Carolina Chocolate Drops' "Fret-Board Fingers Traveled Miles" in "Often Thrilling" Show, Says LA Times

Browse by:
Year
Browse by:
Publish date (field_publish_date)
Submitted by nonesuch on
Article Type
Publish date
Excerpt

Carolina Chocolate Drops brought their US tour to California over the weekend for three stops with special guest David Wax Museum: at UCLA's Royce Hall on Friday, Slim’s in San Francisco on Saturday, and the Mystic Theater in Petaluma on Sunday. "These are not only obsessive music-historians but also expert players whose fret-board fingers traveled miles over the course of the night," reports the Los Angeles Times. "The Carolina Chocolate Drops didn’t just manifest this music but proved how much energy remains within these songs." The band heads next to New Mexico and Arizona.

Copy

Carolina Chocolate Drops brought their US tour featuring music from their new album, Leaving Eden, to California over the weekend for three stops with special guest David Wax Museum: at UCLA's Royce Hall on Friday, Slim’s in San Francisco on Saturday, and the Mystic Theater in Petaluma on Sunday.

While with each of their concerts, the band provides historical context for the music they perform. Rich as this is, it's "nothing compared to the guitar-banjo-fiddle-cello groove the quartet created in the first four bars of the first song, 'Kerr’s Negro Jig,'” writes Los Angeles Times music critic Randall Roberts of Friday night's show. "These are not only obsessive music-historians but also expert players whose fret-board fingers traveled miles over the course of the night. On 'Hit ’Em Up Style,' they transformed Blu Cantrell’s 2001 R&B hit into an old-time gem."

The performance "was often thrilling," writes Roberts. "But it also conveyed an important message" about the 19th-century origins and the evolution of the black string band music the band plays.

"But as the group proved Friday, within the history of enslavement can be found incredibly powerful music with a brand of resilience that, unlike the system that ensnared its creators, not only has survived but has also emerged victorious over it. The Carolina Chocolate Drops didn’t just manifest this music but proved how much energy remains within these songs."

Read the complete concert review at latimes.com.

In advance of the band's current US tour, founding member Dom Flemons spoke with Mother Jones writer Michael Mechanic about the band's founding and all that's happened since the release of their Grammy-winning Nonesuch debut album, Genuine Negro Jig. Read the interview at motherjones.com.

Carolina Chocolate Drops' tour takes them to New Mexico and then to Flemons' home state of Arizona later this week and weekend. The band joins an all-star cast at The Moody Theater, home of ACL Live in Austin, Texas, next week for a celebration of Johnny Cash's 80th birthday. For more on these and other upcoming shows, go to nonesuch.com/on-tour.

To pick up a copy of Leaving Eden, head to the Nonesuch Store now, where CD and vinyl orders include high-quality, 320 kbps MP3s at checkout. The album is also available to purchase there as MP3s and FLAC lossless files.

featuredimage
Carolina Chocolate Drops 2012
  • Monday, April 9, 2012
    Carolina Chocolate Drops' "Fret-Board Fingers Traveled Miles" in "Often Thrilling" Show, Says LA Times

    Carolina Chocolate Drops brought their US tour featuring music from their new album, Leaving Eden, to California over the weekend for three stops with special guest David Wax Museum: at UCLA's Royce Hall on Friday, Slim’s in San Francisco on Saturday, and the Mystic Theater in Petaluma on Sunday.

    While with each of their concerts, the band provides historical context for the music they perform. Rich as this is, it's "nothing compared to the guitar-banjo-fiddle-cello groove the quartet created in the first four bars of the first song, 'Kerr’s Negro Jig,'” writes Los Angeles Times music critic Randall Roberts of Friday night's show. "These are not only obsessive music-historians but also expert players whose fret-board fingers traveled miles over the course of the night. On 'Hit ’Em Up Style,' they transformed Blu Cantrell’s 2001 R&B hit into an old-time gem."

    The performance "was often thrilling," writes Roberts. "But it also conveyed an important message" about the 19th-century origins and the evolution of the black string band music the band plays.

    "But as the group proved Friday, within the history of enslavement can be found incredibly powerful music with a brand of resilience that, unlike the system that ensnared its creators, not only has survived but has also emerged victorious over it. The Carolina Chocolate Drops didn’t just manifest this music but proved how much energy remains within these songs."

    Read the complete concert review at latimes.com.

    In advance of the band's current US tour, founding member Dom Flemons spoke with Mother Jones writer Michael Mechanic about the band's founding and all that's happened since the release of their Grammy-winning Nonesuch debut album, Genuine Negro Jig. Read the interview at motherjones.com.

    Carolina Chocolate Drops' tour takes them to New Mexico and then to Flemons' home state of Arizona later this week and weekend. The band joins an all-star cast at The Moody Theater, home of ACL Live in Austin, Texas, next week for a celebration of Johnny Cash's 80th birthday. For more on these and other upcoming shows, go to nonesuch.com/on-tour.

    To pick up a copy of Leaving Eden, head to the Nonesuch Store now, where CD and vinyl orders include high-quality, 320 kbps MP3s at checkout. The album is also available to purchase there as MP3s and FLAC lossless files.

    Journal Articles:On TourArtist NewsReviews

Enjoy This Post?

Get weekly updates right in your inbox.
terms

X By submitting my information, I agree to receive personalized updates and marketing messages about Nonesuch based on my information, interests, activities, website visits and device data and in accordance with the Privacy Policy. I understand that I can opt-out at any time by emailing privacypolicy@wmg.com.

Thank you!
x

Welcome to Nonesuch's mailing list!

Customize your notifications for tour dates near your hometown, birthday wishes, or special discounts in our online store!
terms

By submitting my information, I agree to receive personalized updates and marketing messages about Nonesuch based on my information, interests, activities, website visits and device data and in accordance with the Privacy Policy. I understand that I can opt-out at any time by emailing privacypolicy@wmg.com.

Related Posts

  • Friday, November 15, 2024
    Friday, November 15, 2024

    American Railroad, the new album from the Silkroad Ensemble with Rhiannon Giddens, is out now. It is the culmination of four years of research, collaboration, and music-making, having brought Silkroad artists all across the US to uncover and uplift stories of those who built the transcontinental railroad and connecting railways across North America. "The result is a tapestry of stories, traditions, and music that have shaped our multifaceted cultural identity, and that must be heard and recognized," Giddens says. Also out now are a performance video of the track "Mahk Jchi" and the first episode of the American Railroad podcast series. The US fall tour continues to November 23.

    Journal Topics: Album ReleaseArtist NewsOn TourVideo
  • Friday, November 15, 2024
    Friday, November 15, 2024

    Cécile McLorin Salvant inaugurates four-part Carnegie Hall concert series. John Adams conducts NY Phil at David Geffen Hall. Laurie Anderson continues premiere of new piece in Manchester. Rhiannon Giddens and Silkroad Ensemble take American Railroad to Georgia. Mary Halvorson plays Elbphilharmonie's Marc Ribot festival in Hamburg. Hurray for the Riff Raff plays Mexico City's Corona Capital Festival. Kronos Quartet performs at Bozar in Brussels. Mandy Patinkin performs in Charleston. Caroline Shaw and Gabriel Kahane are in Oregon. The Staves are in Atlanta and Birmingham. Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway tour the East Coast.

    Journal Topics: On TourWeekend Events