Jazzenigma
Thursday, April 10 @ The Melting Point
originally published April 9, 2008
Rachel Herman
Melvin Mathurin
This week's installment of the Melting Point's weekly jazz series will feature a special performance by Jazzenigma. The local band will record the entire show to release as its debut full-length record.
Alto sax player and bandleader Melvin Mathurin says the inspiration for the live recording came from one of his idols, jazz musician Joshua Redman. Redman's Live at the Village Vanguard is one of Mathurin's all time favorites. "That recording has been a part of my life ever since the first time I heard it," he says. "[Redman] played at the Melting Point in September, and at that point I had the idea to record [our album] there." The folks at the Melting Point have been more than accommodating, and Mathurin is thrilled with how easily it has all come together. "The thing about the Melting Point which is really cool is they have everything you need to do a high-quality recording there." For Mathurin, recording live is the best way to capture the true energy of jazz music. The full title of Redman's live record is Spirit of the Moment - Live at the Village Vanguard, and Mathurin says it's hard not to steal that first part of the title because it captures the magic and spontaneity of a jazz show so well. "That live experience - feeding off the audience and feeding off the moment - is part of the music."
For a mere $3, jazz fans can witness the talented collaboration of Mathurin along with bassist Robby Handly and drummer Darren Stanley, playing originals and paying homage to the greats of yesteryear. Ideally, Mathurin hopes the live album will be mastered and pressed by the end of the month - just in time to put it in the hands of hero Redman when he appears at the upcoming Athens Twilight Jazz Festival.
Ghostface Killah
w/ Deaf Judges
Saturday, April 12 @ Georgia Theatre
originally published April 9, 2008
Ghostface Killah
Wu-Tang Clan has always been "nothing to fuck with." The Staten Island, New York hip-hop collective formed in 1992. The group's ringleader, The RZA, promised then that if the group was to break through commercially, each member would be able to establish a solo career. The group did break through commercially, as well as critically, and its influence and magnitude on hip-hop worldwide is unspeakably large. Some of the nine members (sadly now eight) went on to successful solo careers, while others still languish in the background, waiting for their moment to shine.
One member, Ghostface Killah, has led a rich solo career with seven albums of wildly imaginative raps and tricky tongue-twisting delivered with effortless ease. Though now a family man well into his 30s, the man of many aliases still writes the same hardcore street rhymes that disappeared from rap when it went big boasts and even bigger business in the late '90s. His critical acclaim resurged in 2006 when he released Fishscale, an album featuring those hard rhymes backed by booming Philly soul-sampled production. He has released two albums since - the most recent being December's The Big Doe Rehab - to equal acclaim.
Rap shows can sometimes be an aggravating affair with late starting times, a crowded stage filled with entourage members, and a hype-man growling over the performer, but it's all worth it when Dennis Coles steps out. Bounding from one end of the stage to the other, inviting girls to dance with him and waxing vulgarly about the state of the music industry, he has as much unbridled energy, if not more, than the average rock band that graces the stages of Athens every night. Ghostface Killah is without question a natural-born performer.
Relay for Life Benefit Concert
w/ Royal Blue and the Stone Grifters, Crumbling Arches, 23 Jinx, Ice Cream Socialists and more!
Saturday, April 12 @ Tasty World
originally published April 9, 2008
Crumbing Arches
It's time to get into the humanitarian spirit as this season of benefit events springs up. The UGA Advertising Club is sponsoring a benefit concert for Relay for Life, which celebrates the lives of those who have battled cancer and raises community awareness about the disease, its prevention and its treatment. "People from all walks of life can relate to this event because everyone has had someone close to them or have known of someone who's been a victim of cancer," says co-organizer Evan Cobb. In addition to organizing the benefit concert, the Advertising Club has donated money to the cause and will be participating in Relay for Life by walking in teams around the track. The goal of the Tasty World show will be to raise as much money as possible for the American Cancer Society.
The tentative lineup for the concert includes performances by blues-rock outfit Royal Blue and the Stone Grifters, progressive popsters Crumbling Arches, quirky pop band Ice Cream Socialists and eclectic alt-rockers 23 Jinx. The fun doesn't stop there! This will also be a "black light" party - that means there will be glowing UV lights, black light décor and innocent psychedelia. Attendees are encouraged to wear white shirts for optimal glowing. Plus, highlighters will be available for self-decoration, so you can design your own new-rave getup. In addition, there will be live performances by professional belly dancers from Southern Fusion Production and a performance by the UGA Break Dance Club. "It's pretty amazing that we have so many organizations willing to donate their time and skill and play for a good cause," says co-organizer Stephanie Beer. The UGA Ad Club encourages everyone to come on out for a day of philanthropy and music. To participate, form a team, or dedicate a luminaria at your local American Cancer Society Relay for Life, please call 1-800-ACS-2345 or visit www.cancer.org.
Woven Hand Duo
w/ Don Chambers
Saturday, April 12 @ Tasty World (Early)
originally published April 9, 2008
Erwin Verstappen
Woven Hand Duo
David Eugene Edwards’ public persona has always been something of a tricky thing; born into a preaching family, he puts himself forward as having lived the mythic sort of American life that Nick Cave seems he wishes he’d lived. Edwards gained a lot of attention with his past band 16 Horsepower, a group that flirted with many indigenous musical genres but never quite settled in one. It borrowed equally from country, rock and roll, folk, bluegrass and fire-and-brimstone evangelicism to create a Gothic American style both sacred and profane.
During a hiatus 16 Horsepower took in 2001 - the Colorado-based band eventually called it quits for good in 2005 - guitarist, banjoist and vocalist Edwards started working on some solo material under the name Woven Hand. Ten Stones is Edwards’ fourth and newest Woven Hands full-length, and it was co-produced by Daniel Smith of the band Danielson. Woven Hands’ tunes veer more towards the spectral and portentous, and even tribal - never quite as loud or electrified as 16 Horsepower, but no less potent. Edwards is currently touring with longtime collaborator and drummer Ordy Garrison.
Take note, showgoers, that this Woven Hand Duo/ Don Chambers bill is an early show, and separate from the Relay for Life benefit featuring the Ice Cream Socialists later that night [see Calendar Pick]. This show gets going at the happy hour of 6 p.m. (or thereabouts). Chambers won’t be playing with his full band; he’s been hard at work recently on an upcoming solo album called Zebulon expected this coming September on the WARM Electronic Recordings label, so ask him for some tunes off that one.
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