A Feist Surprise!

I was so bummed I didn't get tickets to see Feist in SF while she was in town. I bought her album on itunes and have been listening to it here and there. One day I was on my FB and I saw that Feist's Page had posted a Sweeps contest! It said I could win a trip for 2 to Seattle to see her last show! All I had to do was share that link on my FB page and I was eligible to win! I thought, "What the heck, what do I have to lose, let me just give it a try" After a few attempts gone wrong, I finally was able to post it on my FB wall.

Monday came around and I received an email stating that I was the grand prize winner! Before I got totally excited, I read the entire email. I wanted to make sure there wasn't any catch to winning, and that I actually won the prize! So I called the lady Sam who sent me the email, and sure enough It was legit! I had won 2 free round trip tickets to Seattle, a free hotel stay for one night, and 2 free tickets to her very last show at The Moore Theater! After filling out all the paper work and booking my flight and stay...I was extremely excited for my very first trip to Seattle!

Once we had landed in Seattle, we took the Link Rail Trail from the airport to Westlake downtown where our hotel was at. It was a nice 30 minute train ride through Seattle. We were able to see the different types of neighborhoods, and see the different types of people walking around Seattle. Taking the Link Rail was way cheaper than taking a cab anyhoo.

Checked into the Grand Hyatt Hotel, our room was so nice! Perfect for the two of us, and most of all great views! We were on the 16th floor! We relaxed for a minute and then made our way to the Infamous Marketplace on Pike St. We walked around the farmers market, saw lots of fresh veggies, fruits, vendors selling random things, and seafood all over the place! We watched guys repeat orders from customers out loud and throw fish around! Everywhere we walked to everyone was very nice to us! We ended up at Lowell's Restaurant right in the Marketplace. I ordered Fish and Chips and John ordered a Tuna Melt. We both shared a cup of Clam Chowder. Everything was delish! I noticed myself acknowledging each bite..nodding my head while I made the "mmmm" sound! I love good food! We walked around some more, ended up at the very first Starbucks Coffee Shop. It reminded me of the movie Reality Bites...we were so full from lunch we decided not to get coffee from there. We walked back to our hotel and laid back, relaxed and chilled before getting ready for the show.

The Moore Theater was built in 1907, and It is the oldest still-active theater in Seattle! It reminded me of a smaller Paramount we have in Oakland, but looked and felt older. John and I hit the bar pretty quick. We actually missed the opening act who was Chilly Gonzales because we were getting our drink on. The house lights started to blink on and off, notifying us that the Feist was about to come on. We quickly grabbed our seats and waited for her to come on.

Feist is a lovely lady from Canada, she definitely has that Canada style! I first saw Feist when she opened up for Broken Social Scene years ago in SF. It was when she first broke away from BSS, and decided to go on her own and do her own thing. Since then I've been a huge fan and always caught her show when she came to SF. She performed mostly all of her new songs off her new album. My favorites she did off her new album was "How Come you didn't go there," "Graveyard," "Caught a Long Wind," "The Bad In Each Other," and "Commotion," She did flip up a couple of old songs like "Mushaboom" and "Sea Lion" I was so glad she did "I Feel It All!" too. Although she didn't do most of her older songs, it didn't seem to bother me or anyone else in the audience. We were all there to just hear her beautiful voice! Feist's voice is amazing..she definitely has a one of a kind electric voice. It ranged from soft sounding to peaking at high climaxes. Her background singers complimented her to the T. Their voices blended perfectly, filled the whole room with music!

Feist was also very charismatic during her performance, taking a quick break to drink some of her "spicy water." She also incorporated the audience to participate to the beginning to "I'm Sorry" that was fun! Feist had the audience in total silence while she sang...she had the audience memorized to her voice, music and sound so much that once the song was finished...there was moments of silence before the roar of applause and screams of enjoyment! She was encored on twice, she and her background singers sang acapella, which harmonized and vibrated in my ears like nothing before. She also invited Chilly Gonzales to come back on stage to sing "A Limit to your Love" while she stood on the piano!

