Hip-hop shows feature locals, stars Promoters aim at changing Valley's image of the music genre
To Lehigh Valley native Jerry Deifer Jr., hip-hop is a culture, an art form, a way to keep teens busy and out of trouble.But for plenty of other people, rap music seems more sinister."The hip-hop genre has a cloud over it -- people think that it involves drugs, guns," said Deifer, a concert promoter and event coordinator.
As Bethlehem officials try to crack down on gang-related violence, city police even pointed out some rappers' gang affiliations at a July 25 community meeting.But hip-hop, Deifer said, is "not the gangster, shooting-your-gun thing." ...
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It's not Pop music, but Dad still gets down
What am I doing here? I am standing in the middle of a 700-acre farm in rural Tennessee on a hellishly hot and muggy Saturday afternoon in June. No fewer than 80,000 people -- the vast majority anywhere between 18 and 30 -- are in the open field with me. The feeling is a little like being at Jones Beach on the Fourth of July. Without the beach, and certainly without the water. And I am an aging baby boomer.
About a football field away, there is a giant stage. On it is a band I have never heard of, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Not only that, I can't make out a word they are singing. Most kids are clapping along. Others are lying near or on top of one another. A few others are losing their lunches after one too many beers, or something inhaled or swallowed... [Read full article]
Season full of possibilities Performances let audience closely observe dance, music Whether it's a return visit by the Emerson String Quartet to Wooster or the arrival of a South Indian classical dance company in Akron, the upcoming season promises Northeast Ohio audiences an enticing array of ways to observe music and dance up close. Chamber and world music series abound, each one with its own flavor of presentation. Here's a sampling of what's available in the 2006-07 season. And remember, there's more on the horizon... |
Ecuadorian band back with more music For the past eight years, the Ecuadorian-born members of Quichua Mashis have brought a bit of international flavor to the Northwest Washington Fair, with their haunting Andean pan flutes and strings. Before their first performance, some quietly tuned their instruments, while others fueled up on oversized cinnamon rolls. "It's very friendly," flutist Raul Conejo, 41, said. "That's why we come every year. It brings happiness to us, too." Manager Luis Gramal agreed... |