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Tuesday, July 13, 2010
News / Mike McCray Legendary tastemaker finds talent in Charlotte
Posted By Mike McCray on Tue, Jul 13, 2010 at 2:05 PM
He's the man credited for discovering Mary J. Blige. His part in molding Sean "Puffy" Combs into the media Goliath we know now is well documented. The record label he created was synonymous with R&B in the '90s and last Thursday, he came to Charlotte to search for the next big thing.
Charlotte was the first stop for Andre Harrell's six-city, Superstar Soul Search. The contest had 50 people from more than 2,500 entries compete for a spot in the contest finals, which will be in Atlanta on July 31. There they'll have the chance to win $10,000, a record deal with Harrell's new imprint which has Atlantic Records distribution.
Why Charlotte? Harrell's selection of Charlotte was anything but random. The legendary tastemaker has a history with artists out of the city. Whether it was Jodeci or Horace Brown in the '90s or Anthony Hamilton more recently, Harrell was excited to see some pure talent.
Citing his success with acts out of Charlotte, he continued, "I wanted to go closer to the church because I thought the church was going to give me something soulful. So Charlotte being a Bible Belt city and me having experience with groups [here], Charlotte aint done me wrong yet! Did I know it was going to be this great? No, I had no expectations of anything being this amazing, this was unreal."
News Lupe declares Lasers "out of my hands"
Posted By Mike McCray on Tue, Jul 13, 2010 at 1:54 PM
You may remember in April, Lupe Fiasco told the crowd at his UNC Charlotte show he'd have a release date for his next album by the next week. Last night, via Twitter, the rapper announced that his long awaited album, Lasers, is done and waiting on Atlantic Records to release it.
The tweet, which was posted around midnight said,
This is just the latest setback for his third studio album. In a February 2010 interview on Australian radio, the rapper said he'd submitted the album to the label and noted that the waiting game was "one of the sadder parts of being on a major record label."
New Releases / News This week's new releases (July 13)
Posted By Jeff Hahne on Tue, Jul 13, 2010 at 10:58 AM
Here's a quick rundown of what's new this week:
Chatham County Line Wildwood
Danger Mouse, Sparklehorse Dark Night of the Soul
Hellyeah Stampede
Korn Korn III — Remember Who You Are
M.I.A. /\/\ /\ Y /\
Sting Symphonicities
Monday, July 12, 2010
Photos / Live Reviews / News Live review: Mad Tea Party
Posted By Jeff Hahne on Mon, Jul 12, 2010 at 4:04 PM
Mad Tea Party w/ JT and the Dragpipes
Puckett's Farm Equipment
July 9, 2010
The Deal: Charlotte rockabilly quartet opens for Asheville uke-abilly duo.
The Good: The night got started with Charlotte rockabilly quartet JT and the Dragpipes comprised of guitarist/singer Jem Crossland, guitarist/singer Tommy Ray, bassist Drew Badger and drummer Rusty Cloninger. While it was only the band's third performance ever, you could easily see the comfort level and ease of performing. Where some bands might show their nerves, these guys not only appeared to be relaxed, but also — if there were any mistakes — you didn't notice. Exchanged smiles were witnessed as Crossland and Ray switched up vocal duties while both let their guitars speak for themselves with gritty solos and revved up riffs. I'd keep an eye out for these guys, perhaps at the next Cash Bash.
Mad Tea Party were the headliners, offering their unique brand of rockabilly that's generally established around the ukelele. Ami Worthen (who switches up the uke with a guitar) shows plenty of smiles while she strums and sings beside guitarist/drummer Jason Krekel who uses two kick drums and a cymbal in a one-man-band style. The lyrics can be simple, but it's got a good energy to tap your feet to or get up and jive should the mood move you.
The Bad: That more people don't get out to the small Derita club to check out music more often — though the small crowd of about 40 appeared to enjoy every note that night.
The Verdict: Mad Tea Party always puts on a fun show with a unique spin on the familiar rockabilly sound. As for JT and the Dragpipes, they may be new on the scene, but I'm hoping they'll be around for a while.
Giveaway / News Win tickets to Counting Crows on July 14
Posted By Jeff Hahne on Mon, Jul 12, 2010 at 11:33 AM
The show is two days away, so let's keep it simple. Counting Crows' Traveling Circus and Medicine Show will be at Road Runner Mobile Amphitheatre in Charlotte on Wednesday night.
Want to go? Simply leave a comment on this post and tell us your favorite Counting Crows song. Tomorrow morning around 10 a.m., we'll draw a name and you'll win two tickets to the show. It's that easy.
Much like last year, expect that all bands will be on stage from the very start of the show — so get there on time.
In the meantime, here's a song to download... maybe it's your new favorite.
You can also check out "MatadorMatador" from NOTAR, who will also be performing at the show.
Photos / Live Reviews / setlist / News Live review: Michael Bublé
Posted By Jeff Hahne on Mon, Jul 12, 2010 at 10:26 AM
Michael Bublé
Time Warner Cable Arena
July 10, 2010
The Deal: Canadian crooner brings Crazy Love Tour to Charlotte.
