Friday, March 11, 2011

Ice Cube at The Orange Peel

Rap superstar Ice Cube (O'Shea Jackson) made is way to Asheville, North Carolina to perform a sold out show on March 6. Borrowing from a wide repertoire of songs, Ice Cube performed hits from N.W.A. and his other projects including Straight Outta Compton, Gangsta Gangsta, It Was A Good Day and Check Yo Self!

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Joined by WC (William L. Calhoun Jr.) and DJ Crazy Toones (Lamar Dupré Calhoun), there was never a dull moment as crowd was pumped and sand along to Ice Cubes songs. Ice Cube told the crowd that North Carolina is held special to him because his mother is from NC and his grandfather lives in High Point, NC—a city 150 miles east of Asheville. Ice Cube was featuring his latest album, "I Am the West" which came out in 2010 and the stage sported a larger than life black & white backdrop of cover shot of him sitting in a rocking chair sporting a 12 gauge shotgun.


 Click photos for large view.

Ice Cube, a father of 4, brought out two of his sons toward the end of the show to rap with their dad, a gangsta rap founder and mogul.

Ice Cube is most certainly the most accomplished performer to come to The Orange Peel (Asheville's largest nightclub). Besides being a rap icon, Ice Cube is a highly successful actor, film director, screenwriter and producer.

More Ice Cube photos from his performance in Asheville up at Performance Impressions.




































































































































Ice Cube Tour Dates & Tickets

Ice Cube will be on tour through April and tickets are not unexpectedly sold out for most shows on the tour:

Mar 11     Buffalo     Town Ballroom    
Mar 12     Milwaukee     The Rave / Eagles Ballroom    
Mar 13     Chicago     The Mid    
Mar 15     Minneapolis     First Avenue    
Mar 17     Saskatoon, Canada     Tequila Night Club    
Mar 18     Lethbridge, Canada     Bully's Event Center    
Mar 19     Calgary, Canada     Flames Central    
Mar 22     Vancouver, Canada     Commodore Ballroom    
Mar 27     Bend, OR     Midtown    
Mar 29     Chico, CA     Senator Theater    
Mar 29     Sacramento Chico, Bolivia     Senator Theatre    
Mar 30     Los Angeles     House of Blues - Sunset Strip    
Apr 1     Los Angeles     City National Grove of Anaheim    
Apr 2     Las Vegas     House of Blues    
Apr 3     Bakersfield, CA     Majestic Fox Theater

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

The Big Ol' Nasty Getdown

The Big Ol' Nasty Getdown, a funk conglomerate of musicians from George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic, Yo Mama's Big Fat Booty Band, Dumpstaphunk, Dirty Dozen Brass Band and many more just released their first single on Itunes, Room 2112 in anticipation of their debut studio album due out this spring.  The Big Ol' Nasty Getdown has only performed live a couple of times due to the conflicting schedules with many of  B.O.N.G's members committed to their other bands' touring schedules.



















The Big Ol' Nasty Getdown's first historic live perfomance was in 2008 at the short lived Loki Festival held at the scenic Deerfields just outside of Asheville, NC.  The all-star performance pioneered new ground in funk with a wide range of sounds.  Laura Reed and Ralph Rodenberry and the badly missed Garry "Starchild" Shider all took leads of vocals.  Founded by Yo Mama's Big Fat Booty Band members John-Paul Miller and Derrick Johnson along with bassist John Heintz, The Big Ol' Nasty Getdown seems destined to evolve with the comprehensive crew of funk extraordinaires.

More photos of The Big Ol' Nasty Getdown at their first live performance are online at Performance Impressions' concert photography archives.






Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Rusted Root at SUGARLOAF USA - February 5, 2011 - Carrabasett Valley, Maine

Rusted Root images from February 5, 2011 
SUGARLOAF USA Ski Resort - Carrabassett Valley, Maine

Rusted Root who formed in 1988 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania are an alternative/bluegrass/world/jamband with an emphasis on percussion.

