Wake Up! CD Release Party @ The Parkside Lounge

What does the sounds of the streets, soul & spirit actually sound like? Not just some vague pondering of what something should be, or perhaps a group of people trying to sound a certain way, but to actually live and breath what you play? To grow out of the streets and life itself organically and let your music be heard? This is something that can not be faked nor wished into existence. It just is and should be cherished when found in its purest form. This is Wake Up! Four veteran players combined in spirit doing something new and different on the cutting edge. Daniel Carter (sax, wind instruments), Demian Richardson (trumpet), David Moss (electric bass) & Federico Ughi (drums). A mixture of free jazz, funk, mind, rhythmic lyrical aptitude & punk ferocity. Music from the heart. "People Music" they say. To which I say "Yes".



And so, this last week we all piled into the Parkside Lounge, to celebrate the release of Wake Up's debut album. The room was packed. The music immediately began and and lifted the entire room to a new plateau. The tone and sensitivity in Daniel & Demian's playing is otherworldly. David & Federico combine together to create a rhythmic monster. These are four expert players from the world of free jazz that are doing something new and different that feels as exciting as the first time you hear one of Miles Davis' electric efforts in the early 70's. This is exciting. And so it begins, layered looping rhythms, expert free jazz improv, chanting lyrics. This is something NEW.


It should also be noted these are no novices. Daniel & Federico are known to most of the downtown NYC scene. Demian & David are rightfully getting there names recognized these days as a force. All four players have combined to play or record with everyone from Sun Ra to Cecil Taylor to Ornette Coleman to Thurston Moore. You can catch them playing in the clubs, you can catch them playing abroad & you can also catch them playing on the streets of NYC. Over in Astor Place, Tompkins Square Park or anywhere else on this planet that will let them play. I have a hunch if it weren't for the standard hang-ups over a lack of oxygen and rusting instruments, they'd play at the the bottom of the sea just to see if anyone down there gets IT.


And that's really the thing. It's not just the authenticity or insanely dynamic technical prowess of there playing. It's the spirit. These are four players trying to wake us all up from our stagnant philosophy in life. To Embrace life, embrace music & embrace what you feel. Wake Up!

And there we sat in the Parkside Lounge celebrating the release of their cd, being Woken Up and spiritually nourished. Hearing something so new, yet sprouted from a very long tradition of the past. So do yourself a favor, go check out Wake Up! or go buy their CD, work yourself up into a musical and spiritual fervor and go preach your convictions on the street.



Thanks: Noah would like to thank Kate Levin for all photos provided in this article.

Full Disclosure Act: Noah & Dave, the writers of this blog, have actually performed with the different members of Wake Up! multiple times in the past, bringing our poetry to Daniel, Demian, David & Federico's music. However, as the writer of this article, I would like to assure you that the entire article is written from the heart, so do yourself a favor and go check these cats out, I couldn't recommend it enough.

Edan, The Humble Magnificent

There's always a lot of action in New York City. Culture from every border and acts of all kinds are presented to people of all walks of life and because of that constant newness it is easy to lose sight of or just completely miss out on something that is original in and outside of itself. Enter now The Humble Magnificent, Edan a triple threat of MC, DJ and Producer from Rockville, Maryland who specializes in psychedelicizing the often rough and rugged heart of Hip Hop.

His album Beauty and The Beat is a supreme example of his well honed skills of Producer and MC revealing a colorful view of the world he encounters. He's released several DJ albums where he shows his effect on the One and Twos. Sound of The Funky Drummer is an ambitious effort to represent as many hip hop records that sampled the well endowed James Brown classic. His Fast Rap mix is a collection of sharp lyricists and caused rabid vinyl collectors to search for the late 80's duo Freshco & Miz. His latest release Echo Party is a meticulous journey through Traffic Entertainment Group's vault of records that clocks just shy of thirty minutes deep, but within that short time Edan manipulates records, magnetic tape, Moog synths, kazoo, glockenspiel, drum machines and acoustic guitar. He's worked with Madlib, Percee P and Mr. Lif among scores of underground MCs.

Edan stopped by Academy Records to spin heavy psychedelia and funk. Even though his set up was basic as it gets- two turntables and a microphone he was able to fill the tiny record shop with a diverse crowd and many walk ins unable to ignore the raw culture of Dee Jaying. In the shallow world of over sampled mainstream radio rap Edan offers a greatly appreciated view that offers insight and originality. He's funny too.



