Noot d’ Noot has just released the video for latest number “Fingers Like Steeples,” which also appeared as part of CL’s the Mixt A downloadable mixtape last month. The song will be featured on the group’s forthcoming Cash For Gold 12-inch, due out June 16, with a record release party to follow at the Earl on June 20.
Soulja Boy covers rolling out this week
The hardest working teenager in show business?
Fresh off of his XXL cover and featured on the cover of rolling out this week, Soulja Boy (is he going to drop the Tell ‘Em when he gets older a la the former Lil Bow Wow?) keeps adding new tour dates. He’s already sweeping through the American North, South, East and West, and Pollstar confirms shows in the unlikely burgs of Blackfoot, Idaho, on June 24 and Saint George, Utah, on June 25. St. George is in the heart of Mormon country, while Blackfoot is a town of 10,000 and, you guessed it, the Potato Capital of the World.
Oh, and there’s a confirmed local date as well, June 20 as part of Hot 107.9’s Birthday Bash at Philip’s Arena. Look for a feature story on the former one-hit wonder/sudden critical darling in Creative Loafing that week, in which Soulja will talk about firing his management, his upcoming third album and his money-management secrets. Seriously.
UPDATE: See his 5/26/09 interview with the ladies on “The View” below the jump. (more…)
Spotted at MauriceGarland.com:
I’m posting this video because I found it interesting to see how Big Boi is attempting to bridge a gap of sorts by enlisting Gucci on his album. Only other time I can remember a DF member doing something like this was when, hell, Gucci featured Khujo on “Corner Cuttin’” on his first album.
Big Boi’s been doing this for a while now though. Him hopping on remixes to Gorilla Zoe’s “Hood Nigga” and DJ Unk’s “Walk It Out” are proof. I’m also posting it because it shows that as much as Atlanta Hip Hop seems to be segregated at times, there’s still some sort of unity.
The video comes courtesy Atlanta-based photographer/videographer Zach Wolfe, who holds down a guest column of sorts on SnortThis.com and has been posting fresh flicks (we’re talking moving images) on his own site for the past few months. Wolfe’s videos shine an imaginative light on the random nature of Atlanta’s music scene — due in part to his technical mastery of the Canon Mark 11 5D — but mostly because of his editorial choices, i.e. the shit he shoots.
His extended footage of Ricky Powell’s El Bar gig from earlier this year is classic.
But my personal favorite features Wheel Chair Matt peeling donuts in the ’68 GTO he rented to the Shop Boyz for their “Party Like a Rock Star” video. Apparently, there’s a big difference between rap and reality, according to Dax:
From hiphopDX.com:
After reports earlier this week that Atlanta-based Rap star T.I. [click to read] would be serving his 366-day sentence at Forrest City Federal Correctional Complex in Arkansas, T.I. is reportedly appealing this location. The minimum security prison reportedly has alternatives, closer to the rapper’s home and family.
Within the appeal, the rapper’s defense council is also arguing the sentencing that claimed T.I. had a history of violence.
The rapper, who is serving time for a 2007 firearms violation, has had previous felonies for assault and gun possession.
Fans will have their last chance to see him perform this Sunday at T.I.’s Final Goodbye Bash. $10. $20. $36.70. 7 p.m. Sun., May 24. Philips Arena, 1 Philips Dr. 404-878-3000. Tickets available at Ticketmaster.
UPDATE: Contrary to the erroneous report made by the Associated Press on May 17, T.I.’s 366-day prison sentence will not be reduced to two months. The report was based on a miscalculation in which the 305 days he’s already served in home confinement was subtracted from his prison sentence. But one has nothing to do with the other, according to a statement reported on MTV.com from Charysse Alexander, spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia.
Even if T.I. gets released early for good behavior, he’ll still serve at least 311 days in prison. Upon release, he will then serve out the remaining two months of home confinement.
Hip Hop Appreciation Week continues tonight with Crew Love V: Behind Enemy Lines — a benefit for political prisoners. Hosted by Dres tha Beatnik and Angie the Hip Hop Angel. $10. ($7 for those wearing a Crew Love t-shirt). 10:30 p.m. The Bench, 602-A Marietta St. 404-512-7671.
