BACK IN BLK!!!

HELLO JOZI

THE GENTS ARE BACK FROM BABYLON

JAMMING UP HOUSE NTSAKO TOMORROW NIGHT FRIDAY

BRIXTON HIGH STREET ACROSS FROM ABSA

JHB / PLACE 2 B / MOVE YOUR ARMS KINDA FREELY

EASY TO IMAGINE

Tshepang and Molefi BLK JKS with Vieux Farka Touré and co. Photo via Will You Miss Me When Im Gone?

"The African double bill at the Highline Ballroom on Saturday was a night of triplets, scampering, chattering and barreling ahead in ways that could be dizzying. Vieux Farka Touré, a bandleader from Mali, and Blk Jks, a band from South Africa, arrive at their music from different directions: Mr. Touré by personalizing an inherited tradition, Blk Jks by global mix-and-match. But both play rock with rapid inner workings. Even songs with slower superstructures were bustling in triple time just under the surface...

...Blk Jks are less indebted [than Touré] to tradition. They sometimes hint at the bounce of South African pop, and like other African bands they sing (mostly in English) about social and philosophical questions. Yet just as often they turn westward: to Jamaica for the propulsion of ska and the echoes and spaces of dub reggae, to the Police for a blend of snickering staccato rhythms and gauzy guitar reverb, to psychedelia and progressive rock for shifty structures and bluesy guitar lines that wander far afield. Their songs often alternate between contrasting sections, with sudden shifts in tempo and meter that confounded would-be dancers. It’s as easy to imagine Blk Jks on a bill with the Mars Volta or a jam band as with fellow African bands.

But they easily had enough in common with Mr. Touré’s music to join him and his band for the set’s finale, “Sarama,” a song from “Fondo” that grew into galloping modal funk, with the Blk Jks guitarist Lindani Buthelezi answering Mr. Touré’s Malian curlicues with blues-rock leads by way of Jimi Hendrix. It was African electric rock, unconcerned with boundaries."

Jon Pareles, NY Times

WHERE IS THIS PLACE

BROS

HAPPY BORN DAY BLK JKS!!!

BEEN JAMMIN THIS!!!

"Early Warming" mix from UK selectas The Heatwave. BLK JKS first summertime in NYC...ladies it's reggae season!

Tracklist

• Laden - Really Like You
• Gappy Ranks - Gyal Mi Love
• Voicemail - Ride Mi Bike (Gold Mine Riddim)
• Gyptian - Money Man (Gold Mine Riddim)
• Buju Banton - Buy Love (Gold Mine Riddim)
• Richie Spice - Soothing Sound (Indiscretions Riddim)
• Konshens - Straight Forward (Indiscretions Riddim)
• Busy Signal - Beep (Indiscretions Riddim)
• Mavado - Neva Believe U
• Equiknoxx & Gerusalem - Cobba Cobba Riddim
• Lil Joe - Wine (Cobba Cobba Riddim)
• Tifa - Single (Cobba Cobba Riddim)
• Spice - Badmind (Cobba Cobba Riddim)
• Cecile - How It Feels (Hot Peppa Riddim)
• Anthony B - Roll Mi Gal (Hot Peppa Riddim)
• Mr Vegas - Mi Believe (Hot Peppa Riddim)
• Mr Vegas - Old School Hustling (Heavenless Riddim)
• Major Lazer feat Mr Lexx & Santigold - Hold The Line
• Gappy Ranks - Put The Stereo On
• Erup & Nature - Trample Dem (Multipurpose Stadium Riddim)
• Beres Hammond - I Feel Good (I Feel Good Riddim)
• Beres Hammond & Donovan Germain - I Feel Dub (I Feel Good Riddim)
• General Degree - Jah Will Provide (I Feel Good Riddim)
• Delly Ranx - Pleasure Pain (Comfort Zone Riddim)
• Buju Banton - Pretty Every Time (Comfort Zone Riddim)
• Cornadoor - Chocolate Fudge (Rougher Yet Riddim)

FREE DOWNLOAD!!!

