If I had to pick a 'feel good moment' from last year, it was seeing the hard won dreams of Charles Bradley come to fruition. Not only was his debut LP "No Time For Dreaming", released on Daptone Records, but he hit the road for a string of shows with the Menahan Street Band that was joyously received, to say the least.
Now that golden moment is captured in the form of a documentary, Charles Bradley: Soul of America that will have it's debut at this year's SXSW Film Festival. Have a look at the trailer below:
Had the pleasure of catching Mr. Bradley & The Menahan Street Band at Soho in Santa Barbara last fall. It was an emotional night, and Charles performed a fiery set, capping it off by literally bringing the love to the audience, wading out for hugs at the end of his set. It was hard not to be moved.
Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings rolled towards the end of a west coast swing, stopping by Soho in Santa Barbara, before heading home to do a series of NYC shows celebrating the 10th anniversary of Daptone Records.
The club was completely sold out, and the show rolled out in revue mode,
spotlighting the band and the backup singers before the grand entrance
of Ms. Jones quickly transformed the place into a thrashing sweatbox.
Sound issues plagued the band throughout the show, including system spikes and a dead in ear monitor that gave her that disconnected feeling of lip synching, but she toughed it out, and once again proved the value of a hard day's work. Where any of her contemporaries would have pulled out or mailed it in, Miss Sharon Jones kept the faith.
Their latest release, "Soul Time, Volume One", was released on Black Friday, and is a great place to start for anyone new to the band. And if you really can't get enough of that funk, set the wayback machine to June of 2010, for a look at the SJDK show at the Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles.
Sharon Jones & The Dap KingsWiltern Theater, Los Angeles26 June, 2010
Saturday night in downtown Los Angeles was the place for an object lesson in Soul Music, old school style, courtesy of Sharon Jones and the one and only Dap Kings. They were in town at the Wiltern Theater, with the emphasis on the newest record, "I Learned The Hard Way".
Opening duties were handled with great aplomb by The Heavy, an English group that seemed to draw heavily from the wellspring of Fishbone. They handled ska beats and Stooges stomp with equal dexterity.
Showtime finally arrived as the Dap Kings hit the stage, their ranks rapidly swelling to 'Lyle Lovett/Large Band' proportions. Their sound was bouyant and propulsive, easily filling the theater, but not at the expense of dynamics. One of the tighter bands on the road now, it seems like their finally getting their due.
Nowadays it seems like the art of the introduction is lost, but below, the Dap Kings work through their newest theme, 'The Reason', (part one), and then proceed to bring on Sharon Jones, (part two), in a style befitting, as only Binky Griptite could put it: "That super soul sister with the magnetic je ne sais quois..."
With the spotlight on her, Sharon did not wilt or disappoint. I'm deep with the albums, and I've heard a few different live shows, but when she hit the stage, it was a detonation...Nothing quite compares or readies you for the sheer 'in your face.ness of it'.
It was definitely a people's show, with Sharon calling out audience members to come up and share the love. At one point, she had to wrangle a pack of girls that took advantage to obtain their less than fifteen minutes...She showed great patience in herding, and the band never missed a beat.
Highlights of the night included a rousing take on "Let Them Knock", (below), and the Dap King's horns showcased the new tune: "The Game Gets Old".
They never ran out of steam, and word to the wise, when the old school carnival hits your town, be sure not to miss it.
