>Note: Due
to Mp3 conversion issues, some of these files have been improved
slightly since the last email. Please re-download for best results.
ELECTRIC NOSTALGIA Vol.2 - March 31, 2010
feat. 4 more... funk/rock/hip hop ReBoots
Conflageration, Morning Glory, Robot Lust, Spirit of Music
http://motionpotion.com/page/en-vol2
Electric Nostalgia on the road... TOUR BLOG PART 2: THIS BLESSED COUNTRY
SILENT SOUNDCLASH SERIES PART 2
Not every show was spectacular. Some of them in fact were poorly promoted, poorly produced and downright poorly attended. There were a couple where I wish they had just mailed me a check instead of making me drive 8 hours to get there. But there were some nights that were just flat out MAGICAL. Boone NC, Wilmington, NC, New York City, and St Louis were a few that come to mind. What we DID do in every market was break some serious musical ground. 2+DJ battles on wireless headphones have never been experienced by ANYONE before this tour, and we brought that unique experience to Savannah, Boone, Wilmington, Athens, Atlanta, Baltimore, Charlottesville, Blacksburg, New York City,
Syracuse, and Grand Rapids. We met a lot of wonderful people and really opened, and even blew a LOT of minds. Some highlights, lowlights and disco lights.
BOONE, NC: We rolled up to Boone Saloon and thought we were going to try to fit this "club" thing into a little sports bar. 2 hours later, the place had converted into a full-on disco getdown. The crowd was outstanding, just a full-on danceathon. One of the more adventurous sets I have ever played, full of a LOT of rock and roll and over 45 minuets of Talking Heads and Radiohead alone... Just a wonderful little town and scene.
BLACKSBURG:
Begin with the fact that I got to drive there from Charlotte with Joey of Boogieburg Soundsystem, (spending 3 horus with him was a treat). Playing with the BBurg kids and taking on another local crew of dubstep/electro kids was quite a treat,. Great party FOR A TUESDAY!
ATHENS:
This was a tough one. We had high expectations for Athens as Ryan is from there and we actually did quite a bit of promo. Add to this the fact that Eclectic Method AND Ancient Astronauts were also on the bill. And.... noone showed. School was out for Easter weekend, AND REM was celebrating 30 year anniversary across town. Our outside party wasn't bad, but I felt HORRIBLE for Ancient Astronauts, two of my favorite artists and people who were suffering inside playing to a big empty room. Bummertown. Nice club tho...
ROCKS OFF CRUISE, NYC:
Ok, it was COLD on that boat, but man what a magical evening. Great crowd, great view, great vibes. GREAT MUSIC FROM DJ SMALLCHANGE, on the other channel. But nothing really compares to seeing NYC from the waterside. Hats off to Jess and Jake at Rocksoff for bringing us into a truly wonderful, unique experience.
ST LOUIS:
Loyal Family is one of the good ones. If anything occurred to me repeatedly on this toru it was the thought that "wow, compared to Sunset, these promoters don't have it together do they?" But there WERE somenotable exceptions, the Charlottesville team was notable for their superb effort on our behalf. But the best job had to be the one doen by Loyal Family in St Louis. They had the right support Djs, the right venue, the right setup and just a BEAUTIFUL audience. It was the last night of the tour and we just blew the roof off. One of my favorite road shows ever. Thanks to Loyal Family.
ADULT SWIM BLOCKPARTY TOUR Late at night in St Louis, I said goodbye to Ryan, Kevin and James, my Silent Events road crew who were some of the most professional, skilled and adaptable people I've ever worked with. From there, Matt Khan joined me to drive the rest of the way, beginning that night with a 12-hour slog through the rain from St Louis to Norman Oklahoma. We arrived just in time and came into the grace and favor of the Adult Swim Blockparty tour.
A promotional vehicle for the summer/fall tv schedule, the tour was basically an Adult Swim-themed traveling carnival with games,
prizes and a great soundstage. I would Dj for a while, then theyd run the contests and giveaways and a band would come on. In Norman and Lawrence it was the outsanding rock band the Whigs. In Champaign it was the Clipse (not my favorite). In West Lafayette it was Asobi Sexu (pretty cool indie electronic act) and in Columbus it was the amazing People Under the Stairs. My Dj sets were fun in some places, and a struggle in others. As I opened all of the shows, at times I would be playing to a long line of kids waiting to get tee shirts. But in some places I got the sense that no-one had ever heard the kind of stuff I was playing and were kind off jawdropped. Here were some highlights:
The Adult Swim Crew: Led by the uber-cool jazz-touring veteran Tony Clark, and Bonnaroo vet Mary Beth Elam, the 15+ person crew of this traveling carnival could not have been more professional, easy-going and interested in my welfare. They consistently went out of their way to make sure that I was heard, respected, and treated properly. Brad and Patrick, my sound crew were just outstanding. Although I only toured with them for 5 of what would be 12 dates for them, me and Matt consistently felt like we were part of a big traveling family.
