[RH Photos] Erykah Badu Headlines Taste of Chicago
Photos by AngieStar Photo
Day two at the Taste of Chicago brought in warm, sunny weather, and new wave of more people to enjoy the fest. Aside from all the food, Grammy Award-winner Erykah Badu set the tone for the evening as the night's headliner to a sold out show, and it was amazing.
Opening the night was Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, who brought the crowd to their feet in true New Orleans jazz fashion. Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews and his long time band, Orleans Avenue, brought a charismatic and relentless drive to continually bridge music's past and future to the stage, including new tracks from their third album, Say That To Say This, out September 10. Co-produced by Andrews and Raphael Saadiq, it truly sounded like nothing else out there, as Andrews, guitarist Pete Murano, bassist Mike Ballard and drummer Joey Peebles stride forward in their unique musical evolution. In a smooth transition, Erykah Badu came to stage with an instrumental rendition of "The Healer", easing into "Out My Mind, Just In Time". Badu continued on with so many of her most classic songs, along with live beat making, and an often witty commentary in between tracks. Ending the night with "Window Seat" at dusk brought the night to close gently and ever so entertainingly.
If you missed the show, and Badu's signature unique attire, check out some photos here:
[Video] Lili K & Peter CottonTale Perform "Highlight The Moon" at Truth Studios
It's been a minute since Lili K and Peter CottonTale got together to produce one of the my favorite jazz/soul albums of the past couple of years in Metal Petals, the 2012 release that established both artists as names to know, especially among the fertile and growing Chicago scene. The pair linked up while in Los Angeles at Truth Studios to re-hash one of the more sonically-rewarding track on the project in "Highlight The Moon" which gets a more down home, instrumental feel here with CottonTale on the keys. Lili shows off the voice we all know and love, while also demonstrating new tweaks in her vocals that make the latest version of "Highlight The Moon" ever more entrancing. The Milwaukee-born songstress has played in the background quite a bit as well, adding her vocals to tracks by Chance The Rapper and Vic Mensa on their latest projects Acid Rap and Innanetape, but here she continues to prove that she is a solo force behind the microphone. Lili and Peter are both back and forth from the coasts as they work on her follow-up to last year's My Favorite Things EP. Watch the full video, streaming below.
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[Video] The O'My's: "Sweet Love"
The O'My's are easily one of the most soul-packed bunch in Chicago. Led by Maceo Haymes and Nick Hennessy, the band has seen its stock grow since releasing their latest album, A Humble Masterpiece late last year via RH and playing a host of high-energy sets around their hometown and beyond. Yesterday, playing on the "love is in the air" vibes of mid February, The O'My's crew dropped their latest visual for the song "Sweet Love" off their latest release. The video, directed by Dan Moraru, details what it's like when a friend of yours falls in love, worse yet, a roommate and what that means for everyone he was friends with. Check out the full video below.
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[Songs of the Day] Peter CottonTale's Valentine's Day Love Jams
Valentine's Day is nothing without the music. Sultry sounds and smooth beats can go a long way towards setting the perfect mood on your February the 14th, and few know this better than the one and only Peter CottonTale. When deciding on who to turn to for a romantic mix of music to get listeners in the mood for tonight, CottonTale, who evokes thoughts of old school jazz and soul music with his own production, seemed like a logical choice. With an eclectic taste, the Acid Rap crafter put together a group of songs that can give even the stiffest of dudes some swagger in their step. The playlist is available on Spotify, so feel free to take CottonTale with you as you venture out into the night. Without further ado, I give you "Peter CottonTale's Valentine's Day Love Jams".
[Video] Charles Bradley Announces Tour
The "Screaming Eagle of Soul Music" himself, Charles Bradley is one of the my favorite, and most refreshing stories of making it against the world's forces. The 65-year-old crooner has found success late in his life, garnering attention at 2011 SXSW on the strength of his debut project, No Time For Dreaming and a rousing string of performances. Last year he followed that up with the critically-acclaimed Victim of Love, continuing to show a lost generation the ways of soul. Yesterday Bradley announced his touring plans for 2014 alongside a video of him performing his song, "Confusion" live on Soundcheck. Tour dates can be found after the video.
