We caught up with our dear friend Eric Roberson to talk about his Note for Note cancer benefit concert that’s happening this Sunday at Harrah’s Atlantic City. The show will feature some of the biggest names in R&B including Bilal, Ledisi, Tank, and of course Erro himself. If that lineup wasn’t enough to run to Ticketmaster, we don’t know what will. We talked about the show, his connection to cancer research, and his relationship to the performers and the R&B community overall. Check out our conversation below!
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We were granted an opportunity to speak with the architect of the group’s signature sound, producer and songwriter Paris Strother. If you have been following us for while, you should already know that we have been big fans of the group since the release of their way-too-short EP back in 2011. Their official debut album which was FINALLY released this past winter did not disappoint one bit either and might be a shoe-in for our end of the year “Best of 2016″ list.
We talked to Paris about how the group fine crafts their signature sound, songs, “lewks,” and visuals. We also chatted about working with a few our faves like Corinne Bailey Rae, Eric Roberson and Bilal and of course their plans for the Philly show.
Can we have a moment of praise and gratitude for a second?
When we started the Anderson Street Project a little more than a year ago, we had no idea that we would have the opportunity to meet, better yet interview, as many cool people as we have. Praises to the Most High.
Last week, we added another cool person to our steadily growing list. We had the awesome opportunity of meeting and sitting down with one of the greatest voices in modern day music Durand Bernarr. Durand Bernarr, who was completing his first national tour, performed to a sold out crowd at Pub Webb. The show was the same night as the Bad Boy concert which speaks volumes of his fan base and the anticipation of seeing him live. And how was the show? Let’s just say that we cussed him and his entire team out backstage for destroying our edges like they did.
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If you would have told us back when we were starting this little project that we would be interviewing Philly legends and Grammy Award-winning artists, we wouldn’t have believed you. In fact, we would have laughed in your face and gave you a famed Uptown Philly eye roll. But alas…
This past weekend, we were fortunate enough to cover State Representative Jordan Harris’ Soul School Festival. We can’t tell you what was more harmful to our health: the unbearable heat or the earth-shattering vocal performances from Jaguar Wright, Bilal, andDru Hill.
Between the sets, we were able to connect with the innovative Philly native better known as Bilal. We talked about his love for Philly, his deep album cut “Sometimes” (which he sang and we recorded to much delight), his Prince tribute at the BET Awards, and much more!
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A couple of weekends back, we had the awesome opportunity of covering The 10th Annual Jazz on the Ave festival in North Philly. Unfortunately, a mini-hurricane ensued and we didn’t get the chance to see our friend Jeff Bradshaw and his friend Kim Burrell tear the house down. We know. Big bummer. But hey, there’s always next year. And to be honest, we still had an amazing time because we got to see and sit down with Worldtown SoundSystem.
Worldtown Soundsystem is an international House music band that is led by two Philly residents (and former Temple University students) DJ Ben Arsenal and Femi. When we say international, we really mean INTERNATIONAL! The band includes members from Brazil, Nigeria, and of course Philly and all of these references are reflected in their unique sound and performance style. Their high-energy, high-impact songs are enough to brighten any gloomy day.
We got a chance to talk to Ben and Femi their international and local inspirations, Philly’s under-discussed Disco history, and why some things in Philly should remain a secret.
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You may or may not agree but Philadelphia is one gorgeous ass city. Through its grit and trash-filled streets, Philly has a charm and beauty that’s undeniable to those with a great eye.
Local photographer Lorelei Narvaja documented Philly’s charm in her newest collection entitled “You and I Forever” which will debut on Saturday, October 24th at Tattooed Moms. “You and I Forever,” which is named after our fave Jessie Ware’s hit song, serves as Lorelei’s “love letter” to Philly and its great residents. The collection features stunning portraits and candid shots of Lorelei’s close friends (including our own Creative Director) in some of Philly’s most popular and also obscure locations.
We chatted with Lorelei about her eclectic musical inspirations for her collection, her dance party/collection debut, and much more.
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During our road trip to NYC for to see our girl Goapele, we had the pleasure of meeting local musician/producer Steve McKie. Steve was playing drums behind his friend and Goapele’s opening act Chris Turner. We had never met Steve so unfortunately we were not able to put a face to his well-established name. We of course knew his name from his work with some of Philly’s most acclaimed musicians including Jill Scott, Bilal, Jazmine Sullivan, Kindred the Family Soul, and Vivian Green. (Y’all remember Jill’s “Hate on Me” and Jazmine’s flawless album cut “Redemption,” right?!) What was recognizable however was his black West Philly-labeled t-shirt.
A couple of weeks after our initial encounter, Steve invited us to chat at his West Philadelphia studio, where he cuts records for the aforementioned artists, his own band Killiam Shakespeare, and a host of others. We talked about his life as a touring musician and a producer, his work with Jill Scott and Bilal, and his stance on the state of R&B. Check out the interview below!
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The Anderson Street Project got the awesome opportunity to attend the Kindred the Family Reunion a couple weeks back. Kindred the Family Reunion is an annual community event thrown by “Philly’s Favorite Couple” that features good food, fun activities, and of course, some good ole Philadelphia sangin’. Kindred took things up a notch this year by inviting their famous friends to participate in what had to be the most “soulful” softball game of all time. Some of the players included Eric Roberson, Algebra Blessett, Cheryl Pepsii Riley (Remember her?!?), Dwele, and Teedra Moses.
We got a chance to chat with Teedra about her latest album, a few of our favorite tracks, and why she doesn’t come to Philly enough.
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Have you seen those new Sprite billboards featuring Drake, Nas, Rakim and Biggie? The billboards are a part of Sprite’s new “Obey Your Verse” multimedia ad campaign honoring Hip Hop. In support of the campaign, Fader has produced four mini-documentaries with Drake, Nas, IsaiahRashad and Vince Staples. We’re proud to share that these documentaries were scored by Philly resident and friend to the Anderson Street Project, Khari Mateen.
What DOESN’T Khari do? He’s a multi-instrumentalist, playing the cello, bass, and the drums among others. He’s a touring musician, currently performing with Aussie pop superstar Cody Simpson. He’s a go-to producer for the Roots and Jill Scott. He scores for film and visual projects. And to top it off, he’s a recording artist with his latest project set to drop later this fall.
We had the pleasure of speaking to Khari about the Sprite project, his works with Jill and the Roots, and his upcoming projects.
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