DJ Rekha spins bhangra at Roxy; stabbing hurts turnout

Hearing Punjabi music, particularly bhangra music played at a Sunset Strip nightclub, is a rare thing. But on Saturday, Brooklyn-based DJ Rekha spun a set at the Roxy that was enthusiastically welcomed with waving arms and rhythmic stepping in the bhangra dance style.

Unfortunately, the turnout wasn't as expected, partly due to an unrelated altercation that began at the Roxy's upstairs bar area. It resulted in two stabbings and three arrests, according to the West Hollywood sheriff's station, and the crime scene shut down the western portion of Sunset Boulevard during prime bar-hopping hours.

To say the least, those who did make it in got nearly two hours of some of the best in Eastern-flavored party music, which is now crossing over heavily into the huge Bollywood industry, even attracting Snoop Dogg's participation.

Sure, everyone knows that NBC's Brian Williams is into Feist, but we were surprised to learn that another (recently) familiar face who covers politics on television also has decent taste in rock music.

Former Hillary Clinton communications director (pictured, left) and current Fox News commentator Howard Wolfson isn't exactly the expected face of an indie rock music blogger. Yet the rising Democratic pundit recently launched a music and politics blog called Gotham Acme, where he has so far explored everything from Brooklyn's buzzing  Grizzly Bear to Barack Obama's recent VP pick.

We talked with Wolfson a few days ago about a number of topics, including his thoughts on the new Hold Steady record (he's not feelin' it), who he is excited to see in Denver this week, his thoughts on Clinton's taste in music and more after the jump ...

Last week was a terrible blow to anybody invested in the soul and R&B music of the late '60s. Between the deaths of Isaac Hayes and Atlantic Records executive Jerry Wexler, it seemed as if one of the greatest eras in American pop music began to fade.

Sam Moore (above, left, with Hayes), one half of the R&B duo Sam and Dave, is performing an Isaac Hayes tribute at Sunset Junction this weekend, and he knew the players of the decade as well as anyone. He spoke with Soundboard last week about his fractured friendship with Hayes, his decades-long reconciliation with Wexler, and his life at the front lines and the forgotten margins of soul.

Obviously this has got to be an especially hard week for you.

Oh, isn't it something...?  I’m telling you. Isaac, man, now Jerry.

Had you stayed close to them up until their deaths?

Every so often we would call [Jerry] to see how he was doing. He wasn't getting out that much, so we would call and check in on him. Isaac, I attempted to stay in touch with, but as I guess you've heard, it's no secret, his organization of people, they kind of separated that. So I didn't have that much communication with Isaac. But fast forward here, I didn't have that much connection after he had joined the Scientologists.

What can a singer do for an encore, when her debut hits it right out of the park? That's the happy problem facing Jennifer Hudson, who first found fame on "American Idol" but cemented her stardom by blowing Beyoncé away in "Dreamgirls." Hudson, who'd never acted on-screen before winning a Little Gold Man for her turn as Effie -- and, most of all, for her ferocious rendition of  "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going," a song she mercilessly wrested from the arms of Jennifer Holliday -- has now cemented her movie-star status by appearing in the ultimate chick flick of all time. But is she a bankable pop queen? The question still burns.

Hudson's debut album has been nearly two years in the making, but her mentor Clive Davis must finally be happy, because it's scheduled for a Sept. 30 release. I've heard a few tracks, and can confirm that the word Hudson most often uses to describe the disc -- "variety" -- applies. The final track listing remains unsolidified; what I heard ranged from blockbuster heart-renders to chic hip-hop-flavored experiments.

It's easy to compare Inara George and Mia Doi Todd, two L.A. natives with voices that have stilled many a noisy club. Both create intimate compositions, but Todd's are woodsy and meditative, while George's sparkle with wit.

Now in their early 30s, they met briefly in their teens and have crossed paths over the years playing at hallmark venues of the East Side, including Tangier and Spaceland. Both seem informed by L.A. identities -- Todd relates to raga-listening Laurel Canyon folk while George seems ready to audition for a '40s Hollywood musical, or a mod love story with the Bird and the Bee, her band with Greg Kurstin.

On a sweltering afternoon, they met for a chat at Intelligentsia Coffee in Silver Lake, where they touched upon Todd's recent album, "Gea," and George's brand-new collaboration with Van Dyke Parks, "An Invitation." Naturally the conversation turned to other matters, like the demands of touring, and balancing solo and personal lives. Here is an edited excerpt of the conversation:

Inara George: So you put this record out yourself. How’s that been going?

Mia Doi Todd: It’s pretty good. It’s a lot of responsibility and things don’t get done like if there were 10 people working on it. But it’s at my pace.

IG: And have you been doing shows?

Raphael Saadiq has been making sweet soul music since his youth in the 1980s leading the Oakland-based retro-nuevo combo Tony! Toni! Tone!  He's produced many notables, most recently Joss Stone, and made some unjustly overlooked solo albums. But now's the time for a Saadiq revival.

In mid-September Columbia Records will release his new album, "The Way I See It" -- a loving tribute to 1960s soul that's made with such precision and vitality, it's guaranteed to make Mark Ronson (whom Saadiq says is a pal) squirm.

Saadiq, who'll lead his band through a hot set this Sunday at the Roxy, recently answered some questions via phone from his North Hollywood studio.

Take me through the process of making this album, from its germination to its realization.

This idea's not new to me. Anybody who knows me and my work isn't surprised that I did it. Classic soul is what I grew up on, and it's one of my main influences.

Two years ago I did a show at Sweet's Ballroom in Oakland. I came out onstage and did the Marvin Gaye song "Ain't That Peculiar." The album's cover shot comes from that performance. I was working in Oakland for three months, then I came back to L.A. and did the song "I Found My Everything" with Mary J. Blige. That's where I first checked the sound that evolved for this project. And it felt like the album was done practically the next day. It just came.

