Celebrity Interviews! New Artist Profiles! Contests! Brooklyn Music Venue Picks! September 2010

September 6, 2010 by Howard B. Leibowitz

The sounds of summer cascaded throughout the borough as Brooklynites enjoyed musical treat after musical treat outdoors at little or no cost, thanks to a number of great organizations and sponsors.

Brooklyn Roads ran its first contests, thanks to Daptone Records, Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes, Brooklyn Concerts and Celebrate Brooklyn!— and the response has been amazing!

This year’s Celebrate Brooklyn! Performing Arts Festival achieved a number of milestones. Artistic Director Rachel Chanoff put it best on closing night, as she described how “we went from Jones to Jones.” Brooklynite Nora Jones enthralled concert goers on opening night and Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings shared a triumphant homecoming with over 20,000 friends. We were pleased to take part in our inaugural season as a business friend of Celebrate Brooklyn! as our Daptone contest prize winner was announced from the stage on closing night at the historic Daptone Review! We beamed with pride as our Daptone Gift Bag was raffled off at the show, thanks to our friends at Celebrate Brooklyn! and Daptone Records.

The hot summer nights got even hotter at the Brooklyn Concerts, which were once again hosted by Borough President Marty Markowitz. The Beach Boys, Mark Lindsay, Flo & Eddie, Mickey Dolenz, George Thorogood, Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes, Toni Braxton, George Clinton & Parliament/Funkadelic, The Ohio Players, Salt-N-Pepa, Bebe and Cece Winans, and The Mighty Sparrow all brought crowds to their feet.

This summer also saw the sixth annual Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival evolve into a weeklong event, complete with panel discussions, films and a live performance by De La Soul. It spanned multiple venues, including Brooklyn Bridge Park, Brooklyn Bowl, The Brooklyn Historical Society, Brooklyn Tech High School, The Music Hall of Williamsburg and Southpaw. Founder Wes Jackson told Brooklyn Roads that he first got the idea of the festival after attending the New Orleans Jazz Festival in 2004. Wes told us that it was one of the “best times I’ve ever had” and he wondered why “there wasn’t something for Hip Hop music and culture and for Brooklyn.” The Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival has helped to change the image of Hip Hop to a more positive one and legitimize this music form that is “mirrored by jazz.” Wes also created the Brooklyn Bodega, a website that is the online home of the Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival and provides a year-round platform for the fans of the Festival and Hip Hop in general.

We hope you enjoy this issue, which includes interviews with “Cousin” Bruce Morrow and Brooklyn newcomers Brother HijinX, and we’ve added the brand new single from The Sweet Divines, “Heckuva Man,” to the BK Play. We appreciate all the support and invite you to keep on letting us know what you think.

Artists on our Radar

Janet LaBelle Takes the Spotlight: Blending Vintage Vibes with Modern Magic

Janet Labelle With Guitar In Hand / photo by John Nyboer

Dynamic Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter Janet LaBelle continues to push her creative boundaries. Known for her unique ability to fuse analog warmth with modern production, LaBelle has been praised by Jersey Beat for her “sweet voice and sharp, thoughtful songwriting,” and her newest projects are no exception. Her music defies easy categorization, effortlessly blending elements of folk, classic rock, and pop into a sound that feels both fresh and timeless. LaBelle recently released her single “Day in the Sun” on September 13 via her own Wild Violet Records, and it has already been captivating audiences with its sunny melodies and deeply personal narrative. The song, inspired by a meaningful hike with a friend in 2023, showcases her talent for finding beauty in simplicity, a theme that resonates through much of her work. The inclusion of horns marks an exciting creative evolution, adding a new layer of depth to her already richly textured sound. Throughout her career, LaBelle has explored a wide range of musical styles. She first made waves as a teenager in the punk-pop band Avery, and since then, her solo work has spanned genres like classic rock, folk, pop, and even French chanson. Her previous EPs, including Moon Songs (2010) and Blossom & Blue (2011), demonstrate her eclectic tastes, with influences ranging from surf rock to vintage country. Working with respected producers such as Evan Taylor (Bernie Worrell) and Tony Maimone (Pere Ubu, They Might Be Giants), LaBelle continues to expand her sound, evolving with each new release. Fans can catch her live at upcoming performances, including a show at Our Wicked Lady on September 24th and at Sleepwalk on December 3rd. These live shows will give listeners a chance to hear both her new and classic material in an up-close setting. Her combination of memorable songs, captivating performances and a unique voice sets her apart as an artist who continues to rise, drawing listeners in with every new creation.

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