The Roots and Gym Class Heroes at Roseland Ballroom

While I did not personally attend this show, I had to link to it just out of respect for the title of the article: A Hip-Hop Performance Only A Band Can Deliver. I had asked the question earlier, what mega-superstars were using live bands in a hip-hop show? Well the Roots are, and continue to be, the standard.

Gym Class Heroes opened the show (along with Estelle, more on her later) and I have to admit, I am kinda into them. I saw them at a record label showcase the other week and was totally enamored with their "rebellious yet irresistible high school crush" sound - the kind that your parents loved to hate but you couldn't help but feel giddy over. They perform a playful fusion of hip-hop, rock, and reggae (anyone who knows me even remotely well knows what this fusion means to me, especially with a bit of funk added in) and I was sincerely impressed with their musicianship. I found myself caught up in the female teenage hysteria that was an audience full of the daughters/cousins/sisters/friends of folks from the label. Yes, I was blushing right alongside of them because dang it if Travis McCoy isn't just a little bit cute.

FYI, the last time I felt this way about a group that opened for the Roots back in 2000 they were a little known band by the name of the Black Eyed Peas. What can I say, I got skillz. :)

Check out the NY Times article here.

Mother's Day Radio at the Walk For Hope

Last week I had the chance to support an amazing organization by the name of Mother's Day Radio. Mother's Day Radio works to bring balanced and honorable representations of womanhood to mainstream media. They accomplish their mission in two ways:

1) promoting a national day of Rest and Uplift where they petition radio stations and alternative media to commit to playing music that respectfully represents women and

2) establishing a Media Literacy and Social Action Peer Mentorship program which supports teenagers in their efforts to form positive identities rooted in self-worth.

Amazing work, I know, and it's all run by one of my dear friends, Shaunelle Curry, the Executive Director and Founder of MDR, and a powerful force in her own right. Thank you to Shaunelle for reminding us artists that while mainstream media may not fully understand or embrace what we are trying to do in using music to empower people, there are plenty of people from the ground up that get it, youth included. Please visit the site to learn more about this amazing initiative.

And many, many thanks to all of those that sponsored our walk with Be The Cause last Saturday, we raised a record amount of money for MDR and had a fantastic time! It was so inspiring to walk shoulder to shoulder with so many people committed to change. It is in these moments when it doesn't seem so fanciful to believe that a better humanity is possible and is happening everyday with each individual, in big and small ways alike. Shout outs to Ms. Seema Patel and her rockstar grandfather for taking on the 5k walk together. Seema is one of the pioneers behind the Be The Cause movement, a community of individuals creating enriching opportunities for service. Visit Be The Cause and find out more ways you can get involved.

Oooh, and as a bonus, we all got free massages at the end of the day, courtesy of the very talented Jason Villanueva. If I get his website, I'll hook you up!!

Tina Turner live at the Staples Center - breathtaking and

....simply the best.

What can I say? I had no choice but to go and witness Ms. Tina Turner at the Staples Center when the tickets were made available on Goldstar. She is the epitome of a woman who represents a divine creative force (see above). And quite honestly, those words don't really even begin to describe it.

We were running a little late so we missed 1 out of the 5 songs my cousin and I just had to hear. "River Deep Mountain High," (the one we missed, we did hear parts of it in the lobby), "Goldeneye," "What's Love Got To Do With It," "Nutbush City Limits," and of course "Proud Mary;" arguably one of the best songs (and really I don't know if I'd even call it a song but more of a "mini-act" in and of itself) ever performed by a woman, period.

She got through one take of "What's Love Got To Do With It" when she had to pause and make sure her audience really got it. She told us she needed a little help with the words on this one and challenged her ladies first. "Can you do it?" she asked with her eyebrows raised. We obliged, but the first one just didn't cut it. "Almost my women, but can we give it just a little more attitude?" and she demonstrates. NOW we get it. The subtle umph between our version and hers was like an ocean of truth. The moment she established what "just a little more attitude" sounded like I understood why this women could sell out the Staples Center, twice, with adoring women (and men too actually) of all ages, races, creeds, and religions. Tina Turner represents strength. A foot-stomping, heart pounding, rock-n-roll with a twinge of blues strength. A full of grace and power strength. And every woman could relate. Her music wasn't about the latest hit song or production fad, but about an enduring quality that any woman from any place or time could latch on to. And that is the kind of music we need to endeavor to make.

