Sinbad hosted the night which kicked off with a performance by Raphael Saadiq. Wyclef Jean introduced a video clip of Stevie’s work as an activist and also introduced a performance by Melanie Fiona. Tony Bennett gave a short piece and then did a duet with Stevie. Take 6 did a strong acappella set and Yolanda Adams was one of the final performers covering a Stevie Wonder track. The night went full tilt when Ray Chew (and the Crew who backed all performances) brought out Questlove, Chick Corea, Paul Shaffer, Dougie Fresh. The after-party highlights were Stevie and Dougie Fresh freestyling and live remixing a couple of tracks. See videos here
Photo Recap: TTK x SlaveForYourself- THE LAST SIX MONTHS
TTK and Slave For Yourself presented a brief samplings of their work last Friday. Under the title “The Last Six Months” both artists showcased works, ideas and concepts created over the last (possibly six??) months. Solid turnout of folks and many thanks to Scratch DJ Academy for hosting it and Andre Clarke for the invite.
TTK: Urban Equistrian Photo Recap
Shout out to my boy Dre and TTK. Dope show and concept. Plus there were tons of Lo heads with some classic Lo gear. Look at the Cosby piece in the Lo sweater and the Storm Troopers dressed to the nines in the Polo Olympic suits.
Interview with Anton Juul of Norse Projects
Anton Juul of Norse Projects: Interview from Fresh Industries on Vimeo.
I was traveling in Copenhagen, Denmark shooting photos and happened to stumble upon Norse Projects. This is an on the spot interview with one of the owners/founders of Norse Projects. He talks about the start of Norse Projects, its history and future.
Travel Tales: Copenhagen Day 4 – And Like That…
So today I figure I try the last vegetarian place on the only list I made for my trip (the one that was closed yesterday). Allegedly they serve food there and also sell soy products. I felt extra extra today because it was the first real sunny day I have seen since landing. I trekked all the way to the magical veggie store around 11am (normal start time here) only to find out that there is no hot food served (“um, we have bread”) only a subpar grocery experience to be had. So curses to that and I go about my way to the Zoo, after stopping to buy Apple Juice – figured I play it safe after the liquid sugar incident – and some muffins for breakfast. I do my tourist stop off “um, how do I get to the zoo? and how much is it” then wrassle up some change for the bus.
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Travel Tales: Copenhagen Day 3 – Rolling Down The Streets…
Another good day in Copenhagen. I realized that I can start most of my days around 10am since nothing opens before 11am for the most part. I did decide to leave a little early though with the hopes that my wheels would be tucked in the stash spot and sure enough it was! So clean after the rain fall earlier in the day. Since I had my bike still, it only made sense that the first stop be the farthest point I had to go- The Little Mermaid statue. Word is that she is the most photographed individual in the world. The bike started to suck as I think it was slightly broken because it was three times the work of any other bike and people where flying past me like I was cruising in Prospect Park with the Saturday bikers pack.
I made it to the statue in about 10 minutes and sure enough as soon as I pulled up the rain stared falling…correction pouring down on me (that is the dot and marks you see in the photo in the gallery). Thankfully the rain scared away the group of tourists (who were hogging all the good spots) like if they were the Wicked Witch. It is a wonderful site to see the statue set in the water gifted to the city by Carl Jacobsen (same one from yesterday) after seeing the ballet based on Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale. Next was back on the bike and off to see the a couple other sites as I headed to the changing of the Royal guard.
Travel Tales: Denmark Day 2 – Cruising in Copenhagen
(you are not crazy. i didn’t write a post for Day 1) So off I go to explore Copenhagen on a Sunday. One thing I learned from yesterday is that you will not find a dearth of options for open stores on Sunday aside from Church and eateries. The first stop was of course to get some breakfast. The list of vegetarian options is much much more limited than in Reykjavik – somewhat surprised since this is a larger area. My breakfast (pictured below) was okay as it lacked on taste and spices that I am used to tasting. The white substance to the bottom of the plate is scrambled tofu absent flavor as you may have guessed from the white color. All in all- the entire meal was satisfying (I didn’t touch the middle bread as it had a little too much healthy going on with seeds, nuts and such) as it had a smoothie and two of my favorite fruits – ruby red grapefruit and pineapple.
Next stop was to see some sites in town. The plan was to find a City bike to get around on as you can rent one for 20 kroner, which you get back when you return the bike. Read the rest of this page »
Travel Tales: Iceland Day 4 – Reykjavik Round Up
So today was another shorter stint on the town. I figured I should do one more “only in Iceland” thing and that was Whale Watching. I made the reservation and she said “We will pick you up between 12 and 12:45.” What am I dealing with the cable company?!? Moving forth- First order of business is food. I figured I should try an classic of waffles with potatoes. The waitress looked very confused when I asked for this as she stated “together? I don’t think we have that combination? you want them on top or on a separate plate?” Eventually, I described it to her and got my request. When the plate came out, I realized they serve jam with a lot of things. After the first bite, the food was like the cereal box setup – it looks great on the box but taste doesn’t reflect it.
After breakfast, I made a quick run to the supermarket betting that the pickup would be closer to 1245 and sure enough I was correct. We headed out to for about one hour until we got to an area where the likelihood of seeing a whale was high. Read the rest of this page »
John Forte – Accoustic Performance for Music Unites Recap
John Forte performed songs off of his Style Free EP in a small penthouse setting -- I believe intimate is the term bandied about for such a venue- in support of Music Unites. The space was a splendid panoramic view of downtown Manhattan and the bridges that serve as the veins into the city from Brooklyn. John’s tracks showcased his new voice and approach to music, as he is now a singer/songwriter and no longer just John the rapper. His new voice and approach is one that takes his lyrical exercise two reps deeper. Like that burning sensation that tells you to quit as you do your last dip -- but instead of quitting you push through because you know the impacts and results, while not instant, will have a long term benefit.
The show was another good one. Comparing this to the first session he did post-release, you notice a more comfortable John. One that is in a new lane as he smiled through his performances and with the crowd before the show. He made the crowd part of the performance as he joked with them and brought them a level closer to who he was. The place was packed with a crowd which was a mix of supporters of his; supporters of Music Unites and supporters of open bars. I enjoyed the music and still feel there is a lot more to be unlocked from his brain and experiences and ultimately shared with the world. I, world awaits you John.
Below is one video from his performance. Look for additional videos and photos -- but it is an ungodly hour (what does that even mean. really) to be up right now.
October 6, 2009 | Categories: Audio + Video, Commentary | Leave A Comment »