Surely, there are better ways to enjoy a concert than to stand around and mingle with rappers. But observing the buzz behind the scenes provided lots of shade from the intense heat at Saturday's Rock the Bells, especially when 16,300 sweaty hip-hop fans were milling about the San Manuel Amphitheater (formerly the Glen Helen Pavilion). Of course, some entertainers don't really want to be bothered with pictures or questions (Redman!). The only time that really becomes a problem is when you see cool things like M.I.A holding court with Nas outside his tour bus. M.I.A had earlier denied our request for a quick snapshot while she was on the sidelines watching her friends Spank Rock and Amanda Blank perform on the second stage. But, hey, we got these other folks to pose for the camera and take a few questions. For more on Rock the Bells, read Jeff Weiss' review.

Ghostface Killah

You mentioned a few upcoming meetings for possible acting roles. Whatever happened to the cameo you were supposed to have in "Iron Man"?

For whatever reasons, they didn't use that. There were a few scenes that were cut. My manager hooked it up, I think he talked to Jon [Favreau], and I think the movie was too long or something. The scene they didn't use was a party scene in Dubai.

These days, the rock scene is low on mysterious figures. As the music has lost its countercultural edge, many of its champions have transformed into average celebrities, happy to speak into any microphone that wanders by. That’s not true of Zack de la Rocha: the Rage Against the Machine vocalist is the rare rock star who keeps his distance from the hype.

De la Rocha is as famous for his radical politics as for incendiary poetics. Between his retirement from Rage in 2000 and his recent reunion with the band, he’s limited his public appearances to the occasional rally or benefit show. His musical output has been spare too: only a few songs have seen light.

But this summer, the 38-year-old Southland native is back and seemingly unstoppable. He has a new musical project -- One Day as a Lion, which pairs him with drummer Jon Theodore. One Day as a Lion’s self-titled debut EP, on Anti- Records, hit No. 28 on the Billboard charts with minimal media attention, and is gaining traction nationally on rock radio. A full release will come in the fall.

Although sneaker purists will tell you that the quality and design of kicks have fallen short since Nike's mass marketing and global takeover of the last decade, there's still a religious fanaticism with certain shoe releases that your average consumer just won't get (literally and figuratively).

Like camping out on a Vine Street sidewalk to buy a pair of Nike Air Force 1s.

For the 100 sneaker fashionistas gathered on Wednesday night, it was worth the wait. Most people, lawn chairs in tow, waited more than a day in line just to secure a spot in front of the Ricardo Montalban Theater in Hollywood for the release of limited run shoes designed by DJ/drummer/producer Amir "?uestlove" Thompson of the Roots hip-hop collective. It helped, of course, that ?uestlove was also treating the sneakfreaks to an event-exclusive DJ set.

His Air Questo's lime green colorway and elephant print design is exotic and bright, but according to ?uestlove, candy had more to do with the shoe's concept than the jungle.

"We decided to put a twist on it … a quasi-Willy Wonka Golden Ticket twist," he said of the $175 shoe.

Unlike his tech-junkie friend B.B. King, blues singer and guitarist Buddy Guy doesn't have much patience for keeping up with technological advances.

Where King has his tour bus equipped with the latest in WiFi, iPods and other gadgets, Guy says he doesn't have much affinity for tinkering with his own website or the other facets of 21st century life for most musicians.

Howard Wolfson: Political talking head by day, indie rock blogger by night

Sure, everyone knows that NBC's Brian Williams is into Feist, but we were surprised to learn that another (recently) familiar face who covers politics on television also has decent taste in rock music.

Former Hillary Clinton communications director (pictured, left) and current Fox News commentator Howard Wolfson isn't exactly the expected face of an indie rock music blogger. Yet the rising Democratic pundit recently launched a music and politics blog called Gotham Acme, where he has so far explored everything from Brooklyn's buzzing  Grizzly Bear to Barack Obama's recent VP pick.

We talked with Wolfson a few days ago about a number of topics, including his thoughts on the new Hold Steady record (he's not feelin' it), who he is excited to see in Denver this week, his thoughts on Clinton's taste in music and more after the jump ...

Last week was a terrible blow to anybody invested in the soul and R&B music of the late '60s. Between the deaths of Isaac Hayes and Atlantic Records executive Jerry Wexler, it seemed as if one of the greatest eras in American pop music began to fade.

Sam Moore (above, left, with Hayes), one half of the R&B duo Sam and Dave, is performing an Isaac Hayes tribute at Sunset Junction this weekend, and he knew the players of the decade as well as anyone. He spoke with Soundboard last week about his fractured friendship with Hayes, his decades-long reconciliation with Wexler, and his life at the front lines and the forgotten margins of soul.

Obviously this has got to be an especially hard week for you.

Oh, isn't it something...?  I’m telling you. Isaac, man, now Jerry.

Had you stayed close to them up until their deaths?

Every so often we would call [Jerry] to see how he was doing. He wasn't getting out that much, so we would call and check in on him. Isaac, I attempted to stay in touch with, but as I guess you've heard, it's no secret, his organization of people, they kind of separated that. So I didn't have that much communication with Isaac. But fast forward here, I didn't have that much connection after he had joined the Scientologists.

What can a singer do for an encore, when her debut hits it right out of the park? That's the happy problem facing Jennifer Hudson, who first found fame on "American Idol" but cemented her stardom by blowing Beyoncé away in "Dreamgirls." Hudson, who'd never acted on-screen before winning a Little Gold Man for her turn as Effie -- and, most of all, for her ferocious rendition of  "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going," a song she mercilessly wrested from the arms of Jennifer Holliday -- has now cemented her movie-star status by appearing in the ultimate chick flick of all time. But is she a bankable pop queen? The question still burns.

Hudson's debut album has been nearly two years in the making, but her mentor Clive Davis must finally be happy, because it's scheduled for a Sept. 30 release. I've heard a few tracks, and can confirm that the word Hudson most often uses to describe the disc -- "variety" -- applies. The final track listing remains unsolidified; what I heard ranged from blockbuster heart-renders to chic hip-hop-flavored experiments.

It's easy to compare Inara George and Mia Doi Todd, two L.A. natives with voices that have stilled many a noisy club. Both create intimate compositions, but Todd's are woodsy and meditative, while George's sparkle with wit.

Now in their early 30s, they met briefly in their teens and have crossed paths over the years playing at hallmark venues of the East Side, including Tangier and Spaceland. Both seem informed by L.A. identities -- Todd relates to raga-listening Laurel Canyon folk while George seems ready to audition for a '40s Hollywood musical, or a mod love story with the Bird and the Bee, her band with Greg Kurstin.

