Jibbering in proud support of fantastic night Mark has pulled together in aid of Haiti…

Its one month ago today that Haiti was struck by the magnitude 7.0 earthquake. Obviously a collossol disaster with 200,000 killed, 1 million homeless.

There are more artists being added to all the time, but here are the confirmed artists so far.
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DUB MAFIA (Live jazzy drum n bass& dub) - http://www.myspace.com/officialdubmafia
Coming all the way from Bristol, and with one of the most played videos on youtube, this band features seriously talented Vocals, Keyboards, Guitar, Drums, Bass, Turntable, Percussion, Saxophone, musician and are set for very big things. Possibly the only chance to see them (for free) in Birmingham before they go on their big festival tour in the summer. Check the videos below.

THE HIDDEN HALF (Flamenco Fusion) http://www.myspace.com/thehiddenhalf
World fusion at its finest, with spanish guitar, latin percussion, and 2 vocalists. The Hidden Half always go down a storm at our Live and Free Events. Check our website for past videos

EVA LAZARUS (Acoustic and vocal) - http://www.myspace.com/evalazarus
Making a huge storm in Bristol, the vocals are quite simply jaw dropping. Another artist you may be more aware of via a you tube vid that went viral, this exclusive solo performance is going to be something very special.

GARY WILLIAMS (Special Live Acoustic Looping) - http://www.myspace.com/garywilliams74 - A legend on the live scene in brum and the man behind many bands from Dr Dan Blues remedy to the ever impressive Playing Django. If you are in anyway interested in guitar or musicianship then very special live looping performance will be a treat.

SMILEY MIC - Another live looping performance but this time in a one man band style with human beatbox, acoustic guitar, vox & xylophone. Smiley mic has rocked two of our previous Mr Elephant events and recently supported De La Soul, so if you havent check him out yet, get there early as he’s opening the live sets, and you prob wont have heard anything quite like him before.

GEORDIE BLAKE (Shana Tova) - http://www.myspace.com/shanatova
Inspiring singer, guitarist & part of some of Brums finest bands over the last ten years from the Starries to Baxter, this guy made his solo debut last year at our 4th Live & Free and was literally that good, he caused 2 reviews to be written the very next morning!

JODI ANN BICKLEY - http://www.myspace.com/onenoneblonde -
A poet that is making big waves in brum and london at the mo, witty, honest and charming poetry delivered with personality. Just back from a string of special performances in London don’t this.

SKELETON (The Beat Suite/Trigger/Mr Elephant) - http://www.rhubarbradio.com/programmes/beatsuite/
Host of the Beat Suite, Resident at Trigger and Mr Elephant, you’ll be treated to a very special scratch set from one of the city’s best djs.

JAM JAH (Robin G) - http://www.friendlyfiremusic.com/
We’ve said it time and time again, but Jam Jah sound is something to beholden in Birmingham, and is why we at Mr Elephant never fail to get them playing wherever possible. Legends.

JIBBERING (Tangawizi) - http://www.jibbering.com
Jibbering for over 10 years have been bringing bands to Birmingham, the majority of which have gone on to be huge. Tastemakers in their own right with each core member a dj and blatant music devotee, so any opportunity to hear their record collections is always a treat.

Vj BLENDSTATE - http://www.blendstate.com
A huge part of Mr Elephant ever since the 2nd event where he bought the indymedia films for the chillout room. Now one of the leading vj in Birmingham3 years later, and puts on some wicked events to boot.

VENUE
Located on the 50 route at the top of bradford street, in Digbeth, and a short walk from the city centre, the venue has been putting on music events every week for years. A place to chill and chat, as much as it is to see quality local and international bands and / or dance til 4am. There’s a cool heated smoking area, pool table and chilling areas, quality bar and proper friendly staff, great in house engineer and just they’ve spent loads on new bassbins, so expect the sound to be even bigger and crisper than ever before.

OUR NEXT EVENT FEATURES KEITH LAWRENCE ONE OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL DJ / PRODUCERS OF THE LAST COUPLE OF DECADES. IN SUPPORT WE HAVE FAT DIGESTER A 10 PIECE BAND COMING OVER FROM NOTTINGHAM TO BOUNCE THE HARE AND HOUNDS… TICKETS ONLY £5 IN ADVANCE

Inspired by the recent fundraiser at the Yardbird, and moved by the plight of the people of Haiti, the proceeds of our next event will go to charity.

