WHO'S IN TRANSIT: EPOCHA

photo credit | Simon Pheonix

"You know DeepEllum is rich in African American history.  It was a place where people were free to enjoy themselves without having to adhere to any laws that were being enforced by Jim Crow.  It actually was a red light district. After work many African Americans would catch the train on central track down to Deep Ellum to eat, drink, shop, and listen to blues amongst other things.  It was one of Bonnie and Clyde's favorite hangouts, because no one would think to look for them in the Negro part of town.  It's from this that the name Deep Ellum was actually derived.  

BLOG ABOUT TOWN: ATAMA Presents: Bloody Franks & Mario

photo credit: Dallas Rising Magazine

This past Saturday was the opening reception for Bloody Frank's and Mario at Atama. Bloody Franks is an offshoot from the larger scaled Sour Grapes collective out of the Oak Cliff neighborhood in Dallas, Texas. The mini crew was created by Arturo Donjuan (Arma) and Ricardo Oviedo (Congoh) as they felt the desire to express themselves in a totally different direction than normally seen from Sour Grapes. It has a more sarcastic and rude application to its sinister approach.  It was good to see the support of the city for local artists.  

Crate Diggin'

I'll admit I got a late start for Record Store Day this passed weekend.  And subsequently it came back to bite me in my ass a bit.  I started at CD Source over on Greenville Ave and was met with a long line just to start diggin.  Clearly the word had got out.  I thought about Bill's Records but being that I had such a late start and other things scheduled for the day Bill's wasn't really an option.  Any avid vinyl enthusiast knows that if you go to Bills you have to be prepared to really dig!  I ended up at Half Price Books and found some gems.  I was able to get "Fresh" by Sly and the Family Stone, "Caricatures" by Donald Byrd, "Fire" by The Ohio Players (which I gave to a friend), and "The 1976 Solo Keyboard Album" by George Duke.  Sly had the best album artwork.  All in all I did pretty good and all for under twenty bucks!  Not bad for a late start.

Record Store Day!

For all my "Crate Diggers" and vinyl enthusiasts alike that wonderful time is upon us once again.  The weather is nice, the city is beautiful, and we all gather throughout the metroplex for that never ending search for a once forgotten music medium.  April 19, 2014 marks the 7th annual Record Store Day!  A day where all music connoisseurs troll the city for great deals on their favorite artists.  The resurgence of vinyl in the last few years has created a subculture of people who will go out to tomorrow happily trolling the city in search of that most obscure find.  There will be new pressings of old releases and original pressings.

DESTINATIONS: Dallas Art Fair

Spring is here and with the gorgeous weather comes all sorts of ways to enjoy the city.  Since it is Arts Week in Dallas there will be plenty of events showcasing some of the best and brightest in the art world.  One of them being the Dallas Art Fair.  Located at the Fashion Industry Gallery – adjacent to the Dallas Museum of Art in the revitalized downtown Arts District – the 2014 Dallas Art Fair will feature over 90 prominent national and international art dealers and galleries exhibiting painting, sculpture, works on paper, photography, video, and installation by modern and contemporary artists.  The Fair is open 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday through Sunday and tickets start at $25.

DESTINATIONS: "We From Dallas" Screening

To help kick off the Dallas International Film Festival will be the red carpet premier of "We From Dallas" at the Angelika Theater 04/08 at 7:30pm.  It's director Teddy Cool's ode to Dallas hip hop. A locally produced documentary covering the rise of hip hop culture in Dallas,Tx. From the early days of KNON radio, the golden era of Deep Ellum, and the rise of the southern rap culture, we speak to the heroes and legends that made it all possible. DJ’s, producers, emcess, b-boys, graffiti artists, no stone is left unturned. For the first time, all the architects of Dallas hip-hop are brought together in a feature length documentary to speak on their city, the music, the fans and let the world know WE FROM DALLAS.

ILLMATIC 20th Anniversary

I'm gonna break format a bit on the blog just to highlight something slightly personal.  So I'm a kid from Oak Cliff which many know is a suburb in the southern part of Dallas.  And if you know me you know that I'm an avid "Hip Hop Head".  With that said I was heavily surrounded by southern hip hop and I loved it!  Everything from 8Ball and MJG to UGK and the Geto Boys.