On a sweltering afternoon, they met for a chat at Intelligentsia Coffee in Silver Lake, where they touched upon Todd's recent album, "Gea," and George's brand-new collaboration with Van Dyke Parks, "An Invitation." Naturally the conversation turned to other matters, like the demands of touring, and balancing solo and personal lives. Here is an edited excerpt of the conversation:

Inara George: So you put this record out yourself. How’s that been going?

Mia Doi Todd: It’s pretty good. It’s a lot of responsibility and things don’t get done like if there were 10 people working on it. But it’s at my pace.

IG: And have you been doing shows?

Raphael Saadiq has been making sweet soul music since his youth in the 1980s leading the Oakland-based retro-nuevo combo Tony! Toni! Tone!  He's produced many notables, most recently Joss Stone, and made some unjustly overlooked solo albums. But now's the time for a Saadiq revival.

In mid-September Columbia Records will release his new album, "The Way I See It" -- a loving tribute to 1960s soul that's made with such precision and vitality, it's guaranteed to make Mark Ronson (whom Saadiq says is a pal) squirm.

Saadiq, who'll lead his band through a hot set this Sunday at the Roxy, recently answered some questions via phone from his North Hollywood studio.

Take me through the process of making this album, from its germination to its realization.

This idea's not new to me. Anybody who knows me and my work isn't surprised that I did it. Classic soul is what I grew up on, and it's one of my main influences.

Two years ago I did a show at Sweet's Ballroom in Oakland. I came out onstage and did the Marvin Gaye song "Ain't That Peculiar." The album's cover shot comes from that performance. I was working in Oakland for three months, then I came back to L.A. and did the song "I Found My Everything" with Mary J. Blige. That's where I first checked the sound that evolved for this project. And it felt like the album was done practically the next day. It just came.

Surely, there are better ways to enjoy a concert than to stand around and mingle with rappers. But observing the buzz behind the scenes provided lots of shade from the intense heat at Saturday's Rock the Bells, especially when 16,300 sweaty hip-hop fans were milling about the San Manuel Amphitheater (formerly the Glen Helen Pavilion). Of course, some entertainers don't really want to be bothered with pictures or questions (Redman!). The only time that really becomes a problem is when you see cool things like M.I.A holding court with Nas outside his tour bus. M.I.A had earlier denied our request for a quick snapshot while she was on the sidelines watching her friends Spank Rock and Amanda Blank perform on the second stage. But, hey, we got these other folks to pose for the camera and take a few questions. For more on Rock the Bells, read Jeff Weiss' review.

Ghostface Killah

You mentioned a few upcoming meetings for possible acting roles. Whatever happened to the cameo you were supposed to have in "Iron Man"?

For whatever reasons, they didn't use that. There were a few scenes that were cut. My manager hooked it up, I think he talked to Jon [Favreau], and I think the movie was too long or something. The scene they didn't use was a party scene in Dubai.

These days, the rock scene is low on mysterious figures. As the music has lost its countercultural edge, many of its champions have transformed into average celebrities, happy to speak into any microphone that wanders by. That’s not true of Zack de la Rocha: the Rage Against the Machine vocalist is the rare rock star who keeps his distance from the hype.

De la Rocha is as famous for his radical politics as for incendiary poetics. Between his retirement from Rage in 2000 and his recent reunion with the band, he’s limited his public appearances to the occasional rally or benefit show. His musical output has been spare too: only a few songs have seen light.

But this summer, the 38-year-old Southland native is back and seemingly unstoppable. He has a new musical project -- One Day as a Lion, which pairs him with drummer Jon Theodore. One Day as a Lion’s self-titled debut EP, on Anti- Records, hit No. 28 on the Billboard charts with minimal media attention, and is gaining traction nationally on rock radio. A full release will come in the fall.

Although sneaker purists will tell you that the quality and design of kicks have fallen short since Nike's mass marketing and global takeover of the last decade, there's still a religious fanaticism with certain shoe releases that your average consumer just won't get (literally and figuratively).

Like camping out on a Vine Street sidewalk to buy a pair of Nike Air Force 1s.

For the 100 sneaker fashionistas gathered on Wednesday night, it was worth the wait. Most people, lawn chairs in tow, waited more than a day in line just to secure a spot in front of the Ricardo Montalban Theater in Hollywood for the release of limited run shoes designed by DJ/drummer/producer Amir "?uestlove" Thompson of the Roots hip-hop collective. It helped, of course, that ?uestlove was also treating the sneakfreaks to an event-exclusive DJ set.

His Air Questo's lime green colorway and elephant print design is exotic and bright, but according to ?uestlove, candy had more to do with the shoe's concept than the jungle.

"We decided to put a twist on it … a quasi-Willy Wonka Golden Ticket twist," he said of the $175 shoe.

Unlike his tech-junkie friend B.B. King, blues singer and guitarist Buddy Guy doesn't have much patience for keeping up with technological advances.

Where King has his tour bus equipped with the latest in WiFi, iPods and other gadgets, Guy says he doesn't have much affinity for tinkering with his own website or the other facets of 21st century life for most musicians.

Sam Moore reflects on Isaac Hayes, Jerry Wexler and a life in soul

Last week was a terrible blow to anybody invested in the soul and R&B music of the late '60s. Between the deaths of Isaac Hayes and Atlantic Records executive Jerry Wexler, it seemed as if one of the greatest eras in American pop music began to fade.

Sam Moore (above, left, with Hayes), one half of the R&B duo Sam and Dave, is performing an Isaac Hayes tribute at Sunset Junction this weekend, and he knew the players of the decade as well as anyone. He spoke with Soundboard last week about his fractured friendship with Hayes, his decades-long reconciliation with Wexler, and his life at the front lines and the forgotten margins of soul.

Obviously this has got to be an especially hard week for you.

Oh, isn't it something...?  I’m telling you. Isaac, man, now Jerry.

Had you stayed close to them up until their deaths?

