“Gotta testify /’cause the booty don’t lie.”  This’ll probably show up on t-shirts soon.  So, here it is, fam.  Whatch’all think?

 Additional link:

• Janelle Monae official

The truth is, this is all Andrea Clarke’s fault.

A couple of Saturdays ago, I was listening to Andrea’s show on WBAI, Sister From Another Planet where, for nearly an hour, she was killing it from wall to wall.  I know she started with Alice Coltrane’s “Journey To Satchidananda”.  I can’t remember if there was anything else I was familiar with, but I can tell you it was a headnod-inducing set.  And it was the song she played at the end that really made me stop reading and listen. Part of the reason, I think, was that the song is over 16 minutes long, so it had plenty of time to sneak up on me and work its way into my head.

After some necessary chatter (it was, and still is, pledge season for WBAI; you should support it here), I found out the group is called The Brother Moves On.

Now, once I found out more about this group, I was mad at my South African friends for holding out on me.  The band’s name is a play on “Brother Mouzone,” the character from HBO’s The Wire.

Like Kenya’s Just A Band, The Brother Moves On is an art collective.  Their music has been described as experimental South African art rock.  I guess that’s owing to the jazzy, more freeform elements that their music can evoke.  The song that captivated me–”Wenu Wetla”–is taken from their 2011 recording, The Golden Wake EP.  Get this: The album is a live recording done at a performance art event that was staged as a funeral wake for their departed friend, known only as Mr. Gold.  Yeah.  Powerful stuff. Definitely some conjuring going on throughout.

An aside: When I’m outta here, I want y’all to send me home like this.

Another kinda random: I hear these guys and it strikes me that BLK JKS isn’t such an anomaly.  There’s a lot, sonically, the two bands have in common.  Have a listen and compare for yourself.

As I mentioned, this entire song is over 16 minutes, but it’s well worth it.  Funny, it’s the last song on the EP, but you’ll hear references to them finally being able to start the program”.  Whatever order, just put on the headphones and prepare to be swept up.  We’ve got The Brother Moves On on heavy rotation here in our offices.  If you find yourself continually pressing rewind, remember: It’s all Andrea Clarke’s fault, and for that we should all be grateful.

There are two albums from The Brother Moves On, both available on bandcamp.  The first, as noted above, is The Golden Wake EP.  The second is simply called ETA and contains remixes of two songs, “Good Times” and “Ya’khalimbazo”.

Get to know the band a bit here:

Additional links:

• The Brother Moves On official
• Andrea Clarke’s Sister From Another Planet on WBAI-FM
• Download TBMO’s OkayAfrica mixtape here

Speaking of Ricardo Iamuuri, check him out here with fellow Pittsburgh artists Formula 412 who, in 2011 took home “Best Group” honors in the Pittsburgh Hip Hop Awards.  Here, Iamuuri adds soulful counterpoint to bandleader Masai Turner’s laser-focused flow.

Just getting to know this band.  From what I’m learning, they want to be examples of another point of view and more honest stories for hip hop fans, one that’s not all full of bragging or swearing up and down that they’re getting paid.

Additional link:

• Formula 412′s YouTube channel

Good and interesting work is happening everywhere.  Sometimes it’s too easy to get very NY-centric or, even, Brooklyn-centric.  Fact is, it’s what happens when you live at the center of the known universe.

That was a joke, people.

Seriously, I’ve said for years that folks are creating all over the place: NYC, ATL, Nairobi, London, Oakland, Johannesburg, and Pittsburgh, where I went to college.  Even when I was  there, the city had a strong and growing decent music scene, most of which I remember as indie rock (we called it “new music” back then).  Which brings us to Ricardo Iamuuri, who was recently brought to my attention by video artist Alisha Wormsley, a friend of the talented Christiane D.

Of course, I start watching this video, Ricardo starts singing and I’m immediately struck by how much he reminds me of vocalist Dean Bowman.  Both are artists are heavily influenced by Negro Spirituals, but Dean plays much more on the avant-garde end of things.  Ricardo’s music, his bio says, “rests firmly upon the foundation of traditional folk music.  His primary influence came through Negro Spirituals sung a cappella by his family choir, “The Gift of Song,”  but the inspiration of musical theatre, urban blues, R&B, soul and classic hip-hop is evident throughout his work.”

Definitely someone to watch, and a great example of the creativity that’s flourishing in Pittsburgh, along other artists such as rapper and activist Jasiri X, rap-rockers Formula 412 and the aforementioned avant art songtress Christiane D.

Additional links:

• Ricardo Iamuuri on Bandcamp
• Ricardo on ReverbNation

(photo: Camara Holloway)

Dontcha just love that moment when you find out a person you knew one way turns out to have exceptional talent in another area?

That’s what’s happened when I took a listen to an early mix of some songs that Kandia Crazy Horse has been working on.  Now, many of you will recall Kandia as a rock journalist, and an award-winning one at that.  So, it was a pleasant surprise to hear her as a singer.  Now, I’ve long known of her love for southern rock and Americana.  But who knew she’s got such an engaging voice, one that’s slightly raspy and that leans towards heartache? If you’ve checked out artists such as The Carolina Chocolate Drops, Kamara Thomas & The Ghost Gamblers, and Martha Redbone, you’re sure to like what you hear from Kandia.  Brava, sis!

Check it out:

Additional link:

• Kandia Crazy Horse on FB

Unfortunately, we’re backed up on music posts.  So, here goes with some hip hop you should hear.

