PLUG INTO THE ELECTRIC UNDERGROUND
SOCIALYBRIUM
BOOKING INFO:
purplewoo2@gmail.comDownload press kit
Videos SociaLybrium "Another Day" feat. Falu - Live at Sullivan Hall SociaLybrium "BQE" - Live at Sullivan Hall
With all the cross-pollination, feverish stabs at greatness and straight-up reunion-itis going on in live music these days, it seems like the word “supergroup”—a term once reserved for the privileged few who could run the gauntlet of critical scrutiny (not to mention rabid fandom) and actually take us all higher—gets thrown around with astonishing regularity. But here’s the thing: how many artists can truly say they were in on the ground floor of an honest-to-Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame supergroup, all while inventing a completely original and uncanny sound, and, in the ensuing years, building a legendary reputation as one of the most versatile hired guns in the music business? Bernie Worrell is just such an artist—first as a founding member and driving musical force behind Parliament-Funkadelic, and later as an essential collaborator on key albums by Talking Heads, the Pretenders, Keith Richards, Ginger Baker, Bootsy Collins, Buckethead, Yoko Ono, Bill Laswell, Public Image Ltd., Sly & Robbie, Dave Stewart, Nona Hendryx, Maceo Parker, Deee-Lite, Mos Def...the list goes on and on. Not only is Worrell a child prodigy on piano, but he’s also a master of the Moog synthesizer—so noted by the instrument’s inventor, Bob Moog himself, as well as the foundation that bears Moog’s name: Worrell is the 2008 recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award known simply as “The Bob.” And it doesn’t stop there: the Hammond B3 organ, Hohner clavinet, Fender Rhodes and a wealth of keyboards, synths and assorted melodic gizmos all signify the breadth of Worrell’s expressive genius as a musician—an unbridled wizardry that’s matched only by his will to keep pushing the music to its very limits. Worrell’s latest move has been to found a new supergroup of his own, bringing a kindred P-Funk innovator together with two fellow travelers whose instinctive paths in rhythm are a well-known quantity in jazz, funk, rock, avant-garde and world music circles here in the U.S. and abroad. SociaLybrium, with Blackbyrd McKnight (guitar), Melvin Gibbs (bass) and J.T. Lewis (drums), is meant to foster, as the name implies, a meeting of the minds—a communal trip where four high-caliber musicians can jam together on equal footing, but also where the listener is encouraged to join in the fray. Call it freestyle Afro-fusion, electric church music or gutbucket street funk—however you slice it, SociaLybrium can get down in any style, at any given moment. You’ve been warned.
PRESS
Screenwriter David Mills Weighs In On SociaLybrium
Nothing is more of an automatic purchase for me than Bernie Worrell music. He is simply one of the most gifted dudes ever to lay fingers on a synthesizer, clavinet, Hammond B3, electric piano or baby grand. I’ll buy any track he ever played on. Read MoreEVENTS
Another chance to see SociaLybrium LIVE at Joe's Pub, sans blizzard.
February 11, 2011
SociaLybrium LIVE at Joe's Pub
December 26, 2010
SociaLybrium and Burnt Sugar LIVE at Undead Jazzfest
June 12, 2010
February 11, 2011
SociaLybrium Friday, February 11, 11:30pm Joe's Pub 425 Lafayette Street New York, NY $20 More info on the Joe's Pub website "The sound of the band SociaLybrium is just exactly what I imagine it would sound like if keyboard funkmaster Bernie Worrell played all the instruments himself. I’m serious: graft a bunch more arms and legs on the man – with everything answering to that groovemonster brain – and this is what the result would be. Worrell’s three bandmates in SociaLybrium – bassist Melvin Gibbs, drummer J.T. Lewis, and guitarist Ronny Drayton – are perfect formation flyers when it comes to brain-syncing with Worrell and their debut album "For You – For Us – For All" is proof. The individual parts of SociaLybrium add up to one big chunk of jazzy fusion funk and that’s all you need to know" -Brian Robbins
SociaLybrium LIVE at Joe's Pub
December 26, 2010
SociaLybrium Sunday, December 26, 7:30pm Joe's Pub 425 Lafayette Street New York, NY $20 More info on the Joe's Pub website "The sound of the band SociaLybrium is just exactly what I imagine it would sound like if keyboard funkmaster Bernie Worrell played all the instruments himself. I’m serious: graft a bunch more arms and legs on the man – with everything answering to that groovemonster brain – and this is what the result would be. Worrell’s three bandmates in SociaLybrium – bassist Melvin Gibbs, drummer J.T. Lewis, and guitarist Ronny Drayton – are perfect formation flyers when it comes to brain-syncing with Worrell and their debut album "For You – For Us – For All" is proof. The individual parts of SociaLybrium add up to one big chunk of jazzy fusion funk and that’s all you need to know" -Brian Robbins
SociaLybrium and Burnt Sugar LIVE at Undead Jazzfest
June 12, 2010
Bernie Worrell and SociaLybrium Saturday, June 12th, 9:20 pm- Le Poisson Rouge 158 Bleecker St. b/w Sullivan & Thompson Burnt Sugar the Arkestra Chamber Sunday, June 13th, (early morning!)1:00am- Sullivan Hall 214 Sullivan St. b/w Bleecker & West 3rd 2010 NYC Undead Jazzfest June 12 and 13 2 nights, 3 venues, 30+ groups More info at Undead Jazzfest +++
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NEWS
"Sounds Like a Revolution" premier at Woodstock Film Festival 2010
October 5, 2010
Remembering George Russell
May 7, 2010
Classes resume at Harlem School of the Arts
May 5, 2010
October 5, 2010
Sounds Like a Revolution Directed by: Summer Love & Jane Michener Produced by: Summer Love & Jane Michener Try to catch it if you can! upcoming screening schedule Sounds Like a Revolution is a pro-active and energizing documentary about a new generation of activist musicians who are living proof that music is an important and powerful tool in the ongoing struggle for social change. From the Dixie Chicks to Michael Franti to the punk band Anti-Flag, artists across the musical spectrum recount their motivations and struggles in a post-9/11 environment where dissent was silenced and censorship was commonplace. With themes that explore the role of artists in society, freedom of expression and democratic participation Sounds Like a Revolution presents a unique historical perspective behind the new wave of protest music sweeping America and offers new hope for the future. Featuring artists Michael Franti, Henry Rollins, Natalie Pa'apa'a, Paris, Rage Against The Machine and more... More info at the Sounds Like a Revolution website
Remembering George Russell
May 7, 2010
The family and friends of George Russell will be celebrating the life and legacy of the legendary composer, theoretician and innovator whose profound influence on artists of all musical disciplines spanned more than half a century. The memorial will take place on Saturday May 8 at 4PM at All Souls Church on 80th Street and Lexington Avenue in New York City. Doors will open to the public at 3:30. Russell is a pivotal figure in the evolution of modern jazz. As the music's only major theorist and one of its most profound composers, he is a trailblazer whose ideas have inspired and literally transformed some of the greatest musicians of our time. For more information please visit georgerussell.com
Classes resume at Harlem School of the Arts
May 5, 2010
Founded in 1964 by concert soprano Dorothy Maynor, the prestigious Harlem School of the Arts narrowly missed shutting its doors for good early last month, but thanks to a last-minute influx of $1 million in grants from the Herb Alpert Foundation, the Starr Foundation and more, the school recently re-opened with five new board members and a commitment to more focused and active fundraising. With such high-profile New Yorkers as Mary J. Blige leading the charge, it’s clear that the power of the arts really can make a difference in mobilizing whole communities. More at the NY Times' City Room blog
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