Every so often we would call [Jerry] to see how he was doing. He wasn't getting out that much, so we would call and check in on him. Isaac, I attempted to stay in touch with, but as I guess you've heard, it's no secret, his organization of people, they kind of separated that. So I didn't have that much communication with Isaac. But fast forward here, I didn't have that much connection after he had joined the Scientologists.

What can a singer do for an encore, when her debut hits it right out of the park? That's the happy problem facing Jennifer Hudson, who first found fame on "American Idol" but cemented her stardom by blowing Beyoncé away in "Dreamgirls." Hudson, who'd never acted on-screen before winning a Little Gold Man for her turn as Effie -- and, most of all, for her ferocious rendition of  "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going," a song she mercilessly wrested from the arms of Jennifer Holliday -- has now cemented her movie-star status by appearing in the ultimate chick flick of all time. But is she a bankable pop queen? The question still burns.

Hudson's debut album has been nearly two years in the making, but her mentor Clive Davis must finally be happy, because it's scheduled for a Sept. 30 release. I've heard a few tracks, and can confirm that the word Hudson most often uses to describe the disc -- "variety" -- applies. The final track listing remains unsolidified; what I heard ranged from blockbuster heart-renders to chic hip-hop-flavored experiments.

It's easy to compare Inara George and Mia Doi Todd, two L.A. natives with voices that have stilled many a noisy club. Both create intimate compositions, but Todd's are woodsy and meditative, while George's sparkle with wit.

Now in their early 30s, they met briefly in their teens and have crossed paths over the years playing at hallmark venues of the East Side, including Tangier and Spaceland. Both seem informed by L.A. identities -- Todd relates to raga-listening Laurel Canyon folk while George seems ready to audition for a '40s Hollywood musical, or a mod love story with the Bird and the Bee, her band with Greg Kurstin.

On a sweltering afternoon, they met for a chat at Intelligentsia Coffee in Silver Lake, where they touched upon Todd's recent album, "Gea," and George's brand-new collaboration with Van Dyke Parks, "An Invitation." Naturally the conversation turned to other matters, like the demands of touring, and balancing solo and personal lives. Here is an edited excerpt of the conversation:

Inara George: So you put this record out yourself. How’s that been going?

Mia Doi Todd: It’s pretty good. It’s a lot of responsibility and things don’t get done like if there were 10 people working on it. But it’s at my pace.

IG: And have you been doing shows?

Raphael Saadiq has been making sweet soul music since his youth in the 1980s leading the Oakland-based retro-nuevo combo Tony! Toni! Tone!  He's produced many notables, most recently Joss Stone, and made some unjustly overlooked solo albums. But now's the time for a Saadiq revival.

In mid-September Columbia Records will release his new album, "The Way I See It" -- a loving tribute to 1960s soul that's made with such precision and vitality, it's guaranteed to make Mark Ronson (whom Saadiq says is a pal) squirm.

Saadiq, who'll lead his band through a hot set this Sunday at the Roxy, recently answered some questions via phone from his North Hollywood studio.

Take me through the process of making this album, from its germination to its realization.

This idea's not new to me. Anybody who knows me and my work isn't surprised that I did it. Classic soul is what I grew up on, and it's one of my main influences.

Two years ago I did a show at Sweet's Ballroom in Oakland. I came out onstage and did the Marvin Gaye song "Ain't That Peculiar." The album's cover shot comes from that performance. I was working in Oakland for three months, then I came back to L.A. and did the song "I Found My Everything" with Mary J. Blige. That's where I first checked the sound that evolved for this project. And it felt like the album was done practically the next day. It just came.

Surely, there are better ways to enjoy a concert than to stand around and mingle with rappers. But observing the buzz behind the scenes provided lots of shade from the intense heat at Saturday's Rock the Bells, especially when 16,300 sweaty hip-hop fans were milling about the San Manuel Amphitheater (formerly the Glen Helen Pavilion). Of course, some entertainers don't really want to be bothered with pictures or questions (Redman!). The only time that really becomes a problem is when you see cool things like M.I.A holding court with Nas outside his tour bus. M.I.A had earlier denied our request for a quick snapshot while she was on the sidelines watching her friends Spank Rock and Amanda Blank perform on the second stage. But, hey, we got these other folks to pose for the camera and take a few questions. For more on Rock the Bells, read Jeff Weiss' review.

Ghostface Killah

You mentioned a few upcoming meetings for possible acting roles. Whatever happened to the cameo you were supposed to have in "Iron Man"?

For whatever reasons, they didn't use that. There were a few scenes that were cut. My manager hooked it up, I think he talked to Jon [Favreau], and I think the movie was too long or something. The scene they didn't use was a party scene in Dubai.

These days, the rock scene is low on mysterious figures. As the music has lost its countercultural edge, many of its champions have transformed into average celebrities, happy to speak into any microphone that wanders by. That’s not true of Zack de la Rocha: the Rage Against the Machine vocalist is the rare rock star who keeps his distance from the hype.

De la Rocha is as famous for his radical politics as for incendiary poetics. Between his retirement from Rage in 2000 and his recent reunion with the band, he’s limited his public appearances to the occasional rally or benefit show. His musical output has been spare too: only a few songs have seen light.

But this summer, the 38-year-old Southland native is back and seemingly unstoppable. He has a new musical project -- One Day as a Lion, which pairs him with drummer Jon Theodore. One Day as a Lion’s self-titled debut EP, on Anti- Records, hit No. 28 on the Billboard charts with minimal media attention, and is gaining traction nationally on rock radio. A full release will come in the fall.

Although sneaker purists will tell you that the quality and design of kicks have fallen short since Nike's mass marketing and global takeover of the last decade, there's still a religious fanaticism with certain shoe releases that your average consumer just won't get (literally and figuratively).

Like camping out on a Vine Street sidewalk to buy a pair of Nike Air Force 1s.

For the 100 sneaker fashionistas gathered on Wednesday night, it was worth the wait. Most people, lawn chairs in tow, waited more than a day in line just to secure a spot in front of the Ricardo Montalban Theater in Hollywood for the release of limited run shoes designed by DJ/drummer/producer Amir "?uestlove" Thompson of the Roots hip-hop collective. It helped, of course, that ?uestlove was also treating the sneakfreaks to an event-exclusive DJ set.

