After much anticipation for the future, the We Love Soul event is now in the present tense. Coultrain fresh in from 2 shows in Detroit was finally here in Chicago. Starting out the night musically were myself and Duane Powell on the 1's and 2's. Duane was playing a really dope Soul set as people began to filter in around 7:30pm. As a promoter I always never become comfortable until the masses begin to show up which I seem to always forget is generally 2 hours after an event starts. Once people began to filter in by the 2's like they were boarding Noah's ark I began to feel more at ease and could enjoy myself.
The show was very intimate as there were many couples looking fly as well as plenty of single good looking women and men.
As showtime approached the room became more warm and vibrant as people are grooving to the music, doing a little bit of innocent flirting and socializing amongst one another, and checking out the vendors.
The show starts and there was something I forgot again...
I forgot how bangin Coultrain's music sounds and how a good sound tech can make Darkroom sound really good. The backup band Verzatile was doing their thing with Coultrain as they were vibing really well together on stage. Combining jazz sounds, soulful grooves and baselines with his vocals was tha bizness. His sound was perfect for a show at an intimate venue. It was a great balance between, love, and sheer raw dopeness for music heads in the building. The show lasted around 1hour as he and the band received a great reception from the Darkroom crowd.
He rocked about 15 songs and gave the crowd more than their money's worth.
It was fun and interesting to witness a performance of an artist who had never been to Chicago solo and be able to help expose his music to fans that follow him and fans who were looking to for something new. We were also pleased and thankful that people trusted our taste as DJs and promoters to point them in the direction toward something different musically and not the same ole thing with the same ole artists. Not that there is anything wrong with those artists and those shows, but there is a whole other world out there if you dare to explore. We appreciate those who support the We Love Soul brand and trust us to introduce and expose more artists we believe in to you.
Thank you for your support and stay tuned for what's new with We Love Soul by visiting our website at
www.welovesoul.net
Peace and Blessings,
Sean
If you don't know you betta ask somebody...JLC
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Food and Drink Review: Tiny Lounge 4352 N. Leavitt
Recently on a Sunday I had a chance to visit Tiny Lounge at the 3 way intersection of Lincoln, Leavitt, and Montrose. The reason for the visit was to play some tunes for DJ Leann's birthday party. After visiting Tiny a few weeks ago and sampling their cusine I was pretty geeked to be visiting again. This time instead of going with the outstanding truffle fries and pizzaetta with fontina chesse, shitake mushrooms and white truffle oil I decided to see what's next on the menu. Ahi tuna tacos with avacado, wasabi, shredded zucchini, and red pepper, and the grilled chicken empanadas with fresh oregano and chimicurri sauce. Both selections were mind blowing and the presentation was fly as well.
On this evening I started out drinking red wine but made an illegal switch to liquor when a quote from Fred Sanford popped into my head... "Wine is fine but liquor is quicker". Plus I changed up when I saw what the bartender was doing. There I saw her specially hand crafting one of the drinks from their fall drink menu. After perusing the drink menu and being indecisive on what I wanted she choose for me the "Root Down" fully equipted with gin, orange zest and few other interesting ingredients I couldn't remember. The aroma from the orange zest sold me as soon as it was put in front of me plus the presentation was solid. The special touch of the presentation and aroma made me realize this is not your typical bar and that they take food and drink very serious. Some of the other items on the on the drink menu were hot or cold cider with fresh apple cider and pumpkin pie with crushed gingerbread cookies.
If you plan to visit Tiny Lounge I would suggest going on Sundays for a great music selection of Soul and Rare Grooves courtesy of
DJ Leeann and friends.
To learn more and have your pallette pampered please visit
www.tinylounge.com
4352 N. Leavitt
(773) 463-0396
If you don't know you betta ask somebody...JLC
On this evening I started out drinking red wine but made an illegal switch to liquor when a quote from Fred Sanford popped into my head... "Wine is fine but liquor is quicker". Plus I changed up when I saw what the bartender was doing. There I saw her specially hand crafting one of the drinks from their fall drink menu. After perusing the drink menu and being indecisive on what I wanted she choose for me the "Root Down" fully equipted with gin, orange zest and few other interesting ingredients I couldn't remember. The aroma from the orange zest sold me as soon as it was put in front of me plus the presentation was solid. The special touch of the presentation and aroma made me realize this is not your typical bar and that they take food and drink very serious. Some of the other items on the on the drink menu were hot or cold cider with fresh apple cider and pumpkin pie with crushed gingerbread cookies.
If you plan to visit Tiny Lounge I would suggest going on Sundays for a great music selection of Soul and Rare Grooves courtesy of
DJ Leeann and friends.
To learn more and have your pallette pampered please visit
www.tinylounge.com
4352 N. Leavitt
(773) 463-0396
If you don't know you betta ask somebody...JLC
Monday, October 11, 2010
Event Review: DJ Jazzy Jeff
Ok, so it's Friday night and I couldn't be happier to be at home in bed by 9pm. Then I get a text at 10pm saying DJ Jazzy Jeff at the Shrine. I set my alarm clock to wake up in a reasonable time to be able to catch approx 1 hour of his set. Upon arrival I move through the crowd as the spot is packed shoulder to shoulder.
