If you’ve ever wondered what your favorite literary characters might be listening to while they save the world/contemplate existence/get into trouble, or hallucinated a soundtrack to go along with your favorite novels, well, us too. But wonder no more! Here, we sneak a look at the hypothetical iPods of some of literature’s most interesting characters. What would be on the personal playlists of Holden Caulfield or Elizabeth Bennett, Huck Finn or Harry Potter, Tintin or Humbert Humbert? Something revealing, we bet. Or at least something danceable. Read on for a cozy reading soundtrack, character study, or yet another way to emulate your favorite literary hero. This week: Rudyard Kipling’s famous feral child, Mowgli. Read More »
We’re already on the record asNneka fans (she caught our collective eye as one of the top ten acts from this year’s SXSW festival), and now the Nigerian-born singer is taking her continent-crossing, genre-bending act to the road with an opening slot on Nas and Damian Marley’s Distant Relatives tour. In this exclusive video feature, we see snippets of Nneka’s past road diaries both funny and sweet, from goofing off with her bandmates to suffering the slings and arrows of a boyfriend-less Valentine’s Day. After the jump, view Nneka’s exclusive tour diaries and check out the upcoming tour dates to see when she brings her multi-culti musical melange to your town.
With over 2,000 bands performing in Austin, Texas, for this year’s SXSW music festival, separating the ones-to-watch from the ones-to-wash was a challenge even if you were there. While we weren’t able to catch every artist in attendance, now that the dust has settled and our brains have become (relatively) unscrambled, we were able to compile the best of the best — in order to give you the top 10 acts from the melee to watch out for in 2010. From quirky UK pop to retro soul to inspired global sounds, we’ve got you covered for the upcoming months. Listen to all of the artists, watch videos, and rock out after the jump.
Every March, Austin, Texas puts its money where its mouth is to back up its self-proclaimed status as the “live music capital of the world.” As the SXSW Music fest takes over the city for four days and nights of nonstop live acts in every venue and location possible, thousands of musicians, fans, and industry types descend from around the world to transform it into a veritable music metropolis.
Our Texan odyssey this year was filled with the usual sonic information overload, but in between catching phenomenal performances by Marina and the Diamonds, Nneka, Free Energy, Muse, Metric, and a host of fresh acts, we also found ourselves taken by the plethora of strangely costumed characters we found around town.
At Coachella a few years back, the ever-feisty M.I.A. asked a packed house of sweat-soaked admirers, “Where my leaders at?!” Good question. Surprisingly few artists today have stepped up with the decisive political or spiritual message that M.I.A. was asking for.
Recently, 27-year-old Nigerian tour de force Nneka — who already has a loyal following in Africa and Europe — made her US debut at Joe’s Pub in NYC, which she followed with a few shows with the Roots. And while it’s still too early to compare her to political/musical messengers like countryman Fela Kuti or Bob Marley, she’s becoming a formidable figure in global music. She calmly rocked the room with her soul-filled voice, championing a strong message of love, unity and political justice from her forthcoming album Concrete Jungle.
As soon as the lights came up, I wanted an interview — even though I’ve only done three in the nine years since I co-founded Flavorpill. A few days later, I sat down with Nneka, a captivating figure who shared some lessons on music, life, spirituality, meditation, and love.
Garnering comparisons to the likes of Lauryn Hill and Erykah Badu, international star Nneka is ready to make her mark on the US.
Making music that blends soul, hip-hop, and global grooves with a positive political message, Nneka bridges the divide between her homeland of Warri, Nigeria and her adopted home of Hamburg, Germany. The striking singer/songwriter has two albums under her belt overseas, and makes her US debut this week with a four-song EP, The Uncomfortable Truth.
