Prophet and his current band, the Mission Express, pull out all the stops on Temple Beautiful, which crashes and slashes with searing old-school post-punk guitar-rock energy. Song-cycles such as this don't always work, but the singer's loving tribute to his adopted Northern California hometown doesn’t so much paint a broad picture of San Francisco as it offers little vignettes. Songs include the title track, Prophet's remembrance of late-'70s punk club The Temple, which was housed in a former synagogue and later Jim Jones’ notorious People's Temple religious cult; the Jay McInerney/Velvet Underground-quoting “White Night, Big City,” about the riots that came in the wake of the assassination of gay city leader Harvey Milk; and the twangy, Dylan-esque “Willie Mays Is Up To Bat,” which name-checks the storied S.F. ballplayer. Cumulatively, they add up to a bittersweet love letter, not unlike Lou Reed’s 1988 classic New York.
My impressions of Prophet’s new album are hardly unique. Music journalist Holly Gleason sums up her Paste magazine review of Temple Beautiful with the observation, “Prophet channels Reed’s pervasive urban edge without overwhelming his own voice.” I couldn’t agree more. This is a don’t-miss show!
Let Prophet take you on a tour of his San Francisco:
This morning, Portugal. The Man released its first full-length album, In the Mountain in the Cloud. With live performances left and right (including a Bonnaroo performance on the back of a Mr. T Mardi Gras float), the indie rock group might be one of the busiest bands this summer. After playing in Chicago for Lollapalooza and a sold-out solo set, the band is touring the United States and will end in New Orleans in time for this year's Voodoo Experience.
Tomorrow, their October 27 show at Charlotte's Neighborhood Theatre goes up for pre-sale on their website. Buying ahead gets an early admission and a piece of art from frontman John Gourley. Friday opens up the sale to general admission.
Check out a streamed performance from the band tonight at 7:30 through Ustream.
You've probably heard of Owl City, but did you know that Adam Young, Owl Citys frontman, is also an accomplished photographer?
For this giveaway, you have to rearrange the pieces below to create one of his photos. Once solved, you can enter your e-mail address and be entered to win two tickets to see him live in Charlotte on Friday night. The contest ends on Thursday, so try it out now.
Good luck!
The crew from Black Flag Records; Dow Jones, A. Moss, Deniro Farrar and DJ Complete, were invited to finish out The Smoker's Club Tour after their set last night.
They opened for Curren$y, Big K.R.I.T & Smoke DZA in Wilmington on Tuesday and will knock out the last four dates of the show in Orlando, Fla., Miami, Fla., Norfolk, Va. and Richmond, Va.
Both camps got time to bond after spending an extra day in Charlotte just hanging out in the studio and going around town. While it's not entirely unheard of for good local openers to join guys on the road, it's another step in the right direction for the guys who've managed to do multiple dates with Nas, Damian Marley, Wiz Khalifa and others this year.
Congrats.
If, like me, youve grown tired of hearing DJs spin the Notorious B.I.G.s hip-hop hit One More Chance, you should check out the man who provided the musical foundation for this and other tunes: El DeBarge.
Over the years, rappers like Biggie and Rich Boy (of Throw Some Ds fame ... see video below) have sampled classic songs by El and the DeBarge family. But, as he battled drug addiction, the legendary vocalist pretty much disappeared from the spotlight. (In a recent interview, El told me: It took me 22 years to get hooked on drugs and 25 years to get off.)
Now, however, hes back with a brand-new album (Second Chance), and a smooth new sound (According to El, Polow Da Don, the producer of Throw Some Ds that features a snippet from the beloved track I Call Your Name by the first DeBarge family group, Switch recently created some tracks for his new album. While in the studio El said to Polow: I like what you did for Rich Boy. Now lets see what you can do for me!), which you can hear live when he makes a stop in Charlotte tonight to perform new, and vintage, material.
$35-$65. 7:30 p.m. CPCCs Halton Theater, 1206 Elizabeth Ave. For more information, visit www.thesolkitchen.com.
Another big October show from The Sol Kitchen. Hip hop legends Pete Rock & CL Smooth will be in Charlotte on Saturday, October 16 at Amos' Southend at 8 p.m.
Probably best known for their 2nd album, Mecca and the Soul Brother, and the classic, "They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)" and "Lots of Lovin'," the duo combined horns, jazz and soul beautifully to create a catalog of material sure to be a dope live show.
Opening for them will be hip hop trio, Tanya Morgan, and 9th Wonder's Act Proof (Sundown + Enigma, not the Best of Charlotte, Best Local Band Actual Proof). Our Best Of winner for Best Local DJ, DJ DR will also be on the wheels.
It's an 18+ show. Tickets are $22 in advance. To get those visit www.thesolkitchen.com or www.amossouthend.com.
Have you ever met one of those people that's just refreshing? Like how many rappers want their music to sound like, "if John Hughes made beats," sample The Pixies and cite Weezer as their major influence? Not many. I got a chance to catch up with the newest Warner Bros. recording artist, XV, moments after he finished his set at Tremont Music Hall on Aug. 18 and talked about his first record deal (less than 2 weeks after he signed it), the journey there and what's in store.
Before he took the stage at Tremont Music Hall last Tuesday, CL contributor, Mike McCray, caught up with Atlanta MC, Donnis, and talked about his upcoming projects, time in Japan and the military, and recording on the road. We also talked him into getting a Cook-Out tray before he left.
Rapper Big Boi announced dates for his Sir Lucious Left Foot tour today.
Starting tomorrow night in Atlanta, the tour goes through November and is a blend of amphitheaters and college shows with three Carolina dates. October 8 in Columbia, S.C. at the University of South Carolina, October 28 in Charleston, S.C. at Charleston Visitors Center and October 29 in Asheville for Moogfest.
Fans don't have to worry about just hearing new material, it's been confirmed that he will be performing Outkast hits dating back to 1994's Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik.
August 26 - Atlanta, Ga. - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
September 2 - Iowa City, Iowa - University of Iowa
September 4 - Atlanta, Ga. - Heineken Red Star Soul
September 5 - Atlantic City, N.J. - Casbah
September 6 - New York, N.Y. - Brooklyn Bowl
September 17 - Chicago, Ill. - Congress Theater
September 18 - Providence, R.I. - Brown University
September 22 - Arcata, Calif. - Arcata Community Center
September 24 - Las Vegas, Nev. - The Palms Casino
September 25 - Fontana, Calif. - Epicenter
September 28 - Atlanta, Ga. - The Tabernacle
October 1 - Bloomington, Ind. - Indiana University
October 8 - Columbia, S.C. - University of South Carolina
October 15 - San Diego, Calif. - UC of San Diego
October 23 - Seattle, Wash. - Showbox Sodo
October 28 - Charleston, S.C. - Charleston Visitors Center
October 29 - Asheville, N.C. - Asheville Civic Center (Moogfest)
October 30 - Houston, Texas - Tom Bass Park Amphitheater
November 12 - Chattanooga, Tenn. - University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
November 18 - Sydney, Australia - Fox Studios