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Sheila E @ Yoshi’s San Francisco

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It is not often you can catch a legend in close proximity in an amazing venue such as Yoshi’s San Francisco but when you have that opportunity you just have to go for it. Somehow my boyfriend got front row seats to experience such splendor and we both full embraced it. Luckily for us it was at a bargain price.

While I fully admit I wasn’t fluent in her complete catalog the show spoke to everyone: those who knew her from her solo work in the 80’s, to others who knew her collaborations with Prince, or those who are more familiar to her famous family this show had something for everyone (not to mention fabulous Yoshi’s desserts). Sheila looked amazing in a gold sparkly dress, leggings, and platforms. Her band which included a few of her family members were all brought together for this special run of shows as a favor to Yoshi’s simply because the act originally set to play cancelled. As a percussionist I loved being close to feeling her energy and only then really understood how difficult it must be to play percussion, sing, and lead the band all at the same time. The band was truly in sync with her and even though Sheila E mentioned they never really performed together before they sounded as tight as a band that have been playing together for ages. The set mixed from hits like “Glamorous Life” to a new hit single from the E family that recently hit number 1 on local radio station KBLX. The highlight for me was Sheila E and her brother who is the biological dad of Nicole Richie (thanks to Wikipedia for that fun fact) shared the stage. They started with a simple beat repeating each other to a varying degree on different percussive instruments.  They moved on to the front row where they grabbed a tea kettle from an unsuspecting patron to drum on to finally tactful tapping a martini glass.

It was certainly a special night for bay area music too as the Yoshi (female) that started the two Yoshi’s Jazz Clubs in the bay area was in attendance. She spent the evening dancing in the aisles spinning as though she was fully embracing the music through her whole body. Shelia E and her family are a not to miss bay area music institution and seeing it at Yoshi’s is a match made in heaven.

Rebirth Brass Band: The Rebirth Of New Orleans

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It’s a Tuesday night in New Orleans. Music fans are lining up at the Maple Leaf Bar to the Rebirth Brass Band. Everyone pays a small entrance fee and cozies up to the bar for some drinks.  Once  the concert goers are hydrated they surround a very small stage awaiting the Rebirth Brass Band to take the stage. A few locals are impatient stamping their feet and exclaiming “Rebirth we are waaaaaiting…” Finally the brass band takes the stage from the first note the audience is captivated, screaming and dancing to the grooves. If this sounds like a fabulous night you are right but believe it or not this occurs every Tuesday night in New Orleans.

Rebirth has been around since 1972 and formed by original members The Frazier brothers, Phil and Keith, along with trumpet legend Kermit Ruffins. The brass band has been called a “New Orleans Institution” by the New York Times. In season 1 of the hit HBO show Treme the opening scene featured the band leading a second line parade into the city. I recently watched the scene with my parents whom were both engrossed in their newspapers when I popped the DVD in. As the band marched and the music grew in intensity both of them could not divert their eyes form the TV screen. I am off the opinion if you cannot be moved by Rebirth’s music you have no soul.

Today, Rebirth’s latest effort “Rebirth Of New Orleans” is available at music retailers everywhere on  Basin Street Records.  The first track off of the album “Exactly Like You” tips off with a triumphant snare cadence as to make sure the audience is ready to listen. The second track “You Know You Know” features the horn line in very tight unison. There is also a spirited saxophone solo on this track too and while Rebirth has the power to blow everyone’s face off it is nice to have solos to hear the individual musicality of the musicians. In the track “The Dilemma” there is an Afro-Cuban groove locked in by the horn section and drums. My favorite song on the record has to be “Let’s Go Get ‘Em” with this infectious groove that motivates the listener to just get up and give life everything you got.  While all of the music on this record is a party there is no missing the message in the lyrics.  On “What Goes Around Comes Around” the listener is reminded “What goes around comes around in its time…”  “On “Do It Again” it is clear that the band is here to stay and “We have already done it and we goin’ do it again.”

After several spins of this disc I can easily say that it has captured the intensity of a live Rebirth Show. Whether the horns are blasting or there is ahorn solo it is absolutely breathtaking what a band like this can come up with.  Consider this article a gentle reminder to book your travel now to New Orleans and make sure that includes a Tuesday night session with the tightest band in the land, the Rebirth Brass Band.

To preview some music from the new record click here.

Social Media is Bringing Concerts Closer to Fans

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Social media has become the new “it” thing. It has revolutionized the way we interact with our friends and family. But can it bring fans closer to their favorite artists and shows?

One example I have seen firsthand of a band utilizing social media is The Script. They are a rock band from Dublin, Ireland. They are very active in social media; posting regularly on Facebook, Twitter, etc. I went to see them play last October at the Fillmore in San Francisco.  I started following them on Twitter and “liked” their page on Facebook. As I a fan I really appreciated that they regularly posted something from the road.  As you can see in the Facebook posting below the band posted a picture of what the view was like for them on stage:

This is a great way for fans to feel like they are an apart of the action whether they went to the show or not. Even after the show the band asked fans “Where was the best place for a drink in San Francisco?”

They are keeping their followers and fans engaged by regularly updating with new and relevant content. An important thing to note is that you can tell that the band members (or someone very close to the band members) are updating their own social channels and their tone of voice is authentic. Young people are very savvy and an unauthentic voice will turn them off.  People use social media to get closer to their favorite artists because it allows for two-way communication. The only thing I think the band could improve on their current strategy would be to respond to some of the questions their fans pose on these various channels.

Beyond interacting with fans using platforms like Twitter and Facebook bands can now sell concert tickets directly to fans.  Utilizing an application from the direct to fan digital company called Topspin, the band The Pixes did just that. According to Hypebot the band within a year grew an email list from nothing to over six-figures.  In May/June of 2010 the band booked themselves at the Troxy in London and put up 6,000 tickets just to sell directly to their fans. Within a week they had sold every single ticket directly to their fans! They utilized their social media channels to get the word out along with the Topspin platform. Something else amazing to note is that at the venue management was able to scan tickets using a Topspin iPhone App!

There are also venues that are utilizing social media to help concert goers engage during concerts. A great example of that is the venue The Roxy in Los Angeles.  Unlike some venues that do not allow cameras in, The Roxy encourages social sharing from shows by providing free Wi-Fi to encourage livestreaming and taking and sharing pictures to their various personal social networks. According to Mashable @TheRoxy with 56,000 followers has become the #1 venue on Twitter.  By welcoming social media technology the venue effectively removed the “velvet rope” and made it possible have fans have direct conversation with the venue.

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