Music FridayLive!

Denver-based Paa Kow is an internationally renowned artist, drummer, composer, and producer. Growing up in a small village near the Cape Coast in Ghana, West Africa, Paa Kow began to play music and tour with his family’s concert band at a very early age. He started with cowbells at 7 years old and by 14 he was in Accra, the capital and known as one of the nation's best drummers.  He  is now widely recognized as one of the most remarkable drummers to tour in Africa, Europe, and America. Paa Kow has a unique ability to speak to listeners with his drums, inspiring a profound spiritual conversation. His songs are captivating and danceable and incorporate lyrics in his native language, Fante, as well as English.  Paa Kow’s vision is to spread the music and culture of his homeland by touring the world with his Afro-Fusion orchestra. His third album, Cookpot, will be released in October of 2017. Notable musicians he has shared the stage with include African greats: Amakye Dede, George Darko, Kojo Antwi, Nat Brew, Hugh Masekela, and Vusi Mahlasela, as well as American greats Victor Wooten, Brad Goode, John Gunther, Michael Kang, and many more.

For you blues fans, we have a preview copy of slide guitar master Dennis Johnson's brand new album, Rhythmland, which we will play in its entirety.  The album will not be released until Sept. 15, but you can hear it here. We will the be broadcasting from Chapala, Jalisco State, Mexico for the next three weeks.  This week is all music.

Los Angeles-native singer/songwriter, Charlotte Bash, began performing at a young age and has sung at numerous venues internationally with the likes of John Mellencamp, Sara Bareilles, Aaron Carter, Marietta Simpson, Sylvia McNair, and Shahkar Bineshpajooh at The Microsoft Theatre at LA Live. She was classically trained as an opera singer at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, but when she returned to L.A. she wanted to find her own sound that combined her classical training with the pop music she loved.  The sound she found is a unique musical experience that combines fantasy and reality, as demonstrated in her 2013 release of her coming of age EP, Journey to Me. Her newest project, “Princess Game”  was inspired by the electro indie pop scene coming out of Britain and Australia and is a theatrical journey through sonic landscapes that tell a powerful story.

Afrolicious has established itself as one of the most legendary weekly parties in San Francisco and of the top live/electronic bands on the west coast. Started as a weekly dance party featuring DJ’s and brothers Pleasuremaker and Señor Oz  (Joe McGuire and brother Oz McGuire) alongside percussionists, MC’s and horn players, it has evolved with original music under the alias Afrolicious and a live band.  They have performed at venues like Red Rocks, Sierra Nevada World Music Festival, Electric Forest Festival, Snow Globe, Burningman, Sea of Dreams, and alongside such artists as Thievery Corporation, Jimmy Cliff, Fishbone, Rob Garza, Novalima, J.Boogie, and DJ Smash.  Afrolicious remixes and original productions can be found on labels such as ESL Music, Six Degrees Records, Akwaaba Music, Bagpak Music and more.

Grant Maloy Smith is a long running power in American and roots music, and one of the reasons why it remains so vibrant.  He is a Billboard Top #10 charting American Roots Singer/Songwriter with a country bent. His songs tell heartfelt stories about real people, and  envision a future brighter than the past. Grant has played world class venues all around the globe, telling the story of optimism and real people to audiences big and small, rural and urban, young and old.  Grant’s latest album Dust Bowl- American Stories, acclaimed by critics as a heartland masterpiece, entered Billboard’s Top Ten Americana/Folk album sales chart, and Billboard’s Top 40 Country Album sales chart, and reached #2 on Billboard’s Heatseekers Chart.Over the last 40 years, Chuck McDermott has left his musical mark on audiences across the United States. Playing Americana before Americana was cool, first from Boston and now from Los Angeles he has established a place in teh hearts of music lovers of all stripes. His Boston country group, 

Chuck McDermott and Wheatstraw  was a major influence on the music of the day as Chuck and the band won over audiences and music critics, earning him a place n the Massachusetts Country Music Hall of Fame. He moved to LA and formed the more rock-oriented Chuck McDermott Band and quickly attracted a major following and major label interest. He teamed up with a man who was to become a lifelong friend and collaborator, the late John Stewart, and was the mainstay of the John Stewart Band after John’s passing in 2008.  Chuck took a music break to advocate for the environment but he has returned with  a vengeance and a new album,  Gin & Rosewater,  his first record in many years.

