Showing posts tagged “Phonte”
Eric Tullis ·
1 Feb 2010, 5:34 PM ·
Comment
Grammy Family (From Phonte Coleman's Twitter: www.twitter.com/phontigallo)
Given our (sometimes controversial) familiarity with Phonte Coleman and Nicolay Rook’s run over the past year as they supported their second LP as The Foreign Exchange, Leave It All Behind, we’re, of course, a tad disappointed that North Carolina’s newest R&B resource didn’t walk away with this year’s Grammy in the Urban/Alternative Performance category for the song “Daykeeper,” a joint effort with D.C. vocalist Muhsinah. Rather, neo-soul benefeciary India.Arie won the award for a song called “Pearls”—a tougher-than-tofu number dedicated to caring about people and the rainbow and stuff, which doesn’t sound too different from the other 30 songs she’s made over the years about such ethical quandaries. Oh, well…
Sure, while the Grammy Award remains the highest mark of musical achievement in the land, listeners should at least take comfort in the fact that you can’t put much stock in a process that can nominate a sketch from Saturday Night Live (“I’m on a Boat”) as Best Rap/Sung Collaboration. So, what have we learned from tonight’s events other than the fact that Quentin Tarantino snorts 5 Hour Energy Drinks? Even if FE didn’t walk away with the award, they did walk away with some awesome memories and photos with some of their musical heroes—Quincy Jones, Charlie Wilson, Ludacris, Roberta Flack and, of course, Bishop Don Magic Juan. With a third Foreign Exchange album coming out later this year, the FE “Grammy Family” pledges that they’ll be returning to the Staples Center for another go. Sounds like a plan.
News flashes Grammy Awards, Phonte, The Foreign Exchange
Eric Tullis ·
3 Nov 2009, 4:36 PM ·
1 Comment
Surely I’m not the only one who’s always had a super crush on that adorable, freckled-faced, Saturday Night Live alumnus Maya Rudolph. Also, I’m sure that I’m not the only one who’s recently discovered that she is the daughter of the late singer Minnie Ripperton, mostly known for her 1975 single “Lovin’ You”. In the odd case that you don’t know Minnie Ripperton, this Stevie Wonder explanation should help you out. Otherwise, you’ll have to rely on Durham’s Yahzarah to reinvent Ripperton’s “Perfect Angel” on ZO!’s …Just Visiting Too— the latest gift brought to you by Phonte and Nicolay’s Foreign Exchange Music label.
After all, did you really think that Phonte and his jheri curl wig were going to disappear? Well, they (along with Detroit, Mich., ZO!) didn’t, and today, Phonte (sans the wig) and his Foreign Exchange partner, Nicolay, released their bandmate, ZO!’s … JUST VISITING TOO EP. It’s free and you can download it here.
This seven-song EP, garnished with North Carolina vocalists like Yahzarah, Darien Brockington, Carlitta Durand and Phonte himself, is a purse-full of soul renewals ranging from Rod Temperton’s “Somethin’ Special” to Bobby Caldwell’s “My Flame”.
New Music Nicolay, Phonte, The Foreign Exchange, Yahzarah, Zo!
Eric Tullis ·
29 Jul 2009, 3:51 PM ·
1 Comment
"Pardon, but could I beg of you some chai?"
We don’t necessarily think Nicolay is a yoga-practicing pacifist or some dude who thinks we should all hold hands, swill chai and sing songs of joy. But when he says stuff like this in his press releases, we have to wonder: “What fascinated me most about Shibuya was the co-existence of ‘old’ and ‘new’ in seemingly perfect harmony. The most advanced technologies and innovations exist next to traditions that are rooted in thousands of years of civilization.” Continue reading »
New Music Nicolay, Phonte, The Foreign Exchange
Eric Tullis ·
15 Jun 2009, 6:48 PM ·
9 Comments
Phonte Coleman’s Two-Step Thursday
Globe, Raleigh
Thursday, June 11, 2009 (continuing every other Thursday)
Thanks to some handstand-breakdance maneuver I hoped to land on the dance floor at the first of Phonte’s weekly Tigallo’s Two-Step Thursday affair at Raleigh club Globe, I nearly fractured my thumb last week. It’s not broken, I think, but it is about the size of a chicken nugget. At least it’s a casualty of war with which I’m willing to live. Continue reading »
In the Studio, Live Actions: Reviews Little Brother, Phonte, The Foreign Exchange, Two-Step Thursday
Grayson Currin ·
21 Apr 2009, 5:32 PM ·
1 Comment
On the heels of its Cat’s Cradle debut Friday night for Signal Fest, The Foreign Exchange has issued the second video for Leave It All Behind, the excellent sophomore album released last year by emcee Phonte Coleman and producer Nicolay Rook. The first three minutes of the video, set to “Take off the Blues,” are simple enough: Phonte Coleman sits around a table in a posh bar, joking with friends like Darien Brockington (who sings here, too) and Yahzarah (nope, we don’t know why Muhsinah isn’t featured). He spots a pretty woman across the bar, buys her a drink and dances with her. His happy-man soft-shoe gets a tad happier, and, half a minute later, he’s swept her off her feet.
But here the song fades a minute sooner than it does on Leave It All Behind, putting the synth-and-drums outro on the cutting room floor and segueing into “Valediction,” LIAB’s break-up track. The video jumps to Phonte sitting at his kitchen table in the dark when his lover of one year ago arrives. He lets her off while holding her hand as two minutes of flashbacks—moments both romantic and bitter, reflecting mutually lost interest in the relationship—splice the chat. Interesting idea, and well executed by director Matt Koza. Check it after the jump. Continue reading »
News flashes, Videos Nicolay, Phonte, The Foreign Exchange