Edan Official Site: http://www.humblemagnificent.com

Acid Mothers Temple Live at The Knitting Factory

Psychedelic has been used to describe a variety of objects and artistic endeavors, but few embody the very spirit of what it means to be Psychedelic. The Acid Mothers Temple Soul Collective are a group of musicians from all over the world who play the best electric experimental psychedelic rock and roll in the world. While the collective are many the core members are bassist Tsuyama Atsushi, Synthesizer and guitarist Higashi Hiroshi, drummer Shimura Koji and lead guitarist and founding member Kawabata Makoto. The band releases several albums on many international labels under several different tag names and their music can display alien spaces and heavy with electric fuzz to esoteric synths and horns chanting holiness.

The band began playing in 1997 and last week they played an electrified set at Brooklyn's Knitting Factory. I had the fortune of walking through the doors to the newly installed bar when I found myself faced with the Speed Guru himself Kawabata! I passed him a high five and enjoyed the hot air from the early Spring winds.


The Knitting Factory is essential to the growth of music in New York. The original location was in Manhattan on East Houston in 1987 giving local experimental bands like Sonic Youth and Sound of Urchin to only name a couple. It gave city dwellers a place to dance and listen to new and unknown bands for twenty one years, but rising rents in Tribeca forced the owners to relocate to a smaller, but better location in Brooklyn that holds 300 against their previous 400 capacity. The separated bar is sound proof and with access from the street it's great for dropping in for a drink even if you don't want to see the show.


Acid Mothers Temple played a great set, displaying all their qualities of psychedelic majesty. They played their anthem Pink Lady Lemonade and finished with an encore of Dark Star Blues. They played soft melodies swaying in a colorful sea and then excited frantic rock and roll that ended with Kawabata hanging his guitar from a pole on the ceiling eternally screaming feedback. Some strangers came through the crowd acting like space aliens, but even they couldn't escape the beautiful vibrations penetrating their bodies.
They only come by once or twice a year and I hadn't seen them in a few years and I was glad to be there among friends and fans. Their albums are awesome and the live shows are heavy so check them out if they play near you because they deliver the psychedelic goods!

Here is a video of a recent performance


Some of my own Acid Mothers Temple albums

City Island, Bronx - The Original Crab Shanty

Yes, this blog is music based. However, what screams music more then some good eats? I know on more then one occasion I've found my body humming a slight heavenly resonance after gorging myself on some feast of the gods. After all, this blog is written by two New Yorkers that have dedicated our lives to the hunt and constant search for hidden things we love. It's not a hobby, it's how we're constructed as people and along with music, we love food. And so should you.

So the other week, I heard a rumor, and by heard a rumor I mean I read this on the establishment in questions web site. And I read THIS: The Original Crab Shanty up in City Island, Bronx has a lunch special for a whole mess O' quality crab insanely cheap.


Ok, I know what you're thinking; why should I care and what is this City Island anyway? I know this is what you're thinking because if you're not thinking the above, then you've already stopped reading this blog to make plans with a friend for the Crab Shanty's lunch special.

City Island is an amazing place. A tiny little Island smack dab in the middle of the Bronx. Well, it's to the side of the Bronx, but lets not be sticklers on details. I first read about City Island about 10 years ago on the superb forgotten-ny web site. Dave on the other hand used to ride his bike over there all the time when he was a kid. City Island is no less then a small New England town in the Bronx. A small island just off the mainland, they have just one bridge to get on & off along with one main road going down the center of their island. They have a long history in both ships & seafood and if you lay your ear to their sidewalk, it pulses with it. Fascinatingly, least you forget you're in the Bronx, you can still see mainland Bronx off the water to the west.



There's plenty of seafood haunts on this island, but it's the Original Crab Shanty that was calling to my soul. You see, as I alluded to earlier in this article, the Crab Shanty has a Lunch Special. Amongst many things on the menu, for 14.95, you start off with their (otherworldly) garlic bread, a choice of soup, get a choice of side dish (fries, rice, baked potato, linguine), and dessert along with coffee or tea. And, oh yes, more Alaskan Snow Crab Legs then you can shake a fist at. For an extra buck they'll season it garlic or baltimore style as well. Now, I wouldn't necessarily consider myself always the most humble of people, but I would call myself a somewhat glutenous person on a short budget and this my friends, filled me happily, merrily, for almost the entire day. Admittedly, the New England Clam Chowder & the desert both left a little to be desired, but we're talking Crab here. A lot of crab. Beautiful & delectable crab as part of a 4-course meal.