It was an amazing day/night...and amazing everything!! It felt like i had won the lotto! Not one that made me a millionaire, but one that made a music/Feist fan the happiest one there! One memorable moment I shared with my honey and one memorable moment that will be at top of my music experience forever!

Portishead!

When I think of Portishead...I think of solid beats, turntable elements, electronic splashes...and most of all Beth Gibbon's distinct voice. I've been following Portishead music since about 1994, when my cousin Moya put in a cassette tape of theirs into my car. Since then I've been a huge fan!

Now they seldom come out to America to tour..and once I found out they were coming to the Greek Theater I HAD to go! ...just HAD TO!

The show was great! Pretty much what I expected it to be. The band sounded crisp and Beth's voice sounded awesome live! My favorite part of the show was when they did Wandering Star but acoustic version! A different twist to a old song made it seem like it was the first time hearing that song. It was amazing.

The Greek was packed!! Sold out! I didn't realize how big they are here in the US. There were so many different types of people there, which proves that music touches and speaks to everyone! What an awesome night with my Johnny Babes...A show I can cross off my must see list!

Little Dragon

Didn't do anything but mentally prepare for this show yesterday. I've already seen Little Dragon live once, and couldn't wait to hear them kill it live on stage again!! This time they were playing at the Mezzanine, a bigger place than The Independent so I knew this show was gonna be crowded...this show was sold out!

Got there to a rowdy crowd, people were already sweaty, drunk and already took up all the good spots on the floor. Despite our attempts to not stand behind the 2 tallest Mo-fo's in the place, we ended up right behind them! Regardless, I was not going to make that an issue. We didn't wait long until we heard the first drum beat!...The came out with "Looking Glass" A song off their Machine Dreams album. If you haven't heard of Little Dragon, you're in for some upbeat jams, beats and sounds you won't normally hear. Yukimi (The singer) has a very unique voice and fits perfectly to each song! Her energy on stage is something else too! The band is amazing, they are all very skilled, and diverse. They use different types of sounds, and instruments to make the songs as unique as they are. It was so much fun, I caught myself dancing like no one was around! And so was everyone else in the crowd..drunk happy fans, just clapping and bouncing to their favorite Little Dragon songs! I love how they add a little extra something after each song, they put a twist and keep the vibe going, surprising us with more music! You won't find any other band out there that sounds like them..they have their own unique vibe, style and flavor. They all seem so genuine, and so humble, which makes me appreciate them more.

They killed through a number of new songs and old ones...They made sure they did "Blinking Pigs", "A New", "My Step", "Ritual Union", "Little Man", "Brush the Heat", "Crystalfilm", "Precious", "Please Turn" just to name a few...

The crowd encored them on TWICE!! They graciously came on to do one last song for there second encore..and made it last as long as they could...

Every time they come into town to perform I will always try to catch them...I know I will never be disappointed. Watching them live is so worth it, and so much more fulfilling than anything else!

Thanks to John and Nate for holding down the crazy crowd with me!

Sade Adu

What a show...what a awesome night! I will never forget the first Sade Concert I went to. It was the first concert I attended with my big bro Alfred. I was about 15 and Sade had just released The Love Deluxe album. From the moment she walked on stage and sang "Sweetest Taboo" I was mesmerized! I not only already knew all the songs on the Love Deluxe album, I went home that night and filled my ears with all her past albums. Many, many years later...I still admire her now just as much as I did almost 20 years ago. 20 years ago was my first Sade experience, and this year Sarah had her very first Sade experience!!



Sade's show was everything I was anticipating...awesome set, awesome back ground visuals, but most of all what an awesome band and voice! As many times I've seen her live, this time around she sounded better than ever before. Her voice sounded full of strength, love, and compassion. She was golden! Every song she sang I sang right along with her. Her band was amazing! Most of them have been with her since the very beginning...and you can feel the close family vibe they share on stage....amazing musicians!



As the show ended...I was left wanting more, wanting to hear more songs to sing along to, more hits to dance too...It wasn't enough..I needed more and from the looks and sound of the crowd, they all felt the same as I did. But like I said, this was an amazing night of music...John Legend as an opener was great! But nothing compares to the awesomeness of Sade!