His Air Questo's lime green colorway and elephant print design is exotic and bright, but according to ?uestlove, candy had more to do with the shoe's concept than the jungle.

"We decided to put a twist on it … a quasi-Willy Wonka Golden Ticket twist," he said of the $175 shoe.

Unlike his tech-junkie friend B.B. King, blues singer and guitarist Buddy Guy doesn't have much patience for keeping up with technological advances.

Where King has his tour bus equipped with the latest in WiFi, iPods and other gadgets, Guy says he doesn't have much affinity for tinkering with his own website or the other facets of 21st century life for most musicians.

Jennifer Hudson previews her long-due debut

What can a singer do for an encore, when her debut hits it right out of the park? That's the happy problem facing Jennifer Hudson, who first found fame on "American Idol" but cemented her stardom by blowing Beyoncé away in "Dreamgirls." Hudson, who'd never acted on-screen before winning a Little Gold Man for her turn as Effie -- and, most of all, for her ferocious rendition of  "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going," a song she mercilessly wrested from the arms of Jennifer Holliday -- has now cemented her movie-star status by appearing in the ultimate chick flick of all time. But is she a bankable pop queen? The question still burns.

Hudson's debut album has been nearly two years in the making, but her mentor Clive Davis must finally be happy, because it's scheduled for a Sept. 30 release. I've heard a few tracks, and can confirm that the word Hudson most often uses to describe the disc -- "variety" -- applies. The final track listing remains unsolidified; what I heard ranged from blockbuster heart-renders to chic hip-hop-flavored experiments.

It's easy to compare Inara George and Mia Doi Todd, two L.A. natives with voices that have stilled many a noisy club. Both create intimate compositions, but Todd's are woodsy and meditative, while George's sparkle with wit.

Now in their early 30s, they met briefly in their teens and have crossed paths over the years playing at hallmark venues of the East Side, including Tangier and Spaceland. Both seem informed by L.A. identities -- Todd relates to raga-listening Laurel Canyon folk while George seems ready to audition for a '40s Hollywood musical, or a mod love story with the Bird and the Bee, her band with Greg Kurstin.

On a sweltering afternoon, they met for a chat at Intelligentsia Coffee in Silver Lake, where they touched upon Todd's recent album, "Gea," and George's brand-new collaboration with Van Dyke Parks, "An Invitation." Naturally the conversation turned to other matters, like the demands of touring, and balancing solo and personal lives. Here is an edited excerpt of the conversation:

Inara George: So you put this record out yourself. How’s that been going?

Mia Doi Todd: It’s pretty good. It’s a lot of responsibility and things don’t get done like if there were 10 people working on it. But it’s at my pace.

IG: And have you been doing shows?

Raphael Saadiq has been making sweet soul music since his youth in the 1980s leading the Oakland-based retro-nuevo combo Tony! Toni! Tone!  He's produced many notables, most recently Joss Stone, and made some unjustly overlooked solo albums. But now's the time for a Saadiq revival.

In mid-September Columbia Records will release his new album, "The Way I See It" -- a loving tribute to 1960s soul that's made with such precision and vitality, it's guaranteed to make Mark Ronson (whom Saadiq says is a pal) squirm.

Saadiq, who'll lead his band through a hot set this Sunday at the Roxy, recently answered some questions via phone from his North Hollywood studio.

Take me through the process of making this album, from its germination to its realization.

This idea's not new to me. Anybody who knows me and my work isn't surprised that I did it. Classic soul is what I grew up on, and it's one of my main influences.

Two years ago I did a show at Sweet's Ballroom in Oakland. I came out onstage and did the Marvin Gaye song "Ain't That Peculiar." The album's cover shot comes from that performance. I was working in Oakland for three months, then I came back to L.A. and did the song "I Found My Everything" with Mary J. Blige. That's where I first checked the sound that evolved for this project. And it felt like the album was done practically the next day. It just came.

Surely, there are better ways to enjoy a concert than to stand around and mingle with rappers. But observing the buzz behind the scenes provided lots of shade from the intense heat at Saturday's Rock the Bells, especially when 16,300 sweaty hip-hop fans were milling about the San Manuel Amphitheater (formerly the Glen Helen Pavilion). Of course, some entertainers don't really want to be bothered with pictures or questions (Redman!). The only time that really becomes a problem is when you see cool things like M.I.A holding court with Nas outside his tour bus. M.I.A had earlier denied our request for a quick snapshot while she was on the sidelines watching her friends Spank Rock and Amanda Blank perform on the second stage. But, hey, we got these other folks to pose for the camera and take a few questions. For more on Rock the Bells, read Jeff Weiss' review.

Ghostface Killah

You mentioned a few upcoming meetings for possible acting roles. Whatever happened to the cameo you were supposed to have in "Iron Man"?

For whatever reasons, they didn't use that. There were a few scenes that were cut. My manager hooked it up, I think he talked to Jon [Favreau], and I think the movie was too long or something. The scene they didn't use was a party scene in Dubai.

These days, the rock scene is low on mysterious figures. As the music has lost its countercultural edge, many of its champions have transformed into average celebrities, happy to speak into any microphone that wanders by. That’s not true of Zack de la Rocha: the Rage Against the Machine vocalist is the rare rock star who keeps his distance from the hype.

De la Rocha is as famous for his radical politics as for incendiary poetics. Between his retirement from Rage in 2000 and his recent reunion with the band, he’s limited his public appearances to the occasional rally or benefit show. His musical output has been spare too: only a few songs have seen light.

But this summer, the 38-year-old Southland native is back and seemingly unstoppable. He has a new musical project -- One Day as a Lion, which pairs him with drummer Jon Theodore. One Day as a Lion’s self-titled debut EP, on Anti- Records, hit No. 28 on the Billboard charts with minimal media attention, and is gaining traction nationally on rock radio. A full release will come in the fall.

Although sneaker purists will tell you that the quality and design of kicks have fallen short since Nike's mass marketing and global takeover of the last decade, there's still a religious fanaticism with certain shoe releases that your average consumer just won't get (literally and figuratively).

Like camping out on a Vine Street sidewalk to buy a pair of Nike Air Force 1s.

