Looking ahead : The week at a glance

Monday:

Ultralove plays smoothed out hip-hop flavored sexy jazz r&b with a singer/songwriter edge. Full of amazing players, they keep the dancefloor packed with a beautiful young crowd. You'll be singing Ultralove's songs on the way home cuz of the incredible hooks!! 

Tuesday:

Omar Alexander is the embodiment of the U.S Latin music artist virtuoso. Born on New York soil to a Colombian mother and an Indian father, Omar Alexander represents the fluid cultural mix of contemporary America, and manages to translate that same international cosmic blend into his music - which marries a smart, alternative Latin sensibility to a no nonsense booty-shaking funk.

Wednesday:

CHEA!! It's a Westside Wednesday with House Of Vibe All-Stars! This mid-week massive is the heart & soul of band leader Anthony Brewster. He keeps the band pumping hard through 2 incredible sets of soul, funk, reggae, hip-hop and r&b.

Harvelle's is your one-stop shop for an evening out. Located in the heart of Santa Monica's utopian downtown on historical 4th St., Harvelle's provides music, full bar*, ample dance floor, smooth dudes, kool cats, nice chicks, bitchy dames... everything you need for an unforgettable night. If you've been, you know. If you haven't - come check it out!

*no pennies or dimes

Delgado Bros : Something In The Water

The Delgado Brothers are a natural born phenomenon. Intensely musical, they fire it up and perform like a well-oiled machine, pumping soul-drenched blues and r&b, exhibiting a standard far above a "bar band". Each brother is better than the next, playing with raw emotion and years of experience - all with poet's souls. They play the blues and jam what can only be called "soul music" in the most literal sense- because it comes from their souls.

guitarist Joey Delgado

The Delgado Brothers embody the soul of East L.A.

Bob Delgado on bass and lead singer/drummer Steve Delgado

The man on the keys- Dave Kelly - is lightning fast and gets many, many cool points for playing a genuine B3 with it's spinning Leslie amp. The shit is heavy!! You have to be a real dedicated muthafucker to commit to that!!

Joey Delgado displays dazzling guitar work. An incredible musician!!

It's always a thrill to watch world class musicians do their thing. The Delgado Brothers are the real deal. If you've never seen 'em live, that's something you can rectify. They play Harvelle's approximately every other month, so be aware. You can always check Harvelle's Facebook page for daily updates.

A big Saturday night shout-out to Joseph, Alex, Sheena, John, Mika, Erin and Ernesto. Thanks always to David and Cevin. And one more shout-out to Keith, E-Z, Demitrius and Dino at West 4th/Jane.

Ultralove Me Baby

Spring has just slipped the tip in, but in Santa Monica, it feels like summer.

The beaches are bustling, the promenade is perfect and even Mondays feel like it's still the weekend. Ultralove runs things on Monday and the night is geared for the ultralove-er in you*. If you haven't yet heard 'em throw down, you're in for a funky good time.

Ultralove employs a 6 piece ensemble which includes Doug Showalter (g), Seth Murphy (d), Mike Gunn (b), Adam Berg (keys) and singers Soul Star and Love Logiq. Note: this past week, Jon Piazza (aka Jon Swift) played keys. Strumming a black acoustic guitar - unless he's busting moves with the audience - Ultralove raps and sings with the ease of a man doing what he was born to do, making music with such ease and joy, it's not hard to see why the dance floor is consistently packed when the band plays.

Ultralove has a CD out "[revolution]" which is available at the gig or on [Amazon] and [iTunes™].

Big blog shout-out to Trisha, Lauralee, Dirty Birdy, Guy and *Shalamar!!

2 Guys Walk Into A Bar...

Ultralove and Brew.

Ultralove plays every Monday night without fail! His blend of modern hip-hop acousti-soul churns out hook-laden groove music that the ladies (as well as everyone else) seem to find irresistible. Brew runs things onstage Wednesdays with his group House Of Vibe All-Stars. The All-Stars include a fresh variety of singers, rappers and players of all sorts who come by and join in the party, which Brew conducts like a funky Andre Previn.

Vintage Trouble : Top Of The Pops!

Trouble Tuesday?

Tonight, Vintage Trouble performed on the show "Later Live With Jools Holland". The band introduced themselves to the world on live TV with the blistering track "Blues Hand Me Down" from their album The Bomb Shelter Sessions.

Congrats to the guys, VT is trending worldwide as I write this....

Vintage Trouble : We Are The Champions

Topping off their Tuesday night residency here, the boys from Vintage Trouble are gonna strut their stuff on the Westside one more time before heading across the Atlantic. First stop - an appearance on UK show "Later" with Jools Holland. The format of the show includes 5 bands from different aspects of the music world. The episode they are appearing on will also feature performances by k.d. land, Dr. John and Tom Jones. After that they will be out with Queen guitarist Brian May's spring tour. After that...??

(watch this space or their website for future developements.)

Tonight is the final Trouble Tuesday.

Like the birth of a new nation, there's an uprising going down and tonight, it's on the Westside.

Tonight is final chance to see Vintage Trouble live.

Something old, something new.

Something borrowed and something blue.

Vintage Trouble.

The blog wishes VT well in it's travels and looks forward to hearing about all the adventure upon your return.

Til we meet again....

Adrian Hibbs :Cooool!! (and the Gang!!)

Adrian Hibbs stepped his game up this past Tuesday, throwing down two sets of soulful originals backed ably by a 7 piece band, whose pieces fit together like a sonic jigsaw puzzle. Keeping the dance floor stocked and the club on fire, Hibbs brought his uptight pocket grooves to the right place; keepin' it real (real funky)!!

The "gang" was stacked with players well known around Harvelle's; specifically sax man Paulie Cerra, drummer Vincent Fosset Jr and Sam Meek on guitar. Additionally, Kasi Jones rocked the house with her dynamic vocals in tandem with Mr. Hibbs, who at times channelled Donny Hathaway, singing and playing his keyboard with grace, ease and much melody. (The rest of the band included Ed Cartwright Jr, Robin Rountree and Paul Literal.)

keep up with Adrian Hibbs::

[reverb nation] :: [cd baby] :: [myspace]

Please Note:

Tuesday at Harvelle's is the final Trouble Tuesday; Vintage Trouble's swan song performance before their European tour. Tuesday's just won't be the same! And tonight is the smoothed out hip-house funk of the man they call UltraLove. A grooved out Monday hang is the perfect way to ease into the week. See you there?