This past weekend was a true party at The Rapids Theater in Niagara Falls. Western New York band Grosh had their annual tribute show as this year’s version was “funk night” Everyone had their dancing shoes on with 97 rock DJ Anita West leading off the show.
photo by Mike Miller
Normally Grosh is a four-piece band but for this event they transformed into a nine-piece with two special guest singers for one song. Grosh band members include Megan Brown (vocals), Grace Lougen (Guitar), Dylan Hund (Bass), Josh English (Drums) Alex McArthur (Vocals), Zak Ward (Guitar), Eric Wozniak (Sax), Tim Clarke (Trumpet), Harry Graser (Keys). The band played many cover songs throughout two sets of music including Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder and Earth, Wind and Fire songs.
Grosh Setlist
Set 1: September, All Night Long, Soul Man, I Wish, Kiss, Shining Star, Shes a Bad Mama Jama, Baby Be Mine, Just As Long As We’re Together
Set 2: Give It To Me, Sir Duke, The Crunge, Brick House, I Wanna Hold Your Hand, Stand, Mr. Rogers, Sign Sealed Delivered, I Want To Take You Higher
At first listen, you might classify the forward-moving, walking-pace energy of “Living for the City” within the same hustle-and-bustle, working-man category occupied by “Takin’ Care of Business,” and songs of the like. But take a deeper dive and you’ll find that the content of Stevie Wonder’s 1973 single paints a far deeper portrait of life in New York City—one that is still intensely relevant in conversations today regarding race, income, and opportunity.
“Living for the City” came as a single from 1973’s Innervisions, an album that’s considered one of Wonder’s best displays of virtuosity—composing and playing every main instrument on a majority of the tracks. Innervisions followed 1972’s Talking Book (which included the likes of “Superstition”) and featured diverse styles and themes, along with classics like “Higher Ground.” Though perhaps none of the songs on Innervisions are as surgically insightful or keep a finger closer on the pulse of society than “Living for the City.”
The song reflects “a snapshot of a certain part of the reality of life,” as Wonder explained to Barney Hoskyns in a 2005 interview for Uncut. Particularly—reality as a black American. The lyrics tell the story of siblings growing up in Mississippi with parents who supply plenty of affection, but can’t fully shield the children from the harsh realities of life. All the while, there’s a dream of an easier, more financially stable life in the big city.
His father works some days for fourteen hours And you can bet, he barely makes a dollar His mother goes to scrub the floors for many And you’d best believe, she hardly gets a penny Living just enough, just enough for the city
As a young child—a child of color in this case—one can only imagine the harrowing, and sobering, experience of watching your parents toil away day after day just to stay poor. Wonder paints this vignette detailing each sibling’s experience, from the girl having to walk far to school repeating the same outfit each day, and the boy growing up smart but with little prospects for a higher pay job, because “where he lives they don’t use colored people.”
Enter “The City.” Living in the city is the answer. The Big Apple is a place where anyone can take a bite and enjoy the opportunity available—or so they thought. “Living in the City” is an ambitious song, and sets the tone for the entire album—mostly due to a spoken word portion in the full record version that shows us what happens when the boy decides to follow his dream to the big city.
In this section, having just gotten to the city and being ready to put his smarts to good use, he’s preyed upon by a criminal who sets him up. He’s given 10 years in jail, with no sympathy from the justice system or the police. Re-reading the lyrics of this section is no easy task. It’s difficult to realize that, in many ways, we are having the same conversation as a society today as Wonder penned nearly 50 years ago.
Afterward, the once-hopeful country boy is seen as a product of the “big city” justice system, spending his days “walking the streets of New York City” and “almost dead from breathing in air pollution.” The question becomes: was he better off staying poor and not coming to the city at all? It’s not a question that’s answered in the content of the song, but it’s certainly one that is posed to the audience. Wonder makes an even bigger statement with the last verse:
I hope you hear inside my voice of sorrow And that it motivates you to make a better tomorrow This place is cruel, nowhere could be much colder If we don’t change, the world will soon be over Living just enough, stop giving just enough for the city
It’s a plea to change the circumstances that affected the characters of the song; the circumstances that make the song more fact than fiction. Here, Wonder addresses the systemic nature of discrimination as he addresses the world, not only the individuals. It’s a tale that’s, unfortunately, as old as time. But, if there’s any consolation, it’s that messages of motivation go further today and affect more people than they ever have. Perhaps, if revisited sometime in the near future, Stevie might be inspired to write a slightly different ending to the song.