For the 100 sneaker fashionistas gathered on Wednesday night, it was worth the wait. Most people, lawn chairs in tow, waited more than a day in line just to secure a spot in front of the Ricardo Montalban Theater in Hollywood for the release of limited run shoes designed by DJ/drummer/producer Amir "?uestlove" Thompson of the Roots hip-hop collective. It helped, of course, that ?uestlove was also treating the sneakfreaks to an event-exclusive DJ set.

His Air Questo's lime green colorway and elephant print design is exotic and bright, but according to ?uestlove, candy had more to do with the shoe's concept than the jungle.

"We decided to put a twist on it … a quasi-Willy Wonka Golden Ticket twist," he said of the $175 shoe.

Unlike his tech-junkie friend B.B. King, blues singer and guitarist Buddy Guy doesn't have much patience for keeping up with technological advances.

Where King has his tour bus equipped with the latest in WiFi, iPods and other gadgets, Guy says he doesn't have much affinity for tinkering with his own website or the other facets of 21st century life for most musicians.

Coffee time with Inara George and Mia Doi Todd

It's easy to compare Inara George and Mia Doi Todd, two L.A. natives with voices that have stilled many a noisy club. Both create intimate compositions, but Todd's are woodsy and meditative, while George's sparkle with wit.

Now in their early 30s, they met briefly in their teens and have crossed paths over the years playing at hallmark venues of the East Side, including Tangier and Spaceland. Both seem informed by L.A. identities -- Todd relates to raga-listening Laurel Canyon folk while George seems ready to audition for a '40s Hollywood musical, or a mod love story with the Bird and the Bee, her band with Greg Kurstin.

On a sweltering afternoon, they met for a chat at Intelligentsia Coffee in Silver Lake, where they touched upon Todd's recent album, "Gea," and George's brand-new collaboration with Van Dyke Parks, "An Invitation." Naturally the conversation turned to other matters, like the demands of touring, and balancing solo and personal lives. Here is an edited excerpt of the conversation:

Inara George: So you put this record out yourself. How’s that been going?

Mia Doi Todd: It’s pretty good. It’s a lot of responsibility and things don’t get done like if there were 10 people working on it. But it’s at my pace.

IG: And have you been doing shows?

Raphael Saadiq has been making sweet soul music since his youth in the 1980s leading the Oakland-based retro-nuevo combo Tony! Toni! Tone!  He's produced many notables, most recently Joss Stone, and made some unjustly overlooked solo albums. But now's the time for a Saadiq revival.

In mid-September Columbia Records will release his new album, "The Way I See It" -- a loving tribute to 1960s soul that's made with such precision and vitality, it's guaranteed to make Mark Ronson (whom Saadiq says is a pal) squirm.

Saadiq, who'll lead his band through a hot set this Sunday at the Roxy, recently answered some questions via phone from his North Hollywood studio.

Take me through the process of making this album, from its germination to its realization.

This idea's not new to me. Anybody who knows me and my work isn't surprised that I did it. Classic soul is what I grew up on, and it's one of my main influences.

Two years ago I did a show at Sweet's Ballroom in Oakland. I came out onstage and did the Marvin Gaye song "Ain't That Peculiar." The album's cover shot comes from that performance. I was working in Oakland for three months, then I came back to L.A. and did the song "I Found My Everything" with Mary J. Blige. That's where I first checked the sound that evolved for this project. And it felt like the album was done practically the next day. It just came.

Surely, there are better ways to enjoy a concert than to stand around and mingle with rappers. But observing the buzz behind the scenes provided lots of shade from the intense heat at Saturday's Rock the Bells, especially when 16,300 sweaty hip-hop fans were milling about the San Manuel Amphitheater (formerly the Glen Helen Pavilion). Of course, some entertainers don't really want to be bothered with pictures or questions (Redman!). The only time that really becomes a problem is when you see cool things like M.I.A holding court with Nas outside his tour bus. M.I.A had earlier denied our request for a quick snapshot while she was on the sidelines watching her friends Spank Rock and Amanda Blank perform on the second stage. But, hey, we got these other folks to pose for the camera and take a few questions. For more on Rock the Bells, read Jeff Weiss' review.

Ghostface Killah

You mentioned a few upcoming meetings for possible acting roles. Whatever happened to the cameo you were supposed to have in "Iron Man"?

For whatever reasons, they didn't use that. There were a few scenes that were cut. My manager hooked it up, I think he talked to Jon [Favreau], and I think the movie was too long or something. The scene they didn't use was a party scene in Dubai.

These days, the rock scene is low on mysterious figures. As the music has lost its countercultural edge, many of its champions have transformed into average celebrities, happy to speak into any microphone that wanders by. That’s not true of Zack de la Rocha: the Rage Against the Machine vocalist is the rare rock star who keeps his distance from the hype.

De la Rocha is as famous for his radical politics as for incendiary poetics. Between his retirement from Rage in 2000 and his recent reunion with the band, he’s limited his public appearances to the occasional rally or benefit show. His musical output has been spare too: only a few songs have seen light.

But this summer, the 38-year-old Southland native is back and seemingly unstoppable. He has a new musical project -- One Day as a Lion, which pairs him with drummer Jon Theodore. One Day as a Lion’s self-titled debut EP, on Anti- Records, hit No. 28 on the Billboard charts with minimal media attention, and is gaining traction nationally on rock radio. A full release will come in the fall.

Although sneaker purists will tell you that the quality and design of kicks have fallen short since Nike's mass marketing and global takeover of the last decade, there's still a religious fanaticism with certain shoe releases that your average consumer just won't get (literally and figuratively).

Like camping out on a Vine Street sidewalk to buy a pair of Nike Air Force 1s.

For the 100 sneaker fashionistas gathered on Wednesday night, it was worth the wait. Most people, lawn chairs in tow, waited more than a day in line just to secure a spot in front of the Ricardo Montalban Theater in Hollywood for the release of limited run shoes designed by DJ/drummer/producer Amir "?uestlove" Thompson of the Roots hip-hop collective. It helped, of course, that ?uestlove was also treating the sneakfreaks to an event-exclusive DJ set.

His Air Questo's lime green colorway and elephant print design is exotic and bright, but according to ?uestlove, candy had more to do with the shoe's concept than the jungle.

