So excited to get confirmation that indie band Kudu (an AfroPunk favorite) is being resurrected under the name AWK (i.e. Art World Killer). Expect an album this fall, but in meanwhile, we have new music and visuals for ya! below
Singer/songwriter Sylvia Black, aka Betty Black (listen to her solo project here), is telling us: “Art World Killer (AWK) was born after after KUDU’s ‘Death Of The Party’ with the addition of bandmate Nick Kasper. Since then Deantoni Parks was asked to join The Mars Volta as their drummer as well as side stints with MeShell N’Degeocello and John Cale. Deantoni saw this as an opportunity to release AWK music under Omar Rodriguez Lopez’s own artist label with promo thru Sargent House. Finally this Fall they will have their ‘Last Laugh’. Eventually we would like to use AWK’s music and live shows as a platform for other visual artists to be seen. Collaboration is key.” - We’ll be listening, and watching! - Lou C-D

Check out this new track “Make My Day” by Deantoni Parks from his upcoming album due out this year on Rodriguez Lopez Productions.

Dark Angels remix Whitney Houston’s “Nowhere To Hide” - R.I.P. damn what a voice, what a loss.

SCV links up with artist and musician, Deantoni Parks 

Deantoni Parks is a Brooklyn, NY based drummer, director, song-writer and producer; as well as being the latest addition to The Mars Volta. From historical groundbreaking shows in the early 2000′s with his electronic group KUDU to projects with John Cale, Me’shell Ndegeocello and Omar Rodriguez Lopez Group, Deantoni has been active in almost every creative way possible. Colorful, precise and tasteful: his drumming is a world of sound within itself. With a brief stint with The Mars Volta in 2006, Deantoni toured with the band for a very short time of a month or so. His time with the band was short lived due to other commitments and now he is rolling with the group full time. With work completed at Stanford Jazz Workshop, The Drummer’s Collective NYC and Berklee College of Music since the late 90′s, Deantoni has led a life of constant artistic growth and expansion since he first started playing percussion at the age of 2.

The Mars Volta agreed to take part in an opening stint for Soundgarden to usher in the new arrival of their latest drummer, Deantoni Parks. With shows in Australia and China scheduled, the group will see a new full length album release  next year. SCV co-owner Pouya G. Asadi was on site for the Mars Volta’s opening set of Soundgarden in Chicago at UIC Pavilion July 16, 2011. He took  stills with his Canon 600D and interviewed Deantoni shortly backstage after the Volta’s set. Deantoni Parks is easily one of our favorite drummers in contemporary music and it is an honor to present this interview at Sound Colour Vibration. -Erik Otis

Check out our entire photo set for The Mars Volta in Chicago July of 2011 at our official FB page HERE

What consisted of your typical schedule for rehearsals before you guys started this year’s touring?

Deantoni Parks: Nothin too out of the ordinary, 3 -4 hours a day with the group. The rehearsals are just as hoppin as the live show man, there is no difference when we all play together regardless of the stage or the space we’re in. I’m 33 now, so it’s almost like I got to surround myself with the people that are on the same thought process as me. People like Omar understand where I’m coming from because everything we do is for the same cause.

What type of drum sound are you bringing to the new Mars Volta record and what kit or kits did you record on?

Read More

(Source: soundcolourvibration.com)

Deantoni Parks is a drummer with considerable style – it’s a subtle blend of mechanistic, well-timed beats and sensual, almost laconic, grooves. He is obviously self-assured but without being cocky. He’s interesting to watch but without being showy and damn is he skilled. Yes he is.

Before seeing him play with ORLG in San Francisco at the Great American Music Hall back in September (2010) I thought he was just another drummer in a long exhausting, and often disappointing, line of drummers who have played with The Mars Volta (and in Omar’s side projects). But after that show pretty much everyone, myself included, was pulling for him to be the next, and hopefully final, drummer to ground the band. Interestingly, while waiting for the band to take the stage an impromptu debate began as to who was the best “Theodore replacement”- a topic that never seems to die. Lots of back and forth ensued until one lone music nerd declared Deantoni Parks to not only be the most tangible replacement for Theodore, but the only player who would (not could, would) put an end to the “Theodore vs. Every Other Drummer Omar Ever Played With” debate. At that point the band swept onto the stage and began playing what Omar called “experiments.” The end of that onslaught had converted those who argued against Parks, and if you saw them play at the Great American back in April, then you have also been converted.

But aside from his growing legend as the next heir to the TMV drum thrown, Parks has honed his skills and developed his style through inspired collaboration with an eclectic group of musicians. From John Cale to Vernon Reid; Me Shell N’DegèOchello to Sade. And without being over-extended he also creates new mixes of old legends through his Dark Angels collaboration with Nicci Kaspar – also a member of their electric-funk trio, Kudu, which also features singer/bass player Sylvia Gordon. Seems like he’s got his digits in a lot of pies but he holds it down – somehow.

