I don’t usually ask you to vote. But if you could take a minute to do this for me, would really appreciate it. I had the great opportunity to shoot a series of concerts at this past Summer’s ‘Central Park Summerstage.’ City Parks Foundation, CPS’s parent, organizes this series and brings tons of free and paid performances each year for us New Yorkers.

I’ll just paste a little info about what I’m asking your help in:

“Chase Bank has pledged to give away $5,000,000 to the non-profit organizations that get the most votes on Facebook. We are eligible to win between $25,000 and $1,000,000! Please take a moment to vote for us.

Your vote for CPF will support SummerStage and our 60 free concerts, dance, and theater shows in parks all over NYC; give 10,000 NYC kids free tennis, track, and golf lessons in parks next summer; help 7,000 kids do better in school through our education programs; and support thousands of volunteers as they make our public parks better places for us all to enjoy.

If you have a Facebook page, get online, become a fan of Chase Community Giving, vote for CPF, and then encourage your friends, family and networks to do the same.”

Click icon to start:

Voting ENDS Dec. 11th so we need to move fast! There will be $25k given to the top 100 charities in December, and further $100k grants awarded in February”

CPS is a great series! I don’t have to convince New Yorkers that. This year alone I’ve had the chance to photograph and enjoy shows such as:

• Dinosaur Jr.
  
• The Walkmen
  
• Saviours
  
• Bela Fleck
  
• M. Ward
  
• Nels Cline + Mike Watt + Yuka Honda + Dougie Bowne
  
• Matisyahu
  
• Umphrey’s McGee – July 9
  
• Istanbulive  – Part 1 + Part 2 + Part 3
  
• Juana Molina
  
• The Expendables + Ziggy Marley + 311

And that’s just a small sample of the different types of shows and events Central Park Summerstage puts on. Your vote would mean a lot to me because I care about the organization, NY Parks, and, yes, free and good music!

Had a chance to check out RENMINBI in Bushwick. I’d randomly connected with Lisa on Twitter and told her I’d be there. So, there I was. RENMINBI’s album release party is tonight at Piano’s so look up their site for details. Surface, the album, will be available for free July 7th. The band is headed for a packed tour out of NY from 4th thru 18th. A short Q&A wth Lisa follows the pictures. [Full photo set on Flickr]

RENMINBI:   Site +  MySpace +   Twitter +  Surface EP link +   Tour

Q& A with Lisa Liu

G: Do you come from a musical family? Who were your early musical influences?

L: Not really. My folks didn’t play music, but they made me take classical piano lessons like every other Chinese-American kid! My early musical influences were Sonic Youth, My Bloody Valentine, Pavement, Stereolab, Nirvana, old U2, Debussy, Thelonious Monk, and Sonny Rollins.

G: Do you remember the album that had the biggest impact on you?

L: When I was a kid first learning guitar it was “The Joshua Tree”  by U2. That was the first CD I ever bought and it blew me away. The Edge was brilliant.

G: What is your primary guitar now? What effects/pedals do you use?

L: Live, I mostly use a Fender Jaguar ’62 reissue. Here’s my usual pedal chain: Boss tuner, Buddha Bud Wah, Ibanez TS-9, Frantone Brooklyn Overdrive, Line 6 DL4, Boss RV-3

G: How would you describe your band’s sound? Can you talk a little bit about your band’s history and its motto?

L: It’s not all that easy to categorize, but I think “experimental indie rock” is probably the closest you can come. It’s got elements of punk, post-punk, no-wave, noise rock, a touch here or there of electronica, and even a touch of pop. Someone recently called it “noise with a melody.”

Our name comes from the name of the money in China and literally translates as “The People’s Currency.” I went to China for the first time in the fall of 2002 and it was a really emotional trip for me. When I got back, I decided my next band would be named in honor of my time there. Renminbi formed in early 2003. We put out two EP’s in our first two years, then took a long break after our first drummer left the band. We started rehearsing again in fall 2006 and recorded our first LP in May ’07, which came out a year later. Our new EP “Surface,” which comes out July 7, is the follow-up to that album .

G: What one tip, each, would you give to beginners on

a) practice: Practice every day to build muscle memory.  Listen to records you love and try to recreate what they’re doing.
b) songwriting: Demo and record yourself so you know what you sound like. Keep editing until it’s perfect!
c) recording: Make sure you and your band are well rehearsed. Don’t think when you’re in the studio — you’ve got to FEEL when you’re tracking
d) performing live: Playing live is all about being in the moment. Charlie Parker puts it best: Master your music and then “forget all that shit and just play.”

G: Recommend 3 essential albums all guitar players should listen to.

L: 1) Sonic Youth “Daydream Nation”
2) John Fahey “The Legend of Blind Joe Death”
3) Wes Montgomery “Smokin’ at the Half Note”

June 21, 2009. Make Music New York. Union Square.

Also check out: Mass Appeal Ukulele , RENMINBI, &  Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra,

June 21, 2009. Make Music New York. [map of concert]

Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra:  Site      MySpace

June 21, 2009. New York City saw over 870 concerts in all its 5 boroughs to mark the 3rd annual Make Music New York event. The idea is simply to have any combination of musicians and bands come out and play during the first day of summer.

