Sy Smith : Psoulful Psinger

Vintage Trouble still abroad, their time slot was substituted by the soulful Sy Smith. Large of afro and voice - she is commanding visually and sonic-ly filling the club with groovy parishoners worshipping on a Tuesday night. What is one to do except join in the worship of one the best performers I've seen all year? With three albums under her belt, it's surprising she isn't more of a star, cuz she sure does shine!! If she returns, I highly recommend. Hopefully she will play more songs and keep us out a bit later. I could have heard another hour of her voice!!

Special shout-out to Kamasi Washington - who used to blast his sax on a semi-regular basis on Tuesday's back in the (Ryan Cross) SoulFunk days - who was just one of the members of Sy's awesome backing group. (I will amend this post with the rest of the band members' names asap.)

UltraLove : Valentine's Day

What's worse than not having a Valentine's Day date? Having one who cancels at the last minute. I had planned a romantic evening that would have ended at the UltraLove show. I went anyway. UltraLove's music always puts me in a good mood, as does the man himself - Mike "Ultralove" Wagner. That's him in the argyle sweater vest below.

Also in the photo above is vocalists Love Logiq on the left and T-Smidi on the right. The other members of UltraLove include Doug Showalter on guitar, Adam Berg on keys, Mike Gunn on bass and Seth Murphy on drums. Singer Soul Star was recently in a car accident, so she was not in the house. Wishing her a speedy recovery!!
Pan America (above) has been opening for UltraLove recently. Come early and check them out!!

Special thanks to Sheena for these pix!!

Esperanza Spalding : Grammy's Best New Artist

Best new artist Grammy winner Esperanza Spalding may have shocked the Bieber-heads, but at the Harvelle's blog, we've been a fan of Esperanza's ever since she dropped by in September of '09. Back then, she sat in with SoulFunk - bassist Ryan Cross' weekly jazz jam -playing Ryan's upright, accompanied by Gene Coye on drums and Brandon Coleman on keys.

I was in the right place at the right time to capture this performance.

Congratulations Esperanza!

Special shout-out to Ryan, Brandon, Gene, Kiki and Megan!!

The Toledo Show : If you don't know...

Now you know!!

The Toledo Show is a wild burlesque fantasy ride from a not-so-distant galaxy!! The sexy dancers bump 'n' grind while Toledo sings soliloquies from his soul, painting pictures of gritty nights and sleazy women, while the band plays heavy duty funk-jazz with a definite edge. This long-running extravaganza is exclusively at Harvelle's every Sunday night.

Vintage Trouble : Hands Across The Water

Vintage Trouble is about to invade England. Those Brits ain't gonna know what hit 'em!! If you follow this blog even casually, you know about Vintage Trouble. Together now for just a year, they have signed a management deal with Doc McGhee. Doc has managed the careers of Motley Crue and Bon Jovi. He took those bands to the highest levels and made 'em both household names. Doc needs a new band he can make as big as them. Hello Vintage Trouble!!

The confirmed dates as they have been printed are the following : Tue 8th Feb - Gibson Rooms, Showcase, Wed 9th Feb - Proud Galleries, Camden (Music Week presents "Breakout") and Sat 12th Feb - Barfly, Camden, HMV best new bands show.

There won't be a "Trouble Tuesday" for a couple of weeks, which kinda sucks. I'm addicted to my Tuesday nights at Harvelle's. The "Troublemakers" are a great group to hang out with. And it's always fun watching the people who are there for the first time as they witness the band and the jaw-dropping power they project. Lead singer Ty Taylor is a master at pleasing the crowd. He sings, he shakes, he sweats, he shouts, he smiles...

and it's all for you!!

I think they're gonna kick ass in the UK.

They do it at Harvelle's every Tuesday.

UltraLove : Good Times!!

Ultralove is a breath of fresh air. Sort of like a cool young Steely Dan with a dynamic front man. Ultra Dan? Steely Love? But let's not forget that Ultralove's players are top-notch and dazzling. Like "the Dan" they throw it down with precision and soul. Their employment of modern poetic lyrics infused with the voices of Love Logiq and Soul Star are two of the many layers of sound. The band proper - Mike Gunn on bass, Seth Murphy on drums, Adam Berg on keys and Douglas Showalter on guitar are as smoothed out and/or edgy as they wanna be. Ultimately, they make intellectual danceable music and the audience seems to agree.

Showalter is blessed with the ability to play the "funk chord" (the greatest chord ever). The funk chord is that little rhythm chik-a-chik that characterizes funk and soul. Most famously made popular by the 1970's band Chic, Douglas plays it with a magic infused by the spirit of guitarist Nile Rodgers.

Mike 'Ultralove' Wagner fronts the band. Soul Star and Love Logiq provide the hot background vocals that are an integral part of the UltraLove sound.

Adam Berg on keys can channel Billy Preston or just lay back and bring atmosphere.

Mike Gunn on bass, Seth Murphy on drums and Douglas Showalter on guitar.

Speaking of Nile Rodgers, he has revealed he is fighting an "aggressive cancer" and is recovering from "radical surgery". In a recent blogpost, Rodgers called his October diagnosis the instant when "everything in my happy-music universe imploded". After consulting several physicians, Rodgers said he underwent surgery to remove the tumour. He is now recovering at home, and wants to "share an appreciation of life, music and people". "(Chic) did fun music meant to lift the spirit – and I'm proud of it."

Here's to a speedy and full recovery!!

Read Nile's blog [Nile Rodger's blog]

UltraLove plays at Harvelle's every Monday night.

Check out the UltraLove CD "Revolution".

Harlow Gold : Burlesque FantasyIn The Huffington Post

The word is out...

Huffington Post piece on Harlow Gold.