Austin360 blogs > Almost Urban > Archives > 2007 > September > 06
Thursday, September 6, 2007
Weekend Picks: Brownout, Boombox and Southern rap big shots
Friday: Boombox CD Release at the Parish. This hip-hop/funk big band has been packing the house at the Lucky Lounge (on Tuesdays!?) for over two years now. Anchored by Carlos Sosa’s Grooveline horns, the ensemble drops funky bounce-heavy grooves. Now that Tee Double and beatboxer John Pointer have moved on, mic duties are handled by ATX hip-hop veterans MC Overlord and the grossly undersung Treygod Shakhem, master of rugged raw Wu-Tang style verbal kung fu. $10 adv, $12 door.
Friday: Nueva Cosa at the Belmont. The food at the Belmont has always fallen a little short of my expectations, but I am a sucker for the swanky Rat Pack meets Miami Beach atmosphere up in the spot. (Your girl loves a good outdoor deck.) I also checked out this low-fi, electro-groove jazz outfit’s MySpace page and their ambient swirl of sounds seems ideal for Friday night cocktails and conversation. A good set up for a merry stumble through the Warehouse District. Cover unspecified.
Friday: Concert to Support the Red Cross of Peru at Flamingo. Enrique Rumiche, who used to play with the now-defunct “Classical/ Experimental/ Crunk” crew Balistica, has put together this benefit concert to support victims of the massive earthquake that devastated coastal areas of his native Peru last month. His new group, the loose artists collective La Guerrilla de Lilliput, describes itself as “Electroacoustic/Latin/Alternative” and the sound has a little more indie hipness to it than most acts I recommend in this blog, but the songs are catchy, as evidenced by this YouTube video, and my heart goes out to our Peruvian friends as they struggle to rebuild. $5-$7
Saturday: Brownout CD Release at the Mohawk. Long before local cumbia powerhouse Grupo Fantasma was jet-setting around the world to play on the purple pedestal with the Prince of pop, many of the group’s core members considered themselves primarily funk musicians. Students of the JBs, they began as rowdy teenagers hosting all night jams in their hometown of Laredo. Over time, the border funk specialists migrated north to Austin where they eventually reunited, picking up a several non-Laredoans along the way, and forming the mighty Fantasma. After a few years performing nonstop cumbia on the road, some of the Fantasmites felt a strong inclination to return to their funky roots and thus Brownout was born. The group finally releases their debut album, an instrumental joint that draws inspiration from everything from the classic soul of Curtis Mayfield to the expansive Afrobeat of Fela Kuti. | Listen in SoundCheck
Saturday: Hot 93.3fm Fall Fest at Travis County Expo Center. Yes, sensation of the second, Soulja Boy, is no longer on the lineup for this show, but no doubt the evening’s mixmasters will provide amble opportunities to “Superman that…” throughout the evening. Houston heavy hitters Li’l Flip and Slim Thug are late additions to the bill, and headliner Young Jeezy who burned up the charts last summer with his ubiquitous hit “I Love It” and has steadily occupied the Music Mania charts with his official mixtape “Young Jeezy Presents USDA: Cold Summer” that dropped earlier this year, is sure to be a big draw. Also on the bill are Lil Keke, Lil Boosie with Webbie & Foxx, Gorilla Zoe. Tickets run from $25 for the cheap seats (standing) to $150 for the Sky Lounge backstage pass.
Sunday: Austin Voices for Education and Youth Stand Up Rally at Fiesta Gardens. The kids are alright. Watch them prove it in this celebration of youth music, arts and poetry from 3 to 5 p.m. at Fiesta Gardens. Cover unspecified.
(Pictured, Brownout. Photo by Todd Wolfson.)
