“The Stomp” by NYC funk band Mokaad is one of the funkiest tracks I've come across in a while. I heard it for the first time a few days ago while surfing Youtube and was completely blown away. The band ventures into some seriously funky territory on this cut.It’s refreshing to hear this type of raw, uncut funk from a group of talented young musicians. The super-funky track showcases the band’s insane musicianship. The bass work is absolutely filthy, and the horns fire hot blasts of furious funk. The drummer keeps the groove sizzling with some extra nasty beats, and the wicked rhythm guitar licks add some extra flavor to the track.
“The Stomp” is from Mokaad’s EP Booty, released on May 16, 2012. The six-song collection offers some of the baddest and most satisfying funk created by a millennial groove outfit that you'll ever hear. It’s a must-have for hardcore funk fans.
The players on Booty were bandleader Gabriel Garzón-Montano (composer, guitar, horn arrangements, lyricist, piano, rhythm arrangements and vocals); Spencer Murphy (bass, rhythm arrangements); David Frazier Jr. (drums, rhythm arrangements); Kevin Jacobi (alto sax); Davy Levitan (composer, guitar, lyricist and rhythm arrangements); Brandon Lewis (trumpet); Dominic Messana (harmonica, baritone sax); Jon Swift (keyboards) and Zach Koebar (tenor sax). Backing vocals were provided by George Ross, Le’asha Julius and Luna Garzón-Montano.
“The Stomp" was written by Gabriel Garzón-Montano, Spencer Murphy and Davy Levitan. Garzón-Montano produced the track as well as the entire Booty EP. The collection wasn’t released on a label.
Mokaad was formed in 2008 at SUNY Purchase by singer-songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Gabriel Garzón-Montano, Davy Levitan and other collaborators. The band broke up after a funky five-year run.
Post-Mokaad, Gabriel Garzón-Montano’s solo career really started to gain some traction when he opened for Lenny Kravitz during the legendary artist’s 2014 European tour. And his career grew even more when Drake sampled hissong “6 8” for the track “Jungle” from the double-platinum Grammy-nominated album If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late (2015).
Garzón-Montano has released two full solo albums so far: Jardín (2017) and Agüita (2020). His debut solo collection was the 2014 EP Bishouné: Alma Del Huila. The artist’s eclectic sound encompasses R&B, soul, funk, alternative, urbano, hip hop, electronica, urban reggaeton, post-punk and folk.
In 2021, Garzón-Montano received the Libera Awards as Best Record 2021 for his album Agüita.
Here's another funky cut from the Booty EP: "Pussy Whip"
Oakland bluesman Fantastic Negrito is one of the most exciting and innovative artists on the contemporary blues scene. The singer-songwriter/musician’s uniquely powerful brand of blues and soul-stirring live performances have earned him a devoted international following. He has landed a slew of prestigious music awards, including three consecutive Grammy wins for Best Contemporary Blues Album–The Last Days of Oakland (2016), Please Don’t Be Dead (2018) and Have You Lost Your Mind Yet? (2020).
Negrito’s sound is a satisfying gumbo of blues, soul, funk, rock, gospel and folk. His music possesses a rawness and brutal honesty that evokes the work of seminal blues legends such as Robert Johnson, Lead Belly, Muddy Waters, Skip James and Howlin’ Wolf. And in the spirit of those blues titans, the themes in Negrito’s songs are often drawn from his own personal struggles, hardships and life lessons. His songs are deeply personal and confessional. He also takes on pressing social issues on his tracks.
With each new release, Negrito further pushes the boundaries of contemporary blues. This bold approach is apparent on his most recent effort White Jesus Black Problems, released on June 3, 2022. The “visual” concept album is the artist's most daring and ambitious work to date. Its theme focuses on a forbidden interracial romance that took place some 270 years ago. It’s based on the true story of Negrito's seventh-generation white Scottish grandmother (Elizabeth Betty Galimore), an indentured servant who was living in a common-law marriage with the artist’s seventh-generation grandfather (who he calls “Grandfather Courage”), an African-American slave. Their marital bond was in open defiance of the racist, separatist laws of 1750s colonial Virginia. Negrito honors their bravery and the powerful love that they shared for one another with this album.