"We decided to put a twist on it … a quasi-Willy Wonka Golden Ticket twist," he said of the $175 shoe.

Unlike his tech-junkie friend B.B. King, blues singer and guitarist Buddy Guy doesn't have much patience for keeping up with technological advances.

Where King has his tour bus equipped with the latest in WiFi, iPods and other gadgets, Guy says he doesn't have much affinity for tinkering with his own website or the other facets of 21st century life for most musicians.

Raphael Saadiq connects with classic '60s soul

Raphael Saadiq has been making sweet soul music since his youth in the 1980s leading the Oakland-based retro-nuevo combo Tony! Toni! Tone!  He's produced many notables, most recently Joss Stone, and made some unjustly overlooked solo albums. But now's the time for a Saadiq revival.

In mid-September Columbia Records will release his new album, "The Way I See It" -- a loving tribute to 1960s soul that's made with such precision and vitality, it's guaranteed to make Mark Ronson (whom Saadiq says is a pal) squirm.

Saadiq, who'll lead his band through a hot set this Sunday at the Roxy, recently answered some questions via phone from his North Hollywood studio.

Take me through the process of making this album, from its germination to its realization.

This idea's not new to me. Anybody who knows me and my work isn't surprised that I did it. Classic soul is what I grew up on, and it's one of my main influences.

Two years ago I did a show at Sweet's Ballroom in Oakland. I came out onstage and did the Marvin Gaye song "Ain't That Peculiar." The album's cover shot comes from that performance. I was working in Oakland for three months, then I came back to L.A. and did the song "I Found My Everything" with Mary J. Blige. That's where I first checked the sound that evolved for this project. And it felt like the album was done practically the next day. It just came.

Surely, there are better ways to enjoy a concert than to stand around and mingle with rappers. But observing the buzz behind the scenes provided lots of shade from the intense heat at Saturday's Rock the Bells, especially when 16,300 sweaty hip-hop fans were milling about the San Manuel Amphitheater (formerly the Glen Helen Pavilion). Of course, some entertainers don't really want to be bothered with pictures or questions (Redman!). The only time that really becomes a problem is when you see cool things like M.I.A holding court with Nas outside his tour bus. M.I.A had earlier denied our request for a quick snapshot while she was on the sidelines watching her friends Spank Rock and Amanda Blank perform on the second stage. But, hey, we got these other folks to pose for the camera and take a few questions. For more on Rock the Bells, read Jeff Weiss' review.

Ghostface Killah

You mentioned a few upcoming meetings for possible acting roles. Whatever happened to the cameo you were supposed to have in "Iron Man"?

For whatever reasons, they didn't use that. There were a few scenes that were cut. My manager hooked it up, I think he talked to Jon [Favreau], and I think the movie was too long or something. The scene they didn't use was a party scene in Dubai.

These days, the rock scene is low on mysterious figures. As the music has lost its countercultural edge, many of its champions have transformed into average celebrities, happy to speak into any microphone that wanders by. That’s not true of Zack de la Rocha: the Rage Against the Machine vocalist is the rare rock star who keeps his distance from the hype.

De la Rocha is as famous for his radical politics as for incendiary poetics. Between his retirement from Rage in 2000 and his recent reunion with the band, he’s limited his public appearances to the occasional rally or benefit show. His musical output has been spare too: only a few songs have seen light.

But this summer, the 38-year-old Southland native is back and seemingly unstoppable. He has a new musical project -- One Day as a Lion, which pairs him with drummer Jon Theodore. One Day as a Lion’s self-titled debut EP, on Anti- Records, hit No. 28 on the Billboard charts with minimal media attention, and is gaining traction nationally on rock radio. A full release will come in the fall.

Although sneaker purists will tell you that the quality and design of kicks have fallen short since Nike's mass marketing and global takeover of the last decade, there's still a religious fanaticism with certain shoe releases that your average consumer just won't get (literally and figuratively).

Like camping out on a Vine Street sidewalk to buy a pair of Nike Air Force 1s.

For the 100 sneaker fashionistas gathered on Wednesday night, it was worth the wait. Most people, lawn chairs in tow, waited more than a day in line just to secure a spot in front of the Ricardo Montalban Theater in Hollywood for the release of limited run shoes designed by DJ/drummer/producer Amir "?uestlove" Thompson of the Roots hip-hop collective. It helped, of course, that ?uestlove was also treating the sneakfreaks to an event-exclusive DJ set.

His Air Questo's lime green colorway and elephant print design is exotic and bright, but according to ?uestlove, candy had more to do with the shoe's concept than the jungle.

"We decided to put a twist on it … a quasi-Willy Wonka Golden Ticket twist," he said of the $175 shoe.

Unlike his tech-junkie friend B.B. King, blues singer and guitarist Buddy Guy doesn't have much patience for keeping up with technological advances.

Where King has his tour bus equipped with the latest in WiFi, iPods and other gadgets, Guy says he doesn't have much affinity for tinkering with his own website or the other facets of 21st century life for most musicians.

Rock the Bells: The backstage interviews

Surely, there are better ways to enjoy a concert than to stand around and mingle with rappers. But observing the buzz behind the scenes provided lots of shade from the intense heat at Saturday's Rock the Bells, especially when 16,300 sweaty hip-hop fans were milling about the San Manuel Amphitheater (formerly the Glen Helen Pavilion). Of course, some entertainers don't really want to be bothered with pictures or questions (Redman!). The only time that really becomes a problem is when you see cool things like M.I.A holding court with Nas outside his tour bus. M.I.A had earlier denied our request for a quick snapshot while she was on the sidelines watching her friends Spank Rock and Amanda Blank perform on the second stage. But, hey, we got these other folks to pose for the camera and take a few questions. For more on Rock the Bells, read Jeff Weiss' review.

Ghostface Killah

You mentioned a few upcoming meetings for possible acting roles. Whatever happened to the cameo you were supposed to have in "Iron Man"?

For whatever reasons, they didn't use that. There were a few scenes that were cut. My manager hooked it up, I think he talked to Jon [Favreau], and I think the movie was too long or something. The scene they didn't use was a party scene in Dubai.

