California Connection

Green Apple Music Festival For The Good Of The Earth

Kathryn — Sat, 21 Apr 2007 00:05:00 GMT

The weather in San Francisco is beautiful today and that gets me thinking about spending the day in Golden Gate Park. This urban paradise is HUGE and it offers so much for both locals and travelers. I’m always bragging about the fact that I live in a city which has enough respect for nature to maintain such a large park inside of what is a geographically small area of city. And so, it’s appropriate to celebrate Earth Day out at Golden Gate Park and what better way to do that then with free music?

Green Apple Music Festival is a multi-city Earth Day celebration. The residents of Chicago, New York and here at home all gather together to listen to bands which are both local and national as well as to share education and information in support of treating the environment well. The big events take place on Sunday at Speedway Meadows in Golden Gate Park, but there are shows happening all throughout the city starting tonight and continuing on until the free stuff starts on Sunday.

The number of venues interested in supporting this festival throughout San Francisco is stunning. They include big ones like The Fillmore and The Independent, neighborhood favorites like Elbo Room and The Makeout Room in The Mission and even random small spots like the Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center. With so many venues, there are lots of different bands to choose from. Many of these are Bay Area bands, but the shows include lots of big names including The Greyboy Allstars and Stephen Marley. Tickets to the shows that aren’t free can be bought online or on-site to shows that aren’t sold out and range in price from $3 to $20.

Earth Day is an important day everywhere but it’s particularly poignant in San Francisco, a city which

is actually fairly good at being green. More people here take public transportation than almost anywhere else in the country. And there isn’t a day – even one with bad weather – when that huge famous park in our city isn’t filled with at least a few people. We’re lucky to have that here and we should take the chance to go out and celebrate it!

Paid Dues Reflects Urban Music Diversity

Kathryn — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 17:13:00 GMT

The first person that I saw entering the Paid Dues Festival this past weekend was a girl in her late teens, wearing spandex leggings, a shimmering club-style shirt and pastel-shade make-up. Her dyed red hair was styled into something akin to the long hair on the men of 1980’s hair bands. She laughed lightheartedly as she entered the urban music festival, holding on to the hand of a boy who was wearing khakis and looked like he came from his freshman bio class.

What does this have to do with the music that was performed at the festival? Everything.

The people who attended the Paid Dues Festival reflected the purpose of the festival itself which is to bring together different types of urban artists to show the breadth of what urban music is defined as today. The mostly – but not entirely – young crowd of fans who were putting their hands up in the air and waving them left and right was comprised of a diverse group of individuals. There were hippie girls in flowing skirts turning ballet moves into hip hop performance. There were boys in circles who looked like they should have hackey sack games going throwing their bodies around breakdance style. There was representation of all races and probably most religions.

And the performers from Paid Dues brought to the stage this same sort of diversity. From the almost sing-song bouncing friendliness of Pigeon John to the Texas-rough rap of Devin the Dude, each artist brought something different to the musical table. There were drum machines and multi-media videos and audience interaction. One of the defining characteristics of when music becomes art is when there is unfettered passion that doesn’t turn into unnecessary drama; that was the case with Paid Dues. This was art in action.

At the tables outside the performance arena, kids in Rasta wear bought T-shirts with slogans like, “you can’t download mad skills” and toughened guys in football jackets browsed the merchandise at the MURS for President booth. Freestyle groups got together and battled it out on the street stage while their friends supported them with cheers and beat box sounds. The overall atmosphere throughout the festival was one which was laidback, relaxed and appreciative of the fun side of urban music.

When I was a teenager, I had to sneak around to go to rap concerts, because my parents were frightened of what kind of people would be at such events. When I got there, I often found that my parents fears were somewhat warranted because gang activity drew at least as much attention as the performing acts. But Paid Dues isn’t your big sister’s rap concert. It’s an annual festival which truly emphasizes the positive influence of the world of hip hop, bringing together the many talents of the different performers to appeal to a broad group of people. The stereotypes which may have once been true of rap music just don't hold water any more. Urban culture is about diversity and Paid Dues brought it all the way.

Paid Dues: California's Urban Music Festival

Kathryn — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 20:27:00 GMT

One of the best things about California music festivals is that they are frequent and they offer the chance to experience a whole different range of music. There are festivals for mountain music and festivals for the hyphy movement and festivals for every genre and subgenre in between. This works out well for me since I’m a girl who really and truly loves all different kinds of music. My favorite thing is when a single festival offers a diverse look at one genre of music, showing off every color in the genre’s spectrum. So, I’ve got my calendar marked for March 24, 2007 when I plan to attend the second annual Paid Dues festival down in San Bernardino, CA.

Paid Dues brings some of the hottest names in urban music together in southern California for a day dedicated to displaying the diversity which exists in the modern rap scene. Fans of the genre know that there are multiple sub-genres within rap, ranging from electronic DJ beats to complex slam poetics, with lyrics which touch on issues from all walks of life. Paid Dues brings these various urban trends together in one space for one day, offering fans full-length sets by performers including Blackalicious, Cage and Brother Ali.

Of particular interest to me is the planned performance by Jean Grae, the only female performer representing the women at Paid Dues. The lyrical strength of this MC cuts straight to the heart of raw emotion and offers no apologies for the ugliness or explanations of the beauty which can both be harbored there. Doing more than just holding her own in the male-dominated industry of the rap music world, Jean Grae should be one of the most dynamic performers at next weekend’s festival.

But the performance which is going to get the most attention by everyone else is likely to be the performance by FELT. FELT is the duo of Slug and MURS. The second half of this rap twosome is the guy responsible for Paid Dues happening in the first place. An underground MC who has the confidence to be a star and the talent to back it up, MURS joined forces with Guerilla Union to create the Paid Dues festival. Supporting artists and independent projects, Guerilla Union is responsible for some of the biggest music festivals in the country. With a strong lineup and a broad range of rap talent, Paid Dues could wind up being a hit among the Guerilla Union shows.

Don't Miss RedGorilla Music Fest in Austin Now

Kathryn — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 19:48:00 GMT

SxSW is an amazing music festival which, as has been noted here on the site, draws in acts from all across the world to participate in live music performances, industry conference workshops and multi-media collaboration in the music world. It is an event which is simply not to be missed. However, for one reason or another, people in the Austin area sometimes can’t get to the SxSW shows and all that they offer. For some, it’s the cost of tickets. For others, it’s a delay in signing up for shows which end up being sold out.

Don’t fret; if you happen to be at Austin during this time of year and you’re looking to get involved in all of the activity, you still have an opportunity. The next couple of days will be filled with Austin’s music fun, and you can catch a good portion of the SxSW (and other) acts for free at Austin’s local bars. That’s because, running in tandem with the SxSW festival is RedGorilla Music Fest.

The two festivals are not related to one another, but performers from one often turn up the other. And even the performers who are playing only at RedGorilla often bring something great to the musical table which you can enjoy, at no cost, at the multiple venues showcasing the musical artists. The music starts early in the afternoon and goes until the bars are about to shut down for the night, with acts ranging from alt country performers to real rock bands.

Free music? Supporting independent musicians? Austin scene? And all-day live shows in the bars? Is there any downside at all to being sure to check out this week’s event?!