When Phillippia finished her Acoustix set, an R & B singer named D-Metro came on stage and did one song before the end of the night, to get people ready for his appearance at the club the following weekend, Atlanta GA, 11/24/12
funk
Phillippia Live at the Alley Bar at Acoustix, Atlanta GA
When the jazz in Acoustix Restaurant upstairs had come to an end, I walked downstairs into the Alley Bar, where an incredible young soul/funk band was backing up several singers. I was especially impressed with the drummer, whose sense of “pocket” and chops kept the band tight. The headliner proved to be a soul singer named Phillippia (@stayaddicted10), who apparently has a certain degree of fame in the Atlanta market. Originally from Miami, she skillfully blends neo-soul, traditional soul and R & B covers, reggae, and the occasional hip-hop/hardcore reference, as in her single “Addicted to My Grind.” She has a great stage persona and a decent voice, and with such a first-rate band backing her, the night was truly amazing. You can hear some of Phillippia’s music at http://www.reverbnation.com/phillippia, or follow her on Twitter at https://twitter.com/stayaddicted10.
Live Jazz at Acoustix, Atlanta GA
Acoustix Jazz Restaurant and Lounge is a fairly-upscale spot on Marietta Street in Atlanta, west of downtown. It features a restaurant with live jazz of a more traditional sort until 11 PM on weekends, and a downstairs basement lounge called the Alley which features more neo-soul, funk and contemporary jazz and which stays open slightly later. Parking can be hard to come by, and seats can fill up quickly, so it’s good to make reservations, or at least arrive early. You can keep up with the live music schedule at http://www.acoustixjazz.com/, or like them on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/acoustixjazz.
Atlanta soul-rock ensemble @GURUFISH performs at the Chop Shop during the NoDa Music Festival in Charlotte 10/06/12 @MidatlMusic
Moods Music (@MoodsMusic) is a unique music store in Atlanta’s Five Points neighborhood, offering the best in soul, jazz, acid jazz and experimental hip-hop, with hundreds of CD’s that you wouldn’t find anywhere else, as well as a good selection of Atlanta DJ mixes of soul and acid jazz. There is also a good selection of soul-related T-shirts, and a small cafe in the back offering coffee and hot tea.
Moods Music (@MoodsMusic) is a unique music store in Atlanta’s Five Points neighborhood, offering the best in soul, jazz, acid jazz and experimental hip-hop, with hundreds of CD’s that you wouldn’t find anywhere else, as well as a good selection of Atlanta DJ mixes of soul and acid jazz. There is also a good selection of soul-related T-shirts, and a small cafe in the back offering coffee and hot tea.
Pure Soundz live at Churchill Grounds Jazz Club in Atlanta
Pure Soundz live at Churchill Grounds Jazz Club in Atlanta, 10/04/12
Pure Soundz live at Churchill Grounds Jazz Club (@ChurchillJazz) Atlanta, 10/04/12
Pure Soundz live at Churchill Grounds Jazz Club (@ChurchillJazz) Atlanta, 10/04/12
“Blackrock” was the name of an incredible band that appeared for a short time on the Memphis scene, first appearing it would seem at the 1970 Memphis Country Blues Festival at what was then the Overton Park Shell, sharing the line-up with artists such as Sid Selvidge, Electric Blue Watermelon, Furry Lewis and Bukka White. Formed by two session musicians from Stax Records and two session musicians from Hi Records, Blackrock recorded two incredible sides of a 45 single for the Select-O-Hits label in North Memphis. “Yeah Yeah” was an amazing slab of funk with a rock-hard foundation of drumming provided by Cornell McFadden, a sometimes session drummer for Stax who had recorded on albums by John KaSandra. The flip side, “Bad Cloud Overhead” was more dark and foreboding, with lyrics about the drug culture and “getting busted.” Both singles were edited out of a longer, continuous performance that had been recorded.
Although what in Memphis was called “Black rock” would later be called funk (and the Bar-Kays would name an album “Black Rock” later that same year of 1971), the single was perhaps ahead of its time, and generated little interest, at least until the 1990’s, when crate-digging DJ’s discovered the A-side “Yeah Yeah”. A crew of Memphis DJ’s known as Memphix included the song on an underground compilation of funk known as “Chains and Black Exhaust.” Soon after that, copies of the 45 began to sell on eBay for $35, then $60. When Select-O-Hits began the process of restoring the tapes recently, they discovered the existence of other songs besides the two that saw release in 1971. They provide a remarkable glimpse into the way that soul transformed into funk, at least in Memphis, Tennessee.
Purchase “Yeah, Yeah” on iTunes here:http://itunes.apple.com/album/blackrock-yeah-yeah-single/id560221632?v0=9989&ign-mpt=uo%3D1.
Purchase “Bad Cloud Overhead” on iTunes here: http://itunes.apple.com/album/bad-cloud-overhead-single/id560228135?v0=9989&ign-mpt=uo%3D1.