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
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: Iceland Day 2 – Mr. Solo Dolo
The first thing on my mind this morning was, “I am really in Iceland.” It is still settling in with every passing moment. Except the water, which smells and tastes funny. Today I was off to see the Golden Circle route. I got up at 630am – I know I know I’m supposed to be on vacation so I turned off my alarm and did the “I’ll rest my eyes for 5mins”. Sad mistake as I did a scramble at amto get ready and run to the supermarket. My bus pickup was for 830am and I figured I should pack some snacks for the 10 hour tour. This store was a 24 hour supermarket and I did my usual – I have a list but will go down every aisle (806am) after grabbing two smoothies, two muffins and a candy bar I figured I should get a croissant to eat now. Two choices – warm or cold. I went warm..wrong choice. I opened it to put some butter and what awaited me – a nice warm piece of ham. Straight to the trash with that after a short fit of swearing. (815am). Swallowed down a muffin and a smoothie then head outside to wait for the bus. [edit: i don't eat meat which is why i had my fit of cussing. i had to do with the muffin and smoothie. who puts ham in a croissant and doesn't even have the decency to label it!?!]
The first stop we made was the Reykjavik geothermal power plant. On the way astronauts spent some time in central Iceland before the moon trip because the terrain of that area is said to be similar of that of the moon. That is according to the monotone tour guide. On the way, the tour guide mentioned the fields of dried lava after the volcano eruption. The tour guide said the eruptions happen once every 5 years or so and the last one was in 2004.. so 5 years later would be..2009? oh dear.
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Hip Hop Howl Recap
Hip-Hop Howl: A NY Minute featured a bevy of performances by artists- some raw and others refined-as part of The Howl Festival. The Howl Festival is a three-day affair named after Allen Ginsberg’s poem “Howl.” The event celebrates the East Village and Lower East Side’s contribution to the arts in various aspects, including music, dance, poetry and more, with live painting, vendors, puppet shows and a lot of performances.
On 9.5.09, Crosby & Miz Metro presented Hip Hop Howl as a two part event, with the day event featuring one song performances and the night event featuring more artists from the “A NY Minute” mixtape. Overall, there were a few polished performances (namely Shinobi Ninja, Circa 95, Sciryl, Wordspit and Joya Bravo) that showed they have blessed a stage or two with their presence in the past as seen in their stage performance and the delivery of their art. Other talents had that niche following feeling that can’t be explained but one needs to know that it is there (I enjoyed Spills but can’t explain why). Overall, the event had a great vibe as you saw all the artists entering the audience and jamming to their peers. See the photos below and click more to see video of Spills and Joya Bravo.
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Recap of Spike Lee’s Michael Jackson Birthday Party
The posthumous power of Michael Jackson continued on Saturday as Spike Lee threw a birthday party for him in we Brooklynites’ claim to grass aka Prospect Park. There were easily over 1,000 people dancing through the rain soaked ground for a little over 5 hours as guests, including politicians, celebrities and the general audience came out to celebrate Michael’s 51st birthday. The power of Michael and his music were evident in the diverse and friendly setting that blanketed the park, as you had all makes of people out and about infectiously dancing, smiling and mouthing the words to Michael’s songs. I enjoyed seeing the impersonators – especially Black and White Mike dance in lockstep to several of MJ’s songs. You have to understand these two guys met in the press pit, for what I assume to be the first time, and reenacted Michael’s moves without a flaw. The musical selection, while great, left me with a slight gripe as there were several of the popular tunes replayed throughout the course of the day.
It is Michael and I have no problems with hearing P.Y.T., Beat It, Thriller and the list goes on, 2 or 3 times but when you get that count up to 5 or 6 and more often back to back playbacks you are left to wonder what about his other music. Easily the King of Pop has songs to span over 5 hours, while all are not dance/party-tempo friendly, the majority of his catalog contains songs that you can’t help but succumb to and groove.
White socks, glitter gloves, posters and bootleggers were all abundant to honor the King of Pop. All in – Spike Lee, NYC Parks, and all the people who helped make this happen did a phenomenal job on organizing, relocating and executing a birthday celebration that will go down in history for the positive vibes and the good, clean fun it provided. I look forward to seeing what he does with the footage. Below is a sneak peak at the pictures I shot from the event, I have many more that will be online later tonight.
K’Naan Performing at SOB’s
Great performance at SOB’s by K’Naan.
Puma Rings in 60th Birthday with Jus Ske, Charles Hamilton, The Knux and Chester French
The night opened with Jus Ske playing music for an hour playing everything from the expected hits, some mash-ups and other tracks. Harlem’s own pink poster child #2, Charles Hamilton took the stage after Ske’s mix and did a performance of a couple of his hits in what seemed like a short set filled with Hamilton joking with the crowd and performing a rapid fire set. The Knux, riding the high of being dubbed “the year’s best hip-hop debut” by Rolling Stone magazine, followed with what seemed to be a shorter but musically tighter flowing set than Charles Hamilton. There was a good amount of time for Ske to get back on and spin more music as the crowd grew antsy for Chester French to hit the stage. When the band finally did take the stage, the crowd was a little lighter as people left following each of the preceding performances. Chester French provided an energetic performance led by D.A. as the clock struck midnight reminiscent of label mates N.E.R.D.
Click below for pictures and video from the event.
Puma continues their birthday celebration with in-store discounts and concerts in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago. Visit www.puma.com/bday48 for more information.
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 »