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Vernon Reid



Last Updated: 10/22/2009

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Status: Single
City: Staten Island
State: New York
Country: US
Signup Date: 2/28/2007

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Tuesday, October 20, 2009 

Vernon Reid

The guitar maverick goes high-tech in Artificial Afrika and stays heavy in Living Colour.
By Steve Smith
HIT OR MYTH Catch Vernon Reid in Artificial Afrika, then see him in Living Colour next week.Photograph: Bill Bernstein

Think you’re culturally literate and stylistically diverse? Try keeping up with Vernon Reid, longtime lead guitarist for resurgent hard-rock combo Living Colour and a founder of New York’s influential Black Rock Coalition. Phoning in from a hotel room in São Paolo, Brazil, where he has two notebook computers whirring away on the desk, Reid references Ridley Scott and Blade Runner, William Gibson and Neuromancer, the Star Wars planet-city Coruscant and noirish sci-fi cult flick Dark City inside of five minutes, just to convey his impressions of a gray morning in that sprawling city. Reid’s in Brazil as part of an ongoing tour in support of The Chair in the Doorway, Living Colour’s fifth and latest studio album, released on Megaforce this month. The band’s first effort since its 2001 reunion effort, Collideøscope, is subtle, bluesy, futuristic and funky. In other words, it’s a Living Colour record—though certainly a more mature, introspective sibling for the band’s brash 1988 debut, Vivid.

Having already trekked around much of the United States and points well beyond, the members of Living Colour—Reid, vocalist Corey Glover, bassist Doug Wimbish and drummer Will Calhoun—will celebrate their new CD at the Highline Ballroom on October 30. Back in the swing of things, Reid blames Living Colour’s 1995 split on failing to pause for reflection when bassist Muzz Skillings quit in 1992. “Men have a terrible time expressing and dealing with emotions, and we didn’t grieve the loss of our brother,” Reid admits. “We got together with one of the best bassists in the world and also a personal friend, Doug Wimbish. But we should have taken a time-out, and we didn’t.”
As was the case for so many New York bands, September 11, 2001, sparked Living Colour’s return to action with the bleak Collideøscope. The band has toured regularly since, its relationships smoothed by the passage of time. “Obviously we’re older; it was all many dreadlocks ago for me,” Reid says of the difference between then and now. “We’ve come back to embracing each other, which is a wonderful thing.”

New material came slowly, delayed by side projects (Reid’s producing, Glover’s theatrical work) and by all of the band members becoming fathers. More fundamentally, a band that once made a statement just by existing needed to find new bearings. “We are in this curious place where we have an African-American President—what is our mission now?” Reid relates. “In a lot of ways, the subject of The Chair in the Doorway is, how come it took us so long to make a record? It’s based around an aphorism that Corey came up with: We were bickering because we couldn’t agree on the songs and what was going to be the single, and he would say, ‘The problem is that the chair is in the doorway.’?”

Even with Living Colour humming along smoothly, Reid still pursues visions of his own. In his latest multimedia solo project, Artificial Afrika, he deals with Western myths of Africa and the diaspora—“everything from the Dark Continent to Aunt Jemima,” he says—with looping guitars, breakbeat rhythms, borrowed video footage and homemade animation inspired by Richard Linklater’s Waking Life. Akim Funk Buddha, a South African spoken-word artist and dancer, and drummer-producer Leon Lamont will also participate in the hour-long string of vignettes. “Parts deal with African mythology,” Reid explains. “Other parts deal with folk myths; some parts just deal with textures—making my own version of electric mud cloth, if you will.”

As for the greater goals he once pursued in the Black Rock Coalition, Reid insists that much work remains to be done. “But when I think that my friend William DuVall is now the lead singer of Alice in Chains, that is staggering. Looking at TV on the Radio and its development—they are our American Radiohead, I’m going to stick my neck out and say that—there’s something wonderful about that. When we were first coming into the mix, there was ‘Little Red Corvette’ and the Bad Brains’ ROIR cassette, and that was it. There’s a lot more to do, a lot further places to go. But when I look at what it is, as opposed to what it was before this conversation was on the table, it really has been huge.”

Vernon Reid presents Artifical Afrika in the Winter Garden at the World Financial Center Sat 24. Living Colour plays the Highline Ballroom Oct 30.

Read more: http://newyork.timeout.com/articles/music/79680/vernon-reid-at-the-winter-garden-at-the-world-financial-center-and-highline-ballroom-concert-preview#ixzz0URE78ANy
2:13 AM 
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Monday, October 05, 2009 

Category: Music
MAYOR BLOOMBERG TO PRESENT THE 2009 MAYOR’S AWARDS FOR ARTS & CULTURE AT THE FRANK SINATRA SCHOOL OF THE ARTS

Mayor Bloomberg will present the 2009 Mayor’s Awards for Arts and Culture to six individuals and organizations in celebration of their outstanding contributions to New York City’s cultural life. The Mayor will also present the Handel Medallion, New York City’s highest award for achievement in the arts, to the legendary singer Jessye Norman. The event, held at New York City’s acclaimed new arts school, will feature live performances by the Big Apple Circus and Dance Theatre of Harlem, and appearances by special guest artists.