Organized by Crew Love, the FTP Movement and Black August Organizing Committee, tonight’s event features performances from hip-hop acts including Clan Destined, J. Live, Sidestreet Ked, C.H.O.S.E.N., Adrift da Belle, Mach 5, and Wade B, with Public Enemy’s DJ Lord and Amond Jackson of 89.3’s Beatz and Lyrics show on the wheels.
It’s one of several events which have taken place this week highlighting this year’s HHAW theme: Cooperation. Last night’s concert at the Loft with KRS-One was magnanimous, and not just because the Teacher was in the house. But the generation of “students” who freestyled with him onstage — a host of ATL All-stars including Killer Mike who killed it — proved that hip-hop thrives despite the hype (more on that later).
Details regarding the purpose of tonight’s event are included in the press release below the jump:
Cool Cinema returns to Midtown Arts Cinema tonight with a screening of the hip-hop classic House Party. Franchise star and one-half of the former duo Kid n Play, Christopher “Play” Martin will be on-hand for a meet and greet.
Before the film, Atlanta rapper Sean Falyon will screen his video “Big City Nights” (directed by Diwang Valdez) from his recently released project, MR. FALYON meets SMKA.
Produced by Motion Family and SMKA, “Big City Nights” is the second video collaboration between the two entities. And it’s a good look. I’m talking cinematic quality. But the highlight is Falyon’s co-star (you’ll see why below the jump.)
House Party featuring a meet-and-greet with Christopher “Play” Martin. $12 (includes one alcoholic beverage). $20 (2 tickets/2 drinks). 11:30 p.m. (box office opens) 12:15 a.m. (screening starts). Midtown Arts Cinema, 931 Monroe Dr. 678-495-1424.
Download MR. FALYON meets SMKA
BIRD'S EYE VIEW: Above the urinal at the Rusty Nail.
A Bar Crawl Down Buford Highway
Grown men have tried to steal it, if only to hang in their own romper rooms, over their bachelor pad mantle, or maybe even as an heirloom to pass down to their own flesh and blood son.
I’m standing eye to ass, eye to class, eye to all that is the motivation of the bubbling blood of heterosexuality — and it’s one of the sexiest things these eyes have ever peeked. A warm rush comes over me. It’s probably the free Jager kicking in. It has to be. But whatever it is, it’s just as Slay told me, “Instant success.” I never knew standing at the urinal inside the Rusty Nail could make a man feel this way.
Last spring I assembled an adventurous bunch for a bar crawl up the seedy section of Moreland Avenue. It proved more clever than courageous. We were welcomed with open arms, bar tabs, and well, legs at such establishments as the Foxy Lady and Club Blaze. The only colors that most factored in were the brown of Evan Williams and the green of Alexander Hamilton. Everyone got liquored up and everyone got cordial. It was a magnificent thing. Alcohol tearing down race relations one shot at a time.
We tend to make this city smaller than it is. I see it as an international small town. A Mayberry of Olympic cities. We get stuck in our patterns and cling to what we know. I have friends who haven’t even been to the King Center, much less ventured into a hole-in-the wall juke joint with questionable riff-raff lingering about.
Sad, sad, sad.
Jon Slay, my co-captain of Team Danger, along with a cutie pie/designated get-a-way driver decide to take in the sights and smut of one of Atlanta’s most enchanting thoroughfares — Buford Highway. Or, “the Buff” as we dubbed it. A bar crawl uniting nations. An olive branch soaked in whiskey. Black, white, yellow, Asian, or Haitian … let’s get cordial. (more…)
Lynch, Sparklehorse, Danger Mouse collaboration in limbo?
Though he’s been out of state for a while now, Danger Mouse has kept his Georgia roots well… um, watered? Sure, that works. The prolific producer’s newest project has been long in the works, but the collaboration between him and ecstatic songcrafter Mark Linkous — Sparklehorse to the rest of y’all — seems to be in a bit of limbo.
On the same day that NPR posted a stream of the collaborative album Dark Night of the Soul, Billboard.com reported that the release has been presently… abandoned? Things look a little muddy, though, as the site for Dark Night of the Soul still exists, and the album remains somewhat for sale. Here’s the thing: you’re still able to purchase the album and its accompanying book of 100+ photos by David Lynch, and it’ll come complete with a poster and all the artwork, but it’ll lack one thing — the music.