While the music industry most often focuses on “the next big thing” band playing in the downtown glam stages in LA and New York or London and showcased by the labels and agencies, there is a world of superb bands playing covers and original songs in local clubs outside of the big city lights who are as good as any band-of- the-week, but laid back and far more resilient. One such band is Santa  Barbara-based The Paradise Kings, who play cover and original rock, blues, and swing tunes that get people up to dance.  The quartet  (plus guest vocalist Jan Ingram), has been performing for years in wineries, corporate events, local venues, private house parties,  and serving as the opening act  for big time blues shows.  They have just released their debut album, Controlled Burn to excellent reviews.   

No Small Children is a band like no other.  Born on an elementary school playground in the spring of 2012, the trio are school teachers by day and a phenomenally successful hard rock band by night.  Three months after deciding to use their recess breaks as band practice time they had an EP out, countless shows behind them and an East Coast tour booked. Their remake of the classic Ghostbusters theme song was released by RCA records and is featured in the new Ghostbusters movie. The band’s original song, ‘Big Steps‘, is featured in the Netflix series, Santa Clarita Diet.  The band released their third album, Hold Tight, I’m Flying, in 2015 and singles produced by the legendary, Bob Marlette (Rob Zombie, Black Sabbath). Their live shows are insanely animated and can exhaust both the audience and the band.

Sandy Skeeter, Sound City Studios. For nearly 50 years, Sound City Studios has been the place where superstars were made and recorded.  Founded in 1969, SCS kicked off with recordings by Neil Young, Dr. John, and the James Gang, but it still struggled. Then in 1973 Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks came in to record, met a drummer there by the name of Mick Fleetwood, and the rest is history.  For SCS, that history included a reputation as having the finest drum recording room on the planet. Superstars trooped to LA to record in that room and SCS’s other studios, including Elton John, The Grateful Dead, Santana, Foreigner, Cheap Trick, Alice Cooper, Peter Frampton, and many more. SCS continued producing through the 2000’s, recording Diana Ross and Pat Benatar, Barry Manilow, RATT, Bob Dylan and Nirvana. But DIY recording software and changes in the music business forced founder Tom Skeeter to close SCS.  Now Sound City is back! Tom's daughter Sandy Skeeter and Olivier Chastan are rebooting it with a legendary Helios recording console, vintage analog equipment and modern digital technology.  Sandy joins us Friday for a tour of the history and the future of rock and roll.

Trubdr. Adam Road (that is his full stage name) is a Tel Aviv- based musician whose music channels harmonic and rhythmic sounds of flamenco style guitar with a mix of indie, folk, rock and grunge music. Born in Colorado, he moved to Israel and continued his music career as one of the founding members of the band City of the Sun.  In 2014, he moved back to Israel to establish his solo career. He signed with Yebo Music and recorded his debut album, "Exile From the City ”  to rave reviews and television exposure. The name “Troubadour” was given him by a fan and it stuck.  He is now touring the US and Sweden with The Lonely Soul Collective .

Militia Vox , aka the Dark Diva and the Black Queen of Metal, is ferocious, badass, loud,  honest, existential, hardworking and beautiful.  A multimedia genius in film, music, concert production, film soundtracks and television she delivers a message of power, confidence, rebellion A classically trained pianist since the age of 7, MilitiaV grew up to become the central figure in bands including Judas Priestess , Swear On Your Life, and Disciples of Astaroth before  going  solo in 2013. Named one of  the nation’s “Ten Fiercest Black Female Rockers,” she has new music out and new stories to tell. This year she received three Global Music Awards for songwriting, lyrics and best Female Vocalist.  Her new single "NYCTOPHILIA"  is now out, following the released of her three-song EP, ISOSCELES.

Named after the Italian word for “Love”, Ammoye produces beautiful, popular funky shimmering reggae that kicks ass and stands out in a male-dominated genre And people love it and they lover her.  The smoothness of her voice draws listeners in, and the power of her lyrics holds them as she effortlessly sings about life, love, and justice. At the age of 5, Ammoye knew her calling was to perform music. Raised by her grandparents singing in church choirs and a gospel group, she moved Canada for college nd  perfected her style. It was there that she organized fellow artists into a collective  blending the soulfulness of Jamaica with the edge of drum & bass, the sinewy grooves of R&B. She sang with Michael Buble and Arkell won several Junos, . She calls herself a “soul rebel” and that soul and that  rebellion shows through in her new album,  The Light.