As I gorged myself like a Seafood King, accepting his tribute for the cost of but one Andrew Jackson, I could hear a small child cry in the background as a mother covered his eyes from the savagery. Yes, it was beautiful. My mass had increased in size. My heart had doubled with both love & density. Witness the devastation:



Afterward, I took a nice little walk since the weather was nice and the day was beautiful. Nearby, some beautiful old cars passed by (note the '52 Ford in the photo below), as someone nearby blasted Latin Jazz. Yes, these fine denizens of City Island know how to live life properly. So, do yourself a favor, if you find yourself in NYC, hop on the 6 train and take it all the way up to the end of the line at Pelham Bay Park, switch to the BX29 and City Island is but a bus ride over a bridge away.


You can find the Original Crab Shanty at 361 City Island Ave; Bronx, NY. The lunch special is done 7 days a week from 11am-4pm (till 3pm on Sundays). Go ahead, whether its for the lunch or their gloriously wonderful entrees, treat yourself: you're worth it.


Many thanks to my sister Kate Levin for providing all the photos for this article and not dying as we ate copious amounts of crab.

Fania Records Joe Cuba Album Release Party

On Feb 24th Noah and I joined Fania Records and Wax Poetics to celebrate Joe Cuba one year after his passing at Le Poisson Rouge in Manhattan. The free event was a treat to New Yorkers because the featured bands, while not from New York, played Salsa and Latin Jazz and Soul in the style that has been celebrated in Spanish Harlem for generations.



Paying tribute to Joe that night were California's Boogaloo Assassins who despite their West Coast origins have their roots very deep into the music of Spanish Harlem. I seriously encourage our readers to go check them out whenever they perform as you won't be disappointed.



Chico Mann played an energetic set that kept both feet within the old foundation and new steps of Afrobeat. Formed by a member of the Bushwick based Antibalas who follow the same mold as Fela's Africa 70 and the Harlem River Drive Orchestra.



In between the bands DJs Bobbito Garcia and DJ Turmix kept the crowd moving playing hot Latin soul and Jazz. The whole evening was real special to me having grown up in Spanish Harlem. It felt like I was being treated to not only my childhood, but my entire family's past.

Gilberto Miguel Calderón aka Joe Cuba was born and raised in Spanish Harlem on April 22, 1931 and is The King of Boogaloo. He is responsible for many ways Puerto Ricans play and enjoy music- he was the first to introduce vibes to Latin music as well as place Congas on a stand and founded the Museum of La Salsa. By playing music in both English and Spanish, Cuba's music would entertain all crowds in New York City. Joe Cuba passed away on February 15, 2009, but that night we knew that Sonny lives on in various and magnificent ways. His efforts and contribution to the musical community won't ever be forgotten.





El Alcalde Del Barrio The Architect of the Nuyorican Sound is out now on Fania Records.

Ginger Baker's Air Force!

What did Ginger Baker (ex-Cream Drummer), Steve Winwood (ex-Traffic) & Ric Grech do with themselves after Blind Faith (you know, that supergroup they did along with Eric Clapton)? They started one of the badest bands in the land that not many remember, Ginger Baker's Air force. GB's Air force had multiple lineups, all of which were amazing, divided on two 1970 releases, "Ginger Baker's Air Force" and "Ginger Baker's Air Force II". Here for your viewing pleasure is GB's Air Force post Winwood, Grech & Chris Wood leaving to reform Traffic. Fantastic viewing, I've watched it twice today alone.



Editor's note: I would love to recommend picking up these albums, but truthfully, the only version currently available is by Lemon Records & it's a travesty what they did to the sound, so don't buy it. Go buy the original version on LP through ebay or the Ginger Baker release "Do What You Like" which is out of print but collects both Air Force albums along with the equally good 1972 Ginger Baker solo album Stratavarious on one cd with terrific remastering, it's selling for $50 & up on the used market, but is worth the price if you have the money.

Extra Credit Reading:

Ginger Baker
Blind Faith
Traffic

We're here! Yeah!!!!! (an obligatory introductional post)

That's right folks. Welcome to the launch of Cyber RoboMonkey, Noah & Dave's music blog - 2 old school New Yorkers, who have a long friendship based in a mixture of NY arts, cool music finds & a long background in the Poetry scene.

We'd like to thank you for finding us and hope you find something here that excites you as much as us (or do we promise it?? dare we?! yes).

In a few days we'll have an article on a hot as hell Joe Cuba event that we both went down to last week, complete with photographic evidence. In the meantime, we'll post a few videos and what not that we hope you enjoy.

Welcome!

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www.buffaloreadings.com
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CyberRoboMonkey at gmail.com