The South Street Seaport in Lower Manhattan is a Mecca for tourists who want to eat overpriced seafood and buy souvenirs. You’d hardly think it was a place where dance music could thrive, but it is (quietly). Tucked away in the back corner of Pier 17, Spiegelworld set up shop earlier in the summer and is presenting a series of events that will run until November. Like the best house party, the crowd was an odd mix comprised of local scenesters and European tourists, many of whom had bought tickets so they could watch the sunset from the beer garden. Fortunately for them, deep house don Charles Webster’s set didn’t overtly test their musical limits, because the master’s mojo is all about subtlety. Laced with elements of funk and soul, Webster played several exclusive remixes, many of which are included on his just released Coast2Coast compilation. For the faithful, it was a chance to hear one of the UK’s finest purveyors of deep house. For the uninformed, it was the musical backdrop for an otherwise lovely summer day.
Words & images: Darren Ressler
A video interview with Charles Webster is available on Big Shot’s YouTube page.
What do New York City rap legend KRS-One, The Daily Show’s resident English comic John Oliver and Japanese noise band Boris have in common? They were three of a day’s worth of diverse acts at Sunday’s free bash at the South Street Seaport that marked East Village Radio’s fifth anniversary. The one-day event was initially scheduled to be held on Saturday, but the threat of high winds and rain from Hurricane Hanna forced the event to be moved to Sunday. The only fallout to the lineup was the disappearance of Mark Ronson (who hosts a long-running show on the station) and Dr. Lonnie Smith, though few seemed to notice.
Michigan’s Awesome Color was on stage when I arrived. They churned out a gritty attack of psychedelic garage rock that was melodic and noisy. Somehow, that segued into a half-hour standup slot by John Oliver, who the crowd listened to attentively but didn’t seem to get all of his biting jokes.
Oliver (pictured above) was completely out of his element (did he owe someone at EVR a favor?), but the comedian did his best and offered observations about drugs, the recent political conventions and the Olympics. At one point, he tried to put a baseball cap on backwards, and he immediately pointed out how silly he looked. The high point of Oliver’s act was when he talked about the global food shortage and how countries are hoarding rice, which is now as powerful a commodity as gold. He joked that some day rappers will be flouting cachets of rice in their videos and Snoop Dog will brandish a chest full of basmati. He took liberty with Wu-Tang Clan’s “C.R.E.A.M. (Cash Rules Everything Around Me)” and said it will be changed to “Rice Rules Everything Around Me.” The crowd laughed, especially when he flashed Jay-Z’s triangular hand sign, rather than Wu-Tang’s “w.” The comedian appreciated the correction and the “smattering” of applause for his only music joke.
KRS-One, who hosted the party, followed and tore through a string of his hits, including “The Bridge Is Over.” As the Blastmaster prowled the stage, he spit his lyrics, even improvising and freestyling at will. Though he might not rule the sales charts as he did in the ‘90s, KRS-One reminded everyone of his incredible vocal prowess. He concluded his set by heading into the crowd with a wireless mic, and signing autographs and taking pictures with fans. How cool is that?
Next came Devin the Dude (pictured above), a one-man act whose songs referenced weed and whose R&B influenced tracks conjured up memories of The Pharcyde. A few of his lyrics made the crowd take note, but he paled in comparison to KRS-One on the mic.
The sun set on the Big Apple, and the stage was set for headlining act Boris. Hailing from Japan, the band unleashed a din of guitar driven noise that would make Sonic Youth and The Melvins blush. Their lyrics were sung in Japanese, but the cacophony they created had a universal appeal. The final song lasted well over 20 minutes. As they cajoled their amps into a perpetual state of feedback, drummer/vocalist Atsuo emerged from his kit and stood at the front of the stage, flailing his arms with the obligatory devil horns. He then hopped off the stage and dove into the crowd, sailing back to the stage a few minutes later.
When Boris finally switched off their amps, it was then end to a diverse presentation of live music. It was accidentally international yet distinctly New York.
Words & images: Darren Ressler
Tricky’s live show is as trim as the Bristolian MC’s physique. There’s hardly any banter with the crowd or any sort of posturing, and his backing band barrels through song after song almost without a break. Like his music, the stage is dark and moody, and the spotlight never singles him out. Last night’s show at Irving Plaza was in support of Tricky’s eighth solo album, Knowle West Boy, and it had a few flaws.
The show began with Phil Collins’ “In the Air” blasting through the club’s PA while the stage was dark and absent of the man of the hour. As the song finished, Tricky and his crew took the stage and tore through a set that consisted of tracks from the new album. Curiously, he dove into one of KWB’s most somber songs, “Past Mistake,” early in his set, as he sang along with a female singer (who had decent singing chops but can’t dance to save her life). It seemed that uptempo numbers like “Puppy Toy” are indeed his newly found forte, and he appeared to be in a trance while spitting his lyrics. A Jamaican MC joined Tricky on stage to perform a cut from the new album, but it was far from the brilliant cameo his colleagues in Massive Attack typically muster up. Tricky continued his back-and-forth with his female vocalist, though much of it seemed too dramatic after a while.
The real stinker of the night was an awful cover of XTC’s “Dear God,” which appeared on 2003’s mostly dismal release, Vulnerable. Despite the night’s flaws, Tricky’s new material is some of his best work in a decade; perhaps more shows with his hired hands will help the music evolve in an organic manner. In terms of his performance, however, he’s hardly selfish: Tricky might be a superstar in some circles, but he seems completely open sharing his stage with anyone who’s on his vibe.
Words & images: Darren Ressler
Disco diva Donna Summer played two sold-out nights at the Hollywood Bowl over this past weekend. The mixed crowd of youngish flamboyant gays and older sequin wearing disco queens from decades past packed the infamous Hollywood arena to see the queen of disco in the flesh. Playing from a great collection of 17 years of disco, pop and dance, Summer pulled from her new album Crayons as well as her older more famous disco tracks.
The first act was lackluster with her newer song’s failing to connect with the audience. Donna herself looked great throughout her numerous costume changes going from an orange African inspired dress to a swanky purple full-length. But her performance was stiff and she didn’t actually dance at all. Although she kind of waddled around, the stage design was quite innovative with hi-resolution screens changing colors and shapes to match the vibe of each song. The band was of course, quite good, as is to be expected for such a legacy artist.
By the time her second act rolled around, Donna began to loosen up, playing the old sexy beat-pumping disco fans had come to see. She raged through classics “No More Tears,” “She Works Hard for the Money,” “Bad Girls” and “Hot Stuff” bringing fans to their feet for some booty shaking. Playing “Last Dance” as her encore (duh), Donna left a good impression overall but there were still some kinks with her performance. What distinguishes Summer from other artists in her age group—Cher, Tina Turner, Madonna—is that her age has actually seemed to slow her down. In short, she’s not really working hard for her money, but it still won’t be her last dance.
