As soon as I saw the Roots Picnic advertised on
Okayplayer I started making plans to head down to philly for the show. At the same time I was happily daydreaming of what this Roots Picnic would look, feel, sound, and taste like. The music events I experienced while living in philly were comfortable, intimate, and personal- like hanging out at your favorite cousin's house on a lazy afternoon. I had no doubt the Roots would put together an eclectic and seriously fun picnic.
First things first I just have to say- the day of the picnic, June 7, was a freakishly hot day with temps close to 100. The heatwave did not put on a damper on the fun but it did put a glossy layer of sweat on everything. But really everything is better in the summer. The sudden heat did make it necessary to dress like you were exploring the Amazon or deserted on a tropical island near tahiti. The coolest people were decked out in sarongs, bathing suits, big ol sun hats, sandals or even bare feet. Shirts were off, shades were a necessity, and water was the #1 accessory. The most popular tee of the day was anything
Obama related. In between music acts we all flocked to the pavillion/dj tent (which was air conditioned) as it became the unofficial cool down lounge.
The picnic offered a musical sample of some highly creative groups.
DeerHoof, who I was wholly unfamiliar with, shook things up quite a bit with their indie rock/pop/hybrid sound. They definitely offered a unique (and very loud) sound that stood apart from every other act. They reminded me of some bands I used to listen to in the 90s when i was loving bratmobile, shonen knife, and pizzicato five.
As Mdot mentioned,
Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings expertly showed off their classic, soulful sound. Sharon Jones works her powerful voice with so much finesse you would swear you had been transported back to the heyday of classic soul. Sharon Jones= timeless sound. The band kept it real classy with a serious serving of funk and soul. They were the only musical group that inspired picnic- goers to couple up and start dancing. Plus one of the band members (guitarist) was sportin a very svelte three piece suit. I can't imagine how he survived the vicious heat in that getup but he sure looked the part.
After the sun had set and The Roots had performed their final exuberant set, I heard some heavy, heavy bass coming from the dj tent. I had a hunch it was
diplo so we rushed into the tent to catch some bmore club classics mixed in with dance tracks so raw you couldn't help but shake n pop. Diplo played an energetic and crowd-moving set that featured Rye Rye and Naeem (from Spankrock) on vocals. There was also a very talented male RnB singer who was on the mic quite a bit. We had no clue who this singer was but he did have a philly beard so we assumed he was a local artist. Folks were wu-tanging and two stepping as a life sized elmo circulated through the crowd pausing for pictures and high fiving picnic-goers. Diplo tore through songs with a ferocious energy that made his music impossible to ignore and he successfully turned the pavillion into a sweaty baltimore house party.
All the rumors are true- the Roots always deliver a phenomonal live set and their picnic delivered a truly talented ensemble of musicians. My day dreams about the picnic may have been slightly different but the outpouring of energy and love from all of the acts involved surpassed my expectations. -CleverGypsy
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On the spur of the moment last night decided to join a friend and attend an amateur stand-up comedy contest. The venue was The Comedy Club in Webster, which turned out to be a way better spot than what I had imagined in my head. The contest is "The Last Comic Sitting" of Upstate NY and runs each Wednesday night (7:30 pm) at The Comedy Club. It was free to attend- we had a couple of drinks- and there's food at the spot too. The comedians definitely had us laughing and the drink prices were great. I've never really gone to stand-up events and this contest kinda has me hooked- I really wanna see who wins! Heading back next Wednesday.
Rochester now has a First Friday gallery night! Every first Friday of the month (from 6-9pm) local galleries host a community night for folks to experience and share art. This winter there's even a free shuttle to take you between galleries. Basically you get a chauffeured ride to and from spots filled with art. That's like finding a portal through other people's imaginations. Plus don't you find it amusing to have random conversations with strangers about the "meaning" behind a painting/sculpture/modern art piece? Check out the First Friday website for info and a map of the participating venues. Initiative by ROCO.
