Chico Mann Live in Brooklyn (and NJ tomorrow night!)

To pick up where I left off, a couple weeks ago I had a Saturday full of live music . . . so after leaving The Sweet Divines' show I headed up to Williamsburg where Chico Mann was having a late show at the Lucky Cat. Like The Divines, Chico Mann is a local group, based out of Jersey City, NJ and their live show features Antibalas keyboard player, Victor Axelrod. Marcos "Marquitos" Garcia, the man behind Chico Mann is also the guitar player for Antibalas.

The show was a bit of a let-down, but I don't fault the band. The sound system at Lucky Cat was a bit messed up and they couldn't figure out how to remove the reverb from the backing track they were using for the drum track. You could feel the band's frustration with the situation and that they couldn't kick it like they wanted to due to technical difficulties. I look forward to seeing them sometime soon and they do have a number of shows coming up, in fact at Maxwell's in Hoboken tomorrow night!My man, DJ Rios (Wax Poetics) to spin the opening DJ set.

Here we have one of many solid tracks off of Chico Mann's debut album, Manifest Tone, Vol. 1

Chico Mann - Soul Freedom

The Sweet Divines

The Sweet Divines with band-leader and song-writer J.B. Flatt

A few weeks ago I experienced a jam-packed Saturday night of live music that started off with the second ever live performance of The Sweet Divines at Union Hall in Park Slope, Brooklyn. I made it to their first show in Brooklyn Heights at the Magnetic Field but arrived just in time to catch the tail-end of their last song and the wonderful treat of the Mighty Hannibal joining them on stage for a surprise cameo. Someone's already written up a very flattering review of the show at Union Hall here, but I will mention that Sharon Jones (of the Dap Kings fame) made a short, but sweet cameo. It's too bad that the Union Hall stage is only several inches above the dance floor because I think most people weren't able to even see that Sharon was there (no offense meant towards Ms. Jones; she may be a soul-singing giant, but she ain't too tall).

The Sweet Divines have a good formula going on. They ain't bad to look at, they can sing, they mostly sing about sex (not explicitly, but it ain't too obscured neither) and they have a great back-up band. Now that I think about it, they've really gone back to the essence of what made so many classic girl groups so great: dance-able songs, pretty faces, taboo topics, and great performances. All of the four vocalists have chops to spare and they all come with their own style. You have to see them live to get the full effect. There are a few shows coming up in the NYC area for those of you who are local.

The funny thing is that when I got to their first show I recognized one of the vocalists, Pamela Quinn, as a friend of a friend of mine from college. Small world. Big up, Georgetown Phantoms!

So I picked up their only release to date, a three-song CD and while all of the songs are solid mid-to-late 60s style soul tunes, "Honeythistle" is the clear standout. Interestingly, from the live show they had several other songs that I liked better than these three, so I can't wait for the full length to appear.

The Sweet Divines - Honeythistle
So, swing by their website and get on their mailing list or check them out at their next show. These ladies are just out of the starting gate and already they are going strong!

This Saturday, The Rio Deal in NYC

After taking some time away from the bustling and hustling DJ scene of NYC, I am once again throwing my hat into the ring with a new residency. I am very excited about DJing at a new bar in Williamsburg that has been all the buzz as of late. This is the same place where we had the Frank Sinatra party back in December and the place has been in on the tip of everyone's tongue since then.

The bar is located on the most recent street to receive hipsterfication in Williamsburg, Grand Street (east side of BQE). I must say, they do it right at Huckleberry. You walk in this place and its like all the design flaws of every other bar are made apparent, because this place just "feels" right, down to the sunken lounge in the back and the classy DJ booth with ample space and even a little shelf for the DJ to place his immaculately made Manhattan (possibly the best I've ever had).

Check out their website here.

As for the music, it's gonna be a mix of Soul, Funk, Disco from North and South America. I'm gonna see what the people react to on the first night and play it by ear from there. No musical agenda other than making people shake, shimmy, head-nod or dance, whatever their preference might be. If I don't know you already, please come by the booth and introduce yourself. I'll be back every 4th Saturday of the Month, so mark those calendars.

I hope to see some of you there.

Allen aka 'the ambassador'