Posts Tagged ‘Funk’
Week in Review (Funk Lives)
Sunday, September 3rd, 2017Pondering the Return
Friday, October 14th, 2016
Danielle Ponder will return to Funk-n-Waffles next week.
A Funky Four Plus One
Sunday, July 17th, 2016
Danielle Ponder, vocalist
We hear that Danielle Ponder & The Tomorrow People came to Syracuse previously and played the Westcott Theater.
How did we miss this band?
Ponder is the lead singer for the neo-soul/funk quintet, and she can be best described as follows: hair like Chaka; dancehall moves like Patra; gut power like Jill Scott; vocal inflection like Regina Bell, all with the bravura of Lauryn Hill. She belted out some original songs, and even did a Billie Holiday version on one cut.
Before the night was over people could be heard screaming from the back: “Danielle Ponder! Danielle Ponder!”
Not to be outdone, or out-shined, the band, made up of Avis Reese (keys), Timm Cash (guitar), Corey Owens (drums) and Carlton Wilcox (bass), were the perfect side order. Their out-of-this-world solos, particularly by Wilcox and Owens, quickly drove the audience onto the dance floor.
The event, which also featured opening band Funk Nut, was produced by CuseCulture Magazine.
Just after midnight Ponder invited poet and actor Reenah Golden onto stage and she free-styled some verse for the mostly millennial audience. We last saw Golden during a one-woman show at Syracuse University’s Drama Department, and her stage presence remains legendary.
Funk n’ Waffles
Last night’s two-hour show is further evidence that Funk n’ Waffles is becoming the go-to spot for a generous whiff of the Downtown Funk Scene.
Nothing goes better with good, foot-stomping music than the aromatic bliss of waffles and maple syrup. We eagerly await this group’s return to the ‘Cuse. Maybe next time they party til breakfast.
Funk Face
Saturday, July 16th, 2016
Avis Reese, keyboard player for Danielle Ponder & Tomorrow People, went deep in the shed during the band’s performance at Funk n’ Waffle (Downtown) tonight. The show, which also included Funk Nut, was sponsored by Cuse Culture Magazine (concert review to come).
Northeast Jazz & Wine Festival, Day 1: The Groove
Saturday, July 25th, 2015
This is what the front row of an Atlas concert looks like. The band was the headliner for the Funky Friday schedule at the Northeast Jazz & Wine Festival last night. The band turns 35 years old this year. You know your band can still dig deep into the funk jar when fans rush the stage and get down like this.
Downtown Funk
Tuesday, March 17th, 2015Week in Review: Fungiere
Sunday, March 15th, 2015
Gregory Collins: The Mr. Please, Please, Please of the local Funk Scene
We wish you knew what it was like to experience something this funky. We’re not talking uptown, but strictly some downtown, alleyway, outside of Armory Square, dumpster funk. Emanuel “never miss a beat” Washington organized “Doin It to Death,” a tribute to James Brown and the show had people nearly climbing the walls inside Funk-n-Waffles (downtown) on Thursday. We don’t know if the band (including a killer horn section) rehearsed or had a previous gig, but on this night the force (of funk) was with them indeed. The only thing that would have made this a better outing is if they had been scheduled during the NCAA Regional Finals weekend.
Making short cameo appearances during the two-hour plus show were Washington’s band mates from Sophistafunk, Adam Gold and Jack Brown.
Mike Spadaro: All about the bass
E. Washington, drummer, and a crowd jammin’ on the one.
The multi-generational crowd also roared when Washington announced that he would be putting together a Beastie Boys Tribute in June.
This was a first show at the new Funk-n-Waffles location and the place definitely has the potential to make some noise on the Downtown music scene.
The tight horn section was a Fields sandwich (Dan on trumpet and Nick on tenor sax) punctuated by the book ends of Melissa Gardiner (trombone) and 17-year old Dunham Hall (alto sax).
Cold Sweat
Friday, March 13th, 2015“Funk is not fast, it’s not slow…it’s just funky…”
-Gregory Collins
Gregory Collins captured the energy, moves and mannerisms of Mr. Please, Please, Please, Mr. Dynamite and the Hardest Working Man in Show Business at the Tribute to James Brown at Funk-n-Waffles (Downtown) last night.
FOJ (Friends of Jesse)
Tuesday, February 11th, 2014
Jesse Collins Trio & Friends
We caught the live show from Jesse Collins at Al’s Whiskey and Wine Bar on Sunday night, and they played everything from New Orleans Jazz to Parliament Funkadelic.
It was good to see familiar faces from the pages of SIF such as Byron Cage and Melissa Gardiner; but it was equally fun to experience for the first time Collins (on alto sax), John Delia (clarinet and tenor sax) and the steady bass licks of Dickie Bureau. At one point during the show, the groove got so intense that Delia blew his clarinet apart (true story).
The crowd seemed to also enjoy the vibe from several of Collins’ original compositions, including his “hula hoop” anthem.
“Free to be Free” is the title of Collins’ new album.
Sacred Steel
Saturday, September 4th, 2010
Robert Randolph at the New York State Fair
Robert Randolph, master of the steel pedal guitar, danced while he played with his bad at the New York State Fair tonight. Randolph’s performance reminded me that the last time I covered a steel pedal performance was by the late Leonard Stephens, Jr. of Syracuse, during Gospel Weekend a few years ago.