I wanted to check out Mass Appeal, where musicians who play the same instrument gather and jam/play. The Ukulele group, organized by Gregg,  was the first of two Mass Appeals I shot that day. I have a fascination with the Ukulele [one] [two] [three], if you have been with me a while. [full set on Flickr]

Bonus:
Liked this video by Simon Bush, who’s a musician/Ukulele designer from the U.K.

The day will be packed!! I will be checking out a host of bands throughout the day in Manhattan, Governor’s Island, and Brooklyn. Let me know where and when your band is playing and I’ll come by check you out, and maybe take some pictures. 

The best way to connect is by following and sending me a message at my twitter account (@guitarkadia) and let me know where and when you’re playing. If you’re not into the whole Twitter thing, email me at guitarkadia@gmail.com 

Optional connect: MySpace   OR  Facebook

If you’re not in a band but are headed out to check some music, let me know who to check out. Would be cool to meet you all, exchange cards/info, and stay in touch. 

Looking forward! 

p.s. Mass Appeal event looks especially awesome!

Kid (no more) whose ‘Guitar’ video is on the Top 20 most-watched videos on YouTube jams with Joe Satriani.

Daby Toure [bio] [myspace] [music]

Head over to MySpace and listen to ‘Banta.’ I’ll guarantee you it will stick in your head and go on loop.

Slideshow of some pics from the fest.

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

This video is only a section of one song he performed, cut down for length.

If you’ve missed it: Part One and Part Two.

Yossi Fine: [Bio] [Albums] [Tour Dates] [MySpace]

Emon: What’s your most memorable:

a) collaboration

Yossi: Working at the Gil Evans orchestra, in NY, from 85 till 91- it was the best place to collaborate with so many great musicians at the same time, he had the best guys and it all went under his vibe, but ther would be so much freedom, and yet it always was magical

b) live performance

Yossi:  With Lou Reed opening for U2 in 87.  It was as big as it can get , without being u2!

c) studio session

Yossi: With David Bowie, that was in 95, and it was very inspiring for me. It was about making the songs travel.

d) song-writing session

Yossi:  With lots of the artists I produce, or on my records, I like the Jamaican approach to song writing, it has a lot to do with the delivery, and on the spot, live take.

Emon: How has technology effected your music, in terms of writing, recording, and performing? How has technology opened up avenues for you you wouldn’t have dreamed of, or considered a few years ago.

Yossi: At this point it’s all about the technology. I can finaly loop my self on stage with great control over details, as well as manipulating samples from the computer with my feet.  That wasnt possible till a few years ago.

Emon: How has your playing evolved over the years technique-wise?

Yossi: I became a much simpler bassist, wit big emphasis on the bass tones. To get as deep as possible, and make one note sound great at every moment and not about speed or intricate note playing.

Emon: What 5 things should bass players remember when playing in a band, playing live, and recording?

Yossi:

1. Make it feel great, by any means.
2. Leave lots of space, on some level, like sound, notes.
3. Make the singer sound great. Also the drummer.
4. If you don’t sound good, it’s your responsibility, so be in charge of your sound.
5. Be very open to change your approach. Someone else might have a beter bassline for you than you.

Emon: What is your gear set-up for recording and live performance these days?

Yossi:  I use lots of different sound pedals. I love collecting them and so I have all kinds of sound possibilities next to me. A loop station, and always have great bass amps around. But it’s not a must. Some times you have to deal without an amp. I also have a massive ProTools studio with lots of great gear, like Neve, Api and Avalone channels.

Emon: What are you listening to these days? Why do you like them?

Yossi: There is not one thing that I listen to- I like some dub step stuff, and gospel, contemporary stuff. It got great musicians on that. I listen to a lot of firfernt DJ mixes, but I dont know the name of the artists. A good track is a good track as far as artists. I love Gnarles Barkley; Very very original, and yet very rooted.

Emon: Which 4 musicians, dead or alive, would you jam with? And why?

Yossi:

1. Jimi Hendrix
2. Jeff Beck
3. Miles Davis
4. Fred Wesley
5. Herbie Hancock

Emon: What are you working on now?

Yossi: Basically I’m rediscovering lots of recordings of stuff I wrote or produced, and recorded. There are great musicians on them and I’m sorting what stuff to use for my upcoming live and studio record. Also I would end up working with more different musicians on it. It’s going to be interesting ,

Emon: Any comments on the current music scene and business?

Yossi: I love the bass movement that’s happening in the West coast, like breaks. Also the stuff coming from England and Europe in the electronic music scene. It’s progressive, and it’s not so retro at all.  Also there are great producers everywhere, you just got to keep your ears open, as far as the buisness, it’s becoming more available for every artist to put his thing out, the music industry is going through a major change, but the major companies will still rule. But there is more chances for other stuff to be heard.

Emon: What’s exciting?

Yossi: The future,

What’s not?

Yossi: The 80s.

This following track is my favorite from the festival.

Balla Tounkara: [Bio] [Music] [MySpace] [Tour] [Free mp3]

I’ve tried reaching out to all the bands who played at the African Guitar Festival, hoping to interview them. Yossi’s the only one who responded and gave me an interview. He’s been extra cool. And extra cool people deserve more coverage on this blog.

The following video is a warm-up, if you will, and will follow two more on the 15th and 16th accompanied by the interview.

Tune is edited for length. All videos recorded at the fest were my trusty Panasonic GS180. Have you caught any of his performances?