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Home > Atlanta Music Scene > Archives > 2007 > October > 12
Friday, October 12, 2007
Day 2: JD on the grind
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
10:41 p.m. Friday
I did an interview earlier today with Good Day Atlanta for my first book, “Young, Rich and Dangerous,” which hits stores on October 16th. That was cool, but cold out this morning!
Then I did some radio interviews to promote a book signing I’m doing at Border’s on Peachtree tomorrow from 1 to 3. I’m hoping a lot of people come out to support!
Getting ready for my pre BET Hip Hop Awards party with Courvoisier tonight at Studio 72. It’s going to be crazy! You know I’m looking forward to that!
Gotta also get ready for the signing tomorrow and the awards. I’m presenting. It’s been a busy day…
Till next time…
JD
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We skipped homecoming!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
“It’s homecoming weekend and we skipped homecoming!” exulted Ciara Sentelik, a senior at Roswell High School.
“Like, 10 years from now, we’ll look back and say we went to Echo Fest our senior year, and it was awesome,” chimed in her friend Mandy Owen, also a Roswell senior.
They were part of a loose group of 11 seniors who blew off their big weekend for something they hoped would be bigger, the three day Echo Project festival. Some of them lounged in the warm afternoon sun while music drifted over from a nearby stage. On the 35-acre farm in Campbellton, bass music thudded, girls twirled hula hoops, and little kids danced.
“I was even grounded this week,” added Owen, “and I still go to go. My mom said it would be a great experience.”
“It’s Atlanta’s own Bonnaroo,” said her friend Chris Cundari.
Across the field, Kris Whildin of Gainesville, Fla., watched her 17-month-old daughter Kari twirl on the field. “We weren’t sure what this was gonna be,” she said. “You just never know. But it’s a great space.” She grew up following the Grateful Dead, and was looking foward to Phil Lesh and Friends, a Dead spinoff, closing the festival Sunday night.
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Echo continues
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It’s getting hotter as the day progresses at the Echo Project. The sun is blazing and there’s plenty of sizzling music flowing, too.
At the Eclipse stage, the Benevento-Russo duo pumped out far more sound than you’d believe possible from a two piece. Marco Benevento’s fort of keyboards and Joe Russo’s side-to-the-audience drum set-up made a stupendous racket that blended jam-rock, electronic experimentalism and danceable electric power rock.
Nearby, Stephen Marley evoked the ghost of his late dad Bob with effortless charisma. It looks like he might be the one to carry his father’s legacy the furthest. Stand back far enough, and you’re transported to a time when Stephen’s father was reggae’s ruler. Before playing “Mind Control,” the title track of this year’s solo debut, he quoted his father’s “Redemption Song,” to the delight of the crowd (“Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery; None but ourselves can free our minds”).
The Polyphonic Spree, 20-strong and with theatrical flair to spare, gave us the afternoon’s theme song. With massed horns, strings and voices - and even a harp - “Sun” paid homage to the solar behemoth blanketing the 350-acre field in South Fulton. It was enough to make us thankful for the cooling breeze that blew through the treeless grounds.
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Echo Project begins
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It’s a beautiful day in South Fulton County, and we’re here at the Echo Project. The crowds are still a little sparse in the early afternoon Friday, but the music is flowing and the vibe is loose - and the music fans are still streaming in.
The three-day festival kicked off at about noon with the Barrel House Mamas from Asheville - as guitarist and flutist Jane Edens put, “starting off the whole shebang.” In front of a small but appreciative crowd, the four women (backed by a stand-up bass and snare) played sweet acoustic country-folk. The harmonies were as sweet as the country air, minus that occasional whiff of livestock wafting across the field. The band’s sprightly sound had some of the early arrivals dancing in the breeze, whether they were tie-dyed and dreadlocked or part of the clean-cut, collegiate t-shirts and shorts brigade.
The Mamas seemed tailor-made for this eco-centric fest. At least two songs in their set were river-themed, with lyrics such as “I don’t choose to pollute the river” and “the creek is crying.”
After the set, Edens explained that the band members met at North Carolina’s Warren Wilson College. “It’s a really environmentally conscious place,” she said. “So it’s something we’re very dedicated to.”
The group plans to spend the rest of the weekend out among the crowds at the festival, catching some of their own favorite bands. Suprisingly, when asked who she’s looking forward to, Edens mentions the very un-Barrel House Mamas-like Flaming Lips, the experimental freak-pop band headlining Friday.
Despite the groovy atmosphere, the immaculate weather and the beautiful setting, the fest is experiencing some growing pains. Two artists scheduled for the first day have already canceled, leaving some blank spots in the line-up. Atlanta’s Butch Walker and Snowden, the latter due to a death in the family, won’t be playing today. Athens reggae outfit Dubconscious, originally slotted to play one of the earliest sets, will play a little later, probably filling Snowden’s spot.
Keep checking back for updates through the weekend. We’ll let you know how things are going out here along the Chattahoochee.
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Where have all the girl/guy groups gone?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Flying waaaay underneath the hoopla that the BET Hip-Hop Awards and Echo Project is generating in this city, is a show that probably would have garnered more interest any other weekend.
Dawn Robinson, who made her way onto the music scene with phenomenal all-female group En Vogue, and then had a short stint with Lucy Pearl - a combo with seemingly unrealized potential - is playing the Apache Café tonight.
Which brings to mind a couple of questions: Would you rather see her performing alone or with En Vogue — particularly considering the dearth of female AND male R&B groups these days? Leading to an even bigger question: Why do you think there are so few groups in ANY genre these days? (When you look at the BET Hip-Hop Awards having to pick Bone Thugs-N-Harmony out of near obscurity, and the Shop Boyz out of one-hit-wonderland, to fill out the best hip-hop group category, it makes you wonder…)
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