Monthly Archives: June 2011

The Big Boom is presented by Fort Knox Recordings, Capitol Hemp, and TVD, Sunday, July 3rd (9pm – 3am) at U Street Music Hall. Come celebrate your freedom with us and See-I!

In an interview last month, Archie “Zeebo” Steele from See-I told me that reggae has evolved. He ascertained that “reggae [sound has become] a part of the world…in general.”

See-I’s self-titled debut album is a constituent of the genre that’s just as widely embraced as rock and hip-hop. With street-wise guitar licks and horns that fire like gatlings, See-I has found a niche in late night party music. Reggae is not just about the underclass anymore; it can be life of the party. In this album, the band makes a formidable entry in the thriving Caribbean-funk music scene here in DC.

The album doesn’t lie. There are lots of musical influences in See-I. Pay attention to the band’s genre-bending effects.

The album starts off with a hip-gyrating prelude called “Dangerous.” See-I then shifts gears to dub with “Haterz 24/7” and “Dub Revolution.” Zeebo and brother Arthur “Rootz” Steele experiment with their church-choir harmonies and Jamaican “toasting” with “Soul Hit Man” and “Talkin’ About the Peace.” And then “Homegrown 2011” proves itself to be a full-throttle block party anthem.

Zeebo and Rootz are bandleaders par excellence. Growing up, their music teacher mentored Dizzy Gillespie. They have a gift for shifting the mood, taking you back to the olden days of progressive reggae. Joining them on this album are local powerhouses Imaniel Steele and Candice Mills. Steele lends his vocals to “How Do We,” a quiet storm groove that segues into a sexy instrumental jam called “The Inside Move.” Mills whispers sweet nothings in “Reign in 2 Light,” a smoky, trip hop-laced session that appropriately rings down the curtain. See-I’s band, featuring members of Thievery Corporation, Fort Knox Five and Thunderball, elevates the album’s sound with with curvy sax chords and underhand bass riffs.

The brothers have a tremendous amount of talent. Their range fluctuates between R&B, funk and reggae like a guitarist’s finger stroking a bottleneck. The Steeles work auspiciously. Under the musical leadership at Eighteenth Street Lounge—where they perform every Wednesday night—they can’t be misguided. They’re very particular about sound; Zeebo and Rootz prefer to bring the entire band to the studio to record.

See-I | Talkin’ About the Peace

See-I, defined, is a reggae jam band. The album, released by Fort Knox Recordings, is available today, June 28. It’s undoubtedly fun. See-I is a perfect “icebreaker” album for the season. Add it to your summer mix. Take it with you on a road trip. Entertain your houseguests with it. This is the band that I’d book for the ultimate summer pool party.

Win the new See-I debut release along with vinyl from other Fort Knox Recordings artists in The Ultimate Fort Knox Recordings BIG BOOM Vinyl Giveaway.

Dear TVD readers,

I would like to apologize for the fanatical gushing to follow.

I believe this to be my sixth Alice Smith experience, and the second time at Philadelphia’s Tin Angel, last Saturday, June 25th.

That may seem like a high number, to those who’ve never heard her live, but each time she brings a soulful potent voice, new creative songwriting, and a lot of personality. There was no opener (bless you Tin Angel); she sang the 8pm slot, and was welcomed by loyal, patient, and adoring Philly fans.

It all began, for me, in 2008 at a half-empty Black Cat, where she started off slow, full band, fighting to win the audience over with her voice. I listened, glued to the checkered floor with tears streaming down my face. One month later, I heard her at a sold-out 9:30 Club with screaming fans, Res as her opener, and plenty of people curious to know more about “that girl who sang that song from The L-Word” [“Dream”].

I then saw her at Joe’s Pub in New York. You’ve seen all the taped live performances on Youtube, you know that venue—it was intimate, genre-bending, and exciting. I heard her in Philadelphia in 2010 at Tin Angel, small, narrow, and honestly, I came away disappointed; she didn’t blow me down the hall, her piano player did not accompany her properly, and I thought maybe I’d hit “fan-fatigue.”

