Stepping out of a short break to set up another powerful booty-shaking night at Lambert’s Downtown BBQ, Afrofreque presents their first Freque-a-Thon event and enlists heavyweight house rockers Starlynx with DJ Bigface to insure another glorious night of funky hip-hop grooves. Freque-a-Thon will take place on November 29th, 2008. Lambert’s BBQ is located at 401 W. 2nd St. in downtown Austin. Cover is only $7 for the 21+ funk, soul, and hip-hop lovers in town

With a amazing band line-up intermingled with Austin’s vibrant music scene, it’s no surprise that members of Afrofreque are in high-demand for a variety of side projects. Keyboardist Claude 9 recently celebrated the sell-out vinyl release of Viva La Remix, a 4-track dance floor shaker created in collaboration with DJ Manny under the Los Banditos monikur. Claude has also been working with Manny and Bigface on The Black & White Year’s East Side Remix, celebrated through a special event on November 15th. And, if that is not enough, check out his solo DJ set at Carlos Santana’s Maria Maria restaurant on November 21st.

When his not laying down his lyrical mastery for Afrofreque, MC Tigre Liu can be found as a regular guest at DJ Resinthol’s Hump! events held every Friday night at Plush. You may also catch a whiff of his flow through some of DJ Bigface’s original products, as well as on tracks by Starlynx. You may not recall the name from the top your mind, but if you were at the Bassnectar show at Antone’s last year, you’ll remember the madness of Starlynx’s opening set at the sold-out show.

No stranger to Austin’s funk scene, DJ Resinthol has been holding the grooves steady at Hump! Friday’s at Plush with co-creator DJ Paco. Since its enception, Resinthol and Paco have hosted guest appearance by Chicago house music pioneer Boo Williams, as well as special guests including percussionist El Cocinero, Jazz trumpet player Ephraim Owens, and DJ J.J. Lopez.

It’s time to head north again and bring the freque out for our friends at Sherlock’s. Afrofreque will be taking the stage at around 10pm for a free show on Thursday, October 9th. Sherlock’s is located at 9012 Research Blvd - aka Hwy 183 - just north of Burnet Rd. See you there.

Kenny Dorham’s East End 4th Friday’s have become a standard affair for Friday happy-hour chillers; blues lovers, and East-side pub crawlers looking for a music groove away from the choas created by downtown scenesters. On Friday, September 26th, Kenny Dorham’s spotlights Afrofreque for evening session of backyard hip hop, soul and funk.

From NowPlayingAustin:

Come to East End Fourth Fridays! and enjoy free, fun activities for children and live music, refreshments and art vendors for adults. Children can enjoy the East End Kid’s Corner and Creation Station featuring face painting, a professional story teller, arts and crafts, free books courtesy of Half-Price Books, a moon bounce, free pizza from East Side Pies, and slime-making fun with The Austin Children’s Museum. Meanwhile, for the adults, the main stage will feature the Kenny Dorham Youth Jazz Workshop, showcasing some of Austin’s finest young musicians, the funk stylings of Bus Stop Stallions and, our headliner and Kenny Dorham’s Backyard staple, the blues and soul queen Lavelle White. Austin’s East End Fourth Fridays! is a unique art and culture-driven monthly community-oriented event developed by DiverseArts to showcase the very specific cultural attributes and historical identity of Austin’s East End - the Soul in the heart of the City. The East End has been recognized by the City of Austin as an African-American Cultural Heritage District, and East End Fourth Fridays! helps showcase this cultural legacy for the benefit of the community. In partnership with neighborhood artists and businesses, cultural, civic, commercial, and governmental groups, this monthly event is designed to bring a relaxed, communal, open-air art and culture experience to the newly revitalized East End. It’s an open house in the East End and along East 11th Street. Sample food and drink at established and new venues, take in the headline concerts and bring the kids to enjoy the East End Kid’s Corner at Kenny Dorham’s Backyard, and check out art vendors, organizations, and sponsors doing PR and public outreach. DiverseArts wishes to bring visitors from the neighborhood and the Austin area to see the unique cultural and historic aspects of the East End. We hope to establish East End Fourth Fridays! as a holistic, community-based marriage of culture and commerce.

The venue was listed in the Stateman’s top 100 places to hear live music list a few years back. Read what they had to say:

Funny how any soft dip in the land can become a music venue in Austin. This grassy lot next to the Victory Grill bloomed into a family music spot this summer for blues, jazz and other delectibles. Multiethnic toddlers danced in toddler frenzy, mothers and aunts monitored from lawn chairs, while barbecue beckoned from behind the revelers. The stage, set against the midnight blue of the club’s walls, is low and long, but the lighting and sound are adequate. By the way, BYOB.

Kenny Dorham’s Backyard is located next door to Victory Grill in East Austin at 1106 E 11th St.  The Backyard opens at 6pm. Cover is only $5 after 8:00pm and free for the kiddos under 12. Afrofreque will be performing from 9pm to 10:45.

Afrofreque will be stirring up a funky stew of live, soulful hip hop at Lambert’s on Saturday, September 13th, 2008. In the next saga of all things that cause a booty to shake, John Siebenthaler lays down a funky bass groove that can only be matched by the force of one Fumi Sugawara and his magical mastery of the wah.

