I was skeptical when Watcha Clan‘s “world & bass” sound first crossed my path and their first show left me unimpressed (Deciphering Watcha Clan). But there was something there that kept me coming back: the musical goals were ambitious and sometimes sometimes it really worked. Then the second time I saw them it all came [...]
DEBO BAND: Ethiopian funk +
Debo Band is not about Afro-funk revival, recreating some mythical gilded age of Ethiopian pop. Taking cues from vintage and contemporary artists unsung in the West, they unleash rolling grooves, serpentine melody lines, and urgently joyful vocals…. That’s from the PR pitch for the nine-city U.S. tour that Debo Band kicks off in their home [...]
Short Takes: “Promised Land” — Michele Bachmann, politics & pop music (from History is Made at Night)
Another repost from the always insightful History is Made at Night blog. Promised Land Last week in Iowa, Michele Bachmann launched her bid to become the Republican candidate in the next US presidential election. On the Tea Party far right of American politics, she has a long, lamentable history of anti-gay and anti-abortion activism not to [...]
Short Takes: “Jackie Wilson’s Melisma – 20 notes for the word ‘for’” (from History is Made at Night)
Final repost (for now) from the always insightful History is Made at Night blog. Jackie Wilson’s Melisma – 20 notes for the word ‘for’ ‘The extent to which the music is integrated with the literal meaning in soul is apparent in some of its basic stylistic conventions, the call and response structure, for instance, where a [...]
“S.F.’s Cuban Cowboys flavor Latin grooves with punk power” (SF Weekly)
The Cuban Cowboys bring together rock ‘n’ roll and Latin beats with a punk sensibility that brings to mind such post-punk genre busters as The Pixies, Manu Chao, Jonathan Richman, and Moroccan cha’abi rockers Hoba Hoba Spirit. Musically promiscuous and lyrically inventive, head Cuban Cowboy, Jorge Navarro, has found the musical voice on their new album Diablo Mambo that was [...]
R.I.P. Cool Ruler — reggae legend Gregory Isaacs passes away at 59
The Cool Ruler, Gregory Isaacs, passed away today in London. Known as the master of ”lovers rock” — smooth vocals over cool grooves — Isaacs made his mark singing romantic songs. However, he also was an eloquent spokesperson for Jamaica’s poor, addressing social social problems in songs such as “A Riot” and “Village of the [...]
Sissy Bounce — an anomaly or just another transgendered musical tradition
Unexpectedly, when I was doing research on the history of a former blues nightclub district in North Richmond, California, I stumbled upon a facet of that history I had not anticipated: the participant of cross-gendered performers and club-goers. And, in mainstream venues. It flew in the face of all my presumptions of the role of [...]
Musical Subversion: “Glee” version of Dr Dre’s “Bitches Ain’t Shit”
Reposted from Sociological Images FINDING GLEE IN DR. DRE’S BITCHES AIN’T SHIT Sociologist Michael Kimmel passed along a fantastic and entertaining example of resistance. In the video below, a Columbia University a cappella group sings Dr. Dre’s Bitches Ain’t Shit. The appropriation of the song works on so many levels: the all-white, all-female group, the [...]
Khaled and the myth of rai (Ted Swedenburg @ The Middle East Channel)
Excellent article by Ted Swedenburg on Khaled and rai — debunks prevalent misconceptions about both. Brilliant! Check out Ted’s HawgBlawg — well worth the time. Khaled and the myth of rai | The Middle East Channel. An excerpt: Cheb Khaled, the Algerian rai singer who is probably the best-known Arabic singer on the planet, was [...]