Awardees:
Big Apple Circus
Jaynemarie Capetankis, Principal, P.S. 69
H.T. Chen, Choreographer
Doris Duke Charitable Foundation
Vernon Reid, Musician and Composer
Thalia Spanish Theatre
Jessye Norman, 2009 NYC Handel Medallion Recipient







(photo's by Earl Douglas)
4:28 PM 
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Friday, September 25, 2009 

Current mood:  chipper
Category: Music
Living Colour North American 2009 Tour Dates (remainder)

 Sept 25 - Regency Ballroom - San Francicso, CA - Ticketmaster
Sept 26 - Berbatis Pan - Portland, OR - TicketWeb
Sept 27 - Studio Seven - Seattle, WA - TicketsWest

Sept 30 - Fine Line Music Cafe - Minneapolis, MN - Ticketmaster

Oct 2 - The Magic Bag - Detroit, MI - Ticketmaster
Oct 3 - Lee's Palace - Toronto, ONT - Ticketmaster
Oct 4 - Double Door - Chicago, IL - Ticketmaster
Oct 5 - The Grog Shop - Cleveland, OH - Ticketmaster

Oct 30 - Highline Ballroom - New York, NY - TicketWeb

Living Colour 2009 South America Tour dates

 Oct 14 - Bar Opiniao - Porto Alegre, BR
Oct 15 - Via Funchal - Sao Paulo, BR
Oct 16 - Circo Voador - Rio de Janeiro, BR
Oct 18 - Music Hall BH - Belo Horizonte, BR

Nov 4 - Lunario - Mexico DF
Nov 6 - Teatro Teleton - Santiago, Chile
Nov 7 - Festival Pepsi Music - Buenos Aires, Argentina
Nov 8 - Complejo Bloque - Neuquen, Argentina
Nov 9 - Ele Multiespacio - Comodoro Rivadavia
Nov 11 - Showcase Radio Show "Cual Es" FM Rock & Pop (95.9 MHZ)
Nov 12 - Willie Dixon - Rosario, Argentina
Nov 13 - La Trastienda - Buenos Aires, Argentina
Nov 14 - La Trastienda - Buenos Aires, Argentina

Living Colour 2009 European Tour Dates

 Nov 17 - Reithalle - Bern, CH
Nov 18 - Hiroshima Mon Amour - Torino, IT
Nov 19 - Circolo - Rome, IT
Nov 20 - Estragon - Bologna, IT
Nov 21 - Flog - Florence, IT
Nov 22 - Deposito Giordani - Pardenone, IT

Nov 24 - Kino Siska - Ljubljana, SI
Nov 25 - Palac Acropolis - Prague, CZ
Nov 26 - Diesel - Budapest, HU
Nov 27 - Heiniken Tower Stage - Bratislava, SVK
Nov 28 - Metro Music Hall - Brno, CZ
Nov 29 - Fabrik - Hamburg, D
Nov 30 - Lido - Berlin, D

Dec 2 - VK - Brussels, B
Dec 3 - Tunnels - Bristol, UK
Dec 4 - The Globe - Cardiff, UK
Dec 5 - Robin 2 - Wolverhampton, UK
Dec 6 - Garage - London, UK

Dec 8 - Oosterpoort - Groningen, NL
Dec 9 - De Boerderij - Zoetermeer, NL
Dec 10 - 0/13 - Tilburg, NL
Dec 11 - Hedon - Zwolle, NL
Dec 12 - P3 - Purmerend , NL
Dec 13 - Trabendo - Paris, FR

Dec 15 - Ninkasi - Lyon, FR
Dec 16 - Faktoria - Terrassa, ESP
Dec 17 - Sala Assaig - Mallorca, ESP
Dec 18 - Auditorio - Murcia, ESP
Dec 19 - Sala Itzala - San Sebastian, ESP
Dec 20 - Sala Capitol - Santiago de Compostela, ESP
Dec 21 - Sala Heiniken - Madrid, ESP
Dec 22 - Santiago Alquimista - Lisbon, POR

Please check with local venues to confirm show dates and details
3:47 PM 
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Monday, August 24, 2009 

Category: Music
7:54 PM 
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Friday, July 31, 2009 

Category: Music




New Album THE CHAIR IN THE DOORWAY Set For Release on September 15
Download Free MP3 Of "Behind The Sun"