KIETH LAWRENCE (DJ)

What a treat, what a legend… Keith Lawrence will be playing a 2HR PARTY SET spanning SKA, FUNK, HIP-HOP, REGGAE & DANCEHALL. He is one the most influential producers of the UK’s reggae-hip-hop sound. Hailing from Brixton and with over 20 years of international DJ experience his set cannot be missed.

Keith’s heavyweight sound includes collaborations with likes of RODNEY-P, TY, ROOTS MANUVA and SKITZ – you get the picture! He also runs his own label ‘MUZIK-ED PRODUCTIONS’ and is resident on London’s COLOURFUL Radio online & d.a.b.

FAT DIGESTER (LIVE)

A 10 piece collective rooted in funk and soul, they are an incredible live band. With 3 singles, an EP and their debut album due soon, the band are already a massive hit on the festival circuit (’best unsigned act’ at Cheltenham Festival). They have played internationally, appeared on TV alongside jazz legend Courtney Pine, who loved them!

The act is dynamic, energetic and engaging, definitely not for the faint hearted! From reggae sound-system toasters to avant-garde jazz players, this collective is made up of musicians that hail from many diverse musical fields. Their sound is freeform funk at its finest.

JIBBERING DJs – MR MUZ & TANGAWIZI (It’s my birthday!)

SOLD OUT!!!

Let us party on… can wait for this one after the fun and frolicks of the birthday gig!!!

Jibbering & Leftfoot Present
THE HERBALISER

Plus DJ`s: Cro, Tangawizi and Sam Redmore

Hare & Hounds
106 High St
Kings Heath
B14 7JZ
Click here for them tickets…
More than 15 years into their musical journey, The Herbaliser just keep getting bigger, stronger and better. It all began in the early 1990s when West London duo Jake Wherry and Ollie Teeba discovered a shared passion for hip-hop, rare groove, funk and jazz. James Brown, DJ Premier, Lalo Schifrin, David Axelrod and Serge Gainsbourg were their youthful heroes.The studio became their first instrument. Both avid vinyl collectors, Jake and Ollie began using the freshest sampling techniques, coupled with Jake’s musical knowhow from playing guitar and bass. Later they added quest rappers and vocalists. Later still, a full live line-up of brass, strings and cinematic textures. DJ Malachi plus Easy Access Orchestra players Ralph Lamb and Andy Ross became regular Herbaliser collaborators.

Released in 1995, the first Herbaliser album ‘Remedies’ offered an emphatically London-centric take on funky electronica packed with samples, scratches and chopped-up rhythms. It remains an influential underground classic from the urban flipside of the Britpop boom.

In 1997, the second Herbaliser album ‘Blow Your Headphones’ was a more meaty, increasingly vocal affair. The US rock bible Rolling Stone praised the album’s “smooth, nimble rhythms” and called it “a textured, experimental valentine to US hip-hop”. Most notably the mesmerising talents of underground New York rapper and storyteller Jean Grae, then performing as What What, who remains a frequent Herbaliser guest.

Expanding their live line-up to a nine-piece in the late 1990s, Herbaliser became acclaimed festival favourites around the globe. Playing to increasingly large and appreciative crowds also helped Jake and Ollie broaden their studio working methods.

On their 1999 album ‘Very Mercenary’, they began sampling their own playing partners to produce a more organic, full-bodied sound. Alongside What What, ‘Very Mercenary’ also shone the spotlight on a host of guest vocalists including future Brit-rap titans Blade and Roots Manuva. “While it’s always good to have a really hot young MC from the States, we also think it’s important to represent the UK” says Jake.

Following in 2000, the double-vinyl live album ‘Session One’ showed the world what a rousing and dynamic affair the Herbaliser road show had now become. A party pack of crowd-pleasers in beefed-up live arrangements, The Guardian called the album “sterling proof that this kind of music invariably sounds better played by musicians than by a sampler”.