Fortunately on my last encounter, one year ago, at BB Kings, I regained my wits; she cleared my mind with “Break,” jump-started my heart with “So Bad,” and subsequently broke it [my heart] with “Goody.” Alice came out in a skin-tight black dress, even though she was terrifically pregnant (which, at first, took the men seated at the surrounding tables by surprise—but, come on, they’re shallow). As usual she was stunning, and she sang. the. walls. apart.

During that performance she would catch a glimpse of her silhouette on the rear curtain and laugh at her pregnant belly. With increasingly impressive stage presence and “at home” comfort with the crowd, she has really grown since Black Cat. I have enjoyed watching her change, and although she would not give out any more information about the baby, she did mention the album, just once. A member of the crowd yelled “When is the second album dropping!?” She paused, and with a sassy, defiant look she replied, “Call Sony!” I remember thinking that night, “If I don’t receive this album soon, I plan to take action, drastic action. I know all of the songs by heart. I need to be able to access them all the time, any time.”

The future is here.

After her 2006 release of For Lovers, Dreamers & Me (that was five years ago), Alice Smith has finally freed herself from that label and her performance at Tin Angel Saturday night was overflowing with fresh music, hopeful energy, and a charismatic stage presence. Alice seems determined to finish her album in the coming months and start touring again. I would like to go ahead and call dibs, and wish Alice Smith a great deal of success. Her talent has been “off the shelves” for too long!

Reptar, from Athens, GA are the product of tons of hype. They’re pretty new to playing live shows and this was apparent as I entered the Black Cat a few songs into their set. They had already worked up a small section of gleeful dancers. The mood was energetic, and the bongos were like pop rocks bouncing off the tip of your tongue, obnoxiously loud with a tangy bite. Yes, bongos.

These kids have listened to My Life in the Bush of Ghosts one too many times. The world music influence woven throughout their set annoys me, it’s not my thing, but it keeps their sound lively and interesting. Their self-described sexpopelecto label is not entirely accurate. I can see how they think this is the case with William Kennedy’s towering three synths, but I’d say they are more Talking Heads meets Paul Simon, or as my friend Grande described them “the lite beer equivalent of Paul Simon.”

There’s no getting around the dancing though. Reptar are energetic and charismatic live, although I might call Graham’s vocals “experimental.” I think these guys are getting a ton of hype because they are fun and charismatic musicians. They also busted into some interesting noisy Sonic Youth-inspired jam outs that made me cock my head a little.

Art Brut, why oh why was this my first time seeing you? What kind of a moron have I been all this time? What a fantastic show; you performed brilliantly, exceeded all expectations. Here’s why: Eddie Argos is a maniac. He’s funny, engaging, witty, and a total wild card, my kind of guy, really. Now, I’m not a huge fan of Brilliant! Tragic! I like it, but I’m not blown away and as my dear friend Fritz put it, “I’m not going home humming any of the songs off it.” But live, each song stands on it’s own and is equally as powerful as all the classics such as “Emily Jane” or “Formed a Band.”

They opened with “Clever Clever Jazz” to a maybe three-quarter full room, not surprising on an early Wednesday show. After “My Little Brother,” Eddie instantly snarked about it. “Oh, yeah fire regulations. It’s actually totally sold out, there were kids fighting to get in outside.” Thus begins the comedy.

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Ho Ho Ho Kids, TVD is taking the reigns this summer while Santa Claus is in the off-season. We’ve got wax on wax to give away courtesy of Fort Knox Recordings and The Big Boom artists, and one lucky boy or girl can win it ALL today…

We’ve got Fort Knox Five’s Radio Free DC (double LP)

See-I’s Eponymous release (double LP), which drops tomorrow!

Nappy Riddem’s new 12″ single “Rastar”

Fort Knox Five’s “Radio Free DC Remixed” 12″ single featuring Asheru on “Insight”

We want to know what you’re gonna blast while you’re on your way to The Big Boom… Tell us the name of your favorite driving song in the comments below for a chance to WIN! Other than tracks from the artists above, I shall be listening to SBTRKT’s “Wildfire.”