Musically, White Jesus Black Problems is a wildly imaginative mélange of different styles, encompassing rock, funk, blues, gospel, country and even a bit of Motown. Listening to this album, you can’t help but be reminded of the adventurous sonic excursions of convention-flouting genre-bending artists like Prince, Sly Stone and Frank Zappa at their most inventive.
The albumwas met enthusiastically by fans and received high marks from critics. The song “Oh Betty” from the collection garnered Negrito a Grammy nomination for “Best American Roots Performance.” He wrote the song in honor of Elizabeth Betty Galimore.
Negrito’s journey to success was filled with setbacks, hard knocks, brief triumphs, a near-death experience and a musical rebirth. He was born Xavier Amin Dphrepaulezz on January 20, 1968 in Western Massachusetts; he was the eighth of 15 children. His Somali-Caribbean immigrant father was a strict and deeply religious Muslim. When Negrito was 12, his family relocated to Oakland, California. The young teen quickly got caught up in Oakland’s rough street life and began hustling and dealing drugs. At 18, Negrito experienced an epiphany when he heard Prince’s groundbreaking album Dirty Mind for the first time. The album inspired him to become a musician, which he also saw as a way to escape the streets.
Negrito had a rather unorthodox way of learning how to play. Posing as a student at UC Berkeley, he’d sneak into the music rooms and copy the music students as they practiced their scales. Negrito was a quick study and by the time he was 20, he had taught himself how to play numerous instruments, including guitar, banjo, mandolin and harmonica.
He began writing songs and performing around the Bay Area. Negrito decided it was time to get out of Oakland’s violent street life when an armed robber held a 9mm pistol to his head at a drug house. He hitchhiked to Los Angeles the very next day with a demo in his hand in hopes of landing a record deal. Once in L.A., the aspiring young artist began peddling his demo around town and eventually got a management deal with Prince’s former management company; this led to him signing a million-dollar record deal with Interscope Records.
In 1996, he released his first album, The X Factor, under the mononym Xavier. The funk/neo-soul album was poorly received and failed to jumpstart his music career. The album’s poor showing shook the artist’s confidence, and he suffered a long creative block as a result.
Then on one fateful evening in 2000, a drunk driver ran a red light and slammed into Negrito’s car; the crash left him in a coma for three weeks with both of his arms and legs broken. It also mangled his strumming hand, which severely affected his ability to play the guitar. When he emerged from the coma, he was forced to undergo months of painful physical therapy to regain the use of his legs, as his muscles had atrophied while he was bedridden. He eventually regained the movement of his strumming hand, but it was never the same as it was prior to the accident.
Negrito has said in interviews that the crash “released” him, as he was already in a creative slump and thoroughly disillusioned with his record label at that point. When Interscope terminated his contract, Negrito returned to the hustling game. In 2008, he sold all of his music equipment, except one guitar, and moved back to Oakland where he sold marijuana and ran a series of underground nightclubs.
The birth of his son in 2009 rekindled his passion for music. He would play his son the Beatles song “Across the Universe” on guitar to get him to sleep; this ignited the spark in him to return to music. However, his approach to making music was drastically different from what it had been before. Negrito was no longer trying to follow current music trends; he instead played what truly inspired and moved him. This approach freed him up to explore different musical ideas and styles, which led him back to the source of modern American music—the blues. And with this new sonic direction, the musician rechristened himself Fantastic Negrito. It was a musical and spiritual rebirth for the artist. He began doing shows around the Bay Area with his new stripped-down blues-based sound, which he has described as “black roots music for everyone.” The joy of performing and creating music had returned, and he soon gained a sizable following in the area.
