|
Saul Williams ♥ The Varsity Theater, Minneapolis (10/25/09) Tour Dates 10/26/09 Detroit, MI @ Magic Stick
10/27/09 Chicago, IL @ Double Door 10/30/09 Phila, PA @ Theatre Living Arts 10/31/09 Northampton, MA @ Pearl ST 11/01/09 Washington, DC @ Black Cat 11/04/09 Atlanta, GA @ The Loft 11/05/09 Orlando, FL @ The Social 11/06/09 NOrleans @ House of Blues 11/08/09 Boulder, CO @ Fox Theatre 11/10/09 SF, CA @ The Independent 11/11/09 SBarbara, CA @ Velvet Jones 11/12/09 San Diego, CA @ Delta Room 11/13/09 Los Angeles, CA @ The Roxy 11/15/09 Portland, OR @ Aladdin Theate 11/16/09 Seattle, WA @ Neumos 11/17/09 Vancouver, BC |
Inspired by the 2003 documentary "Afro-Punk", the website of the same name, Afropunk.com, brings together all kind of culture and lifestyle. That company is also behind a series of tour dates with headliner Saul Williams, with a special guests joining on and off tour (I did notice that one of the original black-in-rock Living Colour will be joining on for a few dates!)
Afro-Punk is necessary about punks, it seems to also inherited punk attributes, such as its attitude and DIY mentality. So what we all witness last night was basically a very interesting mix of music genre, art, and lifestyle, in one show. One thing for sure is that all the acts on the bill is high-energy and, you can tell, in love with music.
The whole tour is being sponsored by Converse shoes and Bud Light (which was a bit ironic since the majority of the audience seems to be underage the legal drinking age). Throughout the night, MC Tchaka Diall (myspace) kept us entertained by throwing out T-Shirts and introductions.
Kicking it all off was Dearling Physique (official / myspace). Having already seen the band a few times already, I can already expect a funky outfit and even funkier dance moves. Well, in addition to those things, singer Dominique Davis also brought props on stage! Peacock feathers and a birdmask, that looks like it was from the imagination of Grant Morrison.
No Bird Sing (official / myspace) seems to me to be from the same school as Atmosphere and Eyedea & Abilities. I thought they were very good, especially on their last song of the set, "Ars Poetica".
The most punkish sounding band on the bill was American Fangs (official / myspace). Lots of movement and high energy, definitely a great band to see live. Don't believe me? Check out their song "My 2 Richards" at Vimeo. Their debut EP is $5 at, which the touring people claimed is "your new favorite EP".
CX Kidtonik & Tchaka Diallo (myspace) basically warmed up the audience with two or three songs before Saul Williams (official / myspace) joined them on stage with the rest of the touring band. For those who aren't familiar with Williams, he started as a spoken word poet (which he also incorporate between his songs during the show). In 2001, he made his first cross over to the world of music, and since then have worked with Trent Reznor, KRS-One, De La Soul, among others.
Although there were some excellent songs played during his set, I'll have to say that the highlight for me was his rendition of U2's "Sunday Bloody Sunday", sort of appropriate for that Sunday evening. As for the encores, I believe the first one was "Surrender", followed by "a new song" and "Raised to be Lowered".
But just when you thought the show was over, CX and Diallo came on stage to do some improv music as the few audience that remain gathered around to see what they're doing.
Overall, a very eclectic mix of bands. If the Afro-punk tour is coming through your area, check them out. The least you can do is download FREE Afro-punk compilation at downloads.afropunk.com.
Below are photographs from Erik Hess, our latest addition to the W♥M family.
Afro-Punk is necessary about punks, it seems to also inherited punk attributes, such as its attitude and DIY mentality. So what we all witness last night was basically a very interesting mix of music genre, art, and lifestyle, in one show. One thing for sure is that all the acts on the bill is high-energy and, you can tell, in love with music.
The whole tour is being sponsored by Converse shoes and Bud Light (which was a bit ironic since the majority of the audience seems to be underage the legal drinking age). Throughout the night, MC Tchaka Diall (myspace) kept us entertained by throwing out T-Shirts and introductions.
Kicking it all off was Dearling Physique (official / myspace). Having already seen the band a few times already, I can already expect a funky outfit and even funkier dance moves. Well, in addition to those things, singer Dominique Davis also brought props on stage! Peacock feathers and a birdmask, that looks like it was from the imagination of Grant Morrison.
No Bird Sing (official / myspace) seems to me to be from the same school as Atmosphere and Eyedea & Abilities. I thought they were very good, especially on their last song of the set, "Ars Poetica".
The most punkish sounding band on the bill was American Fangs (official / myspace). Lots of movement and high energy, definitely a great band to see live. Don't believe me? Check out their song "My 2 Richards" at Vimeo. Their debut EP is $5 at, which the touring people claimed is "your new favorite EP".
CX Kidtonik & Tchaka Diallo (myspace) basically warmed up the audience with two or three songs before Saul Williams (official / myspace) joined them on stage with the rest of the touring band. For those who aren't familiar with Williams, he started as a spoken word poet (which he also incorporate between his songs during the show). In 2001, he made his first cross over to the world of music, and since then have worked with Trent Reznor, KRS-One, De La Soul, among others.
Although there were some excellent songs played during his set, I'll have to say that the highlight for me was his rendition of U2's "Sunday Bloody Sunday", sort of appropriate for that Sunday evening. As for the encores, I believe the first one was "Surrender", followed by "a new song" and "Raised to be Lowered".
But just when you thought the show was over, CX and Diallo came on stage to do some improv music as the few audience that remain gathered around to see what they're doing.
Overall, a very eclectic mix of bands. If the Afro-punk tour is coming through your area, check them out. The least you can do is download FREE Afro-punk compilation at downloads.afropunk.com.
Below are photographs from Erik Hess, our latest addition to the W♥M family.
 Dearling Physique at The Varsity Theater, Minneapolis (10/25/09) ♥ Photoset from Erik Hess |
 No Bird Sing at The Varsity Theater, Minneapolis (10/25/09) ♥ Photoset from Erik Hess |
 American Fangs at The Varsity Theater, Minneapolis (10/25/09) ♥ Photoset from Erik Hess |
 Saul Williams at The Varsity Theater, Minneapolis (10/25/09) ♥ Photoset from Erik Hess |
10/26/2009 23:06:54 ♥ vu (
) ♥ afropunk.com ♥ myspace.com/afropunk
Recent Comments