9:30 Club presents at U Street Music Hall.
Chopteeth AfroFunk Big Band
Spiritual Rez
Sat, September 8, 2012
7:00 pm
U Street Music Hall
Washington, DC
$15
Off Sale
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Chopteeth AfroFunk Big Band - (Set time: 8:30 PM)
Chopteeth Afrofunk Big Band is a 14-piece Afrofunk orchestra exploring the common groove between the funkiest, most hip-shakin' West African and American popular music on the planet. The core of the Chopteeth sound is Afrobeat: a big-band funk invented by Fela Kuti in 1970's Nigeria. Afrobeat is a spicy stew of modern jazz, Yoruba tribal music and burning, James Brown-inspired rhythms. Chopteeth then mixes in classic Ghanaian dance tunes, Senegalese rumba and Jamaican ska and stirs it all thoroughly to create a massive groove. The result is a swirl of energetic melodies and call-and-response choruses, driven by interlocking drums and percussion, and punctuated by a dynamic five-piece horn section. Funky organ and melodic guitars complete Chopteeth's unique and infectious sound. Chopteeth updates African classics while remaining true to the spirit of the music and its message. Band members step to the mic to serve up lyrics in a total of seven different languages. IIn 2009, the band was honored with the Artist of the Year and Debut CD of the Year Wammie Awards, based on a vote of their peers in the Washington Area Music Association. Since 2007, the group has been honored with six Wammie Awards, including a three World Music Artist awards. Chopteeth has opened for critically acclaimed international artists including The Neville Brothers, The Derek Trucks Band, Chuck Brown, Konono No. 1, Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars, Gov'Toubab Krewe, Soulive, The Pietasters and Brazilian Girls.
Spiritual Rez - (Set time: 7:30 PM)
The Spiritual Rez reggae funk dance experience is an unabashed display of musical virtuosity. When paired with a deep, sub-sonic groove and powerful heart felt vocalization; crowds are left dancing and screaming for more.
Over the past 9 years, these six men have relentlessly toured the country to share their music and appreciation of the arts. Rooted in rock, reggae, and funk; their diversity exemplifies their love and desire to put on a live experience that will not only cut to your core, but also ignite the inner flame that exists in us all.
A constant festival favorite, (look out for the guys at Backwoods Pond Festival , Last Daze of Summer Festival and Culture Festival this summer,) The Rez can shake a stage like a psychedelic dance earthquake. Evoking their personal power animals, they fearlessly forge into the musically unknown, creating a masterpiece every performance. It’s this power, this creative desire, that has fans traveling across the nation to experience this raw and intoxicating display of musical bliss.
“Start with a dose of old-school, Marley-Toots-Tosh reggae and infuse it with everything from Sun Ra Arkestra freak jazz to Steve Vai guitar pyrotechnics. Inventive intersections like these define Spiritual Rez”
-Michael Witthaus, Hippo Press
2012 will hold great things as Rez is releasing its fourth independent album, “Apocalypse Whenever.” Look out for prerelease’s from this 2012 inspired record all summer.
Their album, The Nexus (2010), is a perfect example how the band developed a sound all of their own. After two independent releases with strong foundations in the positive ideals of reggae; The Nexus was created by combining elements from a multitude of influences gained from years on the road. The result is an album that showcases how they have grown into a primed party machine; ready to churn out hard-driven guitar solo’s, inspiring vocals and powerful, funkified dance grooves. The bands newest record will take that energy one step further. “We want to create an album that flows as one piece of art sonically and conceptually. Apocalypes Whenever is an album for the times. We want to encourage the poeple not to fear the future but to embrace it.” -Toft Willingham
While creating a style of their own, The Rez has been lucky enough to share the stage with many of the originators of the reggae music culture. Artists such as Gregory Issacs, Toots and The Maytals, Steel Pulse, Culture, Israel Vibrations and Barrington Levy have given their time and knowledge to share the one love that we all hold. Showing their diversity as artists, The Rez has also rocked with George Clinton and The Parliament Funkadelic, Golgol Bordello and Jimmy Buffett. Legendary keyboardist and founding member of Funkadelic/Talking Heads Bernie Worrell is known to play entire shows with Rez creating a whole new musical experience.
Look out for this powerhouse Reggae/Rock musical experience coming to town near you…
Over the past 9 years, these six men have relentlessly toured the country to share their music and appreciation of the arts. Rooted in rock, reggae, and funk; their diversity exemplifies their love and desire to put on a live experience that will not only cut to your core, but also ignite the inner flame that exists in us all.
A constant festival favorite, (look out for the guys at Backwoods Pond Festival , Last Daze of Summer Festival and Culture Festival this summer,) The Rez can shake a stage like a psychedelic dance earthquake. Evoking their personal power animals, they fearlessly forge into the musically unknown, creating a masterpiece every performance. It’s this power, this creative desire, that has fans traveling across the nation to experience this raw and intoxicating display of musical bliss.
“Start with a dose of old-school, Marley-Toots-Tosh reggae and infuse it with everything from Sun Ra Arkestra freak jazz to Steve Vai guitar pyrotechnics. Inventive intersections like these define Spiritual Rez”
-Michael Witthaus, Hippo Press
2012 will hold great things as Rez is releasing its fourth independent album, “Apocalypse Whenever.” Look out for prerelease’s from this 2012 inspired record all summer.
Their album, The Nexus (2010), is a perfect example how the band developed a sound all of their own. After two independent releases with strong foundations in the positive ideals of reggae; The Nexus was created by combining elements from a multitude of influences gained from years on the road. The result is an album that showcases how they have grown into a primed party machine; ready to churn out hard-driven guitar solo’s, inspiring vocals and powerful, funkified dance grooves. The bands newest record will take that energy one step further. “We want to create an album that flows as one piece of art sonically and conceptually. Apocalypes Whenever is an album for the times. We want to encourage the poeple not to fear the future but to embrace it.” -Toft Willingham
While creating a style of their own, The Rez has been lucky enough to share the stage with many of the originators of the reggae music culture. Artists such as Gregory Issacs, Toots and The Maytals, Steel Pulse, Culture, Israel Vibrations and Barrington Levy have given their time and knowledge to share the one love that we all hold. Showing their diversity as artists, The Rez has also rocked with George Clinton and The Parliament Funkadelic, Golgol Bordello and Jimmy Buffett. Legendary keyboardist and founding member of Funkadelic/Talking Heads Bernie Worrell is known to play entire shows with Rez creating a whole new musical experience.
Look out for this powerhouse Reggae/Rock musical experience coming to town near you…
Venue Information:
U Street Music Hall
1115 U Street NW
Washington, DC, 20009
http://www.ustreetmusichall.com/
U Street Music Hall
1115 U Street NW
Washington, DC, 20009
http://www.ustreetmusichall.com/
