Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Streetwise Radio Black Music Month Exclusive—Veterans and Rising Stars Illuminate Grammy Pro Songwriters Summit in Oakland, CA





By Shelah Moody
This spring, veteran artist D’Wayne Wiggins and rising stars Kirby Maurier, Fantastic Negrito and Kevaun “Kevo” Williams led an evening panel discussion at the Uptown nightclub in Oakland, CA. The Grammy Pro Songwriters Summit, held on May 12, was presented by the San Francisco Chapter of the Recording Academy.
Four of the music industry’s most influential black artists performed, also spoke candidly about their experiences in the music industry and offered advice on both the creative and music ends of the business.
Chart topping singer/songwriter musician D’Wayne Wiggins of the R&B group Tony! Toni! Tone!, opened the panel with an acoustic guitar performance of one of his favorite R&B classics, William DeVaugn’s “Be Thankful for What You Got.” As the “OG” and moderator of the panel, Wiggins said he plays “Be Thankful” to this day because of its unforgettable hook: “Diamond in the back, sunroof top, diggin’ the scene with a gangsta lean.”
Along with producing hits such as “Feels Good,” “Anniversary” “Lay Your Head On My Pillow” (inspired by the Spinners) and “Let’s Get Down” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKEL-g166ac) for Tony! Toni! Tone!, in the 1990s, Wiggins helped establish Oakland as a music mecca, producing hits for Beyonce and Destiny’s Child, Alicia Keys and Keyshia Cole to name a few on his Oakland-based Grassroots Entertainment, which he runs out of his recording studio, House of Music.
Guitarist Kevaun Williams and SF Recording Academy Chapter President Michael Winger

For this writer, the highlights of the Grammy Pro Songwriters Summit were the ebullient solos performed by Miami, FL based R&B singer/songwriter Kirby Maurier, accompanied by Jamaican guitarist Kevaun “KevoGitz” Williams on the Epiphone Lespaul Custom Pro.
A 2016 Grammy Amplifier winner, Maurier is the founder of the Miami Museum of Music and released her debut album “Doing the Most” on Valholla Entertainment. Propelled by William’s soulful guitar riffs, Maurier wowed the panel members and the audience with her original love songs “I’m Just Sayin,” and “Paradise,” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfClY4aGh-4) which she originally wrote for another artist.
Inspired by the “Gimme that Uh!!!” hook in “Paradise,” Wiggins mused at the double entendre. Fantastic Negrito proclaimed that he has an “Uh!!” and knows how to use it.” (Seriously, you can’t make this sh_t up!
I first saw Oakland local Xavier Dphrepaulezz perform about 20 years ago as leader of black alternative group called Death from Sex at the DNA Lounge in San Francisco. Now reinvented as a semi-superhero, Fantastic Negrito, he describes his genre as black roots music—a mixture of R&B, blues and alternative. Fantastic Negrito described the highs and lows of his career as an indie artist, including a car accident which resulted in three weeks in a coma, a brief period running a ganja farm and mismanagement and neglect by his former record label.


Fantastic Negrito

Fantastic Negrito performed his wildly popular compositions, “An Honest Man,” and a song exploring the downside of relationships with an unforgettable hook, “Bitch Eat My Cancer.” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hp1Oo9WEd5s.
Indeed, it was an honor for 26-year-old Kevaun Williams to perform with Maurier at the Grammy Pro Songwriters Summits in Oakland and Los Angeles. A graduate of Kingston’s prestigious Edna Manley College of Visual and Performing Arts, Williams played on Morgan Heritage’s 2015 album “Strictly Roots,” which won the Grammy for Best Reggae Album. This summer, he will tour with chart topping Jamaican vocalist Etana, and the tour will include a performance at the 2016 Sierra Nevada World Music Festival. www.snwmf.com.
Both Wiggins and Fantastic Negrito praised the natural and firey chemistry between Williams and Maurier as a duo.
“It's funny, because two years ago, Kirby and her team had an open audition where my band auditioned and we were selected, “said Williams. “Two years later, she contacted me to work with her on the Grammy Pro Songwriters Summit Showcase which was my first show with her. I like working with Kirby and her team because they're super cool, down to earth and I believe they have the right approach to this business and I share the same sentiment also. And, of course the chemistry on stage is FIRE!!”
For more information, go to www.grammypro.com.