Deadline to enter is Friday (7/1)! Winner must have a mailing address in the continental US or Canada.

So, I’m walking through the last DC Record Fair, records in one hand – pint in another, and I harken upon an ongoing conversation regarding Harry Nilsson and the Monkees between a vendor and a record buyer and I’m thinking to myself, “See…this is WHY we do these things. Where else can you stumble upon this smart discussion?”

So I wheedle in on the chat and I mention John Scheinfeld’s wonderful Harry Nilsson documentary, “Who Is Harry Nilsson (And Why Is Everybody Talking About Him?)”—an apt title if there ever was one—and lo and behold it turns out I’m talking to the winner of one of TVD’s giveaways for the doc earlier in the year. Small world, right?

We’re chatting even more in depth after this revelation and it turns out that our contest winner is not just a huge fan of Harry (and the Monkees) but is also a documentarian in his own right. And I get to thinking…hm. What bit of karmic goodness can be drawn from this surprise introduction?

Right.

TVD Interview Questions courtesy of Hubert Dobson:

TVD: How did you come to work on this project? Was it a project you sought out?

John Scheinfeld: I’d been a fan of Harry’s music since my freshman year at Oberlin College when I played his music on my morning radio show. His music was so original…filled with wonderful melodies, clever lyrics and, of course, great humor…and the things he chose to write about, so unique…and, of course, there was THAT voice..! I became a huge fan.

A few years ago Lee Blackman, Harry’s good friend and long-time attorney, had approached me about doing a documentary about Harry. I was intrigued, but knew very little about his life. So I started researching and the more I read, the more I became convinced that this was a remarkable story that had to be told. Harry’s career was as complex, exhilarating, maddening and inspiring as the man himself – and I felt it would make for a powerful and highly emotional film. In peeling back the layers of the Nilsson onion I found so many tantalizing, dramatic, tragic and hilarious aspects of a life. In other words, the foundation was there for a great story into which I could sink my documentarian teeth.

TVD: How did you first hear of Harry Nilsson’s music? Were you a fan of Nilsson’s music before you directed this documentary?

JS: On that morning radio show (6am-9am…ugh!) there were no playlists, so I could play whatever music I wanted. I was rummaging through the music cabinet and came across the cover of an album that caught my eye. It was Harry’s “Pandemonium Shadow Show.” Intrigued, I flipped it over and saw that one of the tracks was “You Can’t Do That.” Great, I thought to myself — another bad Beatles cover version. Which, of course, it was anything but…this was Harry’s brilliant blending of Beatles lyrics into a new creation of his own. I devoured the rest of the album…and then listened to his second…and third…albums and I was hooked.

TVD: The quality of archive film, photos and audio outtakes helps to paint a broad picture of the man and his music. Was there more material you were not able to access?

JS: In all my documentaries I always work hard to uncover as much rare and never-before-seen audio/visual material as possible. This task was made much more difficult for this film because Harry rarely appeared on television and never, ever, performed live in concert. So I needed every moment of Harry footage that I could find to help tell this remarkable story.

We scoured the world’s archives and the holdings of private collectors, as well as prevailing upon Harry’s friends and extended family who freely and generously shared their photos, home movies, private recordings and personal memorabilia. The response was awesome.

Micky Dolenz, for example, sent us home movies he took of Harry in 1967. Producer Chip Douglas share film he shot from 1973-1975. Extended family members, Gary Nilsson, Rainy Nilsson, Doug Hoefer and his wife Eonna, generously shared their rare and unseen photos and film. “Do it for Harry” became the mantra for everyone associated with the making of this film.

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You may want to sit down for this. Def Leppard is performing at Jiffy Lube Live, with special guest Heart, Saturday, July 9th, and TVD has got its hands on a pair of Pavilion Tickets. Although it was hard—it was seriously tempting to take them and run—we are willing to part with the pair for an unbelievable ticket giveaway. Enter for the chance to win a spot at perhaps one of the best shows of the summer. Don’t hesitate, just do.

