SPN: The Future of Tha Funk – 100 Days w/President Obama & Sharon Jones, Internet Radio Broadcast, Concert Reviews & Announcements, Album Reviews
Philly: Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings + Ub40 Come To The Keswick!!!
PHILLY: SHARON JONES & THE DAP KINGS + UB40 COME TO THE KESWICK!!!
Wed., May 6, 2009, 8 PM
Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings
the soul-funk revivalists featured extensively on Amy Winehouse’s breakthrough album Back to Black including the hit tracks “Rehab” & “You Know I’m No Good” bring their funk-threaded soul music for a truly memorable night. $30 & $25
Fri., May 8, 2009, 7:30 PM
UB40
one of the most successful reggae acts of all time with over 70 million records sold playing all their hits including Red Red Wine & Cant Help Falling in Love! $55 & $45
Get more info at the following link:
SHARON JONES & THE DAP KINGS + UB40 COME TO THE KESWICK!!!
Welcome To The Soul-Patrol Newsletter
Sharon Jones & Dap Kings: Obama 100 Days Special, (Obama 100 Day Summary +Ray Parker Jr Intro + Best of Sharon Jones & Dap Kings) – Ray Parker Jr Intro, President Obama’s 100 Days, 100 Days/100 Nights, This Land Is Your Land, What Have You Done For Me Lately, Inspiration Information, Hoinky Tonk Popcorn, All Over Again, Let Them Knock, Fish In My Dish, Layin In The Cut, My Man Is an Eman…Hosted by MR. ROGERS (yes his neighborhood now includes Soul-Patrol Radio)
Commentary: 100 Days/100 Nights – The Future of Tha Funk (Barrack Obama & Sharon Jones)
Barrack Obama has now been the POTUS for “100 Days/100 Nights” and there are all types of assessments of his administration going on thought the media. I certainly don’t want to presume that I have anything whatsoever to add to any of those assessments; however I would like to use this occasion to talk about the convergence of something that both Barrack Obama & Sharon Jones have in common that can be seen as a metaphor for some of what we might see in our musical futures.
100 Days/100 Nights is of course the name of the award winning 2008 release by Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings. This album was probably the FUNKIEST album to be accepted by the “mainstream” in a generation. One of the reasons for it’s acceptance was clearly the presence of the Dap Kings on the multiple Grammy award winning 2007 album by Amy Winehouse called “Back to Black.”
So therefore 2008 represented the “coming out” year for BOTH Sharon Jones and for Barrack Obama and as far as I am concerned, the “face of funk” is now changed forever.
Sharon Jones has been compared favorably with Lyn Collins and the Dap Kings have been compared favorably to the JB’s. The idea that Sharon Jones is Black & the Dap Kings are white is a fact that hasn’t been lost on the mass media who have covered the band over the past few years. Nor has it been lost on some of the Black critics who have said some less than kind things about this reality.
As a funkateer, I have also had a dilemma with this reality and asked myself the question; “could it be that the funkiest band in the land are culture bandits?”
I think that when discussing this topic, it becomes useful to view things thru the lens that Barrack Obama is providing for us in 2009 as opposed to the 1974 lens that I might be inclined to fall back on. That’s where the “100 Days/100 Nights” idea comes in, simply because we have to understand that the “change we can believe in” and that change is something that we should be happy to embrace as fans of funk music as well.
Commercial Funk music in the late 1960’s thru about 1980 was a musical style, whose development (and ultimate extinction) that parallels the fate of the American Civil Rights Movement. When Ronald Reagan was elected President in 1980, one of his unspoken campaign promises was that he would put an end to the American Civil Rights Movement. Reagan kept his “unspoken promise” to the American people and the Civil Rights Movement effectively ended in the United States during the 1980’s. Not surprisingly the era of commercially successful Funk music also came to an end at the same time. Of course Ronald Reagan’s whole premise was that we didn’t need a separate Civil Rights Movement anymore, since everyone was legally “equal.” And in music, it was decided that we no longer needed a separate category called “Funk music” anymore, since “Funk music” (really the essence of Black music) was really a contained in most musical styles, and didn’t need to be separate.
And so it has remained, till now.
As we look back on these past “100 Days/100 Nights”, we have a “funky president” who appeared literally from nowhere, whose physical being is quite literally the definition of integration. And appearing almost as suddenly “the funkiest band in the land”, who also physically looks like the very picture of what an integrated society should be.
