Our 2010 Gnawledge tour visited Los Angeles, Boston, New York and Seattle from May 13th to June 5th.  Betwixt official performances were curbside cyphers, neighborhood juergas and latenight house parties.

May 13th — Our first show (photo above) was a Granada Doaba improv experiment featuring 3 rappers, 3 flamenco guitarists, 2 hand percussionists and a dancer.  Performing at Los Angeles’ historic flamenco venue El Cid, Granada Doaba featured acoustic freestlyles from Mandeep Sethi & Moses Soweto-Tsali, and a funky set by our good friends LoCura.

May 24th — We celebrated 6 years of Gnawledge in Boston with a party at Beat Research.  The night began with an acoustic version of Buena Vista Social Club’s “Chan Chan” featuring Gnotes on guitar, Noni Kai on vocals and Afro DZ ak on trumpet (video above).

The show transitioned into a tropical bass DJ set from Canyon Cody, who debuted the newest Gnawledge album Panama Doaba.  Read more about the Boston party at Wayne&Wax and check photos del amigo Zach Cole.

May 27th — The Gnawledge NYC Showcase featured 4 Gnawledge MCs and guest appearances from 3 New York locals. Hosted by Brooklyn veteran the1shanti [pictured above with Gnotes and Mighty Om], the crowd got rowdy for Nyle x Naysayers, a four-peice hip-hop band with a charismatic frontman (Nyle) and an amazing drummer (Isaac Teel).

Gnawledge performed a medley of new/old material from the last 6 years.  Multi-instrumentalist rappers Gnotes and Afro DZ traded verses from their solo albums, and played flamenco guitar & trumpet in support of Boston soul singer Noni Kai, who showcased her beautiful voice during an acoustic Granada Doaba performance. Gnawledge was also joined on-stage by guest percussionist Duke Mushroom from Harlem’s Earthrise Soundsystem, an immensely talented musician who brought a goodie-bag of global drums and transformed the rap concert into a dance party.

May 28th — Our cumbia hip-hop remezclas Panama Doaba got heavy rotation in New York, where DJ Canyon Cody performed with Afro DZ ak and the1shanti at a Williamsburg house party (photo above).  Produced by Gnotes, Panama Doaba explores the funky isthmus in the 1970s as a tropical bass follow-up to Granada Doaba.  An unruly Brooklyn house party was the perfect way to unwind after our big concert, and it was our first chance to rock with Cumba Mela, an NYC global bass DJ trio that knows how to throw a damn fiesta.

May 29th –  After playing with Gnawledge at Santos, Duke Mushroom invited Afro DZ ak to perform at the Globesonic show on the Hudson Pier (photos above).  It was a beautiful summer evening for a free outdoor party, with more than 1,000 people dancing to 3 outstanding DJs (Derek Beres, Fabian Alsultany & Bill Braggin) accompanied by the impeccable percussion of Duke Mushroom and mighty trumpet of Afro DZ ak (video below).

May 30th & 31st — DJ Canyon Cody got back on the decks at Love, a Greenwich club with an absolutely immense soundsystem, and then Bembe, a Brooklyn dance club with a reputation for hot&sweaty bootyshaking.  Hosted by DJs Atropolis, Thornato and 2melo from Cumba Mela, the weekly cumbia convocation at Bembe is a superb scene, with passionate live drumming and a sensual dance crowd. Como un pez en agua, Canyon Cody kept the party jumping with help from the1shanti and Gnotes on the mic [photo below]

June 5th – After New York, Gnotes and Canyon Cody went back to Seattle for a Gnawledge rap show with Elemental Zazen and Irenic. Zazen — who recently leaked his new track featuring Canibus — performed his new song “Lockjaw” produced by Seattle-native Jake One (video below).

With the Spring 2010 tour done, Gnawledge will soon release Panama Doaba while finishing final touches on upcoming solo albums from Elemental Zazen and Gnotes.

Gnawledge will host a label showcase in New York on Thursday May 27th at Santos Party House, featuring live performances by Afro DZ ak, Gnotes, and Granada Doaba.

Hosted by Gnawledge selector Canyon Cody, our 6th annual family reunion will feature a special guest appearance from Nyle with his live band The Nay-Sayers.  Also performing is the1shanti [aka Brooklyn Shanti], dubbed the Indian Bambaataa by the Universal Zulu Nation.

EARLY SHOW! Doors @ 7pm.
Live bands 8pm - 10:30pm. 
Tickets $8 // 18+
Santos Party House @ 96 Lafayette Street

A veteran of the New York underground rap scene, Nyle has 3 free albums and one of the coolest live hip-hop music videos I’ve ever seen:

Granada Doaba — with jazz trumpeteer Pete Shungu and flamenco guitarist Sean Dwyer — will feature vocals from Baltimore rapper Mighty Om and Boston soul singer Noni Kai.  Also performing with Granada Doaba will be special guest percussionist David “Duke Mushroom” Schommer from Earthrise SoundSystem.

