jMusic – ayminor

J Events: Danity Kane performing at Irving Plaza in New York City

June 22, 2014January 30, 2024ayminor

Video is no longer available.

>>If you are a real Danity Kane/MTB fan, you know you remember this scene.

When I was 14, I never missed an episode of Making the Band 3. My friends and I would sit together at lunch and analyze everything that happened with Danity Kane and Day 26, perform choreography, and yes, harmonizing badly (vis-a-vis the above).

Needless to say, when I watched the group crumble in the season finale, I took it personally.

I was definitely disappointed the whole group couldn’t work out their differences (and don’t get me started on Aundrea backing out just months after they announced their reunion), but I’ll take what I can get with the newly dubbed “DK3” — Dawn, Shannon and Aubrey. Who ever liked D. Woods anyway…

Nine years after MTBIII’s premiere, let me get to Danity Kane’s performance at Irving Plaza in NYC.

Danity Kane Irving Plaza — Image via deji0812’s Instagram

My 4 takeaways:

1. I expected Dawn to be the star of the show — she wasn’t. Out of the five members of the group, Dawn has been the only one to consistently put out music and retain some buzz in the industry, so I assumed she would be the frontman, but they were very diplomatic with lead vocals and the choreography. No one got more shine than the others.
2. The sound was TERRIBLE. I don’t know if it was the sound engineer or the venue’s system, but good Lord. I couldn’t hear anything the girls were saying from the moment they stepped on the stage, and what’s more, I couldn’t really hear what they singing either. Major factor…
3. Lip-synching and backing track… why? Throughout the show, they used back tracking complete with ALL of the pre-recorded vocals. I can understand why some of the high-energy performances (perhaps) required lip-synching but it made it impossible to hear what was (meant to be) live and what wasn’t, to the point where I can’t make one single comment about how they sounded, vocally, because I have no clue.
4. The crowd was HYPE, and they had every right to be. Despite the sound issues, DK killed the performance. I just knew Dawn was going to come out and outshine everyybody, but all of the girls held their own. You can tell they are taking this seriously, and they’ve been working hard. I can’t imagine doing more than 5 minutes of their choreo, let alone doing it while carrying a baby.

With their latest releases “Lemonade” and “Rhythm of Love,” it would seem the girls are shifting their sound away from the R&B-influences of the past, but I hope they can find that hit single to get them back on top.

I would love to see what they could do on tour with a budget… slayyage.

BONUS: For anyone who wants to take a trip down memory lane, you can watch the final season with the whole group on YouTube. Anyone else here for a new MTB season?

J Music: Stacie Orrico Performs First Show in Five Years

October 22, 2013January 28, 2024ayminor

Exciting news!

Following the 10-year anniversary of her hit singles “Stuck” and “(There’s Gotta Be) More to Life,” Stacie Orrico has announced she will perform a 30-minute set via online venue Stage It. The ticket is pricey — considering most Stage It concerts are “pay what you can” – and during most people’s evening commute, but if you can get to a computer you will witness her first performance in over five years!

(Sidenote: I know she has drifted toward more of a jazz sound after stepping away from the industry, but I am hoping she performs her pop, R&B-influenced classics — I want to hear “Is It Me” and “I’m Not Missing You”!)

Stacie Orrico Live from the Nomad in NYC | 70 “notes” (or $7) | 5:00 p.m. EST
Buy your ticket here.

Her official announcement from the show venue, the Nomad:

J Music: “Love Locked Down” (Kanye West Cover) – Janay

December 31, 2012January 18, 2024ayminor

Some music I never posted. Listen with headphones.

Special Edition: SOL VILLAGE at S.O.B.s

December 24, 2012January 18, 2024ayminor

This Wednesday I had the pleasure of traveling down into the city to attend the Sol Village Showcase hosted by Eric Roberson. To be very honest after a long week that has just started I was hesitant to travel into the city after work, but I am definitely glad I did.

The showcase started a bit late, but Eric Roberson entertained the crowd as the first artist, Steve Lovell prepared to take the stage.

Opening his set with a medley featuring his original track “It’ll Be Ok” and “How to Love,” Steve showed off his church roots, as well as his ability to transcend multiple genres. He would go on to perform “Just the Way You Are” by Bruno Mars as well as “The Way” by Jill Scott.

His background singers were on point! It was one of those brilliant moments where the band, the artist, and the background singers were 100% in sync.

For more information about Steve Lovell click here.

Kenny Wesley took the stage next and performed several songs including “Rock With You,” and his original track, “Feels Good.”

For more information about Kenny Wesley click here.

When I overhead someone mention that the next group was from Philly, I was intrigued to see what my second hometown had to offer. The four-member group MPrynt had the ladies going crazy!

Watch MPrynt cover “Crusin”” and “I Look To You” below.

For more information about MPrynt click here.

The fourth artist to perform was Jmusic artist Mylah. Her performance will be covered in the next blog post.

Unfortunately I was unable to stay for the entire concert so I ended up missing one of the artists that had attracted me to the show in the first place, Mateo, and the four-member group Gotham Citi. I will definitely have to see them in concert another time. Overall a great night!