The Blog

MY college buddy DeGeorge, my roommate Jonathan and I hit the town for Halloween. Jonathan had a gig with a band he’s just recently joined, Late Night Machine.

Crazy night in the Village. Here’s our costumes:

Chef “Boy-I’ll-Cut-You”

Detective “Fabulous” [LOL!]

Smo’ the Pimp

This is neat. And strange. I like.

As a kid, piling in the RV and setting out for a camping trip wasn’t official unless the Paul Simon cassette tape was popped into the dash. My stepdad, my mom, my sister and I demanded Mr. Simon keep us jovial as we crossed California’s roadways to Reno, to Lake Camanche or to whichever destination the grown ups agreed upon.

Our favorite, by far, was Simon’s Graceland album. Long considered by many music journalists as one of the greatest albums ever recorded, Graceland’s African inspired sound convinced us we weren’t home…and that that was a good thing.

Here’s the title track, Graceland.

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I had been a little leery of John Legend and The Roots collabo after I heard the remake of Wake Up. But this track has piqued my interest. I may purchase the album. This is the most soulful I’ve heard John sound…like, EVER. Here’s “I Can’t Write Left Handed.”

I Can't Write Left Handed
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I don’t think I’ve heard any other male voice like Nat King Cole’s. Another great who left music to be enjoyed for generations after him.

Here’s Straighten Up and Fy Right. A bit of a departure from his Sinatra-esqe jazz lounge singing voice. (I probably just offended someone.) A good record, none-the-less.

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Spike Lee threw a free party in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park for Michael Jackson’s 52nd birthday last weekend. It was hot out there. We sat mostly in the shade during our stay. It picked up at the end. Rappers Snoop Dogg and Warren G performed — a big surprise for Jessica and I, two West Coast to East Coast transplants.

We got these cool signs. And I had my holgaroid camera with me. Also, enjoy a clip of Snoop’s quick performance. He rapped over the beat of Michael’s Butterflies.

My college friend Siaira happened to be in Brooklyn for a couple weeks this summer. Hadn’t seen her in such a long time I had to make sure we linked up. She’s a singer from the Bay Area, in case you’ve never heard of her. I’ve posted a clip from her EP, The In Between. Take a listen below. Also, check her out here.

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Good seeing you, Siaira.

It’s a shame voices like the Hathaways’ get little play in the mainstream of American music. I attended a Lalah Hathaway show at BB King’s in New York on Wednesday. I left feeling like I hadn’t heard music that good in such a long time.

I’ve posted a video someone in the audience recorded. My roommate Jonathan and I were sitting to the right of the stage, evident from the iPhone picture I snapped (above). Here are a few notes for listening to it. It’s a long clip. Feel free to listen to the entire thing. But if not, do the following:

Listen to Lalah sing and tease us: start to about 4:30
Lalah breaks it down (nice vocal runs): 5:00 to 6:30
Listen to guitarist Errol Cooney goes in (!!!): 6:45 to 10:50
Lalah breaks it down again (more soothing vocal runs): 11:30 to end

If you watch it in its entirety, you’ll see why she got a standing ovation. Keep in mind, it’s not a professional recording, so you might need to turn it up or listen on headphones.

Here’s Forever, For Always, For Love.

So…that’s Lalah and The Roots so far this summer. What other concerts can I get myself to before all the good artists go into hibernation?

Nobody had more soul that Donny Hathaway. Great voices, in my humble opinion, convey a full range of emotion. Exuberant pride and delight to utter despair and distress. Donny could do that. It’s unfortunate such a great artist wasn’t around longer to leave us more timeless music.

The track I’ve posted below, Misty, is a track that I listen to when I had a tough day and need someone to sympathize. Although he’s singing about a lost love, his tone conveys a sense of frustration that I can relate to on any of my bad days.

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I know nothing about Frank Sinatra’s music or his life, outside of the fabled connections to the mob. I do, however, think he’s got one great recording voice. I’ve begun going through his musical catalog. I discovered this record at the end of Ocean’s Thirteen film.

Here’s This Town. Makes me want to fly to Vegas for a couple days.

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