Learn more about Granada Doaba @ NPR and watch concert video of the band’s recent show in San Francisco [ft. Gnotes and Afro DZ] … and download the album (free).

Gnotes and Afro DZ ak will perform songs from their solo albums [Rhymes and Beats & Elevation].  Gnotes will also debut new music from his upcoming  album Conflicts and Interests, which features collaborations with Devin the Dude, Blockhead, Eligh, Metaform & Ilmind.

18+ EARLY SHOW! DJ Canyon Cody @ 7pm.  Live bands 8pm - 10:30pm.  Tickets $8. The venue Santos Party House is located @ 96 Lafayette Street in NYC. More info available at the Facebook invite.

Flamenco hip-hop fusioneros Granada Doaba will be playing with LoCura on Thursday May 23th at El Cid in Silver Lake [Los Angeles, CA].  Our bands last performed together in San Francisco to a sold-out 500 person crowd at The Independent on Jan 9, 2010.

LoCura is a SF/Oakland band that shaped their sound traveling through Spain, Cuba, and Morocco.  Their distinctly Californian style of Rumba Flamenca brings together ritmos caribeños with west-coast funk & hiphop. The band’s veteran crew includes hand-percussion, bass, flamenco guitar and kit drum, along with Spanish vocalist La Kata.  They played at SxSW 2010 and will be performing at the Joshua Tree Music Festival on May 15th.

Granada Doaba rapper Mandeep Sethi (video below) will be joined by special guest Moses Soweto-Tsali (NuAi Tribe) and belly dancer Joanne Terry. Hosting the early evening show is DJ Canyon Cody, who just performed with LoCura at the Elbo Room in SF in April, and will be on tour with the Gnawledge crew in Boston (May 24th @ Enormous Room), Manhattan (May 27th @ Santos Party House), Brooklyn (May 31st @ Bembe), and Seattle (June 5th @ Lo-Fi).

EARLY SHOW! Thursday May 13th … doors at 7pm, Granada Doaba at 7:30 and LoCura at 8:30.  The show will be over at 9:30pm sharp.  El Cid is an ALL-AGES venue so bring the family and have dinner at the restaurant while enjoying the performances.  El Cid is located at 4212 Sunset Blvd.  Tickets $8.

Gnawledge is proud to welcome a new artist to our collective, San Francisco-based rapper Mandeep Sethi. Representing the Universal Zulu Nation, Mandeep Sethi is an old-school MC with an escuela nueva vision for global hip-hop. Politically radical and funky as fuck, Mandeep Sethi was Gnawledge family from the jump, the perfect MC for an eclectic collective like Granada Doaba.

On tour with Granada Doaba, Mandeep Sethi rocks with a live band and then keeps the after-party hype with the DJ.  But the truest test of any MC is inside the cipher, trading bars on-stage freestyling with fellow Gnawledge rappers Gnotes and Afro DZ [video above].

Mandeep Sethi got flow like Niagara — can’t stop, won’t stop.  Ever-scribbling, Mandeep released two free mixtapes in 2009: Set&Ra [produced by Povan Beats] and Paleofuture [produced by Deacon LF, video below].

Mandeep freely distributes his music online because he makes an honest living working on-stage, regularly performing in the Bay [and beyond] with the All-Mighty Family and Non-Stop Bhangra.  He’s done concerts from Spain to India alongside Afrika Bambaataa, Ziggy Marley, Camp Lo, RZA, Killah Priest, Michael Franti & Spearhead, with upcoming shows at 111 Minna, Element Lounge, Rickshaw Stop and the Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

Stay up with Mandeep Sethi @ Twitter, Facebook & MySpace.

The sold-out LoCura / Granada Doaba concert in San Francisco was 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.

Granada Doaba will be performing live in San Francisco this weekend with one of our favorite bands: LoCura.

Granada Doaba will feature Gnawledge musicians Afro DZ ak, Gnotes, Mandeep Sethi, Elexis Trinity, Teddy Jack, DJ Canyon Cody and live painting by Carmen Abelleira.  Get your tickets early, this show will sell out!

BUY TICKETS ONLINE

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.

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.

Download MP3 –> “Bohemia Al-Andalus [Live @ The Mint, 11-6-09]

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]

Download MP3 –> “Nunca Fui a Granada” [Live @ The Mint, 11-6-09]

Muchas gracias to Rupa & the April Fishes, Simeon Chapin from Cumbancha Records, and everyone that came out to support us!

It’s been a long time, we shouldn’t have left you without a new Granada Doaba mash-up.

Download MP3 –> “Rakim & Granada Doaba – Let the Rhythm Hit Em“

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.

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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.

Download MP3 –> “Calabazar de Sagua [Noni Kai remix]“

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!