This is one of my favorite bands, of all time. I am surprised I have not written about them before. I first heard of Ozomatli back in 1996 at Music Business Camp (yes, it exists and yes I went). It's really hard to describe the greatness that is Ozomatli.
Genre-wise, I guess I would call them hip-hop/latin/world music...whatever that means. Otherwise- I would describe them as a West Coast version of The Roots, but bigger (not better, just a larger band).
Imagine the diversity of LA, on one stage and then you have Ozomatli. I really suggest you read up on the band on their website. They have a very interesting story.
If Ozomatli comes to your city, I HIGHLY suggest going to see them. Before the show that I went to, I had never heard of them but I had the time of my life (so much so that my group from Music Business Camp left me at the show). I've seen them since at Bonnaroo and they were equally as amazing. Check their tour schedule here.
In honor of my trip to LA tomorrow, enjoy, "City of Angels"
This past summer at Bonnaroo, I was wandering around lost and accidentally walked backstage and saw FUSE TV following this man around. Being the natural follower that I am, I too, decided to follow this man and see what all the hype was around. During the course of this interview, I found out that this man was Donavan Frankenreiter. I had heard Frankenreiter's music from a friend before, and I thought he was quite good, but never really looked much into it. Therefore, I had no idea that the man I was following was Donavan Frankenreiter.
Anyway, you should definitely check him out. He's very good- a mix of blues, rock and a little soul, I suppose. If you like Jack Johnson and John Mayer, do yourself a favor and check out Donavan. I highly suggest checking out one of his official videos, but youtube sucks and they're embedded, so I am posting a live video.
Donavan is currently on an International Tour and although he has a few dates in the US, I haven't seen any in the East Coast :( But I promise you, you'll like him so check him out if he's in your town.
As the title implies, Terrence Howard has been moved to my black list (and not because of the color of his skin). Now, originally this show was at the TLA, but through some research of my own, I found out yesterday that the show had been moved to the Lux Lounge although no notification was sent to ticket holders. So, I head on down to the Lux Lounge tonight at 9:15 (doors opened at 9) only to find that the show had been canceled. So not only did he switch venues last minute, but he also canceled the show extremely last minute. Even worse- the Lux Lounge is in center city (near The Gallery) and parking is ridiculous and I spent all of two minutes in the parking lot and paid $12. For two minutes! WTF Philadelphia!
So, I did not see Terrence Howard tonight. I am not upset about the fact that I didn't see him. As I said, he's not bad but I'm not saying he's that good either. He may be an A-list actor but he is a D-list singer...so let's not get too carried away here. At the end of the day, I evaluated the money lost from the concert and it comes out as follows.
And so, like the dried out hippie at Bonnaroo who wanted his $14 dollars back for Kanye's Diva moment, I want my $100 back. Granted, I will get at least $70 back- but I think Terrence Howard and friends owe me that additional $30, as well. I don't know the reason that the show was canceled but I think it was handled very improperly. There weren't even signs that said that it was canceled. I waited in line until I finally got to a bouncer who told me the show was off. If anyone Terrence Howard related reads this blog, please take this from my rant- in the words of Pearl, "I Want My Money Bitch"
Bonnaroo took a leap of faith this year, inviting mainstream hip-hop artist, Kanye West,to perform at the legendary "hippie" festival. But the 31 year old Pre-Madonna quickly proved that he was not ready for such an honor. Having just returned from Manchester, TN, I have the details about the Kanye Delay.
The History: Kanye West, who was not scheduled to headline, decided that his celebrity status should earn him a spot next to rock legends Pearl Jam and Metallica. The importance of a headlining band is not only that they are the biggest name there but also, they play while no other band is playing. So at Mr. West's request, the folks at Bonnaroo moved Kanye's set to 2:45-4:15 AM, so that he would not have to perform over Phil Lesh. Little did the Bonnaroo organizers know, this would only be the first of Kanye's requests.
The Delay: 2:30 AM- sound check ends 4:15 AM- music (not Kanye's) is playing from a stereo at the main stage 4:30 AM- the lights around Bonnaroo go out 4:35 AM- Kanye's set begins 4:40 AM- Kanye comes on stage ca. 6:00 AM- set ends
The Details: One might assume that because Kanye's set did not begin until well after it was supposed to end, that someone had made an announcement about the delay but no such announcement occurred. Angry fans, clad head-to-toe in tie dye, began to boo and many left, while others stayed and tossed debris onto the stage. The tell-all sign that the show was about to begin was when all of the lights around Bonnaroo, minus the vendors, went out. Rumor has it that Kanye refused to perform his Glow In the Dark set, while lights remained on.
The show itself, was the least interactive of all the performances at Bonnaroo. Not once did Mr. West address the audience except in his refrain, "is this what you've been waiting for?" Once the show began, those who remained at the main stage seemed to enjoy the performance, although most of them were under the influence of several chemicals. Midway through the performance, the navy blue sky broke, as the sun began to rise. At the end of his performance, Kanye simply stepped off the platform, neither thanking the audience nor acknowledging his tardiness. As fans questioned whether or not the show had ended, the sun filled the sky and angry campers returned to their tents around 6:30 AM.
Delay aside, Kanye West's performance was terrible. The light show was less than impressive and I've seen better audience interaction at a fourth grade talent show. Sure, he may not be concerned with impressing the tree-hugging crowd at Bonnaroo, but that stunt cost him his credibility. With a desire to headline the festival and prove his stature, his Glow in the Dark set seemed more of a Glow in the Dawn dress rehearsal. Needless to say, Kanye West will never be invited to Bonnaroo again and probably ruined the chances for other mainstream acts. To quote the man who is pretentious enough to speak about himself in the third person, "Wake up, Mr. West, Mr. West, Mr. Fresh/Mr. by-his-self-he-so-impressed/I mean, damn, did you even see the test?"
'Wake Up, Mr. West.' Your fans are more important than you will ever be.
Dr. Dog first caught my attention when I saw their bizarre flyer at World Cafe Live. Under their name, I saw the words, "Philadelphia's Own" and I decided to check out their music. Upon further investigation, I discovered that this five-piece collective was not only from Philadelphia, but that they were from my own hood in West Philadelphia!
So, who is Dr. Dog?
Dr. Dog is a psychedelic, pop-rock, band from from West Philadelphia. I know what you're thinking...did you say psychedelic and West Philadelphia in the same sentence? Yes, yes I did. Heavily influenced by 1960's pop bands, Dr. Dog has a truly unique sound for this age. After touYour Hands Say Yeah, Dr. Dogg, My Morning Jacket, Stephen Malkmus, Tapes 'n Tapes, Wakarusa, Ween, World Cafe Livering with My Morning Jacket and later with Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Dr. Dog's fan base began to expand exponentially, earning them stage time at the Bonnaroo Music Festival in 2005 and 2007. This summer, Dr. Dog will travel to Kansas for the newly instated new, yet well established, Wakarusa Music Festival.
Riding high on the success of their four previous albums, Dr. Dog will release their fifth album, Fate, on July 22.
Sounds like: Tapes'n Tapes, Ween, Stephen Malkmus Favorite Song: Heart It Races
This is one of my favorite bands, of all time. I am surprised I have not written about them before. I first heard of Ozomatli back in 1996 at Music Business Camp (yes, it exists and yes I went). It's really hard to describe the greatness that is Ozomatli. 
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