The Lions are a multiculti reggae/groove ensemble here in L.A. They’re tight, and they’ve got a FREE MP3 up at the Amoeba Music website.
Click here to hear “Sweet Soul Music” streaming on my Vox blog. This piece was recorded live during a Lions in-store appearance in February. To download it, follow this link to Amoeba.com.
Interesting side note: The singer on this track is actor Alex Désert. (He co-starred in the sitcom “Becker.”)
Here is a half-hour video of the Lions’ performance at Amoeba:
For those wanting to keep up with the black-rock scene, let me point you to a FREE MP3 by Dragons of Zynth, a band from Cleveland with a TV-On-The-Radio type vibe.
Matter fact, TVOTR’s David Andrew Sitek co-produced the group’s debut album – “Coronation Thieves” – in 2007.
Click here to hear a cut called “Anna Mae” on my Vox blog. Want to download it? Follow this link to Amazon.com.
The track is off of “Coronation Thieves,” but it’s available now on a new digital sampler from the Gigantic Music label.
Here’s news: The loud lads of Living Colour today uploaded a brand new studio track to their MySpace page! It’s called “Behind the Sun.”
This track will appear on Living Colour’s fifth studio album, “The Chair in the Doorway,” which is due out on September 15. It’s the band’s first batch of new material since 2003.
Yes, I do plan on seeing “Bruno.” But my first order of business this weekend was checking out the documentary “Soul Power,” which opened today in a handful of theaters in L.A. and New York.
A companion piece to “When We Were Kings,” “Soul Power” focuses on the three-day music festival scheduled to coincide with the 1974 Ali-Foreman fight in Zaire.
The festival presented an awesome collection of talent: James Brown, B.B. King, Celia Cruz, Miriam Makeba, Bill Withers, the Spinners, the Crusaders...
Drawing from many hours’ worth of precious footage, director Jeffrey Levy-Hinte has prepared a joyful meal of a movie. But he takes his time in setting the table.
A third of the movie is over before the first concert scene (the Spinners doing “One of a Kind Love Affair”). I would’ve preferred less behind-the-scenes stuff about the construction of the stage, for instance, in exchange for a couple more music performances.
The performances are thrilling... building up to James Brown and the J.B.’s roaring through “Payback” and “Cold Sweat.”
Quite a coincidence that “Soul Power” would open on the very day that President Obama arrives in Ghana. Because the sight of Muhammad Ali and James Brown in Africa evokes the same sense of cultural magic.
I think everyone would agree that it’s mildly amusing to hear famous people cuss. Especially when such a person is now governor of a state... and has a funny foreign accent.
Twenty-one years ago, Arnold Schwarzenegger was roasted by the Friars Club of Beverly Hills. Excerpts of that roast – featuring George Carlin, Red Buttons and others – were recently put on sale as a CD and a digital album.
Click here to hear a 3-minute track called “Arnold Schwarzenegger Roasts the Roasters.” After being introduced by Milton Berle, Arnold proceeds to drop five F-bombs.
He also tells a dirty joke in German. (Perhaps Michael Fisher could give us the gist of it.)
I was down in Inglewood yesterday to get my teefs cleaned. And my dentist, Larry Strawn, hit me off with a couple of burnt CDs from artists I hadn’t heard of.
Previously Dr. Strawn introduced me to the music of Osunlade. Don’t you wish you had a dentist like that? Larry used to do a little deejaying when he was at Morehouse.
Yesterday Larry turned me on to a singer from Atlanta named Jill Rock-Jones. (He knows I like them black rocker chicks.) Click here to hear a 2002 track called “I Don’t Like It When You’re With Her.”
Larry also hipped me to Tarace Boulba, a funky French brass band. Remember last year when we did Funky Whiteboy Appreciation Week, and Davis Rogan wrote about Ceux Qui Marchent Debout? Tarace Boulba is kinda like CQMD. Both bands are into D.C. go-go music, for one thing.
You know it wasn’t all love today for MJ. In Right-Wing Talk Radio Land, some professional provocateurs sank their teeth into the dead body of Michael Jackson on the occasion of his memorial service in Los Angeles.
Along the way, they brought up O.J. Simpson, Tawana Brawley, Sarah Palin and sundry other agenda items.
I’m streaming a few snippets on my Vox blog, for purposes of historical documentation.
Much of the Michael Jackson memorial service today I heard on my car radio. Which annoyed me a bit, because on L.A.’s top talk-radio station, KFI, the hosts were dogging Michael throughout.
Absolutely no respect for the deceased... or for the fans who take his passing seriously. Maybe I’ll stream some of that tomorrow, if KFI’s coverage comes available as a podcast.
Meanwhile, here’s a reminder of why Michael Jackson was one of the most popular entertainers of all time:
Buckwheat Zydeco – the Louisiana squeezebox maestro formerly known as Stanley Dural, Jr. – released a new album in May. It’s called “Lay Your Burden Down.”
I got a FREE MP3 for you.
Click here to hear “Ninth Place” streaming on my Vox blog. To download it, click the song title below.
’Twas way back in 1979 when Buckwheat put out his first LP. He’s now in the midst of a “30th Anniversary Tour,” in case you’re interested.
Here’s a quick sonic update on two progressive female artists I’ve blogged about before.
My friend Susie (a.k.a. quirkychick), a longtime commenter on this blog, recently donated one of her kidneys to a friend. How deep is that?
The Lions are a multiculti reggae/groove ensemble here in L.A. They’re tight, and they’ve got a FREE MP3 up at the Amoeba Music website.
For those wanting to keep up with the black-rock scene, let me point you to a FREE MP3 by Dragons of Zynth, a band from Cleveland with a TV-On-The-Radio type vibe.
Here’s news: The loud lads of Living Colour today uploaded a brand new studio track to their MySpace page! It’s called “Behind the Sun.” 
Yes, I do plan on seeing “Bruno.” But my first order of business this weekend was checking out the documentary “Soul Power,” which opened today in a handful of theaters in L.A. and New York.
Twenty-one years ago, Arnold Schwarzenegger was roasted by the Friars Club of Beverly Hills. Excerpts of that roast – featuring George Carlin, Red Buttons and others – were recently put on sale as a CD and a digital album.
I was down in Inglewood yesterday to get my teefs cleaned. And my dentist, Larry Strawn, hit me off with a couple of burnt CDs from artists I hadn’t heard of.
(Check out Comb & Razor’s blog for more Nigerian album covers “inspired” by Michael Jackson.)
You know it wasn’t all love today for MJ. In Right-Wing Talk Radio Land, some professional provocateurs sank their teeth into the dead body of Michael Jackson on the occasion of his memorial service in Los Angeles.
And in a business full of cunning hams, there is Bill Cunningham. Just look at this gaping asshole.
Much of the Michael Jackson memorial service today I heard on my car radio. Which annoyed me a bit, because on L.A.’s top talk-radio station, KFI, the hosts were dogging Michael throughout.
Buckwheat Zydeco – the Louisiana squeezebox maestro formerly known as Stanley Dural, Jr. – released a new album in May. It’s called “Lay Your Burden Down.”
“Ninth Place” (MP3) 
Album available at Amazon