Negrito’s music career really took off when he won National Public Radio’s inaugural Tiny Desk Concert Contest in 2015. His DIY video for his original song “Lost in a Crowd” beat out 7,000 other video entries. As a result, his fan base expanded exponentially, and he even gained some high-profile admirers, including late Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell and U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders. Cornell invited Negrito to open for him on the European leg of his “Higher Truth” tour in 2016; and Sanders tapped him to perform at some of his 2016 presidential campaign events.
On June 3, 2016, Negrito released his album The Last Days of Oakland on his own indie label Blackball Universe. The album resonated with both blues fans and music critics due to its stunning originality and raw poetic power. It was truly a revelation and brought a fresh new energy to the modern blues scene. Seductive slide guitars; haunting, gospel-laced vocals; hot piano and stellar songwriting make this album a truly exhilarating listening experience. The collection earned Negrito a Grammy for Best Contemporary Blues Album at the 2017 Grammy Awards. It was his first of three consecutive Grammy wins in that category.
Now in 2023, Negrito’s star is shining brighter than ever. He continues to thrill appreciative fans around the world with his potent “black roots” sound and emotionally charged live performances. The artist recently announced his new album Grandfather Courage, which is an acoustic reimagining of White Jesus Black Problems. It’s set for release on February 3 on his own label Storefront Records.
Also, Negrito is set to kick off a European tour next month with dates lined up in the UK, Germany, France, Italy and the Netherlands. Visit his official website for more details.
Fantastic Negrito delivers a soul-wrenching acoustic performance of his songs "Rant Rushmore," "Lost In a Crowd" and "About a "Bird" in 2016 for Acoustic Guitar Magazine.
Official music video for the song "Trudoo" from the album White Jesus Black Problems
Fantastic Negrito's haunting rendition of folk classic "In The Pines" from The Last Days of Oakland
Live performance of "Dark Windows" from album Please Don't Be Dead at Paste Studios in 2018
Acclaimed singer, songwriter and performer Anita Pointer died on Saturday, December 31, at her home in Beverly Hills where she was surrounded by family. She was 74. The cause of her death was cancer, according to her publicist Roger Neal. She is survived by her sister Ruth, brothers Fritz and Aaron and granddaughter Roxie.
Anita was a founding member of the Grammy-winning R&B/pop vocal group the Pointer Sisters. From the late ‘70s to the mid-80s, the Pointer Sisters were one of the hottest music acts on the planet–landing a string of hits on both the R&B and pop charts. Anita sang lead on many of the group’s biggest hits, including “Yes We Can Can,” “Fire, “Slow Hand” and “I’m So Excited.” She blessed those tracks with her rich, soulful vocals. She was also a charismatic live performer and always brought tons of energy and excitement to the stage.
The Pointer Sisters were known for their great versatility. Their eclectic sound encompassed a variety of genres, including jazz, pop, soul, country, funk, gospel, bebop, blues, disco, rock and electronic music. And they handled all these styles with equal facility.
The group scored several gold and platinum albums and had 13 top-20 singles, seven of which landed in the top 10. They earned a slew of prestigious music awards, including three Grammys and three American Music Awards. They were inducted into both the NAACP Image Awards Hall of Fame and the Soul Train Hall of Fame in 1994 and also received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame that same year. Additionally, the group was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2005.
The Pointer Sisters’ songs have been featured on the soundtracks of blockbuster films such as Beverly Hills Cop, Beverly Hills Cop II and The Nutty Professor. And they appeared in the 1976 cult comedy classic Car Wash in which they played the Wilson Sisters, who were faithful followers of a duplicitous fast-talking evangelist named Daddy Rich (played by Richard Pryor). They also appeared on the popular TV showsGimme a Break and The Love Boat. Additionally, the Pointer Sisters toured for 48 weeks in a 1995-’96 production of the Tony-winning musical Ain't Misbehavin’.