“Living for the City” Lyrics
A boy is born in hard time Mississippi Surrounded by four walls that ain’t so pretty His parents give him love and affection To keep him strong moving in the right direction Living just enough, just enough for the city…ee ha!
His father works some days for fourteen hours And you can bet he barely makes a dollar His mother goes to scrub the floor for many And you’d best believe she hardly gets a penny Living just enough, just enough for the city
His sister’s black but she is sho ’nuff pretty Her skirt is short but Lord her legs are sturdy To walk to school she’s got to get up early Her clothes are old but never are they dirty Living just enough, just enough for the city
Her brother’s smart he’s got more sense than many His patience’s long but soon he won’t have any To find a job is like a haystack needle Cause where he lives they don’t use colored people Living just enough, just enough for the city. Living just enough… For the city…ooh,ooh
His hair is long, his feet are hard and gritty He spends his life walking the streets of New York City He’s almost dead from breathing in air pollution He tried to vote but to him there’s no solution Living just enough, just enough for the city…yeah, yeah, yeah!
I hope you hear inside my voice of sorrow And that it motivates you to make a better tomorrow This place is cruel no where could be much colder If we don’t change the world will soon be over Living just enough, just enough for the city!
Singer-songwriter, guitarist and drummer Rene Lopez has just released his new single, “Flamingo”. A master of cross-genre work, Lopez’ single features Caribbean roots, rhythmic Jamaican ska drum loops, Cuban son montuno with cha-cha-chá influence. “Flamingo” stands as a direct reflection of Lopez’ multicultural upbringing in New York City, where he resides today.
Son of the famed Puerto Rican salsa musician and trumpet player René López, Rene embraces the traditional roots of his father while incorporating his own unique musical influences, including soul, jazz, funk, and rock.
An audience can audibly hear this melding of genres- with the fusion of Latin rhythms and instruments like timbales, congas, cowbell, flute, trumpet, Cuban tres and melodies similar to the pop musical soundscape today.
It just feels so right to incorporate my roots into my songs.
Rene Lopez
Dubbed “a one-man song factory” by Félix Contreras of NPR’s Alt.Latino, Lopez takes a personal approach to songwriting.
There is also a story that I tell in each song that is basically my own way of dealing with stuff going on in my life [and it] helps me face myself when I sing it out loud.
Rene Lopez
Lopez’ ability to write a autobiographical discography that melds Latin music, funk, rock, doo-wop, and soul is what keeps him hitting the mark with these catchy songs. Throughout the course of his work, Lopez’ music has only continued to become more Latinized, invoking a thematic otherness as an immigrant or being from a certain urban ethnic neighborhood. Keeping his songs close to home has reflected an authentic, nostalgic sound that shows listeners Lopez is “being completely honest with who I am, and a big part of that is my Latin roots,” as well as telling stories of personal relationships and experiences in an unflinching way.
Written as an ode to a “special woman” Lopez fell in love with after he got divorced, “Flamingo” bears Lopez’ vulnerability. He successfully transformed a situation he dubbed “extremely difficult and heartbreaking” into a beautiful tribute to the experience. Simultaneously graceful and outlandish, the flamingo serves as the perfect metaphor to quantify his unattainable love.
The title of the single then alludes to the doomed romance due to the lovers’ star-crossed circumstances. Beautiful and tragic, the song is a Latin lullaby of love and healing. The poetic lyrics serve as the perfect gateway into Lopez’ self and coupled with the personal roots of his past, “Flamingo” serves as a testament to Lopez’ past. And evidently, the song is yet another incredible hit to add to his collection of singles, keeping his growing audience waiting for the future.