Fortunately for me (and you), I left my bag inside the GAMH after I did an impromptu interview with Marfred Rodriguez Lopez of Zechs Marquise. This provided me the opportunity to introduce myself to Mr. Parks who was hanging around talking to people. Even after I launched into a flurry of quips, comments and questions he still graciously agreed to this interview. It took place late at night, both of us were tired, but we managed to talk a long while about the why of drumming, the luxury of a music education and just how hot Sade truly is.

{ Deantoni is in the running to win the Art Takes London competition. Visit his portfolio page to vote!}

FLABmag: Who were you in the studio with tonight?

Deantoni Parks: Me Shell N’DegèOchello.

Read More

Mark Ruffalo Talks The Music & Method Of Making ‘Sympathy For Delicious’

Mark Ruffalo is the kind of unbeatable character actor that there are too few of in Hollywood these days, free of pretentions and able to totally immerse himself in any character he takes on. His choices on camera have been as varied as they have been excellent appearing in films like “Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind,” “Shutter Island,” “You Can Count On Me” and of course, last year’s acclaimed “The Kids Are All Right.”

However, he’s always had an eye for the director’s chair—in fact he nearly gave up acting to dedicate himself to his shift in career—and his first effort, “Sympathy For Delicious” is about as ambitious as they come. The film tells the tale of a paraplegic DJ (played by the film’s screenwriter Christopher Thornton) who has the ability to faith heal others but not himself, and has those powers exploited by the band he plays with in the film. The movie tackles a lot of thematic ground – spiritual profundity, magical realism, rock ‘n’ roll swagger—and is a fascinating look at a subculture many don’t know about, as well as an examination of the relative morality of those that want to do right by society. 

We recently spoke to Mark Ruffalo about the process of putting the movie together, his thoughts on the music in the film and how he came across the indie rock band The Besnard Lakes who scored the film, which in some ways serves as the movie’s narrative backbone.

What was the development process for the film like?
Chris Thornton gave it to me a little more than ten years ago. It was 195 pages long and it was cheated margins and I saw something really, really imaginative and original in it, although I knew it would take a long time to find out what the story was, because there were so many different sub-stories and sidetracks off of the original story. But inside it was this great kernel – a guy has the gift to heal but he can’t heal himself. So we went through pass after pass after pass to try and whittle it down, because that first movie would have been a $20 million movie. And so a lot of it was trying to find the story, get it to a size that was comfortably doable in the budget we were thinking we could do it in, which was $6 million and when we couldn’t get that, even more got whittled out of it – the band became smaller and smaller and the venues they played became smaller and smaller and their rise to fame became shorter and shorter and cheaper and cheaper. We had a big actor who was attached at one point and then fell out and we had money from a Lebanese loan shark and he was crazy. It was just a really wild ride and all the time Chris and I were just refining the script. Chris says there are 100 numbered drafts. It was a long journey.

How did you decide what kind of sound the band in the film would have?
I wanted it to be raw and kind of experimental and to an untrained ear – “What am I really listening to? Is this good or is it noise? What am I hearing?” And so I started ranging around, listening to a bunch of different stuff. The old Flaming Lips—“The Punk Rockers Are Not Taking LSD” days, those Flaming Lips, I thought that was a good sound for these guys. I also knew that I wanted a punky element, something hard. I came across, at that time At the Drive-In, with Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and Cedric [Bixler-Zavala] and those guys. “One-Armed Scissor” was a good anthem for the movie, for the sound of it. So I reached out to him [Rodriguez- Lopez] and he couldn’t do it at the time. But my schedule shifted and, it was funny, I had just cast Juliette Lewis and she was like, “I’ve got to go away and record my album.” Then she called me and said, “You’re not going to believe this. Do you know who is producing my album?” And I said no. And she said, “Omar Rodriguez-Lopez!” And I said, “What are you kidding? Did you know that I wanted to use him for the music?” She said, “No. I
took out the script and asked what I was working on and I said ‘it’s Sympathy for Delicious.’ And he said, ‘Oh that director asked me to do it.’” And that was about two weeks before we were supposed to shoot.

So Orlando [Bloom], Juliette, and I got on a plane and went to Guadalajara to Omar’s studio, his compound. And he wrote and scored three songs in two days. Orlando did the vocals with Juliette, Cedric wrote the lyrics, and they hadn’t read the script so I pitched the whole thing, beat by beat, and while I was doing that Cedric was writing the lyrics. And Omar’s like “I know exactly what this needs to be… But you’re going to have to use my drummer.” I had already cast a drummer, so I had to call the guy and say, “Listen, this is the music. Can you play this?” Because I wanted the band to be able to play the music, that was really important to me. So the band you see is really playing those instruments. I really wanted to have that live quality, so I really wanted the band to be real. And the guy’s like, “No way man, I can’t play that, it’s too intense.” So I said “Okay.” Deantoni Parks, who’s the Mars Volta‘s drummer, is in the movie.

Read More

Check out the trailer for the film called The Radiant Child about Jean-Michel Basquiat directed by Tamra Davis.  With music by Jean Michel’s GRAY which also features drumming by Deantoni Parks. 