I think that back during the 2008 Democratic Convention in Denver, America took a good hard look at what they saw on TV and it liked what it saw. America patted itself on the back as it looked at the possibilities of becoming the society that it always knew that it could be. And it also looked at the multitude of problems & issues that it was facing and said to itself; “well we may not be able to fix everything, but isn’t it about time that we honestly tried to fix this?”
Of course Black folks are always both “first to the party and last to the party” (at the same time) said; “even though we aren’t even sure that this guy is really Black, we will also jump on this train.” And so what Ronald Reagan said in 1980, actually came true in 2008 and going forward, we now know that everything is going to be quite a bit different because of what has occurred in the past “100 Days/100 Nights.”
At the same time that all of this was occurring, during 2008 Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings became “the funkiest band in all the land.”
Hell ALL of the “hip young white kids”, knew all about them. There were TV appearances, magazine articles, singles that were played on Pop, jazz, blues radio stations around the country. Sellout performances around the country & around the world. I mean this was the band who played on the album that won 5 Grammy awards. They played serious/hard core FUNK music that could make you dance and they were fronted by a woman who could make you cry with the power of her voice.
And as usual, Black folks are the last one’s to the party with respect to Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings, much as they were with now President Obama and I think that I understand the reason why…
(True integration is a scary thing…)
However I think that one of the things that the past “100 Days/100 Nights” have taught us is that true integration really isn’t anything to be scared of at all.
I can’t speak for anyone else but myself, but I consider it to be an honor to celebrate these past “100 Days/100 Nights”, along with Sharon Jones. It is actually a perfect symmetry and metaphor for the events that have occurred over the past year.
This should be a great show & if you don’t wanna take my word for it, scroll down and read the recent review writen by our boy Selah Eric Sprurril of Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings at a show they did earlier this year in NYC.
For those of you who can’t make it to this great show, please check out our latest Internet Radio Broadcast featuring the Best of Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings, introduced by none other than Ray Parker Jr. and with a few opening remarks from President Obama himself. The show is hosted by our own “Mister Rogers.”
I have a feeling that the lens of the past “100 Days/100 Nights” is actually going to help us to see very clearly what the possibilities of the next “100 Days/100 Nights” can be, musically & otherwise…
Thanks in advance…
–Bob Davis
609-351-0154
earthjuice@prodigy.net
PHILLY: SHARON JONES & THE DAP KINGS + UB40 COME TO THE KESWICK!!!
Wed., May 6, 2009, 8 PM
Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings
the soul-funk revivalists featured extensively on Amy Winehouse’s breakthrough album Back to Black including the hit tracks “Rehab” & “You Know I’m No Good” bring their funk-threaded soul music for a truly memorable night. $30 & $25
Fri., May 8, 2009, 7:30 PM
UB40
one of the most successful reggae acts of all time with over 70 million records sold playing all their hits including Red Red Wine & Cant Help Falling in Love! $55 & $45
Get more info at the following link:
SHARON JONES & THE DAP KINGS + UB40 COME TO THE KESWICK!!!
Sharon Jones & Dap Kings: Obama 100 Days Special, (Obama 100 Day Summary +Ray Parker Jr Intro + Best of Sharon Jones & Dap Kings) – Ray Parker Jr Intro, President Obama’s 100 Days, 100 Days/100 Nights, This Land Is Your Land, What Have You Done For Me Lately, Inspiration Information, Hoinky Tonk Popcorn, All Over Again, Let Them Knock, Fish In My Dish, Layin In The Cut, My Man Is an Eman…Hosted by MR. ROGERS (yes his neighborhood now includes Soul-Patrol Radio)
Concert Review: Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings, On Broadway, With The Menahan Street Band @ The Nokia Theatre, Friday, February 13, 2009
Friday the 13th wasn’t a bad day at all. I’d had a rough week at work. The less said the better. I woke up that morning singing in my head, “Ain’t Nothing Gonna Breaka My Stride” by Matthew Wilder and “You Gotta Be”, by Des’ree. Those songs got me through the day, and the day was relatively uneventful. I was happy when Bob Davis called me a few nights before and asked me to review this gig. I figured it would be a great treat for Valentine’s Day and my wife, Bernette would love Sharon Jones. (She didn’t much care for Al Jarreau at The Beacon a couple of years back. The fact that we were in the nosebleeds certainly didn’t help.)