Derick Prosper is an MC with deep roots in the music industry on the business side and has worked in various capacities with artists like Lauryn Hill, Mos Def and 50 Cent.  #Atom 12.12.12 marks his first full-length solo album.  He describes his sound as “metaphysical hip hop,” and many of you might recognize it as reminiscent of hip hop’s golden era approach to lyrics and delivery.

There’s a lot of good stuff on this album.  This song, in particular, stands out.  Yes, you’ll hear some nice harmonizing by Zhane’s Renee Neufville.  But the real hook is the way all the elements of the track build layer upon layer, capped off by the horns that come in around 1:34.  You’ll see what I mean.  And, besides, it’s nice to hear a song about a man’s friendship and admiration for women.

Additional link:

• D Prosper official

If you thought all Wondaland Arts had to offer the world is Janelle Monae, you’re about to be pleasantly surprised and proven wrong.  Morehouse man George 2.0 has spent the last few years handling all of the new media efforts at the enclave, and is just now stepping out from behind the brand manager desk to unveil his own songs and share them with the world.  He’s also an actor: You may have seen him in Drumline, and he starred in his own one-man theater show, Any1Man, “his one-man elegy to the black man, in which he portrays with grace and power characters ranging from Adam in the Garden of Eden to a homeless man on the streets of an urban jungle.”

For now, check out his music video for “Deuteronomy”:

Additional link:

• George 2.0 official

Thought we’d throw this one into rotation for Valentine’s Day.

Pegasus Warning is the latest incarnation of Guillermo E. Brown, who’s collaborated with a slew of diverse folk:Anti-Pop Consortium, Anthony Braxton, DJ Spooky, El P, Cochemea Gastelum, Vijay Iyer, King Britt, Jamie Lidell, Arto Lindsay, Spoek Mathambo, William Parker, Vernon Reid, Matthew Shipp, TECLA, The Temper Trap, Twin Shadow, Gordon Voidwell, the late David S. Ware, and Saul Williams, to name a few.  Range, right?

Makes sense when you consider Guillermo makes soul music for the technology-driven age we live it, but still manages to remain soulful.  He’s been influenced by other artists with singular vision or impact such as Sun Ra, Grace Jones and Bad Brains.  At the same time, he incorporates acoustic and electronic instrumentation, 8 bit noise, soulful melodies, human-machine driven rhythms and , like the pegasus this persona is named after, “pounding hooves, [and] beating wings.”

Guillermo goes all Martha Graham on us in this sensual video directed by the incredible visual artist Wangechi Mutu.  She’s another reason this looks so good.

Of course, Guillermo is more than just the sum of his influences.  Rather, he’s part of a creative and respected crew that includes Gordon Voidwell, TECLA and the talented drummer & producer Kassa Overall.  With friends like these, are you really surprised that he’s on some next ish?

The full-length album will be released later this year by Plug Research.  Keep an eye out.

Additional link:

• Pegasus Warning official
• Get the 5-song EP, Woof Ticket, on iTunes.

Here’s our theory:  Solange is the more interesting of the Knowles sisters, partly by necessity.  There’s no doubt she loves her sister Beyonce.  But we also suspect that it was clear very early on that she’d need to define herself apart from the long shadow cast by her sister.   Revisit the Sol Angel album.  Note that she’s been working with more indie producers like Dev Hynes (Lightspeed Champion).  She’s coming at things a little differently.  Yeah, her family is music industry royalty.  But it’s also nice to see her making some different choices unlike, say, Janet Jackson.

Again, that’s our theory and we’re sticking to it.

Anyway, check out Solange’s voice on this stripped down version of “Bad Girls.”

Additional links:

• Solange Knowles
• The Black Cab Sessions

Some music with a message, fam.  If you’re not aware of the One Billion Rising campaign, here’s the deal: It was started by playwright and activist Eve Ensler (author of Vagina Monologues & Founder of V-Day), to mobilize one billion women and girls by February 14th, 2013, to participate in a worldwide stand to stop Domestic Violence. Dance is the weapon of choice – a physical act of defiance.

We’ve all heard the stats on domestic violence, but they’re worth repeating because saying it’s a  problem is a massively criminal understatement.  According to the press release that accompanies the video, 1 in 3 women and girls are abused or raped in their lifetime.  That roughly amounts to 1 billion people.  Think about that for a minute: A billion people–women and girls–suffering.  Turns out one of those women was Maya who, according to the release, “endured years in a domestically violent relationship.”

The following note is from Maya, who I’ve often called the hardest working woman in indie music.  Check this:

This is for all the babies, this is for all the survivors, this is for all the women – who didn’t have a voice when they needed it. This is for the lost. This is for the found. This is for the warriors -the ones willing to fight, and not stand down. This is for truth seekers and truth bearers. This is for  all of us – because what kind if world is it that can settle for 1 Billion of  its kind being abused and raped? I shout this out with joy, victory, empathy, and conviction – that we can all, and should all, change this statistic forever and no longer turn away or be silent and allow such atrocity to remain unchallenged. It is time to STOP the madness. It is time for us to own our  power to heal this wound in the earth.

Maya wrote the song, which was then produced by DJ Spinna.  The music video, directed by Rae Maxwell, was shot over 7 days, in 3 cities, on two coasts, with 3 dance troupes and over 2 dozen women and girls.

Check it out and please share:

Also, check out the “Making Of” video here:

Finally, as part of the global effort, the NYC event will take place at the Hammerstein Ballroom.  Info below.  You can click on the graphic to get more info.

Additional links:

• One Billion Rising
• Maya Azucena
• DJ Spinna
• Rae Maxwell