This week on Creative Loafing’s long-running urban music podcast, Audiofloss, we’re playing tunes from:

• Angela Johnson (featuring Eric Roberson)

• Russell Taylor

• And Choklate

(To listen, click on the MP3 icon or link below.)

Audiofloss — Vol. 3, No. 9

For more Audiofloss episodes, visit www.audiofloss.com.

Bookmark It

I’m sharing my thoughts on pop music over at Qcvibes.com.

Here one day, gone tomorrow — there sure is a lot of crap filling the airwaves these days. And chances are, you’ve moved on from those songs, too — unless you thought they were terrible in the first place.

Bookmark It

Did you know we post concert reviews online? Yep… usually there are photos and setlists, too! Check out the review from last night’s sold out Needtobreathe concert here.

Serena Ryder, one of the band’s openers, was also worth checking out.

Bookmark It

Another new music venue and entertainment spot is opening its doors in the Queen City. This one, The Blvd., is over on Independence Blvd.

BrittneyAfterDark has all the information.

Bookmark It

We don’t just review CDs in the paper either. Along with a number of live reviews that show up at the Vibes blog, we also unleash the 10-in-10 reviews on Friday and the occasional CD review.

Today, Mike McCray is checking out the latest from Curren$y.

Bookmark It

Did you know that every Friday, over on the Vibes blog, we review 10 CDs in 10 words each? Sometimes it’s straightforward, sometimes silly, sometimes harsh, sometimes glowing. It just depends what hits our desk.

Check it out here.

Bookmark It

CL Music Editor Jeff Hahne chats with a couple members of the local band Heywire, who will be a part of a FREE event dubbed so cooly Project: Homebrew. This FREE event, to be held at Neighborhood Theatre on Oct. 1, is comprised of a panel discussing local music in Charlotte, as well as a concert of select artists from Jeff Hahne’s Homebrew Volume 3, a CD compilation of local music. And did we mention it’s FREE?

Bookmark It

Vibe, one of the top hip-hop and R&B magazines since 1993, is shutting down. The company will provide a statement later on in the day. I would imagine that money, as well as the state of the music industry, have something to do with this. Nevertheless, it was a powerhouse while it lasted.

Bookmark It

Denizens of Charlotte’s nightlife, it’s time to get excited: The funky, “intercontinental love fest” known as Sol-Fusion is coming to the Queen City on Saturday, June 27.

What exactly is Sol-Fusion? Well, the easy answer to that question is it’s a club/DJ/dance event that was birthed in Atlanta and has been THE party to attend there for years. But, for all the other details about the shindig, let’s hear what the guys behind Sol-Fusion Charlotte (which will feature sounds by DJ Kemit and DJ D.R.) — Atlanta-based promoter J. Carter and Charlotte-based promoter Mike Kitchen — have to say:

Creative Loafing: First thing I wanna know is, for people who have never been to Sol-Fusion, how would you describe it?

J. Carter: Hmmm … the best way to describe it is, if they remember that feeling when they were like in 11th and 12th grade in their friend’s parents’ basement and they would just let go and party like it was nobody’s business — I would explain it much, much like that. But I would also kind of describe it as more so a party for someone who would have anything from rock, classic-hip hop, reggae, funk, disco, [or] house, in their iPod … You know, so it’s a party for a more trained-ear individual.

Now, this party started in Atlanta and it’s a success there; but how do you think Charlotte — which is regarded by many as a fickle market for nightlife events — will receive it?

Mike Kitchen: Kitch: I think they’ll receive it well because I think its time for it. When we originally talked about it, which was years, years, years ago, Charlotte wasn’t ready for it at that time. I don’t think we had the right type of folks who would enjoy entertainment like that. But now, being that you have different people moving in and out all the time, and plus we have different events that pretty much cultivate that type of music and movement that I think it’s ready for.

J. Carter: I think that the one good thing that ya’ll have out in Charlotte is there’s a lot of transplants. There’s folks that are from the Northeast that have relocated to Charlotte. There’s actually quite a few transplants from the Atlanta area as well. It just seems like there are a lot of people in Charlotte that are from different areas that appreciate all different types of music. And that’s what Sol-Fusion is, man. And your boy Kitchen has a strong base in Charlotte, and people basically know what he offers and the types of events and the style that he offers. So I think we’re gonna be OK. And if they ain’t ready for us, they better get ready. Cause we’re not gonna water down how we do and how we party. And Kemit’s gonna give you Kemit. So, you know, when we leave on Sunday, they’re gonna be like “What the hell was that?” — in a good way. So we’re already planning for the second trip.

What exactly can people expect when they come to Sol-Fusion?

Carter: I think what we’re gonna do is mainly just show them the variety of music and the style and just how we party. I think the first one should just be a really good introduction.

Kitchen: Its gonna be a mini version of the one in Atlanta. The music’s definitely gonna be totally different. Of course the people are gonna be somewhat different because some people from Atlanta are coming up. I’m sure this one’s gonna do well, and then once it does well, we’ll do it on a bigger scale and that way we can kind of merge the art from that city with the art from this city. Really go full-out, ass-out on them.

Interested? Well to get a better understanding of Sol-Fusion, check out this video clip of the party in action:

For more info, visit www.thesolkitchen.com.

Bookmark It

This just in from the folks at K104.7:

WKQC/K104.7 announces morning show

WKQC announces seasoned broadcast veteran Jon Robinson will be the host of K104.7’s “Jon Robinson Show” 5:30-10 weekday mornings. Robinson, who has been in the television and radio industry for over twenty years, will be waking up the Carolinas beginning Monday December 8th with a more music morning show having a local appeal while focusing on the at work listener. The “Jon Robinson Show” will also be streaming live at www.k1047.com.
“Jon has one of the most recognizable voices in the Carolinas”, said Vice President and General Manager Keith Cornwell.  “Whether you heard him as the voice for the Carolina Panthers at the Bank of America Stadium, on talk radio or his news anchoring days, his passion and commitment to broadcasting has earned him respect and admiration throughout the community.”
Robinson is a native Carolinian who resides in Gastonia with his wife and two sons. A cancer survivor, Robinson is actively involved in Hope Cancer Ministry, a support group for cancer patients and The Boys and Girls Clubs of America.   “I enjoy giving back to those in need and those struggling with life and all of its challenges,” said Robinson. “Being back on the radio and entrenched in the community is the next opportunity I am looking forward to the most.”
CBS Radio station K104.7 is Charlotte’s At Work listening leader playing the most Cool Songs from three decades and Charlotte’s first station to go green. K104.7 Always Cool Songs.

Bookmark It