#jon braman

[meltingpotcrew]

The Rundown (October 10, 2012)

Kreaux - our featured guest this month - he’s like a 90’s psychedelic Prince meets Nirvana meets some kind of gypsy post-apocalyptic trance thing.  That’s the best I can do to describe it, but, man, it was really cool. Putting a silky smooth voice over super distorted guitar is a cool effect. If you check out one of his videos and wonder if he looks like that in person - the answer is yes. He looks exactly like that.

I showed up in a suit and opened with Summertime, a jam I wrote this summer that I’m really enjoying playing with the band. Rose really gets into it on the sax in this song. (Here’s a video of the first time we performed it last summer.)  Then on Revolution #11 - I love the way Silas (on bass) plays these dark arpeggios on the chorus.  No recording yet - you’ll have to come next month and hear it.

There were these tourist dudes who got really into it and started doing some kind of Scottish or Russian or just really weird funky dancing on Webb’s set.  But then again - Webb tends to do that to people.

Damien - one of our regular MC's for the jam - really killed in on You Got Me. He started singing - I couldn’t really understand the words but it was bluesy and kind of reminded me of Lil Wayne’s singing on a track like Hello Brooklyn.

This also happened: About two songs before Webb hit the stage he somehow went to the bar and got enough PBRs for everyone in the band.   Literally - like 7 cans - and then he came up and gave them to us while were playing!  MaG was already in serious zone from finishing Bestie when we went into Blinders.  And then me and Silas were looking at each other trying to figure out how to open our beers in-between chords without missing a beat.  Somehow we did it, and me and MaG toasted in front of the mic before hitting the hook on ‘Paper Airplanes’.

--Jon B

[meltingpotcrew]

The Rundown (September 12, 2012)

It was a classic night - but also a new night.  First time trying out the new format: the Melting Pot Band set up and hit at 8 PM at Pianos - which left time for the band to rock out on two Arthur Lewis originals.

'We Ride' is just a gorgeous tune that starts and ends with glockenspiel/ ukulele/ sax interlocked in an overlaid pattern. It was one of those moments whenm even in the loud Wed. night bar atmosphere, things get real hushed and everyone tunes in.  Just a pretty moment. And next time you see Arthur, ask him what the song is really about.

MaG was kind of on fire. First time at Pianos playing one of my personal favorite MaG tunes: "Bestie", where he basically name checks Deities like they were, well, close personal friends. Gives me goose bumps every time. 

Shout out to Ray and Sam for locking in on my new tune 'A song from last night' - there's some serious rhythmic interplay taking place, and I think they're just getting started.

Webb amped things up with his new jam 'Poppin'. I gotta say, it really pops.  I get to say 'pop it' - many times. From Buddha to Poppin - that's what the Melting Pot is all about. The horn line that comes in after the break is one of my favorites - I think Jon and Rose  just made it up at rehearsal, sitting on Sam's couch.

The jam was packed - maybe that's what they call jam-packed: we had deep voiced guest singers, a flock of serious MC's, even a surprise Keyboard jammer - one of Arthur's high school buds. Not to mention the un-imitatable Ally Way, aka Juno Brown, (aka Lieph) who graced the mic with some out of this world harmonies.

Classic night.

--Jon B.

[meltingpotcrew]

The Rundown (August 8th, 2012)

Jon Paul is a really tall guy. When I went up to introduce him as the featured guest for our last Melting Pot, the mic was about at my forehead. 

He's also a hell of a guitar player and singer. These effortless little grooves just seem to slip from his fingers, with this sweet voice emanating from somewhere 3 or 4 feet up there - in the clouds. I woke up thursday morning with his song 'dig down' playing in my head. (It probably is a big part of how i got out of bed). On his cover of The Wind Cries Mary - he sung so sweet it could have been a James Taylor song, but the electric guitar licks were just the more killing because it was so delicate.