The Nokia Theatre is a modern 3 tiered space that is located in The Theatre District at Broadway and 44th Street in Manhattan. It holds a little over 2000 people by my estimation. You take this escalator deep down stairs and there is this lounge area with cozy cul de sacs, and 2 bar areas. The theatre itself consists of a proscenium stage, a dance/mosh pit immediately in front of the stage, about 5 steps up there is a kind of cabaret area with tables and chairs, and about 5 steps above that is another raised area with auditorium style seating. Coming up from the cabaret area are long staircases leading to balconies both stage left and right of the mosh pit. These are the VIP areas. The whole place is done up quite tastefully. It has a warm feeling to it and at the same time makes you feel like you are in 10 Forward at The Enterprise. We were not in the nosebleeds this time. In fact we were well taken care of.
The show was opened by The Menahan Street Band and introduced by Claudia Marshall of WFUV Radio. Menahan Street is located in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn, the same place that Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings hail from and I presume where the Daptone studios are located. (As you will see later in this article, there would be more than one shout out to Bushwick during this concert.)
The Menahan Street Band is a 9 (or 10 or 11 piece unit, it keeps changing) consisting of Trumpet, Tenor Sax, Vibes, Keyboards, Bass, Rhythm Guitar, Trap Drums, Congas and several guys playing hand percussion instruments such as Tambourine, Cowbell and Cabessa. I would describe them as a kind of mellow California type “Lounge” Funk band with lot’s of wah wah and a Latin tinge. I heard influences of Malo, Tower of Power, early Kool and The Gang, The Meters, The Memphis Horns, The Barkays, Osibisa, Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers and music from Rocky, Blackploitation and Quentin Tarentino movies. The crowd was politely enthusiastic and seemed to know them well. I found them to be competent, like a well rehearsed high school band. They played instrumentals and got real tired real fast. (I did like the trumpet player, who sounded like a Hugh Masekela protégé.) I kept wishing that I could hear them behind a singer.
My mama told me you should be careful what you wish for. Charles Bradley looks like 50’s and early 60’s James Brown and appears to be channeling a poor man’s version of Clyde McPhatter or Solomon Burke. He attempts to be an old fashioned Soul Man, full of pain, angst and gratuitous grace. However, Bradley largely misses the mark. His Jackie Wilson like splits and grinding gyrations seemed contrived. He was definitely not in the best of voice, consistently missing high notes and singing off key amid his screams and grunts. Bernette didn’t like him at all and wasn’t all that impressed with the band. I will say that they can be better with a little seasoning but at present are simply not ready for prime time.
— Selah Eric Spruiell
PHILLY: SHARON JONES & THE DAP KINGS + UB40 COME TO THE KESWICK!!!
Wed., May 6, 2009, 8 PM
Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings
the soul-funk revivalists featured extensively on Amy Winehouse’s breakthrough album Back to Black including the hit tracks “Rehab” & “You Know I’m No Good” bring their funk-threaded soul music for a truly memorable night. $30 & $25
Fri., May 8, 2009, 7:30 PM
UB40
one of the most successful reggae acts of all time with over 70 million records sold playing all their hits including Red Red Wine & Cant Help Falling in Love! $55 & $45
Get more info at the following link:
SHARON JONES & THE DAP KINGS + UB40 COME TO THE KESWICK!!!
Sharon Jones & Dap Kings: Obama 100 Days Special, (Obama 100 Day Summary +Ray Parker Jr Intro + Best of Sharon Jones & Dap Kings) – Ray Parker Jr Intro, President Obama’s 100 Days, 100 Days/100 Nights, This Land Is Your Land, What Have You Done For Me Lately, Inspiration Information, Hoinky Tonk Popcorn, All Over Again, Let Them Knock, Fish In My Dish, Layin In The Cut, My Man Is an Eman…Hosted by MR. ROGERS (yes his neighborhood now includes Soul-Patrol Radio)
Album Review: Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings – “Dap Dippin”
Not long ago somebody on the list mentioned Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings. I had never heard of these artists before so I decided to check it out. Usually I´m a bit sceptical of the so-called funk music produced today, cause`in most cases it turns out to be hip-hop related. I got nothing against hip-hop, but when it comes to funk I want my funk uncut! To my big surprise Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings “Dap-dippin`” was the REAL THING!
