As I walked in, I could hear the chill sounds of world percussions coming through the speakers.  Brick & Mortar, tonight’s venue, was sparsely filled but the night was still early.  DJ heyLove was tonight’s DJ as the room slowly filled with people from all walks to see Kendra Morris and Here Lies Man.

First, shout out to DJ heyLove.  Her song selections were eclectic and actually fit the evening beautifully.  NO TOP 40.  NO SOUNDCLOUD.  This wasn’t the fucking crowd for that and she knew it.  Keep doing your thing.   Salute.

First things first.  Chico Mann is that dude.  This INSANELY fucking talented dude has been doing it legit since ’03.  If you don’t know who he is that’s cool.  I didn’t like you anyways.  If you are awake and have a pulse, you know that this man is a legit monster.  His music is that of legend in my opinion. A champion of Afro-beat, Cuban, Spanish, Hip-Hop, and rock, his music knows no bounds and refuses to be labeled.

In tonight’s capacity, he’s under the guise of Here Lies Man.  Now, I always have these weird mash-ups in my head for music like classical Hip-Hop. or EDM backed blues and I wasn’t fully versed in HLM but HOLY SHIT!  I was immediately sucked into an alternate reality in which Black Sabbath was raised in Spanish Harlem.  Here Lies Man melted my fucking face!  An experience unlike I ever had, I was blown away by the wall of sounds.  I could feel his vocals wailing at my soul while taking my mind on a journey through cosmos pulling me towards the Funk.  It felt like a big bang.  Like my understanding of what music is, has been, and will be has been changed.  It was lit.  If you like music and want to hear something that I feel should be heard to completely be comprehended, I highly recommend checking out Here Lies Man’s self-titled debut.

Thank you, Marcos.  It was a pleasure to meet you and a humbling experience watching you perform.

DJ Premier is how I was introduced to the highly underrated voice of one, Kendra Morris.  Now, I am a huge fuckin’ fan of Preemo.  I think he’s the greatest of all time.  I’m a Hip-Hop head first and foremost and his sound epitomizes the very essence of Hip-Hop.  A pioneer.  Legend.  Fuckin’ purveyor of Hip-Hop, Soul, R&B, Jazz, etc.  He remixed her debut single “Concrete Waves” in 2011.  Now, I only heard it a year or so ago through the magic of Spotify.  Sitting on my workout playlist, year-end most played, and several others, I never thought to listen to the original until about three months ago…

…fuck.

You know it’s nothing but love and respect for ‘Preme but I was missing out.  The original was this explosion in my brain.  In fact, I remember that morning.  It was a Saturday and I had just finished up a song.  I was listening to Spotify when DJ Premier’s remix came on.  I asked myself, what’s the original sound like?  A few hours later, after listening to a lot of her work, I saw she had a show in SF at the Brick & Mortar.  I was on it quick.

Morris was on fire the whole night.  Belting from parts of the soul most only dream of.  Her voice was pulled directly from the 70s and given to us over music that could be played in any era.  She ran through her catalog of music with sounds ranging from soul, rock, and Hip-Hop.

Like watching a fire burn, I was amazed and in awe at the sounds coming from Morris’ lungs and soul.  She killed it.  Her set was tight and full of energy.  Her voice is powerful.  You could feel it.  Like she was singing for you. I loved it.

No, you dial it back, Ms. Morris. You majestic banshee.

Look out for Morris’ new song, “Nothing”, out next week.

Here Lies Man will continue to tour the US and Europe through March in support of Here Lies Man.

Peace.