These days, the rock scene is low on mysterious figures. As the music has lost its countercultural edge, many of its champions have transformed into average celebrities, happy to speak into any microphone that wanders by. That’s not true of Zack de la Rocha: the Rage Against the Machine vocalist is the rare rock star who keeps his distance from the hype.

De la Rocha is as famous for his radical politics as for incendiary poetics. Between his retirement from Rage in 2000 and his recent reunion with the band, he’s limited his public appearances to the occasional rally or benefit show. His musical output has been spare too: only a few songs have seen light.

But this summer, the 38-year-old Southland native is back and seemingly unstoppable. He has a new musical project -- One Day as a Lion, which pairs him with drummer Jon Theodore. One Day as a Lion’s self-titled debut EP, on Anti- Records, hit No. 28 on the Billboard charts with minimal media attention, and is gaining traction nationally on rock radio. A full release will come in the fall.

Although sneaker purists will tell you that the quality and design of kicks have fallen short since Nike's mass marketing and global takeover of the last decade, there's still a religious fanaticism with certain shoe releases that your average consumer just won't get (literally and figuratively).

Like camping out on a Vine Street sidewalk to buy a pair of Nike Air Force 1s.

For the 100 sneaker fashionistas gathered on Wednesday night, it was worth the wait. Most people, lawn chairs in tow, waited more than a day in line just to secure a spot in front of the Ricardo Montalban Theater in Hollywood for the release of limited run shoes designed by DJ/drummer/producer Amir "?uestlove" Thompson of the Roots hip-hop collective. It helped, of course, that ?uestlove was also treating the sneakfreaks to an event-exclusive DJ set.

His Air Questo's lime green colorway and elephant print design is exotic and bright, but according to ?uestlove, candy had more to do with the shoe's concept than the jungle.

"We decided to put a twist on it … a quasi-Willy Wonka Golden Ticket twist," he said of the $175 shoe.

Unlike his tech-junkie friend B.B. King, blues singer and guitarist Buddy Guy doesn't have much patience for keeping up with technological advances.

Where King has his tour bus equipped with the latest in WiFi, iPods and other gadgets, Guy says he doesn't have much affinity for tinkering with his own website or the other facets of 21st century life for most musicians.

Zack de la Rocha talks to Ann Powers

These days, the rock scene is low on mysterious figures. As the music has lost its countercultural edge, many of its champions have transformed into average celebrities, happy to speak into any microphone that wanders by. That’s not true of Zack de la Rocha: the Rage Against the Machine vocalist is the rare rock star who keeps his distance from the hype.

De la Rocha is as famous for his radical politics as for incendiary poetics. Between his retirement from Rage in 2000 and his recent reunion with the band, he’s limited his public appearances to the occasional rally or benefit show. His musical output has been spare too: only a few songs have seen light.

But this summer, the 38-year-old Southland native is back and seemingly unstoppable. He has a new musical project -- One Day as a Lion, which pairs him with drummer Jon Theodore. One Day as a Lion’s self-titled debut EP, on Anti- Records, hit No. 28 on the Billboard charts with minimal media attention, and is gaining traction nationally on rock radio. A full release will come in the fall.

Although sneaker purists will tell you that the quality and design of kicks have fallen short since Nike's mass marketing and global takeover of the last decade, there's still a religious fanaticism with certain shoe releases that your average consumer just won't get (literally and figuratively).

Like camping out on a Vine Street sidewalk to buy a pair of Nike Air Force 1s.

For the 100 sneaker fashionistas gathered on Wednesday night, it was worth the wait. Most people, lawn chairs in tow, waited more than a day in line just to secure a spot in front of the Ricardo Montalban Theater in Hollywood for the release of limited run shoes designed by DJ/drummer/producer Amir "?uestlove" Thompson of the Roots hip-hop collective. It helped, of course, that ?uestlove was also treating the sneakfreaks to an event-exclusive DJ set.

His Air Questo's lime green colorway and elephant print design is exotic and bright, but according to ?uestlove, candy had more to do with the shoe's concept than the jungle.

"We decided to put a twist on it … a quasi-Willy Wonka Golden Ticket twist," he said of the $175 shoe.

Unlike his tech-junkie friend B.B. King, blues singer and guitarist Buddy Guy doesn't have much patience for keeping up with technological advances.

Where King has his tour bus equipped with the latest in WiFi, iPods and other gadgets, Guy says he doesn't have much affinity for tinkering with his own website or the other facets of 21st century life for most musicians.

?uestlove's new Nike sneaks; Raekwon the Chef talks about his collab with Dre

Although sneaker purists will tell you that the quality and design of kicks have fallen short since Nike's mass marketing and global takeover of the last decade, there's still a religious fanaticism with certain shoe releases that your average consumer just won't get (literally and figuratively).

Like camping out on a Vine Street sidewalk to buy a pair of Nike Air Force 1s.

For the 100 sneaker fashionistas gathered on Wednesday night, it was worth the wait. Most people, lawn chairs in tow, waited more than a day in line just to secure a spot in front of the Ricardo Montalban Theater in Hollywood for the release of limited run shoes designed by DJ/drummer/producer Amir "?uestlove" Thompson of the Roots hip-hop collective. It helped, of course, that ?uestlove was also treating the sneakfreaks to an event-exclusive DJ set.

His Air Questo's lime green colorway and elephant print design is exotic and bright, but according to ?uestlove, candy had more to do with the shoe's concept than the jungle.

"We decided to put a twist on it … a quasi-Willy Wonka Golden Ticket twist," he said of the $175 shoe.

Unlike his tech-junkie friend B.B. King, blues singer and guitarist Buddy Guy doesn't have much patience for keeping up with technological advances.

Where King has his tour bus equipped with the latest in WiFi, iPods and other gadgets, Guy says he doesn't have much affinity for tinkering with his own website or the other facets of 21st century life for most musicians.

Phone menus give Buddy Guy the blues

Unlike his tech-junkie friend B.B. King, blues singer and guitarist Buddy Guy doesn't have much patience for keeping up with technological advances.

Where King has his tour bus equipped with the latest in WiFi, iPods and other gadgets, Guy says he doesn't have much affinity for tinkering with his own website or the other facets of 21st century life for most musicians.