Will MC Tigre Liu bring Illumination to packed house of reggae, soul, and hip hop lovers? Will Resinthol’s scratch on rotating vinyl have any effect on Lambert’s beautifully crafted wooden floors? I think so, my friend.The floors will bounce as the celebration of soul infectiously spreads throughout the upstairs bar.

Special guest DJ Manny (DJ Dojo, iscratchvinyl.com) will be warming things up and closing things out.

Lambert’s is located at 401 W. 2nd St. in Austin, TX.

It’s time to bring some funky love to the north side of the A-TX with a special Afrofreque performance at Sherlock’s Baker Street Pub on Thursday, August 21st. But be warned… it only takes a pint and one of Michael Hale’s drum beats to feel the get-down syndrome take hold.

Resinthol will be spinning in some old school flavors behind the funky setting of John Siebenthaller’s bass hooks and Fumi’s rhythmic guitar licks. Claude will keep the ladies charmed with smooth soulful vocals while MC Tigre Liu keeps the booties shaking from the start of the first verse.

Its a sly, raining week and Thursday is perfect for a night out before starting your weekend festivities. Grab a booth at around 10pm and get on with the get-down.

See you at the club - Sherlock’s Baker St. 9012 Research Blvd. Ste. C1.

It’s a soul thing, perfect for a Friday night excursion at the end of a work week.

Join Afrofreque  on Friday, August 8th, 2008 from 9:00-10:30pm for a night of live, soulful hip hop at Red Fez in Austin’s downtown warehouse district.

Afrofreque has been hitting it hard in the studio, recording 5.1 surround sound tracks at Austin’s legendary Arlyn Studios with engineer Craig Robertson.  For this Friday’s show, MC Tigre Liu will be flowing down on some favorites from the Fresh Soul Frequencies album, as well as bringing in some new tracks the guys have been working on. Its possible that Claude’s tongue may touch some keys and Resinthol will keep the needles scratching in a groove of old style funk samples, all backed by percussionist Mike Hale, bassist John Siebenthaler, and Fumi Sugawara on guitars.

Red Fez is located at 209 W. 5th  St. in Austin, TX. For venue information visit www.red-fez.com. For more about Afrofreque, visit www.afrofreque.com.

Help put Afrofreque on the big stage for the 2008 Austin City Limits festival! First round of voting ends on August 22nd, so click here and cast your vote! You are allowed to vote one time per day, so bookmark the page on your computer or phone and give us a click now and again.

Characterized by funky bass lines, soulful lyrics, and the ability to  stir a crowd into spontaneous fits of boogiement, Afrofreque will take the outdoor stage at Red 7 on Sunday, July 13th, 2008 for an early evening jam with The Great American Freedom Machine and MC Flint. The folks at Red 7 will be firing up the grill at around 4pm. Afrofreque will be bringing a heapin’ serving of funk at 7.

Red 7’s outdoor stage is accessible via the alley behind 611 E. 7th St.  Cover is only $5.

About Afrofreque
Afrofreque’s music is live soulful hip-hop, with elements of electronica, afrobeat and reggae. The grooves are funky and the lyrics are positive and conscious, reflecting hip-hop culture, social issues and just plain having fun. Afrofreque is known not only for their for their tightly arranged hip hop and soul compositions, but also for their high energy live performances and and ultra funky live improvs. Visit www.afrofreque.com for more information, including music, images, and video.

Afrofreque and The Great American Freedom Machine - Daytime Grillin’ at Red 7

Afrofreque finds its way to the glossies in a shout from writer Michael Gallant in the June 2008 issue of Keyboard Magazine. To find your name nestled in the pages held together under a cover of Herbie Hancock is indeed a humbling experience.

From the article:

Hot performances from Afrofreque and Duffy were highlights as well. On the ground in Austin, my ears led me to countless nooks and crannies of bars and restaurants, where I paused for a few seconds or a few hours, listening to music that ranged from formulaic and poorly performed to transcendent and inspiring.

Click image to read the entire article, or stop by your local bookstore or visit www.keyboardmag.com to grab your copy.

Yes, yes, ya’ll. A funky soul-boogie is in the works to kick off the Summer with a thick stew of old school rhythms and illuminated rhymes. Join Afrofreque on Saturday, June 7th, 2008 for a night of live, soulful hip-hop at Lambert’s BBQ in downtown Austin with special guest DJ and Diggin’ Deep soul shake-down soul boy, JJ Lopez.

With a strong ever-present knowledge of 70’s Soul, Jazz, Disco and Garage, JJ Lopez serves up an uplifting history lesson with his mastery of replicating traditional DJ techniques of the 1970’s Soul or Disco. With over 12 years of Djing and collecting power under his belt, he can be heard every Sat. afternoon, on the air at KRTU 91.7 FM, Jazz for San Antonio. He is the host of the Diggin’ Deep Soul Shake-down show. Each Sat. afternoon, he presents 2 hours of Soul Jazz, Funk, Boogaloo and Soul to the masses. The Diggin’ Deep Soul Shake-down features both new and classic Soul Jazz artists from his personal collection. Tune in at www.KRTU.org. Out on the town: He can be heard playing various club nights around San Antonio.

Lambert’s is located at 401 W. 2nd St. in Austin, TX. Cover is only $5.