Received a text message about this dance competition- have no clue who's involved with this. Either way who doesn't love a good ol' fashioned dance-off?
This Sunday Krudco and Redbull will be shutting down Howell street and skateboarding will take over. Bring your board and all your friends. Mdot Coop, Tim Tones, and Ric Rude providing that real hip hop.
This past weekend Rochester held it's annual Park Ave Arts Festival. Park Avenue was lined with arts vendors, food stands, musical acts, and other festival offerings. This year we also noticed a large number of corporate sponsors and booths that seemed to threaten the artistic nature of the festival. Nevertheless the festival drew large crowds and we hope that artisans made a decent profit.
As the 3rd annual B Boy BBQ was coming to a close a mutual friend looked around, gestured at the environment, and simply said, 'This is beautiful." The B Boy BBQ was a day that celebrated Hip Hop elements and the people who respect and love the culture. Picture yourself in the heart of the hood. You are surrounded by graffiti artists who are posted up on walls creating immaculate murals. B Boys are breaking on that trademark piece of the kitchen floor. All the while emcees are doing what they do to the sounds provided by an entourage of local DJ legends. The atmosphere oozed with creativity and positivity. Rochester is deemed the city of festivals, but events like this are few and far between. If only our city could be like this everyday- violence free and back to the basics of this culture we love.
As soon as I saw the Roots Picnic advertised on Okayplayer I started making plans to head down to philly for the show. At the same time I was happily daydreaming of what this Roots Picnic would look, feel, sound, and taste like. The music events I experienced while living in philly were comfortable, intimate, and personal- like hanging out at your favorite cousin's house on a lazy afternoon. I had no doubt the Roots would put together an eclectic and seriously fun picnic.
All the rumors are true- the Roots always deliver a phenomonal live set and their picnic delivered a truly talented ensemble of musicians. My day dreams about the picnic may have been slightly different but the outpouring of energy and love from all of the acts involved surpassed my expectations. -CleverGypsy
Ok, so The Roots have always been one of my favorite hip hop groups and bands period. When we (CleverG and I) heard two months ago that they were organizing and hosting the first ever Roots Picnic in Phila, PA we were all over it. Believe me it wasn't a disappointment. There was a plethora of artists from all ends of the musical spectrum including J Davey, Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings, The Cool Kids, Gnarls Barkley, Diplo, and of course The Roots. It was an all day affair and started around 2pm. We didn't get there until around 4pm. We missed J Davey, but got there right in time to hear the last few numbers of The Cool Kids set. I must say their show game was pretty on point, even if their music was louder than they were. Of all the acts and distractions throughout the day I must say that Sharon Jones and her band were the standout act of the day. Absolutely amazing. If I had to make a comparison I would say she is the female version of James Brown.
About 40 min. later they were followed by The Roots. It was their event so it was no surprise that they stole the show. They started with some classics like "Mellow My Man" and "You Got Me" and kept progressing. Leonard "Hub" Hubbard (who recently exited the group) made an appearance for some joints before Dice Raw came on stage to rip his verse on "Get Busy". The Roots' chemistry on stage is insane. Standing in a crowd of thousands, even though I was pretty close to the stage, I could see how much the band was enjoying themselves with one another. Black would look over at Kamal while he was ad libbing for songs and give him a little smile. Quest was in the background doing his thing- as always keeping the pace for the rest. 
The new additions to the band (bass, guitar, percussion, sausophone) fit right into place like they were always there. The camaraderie that exists in their band is evident and clear every time you see them perform live. The Roots haven't missed a step even with the lack of staple members. Their movement is one that many have followed and many more continue to jump on the bandwagon. They hosted their own festival, I wonder whats next, a label maybe?? If this is to be an annual event they definitely set it off right. The location was decent, right on the water which may have helped with the heat, because it was hot as hell. The alcohol and food were expensive. But at the end of the day hands down the best time I've had at a larger festival style show in quite some time. Do you want more? You know we do.