But back to the music. The woman is straight up rock-n-roll and I love it! I mean, seriously love it. We could not contain ourselves on "Proud Mary." I was brought back to times when I would have to take a break from my homework and strut into my parents bedroom where they were innocently watching tv, unaware of the performance they were about to receive. I would make my entrance and begin the show at the foot of the bed by saying, "i know that I am able to do this song nice.....and easy. But every now and again we've got to do it just a little bit.....rough." I can just see their faces, along with the complimentary eye rolls and exasperated thoughts, now - "what kind of child have we brought into the world?" And yes, I would take them through the whole thing, thus determining my ultimate destiny as a diva. Tina has been preparing me since day one.

We really tried to stay seated to respect the people behind us, but when the lights blazed and paved the way for the nice n' rough parts (bring it!), the whole audience erupted and barely anyone could stay still. It was electrifying. Or did I say breathtaking? Do I have to choose? Let's just say an enchanting combination of those words and everything in between. This does not typically happen to me ladies and gentleman because I will admit that I am a bona fide, tried and true cheapskate. But dang it, I wanna get the t-shirt. : )

Mary J. Blige at the Gibson - discount tickets

Every so often I have the chance to hook up my dear readers with some fabulous deals to live entertainment. I have the inside track on special discounts to all sorts of events ranging from dance, to theater, to comedy, and of course live music using a site called Goldstar. You can sign up for free at Goldstar, fill out the types of things you like to do, and they will send you customized emails of events going on in your area. Goldstar serves the following cities: Los Angeles, New York, Boston, Chicago, Las Vegas, San Francisco/San Jose, San Diego, and Washington D.C.

So, without further ado, Goldstar is featuring discount tickets to the Mary J. Blige concert at the Gibson this Sunday, October 19th. Get 'em while they're hot!

More deals to come...

The last night at LA's Temple Bar

I have good news and bad news.

The bad news is that the Temple Bar in Los Angeles is closing. Sadness. I had only been to the Temple Bar a few times since moving to Los Angeles and it was always a beacon of soul. People kept telling me that my former band should play there and it was one of those things where you find yourself saying “yeah, yeah, great idea, one of these days we’ll make it happen.” Life is short my friends, and it moves by quickly. ACT NOW. (Btw, whenever I give that advice I have to take the temperature on my own life. Do I have studio time scheduled in the near future??? Yes, phew, ok, now I can preach. :)

Now for the good news. My bass teacher invited me to the Temple Bar’s last show on September 27th which featured his band Weapon of Choice, the mega-nut funk phenomenon (did you know they opened for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, George Clinton, Pearl Jam, No Doubt, Ice Cube, and more?? I’m right now brushing the dirt off my shoulders because not only is Lonnie Marshall rated one of the Top 8 Funk bass players in music, he is also my bass teacher AND my producer. Go ‘head Lonnie) as well as one of the most famous non-famous underground female MCs I’ve ever heard in my LIFE, Medusa. From the opening strains of her live (yes, LIVE!!!!!!) hip-hop band playing Parliament’s “P.Funk (Wants To Get Funked Up)” I felt like little orphan Annie when she first arrived at Daddy Warbucks’ mansion – “I think I’m gonna like it here.”

Please tell me, how many hip-hop artists, that are not touring mega-stars (and even them), still use live bands?? It was a rare treat to see. The way her players eased in and out of classic funk and straight-up head-bobbing hip-hop was pure bliss. We weren’t even half-way through the opening number when I turned to my cousin and said “I am in LOVE with this woman!” Thank you live hip-hop band for the acknowledgement that funk is in fact the older, wiser uncle of the art form. Besides her well-seasoned lyrical skillz, the real musicality of each member of the 7 piece band (which included a drummer, bassist, keys, a DJ, two amazing back-up vocalists, and a flutist/percussionist - you know you are experiencing a funky show when the flutist gets a solo on a song called “This Oowwee’s a Gangsta” – you’ll have to see her live show in order to know the REAL title to that song because I can’t use that word on my family-friend blog ☺), her command of the stage as well as the audience that temporarily worshipped her, she sent a message that was very clear – she is a woman to be reckoned with and because you are at her show, rocking along with her, you are not only welcome to the party, she extends her hand of gansta goddess funk right to ya. You leave with the funk face on, ready to conquer. Yeeeah.

I’m really not sure why this woman is not famous but check her out here and in the video below ( a performance from 2007, not the best quality video but you'll get the idea) and make sure to get front row seats to her next jam.



Comparisons – Queen Latifah, MC Lyte, Lauryn Hill; dubbed the "Angela Davis of Hip-Hop," the Godmother of West Coast Hip Hop