Open Mic Night! at Crash Mansion. It’s a place to be seen and heard. Talent, "Raw Talent" and Opportunity for exposure can turn your dreams into reality. If Singing is your forte, show up! If you're a Hip-Hop artist, show up! If you're in a hot Rock Band, show up! Got Jokes (really good jokes), show up! If you do what you do so great and want to be seen? JUST SHOW UP!
This event is for artists who take their work seriously and have fun Rocking The Mic! Each act Gets 3-4 Min to do their thing on stage. If the Crowd thinks you’re great, you’ll get 10-15 min during the next Open Mic. OMG! This Is The Best Open Mic Ever!!! A live band is provided for all music acts. Tell your Fans, I mean Friends to arrive early. I’ll See You There!!!
On April 29, the Roots
will unveil Rising Down — the latest step in the six-member Philadelphia
hip-hop band's 15-year evolution on record. The darkly funky, politically
charged project is now almost done after more than a year of recording, though
it is currently missing contributions from planned guest artists Common, Lupe
Fiasco, and Q-Tip.
'RISING DOWN'' (possible alternate title: ''Humdrum'') Guest rappers Mos Def and Styles P join Trotter in
unleashing a slew of dystopian imagery over heavy, atmospheric synths. ''It's
not an intro, but more an introduction to the topical theme of the album,''
Trotter says. ''Mos kicks it off from one perspective. My verse is about global
warming and how the world is all haywire. And Styles P is rapping about prescription-drug
campaigns, the stuff they advertise on TV, all the crazy side effects. We're
all dealing with different aspects of the state of the world.''
''GET BUSY'' It's
a Philly celebration, with verses from longtime protégé Dice Raw (''kinda like
W.E.B. DuBois/Meets Heavy D and the Boys'') and more recent associate Peedi
Peedi as well as scratches from DJ Jazzy Jeff. The beat's driven by an
aggressive, grinding bassline. ''That's the return of the boom-bap,'' says
Trotter. ''We're revisiting golden-era East Coast hip-hop, but the synthesizers
make it modern.'' Adds an oracular Thompson: ''What was 20 years ago is also
tomorrow.''
''BLACK'S RECONSTRUCTION'' Trotter raps for 75 bars straight on this lyrical exercise, spitting
effortless game (''Smooth like the dude Sean Connery was playing'') over a
dirty drumbeat and foghorn-like tuba moans. ''It was a first take,'' notes
Trotter. (Show-off!) ''That's a song in the tradition of 'Web' and 'Thought
@ Work'. It's become something that die-hard fans check for,
that extended freestyle, minimal chorus, hard-hitting lyrical joint.''
''APOLOGIZE'' Thompson calls this rhythmic, brass-laced cut (also featuring Dice Raw) a
tribute to late Afrobeat legend Fela Kuti. Trotter's lyrics examine the
challenges of today's music industry: ''Look into my daughter's eyes/Wonder,
how can I provide?'' ''It's about not apologizing for what you are,'' Thompson
elaborates. ''Dice Raw's verse does his commentary on how the new minstrel
image of black people is in vogue now — how that's the image that's being sold
to you. It's really hard to hold on to your dignity and not resort to shucking
and jiving to sell records.''
''CRIMINAL'' (possible alternate title: ''Pay the Bills'') A simmering meditation on street life, still
awaiting a guest verse from Saigon. ''It's about being persecuted and having no
other alternative,'' Trotter says. ''You could also see it from the angle of the Rockefeller laws,'' adds Thompson, ''certain groups
of people get persecuted and others get away with it.'' Chuckling sardonically,
Trotter concludes: ''That [song] is a light-hearted one! It's a happy
album...''
''I CAN'T HELP
IT'' Trotter says this harrowing
tale of addiction, bustling with keyboard burbles and ethereal background
vocals, is about ''giving in or not giving in to your urges.'' ''I can't help
it/Maybe I'm selfish,'' he raps. ''The way I'm running is becoming a health
risk/I might have a heart attack, I'm taking more pills than Elvis.''
''SINGER MAN'' Two little-known guest rappers chime in on this unsettling multipart suite,
which segues from a spare bass drone to a backmasked, drumless ambient section.
''That's three different first-person accounts of people that felt justifiable
violence,'' says Thompson. Trotter raps in the voice of ''an African child
soldier fighting for Charles Taylor in Sierra Leone''; Truck North takes on the
role of a suicide bomber; and the very unfortunately named emcee Porn explores
the perspective of a school shooter.
''UP THERE'' ''It
was a cold night/Not cold like the winter, but I can feel an energy in the air
that I don't like'': Another claustrophobic narrative, backed by melting synths
and an eerie vocal loop. Trotter compares its steady crescendo to 1996's ''Panic''.
''It's a dream sequence. Some person is driving me through this place where I see
my life, like a drive-in movie. Then the guy disappears, and I'm being
carjacked. It's one of those things like the 'You Got Me' video,
where [the plot is] left wide open — it's in the eye of the beholder.''
''LOST DESIRE'' Urgent verses from Talib Kweli (who shouts out his new project Idle Warship) and former Roots member Malik B anchor
another look at contemporary social ills: ''No one cares what the truth is/It's
a fortress built on lies,'' goes the hook. ''Malik and I are always the yin and
yang of Philadelphia,'' says Trotter. ''He represents the street, that accurate
commentary, and I'm kind of the polar opposite of that. So we balance each
other out on the song, and Kweli's in the middle, talking about what goes on in
Brooklyn.''