Per the site:
“Due to an ongoing dispute with EMI, Danger Mouse is unable to include music on the CD without fear of legal entanglement. Therefore, he has included a blank CD-R as an artifact to use however you see fit.”
There’s not mention, naturally, of the fact that the music leaked in early May, and is readily downloadable. So, y’know…
The Sparklehorse album Dreamt for Light Years in the Belly of a Mountain saw the first collaboration between Linkous and Danger Mouse, and the mish-mash and cooperative nature continues; Athens artists like Heather McIntosh, Scott Spillane and Vic Chesnutt show up alongside Iggy Pop, Frank Black, Julian Casablancas and Nina Persson, among others.
Over Memorial Day Weekend (Sat., May 23 and Sun., May 24) the third annual Who Fest returns to Chattanooga, Tenn., for a two-day outdoor festival of folk, outsider, visionary and self-taught art at Renaissance Park (directly across the Tennessee River from the Tennessee Aquarium).
The local art weirdos/fine Southern gentleman associated with the Shaking Ray Levi Society are overseeing the festival, and are setting up workshops on the various strains of folk/outsider art and music, including a workshop on disabilities in the arts.
The SRL’s are also curating the musical portion of the festival, which includes performances from dozens of acts, including Duet for Theremin & Lapsteel, Jennie Knaggs of the Sure Shots and a headlining performance from the one and only Eugene Chadbourne.
Chadbourne is a guitarist/banjo player and off-kilter songwriter who has been deeply entrenched on the outskirts of outsider music since the mid ’70s. His body of work reflects all of the social, political and musical upheaval of the times — from the Vietnam War to the War on Terror. He’s a musician who is equally comfortable dabbling in bluegrass, folk and free jazz, and has worked with everyone from Camper Van Beethoven, John Zorn and They Might Be Giants to the Sun City Girls.
For this show Chadbourne will be collaborating with the Shaking Ray Levis.
Sat., May 23 and Sun., May 24. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is free. For more information contact Winder Binder Gallery of Folk Art at 423-413-8999.
Schedule of performances after the jump.
Paste magazine, the Decatur-based music mag that’s reaching out for help during a crushing advertising downturn, says it’s reached the halfway point in its campaign.
From the magazine:
When we launched the campaign, we had no idea what to expect. We knew some readers had offered to help, but we braced for the worst. The response has been phenomenal. Readers, press and even advertisers showed remarkable support. We’ve been amazed, humbled and inspired.
So far we have raised $148,000! That was the minimum that we needed to keep us going into the summer; we never expected to hit this goal so quickly. Thank you! We have the most amazing readers in the world, and we now know—in a very real way—that we hold this thing called Paste in trust for you and will work diligently to honor that.
We still have a ways to go. Most of our debt will be paid out of revenues when the economy starts to rebound and advertisers return, but we need $300,000 to take care of bills that spiraled up during the ad slump. We’re halfway to that goal and more confident than ever that Paste will make it.
If you’re one of the thousands that have donated, you have our deepest gratitude. This crazy campaign is working. If you haven’t donated solely because you thought the effort was futile, it is not. And just check out those amazing songs that are yours for whatever you want to donate.
More musicians — including Robert Pollard of Guided By Voices, Neko Case, Cee Lo Green — have been added to the Paste Station Download Vault, a 120-song repository available to contributors. There are also contest prizes, such as tickets to the Austin City Limits Festival and “an entire Of Montreal Skeletal Lamping Collection.” For more information about the magazine or to contribute to the effort, visit Paste magazine.
The full release from Paste follows after the jump.
Tweet & Greet Wednesdays w/DJ Q-Storm. Free. 6 p.m.-10 p.m. Tonight. $3 Tweet shots. $20 all-you-can-drink house red and white wine. The Wine Loft, 300 Marietta St. 404-225-2105. www.thewineloftatl.com.
For editors, the kind of music journalist who stays plugged into his scene is an invaluable resource. Forced to spend hours slaving away at our desks (cue the violins), we rely on writers who keep both ears to the streets and know the difference between what’s worth repeating and deleting.