Rusted Root consists of - 
Michael Glabicki - lead vocals, guitar
Liz Berlin - vocals, guitars, percussion 

Patrick Norman - vocals, bass, guitar, percussion 
Colter Harper - guitars, percussion, vocals 
Dirk Miller - guitars 
Preach Freedom - percussion


Back story for this evening was that Rusted Root came to SUGARLOAF Ski Resort in Maine after a marathon 30+hr trip from Alaska where they had performed two shows in Fairbanks and Anchorage. The Adam Ezra Group (AEG) had warmed up the audience which grew to fill the King Pine Ballroom located in the Base Lodge on Sugarloaf Mountain.
(AEG Photographs from this evening click here) .
Weather was perfect for a winter ski resort in February, with a snowstorm hitting the lodge that evening dumping 3-4 inches of the white stuff during the concert. Also taking place that day was a semi-professional snowboard event featuring local snowboarders.

From a wiki and I quote, "Rusted Root has toured often and extensively since its infancy. Early on in their musical career Rusted Root was "discovered" by legendary musical giants, like Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, and invited to tour along. They have been seen on tour with big-name acts like the Allman Brothers, Phish, Toad the Wet Sprocket, and Jewel. The band was also part of various summer tours packages like the Furthur Fest and spent two years touring with the Horde Fest. "It’s kind of cool to be out there, just playing with Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, the Allman Brothers and the Grateful Dead. It’s kind of a trip… to like see these people you kind of grew up with and you’re having conversations and jammin’ with," Glabicki said on National Public Radio."


Click photos for large view.

Colter Harper - Rusted Root

Michael Glabicki - Rusted Root - Lead vocals, guitar, harmonica
 
Michael Glabicki - Rusted Root

Michael Glabicki - Rusted Root 

Patrick Norman - Rusted Root - bass guitar, backing vocals  


Patrick Norman - Rusted Root  

Patrick Norman - Rusted Root 

Liz Berlin - Rusted Root - percussion, backing vocals

Patrick Norman - Rusted Root 

Colter Harper - Rusted Root - guitar, penny whistle, backing vocals 


Liz Berlin - Rusted Root

Liz Berlin - Rusted Root 

Liz Berlin - Rusted Root 

Preach Freedom - Rusted Root - percussion - backing vocals. also Liz Berlin 

Preach Freedom - Rusted Root 

Preach Freedom - Rusted Root 

Dirk Miller - guitars, backing vocals 

Liz Berlin - Rusted Root 

Rusted Root is performing at the Wanee Festival 2011 mid-April in Live Oak, Florida with headliners Allman Bros. Band and many others. Please visit here now for current Rusted Root tour dates .

Photos © 2011 Conall O'Brien All rights reserved.  obiephotography_at_hotmail.com

Monday, March 7, 2011

The Adam Ezra Group (AEG) opens for Rusted Root at Sugarloaf USA

February 5, 2011 - Carrabasett Valley, Maine.

Click photos for large view.

Adam Ezra Group - King Pine Ballroom - Carrabassett Valley, Maine
The King Pine Ballroom  is a magical place to see live concerts, could be something about the wood/stone construction within the SUGARLOAF Base Lodge.

Adam Ezra Group









Adam Ezra Group plays SUGARLOAF USA

Josh Gold - keyboards

Robin Vincent Soper - bass

Robin Vincent Soper - bass

Jon (Chappy) Chapman - drums

Turtle - percussionist

Adam Ezra Group was joined later on the King Pine Ballroom stage by two of the three Rusted Roots guitarists - Dirk Miller and Colter Harper
Turtle - percussionist with The Adam Ezra Group and Dirk Miller - guitarist with Rusted Root.

The Adam Ezra Group with Colter Harper (Rusted Root guitarist) in background.



The Adam Ezra Group with Colter Harper - Rusted Root guitarist

Rusted Root's Colter Harper sits in with The Adam Ezra Group

"Adam Ezra is one of the most promising songwriters to come along in years... with the craftsmanship and insight to become a major voice in American music."
-Ben Tishler, VH1


"Adam Ezra has the uncanny ability to attract and hold the attention of concertgoers of all ages. As a songwriter, his words connect with his audience on many levels. As a performer, Adam gives all of his energy, attention, and emotion to every show. It's difficult not to get caught up in what he's doing onstage, a fact proven by his quickly growing audience.
-Scott Hayward, Tupelo Music Hall

Adam Ezra and Josh Gold (AEG)

For Rusted Root photographs from this evening please click here now

Photographs © 2011 Conall O'Brien All rights reserved.   obiephotography_at_hotmail.com
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