It's been a minute LA, but this last Thursday @ Little Temple made me realize I need to get back on the blog wagon. I had the pleasure of seeing both Nikko Gray and Taylor McFerrin (as well as some surprise guests) perform for Nu-Thursdays (put on by Nu-Soul: www.nu-soulmag.com). I have seen bits of Nikko's performances in the past as she is a staple in the love-friendly nightlife of LA. She once again laced the mic with sugar like the sultry songstress she is. Always in diva-mode, she kept that healing feminine energy flowing. From downright dreamy tunes to hip-shakers, she knows how to flex in many forms. She also had guest MC, Chris Young join her to throw in some rap flavor for a couple joints. Nikko Gray = Voice + Looks + Vibe = WIN.
Next up on the bill: Taylor McFerrin
After a little intermission with DJ Destroyer on the decks, Taylor McFerrin took the stage with a Rhodes, midi controllers, and his mouth. Deceptively humble in his vibe, he proceeded to build straight, uncut DOPENESS from scratch via live looping of keys, samples, and beatboxing (dude needs to jam w/ Rahzel if he hasn't already). To say the least, the McFerrin seed contains some sort of inter-galactic magic (his pops is Bobby McFerrin if you hadn't figured it out yet). Taylor brought Nikko Gray back on stage, as well as Chris Young and they proceeded to improvise their way through a song that honestly sounded better than a lot of pre-rehearsed bits I've heard from other artists. He then brought up fellow Brainfeeder signee, Austin Peralta. An odyssey is about the closest approximation for a word that can describe the musical journey they took my ears on. McFerrin is a deft beatboxer who understands rhythm to the core, and Peralta, well, he's legit as fuck on keys, truth. They had a free-form chemistry that only true musicians possess and carried on a musical conversation that probably only half of the audience fully understood (unless they have a grasp of music theory). Be on the lookout for more from Taylor McFerrin. He's got an honest, unpretentious, and highly-skilled nature that will continue to serve him as he gives the world more of his musical goodness.
LINKS:
Nikko Gray
Taylor McFerrin
Brainfeeder
Nu-Soul Magazine
Photos by Jenny B:
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