And Binx drops by with a new song

Kris Angelis is on a roll.  She was awarded Best Female EP in the 2016 LA Music Critics Awards for her newest EP, Heartbreak is Contagious. A single from the album was featured on Relix Magazine's first ever "Women Who Rock" sampler CD in their September/October 2016 issue.  Her music can be heard throughout Season 2 of AwesomenessTV's show Guidance. She landed an official show at NAMM 2017 and an Honorable Mention in WIMN's "She Rocks Awards" #SaveAGuitar contest. She was awarded Best Female Artist in the 13th annual International Acoustic Music Awards and  made the finals in the International Songwriting Competition. Her first full-length album, The Left Atrium, produced by Jeff Zacharski,  garnered rave critical reviews and adoring fans  for this magnificent talent —beautiful, eclectic, surprising, and yet somehow always herself.

Island Apollo is a young indie/alternative band combines classic surf vibe with funky urban grooves to create music that captures the spirit of California dreamin’ come to life. With members from Los Angeles, Orange County, and San Diego, Island Apollo is authentically Southern Californian and isn’t afraid to show it. After being named Orange County’s “Best Pop Artist” from the OC Music Awards, Island Apollo has had songs appear on FOX Sports, CBS, PBS, TeenNick, VH1, USA Network, and has even had a song appear in a commercial with 2017 Sports Illustrated cover model Kate Upton. With the release of their new single Hold it Down, Island Apollo demonstrates how the band has truly created a unique sound all their own and  one of LA’s hottest bands to watch.

"The African Bee" BINX is an Avant-Garde Pop South African musician/model living in New York.  BINX  been singing and writing music since she was a little gir and her late father encouraged her to take her music career to New York.  He was right – she released  her debut EP to great acclaim for her sound and style  that echo pop icons and rebels such as Lady Gaga and David Bowie. Her song, "Radiohead" is currently Number 1 in South Africa and she has performedfor millions of viewers on televisions shows and live at the US Open, The New York Marathon (two years in a row), Webster Hall and was featured in The New Yorker for her EP titled "The African Bee." 

Hailed as the “Best Free Outdoor Summer Concert Series” by Los Angeles Magazine and called “a grand gift to the public... democracy in musical action” by the Los Angeles Times, Grand Performances has presented some of the nation’s finest music, dance, theater, and more at the California Plaza in the heart of Downtown Los Angeles for the past 30 years.  Joining us is Leigh Ann Hahn, director of programming of Grand Performances. A half-Korean child adopted by a German-English family in Iowa as a  two-year old and raised multi-culturally. She  drove to Los Angeles at the age of twenty four and recalls, "I saw the city sprawled out in front of me, looking like a great big field full of diamonds. When I saw that almost mind-numbing beauty in front of me, I knew that one chapter of my life was done and another was beginning.” Today she is a  living embodiment of LA’s culture and diversity,  and assembles one of America’s largest, most diverse and culturally thrilling city festivals.

Very few musicians wait until they're almost 70 years old to release their debut album. Alan Babbitt is one of them.  He has been a musical dabbler at a very high level for most of his life while producing music, TV and art. He took up the clarinet in junior high, realized he could sing and switched to the guitar so he  could accompany his songs.  When he was hired as a TV producer/director at a PBS station in Las Vegas to create educational programs for kids he applied his musical talent to writing and performing tunes to help teach concepts – his first crack at songwriting. While a film and video maker to San Francisco he composed, arranged and produced music as a sideline. Eventually, that led to his debut album, NEW ROAD,  an eclectic mix of musical styles including folk, folk rock, jazz, and a new genre  he calls "Grump Rock."  Hopefully, the 2nd album won't take quite as long.

Flora Cash is a duo composed of Minnesotan Cole Randall and Swede Shpresa Lleshaj , now based in Stockholm, Sweden.  They met on Soundcloud in early 2012 and by the end of 2012, they had begun a collaboration with Swedish singer/songwriter and producer Daniel Westerlund (formerly of The Goner) and released their first EP, Mighty Fine EP,  and quickly built a fan base with sold out shows in Stockholm, a three-month ‘mini-tour’ of London and a second EP, Made It For You. The duo moved to Minneapolis in 2913 for a year, got married, took a road-trip-honeymoon to LA and then moved back to Stockholm  to release the  I Will Be There.  They signed to the Stockholm-based boutique label: Icons Creating Evil Art and have just released their latest album Nothing Lasts Forever (And It’s Fine).