NYIB/Outlet April Fool's Party

No joke, the one year anniversary of New York is Boring (which I only recently realized was a Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (movie version) reference) as well as the release party for Outlet's Literary Issue is tomorrow night at the Wormhole. Performances by Today the Moon, Tomorrow the Sun; Winter Sounds; and Magic Places...Here's the promo...

http://vimeo.com/21690925 from Patrick Longstreth on Vimeo.

Two Fingers

Go ahead and smell this...Two Fingers aka Amon Tobin takes on grime, dubstep and hip hop in a super official manner. Sway absolutely murders some verses on this. Get more info here. Shout out to Evster for putting me on this.

Wriggly Scott x J-Live

A new joint off DJ Solo/Wriggly Scott's debut EP, out May 2. Dude seems to be reppin' Dubai...beats are smooth classic joints. Hip hop is a global phenomenon.
  Parts Unknown ft. J-Live by DJ Solo/Wriggly Scott 

Shankles

Even though the name reminds me of getting stabbed in the cankle by a fellow inmate, I can't deny that this Shankle EP Gully Foil is appealing. This track is nice for times when you're still awake even though you know it's past your bed time.


Grab a copy of the whole album here for free.

Bosco Delrey

This track is off Bosco's new album Everybody Wah and it sounds like a post-rock electro version of classic Bruce Springsteen (somewhere between the mellower side of Born to Run and Nebraska) . If you listened to Thom Yorke and Diplo and the Boss on repeat in room with no windows and some water lights - this song might happen, if you were cool enough to take all those influences and synthesize something cohesive from them without being derivative or cheesy. Good luck.

Bandwagon

A weekend of art + music  featuring poster designers, art exhibits, bands (including Elf Power, Sunglasses + more) and the bi-annual Savannah Record Fair - April 15-17 = Bandwagon. Check out the promo vid:

BandWagon Promo Reel from Band Wagon on Vimeo.

Chilly Willy

If you need some feel-good beats for the summer, here you go, courtesy of Chilly Willy. Nothing to fancy, but you can ride to it for sure...top down to let the sunshine in...


Shout out to KZL for finding this. 

Download the whole thing here, or here.

Kyle Rapps "Me" (prod. by Kev Brown)

 Here's a fun track from NY/NJ-MC/Poet Kyle Rapps where he talks about himself. He's got a new album called Re-Edutainment that's pretty slick, and includes notable cameos by KRS-One and Joell Ortiz, among others.
The low-key, sorta quirky beat on "Me" is courtesy of Kev Brown, one of those producers that really sets the bar for the over-underground. (You know what I mean? Kev is known by heads, probably packs spots in Europe and Toronto, and places like that, but the hood doesn't have a damn clue who is, and the hood has to know you if you're gonna be Top 40 Grammy rap, which is how I define the mainstream for better or worse...So, dude isn't underground, because he's known and tours and sells beats, but he's not overground because he's not even close to that Wayne/Em $$. Anyway...)
Check out Kyle Rapps "Me" (right click to save as)

Taste and DTM

Two excellent art events coming up in Savannah in April.

Taste was the last great hurrah before the old Meddin meat packing facility was converted from studios into a state of the art digital production facility. There were artists, bands, live painting, suspension acts, a fashion show and beer - what else could you want? Taste is returning April 30 thanks to Raabstract, and if you want to get in on the art stop by here for more info. 
According to Raab:

TASTE is open to all genres, styles and mediums. We welcome live acts, 2d/ 3d, installations, freak shows, interactive exhibits, DJ's, musicians, live painters etc.

The deadline for artist submissions is April 1.

Down the road at Studio 2-Ten will be a show called Destroy the Masterpiece - a gallery exhibit of graffiti and street art type stuff that will open at the same time, meaning you can wander from Desoto Ave to 2-Ten (less than 2 blocks away) and check them both out.

Shlohmo (Chopped & Screwed)

 The WeDidIt Collective - a bunch of youngsters in LA who make dope beats and who may or may not be nihilists (they don't care) - is offering up this chopped and screwed remix of Shlohmo's "Places" off his most recent EP.

Ulysses Davis

 Ulysses Davis was a barber in Savannah, GA who seemed to whittle away at any piece of wood that came within his reach. I doubt he realized that the habit would make him a revered folk artist years after his death. Some of his collection resides at the Beach Institute, and other pieces have become part of collections at Atlanta's High Museum and other institutions. Read a little more about him here or here.

Or check out "Sculpture from a Savannah Barbershop"

Art Sounds

Check out this upcoming show by the Creative Force Collective at the Indigo Sky Gallery on Waters that debuts later this week in conjunction with the opening of the Savannah Music Festival. Besides the opening reception, there will also be a jam session at the gallery that should be pretty interesting.

Video: Oddisee ft. Toine "Different Now"

Best cameo by french toast in a hip hop video. Oddisee is really making cats try harder - pushing the skills to ridiculous levels. Lay back and groove.

