Afro-punk pushes through Philadelphia - 10-30-09

After the Afro-punk crew partied the night away in Chicago, the guys got on the road again and headed to Philadelphia. When the tour bus reached the city, we were blown away by the action packed shopping district where the Theatre of Living Arts was located. People were outside representing the Afro-punk Philly scene in full effect, rocking bright colors, skateboarding down the strip, and enjoying their town.

When we got to the TLA, located in the popular shopping district in the heart of Philly, Saul Williams and the rest of the acts prepped for the night's show. Backstage, Saul carefully applied his stage make-up that he is noted for wearing a different look at every performance. While putting on his stage wear, he said that transitioning into Niggy Tardust-- his on stage persona-- is an essential element to developing his on stage attitude. "The entire transition is very empowering," Saul said. "I get a chance to become a different person every night I perform."

Outside on the dance floor, the Philadelphia crowd started their own party, crowding around to form a b-boy dance circle.

We even got two New York based bmx riders to show off their skills to the Philadelphia crowd. Cooley Boy and Jeff MCI have been riding fore more than ten years and compete in international BMX competitions. Here are pictures of Cooley and Jeff battling their moves in front of the crowd.

Tonight's show opened with West Vienna, a new and local Philadelphia band known for their African beats and soul funk sound. As a former member of classic Afro-punk band Philmoore Browne, Gravy started West Vienna with several new members this year to put a new spin on their already eclectic sound. The guys are currently working on their first EP and said they were grateful for the chance to play their first onstage performance for the Afro-punk community in their hometown. Here are pictures of West Vienna performing for the Philly audience-- Matty on guitar, Chuck on drums, Shaun on vocals and accordion, Stripes on bass guitar and keys, and Gravy on vocals.

During the show, local Philadelphia graffiti artist, Yis Goodwin, created an untitled piece on our 10-foot canvass. Using spray paint and acrylic paint with brushes, Yis said that the music throughout the night inspired his piece. Here is Yis creating his "unnamed" Afro-punk inspired art while the guys from American Fangs performed on stage.

Saul's performance was extra special in Philadelphia, because his daughter, Saturn joined us on the tour bus. Saturn, 13, often performs at least one song with her dad--it was Saul's popular song, Grippo tonight-- and the crowd went wild when they realized Saturn was Saul's teenage daughter. Saturn even gets the Niggy Tardust inspired make-up done by Saul before her onstage cameo. Here is Saturn performing Grippo with Saul in Philadelphia.

Saul closed out the Philadelphia Afro-punk experience of bmx, graffiti art, and live music with a dope speech about the superficial existence of race and color. As he spoke, the diverse Afro-punk crowd pulled together and cheered him on.