GRAY Shades Of…
now available on CD and on Itunes

Live from Coachella April 15, 2011 Part 1 of 6 - Omar Rodriguez Lopez Group

Read More

Deantoni Parks , can now add “Actor” to the list of credits. Featured in the film  Sympathy For Delicious,  Directed by Mark Ruffalo, with Orlando Bloom, Juliette Lewis & Laura Linney. Featuring a song by The Mars Volta members Omar Rodriguez Lopez, Cedric Bixler-Zavala & Deantoni Parks. In Theaters on 4/29. 

Omar Rodriguez Lopez Group on Tour,  New Orleans - House of Blues - March 22, 2011

Omar Rodriguez Lopez Group - March 21, 2011 - Houston, Texas

SXSW 2011 playing in Omar Rodriguez Lopez Group at the Sargent House / Rodriguez Lopez Productions official show at Emo’s Annex - March 19, 2011

If you are going to make a Best & Worst list and have something in the Worst category, be glad it was for the Line to get in being too long !

WORST LINE: OMAR RODRIGUEZ-LOPEZ GROUP
When Omar Rodriguez-Lopez’s solo show turned into a Mars Volta gig with the addition of singer Cedric Bixler-Zavala onstage, the crowds amassed — and nowhere are the Mars Volta and their predecessor, hardcore legends At the Drive-In, more revered than in their homestate. The lines wrapped the blocks, and some fans even climbed the trees for a peek in. Inside, it was the spastic, Spanish-flavored prog meltdown synonymous with their names: Rodriguez-Lopez summoned mind-bending sounds from his axe, while Bixler-Zavala held the mic stand like a boa constrictor, delivering his socio-political screeds about the parental system and not supporting children’s aspirations, in song. — WILLIAM GOODMAN

Omar Rodriguez Lopez Group will be touring this spring with Zechs Marquise. Starting off on March 19th playing at this years SXSW at our Official RLP & Sargent House Show, US dates, Coachella and few Festivals. 

OMAR RODRIGUEZ LOPEZ GROUP & ZECHS MARQUISE
Mar 19 - Austin, TX @ Emo’s Annex / SXSW 
Mar 21 - Houston, TX @ Fitzgerald’s 
Mar 22 - New Orleans, LA @ Parish Room at HOB 
Mar 24 - Knoxville, TN @ Bijou Theater Center 
Mar 25 - Atlanta, GA @ The Variety Playhouse 
Mar 26 - Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel 
Mar 27 - Washington DC @ 9:30 Club 
Mar 28 - Philadelphia, PA @ Theater of Living Arts 
Mar 29 - New York, NY @ Highline Ballroom 
Mar 30 - Cambridge, MA @ The Middle East 
Mar 31 - Buffalo, NY @ The Town Ballroom 
Apr 01 - Cleveland Heights, OH @ Grog Shop
Apr 02 - Newport, KY @ Southgate House 
Apr 03 - Chicago, IL @ Bottom Lounge 
Apr 10 - Mexico City, MX @ Vive Latino Festival *
Apr 12 - San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall 
Apr 15 - Indio, CA @ COACHELLA  / SOLD OUT *
Apr 28 - Dallas, TX @ South Side Music Fest 
Apr 29 - Austin, TX @ Austin Psychfest 4 
Apr 30 - El Paso, TX @ Neon Desert Music Festival 

* =  no zechs marquise

Dark Angels: Icons Remix Project Vol. I

Dark Angels
Icons Remix Project Vol. 1
(Manbearshark)

Icons Remix Project Vol. 1 is a 30-track release full of legendary artists remixed by the hands of Brooklyn-based Dark Angels (Deantoni Parks and Nicci Kasper). Deantoni Parks, who plays drums and keys, has worked with artists such as Me’shell NdegeOcello and Basement Jaxx. Nicci Kasper, who plays keys and percussion, is astounding on bass and effects as well.

Stevie Nicks’ vocals play second to a burnt out downtempo affair on “My Game.” The result is soothing and sophisticated, yet wildly impressionable. The buttery pop of “Rock With You” is a galaxy-hopping gem set somewhere in the future. Michael Jackson’s vocals come alive underneath the space odyssey of synth and clicking drum.

With still 28 more tracks to go featuring artists such as Blondie, Jeff Buckley and the Eurythmics, each single is made new on an album as sonically excitable as the last Girl Talk release. However, the difference is that each track is a re-dux of tracks/vocals by a who’s who of icons like Bob Marley on “Dancing Feet,” Billy Idol, trapped in a dark back alley, industrial barrenness, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Simon and Garfunkel, the Human League and Elton John to name still the very least.

Available as a name-your-own-price album, the proceeds go to the Music Is a Sport Foundation, which gives support to arts education, music and sports by helping to fund these non-profit community groups.

Not campy in the least, Icons Remix operates under the photographic yet sonic appeal as knowing there are thousands of pictures taken every day of the Brooklyn Bridge but it takes a rare photographer to make the Brooklyn Bridge look new. Dark Angels possess that rare resuscitative skill.