The arrival of ‘Something Wicked This Way Comes’ in 2002 added several new shades of light and dark to the Herbaliser spectrum. A potent cocktail of moody instrumental grooves and funky Brit-hop, it also featured another inpressively forward-thinking gallery of guest vocalists including MF Doom, Phi Life Cypher and Rakaa Iriscience from Dilated Peoples. All Music Guide hailed the album as “colossal and cinematic” while NME praised its “tough, commanding rare grooves”.

Ollie and Jake proved their DJ skills with the acclaimed 2004 mix album ‘Herbal Blend’ and their 2006 mix for fabric. In between they returned to the studio with ‘Take London’, released in 2005.

A multicultural manifesto celebrating the UK capital’s unique mix of soul, funk, hip-hop and reggae, it featured the triumphant return of Roots Manuva alongside Jean Grae, who by now had left her What What alias behind. A rave review on the BBC Urban side described ‘Take London’ as “tailor-made for cruising over Waterloo Bridge at midnight, preferably in a blacked-out mini with a Union Jack painted on the roof”.

Fast forward to 2008 and The Herbaliser hit a dazzling new peak with their richest and most diverse album to date, the archly titled ‘Same As It Never Was’. With a new emphasis on classic soulful songwriting, the main vocal focus this time is on a new recruit, the supremely talented 22 year old Londener Jessica Darling. With Easy Access Orchestra members Ralph Lamb and Andy Ross also on board, Herbaliser noew have a firm five-piece collective at their core. Glossy and gritty, organic and eclectic, ‘Same As It Never Was’ is a timeless soul record for a scrambled musical era. It builds on the band’s hip-hop origins with a rich mix of jazz, funk, R&B, pop and instrumental soundtrack influences. Moving forwards, sideways, and back to the future, The Herbaliser have come full circle. “It’s still a hip-hop inspired record, but at the same time it’s a lot broader because our musical and emotional horizons are broader” says Jake. “It’s all one big family. As teenagers in the 1980s we were into rare groove, hip-hop, early electro and funk, soul and jazz. It’s a big melting pot.”

More than 15 years into their musical journey, ‘Same As It Never Was’ marks the start of a whole new chapter for Ollie and Jake. The Herbaliser have never sounded better.

Well then ladies and gentleman the summer is well and truly underway with Glastonbury valiantly kicking off the festival season. In the searing heat of the Shambala office the team have been working their socks off to make this years 10th anniversary the best one yet. If you haven’t already get your tickets they are being snapped up quicker then a pair of cheetahs playing snap!

Less then 7 weeks now till Shambala festival, so to get everyone in the mood, Bobby Lost from the Lost & Found crew and Deanne (Blonde Ambition DJS) take you on a musical journey to wet your appetite. Featuring exclusives from some of the great acts who will be performing at Shambala this year, as well as interviews and insightful background history to the event.

There’s also a competition to WIN 2 TICKETS to the festival so check it out!

Click here to listen: http://shambalafestival.podomatic.com/
Click here to subscribe to the RSS feed: http://shambalafestival.podomatic.com/rss2.xml
Click here to subscribe using iTunes: itpc://shambalafestival.podomatic.com/rss2.xml

Shambala has teamed up with Sustrans to offer free guided cycle rides to Shambala. The initiative combines our commitment to encouraging low-impact (and fun) ways to travel to the event, and Sustrans unquenchable enthusiasm for cycling! Make the Festival into a longer holiday and raise funds to support the ever-expanding National Cycle Network!

Rides are going from Bristol, Birmingham, Coventry, Leicester and Sheffield. We hope to expand to many more cities next year!

You should find all the info you need in the downloadable info sheets, sign up-form & sponsorship pack on the website including how to get a cheap massage as a reward when you arrive at the festival! All the rides are lead by professional folk. All riders get a free cyclometer too!

This year we decided that more effort should go into the intimate and cosy spaces…so we have personally invited the best crews to curate and host small venues…… From Bristol we have the Compass of Desire crew who will present a smorgasbord of weird and wonderful acts, surreal encounters and libidinous beats in the sumptuously sexy world of their late-night boudoir…………Twist and Spout, Leicester’s groovy intimate music stage and cafe offers live bands like El Goodo, Ambrose Tompkins, Colourama and Mik Artistik to name but a few…………and from Birmingham the return of the mighty Roots Yard massive with more great Caribbean cuisine, another serious line up of ‘toon selectas’ and mc’s, a larger tent and a new later license we can now soak up more of the heavy, conscious, roots vibes!

