A decade after its namesake gem “Kashmere” surfaced on the Stones Throw compilation Funky 16 Corners, the legacy of Kashmere Stage Band is being taken to another level.
To quickly recap, the Houston ensemble led by Conrad “Prof” Johnson swept the high school circuit – winning 42 out of 46 competitions between 1969 and 1978 – with a disciplined fusion of big band jazz-funk and break-heavy, hard soul that set a textbook example of the importance and power of music education in schools.
The acclaimed documentary Thunder Soul (see “Kismet in Kashmere”) has been picked up by Jamie Foxx for national distribution, coinciding with Now-Again Records’ deluxe reissue of the essential 2006 compilation, Texas Thunder Soul 1968-1974, featuring a second disc of live cuts and rarities, extensive liner notes, and a DVD that contains a 1973 documentary and a short film, Texas Jewels, co-produced by Flying Lotus.
Both releases are being celebrated with a screening at the Alamo Drafthouse on Friday, followed by a rare performance by Kashmere Stage Band at Uncle Billy’s Brewery in Lake Travis. If the alumni’s roof-blowing reunion at the Chronicle’s 2010 SXSW film party is any indication, it should be a must-see occasion.
If you need further convincing, watch the trailer.
Cowboy & Indian “One for Me to Find”
One of the only local acts to catch a break at the 2011 Austin City Limits Music Festival, Cowboy & Indian is far better that one would expect from the band’s pedigree: a LA folkie (Daniel James of Leopold and his Fiction), the Friday Nights Lights cast (Jesse Plemons, Jazz Mills), a local soul singer (Jazz Mills), and former Lomita drummer Dorian Colbert. As this couplet from Lambert’s proves though, Cowboy & Indian’s minimalist country-blues has a balanced grace that goes down easy. Check out the full set at Austin Music Weekly.
Cowboy & Indian “Troubled Tracks”
This article appears in September 23 • 2011.