This album has got some of the rawest and nastiest funk since the heyday of James Brown. I kid you not!! The Dap-kings are like a mixture of Booker T and the MGs, the JBs and the Meters. Baadd!!! And the way they blend with Sharon Jones powerful gospel voice is just magic! This album was so damn good that I just had to write a review!! So here it is track by track:
1) Got a thing on my mind – This song caught me off-guard with it`s thumping bass, funky guitar licks, hard drumming and soulful singing. I was thinking to myself, this has to be a reissue from the 70`s, it just can`t be produced
in 2002!! Then comes the next track…
2) What have you done for me lately – A Janet Jackson cover?? Well there goes my reissue theory! Sharon Jones just takes this song and makes it her own, just like Aretha Franklin used to do. The Dap-kings sets a killer groove that slaughters the original Jam and Lewis composition! I didn´t know a 80`s song could get this funky and raw! Janet who?
3) The Dap Dip – Well put on your dancing shoes and get with the new dance – The Dap dip!!
4) Give me a chance – If I didn`t know better I could swear this was the JB´s! Awesome guitar licks by Binky Griptite, kinda reminds me of Jimmy Nolen, Bosco Mann funks that bass, and drummer Homer Steinweiss is in the pocket!! A great track!
5) Cut that line – the party continous! Another uptempo killer track! If you are still able to sit down after this song, there is something wrong with you!!!
6) Got to be the way it is – All neo soulsingers take a step back! This is the way it should be done! Sharon Jones singing on this one is up there with the great soul singers of the sixties and seventies! She sings with the same
assertive voice that Lyn Collins used to do.
7) Make it good to me – This is the only mid-tempo number on the whole album, and just in time I would say! After the first six songs I needed a break so I could calm down a bit! Phew! This is a beautiful song, and once again Sharons vocal performance is excellent. The Dap-kings prove that they are just as comfortable with a laid-back and mellow groove. This song reminds of the Stax and Atlantic sound in the sixties.
8) Ain`t it hard – Ok, enough rest!! Time to get back on your feet again! Don`t listen to this album if you`re going to sleep, cause you will be up all night!!
9) Pick it up, lay it in the cut – They saved the best for last!!! Funky Drummer part 2? Homer Steinweiss drumming is so bad that he must have attended the Clyde Stubblefield Funk Drummer School!! My absolute favorite cut on this album! Could somebody please tell the Dap-kings that this is 2002! You`re not supposed to be this funky in the age of Clear Channel and P Diddys!
–Martin (2002)
PHILLY: SHARON JONES & THE DAP KINGS + UB40 COME TO THE KESWICK!!!
Wed., May 6, 2009, 8 PM
Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings
the soul-funk revivalists featured extensively on Amy Winehouse’s breakthrough album Back to Black including the hit tracks “Rehab” & “You Know I’m No Good” bring their funk-threaded soul music for a truly memorable night. $30 & $25
Fri., May 8, 2009, 7:30 PM
UB40
one of the most successful reggae acts of all time with over 70 million records sold playing all their hits including Red Red Wine & Cant Help Falling in Love! $55 & $45
Get more info at the following link:
SHARON JONES & THE DAP KINGS + UB40 COME TO THE KESWICK!!!
Sharon Jones & Dap Kings: Obama 100 Days Special, (Obama 100 Day Summary +Ray Parker Jr Intro + Best of Sharon Jones & Dap Kings) – Ray Parker Jr Intro, President Obama’s 100 Days, 100 Days/100 Nights, This Land Is Your Land, What Have You Done For Me Lately, Inspiration Information, Hoinky Tonk Popcorn, All Over Again, Let Them Knock, Fish In My Dish, Layin In The Cut, My Man Is an Eman…Hosted by MR. ROGERS (yes his neighborhood now includes Soul-Patrol Radio)
If you have a news item, update, review, commentary, etc that you would like to submit to the Soul-Patrol Newsletter, please send them via email for consideration to:
earthjuice@prodigy.net
Hopefully you enjoyed this edition of the Soul-Patrol Newsletter.
We will be back soon with the next edition, with email alerts for local events, Soul-Patrol website updates/chat sessions or breaking news in between, as required.
If you have any comments, questions, etc feel free to drop me an email and let me know what’s on your mind.
Bob Davis
earthjuice@prodigy.net
