The gods of music have really been smiling on me as of late.

In the past few months, I’ve been engaging with more music heads, DJs, and just stumbling across a lot of new blogs and magazines that have helped me take my little music collection from respectable to downright formidable!

One recent gifting came from my new fam in Toronto, the lovely Gentle Aura, who gave me a copy of a Lars Behrenroth mix that has been in heavy rotation with me for the past few weeks. One track in particular, titled ‘Kissing Strangers’, seems to have irreversibly lodged itself in my brain.

It’s a classic, danceable house tune with an infectious mix by Frankie Feliciano, killer vocals from Monique Bingham, and a message that I’m sure all of us have related to at one point in our lives.

You can listen to the track on Imeem:
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or download the entire Lars mix featuring Kissing Strangers at Deeper Shades of House.

Here’s to kisses you can feel!

cheers,

k

This year is the 20th anniversary of the cultural festival that showcases an amazing variety of works and artists from all different genres: dance, music, visual arts, theater, you name it, they got it. If you’re a fan of the arts in any way, the NBAF provides a one-of-a-kind opportunity to experience the African-American arts scene in an up-close and interactive way.There’s so much good stuff going on, I have no idea how I’m going to fit all the things I want to see / hear / do in, but dammit I intend to try. If this weekend was any indicator, I’ve got my work cut out for me.Below are some of the events that I plan on checking out over the next few days, followed by a longer listing of other events gleaned from the NBAF’s Highlights Guide.For more information, visit the NBAF’s website at http://www.nbaf.org. Or add them as a friend on Facebook or Myspace Hope to see you out and about!

Ksolo’s NBAF Itinerary:
July 18 - Jazz at the High NBAF Edition & Latin Dance Party
July 19 - Hot Ice International Groove Lounge; www.centerstage-atlanta.com
July 25 - Art, Beats, and Lyrics; Foundry at Puritan Mills; www.occasionalsuperstar.com/abl/
July 25, 26, 27 - World Music Festival at Centennial Olympic Park; Free (codeword: It’s Going DOWN)
Through Aug 1 – Carrie Mae Weems, “Constructing History: A Requiem to Mark the Moment”; Free
through August 10: Young Americans – Photographs by Sheila Pree Bright
Road to Freedom – Photographs of the Civil Rights Movement; www.woodruffcenter.org 

Other NBAF Highlights:
July 25 - Vinx and the Soul Kitchen Redux ; Hyatt Hotel, $15
July 26 - Follow the Sun Carnival (great for kids!)
July 26 - FunkJazz Kafé; www.funkjazzkafe.com ; $25
through July 27 - Something Like A Fahamenon; www.fahamupecouart.com/FAHAMENON
through August 3 – “The Amen Corner”; www.truecolorstheatrecompany.com or
through August 3 - “Oprah Winfrey Presents The Color Purple”; www.theaterofthestars.com/colorpurple

cheers,

k

Hi there boys and girls!

I know, I know. It’s been a long time since I last posted and I’ve been feeling terrible about it. But hey, it’s a busy time for the empire so I hope you’ll forgive me for slacking. Anyway, I thought I’d make it up to you by catching you up on all the goings-on with me over the last couple of weeks. Ready? Here goes.

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“gentlemen of an extraordinary league, you never see me blowin’ on no ordinary reed…”
~ Black Thought, from ‘75 Bars’

The Roots - the legendary Philadelphia rap group are at it again. Next week, their 10th album, Rising Down hits the streets.

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When you hear the same 15 songs play in a seemingly endless loop on local radio stations and club mixes, the city’s more innovative DJs offer a welcome departure from the norm. Equal parts pied pipers, puppeteers and professors, these musical mixologists blend the new, the old, and the obscure not only in their selection of sounds, but also in the venues where they work their magic.

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Trying to describe the Atlanta Ballet’s debut performance of big would be like trying to describe an obscure chemical reaction between two elements on opposite sides of the periodic table (yes, i’m a bit of a science geek). Only metaphor and simile would do the job, but even the best of those would inevitably fall short of imparting the essence of the experience. The best description I can offer is this: Imagine you’re sitting at home listening to one of your favorite Outkast albums while flipping through TV channels with the volume muted. You happen across a ballet on PBS and you pause just long enough to think to yourself, “heyyyy… isn’t that funny? It almost looks like those ballerinas are dancing to ‘Bombs over Baghdad’”. 

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Saw this Youtube cartoon spoof on AD’s blog and had to share the hilarity. I had no idea these guys were such foodies!

Hope it gives you a good Friday laugh and some new ideas on how to prepare steak…:-D

Oh snap! I realized I forgot to tell you about Me’shell Ndegeocello’s show last month at Apache Cafe….

The 2-second summary? The show was cool, but not as cool as I had hoped.

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