Keep Sweet Mixtape

A funky uptempo mix from the UK's Good Groove Records. The mix has been around since '09, but they finally made it downloadable via soundcloud.
  Keep Sweet Mixtape by GoodgrooveRecords 

Oberhofer

 These kids Oberhofer stopped in Savannah for Stopover last weekend and were one of my favorite shows of the weekend - catchy, uptempo rock that's like a musically smarter, less pretentious take on the direction re-blazed by the Strokes in the early part of the millenium. They had some pretty prominent placements during SXSW this weekend, so I wouldn't be surprised if you start hearing more about these guys in the near future.

Video: Don Will "Breathe

A new video from Tanya Morgan member Don Will, off his album Don Cusack in High Fidelity. It might be feeling like the early days of summer down south, but in the last gasps of winter up north, here's something contemplative for those rainy spring days.

 

Mexicans With Guns x Freddie Gibbs & Bun B

["Highway to Hell" Ridin' Dirty 7" mix]

Yup, this track is riding. Ernest Gonzalez aka Mexicans with Guns is from San Antonio, so the collab with Bun B is a Lone Star natural even though I'm betting they run in different social/musical circles.

Vinyl Appreciation

Next Sunday at Muse Arts Warehouse - DJs and record collectors share their favorite jams. Check out some sets from previous sessions here.

St. Paddy's Day in Savannah

Say what you will about the hundreds of thousands of people who crowd the streets - a lot of them are apocalyptic-drunk, ill-mannered and/or en route to try out as extras for Jersey Shore - there is also an amazing sense of tradition, community and fun. A few shots from this year's parade that I shot for Connect, which although no final tally is complete, is most likely one of the largest ever.

You need some balloons? I got some balloons.

Best jacket in the city.

Shot off the hip while walking by. He was in the middle of counting a nice stack.

I was in disbelief when I saw the Charlie Sheen "St. Patty's in SAV" pin - #winning

They had a keg in the shopping cart, rolling it down the middle of Drayton St.

Blunt Guts Nation mix

 Swing by Blunt Guts Nation and check out what the guys have been up to. Here's a recent mixtape (jump to tracklist) of dope beat selections.
BluntGutsNationMix////vol.2 by ®duke

Buy Art/Support Artists

I'm re-emerging from several days immersed in the inaugural Savannah Stopover festival, which is why O.V. Wright has been at the top of the page for a few days (although he deserves it). The festival was an incredible success, and so full of amazing music that I can't even begin to break it all down here.

On a tangent, the conversation amongst artists in Savannah lately (visual artists in particular) hasn't been how to foster talent (because there is an incredibly diverse and talented group of folks already living and working here), but how to connect artists with buyers in the community. While the market for mass-produced wall-hangings geared towards tourists' impulse purchases remain fairly strong, there has yet to be a significant push to economically support local artists creating original work...maybe this is a theme common to arts communities beyond Savannah as well, but I can only speak on what I know.

A blog called ArtActive, which challenges collectors and appreciators of art to find and support new artists just posted this video, called Savangelists, which profiles 5 very different Savannah-based artists, all of whom are producing incredible work right now.



Shout out to Hebermehl for rocking a SUAF shirt in a picture on the blog. Matt Hebermehl and Troy Wandzel worked on mural together at Woody's Skate Park during last year's Savannah Urban Arts Festival. The 3rd Annual SUAF kicks off April 17, 2011.

 

O.V. Wright

Hands down one of my favorite voices in the pantheon of soul...salve for a bruised mind..."Everybody Knows"


If you stroll through Wright's catalog, you'll recognize quite a few familiar loops re-purposed by RZA.  You might remember part of "Drowning on Dry Land" from its appearance on the first Bobby Digital record, among others.

Ryat remixed

Waiting to get enough time to sit down and give Avant Gold a good listen, but I'm excited about this Philly duo, who I wasn't familiar with until an appearance on a track with Taylor McFerrin. Here is a layered-yet-airy (lairy?) remix by White Rainbows.

My favorite album right now

This Project Mooncircle release Long Arm's The Branches is definitely my favorite thing to listen to right now. Beautifully textured beats that run from experimental hip hop to jungle-tempered IDM. Lots of rich, emotive piano samples. Definitely worth grabbing a copy here. Check out this page for more info and a free track download.

Bollywood Remixes

 Tea Sea Records made major ripples in the music pond with the Wu-Tang vs. Beatles mash-up last year. If you missed it, I'm sorry about sleeping problem.
Now producer/remixer Tom Caruana is back with a new compilation of tracks thematically bonded by two things: Bollywood sounds and dope MCs -> Q-Tip, Black Thought, Jean Grae, Skillz, Kweli, etc....
Head over to the Tea Sea site to grab a free copy. You have to register on the site, but it won't cost anything, and as far as I can tell, this is the first email I've gotten from them since copping the last album, which means they aren't blowing you up with junk in the interim.