Every Melting Pot is something different. This time we had Mike LaValle sitting in on bass. I'd never played with him before - but if Arthur says he's got a bass player for us I know it's gonna be good. Mike brought a bass - and a small keyboard, which I didn't realize until two songs in was a synth bass. (Note to self: if i ever become a bass player - this is a good fucking trick. As Mike said to me after the show - you can't argue with a synth bass). Especially not with the kind of thick grooves Mike was playing (and making up on the spot - having never heard the tunes before we played them).

Highlights: 

Arthur and Andrea Daly harmonizing on the chorus of You Got Me during the jam. Jon Paul's snaky perfect guitar lines in and among the hits on MaG's Blinders. Getting the singalong OWS vibe closing the night on The 99 - and Rose pulling out a totally feel good tenor solo on the last chorus. My hometown buddy Jake breaking out some crazy dance moves when the band kicked off one of MaG's tunes - maybe Paper Airplanes. Webb getting so amped by Mike Lavalle's heavy hip hop bass on 'I'm home' - he turned to Ray on drums with a crazed look in his eye and screamed: 

"Give it to me motherfucker!!!!" 

Well, Ray gave it to him. I think my ears are still ringing. Mid-summer Melting Pots tend to be hot. 

--Jon B.

[Ed. Then we all turned into zombies. ]

[rosewithwords]

a good music week.

there weren't enough sunny days this week to inspire that effortless creativity...it was crate-diggin time.  (p.s. crate-diggin for me consists of itunes, blogs and my go-to indie music guru, MaG.) even when my brain is frazzled and filled with too many unimportant things, a treatment-inspiring song or a really amazing performance is like a therapy/bootcamp session.

first thing, every morning, i have a cup of green tea.  this week i've sipped tea while listening to "925" by SoundHouse.  it's my morning soul-cereal.  it has a sort of sweet yet slightly gritty sound that makes me smile. and the congas make my heart skip a beat (i think those are congas but i could be completely wrong. i dig whatever drum it is).  i could fill a notebook with treatment ideas after listening to SoundHouse.  seriously, listen to this song.  i guarantee by the time Mr. Reed hits that "stressss free" line you'll be smiling with your eyes closed (and if you're southern, like me, you'll be softly shakin your head the way you do in church). "Ur Song, My Song, Our Song" is another fave too.  reminds me a little of an urban update on soulful stevie.  "Molly's Ghost" is so dope too...and the first time i listened to "Things Will Get Better", i heard something that made me tear up. those healing tears.  just listen, "Recession Music".  you'll love it.

another music-obsession this week?  seeing Jon Braman, the hip hop ukulele phenom, jam with Arthur Lewis on vocals & keys and a sick band consisting of a seriously dope sax player, drummer and guitar player (whose names escape me, my sincerest apologies) made my week.  throw a big jam session in there with MaG (after what i think was his best performance yet!) and Webbafied...honestly, one of my fave nyc-music nights to date.  Arthur Lewis is great.  like, buy his EP, put him on your fave playlist, tell yo' mama great.  but, gotta say...didn't see Jon Braman coming.  buy the album and youtube the videos...you'll be hooked.

sidebar:  due to a severe case of Adult ADD (self-diagnosed), i just paused writing this to pop on over to twitter to do my daily self-indulgent check to see if anyone RT'd or mentioned me and guess who did?!  the uber-talented Mr. Reed of the SoundHouse Band.  aw, shux.  how funny is that?!  here i was writing about my obsession with "925" and he was shouting me out too!  much love SoundHouse.

this must seem so lovey-dovey but the acting is slow, i don't have nearly enough words on the page or money in my account and i'm itching to get to LA but i definitely had a smile on my face a lot this week.  thanks to the beautiful music-makers, it's been a really good week.  and the occasional fart sound at the end of a lovely song doesn't hurt.

*addendum* thanks to the lovely and oh-so talented Arthur Lewis (yes, he read the post. and commented. ha, i'm cooler than you other fans.) i now know the names of the "seriously dope sax player, drummer and guitar player" i mentioned before: Rose Rutledge on sax (of the Rose Rutledge Trio), and Ray Richards-McNaught and Mike Boss (of Mama Boss) on drums and bass. thank you Arthur!