The first time I saw him was at Zentra a few years ago and it was oddly enough promoted by a House Music promoter who's one Hip Hop event each year was Jazzy Jeff. Going with lowered expectations I was shocked to walk in the room to hear Big Daddy Kane's "Raw" being tricked out by The Magnificent himself. As the night progressed he played dope Hip Hop, Breakbeats, 80s Classsics and a little bit of Funk. After hearing his set I promptly came to the conclusion that in terms of Hip Hop and skill there was no greater DJ than DJ Jazzy Jeff. His cuts were precise and he dropped them at the perfect time. Selection and programming was fluid and his turntablism and live remixing was ridiculous. Also, what made the set dope was in Zentra there is a mirror behind and above the DJ booth where the crowd can see the wizardry taking place on the tables. Another idea that was dope was Mad Skills was his MC/Hype man and he was standing in the middle of the crowd on one of those cubes you usually see "go go dancers" on. It was almost like a remote mini stage.
This time was a little different. I walk in once again to a packed house but instead of Raw, I hear "Color Me Bad". After going thru a series of bubblegum ass 90's R&B classics he flipped the script and began to teach class. Playing an original sample and then next playing the current day song that used the sample was a good call. He also transitioned from one to another very seemlessly thus making it better than any other sample set I have ever heard. On this episode he didn't do too much turntablism and was just playing for the Friday night "weekender" crowd.
I missed a good portion of his set but heard that he was playing top 40 Rap earlier in the night. I guess that's what he thought they wanted to hear...and he may have been right. The one thing that many DJs of his stature may or may not realize is they can pretty much get away with playing whatever they want and people will still love it mainly because people want to bear witness to the mystique of that DJs fame. So, if he wants to play the first 5 songs off Ultra Magnetic's Critical Beatdown the reaction from the crowd may be "What is this?, I don't know but if Jazzy's playing it, it must be dope. Let's look cool and dance". Nevertheless, I do understand. If you wanna get the gigs that pay the commercial paper some cats feel like you gotta play some commercial music. In my opinion DJs like him can walk the fine line of playing real music and stuff many heads would consider goofy or wack. After all its a business and you want to make your clients happy. I remember at one point the DJ was the tastemaker and dictator of what music would be hot and what he wanted the crowd to hear. In 2010 that is not necessarily the case. People's desire to be entertained does not have much to do with education and progressing their ear and musical taste. Its funny how he still made the crowd happy just 5 years ago when he played all good music. Big props to DJ Jazzy Jeff for the other times I have heard him but this time I have to say I was a little disappointed.
Thanks for reading!
Peace and Blessings,
Sean
If you don't know you betta ask somebody...JLC
The first time I saw him was at Zentra a few years ago and it was oddly enough promoted by a House Music promoter who's one Hip Hop event each year was Jazzy Jeff. Going with lowered expectations I was shocked to walk in the room to hear Big Daddy Kane's "Raw" being tricked out by The Magnificent himself. As the night progressed he played dope Hip Hop, Breakbeats, 80s Classsics and a little bit of Funk. After hearing his set I promptly came to the conclusion that in terms of Hip Hop and skill there was no greater DJ than DJ Jazzy Jeff. His cuts were precise and he dropped them at the perfect time. Selection and programming was fluid and his turntablism and live remixing was ridiculous. Also, what made the set dope was in Zentra there is a mirror behind and above the DJ booth where the crowd can see the wizardry taking place on the tables. Another idea that was dope was Mad Skills was his MC/Hype man and he was standing in the middle of the crowd on one of those cubes you usually see "go go dancers" on. It was almost like a remote mini stage.
This time was a little different. I walk in once again to a packed house but instead of Raw, I hear "Color Me Bad". After going thru a series of bubblegum ass 90's R&B classics he flipped the script and began to teach class. Playing an original sample and then next playing the current day song that used the sample was a good call. He also transitioned from one to another very seemlessly thus making it better than any other sample set I have ever heard. On this episode he didn't do too much turntablism and was just playing for the Friday night "weekender" crowd.
I missed a good portion of his set but heard that he was playing top 40 Rap earlier in the night. I guess that's what he thought they wanted to hear...and he may have been right. The one thing that many DJs of his stature may or may not realize is they can pretty much get away with playing whatever they want and people will still love it mainly because people want to bear witness to the mystique of that DJs fame. So, if he wants to play the first 5 songs off Ultra Magnetic's Critical Beatdown the reaction from the crowd may be "What is this?, I don't know but if Jazzy's playing it, it must be dope. Let's look cool and dance". Nevertheless, I do understand. If you wanna get the gigs that pay the commercial paper some cats feel like you gotta play some commercial music. In my opinion DJs like him can walk the fine line of playing real music and stuff many heads would consider goofy or wack. After all its a business and you want to make your clients happy. I remember at one point the DJ was the tastemaker and dictator of what music would be hot and what he wanted the crowd to hear. In 2010 that is not necessarily the case. People's desire to be entertained does not have much to do with education and progressing their ear and musical taste. Its funny how he still made the crowd happy just 5 years ago when he played all good music. Big props to DJ Jazzy Jeff for the other times I have heard him but this time I have to say I was a little disappointed.
