Afro-punk makes moves in Minneapolis - 10.25.09

And so the Afro-punk crew left the cold city of Toronto and crossed back into the states-- heading to Minneapolis, Minnesota. Trekking 928 miles to our next venue took two whole days of on the road travel, but it also gave the musicians a chance to discuss their own interpretation of what Afro-punk means to them.

"Afro-punk should represent self-expression in every form," Saul said to Afro-punk production on the drive to Minneapolis. Saul mentioned how stifled his creativity felt during his undergraduate years at Morehouse College, a private all boys HBCU in Atlanta, GA, and suggested that Afro-punk should serve as a base for freedom of expression in the black community. "Afro-punk should be a safe haven for all the kids that have been told no, that's not normal, or that doesn't look right.. because who's to say what is normal," Saul said.

The bus pulled into the parking lot of The Varsity in Minneapolis, just in time for sound check. Davin, Saul's lead guitarist, was caught here dancing in front of the venue before walking in.

The Varsity was one of the most colorful venues that the guys had played in while on the tour, with bright burgundy fabric draping the walls, over-sized rugs on the floors, and comfy antique furniture for guests to chill on. We set up the Afro-punk merchandise on the coolest table we could find in the venue and people flocked over to our t-shirts and posters.

Backstage we caught up with the first act of the night, a local Minnesota Afro-punk group, Dearling Physique. As lead singer, Dominique Davis, put on his make-up in the dressing room, he said that his bands performance is theatrical mixed with a soulful rock sound.

We also caught up with another local act performing on the Afro-punk Minnesota line-up, No Bird Sing. Lead singer, Eric Blair, told us backstage that he was willing to sell his arteries to play with the Afro-punk festival when we hit Minnesota. C'mon Eric, we wouldn't let you do that. Here is a picture of No Bird Sing backstage--Left picture is of lead singer Eric on left, Graham on right. Right picture-- No Bird Sing (Eric, Graham, and Robert) being interviewed by Sandra Amarie.

Sporting duct taped pants that he made the previous day, Saul prepped backstage at The Varsity Theater-- while CX fooled around putting on his stage make-up.

The venue filled in as Dearling Physique kicked off the night with a promised theatrical show. Dominique sang with a voice of soul as he seductively moved his body to the drums. Throughout the performance, he even mirrored the Phantom of the Opera wearing a funky white mask that he wore off and on-- depending on the tempo of the song.

The No Bird Sing trio followed Dearling Physique with a sound fused of hip hop and punk rock. The guys released a self-titled EP this year and played several of their new songs for the Afro-punk crowd.

The energy pumped guys of American Fangs brought the audience to their feet as lead singer Gabe jumped with each guitar rift. Kenyon and the rest of the guys jammed along.

CX, Tchaka, and Saul Williams closed out the Minneapolis night with a colorful combined set. And like a true punk, CX performed onstage in his superman pajamas.

The show wrapped up and the boys were ready to hit the road again to Detroit. Here is Gabe and Kenyon from American Fangs playing backstage after their performance.