Maurice Garland certainly fits that bill.
His byline regularly graces the pages of Vibe, XXL, Giant and Ozone magazines. The Atlanta-based writer also finds time to contribute to CL now and again. But it’s his blog that’s been getting recognition lately.
Earlier this month, Vibe included MauriceGarland.com in its list of the 50 Best Rap Blogs. Apparently, they dig it for the same reason I do:
Within the last year alone, Garland broke Big Boi’s “Royal Flush,” featuring Raekwon and a renewed Andre 3000, collaborated with rapper Killer Mike for a weekly freestyle series called “Sunday Morning Massacre,” and witnessed firsthand Big Boi and Killer Mike’s reconciliation, a meeting Garland caught on video and then shared with the world.
Unlike a lot of hip-hop focused blogs that feed off the hype of the moment, you get a true sense of Garland’s Decatur-bred background and how its influenced his overall taste. (more…)
With Boogie Down Productions, KRS-One was one of the originators of hip-hop as social commentary. His conscious rhymes inspired the likes of Public Enemy, N.W.A. and a generation of acts willing to use their music to address discrimination, street violence and inner city injustice.
Though today’s commercial rap rarely gets so philosophical, KRS is still around to tell it like it is. And this week the legendary MC assembles the ATL All-stars, which includes the likes of Killer Mike, Bone Crusher, Nappy Roots and Dres tha Beatnik, for some similarly cerebral vibes. This official Hip Hop Appreciation Week concert features more than a dozen rappers, with DJs Majestik and Feel X providing the beats and scratches.
It’s not often that this much talent of any kind is assembled in such a small venue, so if you’re a hip-hop fan on any level you owe it to yourself to check out this show. For the full schedule of Hip Hop Appreciation Week, visit hhawatl2009.wordpress.com.
$20. 10 p.m. Thurs., May 21. The Loft, 1374 West Peachtree St. 404-885-1365. www.theloftatl.com.
Turntables on the Hudson. After becoming one of New York’s most popular events, Turntables on the Hudson has grown into a traveling night of house beats and worldly vibes. Hosted by DJs Nickodemus and Mariano, with live percussionist Nappy G, TOTH brought the show to Halo last year and returns this weekend as part of the Intown Getdown series.
$5. 10 p.m. Fri., May 22. Halo Lounge, 817 W. Peachtree St. N.W. 404-962-7333. www.halolounge.com.
BRANDI CARLILE
WED/20
BRANDI CARLILE Indigo Girls-approved singer/songwriter Carlile returns to Eddie’s for a stripped-down performance. Her rich voice has filled halls and arenas, so hearing her introspective musings in such an intimate setting is a rare treat. Sold out. 10 p.m. Eddie’s Attic. 404-377-4976. www.eddiesattic.com. — Hal Horowitz
THURS/21
KRS-ONE The Blastmaster KRS-One anoints Hip Hop Appreciation Week in Atlanta with a host of city all-stars: Killer Mike, Bone Crusher, Nappy Roots, Stacey Epps, A. Leon Craft, Ness Lee, the Beat Gods, Señor Kaos, 4-IZE, Punchlyne, Stahhr, Adrift da Belle, Bobby Creekwater, Stat Quo, Stanza, Dres tha Beatnik, Clan Destined, and the Regime, along with DJs Majestik and Feel X. $20. 9 p.m. The Loft. 404-885-1365. www.theloftatl.com. — Rodney Carmichael
THOMAS FUNCTION, CARNIVORES, PAPER KNIVES Huntsville, Alabama’s Thomas Function takes the best parts of soul, garage, rock, gospel and shoegaze and wraps it all into one dirty Southern punk jam. Carnivores play spiraling, art-damaged indie rock. Paper Knives also perform. $7. 9 p.m. 529. 404-228-6769. www.529atl.com. — Chad Radford
FRI/22
BOB LOG III, WILLEM MAKER A near perfect double bill matches the raw, Fat Possum label’s swamp stomp of Maker with Log’s one-man-band banging blues/garage/techno schtick. Prepare for some freaked out, twisted hoodoo. $10-$12. 9 p.m. The Earl. 404-522-3950. www.badearl.com. — HH
Atlanta-based singer Brittany Bosco’s video debut.