''THE SHOW MUST GO ON'' Cascading drums and a serrated synth texture set off the song that
Common is expected to appear on. (''He promised his left arm if he doesn't get
us his verse!'' kids Thompson.) ''It's about where we are at this point in our
career, why we do it — a more introspective, personal type of joint,'' says
Trotter. ''I'm saying some fly s--- on that song. I like those verses, boy!''
''RISING UP'' The
title track's counterpart has a far lighter tone, courtesy of two fresh-faced
guests: soulful songbird Chrisette Michele and much-buzzed-about Washington,
D.C., rapper Wale. ''Where 'Rising Down' is one of the darker
moments of the album, 'Rising Up' is the beacon of hope,'' says Trotter, who
boasts on the song's hook that he's ''getting paper like John Travolta.'' The
track's beat calls to mind the polyrhythmic pulse of Washington's go-go scene —
an unexpectedly touchy subject, it turns out. ''It's more percussive than your
average Roots song,'' Trotter continues with a grin. ''But Wale, who's a
die-hard 23-year-old D.C. native, just refuses to accept that as go-go in any
way, shape or form: 'What?! Oh, that ain't no go-go jam!' So it's our attempt
at something quasi go-go-esque.''
''BIRTHDAY GIRL'' Summery guitar chords and an ultra-catchy hook
sung by Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump have made this the leading contender for Rising Down's first single. It's a pleasant breeze of a song —
at least until you notice the vaguely creepy lyrics, in which Stump and Trotter
fondly address an adoring female fan on the occasion of her 18th birthday.
''It's based on experiences that we all go through today, as musicians and as
parents,'' Trotter says. ''It deals with what our daughters are exposed to, the
effects of My Super Sweet 16, reality TV, all this crazy s---.'' Thompson,
however, laughs off the song as a hip-hop Lolita: ''It's the most beautiful statutory rape song
ever!''
Source: EW.com
WALLY RUN'S MOVIE PICK OF THE WEEK!!!
BE KIND, REWIND.
Jerry
(Jack Black) is a junkyard worker who attempts to sabotage a power plant he
suspects of causing his headaches. But he inadvertently causes his brain to
become magnetized, leading to the unintentional destruction of all the movies
in his friend's (Mos Def) store. In order to keep the store's one loyal
customer, an elderly lady with a tenuous grasp on reality, the pair re-create a
long line of films including The Lion King, Rush Hour, Ghostbusters, When We Were
Kings, Back to the Future, Driving Miss Daisy, and Robocop , putting themselves
and their townspeople into it. They become the biggest stars in their
neighborhood.
Check the Trailer Here!!!
Source: Rottentomatoes.com
WALLY RUN'S MUSIC VIDEO OF THE WEEK
LIL MAMA, CHRIS BROWN FEAT T-PAIN - SHAWTY GET LOOSE
ARE YOU AN UP AND COMING RECORDING ARTIST? THINK YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES?SPEKTRUM MUSIC WANTS YOU!!!!!
Contact Chuck at Chuckdogginfo@aol.com for details.
We are very happy to announce that the song "What U Need" off of the soon to be released Chuck "The Triple Threat" Album is featured on the soundtrack to this weekend's most anticipated sequel STEP UP 2. Support Chuck's Hustle and GO SEE THIS MOVIE!!!!
George Lucas is at it AGAIN!!!!!!
George Lucas is at it again with an all new CGI Star Wars feature: The Clone Wars.
by Wally Run
George Lucas’ 3D CGI continuation of the Star Wars saga isn’t just coming to television this fall -- the new series will kick-off this summer with a full-length theatrical release.
Warner Bros., Turner Broadcasting, and production company Lucasfilm Animation announced yesterday that the eagerly-anticipated series, which will air in 30-minute “mini-movies” on TNT and Cartoon Network, will begin with a theatrical release on August 15.
Anticipation on the project has been building for years following the two-year run of Lucas’ previous animated Star Wars: Clone Wars series. That show aired on Cartoon Network from 2003-2005 and covered the period between Episode II: Attack of the Clones and Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, filling in the Star Wars mythos with stories featuring Count Dooku, Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi.
The new Clone Wars will also cover events in the same time period, including closer looks at supporting characters like Ahsoka Tano, Anakin Skywalker’s Togruta Padawan and Jedi commander Kit Fisto, whose fate is sealed in Episode III.
From the official Star Wars: Clone Wars site:
“I felt there were a lot more Star Wars stories left to tell,” said George Lucas, executive producer of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. “I was eager to start telling some of them through animation and, at the same time, push the art of animation forward.”
Beware:
The Nerds will be in full effect this fall.
THE MOST ANTICIPATED BLOCKBUSTER OF THE SUMMER? ARE WE SURE?
Does Indy have what it takes to pull off another summer blockbuster?
by Wally Run
It has been almost twenty years since we’ve seen Harrison Ford don the fedora and leather jacket. Given the rise in movie technology over the years, the question on everyone’s mind is what does Indy have in store for us next? Is it the charm and adventure that was Raiders of the Lost Ark? Is it the dark mood that we got from the Temple of Doom? Or is it the fun joyride that was the Last Crusade. This latest installment of the Indiana Jones, “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” franchise promises to be one of if not the best and possibly last of the series. Returning to the fray along with Indy is Marion Ravenwood aka Karen Allen from Raiders which shows promise that everything in the Indiana Jones series will come full circle. Transformers star Shia Lebouf plays Indy’s son and seeks to bring in a new younger generation of fans into theaters this summer. May 22, 2008 is the date, so get ready to crack that whip one more time. From the looks of the newly released teaser trailer, we are in for another wild ride.