Lawrence Kansas:
My first cousin, and sister-in-law went to KU and my girlfriend Amy grew up there. So I had been warned that Lawrence was a beautiful little gem in the middle of the country. But I was still pretty blown away by just how cool a town it was. Little did I know that Lawrence was once an abolitionist center and
paid the price, when it was burned down by pro-slavery bandits during
the prelude to the Civil War. "The Free City of Lawrence" rose from the
ashes and still seems to be a center for progressive, free-thinkers.Full of cool little independent businesses, Lawrence reminded me a lot of how Austin used to be when it was still a town of 200,000 and not a city of 500,000. Like Austin, it seems that the college really created an oasis that attracts all of the open-minded folks in the entire region. Highlights included a walk through the gorgeous KU campus and a great night singing karaoke at the JazzHaus.
The Endless American Steppes (and I 80):
My roadie, Matt Khan flew out to make the drive, mostly because he wanted to see the country (it certainly wasn't for the money). However, by the time he got to me, I was worn out from 6 weeks on the road. So most of what he saw was endless roadmiles, streetlights, truck stops, and motels as we hustled the length of the US. I kept telling him about the Wasatch range in Utah but we crossed it at night. He slept through Great Salt Lake. We arrived in Tahoe at 5am during a freak windstorm and had to hustle out in the morning to avoid the pass being closed. But coming in through the Caldecott Tunnell and across the Bay Bridge, the kid's jaw was on the floor with his first experience
seeing the Bay Area.
BLESSED BLESSED and MORE BLESSED:
From March 5 to April 26 I drove more than 10,000 miles in 26 States with Ben Ebyam, Ryan Dowd, Kevin Garner, James Buck and Matt Khan. And the word that kept coming to my mind was "blessed". Blessed to be fortunate enough to be of sound mind and body. To have a profession I love dearly. To have the help of amazing business partner and staff in SF that allows me to go on the road. To have Phil and Wes at Philosophy to book such an outstanding tour for an independent artist. To know such amazing people in Davis, Austin, New Orleans, Miami, and on the road with Silent Disco. To have been asked by Superfly to do the Adult Swim Tour. To be able to play the music I LOVE and not the music
I HAVE TO play.
But even more than that, I felt blessed to be an American. I know, I know, shut up. We're not supposed to express patriotism unless we're rightwing Foxnews nutcases right? There is so much about this country and what it stands for that I object to, question, and try to change. I have travaleed overseas a LOT, even lived in Europe for a year of my
life. But this was my first real trip around the US in more than 15
years and when you actually get out and see it, you realize just how gorgeous our country is, and how many different types of human beings inhabit it. They are all going about their lives in millions of different ways and in some ways competing with one another for finite resources. But that is the HUMAN condition. And of the billions on the planet, only a few hundred lucky million will EVER get to be citizens of this incredible country at this incredibly exciting time. It ain't perfect and certainly could use some help right now, but I'd take being a citizen of this country right now, over most lives anywhere, ever. Hobbes said that life for most is "Nasty, Brutish and Short". But if
Thomas Hobbes had been riding shotgun with me on the "Electric Nostalgia Tour" I think he would have had a very different perspective.
MOPO LIVE APPEARANCES I couldn't be more excited about my summer schedule. Not too much actual touring but a lot of very cool locals shows and some of the best festival in the USA. Ill be returning to Bonnaroo for my 7th appearance. This will also be my first trips to both Lightning in a Bottle and Camp Bisco. Im also celebrating my record release on June 4 at Mezzanine with Kraak & Smaak and flying to Madison Wi to do an all-James Brown set at the wonderful Majestic Theatre!
ABOUT WHATDAFUNK: The
WhatDaFunk Newsletter has been dreamed, schemed, written and
painstakenly coded (though seldom spell-checked) by San Francisco DJ,
concert promoter, restauranteur, writer, dreamer, sci-fi geek,
cat-lover, and extremely busy dude named Robert Kowal (AKA Motion
Potion - or "robbie" to his friends). Its purpose is to shine a light
on less recognized funky events, people, happenings and
thereby build community. If it also lets people know about MoPo's own
events, both solo and through his work with Sunset Promotions, so much
the better. After over 300 issues, there are now THOUSANDS of you who
read this thing and you have BECOME that community. This newsletter
takes a LOT of time to write and code so please support this newsletter
by supporting MoPo's many endeavors. Go see him spin (you will dance),
go see a Sunset show (you will groove), go to eat at Mojito (your mouth
will water)
LEGAL SHITE: The
opinions expressed in the WhatDafunk Newsletter are solely those of
Robbie Kowal and are intended to do nothing more than inform and extoll planet earth towards a greater appreciation of funk-culture and music in
general. By providing such opinions, the WhatDafunk Newsletter and
Robert Kowal do not recommend and are not liable for any content,
information, advice, products| services or prices contained in this
newsletter. Your access and reliance upon any such content,
information, advice, and opinions regarding anything mentioned herein
is solely at your own risk. Basically, check things out for yourself
and funkify your OWN life.
This email was sent by:
Sunset Promotions: 1281a 41st ave San Francisco, Ca,
94122, USA