What made this night more special, was sharing it with my friends and family in the audience, although we didn't all sit together..we all shared the same experience! One I won't ever forget! So cheers to Tina, Josh, Sarah Joy, Nes, Chris, Frank, Claire, Carla, Connie, Liza, Gino, Tootie, Cliff, Archie, Alfred, Karla, Joe and Janice! Hope you all had a great time!!

Shabazz Palaces-Brick & Mortar Music Hall 6/11/2011

Not only am I a huge Digable Planets fan, I am also a huge fan of Ish Butler, aka Butterfly, aka Palaceer Lazaro. If you know DP music you know how smooth Butterfly rolls. Siince DP stopped making music together...they pretty much went their own ways. Cee-know always on the grind with his music, and promotions. Ladybug Mecca came out with her own album, "Trip the Light Fantastic". Ish, also came out with his own album "Cherrywine"...all three still creating music but in very different ways.

Shabazz Palaces came out in 2009, 2 CD set. Just looking at the cd covers had me so curious to what Ish had up his sleeves. If you've heard his "Cherrywine" album, you already know this guy was going to come super original! Ish's music is nothing like anything I've heard before. You really can't compare his music to anyone else out there. It's a whole bunch of stuff jumbled up into a song...but ends up fitting perfectly. He uses his beats like no one else does, he uses his samples like no one else. But also seems to somehow fit his lyrics and flow in a particular way that puts the whole arrangement together so sweet! You have to have a open mind when listening to Shabazz...it may not be you're cup of tea, but you can't deny the skills.

Later this month Ish is releasing his 2nd album Shabazz Palaces- "Black up" Thanks to Mic and Nate I already have a copy. And thanks to last night, already have seen him perform it live at Brick & Mortar Music Hall in SF. This is my um-teenth time seeing Ish on stage. Whether it was with DP, with just Cee-know or just by himself. Each time this dude never disappoints. He always puts on a good performance, always makes sure his fans/audience get what they came for. Love his deliverance, and especially his swag. His style is so unique but yet modest and honest at the same time.

Last night Brick and Mortar was pretty packed, and Ish mentioned how they didn't expect so many people to show up. His set up is very simple, a table of his equipment, MPC, Laptop and some other stuff I'm not familiar with, and next to him Tendai (his percussionist) had his set up with all his instruments, the set so simple yet produces this immense sound! Ish and Tendai were encored out for more and they graciously came back on stage to do just that. Moments after the show was over, Ish came out to mingle with the crowd. We were the first to get his attention!! Now I get teased constantly for being so pushy for a picture...but I'm not ashamed! I enjoy looking back to all the artists I love and have gotten to meet over the years! So yes I got my picture with Ish, and I mentioned to him that this was my 3rd picture with him, thinking maybe, just maybe he might remember me, but for some reason he looked passed me and saw John R. and says, "Hey, I remember you!" ..........WHAT?! Nate and I were floored!! I was thinking maybe he was just saying it, but he sure looked like he actually remembered John! Oh, well I'm not too butt hurt! Nate and John chopped it up with him for a minute and I was able to get their picture taken with him too, even though they swore they weren't trippin off it! Hands down Ish Butler is a very nice and humble guy, which made me a bigger fan!

To cut this story short...the three of us had a great time. Live music is always a great time, esp with my friends. "Black Out" comes out later this month so do yourself a favor and check it out! "The Beat Will Always Save Us!"

The Bad Plus: Yoshi's Oakland

First off, Thank you very dear cousin Nelson for always opening my eyes to music I fall in love with. If I had to make a guess, Nelson's first love is Jazz. I bet if he tried, he could still blow a tune or two on a trumpet!! So thanks cuz..for inviting me along with Tin and Josh last night!

To understand and enjoy Jazz is complicated. You simply can't just follow it like a smooth R&B song, or a folk song. Jazz has different levels, layers and intensity. Over the years Jazz has welcomed and included all the different types of music genres, and The Bad Plus makes it sound like butta!