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Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaires Tour Dates
Feb 05 Northampton, MA - Pearl Street
Feb 06 Providence, RI - The Columbus Theatre
Feb 07 Boston, MA - House of Blues (with Galactic)
Feb 08 Philadelphia, PA - Electric Factory (with Galactic)
Feb 22 Wellington, New Zealand - NZ Festival (James Cabaret)
Feb 23 Wellington, New Zealand - NZ Festival (James Cabaret)
Feb 25 Perth, Australia - Perth Festival
Feb 28 Adelaide, Australia - Adelaide Festival (Free Opening Night Festival)
Mar 01 Canberra, Australia - National Portrait Gallery (Enlighten Canberra - FREE)
Mar 02 Sydney, Australia - The Basement
Mar 03 Sydney, Australia - The Basement
Mar 04 Brisbane, Australia - The HiFi
Mar 06 Melbourne, Australia - Corner Hotel
Mar 07 Melbourne, Australia - Melbourne Zoo Twilights
Mar 08 Meredith, VIC, Australia - The Golden Plains Festival
Mar 09 North East Tasmania, Australia - Panama Fest
Mar 12 Singapore - Mosaic Music Festival
Apr 22 Cleveland, OH - The Beachland Ballroom
Apr 23 Ann Arbor, MI - The Blind Pig
Apr 24 Louisville, KY - Headliners Music Hall
Apr 25 Nashville, TN - Exit/In
Apr 30 Austin, TX - Stubb’s
May 01 New Orleans, LA - One Eyed Jacks
May 02 New Orleans, LA - New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
May 03 Houston, TX - Houston International Festival
May 09 - May 11 Atlanta, GA - Shaky Knees Music Festival
May 15 San Francisco, CA - The Regency Ballroom
May 17 Los Angeles, CA - Fonda Theatre
May 18 Dana Point, CA - Doheny Blues Festival
May 29 Barcelona, Spain - Primavera Sound
[Video] Bruno Mars' Super Bowl Performance
To tell the truth, it's been all Janet and Justin's fault. If you're in your mid-twenties or below at the moment, then a good percentage of the Super Bowl halftime shows have been set on tape delay and toned down to just above audible, with movements highly scrutinized. Two years ago, the NFL tried to fine M.I.A. for her middle finger at the end of her performance. That and a general sense of boredom that has perpetuated the half time show of the year's biggest contest since Justin Timberlake stripped Janet Jackson's left breast bare for the world to see.
Last night though, Bruno Mars put on one hell of a performance, playing on the 50s/60s-esque aesthetic complete with a dancing backing band and footwork that James Brown would grin at. Aside from an odd inclusion of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, who performed only "Give It Away," as Flea and Anthony Kiedis flexed their manliness over Mars by forgoing shirts in the frigid New York night. Alas, though, Mars was entertaining from beginning to end as he held the tempo in his hand throughout, ending the performance with a rousing take of "Just The Way You Are," which was preceded by a dedication from military members to their families. While the game was less of a contest than many would have liked, Bruno Mars made sure they were entertained in between. Watch the whole thing, streaming below.
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Lili K & The O'My's: "Baby It's Cold Outside"
Today listeners got a treat from two of the most soulful up and coming acts in the Chicago market. With a heavy helping of Christmas spirit, Lili K & The O'My's linked up to produce their own version of the timeless wintertime classic. The song, premiered today on Okayplayer, is a perfect crossroads for the 22-year-old songstress, Lili K, who released a Christmas-themed single last year with frequent collaborator Peter CottonTale and earlier this year dropped a project of her own eclectic takes on classic Jazz standards in My Favorite Things. The O'My's, who closed out their year with the release of their album, A Humble Masterpiece, are who you thought they were, setting the backdrop for a beautiful interplay between frontman Maceo Haymes and Lili K's voices. Check out the song below.
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[Video] Klassik: "Boogie"
Avant-garde hip-hop artist Klassik has been making moves in his native Milwaukee for some time now, establishing a uniquely soulful, creative musical aesthetics that mirrors his locale and earned him the distinction as Wisconsin Area Music Industry’s 2013 Hip Hop Artist of the Year. Today, we get his video for the lead single, "Boogie", off his upcoming project release for Young Rising Phenom, due out December 13. The track uses a Michael Jackson sample of "Blame it on the Boogie" for a funk-filled 80s-esque dancey hip-hop number that will have you tapping your feet and bobbing your head. It's fun watching this creative new breed of artists pull from so many other genres to create hip-hop music these days and the saxophone-playing Klassik may be doing so better than most right now. Check out the video for "Boogie", below.
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