Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Friday, January 9, 2009
Rob Riley in Columbus Alive
All of the members of the Liquid Crystal Project are extremely diverse. Take for example, Rob Riley who not only is a heavy jazz, soul and R&B man...but also plays in a punk rock group! The group is called Stretch Lefty, and they were profiled in the weekly newspaper Columbus Alive. Enjoy!
.. .. 
..
Marquee
Stretch for the stars
Thursday, January 8, 2009 5:29 AM
.. Jodi Miller photo
.. Stretch Lefty and Street Corner Rockas
When: Thursday, Jan. 8
Where: Scarlet & Grey Cafe, Campus
When: Friday, Jan. 9
Where: The Basement, Arena District
Web: stretchleftymusic.com
.. When: Thursday, Jan. 8
Where: Scarlet & Grey Cafe, Campus
When: Friday, Jan. 9
Where: The Basement, Arena District
Web: stretchleftymusic.com
Stretch Lefty has always tried to cross boundaries in their music. Now they're trying to break down walls across Columbus. The band, which has grown from a bizarre instrumental ensemble into a multihued hip-hop group with roots in reggae rhythm, recently partnered with longtime producer Austin Briggs to start an in-house promotions company called Big Bounce Boombox.
"The entire idea was born out of the desperation to just be ourselves," said Johnny Coco Williamson, who recently stepped from behind the drum kit to be Stretch Lefty's frontman after longtime vocalist Brian "Tabu" Thomas had to step aside for medical reasons.
"That's really cliche and cheesy," Williamson continued, "but where we're at now, we don't want to [compromise]. Let's just play how we've always played and just play our asses off."
Briggs and the band hope to build Stretch Lefty a large fan base through do-it-yourself touring and promotion then lift other local groups to similar success. It's an ambitious plan, and they think one big step toward it will be building a consensus in Columbus that reaches beyond genre boundaries.
"Sometimes it's nice to not have four of the same kind of band," Briggs said. "You keep it fresh and keep it interesting, and people are going to stay in the room for longer. The crowds are going to be happier. The bands are going to be happier. The venues are going to be happier."
That's the kind of show the Big Bounce Boombox crew wants to throw every Thursday during a new residency at Scarlet & Grey Cafe. Stretch Lefty and Street Corner Rockas, an offshoot band featuring Briggs and Williamson, will appear weekly alongside bands ranging from jazz to funk to indie rock.
Stretch Lefty and Street Corner Rockas have lots of other regional gigs lined up, including a show Friday at The Basement also featuring Fly.Union and The Midas Touch. The same lineup drew 600 people to Stretch Lefty's CD release show last summer.
The album they unveiled, Universe Box, was the result of two years of exhausting weekend trips to record with Briggs, who was working at studios in New York and New Jersey at the time. The disc exhibits a band that has learned to reign in its playing to suit tightly arranged pop tracks like "Radio Friendly" and "Summertime."
That kind of work ethic and maturity will be necessary if Big Box Boombox is to shoot Stretch Lefty to stardom, and certainly if they hope to lift their neighbors along with them.
"I think we all right now are realizing how much work it's really going to take to do something on this scale," Williamson said. "We're really pushing the concept of being proud of Columbus. ... We need to get everybody together and say this is where we're from, and we're proud of it."
"The entire idea was born out of the desperation to just be ourselves," said Johnny Coco Williamson, who recently stepped from behind the drum kit to be Stretch Lefty's frontman after longtime vocalist Brian "Tabu" Thomas had to step aside for medical reasons.
"That's really cliche and cheesy," Williamson continued, "but where we're at now, we don't want to [compromise]. Let's just play how we've always played and just play our asses off."
Briggs and the band hope to build Stretch Lefty a large fan base through do-it-yourself touring and promotion then lift other local groups to similar success. It's an ambitious plan, and they think one big step toward it will be building a consensus in Columbus that reaches beyond genre boundaries.
"Sometimes it's nice to not have four of the same kind of band," Briggs said. "You keep it fresh and keep it interesting, and people are going to stay in the room for longer. The crowds are going to be happier. The bands are going to be happier. The venues are going to be happier."
That's the kind of show the Big Bounce Boombox crew wants to throw every Thursday during a new residency at Scarlet & Grey Cafe. Stretch Lefty and Street Corner Rockas, an offshoot band featuring Briggs and Williamson, will appear weekly alongside bands ranging from jazz to funk to indie rock.
Stretch Lefty and Street Corner Rockas have lots of other regional gigs lined up, including a show Friday at The Basement also featuring Fly.Union and The Midas Touch. The same lineup drew 600 people to Stretch Lefty's CD release show last summer.
The album they unveiled, Universe Box, was the result of two years of exhausting weekend trips to record with Briggs, who was working at studios in New York and New Jersey at the time. The disc exhibits a band that has learned to reign in its playing to suit tightly arranged pop tracks like "Radio Friendly" and "Summertime."
That kind of work ethic and maturity will be necessary if Big Box Boombox is to shoot Stretch Lefty to stardom, and certainly if they hope to lift their neighbors along with them.
"I think we all right now are realizing how much work it's really going to take to do something on this scale," Williamson said. "We're really pushing the concept of being proud of Columbus. ... We need to get everybody together and say this is where we're from, and we're proud of it."
Friday, June 20, 2008
Client Showcase: Middle Child
For Booking Contact Regina D. Eiland at 614.886.0459
Amid the stage lights, the humble doe-eyed performer approaches the mic. With no shoes, and an eclectic vibe Middle Child, the reserved songstress, blossoms in front of the live band and eager audience. Her smooth alto fluctuates between soft and inviting, then strong and assertive. Audiences in
Middle Child, with her mix of folksy soul and R&B has once again stretched genres with her June 2008 release Rawls & Middle, a collection of sweet soul, rock, jazz and R&B, under the direction of world-renowned producer J Rawls, who laments that Middle Child "just blows you away." Not their first collaboration, Middle Child was featured prominently on Rawls' 2006 album Essence of Soul. In 2001, she partnered with her brother, First Born, to create Barefeet Productions. The label's first release Barefeet & Pregnant in 2005, on her own BareFeet Baby Publishing Company is an intimate collection of songs about womanhood, growth and love. She is collaborating once again with First Born for the second album in the trilogy to be called Labor & Delivery, a double disc slated to be released in Spring 2009.
Due to the success and buzz behind Barefeet & Pregnant, Middle Child performed heavily in Columbus, Ohio, at the city's most prominent venues and festivals, and has performed at the BET Sound Stage, MTV's The Cut, Greek Town Casinos in Detroit, Midem at Cannes France, The 5 Spot in Philadelphia, The Sanctuary in Atlanta, Soul Village in Pittsburg, and Village Underground and S.O.B.s in New York City among others. As a live performer, Middle Child has shared the stage with Angie Stone, Anthony Hamilton, MC Lyte, Isley Brothers, Isaac Hayes, Nancy Wilson, Ginuwine, Eric Roberson, Dwele and many others.
It's no surprise that even the Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman was eager to make a guest appearance on the Rawls & Middle album. As one of Middle Child's most avid supporters, Mayor Coleman was quick to note that, "Columbus
Called "brilliant" by British DJ Gilles Peterson, with songs in rotation overseas, it's only a matter of time before the alternative soulful sounds of Middle Child catapult her into prominence.
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