Living Colour have announced North American tour dates in support of their new album The Chair In The Doorway. The highly anticipated 28-date run will be bookended by performances at The Highline Ballroom in New York City, as they appear August 10 opening for The Roots at their weekly Tuesday night jam session and then again on October 30 for their own headline performance. In between, the band will hit 19 states around the U.S., including a return to The Key Club in Los Angeles on September 24, The Regency Grand Ballroom in San Francisco on September 25 and The Double Door in Chicago on October 4. They'll cross the border for a show in Toronto at Lee's Palace on October 3.
The Chair In The Doorway, set for release September 15 on Megaforce Records, was recorded at Sono Studios just outside of Prague in the Czech Republic. Renowned producer Count (Galactic, Lyrics Born, No Doubt) was onboard to helm the sessions, while Ron St. Germain (U2, Mos Def, Muse) mixed the album. The 11-track collection is Living Colour's most personal collection of songs yet with razor sharp lyrical observations and kinetic jams that seamlessly weave elements of metal, funk and soul. Vernon Reid described the album as, "an unintentional concept record about life and how we are all in this thing together."

Living Colour formed out of New York City in the mid-'80s. Their incendiary performances at CBGBs became the stuff of legend. The Rolling Stones' Mick Jagger, who witnessed one of these shows, was so impressed that he insisted upon producing a demo for the fledgling band and later helped them score a record deal. Living Colour's debut album Vivid went double platinum and garned the band a Grammy Award. Around this same time, the band's founder, Vernon Reid, helped form the Black Rock Coalition to help create opportunities for African-American musicians playing rock music in a largely segregated music business. The results of these efforts paired with Living Colour's own success helped pave the way for artists like Ben Harper, Rage Against The Machine and TV On The Radio. In 2007, Living Colour's hit song "Cult Of Personality" was selected for Guitar Hero III. The game has gone onto sell over 14 million copies, introducing the band to a new generation of fans.
Aug 10 - Highline Ballroom opening for the Roots Jam - New York, NY

Sept 1 - The Birchmere - Alexandria, VA - Ticketmaster
Sept 2 - Bottle & Cork - Dewey Beach, DE
Sept 3 - World Cafe Live - Philadelphia, PA
Sept 4 - The Crazy Donkey - Farmingdale, NY - MusicToday.com
Sept 6 - Infinity Hall - Norfolk, CT
Sept 8 - Tupelo Music Hall - Londonderry, NH
Sept 9 - FTC @ Stage One - Farfield, CT
Sept 10 - Johnny D's - Somerville, MA - BrownPaperTickets
Sept 11 - Mexicali Live - Teaneck, NJ - TicketWeb
Sept 12 - Rams Head Tavern - Annapolis, MD
Sept 14 - The Loft - Atlanta, GA - TicketAlternative.com
Sept 15 - HOB Orlando - Lake Buena Vista, FL - Ticketmaster
Sept 16 - Jannus Landing - St. Petersburg, FL - Ticketmaster
Sept 18 - Emo's - Austin, TX - TicketWeb
Sept 19 - Granada Theatre - Dallas, TX
Sept 20 - Warehouse Live - Houston, TX
Sept 23 - Canes Bar and Grill - San Diego, CA
Sept 24 - The Key Club - West Hollywood, CA - TicketWeb
Sept 25 - Regency Ballroom - San Francicso, CA - Ticketmaster
Sept 26 - Berbatis Pan - Portland, OR - TicketWeb
Sept 27 - Studio Seven - Seattle, WA - TicketsWest
Sept 30 - Fine Line Music Cafe - Minneapolis, MN - Ticketmaster
Oct 2 - The Magic Bag - Detroit, MI - Ticketmaster
Oct 3 - Lee's Palace - Toronto, ONT - Ticketmaster
Oct 4 - Double Door - Chicago, IL - Ticketmaster
Oct 5 - The Grog Shop - Cleveland, OH - Ticketmaster
Oct 30 - Highline Ballroom - New York, NY - TicketWeb
3:09 AM 
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Friday, July 10, 2009 

Category: Music
We've just uploaded BEHIND THE SUN, from our forthcoming release THE CHAIR IN THE DOORWAY - due out September 15th, 2009 on Megaforce Records! Goto our Living Colour Myspace  page

9:15 PM 
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Tuesday, April 28, 2009 
Cindy Blackman group featuring Vernon Reid, Aurelien Budynec & Steve Jenkins tour Europe May 2nd - May 23rd.