Ozy Reigns stars in “OZ” from Ozy Reigns on Vimeo
Ozy Reigns‘ debut music video for his single “OZ” produced by Illastrate and Jay Fab and directed by Donnie Leapheart.
You might have noticed Ozy making some noise around Atlanta. He’s partnered with Atlanta producers Jaescott, Illastrate and others to form a crack production team for his new album Exciting Times.
DOWNLOAD (see tracklist below jump)
The Little Country Giants (photo by Justin Evans)
Tuesdays are never the most exciting nights in Atlanta, but there’s always something to do.
If you’re into jazz the smart money tonight is on the Joe Gransden Quartet who are playing over at Twain’s in Decatur. It’s free and the music gets going around 9 p.m.
The Little Country Giants and Robinella are playing at Eddie’s Attic in Decatur. It’s a CD release party for the Little Country Giants’ latest release, Fists of Foam and Furry. $15.
Tonight’s country night at 529 as DJ’s Jacob & Brian spin a robust set of all country records all night long. It’s Free. Records start spinning around 9:30 p.m.
Cherri Swan, Gemini Mission, the Word, Faithless Town and the Yogurt Dolls play Lenny’s. $5. 9 p.m.
Soul of John Black and Mike Zito play Smith’s Olde Bar. $12. 8 p.m.
The Weekly Tru Skool Hip-Hop Jam Session takes over Apache Cafe. $7 before 10:00 p.m. $10 after.
Parachute and the Natural Dawn is Broken play the Masquerade. $8. 7 p.m.
There’s an open mic jam at The 5 Spot. It’s free and starts around 9 p.m.
Rocksploitation (formerly the A Sides) plays at Blind Willies $?. 9:30 p.m.
DJs Prince Presto and Cristo spin at the Highland Inn Ballroom Lounge. Free. 9 p.m.
RELEASE THERAPY: Hawks
Michael Keenan is a man possessed. The vocalist who fronts the band Hawks is a personable guy who’s been a fixture on Atlanta’s punk and hardcore scenes since the early ’90s, most notably playing guitar for Electrosleep Int’l. But put him on a stage and the transformation is like Jekyll and Hyde. “Something about a crowd puts me in a fucking frenzy,” he says.
Over the last year, Hawks have refined an aggressive dirge that recalls a noisier era of indie rock when bands like the Jesus Lizard, Hammerhead and Unsane ruled. Made up of Keenan, Shane Patrick (drums), Andrew Wiggins (guitar) and Sean Fitzgerald (bass), the group concocts a screeching wall of aggressive, guitar-driven mantras, samples and growling vocals. Songs such as “White Buffalo,” “Shitfist” and “The Thrust that Missed” from debut LP Barnburners (Army of Badluck) present a mass of chugging but precise musicianship.
Continue reading “Protect your crotch from the attacking Hawks”
(Photo courtesy Hawks)
Kyle Dawkins recently completed a short video clip to preview the forthcoming Exsanguinette album, which features an impressive lineup of like-minded musicians fronted by Killick (Eric Hinds) playing guitar, along with Brann Dailor of Mastodon (drums), Liz Allbee (trumpet) and Larry Ochs of Rova Saxophone Quartet (sax).
The finished product is still about a month away, but in the meantime this teaser video offers a pretty tantalizing preview of things to come.
SHOW BUSINESS: Keyshia Cole
After witnessing Keyshia Cole endure verbal spats with her mom and DNA tests with random guys claiming to be her dad, you’d think her hit BET reality show “Keyshia Cole: The Way It Is” has revealed everything there is to know about the artist.
Sure, she’s probably a little too tolerant of her unrefined mother, Frankie. And yeah, she’s got a giving spirit, as suggested by the extended family she helps support. But Keyshia Cole’s also a perfectionist when it comes to her career.
After being a featured act in Lil’ Wayne’s I Am Music tour earlier this year, Cole could have easily reprised many of the show’s technical elements for her A Different Me tour. Her legion of followers wouldn’t have cared a lick. But that’s not what Keyshia wanted.
Continue reading “There’s no business like personal business for Keyshia Cole”
(Photo courtesy Keyshia Cole)
