On Thursday, January 10th, 2013, it will be the dead of winter, Christmas and New Years just a memory and Spring so far away it is hard to imagine it will ever be here. We will be cold, tired and miserable and with only days and days of darkness and dreariness to look forward to. Hell, even the Superbowl will be a month away. So it is a perfect time for the good people at City Parks Foundation to get us thinking of the summer.
I've seen one wonderful concert after another at City Foundations "Summerstage" free concerts and arts series and last year, with press pass in hand, was a very special treat indeed. But what have they done for me lately? Well, on Thursday January 10th at the Highline, there will be a Summerstage Showcase for $25 only! The line up is awesome, I am guessing DJ Kool Herc and People Get Ready need no introduction (if they do I am adding the press release as well). But I had never heard of soul man Ofei and his song "London" is so good, a highly messed with sound, echoey and strong, along with a synth lick and a back beat to die for, it is an excellent song, I can't wait to see him.
Here is what City Foundation has to say… bring out the suntan lotion and see me there!:
City Parks Foundation is pleased to announce the SummerStage Showcase, a special event taking place at the Highline Ballroom on Thursday, January 10, 2013. In partnership with Santa Monica's Twilight Concerts at the Pier, the SummerStage Showcase will feature R&B legend Shuggie Otis, Brooklyn's own People Get Ready, soul singer Ofei, as well as gospel singer Joshua Nelson and DJ Kool Herc for a night of performances that will offer audiences a preview of the upcoming 2013 season of SummerStage.
Shuggie Otis is a musician’s musician, a reclusive genius from Los Angeles whose name has been spoken in reverential tones by his peers for more than four decades. After a long absence, Shuggie returns as a concert headliner with dates across North America in April 2013. Although an accomplished multi-instrumentalist, Shuggie is best known for writing “Strawberry Letter 23,” a #5 Pop hit for The Brothers Johnson in 1977, and for his guitar playing with Al Kooper, Frank Zappa, Etta James, and Bobby “Blue” Bland, among many others. Under Shuggie’s personal supervision, his highly-acclaimed third and final solo album, 1974's INSPIRATION INFORMATION, will be re-released as a double-CD set on April 16, 2013 on Sony. http://windishagency.com/artists/shuggie_otis
The Brooklyn band People Get Ready has been combining music and performance art since 2009, when the group first performed at The Kitchen's Dance and Process series in New York. The band released its self-titled debut last month on Brassland Records, and it's a fine collection of harmony-rich pop. Frontman Steven Reker worked as a dancer and guitarist on David Byrne's 2008-09 tour, and Byrne recently praised the group for its live shows, saying, "They integrate dance, movement, performance, music and singing in a way I haven't seen before." People Get Ready's live show is an incredibly striking mixture of music and performance art. All members are accomplished dancers and musicians, and their live act pools their collective talents into a striking audio/visual experience. http://thesepeoplegetready.com/
Ofei, the mysterious London producer, has dropped his first single "London" to critical acclaim. Mixing elements of soul, backbeats, processed vocals, and electronica, Ofei is the buzz of the UK music scene and is quickly taking the blogosphere by storm. http://www.official-o.com/
You may have never heard of “kosher gospel” music before, but the inspirational performances of Joshua Nelson, the creator of this style, will surely call out to your soul. Nelson has performed around the world, for Presidents, congregations, major music festivals—and for Oprah, who named him a “Next Big Thing.” Whatever the venue, Joshua Nelson, the Prince of Kosher Gospel, brings people—and cultures—together in joyous song. http://www.goldenland.com/joshua_nelson.htm
DJ Kool Herc is considered by many to be the “first hip-hop D.J”. In the early stages of hip hop music, DJ Kool Herc brought his sound system to block parties in the Bronx and began playing the brief rhythmic sections of records which would become known as “breaks. Using the two-turntable set-up of the disco DJs, Kool Herc’s style led to the use of two copies of the same record to elongate the break. This breakbeat DJing, using hard funk, rock, and records with Latin percussion, formed the basis of hip hop music. DJ Kool Herc’s music along with his announcements to his dancers, called b-boys and b-girls, helped pave the way to what everyone now knows as rapping. http://www.myspace.com/thefatherofhiphop
Ticket and Show Information
Tickets are required. Tickets are $25 in advance / $30 at the door.
Doors open at 6:00PM
Concert begins at 6:30PM
On Thursday, January 10th, 2013, it will be the dead of winter, Christmas and New Years just a memory and Spring so far away it is hard to imagine it will ever be here. We will be cold, tired and miserable and with only days and days of darkness and dreariness to look forward to. Hell, even the Superbowl will be a month away. So it is a perfect time for the good people at City Parks Foundation to get us thinking of the summer.