LIVE REVIEW: Afromassive @ the Goodfoot 4/14/12

I’d been gearing up for last Saturday night at the Goodfoot lounge since seeing Afromassive open for Seun Kuti at the Mount Tabor Theater recently.  The house was packed (with couples-- no single women, unfortunately). 

As usual at the Goodfoot, things didn’t get started until late.  This meant that I had to wait around for an hour or so to see a band called Tapwater.  As it turns out, this happens to be the most aptly named band of all time; their music is lukewarm, tepid, and can be accessed from a kitchen sink just about anywhere.  The front man, a young Paul McCartney look-alike, picked a banjo utterly absent in the mix at the soundboard.  The drummer looked too young to get into the venue, and the keys seemed to be the only thing holding the band’s performance together.  The light show was better than the lyrics.

Around twelve thirty, the headliner finally began blowing a few notes for the sound check.  They opened with “Everybody’s Got to Go,” and then went in to Kool and the Gang’s “Let the Music Take Your Mind”.  The performance featured a cameo from Daniel, founding member of Portland’s March Forth Marching Band on trombone.  The horns even did a short tease of the opening to Talib Kweli’s “Train of Thought” album.  Their tune “Stumbing” had just about every set of knees in the place bouncing.  All in all, I’d say Afromassive is the best thing to come out of Humboldt County since, well, you know…

-Earl Elliott
http://www.afromassive.com/

http://soundcloud.com/afromassive

LIVE REVIEW: SEUN KUTI in Portland Oregon

There was hardly room to stand at the Mount Tabor Theater on Saturday night…AfroMassive from Humboldt County opened the show, playing a danceable collection of covers and originals.   By the time the headliner came on, some had scattered into the amateur night known as St. Paddy's Day, which left a little room on the dance floor. 

 There wasn't a lot of room on stage, though.  Seun Kuti with his fifteen piece band played his entire 2011 release "From Africa With Fury: Rise".  Vocals were added by the Africans, two stunning singers in tribal dress and face paint shaking it like a tambourine.  The youngest son of legend Fela Kuti is carrying on the tradition his father began with band leader Lekan Animashaun, who originally worked with Fela.  Gyrating wildly and spouting lyrics in Pidgin English over the staccato punctuations of a full horn section, Seun and his band the Egypt 80 let all in attendance know that Afrobeat is still very much a relevant art form. 

 It is a tradition of musical activism and a political movement for social change.  In the title track "Rise," Seun implored Africans to rebel against foreign exploitation.  Seun discussed the Occupy movement in Nigeria and the folly of the American campaign to criminalize marijuana, encouraging the audience to sing with him as he played "The Good Leaf."  Although the only Africans in the crowd were members of the band's tour, I think the message is spreading judging by the sweet smell in the air…

-EARL ELLIOTT

http://www.knittingfactoryrecords.com/
www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seun_Kuti