Elevation Sundays

Introducing LA's new Sunday night chill session. At the classy Room 5 Lounge every Sunday night come check the slick sounds of hip-hop, soul, and classic breaks.

UCLA Jazz Reggae Festival Photos

It Was a beautiful day at UCLA that featured excellent performances from Jill Scott, Lupe Fiasco, Les Nubians, J*Davey, SoulLive and more. Check out this great photos from Steven Blank.

Vikter Duplaix @ Temple Bar pics

Nu-Soul Presents Elevation Every Sunday Night

Nu-Soul is a promotional partner for a new Sunday night celebration of Soul and hip-hop. Independent hip-hop group Now On presents Elevation. This will be a weekly event of classy soulful grooves and special live performances in an intimate setting.

Every Sunday
Room 5 @ the Amalfi
143 N. La Brea
Los Angeles, CA
$5

Starts Sunday May 27

Coachella weekend pics

Scion - Walking Back To Houston Art Show May 12th

CION PRESENTS: WALKING BACK TO HOUSTON
Contemporary Art Show in All-New Scion Installation L.A. Gallery

Los Angeles - May 2007 - Scion celebrates cutting edge art with the opening
of its all-new 4,500 square foot Installation L.A. Gallery and a new show,
Walking Back to Houston. The show, curated by Union, features three diverse
artists, CLOS, ROB ABEYTA, JR. and ZY$.

Abeyta, Jr. has an already established reputation in the traditional art
world. He has done graphic design, as well as art directing and design for
the likes of NIKE, STUSSY, NEIGHBORHOOD, UNDEFEATED, ADIDAS, and numerous
music packaging designs ranging from the seminal punk band, LOS CRUDOS, to
The Transplants, to LA hip hop legends MACK 10, Cypress Hill and DJ Quick.
Carlitos (CLOS) is best known for his work as a tattoo artist, notably as
Mr. Cartoon's apprentice. ZY$ is an underground Tokyo graffiti artist and
will be present for the Culver City show. Walking Back to Houston brings
together these artists to present their talents in a new light and setting.

The distinctive name of the show is derived from a Texas no-limit poker
hand, the Ace-King. This is usually considered to be a great hand, but if
the player still ends up losing, it's called "Walking back to Houston." The
curators decided the catchy, but mysterious phrase would fit the concept of
the show.

The opening reception takes place May 12th, 7:00 P.M. - 10:00 P.M., at the
Scion Installation L.A. Gallery, 3521 Helms Ave. (at National), Culver City,
CA 90232. The show will remain up through June 2nd - the date of the annual
Culver City Arts Walk.

Dedicated to fostering independent artistic expression, the Scion
Installation L.A. Gallery is a space that allows artists to explore their
creative visions. The new Scion Installation Gallery hosts art shows and
art-related events for cutting-edge urban artists from across the globe.
Due to success and growth, the Scion Installation L.A. Gallery recently
moved from its Washington Boulevard location to Helms and National near the
Hayden Tract area. Gallery hours are Wednesday through Saturday 11:00 A.M. -
6:00 P.M. and by appointment -310.815.8840. For more information, visit
www.scion.com/space.

Planet of the Drums Interview

I did an interview with American Drum and Bass pioneers the Planet of the Drums during Miami's Winter Music Conference.

CLICK BELOW TO READ THE INTERVIEW

Introducing Joss Stone Review

Joss Stone
Introducing
Label: Virgin Records
7.0 out of 10
By Norman Mayers

Since this is Joss Stone’s third album, the title “Introducing” might seem a bit inappropriate yet this is the first time Ms. Stone seems to have created a sound that is truly her own. Teaming up with neo-soul pioneer Raphael Saadiq, Stone appears to have finally found herself.

The productions are all crisp, retro-styled yet contemporary soul, full of clattering percussions and sharp breaks such as on the funky “Headturner” and “Put Your Hands On Me”. Stone has always tried to project a vintage soul vibe but with “Introducing” her sound is less derivative than on her previous album. The voice has always been strong but finally Joss is giving much more personality in each track. Songs like “Proper Nice” and “Girl They Won’t Believe It” are definitely bursting with personality and flavor, buoyed by excellent up-tempo grooves and catchy hooks. While the majority of the album is a funky affair the slower cuts work as well, most notably the classic soul of “What Were We Thinking”, which succeeds because of Stone’s raspy vocal performance. Solid guest appearances from Common and Lauryn Hill help to further elevate the project. While Joss Stone’s sincerity may be in question, the truth remains that she has created her best album to date and is definitely developing her style and sound.


Joss Stone's Website

My Coachella Experience

I wasn't even planning on going to Coachella this year. It's really expensive for one day and even more expensive for the whole weekend. After Miami I wasn't looking forward to another non-stop party session. But Coachella did have Bjork performing on the first day and the prospect of seeing one of my favorite artists in such a beautiful outdoor setting was very tempting. Luckily my friend, Michelle, blessed me with a free ticket for my birthday (since I hooked her up for both Love Parade and Ultra) and I finally got to see Bjork. A bonus was Amy Winehouse who I am absolutely in love with. She rocks. Her music sounds like classic girl-group soul from the 60s but she talks about weed, hip-hop, and drinking. It's great stuff.

Bjork was of course amazing. She performed most of my favorite songs including "Hunter", "Joga", "Hyperballad", and "Pagan Poetry" which such precision and joy that it was quite surreal. Her voice sounded exactly how you imagine it to sound and she playfully ran and danced around the stage. What a beautiful experience!

Photos from Urb Magazine's Imeem page