This weekend: Official California Funk Record Release Party – 05.02.10 (updated with MP3)

We’re throwing another free event to celebrate the release of our California Funk anthology. Well, let’s clarify: entry is free, the sounds are free; you have to buy your own vino and food… We’ll be playing joints like John Bradley and the Swinging Soul Singers “Four In The Floor.” If you missed our previous events over, check the links below and bring some Cali-Funk with you this time ’round.

Pictures from our Weird Jazz Afternoon which we threw for our P.E Hewitt Winter Winds The Complete Works release.
Pictures from our Black Man’s Cry record release party.
The L.A. Times tells you to wear your Sunday Best to our California Funk record release party.
More info on California Funk.

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An Apple A Day Keeps Bad Funk Away

Yesterday was a glorious one at Now-Again’s L.A. headquarters: Edward “Apple” Nelson – he of Apple and Three Oranges fame – came down to our spot and held court with Egon and Cut Chemist. Now-Again affiliate Henoch Moore filmed the proceedings. The three discussed the New Orleans-born drummer’s life work (did you know he’s the one who originally laid the pattern James Gadson mimicked on Dyke and The Blazer’s “Let A Woman Be A Woman Be A Woman” single?) and listened to a series of his recordings in the original 45 rpm format. Cut Chemist even broke out his original copy of “Curse Upon The World” for the occasion.

An Apple and Three Oranges anthology is forthcoming on Now-Again; in the meantime, catch your Apple-funk on California Funk, out now.

Download L.A.’s own Apple and Three Oranges’ “Curse Upon The World” here.
Buy California Funk at Rappcats Webstore.

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Fela/Black Man’s Cry reviewed at Okayplayer.com

Today was an interesting day at Now-Again headquarters: we received word back from one of the producers of the Fela! musical on Broadway – a West African aficionado for the past thirty years – that our Black Man’s Cry anthology passed his muster. And then we received this lovely review from hip hop mainstay okayplayer.com. Gotta love the cross over between hip hop and Afro-Beat’s godfather, even though it’s been almost twenty years since Pete Rock first sampled “Water Get No Enemy” for his brothers in INI.

From okayplayer.com’s review:

“In that respect, Black Man’s Cry is an impeccably (and in the case of the artwork and liner notes, lovingly) compiled tribute to a huge talent. And the wonderful part about it is that it only begins to scratch the surface of Fela’s inspiration, musical and political. And that’s the greatest tribute you can pay to such a legend.”

Link: Black Man’s Cry reviewed at okayplayer.com

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Egon’s Matthew Larkin Cassell Anthology Available At Stones Throw Now (and a free Mp3!)…

Egon’s Stones Throw Records-released anthology of Bay Area soul/jazz/singer-songwriter Matthew Larkin Cassell – complete with artwork by Trevor Karma Gendron (Black Man’s Cry, Psych Funk 101, Brazil Guitar Fuzz Bananas) – is available as a pre-release over at Stones Throw’s webstore. The album is out in all formats everywhere good music is sold on 05.18.10.

More info: on Matthew Larkin Cassell The Complete Works here.
Download: “Heaven” from the anthology here.

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04.20.10: California Funk Out Today (And we’re still giving away a free mp3…)

Our version of the California Funk CD – packaged as a “mini-LP” in a thick, “paste-on” gatefold cardboard sleeve with a 24 page full color booklet with full liner notes, annotation, and never-before-seen photos – is out everywhere good music is sold today.

If you haven’t already:

Download L.A.’s own Apple and Three Oranges’ “Curse Upon The World” here.
Buy California Funk at Rappcats.

Posted in News