02.05. Berlin(D) @ Quasimodo
03.05. Braunau am Inn(A) @ Club2
04.05. Wien(A) @ Reigen
05.05. Graz(A) @ GeneralMusizDirektion
06.05. München(D) @ Hotel Bayerischer Hof
07.05. Bern(CH) @ Dachstock
08.05. off
09.05. Hengelo(NL) @ Metropool
10.05. Tilburg(NL) @ 013
11.05. Hannover(D) @ Jazz Club
12.05. San Sebastian(ESP) @ Doka
13.05. Santander(ESP) @ Sala Tropicana
14.05. Madrid(ESP) @ Sala Gruta 77
15.05. Las Palmas(ESP) Festival
16.05. Tenerifa(ESP) @ CICCA
17.05. off
18.05. Valladolid(ESP) @ Puerta Caeli
19.05. Caceres(ESP) @ Sala la Bola
20.05. Sevilla(ESP) @ Sala Q
21.05. Alicante(ESP) @ Sala Stereo
22.05. Terrassa(ESP) @ Faktoria d..Arts
23.05. Bilbao(ESP) @ Sala Noboo

Please check with local venues to confirm show dates and details. More venues to follow...stay tuned for a few Free Form Funky Freq dates at the end of May too!
1:13 PM 
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Friday, April 17, 2009 

Category: Life

I had one of the best days of my life yesterday (Not as good as the day my daughter Idea Viola was born, but better than the day I got my Mac-Book Pro). This best-of-days is directly related to one of my worst, which was this past monday, April 13th.

I was supposed to start prep work for a guitar instructional video that I'm doing with Rock House. Plans were changed and I went to Manhattan instead to pay off a studio balance owed for a Masque session, & to return an item that I bought at the 14th street Guitar Center. After finishing business with the studio I made the Guitar Center exchange & made a stop in Williamsburg Brooklyn before returning home to North Shaolin aka St George Staten Island. I got out of my car, and realized to my HORROR that my wallet was gone. Vanished. Missing.

I raced back to Manhattan, my mind reeling-"Was I pick-pocketed? Did it fall out after I parked the car?! Did I lose it in the store?!! I called while I drove back & nobody saw anything! I went straight to the guitar counter & NO ONE saw it or tuned in anything. My heart sank. Feeling pretty much crushed I called Gabri (my wife) & told her what was up & she was great about it; all empathy & sympathy. She made the whole ordeal bearable. I drove home, terrified that I'd be pulled over without license, registration, or I.D. of any kind. She started, & I completed the process of canceling cards, contemplating spending time at the DMV and kicking myself over the whole mess.

On the 3rd day of this nightmare, I got messages from Gabri & Tim E (who set up my MySpace & Facebook sites) that there was a message from the person who FOUND MY WALLET!!!! I went to the mailbox & there he was-
Darius Emmanuel Scheider-http://www.myspace.com/dariusscheider

The following is an excerpt of his letter to me-

hi vernon i'm a guitar player from Paris,just passin' through

new york.

i found your wallet man and that just makes no sense but

anyway i got it!

we've got to meet up man and i'll give you back what you own.

We met & had coffee yesterday in a little shop in the west village. It turns out that he's followed my career & was as astonished to find my wallet in Guitar Center, as I was in getting it back. The whole time that we spoke about meeting, I never asked him about the contents of the wallet, but as I walked out of the house, I threw a possible gift in the trunk of my car on the remote chance that the wallet was returned whole.

I got the wallet back complete with the $1.5K that was in it when it was lost
&
Darius has a new guitar -a greenburst Mojo Flame Parker-like this one+a Roland interface.

http://riley-music.com/Pics/GuitarGear/Parker-Fly-Mojo7.jpg

I learned a great lesson about mindfulness through this experience.

It's great when people really are at their best! I can't thank you enough Darius!

If it wasn't for MySpace, he never would have found me!

Have a great weekend,

Vernon
1:10 PM 
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Friday, March 06, 2009 

Category: Music
9:04 PM 
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Sunday, January 04, 2009 

Category: Art and Photography
We, Living Colour, are writing/recording material for the new album titled "The Chair in the Doorw
ay". We would like fans, non-fans, and photographers to participate in this process by submitting original images, photos, illustrations etc, conveying your interpretation of "The Chair in the Doorway".

The image could become artwork for the next Living Colour album!

Please join the Flickr group :
http://www.flickr.com/groups/thechairinthedoorway/

Vernon: "I did a press junket for CollideØscope with Corey and whenever something was going wrong Corey would always say "the chair in the doorway". It was just one of these things he would say and I looked at him and said 'you know that thing you always say, that's going to be the title of our next album.' I don't know what that means but that's it. What I like about "The Chair In The Doorway" is that it is a concrete image and a very real thing but……Why is there a chair in the doorway? What does it mean? It's completely abstract, while being a contract, a physical manifestation of what it is.
"

Proof of ownership will be required prior to finalizing agreements with Living Colour.


Please submit by Feb 28th, 2009. Finalists will be appropriately notified.
3:50 AM 
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