Tourblog By Tripp : Slim's : San Francisco : 9-27-08

Our show at Slim's was something I was looking forward to pretty much from the moment we booked it. It's been incredibly difficult for me to formulate a blog for this show in my head nevermind actually typing!) because there were so many things to fit in to any kind of synopsis. But at the urging of my fellow cohorts, this show is really something I really want to share with you all. That being said, here goes...

It was a homecoming of sorts for us as well, since BLVD had been doing tons of touring during the summer, but without many performances in the Bay Area. We had also been selling hard copies of our new album "Music For People" at our shows for a couple months, but our Slim's show was the official release party marking the date when people could actually buy the album through online channels.

The album "Music For People" represents many things for BLVD. For starters, it's our first release with our MC: Souleye. The last time we performed at Slim's, Souleye was relatively new to the group, and the CD we were releasing (the all-instrumental and electronically produced "Digital Disorder") didn't even feature him. It was refreshing to have an album with his vocals. In addition, we finally had a release that was way more characteristic of our live show! Our previous efforts, while exciting studio projects, didn't really capture what people heard from us live.

It's always been a battle for BLVD to try and bridge the gap between the live music venue and the DJ club, anyway, and this show was no different. The show itself was fun to put together...our friend Random Rab opened things up at around 9pm, which was maybe a little early compared to when most people are used to seeing him, but I thought he tailored his set to the circumstances really well. It's not every weekend that a DJ is done playing by 10:30pm, haha!

We took the stage at around 10:30, and played every song from our album, in addition to some newer tunes that haven't been recorded yet. We've also been playing a lot of tracks from "Digital Disorder" that have been modified and augmented to include live instrumentation. It's always been fun for us to represent older material in a new format, which is what we've done with songs like Brown Eyes, Deep State, and Stained Glass.

After we were done, James Christopher took over the stage to present "Savage Journey," which was a project he had been working on for over a year mixing drum'n'bass with documentary footage from Hunter S. Thompson's life. What I didn't realize until the show was that it was actually a full-on stage performance...Chris as Richard Nixon, MC Manny Vibes and Rob Newell (a.k.a. Dave Laser from Seven Minute Style) as a secret service agents, DJ Majitope as a 60s-era hippie, just to name a few...it was a kind of organized chaos and a pleasure to behold. It was hard to know whether to dance to the banging beats or watch and try to unravel the mystery of what was unfolding onstage!

After the show came to a close, we all walked outside to see our sleek new Dodge Sprinter van that our manager had pulled up in earlier. People kept coming up to me offering me their congratulations, and it was hard to know whether they meant the van or the show we had just played, haha! The Slim's show was the first date beginning our upcoming fall tour, so it was nice to know that we'd be a little more comfortable driving east the following week. Anyone want to buy a '99 Chevy Suburban? (grin)

Check out this highlight video of the Slim's show by our friend Luxvibes...

BLVD CD Release Party Saturday Night at Slim's in San Fran!

BLVD is having an "official" CD release party in support of their new upcoming album, Music For People, at Slim's in San Francisco, on Saturday, September 27th. Other amazing acts include S.F. local Random Rab, and a very special presentation by DJ James Christopher and KJ Sawka.

BLVD's dynamic sound and broad appeal helped spark their fourth album "Music For People". Produced by McIntosh and Sloane, "Music For People" is set for release in October 2008. This is the first album that captures the full spectrum of that unique and unexpected BLVD/Souleye sound. Recorded live at Rodent Records and mixed at One Union Studio in San Francisco, fans are sure to be blown away by the heavy hip-hop backdrop with conscious, thought-provoking lyrics.

James Christopher Featuring KJ Sawka -- San Francisco Premier of "The Savage Journey". An audio visual tribute to the early works of Dr. Hunter S Thompson

The Savage Journey will be set to the music of KJ Sawka. The purpose of The Savage Journey is to create a audio/visual music environment using visual imagery representing the concepts covered in the works of Dr. Thompson. The overall goal is to deliver a vision of Hunters point of view concerning politics, America and society using his most important writings as conceptual source material. Using modern computer imaging and 3D animation in combination with original stock footage from the 60's and 70's, our mission is to create a hyper surreal interpretation. During the SJ performance the imagery will be projected on no less than two movie screens and will be set to Drum & Bass with James Christopher mixing and KJ Sawka playing live .

Random Rab
Emerging from his own distinct corner of the West Coast electronic music scene, Random Rab offers a powerful, timeless contribution to sonic exploration. Rab is a master of manipulating our temporal awareness, leading us into seemingly ancient worlds, where to our amazement, we find visible shreds of the future. Allow his sound to catalyze your travels into haunting ecstasy, and you will not return to your same beginning. Playing only his own originally produced music live, the depth and craftsmanship of this offering is remarkable. With an array of drum machines, samplers, sequencers, and instruments, it is a clear devotion to expression and perfection. The beats are smooth, bold, and overwhelming. The original vocals, melodies and hitting bass merge seamlessly into a tapestry of unique and unexpected journeys."

Advance Tickets still available here. Tell your friends that it’ll save them time if they buy a pre-sale vs. waiting in line for tickets.