This is going to be special…

The Hot 8’s energy is legendary - regularly playing all day in the sun, then hopping to a club gig and playing through the night. Beyond this, it is the incredible sounds they coax from their well-loved, well-worn horns that makes the Hot 8 Brass Band so special.

The band brings together elements of modern and traditional music to create a unique, new class of brass music drawing on both the new urban culture, and the historical energy in the New Orleans music scene. Still grounded in the grass roots, they are frequently involved in local second-line parades and musical battles [face offs] with local jazz bands on the streets.

It was not until after Hurricane Katrina, that Hot 8’s reputation spread beyond New Orleans. They featured on CNN, in the New York Times and, most notably, in Spike Lee’s Katrina documentary, “When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts”. Hot 8’s work with the Finding Our Folk Tour has helped considerably in supporting those displaced by Katrina.

The Hot 8’s version of Marvin Gaye’s Sexual Healing was one of the most eagerly awaited singles there has been on the Tru Thoughts label. This is your chance to join Jibbering and Leftfoot, and catch the finest New Orleans dance band of the moment, live and intimate …

DJs Tangawizi and Adam Regan in support… Limited earlybird tickets available

Our next session at the Hare and Hounds is on Saturday June the 6th. Its going to be a very special party, the last one before we take a sabatical for the summer festival season.

There are two bands performing on this night. 1 EYE launching their debut single “Worries and Troubles”, are creating a buzz in industry circles with their distinctive mix of jazz, reggae, latin and soul. From freeform jazz to skanking beats this band are a unique treat

Sister Henry and the Prescriptions are an off-shoot of the acclaimed Munchbreak collective. Sister Henry’s rich soulful vocals, backed by the super tight funk of the Prescriptions, have launched the band into the UK funk scene.

At only £3 in advance, for two bands and the Jibbering DJs,! this is a gig not to be missed! Come dance the night away…

Tickets available here

Launch Night: Thursday 21st May from 6pm

Jibbering Art are curating a beast of an art exhibition in an old 10,000 sqft warehouse, slap bang in the middle of Birmingham’s creative hub, Digbeth.

With pioneers of UK graffiti, exhibiting alongside the new wave of street artists, this is a show not to be missed!

Artists confirmed are: Aida, Best Ever Crew, Blam, China, Chu, Cyclops, Dave Gaskgarth, Dora, Dscreet, Inkie, Jay Bo, Jinpow, Juice 126, Kem, Kid Acne, Log, LX.ONE, Mac 1, Newso, Part2ism, Plimsoul, Pure Evil, Remi/Rough, Rowdy, Semor & Co, Sickboy, Sweet toof, Timid, The Krah, Vermin & Zoot.

Line Steppers promises to bring together a diverse mix of styles and a broad range of mediums from oil paintings to sculpture, screen prints to large installation pieces.

With an area of the exhibition dedicated to artwork under £75, “Line Steppers” will appeal to many tastes and many pockets…

What a show! What an honour!

Jibbering hosts Chu’s first solo show in Birningham - 51 Degrees.

Well done Chu the new works are incredible, fantastic the cube came to fruition - definately big and definately clever! Maximum props to Laura, Jim, Pete, Fly, Chris and all else who put in there love, sweat and tears to make this happen!!!

Whether you made it down or not check out this video from the show…

Chu’s 51 Degrees!!!

LIVE – SATURDAY 2^nd MAY

We can’t wait to welcome this formidable 6 piece to Birmingham for the final date on their UK tour. They will arrive from Ottawa, Canada, with their potent blend of Afro-beats, Funk, Latin and Soul, ready to shake the place down… think Fela Kuti, think Antibalas, think Quantic Soul Orchestra, think James Brown, think I can’t miss this!!!

The group released its latest album, Manifesto, in late 2008. Blending dirty funk and tropical jazz to the militant afrobeat of the previous release. Manifesto is already being hailed as a modern classic and is seeing the band blow away rock and pop bands in the Canadian charts!

Jibbering DJ’s in support spinning vintage and cutting edge beats and treats…

£6 IN ADVANCE (NUS £5)

AVAILABLE FROM THE TICKET SELLERS

VENUE: The Hare & Hounds Kings Heath B14 7JZ