The Bad Plus: 3 very particular and very talented men, who remind me of 3 ex-band directors that branched out to do what they know and love best.. Each note they played were very specific and, the 10 years they have played together really show how their perfect timing and how their talents compliment each others to make such a sound!

Dave on the drums is a maniac! He plays like there's no tomorrow, It's exciting to watch him get into each drum note he played. It seemed like he had an expression with every beat!! His beats were very unique to jazz and excellent with backing up the different pace to each song. I love love love the sound of the bass. I always love hearing a strong and loud bass, and if I can feel it inside my chest I love it even more. Reid on the bass played his strings with perfect placement and did not at all utilize the bass as a background sound. His music stood firm and up front with the rest. Ethan on the piano, was amazing! To come up with cords and to keep the story told by his music is pure magic. Although I had hoped they would have played a couple of covers, I still enjoyed each original song they played! They encored with a cover to Iron man,... pretty damn different to the original that's for sure..but none the less just as hard core as the original too! If you haven't heard of them...check them out. If you don't enjoy Jazz...this could be your baby steps to a whole new world of music.

PRINCE!!!

Kids...when you get older, you will appreciate music so much more. All of This Ke$ha, Beiber Fever crap will not matter anymore. Real instruments, real musicians and live singers will always blow way over the wannabees.

Prince is definitely an originator, and a innovator. No one sings, moves and entertains like him. He is by far one of the greatest performers ever!

Larry Graham and the Grand Central Station opened up for Prince. What made it unique was Prince was the one who introduced the opening act onto stage! Prince called him his teacher! Larry Graham is famous for the song "One in a Million" His band was off da hook! His wife of 30 something years was his vocal back up singer, but what impressed me more, was the woman playing the trumpet! She could blow! You seldom see a woman on stage working the horn section and that was great to see! Larry Graham was also know for was playing the bass guitar for the group Sly and the Family Stone. They did songs such as "Family Affair", "Dance to the Music" & "Thank you" All songs I remembered and sang a long to as they played. Larry Graham KILLS on the bass guitar! He plays it like a regular guitar, makes it sound like a regular guitar too! Much love and props go to this man who Prince obviously looked up to! The cool thing about their set and something I've never seen before, was when they went off stage, they encored back on stage w/ Prince and his band playing along to "Everyday People" Larry Graham is from Oakland, and it felt good knowing that this awesome band was playing to their home town! the crowd gave them so much love!

When Prince came on...of course the crowd went crazy! His stage was his "symbol" and it catered to everyone in the arena! Everyone had a great seat! Even though we were sitting in the upper level, we still had a great view! Prince was everything I expected and more! He worked the stage and the audience like a pro. Everything was entertaining, playful and he made performing look so easy and so much fun! Sheila E played percussion on stage the whole show! Not only that, she even got to sing her song "Glamorous Life" The next thing you know, Santana busts out on stage with his guitar...Santana did what he does best and that's go crazy on his guitar! A quick but awesome surprise! A legend on stage with another legend! Prince ran through, "Cream" "Raspberry Beret" The Time cover "Cool" and of course "Purple Rain" An amazing song! It was awesome to hear everyone singing along to Purple Rain! I didn't even take video because I wanted to sing this song!!! He also did "You got the Look" "Kiss" and did a duet with Sheila E "Love Bizarre" Prince encored 3 times!!! Even after the lights came on, everyone in the audience screamed to have him back on stage...He finally ended with "Welcome to America"

Prince has a very diverse and talented band! His vocal singers were DIVA! What surprised me the most was the vocal singers did a song with out Prince, and it was a Amel Larrieux song!!! "No One Else" Very surprised! It was nice to see Prince share the stage with his band members! I admire the fact that he has men & women in his band. It gives me hope that one day one of my girls will pursue music and share their love with the world!

Hands down one of my favorite shows ever! Worth my $60!!! He just added a 3rd show ... so If you're thinking about buying a ticket...DO IT! You wont be disappointed!

Props to Pregnant Ninah who stuck through the whole night! Baby's first concert! Dancing in her belly!!