The single is streaming on Soundcloud and does not disappoint!
The Queen of Funk herself, Chaka Khan, will be headlining the 15-Year Anniversary Fundraising Gala for BLACK GIRLS ROCK! on Friday, June 18 in New York City.
BLACK GIRLS ROCK! is both a movement and a nonprofit organization centered around empowering women of color through positive media representation as well as leadership and career development.
The annual BLACK GIRLS ROCK® Awards is the biggest celebration of the nexus of achievements of exemplary women of color who break boundaries, blaze trails, and set trends across sectors.
This year’s exciting anniversary gala can be accessed virtually and is presented by Microsoft. The event will be streamed for the first time on the all new BGR!TV network and will also be available on BGR’s YouTube channel.
The gala will be co-hosted by Tatyana Ali and MC Lyte. Along with Khan, there are planned musical performances by Alice Smith and Maimouna Youssef aka MuMu Fresh, DC’s all-woman go-go band Bela Dona, gospel sensation Tasha Cobbs Leonard, celebrity DJ Aktive and more. There will also be star-studded appearances by Tracee Ellis Ross, Common, Estelle, India Arie, Yara Shahidi, Ledisi, Wood Harris, Misty Copeland, Jay Ellis, Rapsody, and even a virtual appearance by Michelle Obama.
This special edition of the gala and concert “will highlight Black women in music while benefiting the advocacy and expansion of the organization.” The stream will start at 7PM. Tickets to the virtual gala can be purchased through the BGR website.
Chances are high that you haven’t had your usual dose of funk over the last year. The global pandemic has slowed the release schedule of many bands and while we have gotten some great releases over the last few months, it’s nothing compared to past years. That all changes today with Garage A Trois’ newest offering, Calm Down Cologne.
This sensational release from the band’s original lineup of prolific drummer Stanton Moore, master guitarist Charlie Hunter and multi-instrumentalist Skerik marks 22 years since their debut album, MysteryFunk. The band still delivers the same energy and excitement that they first showed over two decades ago.
The new album was recorded in 2019, across the street from Nectar’s Lounge in Seattle where the band was playing a 3-night, sold out run in Skerik’s hometown. Most of this offering is an improvisational documentation of what the trio was able to elicit together in that studio session, save for one pre-composed track. The resulting five songs are a testament to the prowess and musical moxie that each member possesses and is able to showcase as a group.
“No Zone” is the perfect choice to start the album and illustrates how sync’d up the members of GAT are. Guitar and Organ blend seamlessly as Moore’s drumming drives the trio through nine minutes of head-bobbing, in-your-face funk. The aptly named “The Epic” is a spooky and funky carnival ride, as if a funhouse had its own effects-pedal laden jam session with it’s driving funk and electro-cacophony.
The title track is the only non-improvised song on the album, but it’s one that you’ll find yourself listening to on repeat. Skerik’s ability to play horns and organ blend magically with Hunter’s bass as Moore provides hints of New Orleans throughout the short, but sweet ditty.
“In-A-Pro-Pro” is the longest track on the album and is a jam that’ll get you to stand up and dance. This song is nothing short of incredible as each instrument bubbles to the surface to play their perfect part. “In-A-Pro-Pro” is like a good seltzer… effervescent with the perfect amount of flavor. Hunter has the chops and energy of at least two guitar masters as he lays out a flurry of sounds from the guitar and bass that comprise his Hybrid Big6. The album closes with the laid-back fuzzy funk of “Numinous,” a track that is reminiscent of walking off into the sunset. The drums, bass and keys paint a canvas that allows the horns and guitar to really pop in and shine.
It might only be April, but this release will certainly be in the running for Best Album of 2021. Stream on various platforms here, and purchase the LP from Royal Potato Family or on GAT’s Bandcamp, where you can also purchase the digital album as well.
Key Tracks: Calm Down Cologne, The Epic, In-A-Pro-Pro