Anita was born in Oakland, California on January 23, 1948 to Sarah Elizabeth and Reverend Elton Pointer. She was the second eldest of four sisters. Her sisters were Ruth, Bonnie and June. She also had two older brothers, Fritz and Aaron. All four sisters began singing gospel in their father's church in West Oakland. June and Bonnie formed a music duo in the late ‘60s called Pointers, a Pair. The two began performing at nightclubs around the San Francisco bay area. Their shows were well-received, and they began to build a following. By 1972, both Ruth and Anita had joined the group, making it a quartet. And they renamed themselves the Pointer Sisters.
The group released their self-titled debut album on Blue Thumb Records in 1973. The album was met enthusiastically by record buyers and music critics, who gave it high marks. The collection yielded two hits, “Yes We Can Can” and a cover of Willie Dixon’s “Wang Dang Doodle.” “Yes We Can Can,” written by legendary songwriter/producer/arranger Allen Toussaint, peaked at #11 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #12 on Billboard’s R&B singles chart. “Wang Dang Doodle” climbed to #61 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #24 on Billboard’s R&B singles chart.
The group scored their second top-20 hit with the infectious country tune “Fairytale,” a single from their sophomore album That’s a Plenty (released in 1974 on Blue Thumb Records). The song, co-written by Anita and Bonnie, peaked at #13 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard’s Adult Contemporary singles chart. And it climbed to #37 on Billboard’s Hot Country Singles chart. On October 25, 1974, they performed “Fairytale” at the Grand Ole Opry, making them the first black female group to appear on the world-famous country music showcase. The song also earned the Pointer Sisters their first Grammy. They won for Best Country Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group at the 17th Annual Grammy Awards in 1975. They were the first African-American music act to win in that category. The song is a long-time favorite among country music fans. Elvis Presley even covered it.
The Pointer Sisters achieved their biggest commercial success in the ‘80s as a trio. (Bonnie left the group in 1977 to pursue a solo career.) They were racking up hit after hit in that decade and became a major force in popular music. Their music was heard everywhere during that period–on the radio, clubs, parties, wedding receptions and even at the movies.
The Pointer Sisters were also great performers; their concerts were always exciting, high-energy celebrations where they always looked like they were having as much fun as the audience. And during their live performances, they showed that they were the real deal vocally. They sounded just as good as they did on their records live. They didn’t need any studio effects or tricks to sound amazing.
Some of the group’s other career highlights included performing at the White House for then-president Bill Clinton and at the closing ceremony of the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. The trio also participated in the recording of the all-star charity single “We Are The World” in 1985.
Anita was also involved in various music projects outside of the Pointer Sisters. She wrote songs for other artists, including Jeff Lorber’s 1985 R&B/dance hit “Step by Step.” And she dueted with country music superstar Earl Thomas Conely on the song “Too Many Times,” which rose to #2 on Billboard’s Country chart in 1986. To promote the song, she performed it with Conely on a variety of shows, including Solid Gold, Earl’s TNN Special and Crook and Chase. The two also performed “Too Many Times” at the American Music Awards and the Country Music Awards.
In 1987, Anita released her solo debut album Love For What It Is on RCA Records. One of the album’s highlights is “The Pledge,” a lovely romantic duet between Anita and Philip Bailey. The upbeat, breezy “Overnight Success” saw some chart action, peaking at #41 on Billboard's R&B singles chart. Anita performed the song on popular shows such as American Bandstand, Soul Train and The Arsenio Hall Show.
Anita was inducted into the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame in 1998. Also, she opened a Pointer Sisters exhibit titled “Ever After” at The Hollywood Museum in 2019. The exhibit features iconic outfits the Pointer Sisters wore during their distinguished 50-plus-year career and a host of other great group memorabilia. In 2020, Anita published a family memoir titled Fairytale, which she co-authored with her brother Fritz and entertainment writer Dave Smitherman.