Saturday, June 18, 2016

Sierra Nevada World Music Festival 2016 And Streetwise Radio Will Be There.












Follow the Streetwise Radio Team at the Sierra Nevada World Music Festival At Boonville ,California this weekend.
Check our Facebook Page for pictures and videos coming live from the Mendocino Fairgrounds.We will be Broadcasting on Ustream Live throughout the weekend. Check the Ustream button on our interactive player.Check Out Shaggy at the 2014 SNWMF on our On demand Channel. You will find clips on our interactive player.

Saturday, June 11, 2016

Keeping up with the Skint-Ashians:





The U.K.’s Reggae/Punk Band Skints at California Roots Festival;By Shelah Moody






Who: Tastemaker Live & King of Kings Reggae present the Skints with 2015 Grammy winners Morgan Heritage, Jamere & Laza Morgan, Saane & Delight, Mellow Movement, King I-Vier, DJ Green B, 1 Blood, hosts Spliff Skankin and Show Nuff Entertainment Deecee's Soul Shakedown.

When: Sunday June 12, 8 p.m.

Where: 1015 Folsom Dance Club, San Francisco, CA





The Skints have a lot to celebrate this year. Since I first interviewed them at the 2015 California Roots Festival, the innovative, east London reggae/punk band embarked on an international tour in support of their latest album, “FM” on Easy Star records. They’ve hit the European festival circuit this year and in the U.S., they’ve opened for the likes of southern California roots band Tribal Seeds and Grammy winners Stephen “Ragga” Marley and Morgan Heritage.
The Skints’ sound is a fusion of roots reggae, dancehall, dub, R&B, punk and garage. “FM” has been described as a fitting tribute to the diverse radio culture in the UK that influenced them.
During Memorial Day weekend, (May 27-29), the Skints returned to the wildly popular California Roots festival, held at Monterey County Fairgrounds.
I caught up with the Skints-Marcia Richards (keyboards, melodica, vocals), Josh Waters Rudge (lead guitar, vocals), Jamie Kryiakides (drums, vocals) and John Doyle (bass) in the media lounge after their high energy performance on Saturday afternoon. I asked the Skints, who played the smaller OG stage at Caliroots last year, how it felt to be “upgraded” to the Bowl—the main stage-- which exposed them to a wider audience. Josh said that the upgrade felt “quite luxurious” and an added perk was having a posh dressing room across from Stephen and Damian Marley and the VIP Lounge.





The Skints’ one-hour set in the Caliroots Bowl, thick with smoke from at least 10 strains of sensimilla, consisted of original songs such as “Cost of Living,” “Culture Vulture,” “Rat-A-Tat,” “Laser Beam,” “Forest for the Trees” and “Eyes in the Back of My Head.” Given the Skints’ tight rapport with each other and the audience and their collective quick British wit, I asked them if they’ve considered a venturing into reality television.
“This is the first time anyone has seriously mentioned it,” said Josh. “Keeping up with the Skint-ashians… We should look into it.”
The Skints are advocates of live music and serious instrumentation. Marcia’s ebullient melodica solos are one of the highlights of a Skints show.
“When you play the piano, you can play the melodica,” Marcia explained. “It’s a direct mix between the flute and the piano, which are my two main instruments. I’m very influenced by Augustus Pablo. We used to listen to him in the car when we were driving to shows.”
In closing, I asked each member of the Skints to sum up the California Roots festival experience in a few words.
“It is the most friendly and warm place, both in weather and the vibe,” said Marcia. “These are some of the nicest members of the audience I’ve met during my career.”
“Glorious sunshine,” said Josh.
“Free edibles,” said Jamie.
John chose to be ambiguous in his response. “Sexuality!”

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