Friday, July 9, 2010
Opinion / Jeff Hahne / News Criticism from all angles
Posted By Jeff Hahne on Fri, Jul 9, 2010 at 3:52 PM
It's funny, I've been in this job for three years and yet I still get phone calls and e-mails and other feedback from people that makes me wonder — are people really reading the paper anymore?
One of the first things I did when I started this job back in 2007 was to establish "La Vida Local" — a weekly feature in the paper that has local news, local event previews or local CD reviews. However, rarely does a month go by when someone wants me to know that I'm not doing anything for local music. When I mention La Vida Local, they don't know what I'm talking about. I can mention the three CD compilations we've put out that have now featured a total of 42 local bands, but they usually haven't heard of those either. (We're currently seeking submissions for the fourth one, by the way.)
One of the first stories I wrote for the paper was on a local band, Soulganic. I received a large amount of feedback on that one from people shocked that a local band of any kind was featured in Creative Loafing. It didn't stop there. Since then, I've written major feature articles on more than 15 local bands, in addition to regular columns by "El Diablo" that were constantly sharing information about the local music scene.
But people will still say I'm not doing enough for the local music scene... Well, what are we missing? Let us know. Send an e-mail to me or comment here and let me know about bands I should be checking out. If you're in a band, send me your CD or invite me out to a show.
I'm just one man... a person who believes in the power of diverse coverage. I have been to more than 50 concerts this year in an effort to expose my own ears, and readers, to as much as I possibly can. I've been to see Phish, the Country Throwdown Tour, Jucifer, Levon Helm, Korn, Carolina Chocolate Drops, VV Brown, Alice in Chains, OK Go, Jeff Coffin, Black Lips, George Clinton, Cage the Elephant, Black Eyed Peas and Surfer Blood, among countless others. Not diverse enough for you?
CD Reviews / News CD Review: Childish Gambino's Culdesac
Posted By Mike McCray on Fri, Jul 9, 2010 at 3:48 PM
The Deal: NBC Community & DERRICK Comedy star, Donald Glover, proves his side project is more than just noise.
The Good: Pulling from a truly unique set of experiences, Glover spits on broad range of topics from the stress of being a cultural outsider in his own community ("I wanna hang with Lil Wayne, I just hope I'm Black enough..."), being broke in college, standard lady troubles, self-doubt in his newfound fame and oh yeah, chilling with Tina Fey. His honesty and enthusiasm is refreshing, blending carefree lyrics about the party life ("NBC won't be the only thing I'm coming on tonight...") with sincere lyrics about the pressures of being a writer on a hit TV show, aspiring actor and rising comedian when you're 25. Entirely self-produced (with Ludwig Garonsson), the beats were dope and different. More electronic and eclectic than his Southern brethren with flashes of his electronic mashups and remixes he previously released under the name MC DJ.
His NYC connections make you forget he's actually from Atlanta.
He acknowledgeded those doubting his side gig, "They said him rapping was like MJ [Michael Jordan] and baseball but that would me MJ so motherfuck all of yall..." No "I'm On A Boat" rhymes here, but there's no doubt being a comedian didn't hurt his punchlines.
The Bad: Impossible to ignore his voice and cadence are Lil Wayne-esque, it almost sounds like an impression sometimes and he dropped about 10 too many swaggers.
The Verdict: Jokes aside, there's nothing amateur about Culdesac. For what may be lacking lyrically, the production more than picks up. Donald Glover may be a legit triple threat.
INFO
Release date: July 2, 2010
Download Childish Gambino's Culdesac.
Tracklist:
01. Difference
02. Hero
03. I Be On That
04. Got This Money
05. So Fly
06. You Know Me
07. Let Me Dope You
08. Do Ya Like
09. I'm Alright
10. Glory
11. Fuck It All
12. I'm On It
13. Put It In My Video
14. These Girls (feat. Garfunkel & Oates)
15. The Last
New Releases / Videos / News Local Leak: Eyes of the Elders' "American Man" (Video)
Posted By Mike McCray on Fri, Jul 9, 2010 at 3:11 PM
You may remember a few months back when Charlotte hip-hop live band, Eyes of the Elders, sent us their latest single less than 24 hours after it was mastered. We told you then their plan for the video and now we have said video.
I didn't have to look closely to recognize the Plaza-Midwood landmarks featured in this video but I was surprised to see my church pop up as one of 'em.
Enough talk, enjoy. Get familiar with EOE here and check out their most recent album, EOE, on iTunes here.
Concert Announcement / News Hopscotch Music Festival schedule released
Posted By Jeff Hahne on Fri, Jul 9, 2010 at 3:10 PM
The Hopscotch Music Festival taking place in Raleigh on Sept. 9-11 has released its daily schedule. You can check it out here.
Among those performing include Public Enemy, Broken Social Scene, Tortoise, Birds of Avalon, American Aquarium, and a whole bunch more.
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Checking out Chengdu