Thanks for reading!
Peace and Blessings,
Sean
If you don't know you betta ask somebody...JLC
Monday, October 4, 2010
Monday, September 20, 2010
Hennessy Artistry Event with The Roots, Q-Tip, Yahzarah and Erykah Badu
Saturday Night Live from Halsted Street...
Non Traditional Venue and Good Music. It's been a while since I have seen The Roots Live. The Last time was prior Things Fall Apart's release and it was a $7 Jam Session on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Yahzarah, will be performing in Chicago Monday Sept 20th and of course we've seen her rock dope shows solo and with The Foreign Exchange. Q-Tip I saw a few times with A Tribe Called Quest (say the whole thing) and most recently at Rock the Bells a few years ago, and although I've seen Erykah a few times in the last few years her Mama's Gun tour always stands out in my mind.
While walking on the "Black Carpet" and looking confused and reluctant to take pictures I walk in and start sampling the customized Hennessy drinks. I bumped into a few friends and while making sure all of my guests were able to get in I continued to drink and wander about aimlessly until D-Nice's DJ set commenced as I waited for the live show to start.
To start the show Black Thought and Q-Tip hosted and MC'ed by performing Hip Hop classic songs that were done by other artists as well as projects they are affiliated with. Next they gradually moved into host mode and welcomed Yahzarah, Curren$y, and Kid Sister to the stage to rock along with them. All of the acts were good but since this was a real Hip Hop/Soul show some of the crowd looked confused when Kid Sister performed. However, there was one crew of girls behind me profusely screaming and cheering her on and kept saying "Oh my God I love Kid Sister", so there were fans that came to check her and she was better than I anticipated.
The show was standing room only which created a real dope atmosphere for people who love real music and would prefer to dance and jump around instead of sit down in their seat and appear to be cultured.
When Erykah came out the crowd went crazy because it was a surprise but some people knew she was the surprise guest. I enjoyed her show and may even suggest that she change her name to Erykah Badi (Body). All the fellas and women who like women saw that she was fitting her jeans quite well which added an extra entertainment value to the show. Her show would've been dope if she came out with baggy jeans but I'm just sayin...
Overall, this was a very well put together classy event for people who love to celebrate real good music and good beverages and appreciate the global art of mixing.
Big shouts out to Hennessy for allowing me to be part of such a dope event!
After the show I was welcomed into the press area and had the priviledge to interview Q-Tip and Questlove. The audio interviews will be on my podcast page within the next few weeks. Stay tuned....
Thanks for reading!
Peace and Blessings,
Sean
If you don't know you betta ask somebody...JLC
Non Traditional Venue and Good Music. It's been a while since I have seen The Roots Live. The Last time was prior Things Fall Apart's release and it was a $7 Jam Session on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Yahzarah, will be performing in Chicago Monday Sept 20th and of course we've seen her rock dope shows solo and with The Foreign Exchange. Q-Tip I saw a few times with A Tribe Called Quest (say the whole thing) and most recently at Rock the Bells a few years ago, and although I've seen Erykah a few times in the last few years her Mama's Gun tour always stands out in my mind.
While walking on the "Black Carpet" and looking confused and reluctant to take pictures I walk in and start sampling the customized Hennessy drinks. I bumped into a few friends and while making sure all of my guests were able to get in I continued to drink and wander about aimlessly until D-Nice's DJ set commenced as I waited for the live show to start.
To start the show Black Thought and Q-Tip hosted and MC'ed by performing Hip Hop classic songs that were done by other artists as well as projects they are affiliated with. Next they gradually moved into host mode and welcomed Yahzarah, Curren$y, and Kid Sister to the stage to rock along with them. All of the acts were good but since this was a real Hip Hop/Soul show some of the crowd looked confused when Kid Sister performed. However, there was one crew of girls behind me profusely screaming and cheering her on and kept saying "Oh my God I love Kid Sister", so there were fans that came to check her and she was better than I anticipated.
The show was standing room only which created a real dope atmosphere for people who love real music and would prefer to dance and jump around instead of sit down in their seat and appear to be cultured.
When Erykah came out the crowd went crazy because it was a surprise but some people knew she was the surprise guest. I enjoyed her show and may even suggest that she change her name to Erykah Badi (Body). All the fellas and women who like women saw that she was fitting her jeans quite well which added an extra entertainment value to the show. Her show would've been dope if she came out with baggy jeans but I'm just sayin...
Overall, this was a very well put together classy event for people who love to celebrate real good music and good beverages and appreciate the global art of mixing.
Big shouts out to Hennessy for allowing me to be part of such a dope event!
After the show I was welcomed into the press area and had the priviledge to interview Q-Tip and Questlove. The audio interviews will be on my podcast page within the next few weeks. Stay tuned....
Thanks for reading!
Peace and Blessings,
Sean
If you don't know you betta ask somebody...JLC
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