At the onset of 2007, Britain’s tiny tattooed Amy Winehouse got us believing that jazz-loving, powerhouse songstresses could reclaim the radio waves from the ProTools-produced poplets oversaturating the world in saccharine. Several arrests and rehab offers later, Amy’s bad girl image has quickly overshadowed her Motown-worthy talent. Luckily, New York City has Bethany Saint Smith, who like Amy, is wise beyond her 24 years. But that’s pretty much where the comparison ends – unlike Amy, Bethany proves that one doesn’t have to be a disheveled, drug-riddled disaster to deliver strong, soulful lyrics on stage. Bethany, who performs around the Northeast with her 5-piece band, The Gun Show, offers her own authentic flavor of blues-Americana. Often compared to Odetta, the 60’s folk-rock singer who influenced the likes of Bob Dylan and Janis Joplin, Bethany belts out ballads and blues-rock with a deep alto, using skilled vocal control to bare the darkest and brightest shades of her soul. From the soft and somber “Then Leave” to more upbeat numbers and rockabilly covers, such as “Johnny B. Goode,” Bethany Saint Smith & The Gun Show tear it up with the kind of old-school, no-nonsense blues that today’s audiences are thirsting for. She performs at Arlene’s Grocery in New York on January 12 – hurry now and get your tickets to the gun show!

Photo credit: John Ewing

Graffiti and sneaker culture go hand-in-foot, but when the designer behind the conglomeration is a legendary female bomber, you know the results are going to be fly. Last night at New York’s iHeart boutique, Claw Money, whose three-talon paw had an iconic presence on city walls in the early ‘90s, unveiled her second series in collaboration with Nike, the Claw Vandal Hi. The first female to design for Nike, Claw’s Nike Blazer was a massive success. Now a fashion designer with her own clothing line, worn by the coolest of fashionistas, Claw clearly has an eye for style. Check the Vandal in black, white and vibrant turquoise, with peacock embroidery in rich colors. To match the Vandal, Claw is also releasing exclusive peacock sweatshirts on her website. Claw proves that chicks can kick it in two male-dominated scenes – graff and sneaks – word to your moms!

Free music in New York is always a good thing, and Q-Tip’s recent afternoon performance at the SoHo Apple Store certainly did not disappoint. A Tribe Called Quest’s frontman provided fans with more than an hour of poetic verses backed by a live band, including many classic Tribe songs, like “Excursions” and “Award Tour.” In town for the CMJ Music Marathon and promoting his highly anticipated album, The Renaissance, expected to drop early next year, he also performed his new single, “Work It Out,” which was made available for attendees to download on iTunes. Computer and music freaks alike were on their feet throughout the show, and not a single body could stay still. Needless to say, this Hip Hop legend has still got it, and the scene is in need of a dose.

When I heard that the African Burial Ground National Monument in Lower Manhattan would be opening to the public at the onset of Columbus Day weekend, I immediately felt it was an important historical event not to be missed. Unfortunately, the details of the event were not well publicized, so I did miss the dedication ceremony featuring Maya Angelou, although I did catch a glimpse of Sidney Poitier leaving the memorial.

Sixteen years ago, construction workers doing foundation work for a federal building unearthed the remains of thousands of Africans, some free, but mostly slaves. This discovery was revealed to be part of a 6.6-acre grave site known as the Negro Burial Ground, where an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 African men, women and children were interred during the 17th and 18th centuries. Just blocks from City Hall and other federal buildings, the burial ground was forgotten as the city sprung streets, sidewalks and skyscrapers over the remains.

So finally, this new National Monument on Duane Street between Broadway and African Burial Ground Way is the first and only U.S. National Monument in honor of the struggles of Africans forcefully brought here and subjected to the injustices of slavery, segregation and discrimination. Designed by Rodney Leon, the memorial is an Ancestral Libation Chamber, representing the crossroads of birth, life and death.

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