PAO vs. Hello, Dollface

After being a group for six years, the Phoenix Afrobeat Orchestra finally has a vinyl release. PAO is the next best thing to seeing Fela and sons. Seriously,this is some quality Afrobeat music. A few days ago they had a release party which I was very excited to attend. When I arrived at the venue in downtown Phoenix, I discovered that the show was sold-out. UGH! I should have known better. I asked security would I be able to buy merch after the performance was over. Yep.   Cool.   As long as I get my vinyl fix i'm good. I had a good 90 minutes to kill so I took a walk around the Roosevelt row area of downtown and wandered into the Lost Leaf, a popular tiny bar/venue on 5th st. I ran into the homie Degha who told I had to check out this group that had just started their set. As soon as I heard this chic's voice my jaw dropped. It turns out that the group was Hello, Dollface. I had never heard of them but I became an instant fan. I'm not sure how one would describe their music overall but they have some serious soulful tunes. The night is taking an upward turn. They took a break after a few great songs and when they were about to start again it was time for me to head back to the Cresent Ballroom to grab my PAO vinyl and t-shirt. What do I do?!  I quickly said a few nice words to the singer, bought the CD and headed out. Once back at the Cresent, I grabbed 2 copies of the vinyl EP (which I had 14 of the 16 bandmates autograph), a t-shirt, then my night was complete. I really wanted to see PAO perform but i'm super glad I was exposed to Hello, Dollface.  If you dig Afrobeat or soul music, I highly recommend both of these groups.

   

The Return Of Know Qwestion

The original line-up of Cash, Cappuccino, and yours truly are gonna burn down the stage at Wasted Grain in Scottsdale on black Friday. We'll be sharing the stage with the Phunk Junkeez and Cousins Of The Wize. This is a sold-out show so I hope you got tickets already!

Down With The Kings!

I am the biggest RUN-DMC fan and have been a serious collector of their goods for years. Here are a few autographed goodies from my stash. I've managed to get my hands on some pretty cool rap memorabilia which I will be sharing in the future but here's a little something to wet your appetite.

Live @ Mobile Monday's Mix

Here's a mix from my first visit to Mobile Monday's  in NYC from a while back. Big Up's to Dj Gizmo & Natasha Diggs, & the entire Mobile Mondays staff.