I doubt I need to provide an introduction, but please excuse me a second for drooling in the ambience of the epicness that is Def Leppard. They have been rocking ladies’ panties off and giving us all a hard-on for music since 1977, and are looking forward to carrying on that tradition. In case you need a reminder, Jiffy Lube Live is the perfect venue for them to prove, as if they have to, why they reign rock supreme.

Accompanying their summer tour is the release of their live album Mirror Ball. Those screaming lunatics in the background? That could be you this July.

Mmmm “pour some sugar on me, in the name of love!”

As if that were not enough, Heart will also be giving a special performance. Ann & Nancy Wilson, the unstoppable sister duo, have also been stunning audiences for over four decades. They will be adding a feminine touch to hard rock during this monumental concert of rock ‘n’ roll legends.

“All I wanna do is make love to you.”

This concert is too delicious to pass up, so we are going to make this easy for you. To win a pair of pavilion-seat tickets, just tell us, in the comment box below, your favorite hair band love song. Besides Extreme’s “More Than Words” because TVD has already called that one in unison.

The winner will be chosen Wednesday (6/29) at noon.

Come celebrate your freedom with us!

The Big Boom artists will be taking over TVD all this week. We’ll be featuring all of them, and of course we’re going to share in the fun by giving away some tix and some wax. First up, Fort Knox Five… with an exclusive download (at the bottom) of “Average White Five (DC’s Finest Remint),” Fort Knox Five vs. Average White Band vs. Jurassic 5. Booyah!

The Big Boom
Presented by Fort Knox Recordings, Capitol Hemp, and TVD
Sunday, July 3rd
9pm – 3am
U Street Music Hall
$10.00
Tickets available through Ticketfly
Ages 18+

Featuring:
DJ Nu-Mark
Fort Knox Five
Asheru & Mustafa Akbar
See-I
Rex Riddem of Nappy Riddem

Fort Knox Five | Superfly Mix

Fort Knox Five, a Washington, DC collective, is approaching a decade of hard work—and ten bucks says your neighbors are sitting inside, clueless. Washington, we need to catch up.

They’re talented and tenacious, and they know what they’re doing. Grounded with roots in the vinyl world, the group has been steadily branding dance music by adapting a number of techniques to an eclectic and worldly music library.

Core duo Jon Horvath and Steve Raskin allowed me to interrupt an afternoon studio session to help bring the Nation’s Capital up-to-speed. Horvath (the guy with the ‘fro) casually detailed the relentless efforts made during the first third of the collective’s career. After countless attempts to sell records to distributors, Groove Distribution in Chicago snagged 500 copies without any arm-twisting. A week later, Groove called back to buy 500 more.

Thousands of record sales and several tours performing abroad later, Horvath notes, “We need to catch up in the U.S.” The high demand for performances abroad leaves little time for them to play in the United States, let alone their own backyard.

Well, guess what.

Fort Knox Five | Average White Five (DC’s Finest Remint)

July 3rd. U St. Music Hall. It’s on. And it’s only ten bucks. Bring your neighbor.

I’d hate to spoil the show for you, but as Raskin put it, “We want our crowd to get the audio and the visual, like a package… an experience.”

They’d prefer not to claim any particular genre, but they say if you’re down for something reminiscent of, “the late rave scene—but with organic flavor, funk influence, and strings”—you’re in for a real treat.

Fort Knox Five’s other two members, Rob Myers and Sid Barcelona, will be accompanying the electronic duo at the July 3rd show. The group has dropped one album and two compilations so far; they plan to get serious this fall and get some new material underway.

In the meantime, Fort Knox Recordings is offering an exclusive free download of “Average White Five (DC’s Finest Remint),” Fort Knox Five vs. Average White Band vs. Jurassic 5, to TVD Readers. Give it a listen above, and download it below. You will find this no where else!