EPIC PROPS DUE

"A couple makes love in front of thousands of people at Sasquatch during The Decemberists’ set on top of a hill while the sun sets and creates a passionate unfogettable teen spirit vibe. Saturday May 23rd @ The Gorge."

via Daily Swarm

AFTER ALL THAT

Had a day in Seattle, paid respect to the brother Bruce Lee.
"Because we don't know when we will die, we get to think of life as an inexhaustible well. Yet everything happens a certain number of times, and a very small number, really. How many more times will you remember a certain afternoon of your childhood, some afternoon that's so deeply a part of your being that you can't even conceive of your life without it? Perhaps four or five time more. Perhaps not even that. How many times will you watch the full moon rise? Perhaps twenty. And yet it all seems limitless."

SASQUATCH! FESTIVAL!!

We out there...THE GORGE!!!

¡¡¡EUGENE!!!

Photographer Todd Cooper got it in!!!

WEST COAST UP

AY IT'S ON AGAIN LOVE

BLK JKS IN LOST ANGELES THIS THURSDAY NITE

THE ECHO
1822 SUNSET
11PM

MESCAL YES / ABSINTHE NO

US AMERICA DATES!!!

ITS ALL HAPPENING NOW...CLICK 2 ENLARGE

21 MAY / THE ECHO / LOS ANGELES

22 MAY / THE INDEPENDENT / SAN FRANCISCO
...WITH FOREIGN BORN

23 MAY / SENATOR THEATER / CHICO
...WITH SPEARHEAD

24 MAY / CUTHBERT AMPHITHEATER / EUGENE
...WITH SPEARHEAD AND SANTIGOLD

25 MAY / SASQUATCH MUSIC FESTIVAL / THE GORGE

27 MAY / THE BELL HOUSE / BROOKLYN
...WITH THE PRESENT AND POPO

2 JUNE / KNITTING FACTORY / BROOKYLN
...WITH DUTTY ARTZ AND DRY YAI

3 JUNE / IRVING PLAZA / NYC
...WITH FEMI KUTI

4 JUNE / IRVING PLAZA / NYC
...WITH FEMI KUTI

8 JUNE / TT THE BEARS / BOSTON

9 JUNE / KUNGFU NECKTIE / PHILADELPHIA

11 JUNE / WASHINGTON DC / BLACK CAT BACKSTAGE

5 JULY / WEEKSVILLE HERITAGE CENTER / BROOKLYN
...WITH CODY CHESNUTT

HOW GERMAN IS IT

via "BST BNDS 3 or Best Bands 3 << WiTHouT VoWeLS at the scary German blog German Names

BLK JKS:
This South African lousy trappings with solely a not in the least any songs second to their beat compel ought to made a dub on themselves amid the blogosphere. The convince the dub is written BLK JKS more than of Black Jacks isn’t purely a divulge up to the SMS doctrine. above all Linda Buthelzi, the PM danseur songbird and guitarist is also it’s drawn author. Robert Laing at joeblog.co.za says
Linda the drawn author developed the band’s dub with its T-Shirt logo. He picked a font where the starting B has a intimately, the next four letters emoticons representing each crew colleague, and the fixed S has a teardrop with a map of Africa in it. Formed in 2000, but fair moment releasing albums to the dialect birth b deliver.

The band’s shortened curriculum vitae is chronicled on their blog.

BAND PRACTICE

With some bossy US dates coming up—schedule on Monday—BLK JKS are going hard in training!

Ladies, do you think the gents look FIT? LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

For the record, yes Mpumi was in the house as well, in the usual supervisory capacity.

HOW WE GET DOWN IN LONDON TOWN

MAY DAY MAY DAY MAY DAY

SURPRISES IN STORE

C U 2NITE

DIRECT QUOTE

"It was only a matter of time before someone from the continent of Africa decided to show the world that indie rock, like all other pop music, rightfully belonged to them. Johannesburg, South Africa’s BLK JKS may just be that band."

A lot of hot air and swagger gets talked as the world figures out the music and the message and the mission that is BLK JKS.

But wow. Ian Power got right to the point.

RESPECT

DANG WE OPENED UP FOR THESE LEGENDS 2 NITES INNA ROW

A CERTAIN RATIO. RECOGNIZE.

DOSUNMU SESSION

Going to meet the man.

