The sold-out LoCura/Granada Doaba concert in San Franciscowas estupendo. 500 [and two] people packed the Independent for a high-energy flamenco hip-hop performance featuring appearances from more than 20 live musicians, culminating in a LoCura/Gnawledge collaboration [see video below], featuring Mandeep Sethi y La Kata shining bright on the mic in front of their hometown crowd.
Granada Doaba gave its best performance to date. Gnotes stretched his muscle on the flamenco guitar and cajón. Boston Gnawledge bredren Afro DZ ak proved once again that a party aint a party until a trumpet come through. Both musicians passed the microphone with Mandeep Sethi during our freestyle rap cypher.
The concert was a coming-out party for our 19-year-old singer Elexis Trinity, who continues to surprise and impress, while veteran touring musicians Teddy Jack and Rod Martinez held down the ritmo and kept the crowd moving. Daniel Eshoo brought an inmense sound out of his 77-string qanun, taking full advantage of the phenomenon sound system at the Independent. DJ Canyon Cody was dancing in the back, while artist Carmen Abelleira painted La Virgen de Guadalupe rocking out with an electric guitar.
The night began with a beautiful set from Mexican songstress Diana Gameros on guitar, accompanied by flute, cajón and stand-up bass. Gameros is too talented to remain unknown for much longer, so it felt like a special treat to catch her at this stage in her career.
Pero sin duda, lo más impresionante fue LoCura. The San Francisco band had the rowdy crowd dancing throughout their amazing 2-hour set, which ranged from up-tempo reggae to soulful flamenco and funky Cuban son. It’s hard not to be jealous when I see a band that tight. A veteran band with years of experience on the road, LoCura came home and proved that they got the groove in the pocket. It was an honor to share the stage with them, and some of the most fun I’ve ever had.
LoCura will be performing at South by Southwest on March 19th @ Copa Bar & Grill. Their 2008 debut album Animas is available at CdBaby and iTunes, plus they got a brand new album in the oven.
With the Gnawledge family in San Francisco for the Granada Doaba concert with LoCura, we all got together to celebrate Mandeep Sethi’s 21st birthday with a great party sponsored by the All Mighty Family, with a special guest appearance from DJ T-Frequency from the Zulu Nation (pictured above w/ Mandeep).
The party was blessed with a rare West Coast appearance by Gnawledge trumpeteer Afro DZ ak, who jammed along saxophonist Brandon Michael McKee to the outernational hiphop stylings of DJ Canyon Cody (below).
Always a man of the people, Afro doesn’t perform… he participates, getting down on the dance floor with the huddledsexymasses.
Everyone in the Bay that likes to get down should stay up with the whole All Mighty Family (DJ Mes 1, Mighty Delrokz, DJ Merrick, Mighty Chris, Mandeep Sethi) with upcoming parties @ Element Lounge (Jan 23), @ Sutra (Jan 29), @ 111 Minna (Jan 30) and @ Risque Lounge (Feb 26).
LoCura & Granada Doaba @ The Independent
Saturday January 9th 2010 @ 8pm
628 Divisadero, San Francisco, California 94117
Cost: $13 adv / $15 door
Born in San Francisco, LoCura’s music draws from many genres, bringing them together into an original mix of Flamenco Rumba, Reggae, and Cuban Son. LoCura’s debut album Animas was released in March 2008 with a sold out concert at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco. In 2009, LoCura kicked off the year with another sold out show at the GAMH and a Saturday night featured slot at the renowned SXSW music festival in Austin, TX. Now back from a summer of touring music festivals throughout the West Coast, Canada, and Mexico, LoCura presents another epic night of musical revelry at The Independent in San Francisco.
Also performing will be Mexican Songstress Diana Gameros, possibly one of San Francisco’s best-kept secrets, is a multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter whose music travels the Spanish and Mexican landscapes recounting stories of love, movement, and borders to the beat of the Cajon.
The good folks over at Nacional Records hooked us up with an exclusive acapella from the new album by New York band Pacha Massive. Originally from Colombia and the Dominican Republic, Pacha Massive brings together traditional Latin rhythms and downtempo electrónica for a breezy bilingual summer afternoon.
Gnawledge remix produced by Gnotes and Canyon Cody, featuring live instrumentation by Teddy Jack and Felix Penny.
Nacional Records is now giving away 21 free songs from 2009, with new music by Pacha Massiva, Manu Chau, Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, Aterciopelados, Mexican Institute of Sound, Uproot Andy, Bomba Estereo, Latin Bitman and [our personal favorite] King Coya.
We barely fit everybody on-stage last Friday night at The Mint in Los Angeles, where Granada Doaba opened for Rupa and the April Fishes. It was our first show with the new band, featuring singer Elexis Trinity with rappers Gnotes and Mandeep Sethi.
Granada Doaba’s live band features Daniel Eshoo on oud, Rod Martinez and Judy Piazza on drums, Raymond Powers on harmonium/flute, Sean Dwyer and Russ Baggerly on flamenco guitar, Teddy Jack on bass, Canyon Cody on turntables and live painting from Carmen Abelleira. [more photos @ Flickr]
The instrumental “Bohemia Al-Andalus” — and the video above — features Joaquín Sánchez Gil on clarinet, Uzman Almerabet on ‘ud, Richard Dudanski on drums, and Paul Brundtland on cajón.
Boston diva Noni Kai first collaborated with Gnawledge back in 2006, making a sultry guest appearance on Gnotes’ “We Can Roll” from Rhymes and Beats. Now she’s back with a funky remix of “Calabazar de Sagua” from Granada Doaba.
Elexis Trinity was featured in the amazing YouTube remix project by Israeli producer Kutiman. Now she’s back with a new Granada Doaba video remix of “Nunca Fui a Granada”
. . . much more collaboration between Gnawledge & Elexis coming soon!
You can already hear Afro DZ ak’s mighty trumpet on “Senda del Abuelo” from Granada Doaba, but now he’s back with a new instrumental remix of “El Manisero de Potemkin.”
