Supporting ATL's Local Music: Janelle Monae

Supporting ATL's Local Music: Janelle Monae
Originally uploaded by kwadwojuma

Go get this record. Support a movement. This is a laid back city but for some reason there has been a spirit of hustle burning at the brow of our local artists. This is not a good thing, it's a GREAT thing. For too long we've seen our talent ignored. Janelle and Wondaland bring an opportunity for the spotlight to be shone on ATL's ignored music scene- the cinderella sisterhood story of the have and have-nots between Top 40 and progressive musicianship. Make a statement. Make the purchase

Fun was had by all.

Well, you'd think that in a day where Americans seem to be worked into a frothed frenzy over the injustices in Darfur, Sudan and the Chinese are being held under a microscope because of their hand in Darfur as well as their politics in the Tibet region that a Darfur benefit concert would be packed. The fact that Anthony David, Janelle Monae, Novel and Spree Wilson were also performing for FREE could have also been a motivating factor to come out and see a FREE screening of a celebrated documentary and concert. Didn't happen. The pews were nearly bare for the better part of the evening @ Emory, but the show was magnificent. I'm not saying this because Spree Wilson is my friend, or because my wife would cut off my supply of turkey bacon for dissing Janelle Monae, no. I'm saying this because the artists assembled put on one HECK of a show. If you've never seen Janelle Monae live, there is no way to describe it justly. The woman is a dynamo fluttering in a purposeful dance across the stage like a droplet of water on a hot skillet, but in tune- on key. Don't let her theatrics fool you; it's only the peacock packaging to a satisfying meal of a display. She's got the goods. She's at once beautiful, charming, stylish, endearing, talented, and she can blow the roof off the Georgia Dome with her voice. Who knew so much could come in such a small package? The thing of it is that we expect this from Janelle.
The unknown quantities for some, anyway were Novel, Anthony David and Spree Wilson. Few really know much about Novel and Spree,certainly. Anthony has been a hometown favorite for quite some time among neo-soul lovers,though and he put it down. Recognizing that the crowd MIGHT not be familiar with some of his past work, and respecting that he was in a church, David played some clean and classic 80's songs that had the crowd singing and clapping along with him. The acoustic set was magical, really. It had the ability to draw the listener in- an unexpected consequence of the sound issues of the structure. Every guitar strum was nearly a whisper, and to take in the sweet melodies playing off of the Harmony of David's rythym guitar it was necessary to listen keenly.
We caught the tail end of Novel's set, which made me sad, but it was a long evening of venue hopping. I couldn't be everywhere at once. I knew I was going to miss Hollyweerd @ Aiko and a friend Black Bill Gates @ Underground Friday night. There was just no way around that reality. When we walked in the door Novel and Spree Wilson were closing "Dream World", one of my favorite songs off Novel's Green Lantern Mixtape (I see you, Kid Kaos!). Novel did his thing and Spree was beginning his truncated set. He wasn't even on the bill for the night, but his set wowed the audience.
First off, Spree can rap his arse off. Secondly, he can play some mean guitar and lastly he has Alien 1 aka Ali. I mean, that dude can play some drums. If you ever want to see a spectacle of instrumentation, come see Ali live. The man climbs over the drums, tosses his sticks in the air (with no backup sticks, mind you) if he drops a stick he just plays along with one stick without missing a beat. If that isn't enough he's also known to twirl in a 360 will standing and playing. I honestly don't see how his drums put up with him. He's put them through more grief and pain than an alimony check can wash away. He played the BMI showcase on Thursday, and I know those poor drums had to still be in agony. Spree did his thing, though. Their chemistry is tactile, it grabs you by your imagination and pulls you in.

When you witness an unknown artist win over an audience like that it's an amazing thing to watch and it wasn't the first time I'd seen that Friday night. I saw an earlier example of the same energy at Cenci that night. I went to Cenci to see my friends Dillon Maurer, Smnalleyez and Lmarr perform at ATL MC Quanstar's album release party. I was also eager to see Quanstar perform as well because I've liked what I've heard of his work. I ended up missing Dillon's set as we were late and had to leave for the Darfur benefit before Quanstar or Dillon got to perform which is ashame because they both have dope acts, and Quanstar brought a live band. Before we left LMarr and Smalleyez played to the early crowd. Even with a smaller audience, they gave a lot of energy. The set was dope. Anyways, I'm not exactly tired, but if I'm going to get up for this Dilla walk, I need to catch some Z's. I'll talk to ya'll tomorrow, God willing.

Sudan is a country of juxtaposition.

Sudan is a country with beautiful natural scenery, high-rise buildings, weddings, universities, commerce, poverty, and of unrest. There are injustices between the working poor and those of the upper-class, a situation not unlike what we've become used to here in the United States. There are brilliant artisans, writers, strife, bloodshed and sound families. At the crux of this juxtaposition is oil and the polarizing nature that a country replete with generous resources and a weak concept of how to manage said resources can be taken advantage of. The proxy war between the West and Chinese/Russo interests in Sudanese oil is as easy to understand as a listing of the country's weapons suppliers which include Britain, former Soviet republics, and China. Both factions want their oil and they want to control who has access to it. Ancient blood fuels are played up as they have been in other emerging countries. Sides are taken, lives are lost. The premeditated mayhem and it's politics are complexed, certainly. But we can make a difference in the war-torn region of Darfur, at least. ATL-based artists like Dj Drama, Anthony David, Spree Wilson, Janelle Monae and Novel will be holding a concert at Emory University to help us do just that, and to do it locally next Friday. Be there.

So the cops shut down Janelle Monae last night

I got the entire thing on my camera, but for some reason my firewire isn't working.

You know what's dope about the innanets, tho? If you wait long enough someone somewhere will upload footage to youtube.

This is Janelle soldiering on after the cops cut her mic off:

Can't get enough of Janelle Monae?

Well, you have an opportunity to see Janelle Monae three times this weekend here in the ATL.

She's playing The Royal June 1st, Apache Cafe June 2nd, and Studio 900 on June the 5th.

Why do I have the flyer up for the June 5th show at local Photographer Zach Wolfe's studio?

Because it's FREE! I love Apache and the Royal, but you can't beat free. Also, she'll be rocking with ATL's own Slick & Rose and more? Shit.

But I wanna talk about Atlanta, tho. Later for LA.

Btw, the jawns u see above you is some Mass Confusion clothing. Be sure to hit up the man Yvel for some fly shit. He be hiding the good shit, don't let him fool you with that humble bullshit.





Janelle Monae's album fittna Drop. I can't believe she aint got more press than she has already. She fine as shit, she got the ill fashion sense, and the album is prolly gonna be flames. That kinda combo? Should be fucking huge, honestly. But I aint heard too much.

Aint heard of Janelle Monae? Well, she got new shit up on her myspace. But I'll share this not-so-oldie off That Purple Ribbon with you. My wife loves this track.


Lettin Go


Who else is on the come up in the A? Let's talk about some relatively new acts coming on the scene from/or based in Atlanta.

I want to talk about Daryl Reeves, Real Editors, Janelle Monae, Almaze, Dillon, and The Slack Republic. Have you heard of these folks?

I will talk about 'em for a spell. But not now. I'm tired. I'll be back tommorow or in a few days and share some info about them.