EARTH DAY MPUMELELO MCATA

Photography by Liz Johnson Artur

Happy bday bro

RAINY DAY MUSIC

As promised on the next rainy day:

"Lakeside" (acoustic on Studio 360)

DISTANT LOVER COME GET TO THIS

He's here, she's there, nuff said...

via MRE

SOMEDAY I'LL BE DIGNIFIED AND OLD

One of the boat-lifting properties of being a band on the rise (excuse the pun) is that BLK JKS has heads making all sorts of connections. Someday I'll Be Dignified and Old writes:

"so the BLK JKS record has me digging out some stuff i haven't spun in a while... one of them is this compilation. it's the first disc from a four disc set my little brother bought in '93 called Tougher Than Tough: The Story Of Jamaican Music."

There's a bunch of clips and a d*wnload link as well...Anyone who saw us in Texas knows "Welcome To Jamrock" was on constant rotation in the truck...Can we get to Jamaica please?

ART / ROCK

Painting by Ms MudPhud March 2009.

Bonus quote "We saw BLK JKS last night at First Fridays. They are the new Nirvana, the next big thing coming out of South Africa and in general, I think. Too bad there wasn't more dancing in the audience. It also does not hurt that the lead singer is pretty hot."

Photography by Mikhael Subotzky published in Fader magazine March 2008.

THANK YOU GOOD NIGHT

BEST MUSICIAN SXSW

Best Musician: The drummer for Blk Jks.

Holy crap. Blk Jks are four young men from South Africa, and each of them could have been the best musician I saw. I went with Tshepang Ramoba, from Soweto for the raw physicality he used to anchor Blk Jks sprawling rock fusion jams. These dudes have serious chops.

Bill Werde, Billboard

BLK JKS FUEL TV

MEAN ASS PHOTOGRAPHY BY KWESI "FLASHON" ABBENSETTS

BLK JKS / / / / / SXSW SCHEDULE

Heading to Austin. Holler at us when you see us in the streets.

Maybe on the vegetable oil powered school bus plane ill chop out the insane acoustic version of "Lakeside" from this Studio 360 radio post. For now though, here's an equally arresting piece of work, a new song called "Banna Ba Modimo".

NYC POP!

See yall this weekend!

13 MAR UNION HALL / BROOKLYN
10.30PM

14 MAR SANTOS PARTY HOUSE / NEW YORK CITY
8.30PM

...AND WE'RE BACK (AGAIN)

Money quote: "These nebulous jams contain enough circular structure and memorable melodies to make them captivating dance-think pieces." via iTunes

GET

IT

IN!!!

WHOLE MIDWEST

VENI VIDI VICI

Just now.

LAST NIGHT ON PLANET BLOOMINGTON

PHOTO KEVIN DUNEMAN
Thanks to everyone who welcomed us to Bloomington, it's become a home away from home.

BLK JKS play a FREE show at Jake's tonight, see you there!

Also SMH @ that blue ass weather map in the pic below. It's so cold in "da B."

IT'S ONNNNNNNNNNNN

Yall know these dates have been floating in the ether for some time but today the mist lifted got out of bed and YO it's really happening!!!

BLK JKS IN AMERICA, SEASON 2 EPISODE 1

***FIRST MIDWEST AND LEFT COAST DATES***

2 MAR JAKES / BLOOMINGTON

3 MAR ROCK ISLAND BREWERY / ROCK ISLAND..."Daytrotter Presents"...TRUE

4 MAR THE EMPTY BOTTLE / CHICAGO

6 MAR NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM / LOS ANGELES

9 MAR RICKSHAW STOP / SAN FRANCISCO

13 MAR UNION HALL / BROOKLYN

14 MAR SANTOS PARTY HOUSE / NEW YORK CITY

18-22 MAR SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST / AUSTIN

SOMETHING WIKKED

BLK JKS x dead prez...inna INDIANA!

WHAT YOU KNOW GOOD

Know Your Mushrooms is screening at the Victoria Film Festival until Feb. 7. Here's where it will screen after that:

March 14 Austin, TX @ South By Southwest Music and Film Festival
March 13-15 Winnipeg, MB @ Cinematheque Winnipeg
April 3-6 Vancouver, BC @ The Vancity

Soundtrack by The Flaming Lips!

UNSOLICITED ADVICE

"How do you get a girl to fall in love with you? Well, first you have to get her to your house. Then just put on Blk Jks, and the rest is history. It's just that getting her to come over that's the hard part."

Loving THIS.

How long til Valentine's Day?