Mark Ronson Brings Soul to CMJ
- Oct 31, 2008
Mark Ronson, can the man do any wrong? He may not even know a thing about CMJ, the infamous NY indie rock festival that hosts more than 1600 bands, but it didn't matter. On Tuesday, Oct 21st, he got together a roomful of friends, as part of his Allido Record Label showcase, and it topped 90 % of the other showcases that week.
To kick off the party, Rhymefest pulled onstage Rahzel from The Roots for some shared rapping... and some serious Obama endorsing. Needless to say, the crowd got hyped on his energy. Then Ronson's new rock acquisition The Rumble Strips showed off their slap-happy Brit rock rock. Daniel Merriweather performed with Sharon Jones' usual accomplices, The Dap Kings... and mid-way through the set, Ronson ditched the DJ booth and played a soulful song or two.
Lastly, Wale brought DC go-go to NYC to finish off the night. If you don't know much about DC go-go, it's a funk-based movement that's infectiously dance friendly- heavy on bass, snare and congo drums. And by dance-friendly, I mean grind friendly. Give the crowd drinks and go-go, and it's bound to be merry, sloppy, and lascivious. Hence, as the new rap ingénue representing go-go with a stage full of drums, U.B.C. band members and miscellaneous rapper friends wearing heavy shades, Wale was at an advantage- beasting through tracks like "Nike Boots", "Back In The Go-Go," and "The Mixtape About Nothing." To finish it off, Daniel Merriweather got back onstage and acted like old buddies with Wale and kicked off a spontaneous version of "Stop Me" (in fact, Wale almost had to grab the mic back from him). Encouraging a full-on dance-a-thon sing-along, they brought the house down.
