"Give The Drummer Some!" -We're Building A "Grand Army" TONIGHT! Player Play On!

For the LONGEST I've been dying to create a venue and event focusing on live music, which is another passion of mine. I'm thinking something where the vibe is cool, it's food & drinks (of course) involved and you can come listen to young musicians playing EVERYTHING from Funk to Jazz, Rock to Hip-Hop. BUT, it'll be what these rap producers today are sampling! the "originals samples" that folks only get a few seconds of from a "looped" song, but are actually taken from GREAT compositions. Have you been noticing over the course of the blogs start I've been putting you on to this already? That was just scratching (pun intended) the surface. So first things first, we've decided to put a band together to do just that! Here's the Craigslist ad I placed 'bout a week ago:

Building "the Grand Army"
"Looking for more than qualify musicians to play as house band for monthly open-mic R&B revue, and backing band for studio sessions for signed Motown artist and former Bad Boy/Hitman producer (Rich Younglord). Needing 2 Keyboard/organ player (s), drummer, trumpet and sax player, bass, plus electric guitar. Must be well versed in Jazz, HIP-HOP, and 70's funk/soul music. Also mesh well with others. ages 21 to 35 perfered. Think "if the Roots where from NY...but BETTER!" or "If the Time was a Hip-Hop band" Please leave contact to be reached for future try-outs to be held very soon. Also be camera ready."

Boy did a get replies within mins of the posting! So TONIGHT we're holding auditions for all those that responded  @ Ultrasounds rehearsal studios 7-10pm! Bring your "A" game in what ever instrument you happen to be playing. Oh btw, "the Grand Army Players" name is a indirect reference two things, one being I'm from Brooklyn & grew up near "Grand Army Plaza" so that and a line from Star Wars ("Attack of the Clones"), when Chancellor Palpatine says "As my first act with my new authority, I will create a Grand Army" And that always stuck with me. So there, a lil' inside trivia.

"Gram Crackers" -the Grammy Show review

Normally I don't make it my business to be home on the night
the Grammy Awards air, but this year quite a few artist that I follow where scheduled to appear and perform on the program. Then word got around that the Time (one of my all-time favorite groups) were to reunite on the show. So that pretty much sealed it for me to tune in last night. And I gotta say man, Best...Show...Ever! They pulled out all the stops for their 50th Anniversary, and it paid off. Great music equals a great show, bottom line. Aretha, Alicia, Beyonce', the Beatles, Daft Punk, Frank Sinatra, the Foo Fighters, Kanye, John Legend, John Meyer, Tina, Rihanna...I could go on but you pretty much get the point.
Oh you gonna start playing the music on me huh?!?
Well finally you recognize the blog that should be the winner, that's reward enough. Good night!

"About Damn Time" -the Time Reunion

"When the student is ready the teacher will appear"
-Buddhist proverb









If Prince is remembered for any of his great musical accomplishments, the inception of the Time has to be within the top 3 of that list. Period. My first memory of even hearing about these guys was this very album you see here, my mom had in her record collection. The self-titled, 6 track, 5 minute (or more) long songs record, co-produced by the Starr Company, which was code for "Prince did it" back then. I studied very groove and lyric like it was a pop quiz I had to take the very next day. "Cool" became a personal anthem and a way of life for me.
They somehow managed to take the smooth melodies of R&B and married it perfectly with the braggadocious energy of music's new conception at the time, which was Rap. I don't even think Rap at that point figured out how to be so clever at being so raunchy. The Time was the full package, killer stage show, dressed for business, they made it look easy...too easy. Now 18yrs later, after the 1st hit producing reunion ("Jerk-Out), the boys are back at it again Grammy night. And not a moment too soon, cause I think music... matter of fact, the world needs to be reminded what it is to be "cool" again.