Connie Price and the Keystones is a project helmed by guitarist/multi-instrumentalist Dan Ubick from
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
,
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
, combining influences of funk, hip-hop, psych and soul. Besides Ubick, it had a revolving membership while they performed as a backing band to
Big Daddy Kane from 2008 to 2012. As a studio artist, Connie Price and the Keystones have released original recordings across three albums, two EPs and a number of singles.
Career
In 2004, Connie Price put out an EP, ''Blood's Haul'', on the
Stones Throw imprint Now Again with UK drummer
Malcom Catto, and that same year the instrumental album ''Wildflowers'' was released featuring members of
Funk Inc., Poets Of Rhythm and
L.A. Carnival.
A second EP, ''Sticks & Stones'', was released in 2005, a collection of live performances, a b-side, and a dub remix of the first cut from the LP. Three years later, Connie Price and the Keystones put out the ''Tell Me Something'' album on Ubiquity Records, which featured guest appearances from
Percee P
John Percy Simon (born July 9, 1969), better known by his stage name Percee P, is an American rapper from The South Bronx, New York City. ''Unkut'' described him as the "legendary lyricist of the subterranean".
Career
In 2007, Percee P release ...
,
Ohmega Watts
Ohmega Watts, real name Milton Campbell, is an American hip hop producer and vocalist from Brooklyn, New York. He releases music under the name Ohmega Watts and as a part of the Lightheaded crew.
Biography
Campbell was born and raised in Broo ...
,
Wildchild, Soup/Zaakir from
Jurassic 5
Jurassic 5 is an American alternative hip hop group formed in 1994 by rappers Charles Stewart (Chali 2na), Dante Givens (Akil), Courtenay Henderson (Soup aka Zaakir), Marc Stuart (Marc 7); and disc jockeys Mark Potsic ( DJ Nu-Mark) and Lucas Ma ...
,
Aloe Blacc
Egbert Nathaniel Dawkins III (born January 7, 1979), known professionally by his stage name Aloe Blacc (), is an American singer, songwriter and rapper. He is best known for his singles " I Need a Dollar", " The Man", which topped the charts in t ...
and Freestyle Fellowship's
Myka Nyne among others.
From 2007 to 2009, Connie Price & the Keystones became one of two main backing bands on Scion's Live Metro series. In 2014, Connie Price and the Keystones digitally released four songs under the title "Lucas High EP", a tribute to Euro jazz-funk session man Doug Lucas, who helped create the sound for some rare studio instrumental bands and jazz-funk concept groups, including Chakachas, Superfunkydiscotheque, Plus, JJ Band, S.S.O. Orchestra, and Mombasa. The EP also featured Zach Lucas, son of the late jazz funk composer and trumpet player. Following the positive response to the Lucas High sound on the EP, producers Dan Ubick and Matt Fife remastered the original four tracks with Dave Cooley and expanded the session to a full LP release called ''Lucas High'' with seven new originals (A Man Called Horse Records). ''Lucas High'' featured a studio sound of CP&K's heavy hitting ensemble led by bandleader Dan Ubick, and accompanied by some of the most prolific artists from the golden age of hip hop, including
Big Daddy Kane,
Talib Kweli
Talib Kweli Greene (; born October 3, 1975) is an American rapper. He earned recognition early on through his collaboration with fellow Brooklyn rapper Mos Def in 1997, when they formed the group Black Star. Kweli's musical career continued with ...
,
Brand Nubian
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,
M.O.P., Imani and Brown of
The Pharcyde
The Pharcyde (currently known as The Far Side) is an American alternative hip hop group, formed in 1989, from South Central Los Angeles. The original four members of the group are Imani (Emandu Wilcox), Slimkid3 (Trevant Hardson), Bootie Brown ...
with DJ Rhettmatic, Soup and Marc 7 of
Jurassic 5
Jurassic 5 is an American alternative hip hop group formed in 1994 by rappers Charles Stewart (Chali 2na), Dante Givens (Akil), Courtenay Henderson (Soup aka Zaakir), Marc Stuart (Marc 7); and disc jockeys Mark Potsic ( DJ Nu-Mark) and Lucas Ma ...
, Brother J of
X-Clan
X Clan (formerly stylized as XCLAN and often incorrectly spelled X-Clan) is a hip hop group from Brooklyn, New York, originally consisting of Grand Verbalizer Funkin' Lesson Brother J, Professor X the Overseer, Paradise the Architect, and Su ...
, Wildchild of
Lootpack
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, Llgl Tndr. This was along with a roster of powerful female artists including
Macy Gray
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Gray ha ...
, Rapsody, the Lady of Rage, Nini Monore and Jovi Rockwell. Mixed by Steve Kaye with Dan Ubick and recorded at The Lion's Den in Topanga, California, ''Lucas High'' has received critical praise from funk and hip hop artists including
Peanut Butter Wolf
Christopher George Manak (born October 8, 1969 ), better known by his stage name Peanut Butter Wolf, is an American disc jockey and record producer from San Jose, California. He is based in Los Angeles, where he moved to in 2000. He is the found ...
, DJ Numark, Colin Wolfe,
Mazik
Mazyak ( fa, مزيك, also Romanized as Mazīk, Maziak, Mazik, and Mazyek) is a village in Kuhestan Rural District, in the Central District of Nain County, Isfahan Province, Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, ...
, DJ Platurn,
DJ Format
Matt Ford, better known as DJ Format (a near-inversion of his birth name), is a hip hop DJ born in Southampton, England who lives in Brighton. He collaborates frequently with Abdominal on the album '' Music For the Mature B-Boy'' and with Abd ...
, and rare music enthusiasts across the world, including
Gilles Peterson
Gilles Jérôme Moehrle MBE (; born 28 September 1964), better known as Gilles Peterson (), is a French broadcaster, DJ, and record label owner. He founded the influential labels Acid Jazz and Talkin' Loud, and started his current label Brow ...
who named the record's opening track "Turn it Loose" as one of his "Best of 2019" favorite tracks list. The record is distributed by Fat Beats Records and was also streamed worldwide,
Peanut Butter Wolf called ''Lucas High'', "a perfect marriage of 70s Curtis, Isaac, and Barry meets 80’s Dust Borthers meets 90’s Kane, J5, and MOP".'' Connie Price & The Keystones has long earned respect from some of the most influential acts in hip hop, including Big Daddy Kane who calls them "''a sound as solid as stone"'', and JuJu of the Beatnuts who highlights CP&K as an ''"incredibly talented and open minded bunch of guys with an extensive knowledge and respect for all kinds of music."'' Egon says ''“Connie Price and the Keystones are the missing link between Lalo Schifrin and Dr. Dre – cinematic music in Technicolor."'' DJ Platurn describes bandleader Dan Ubick (aka, Connie Price): ''"Not too many heads in the industry can pull together this kind of ensemble for a funk & hip-hop album and do it so damn well."''
Lalo Schifrin stated ''“Connie Price and the Keystones are to be praised for their originality and brilliance.”'
Discography
Singles
*2003 - "The Badger b/w "Sweet Soul Music" (Now Again NA7001-A)
*2003 - "Highland Park b/w Time to Kill" (Now Again NA7008-A)
*2003 - "
Get Thy Bearings" (Donovan Cover) feat. Chris Manak (Now Again NA7006-A)
*2014 - "
Waterloo Sunset
"Waterloo Sunset" is a song by British rock band the Kinks. It was released as a single in 1967, and featured on their album '' Something Else by the Kinks''. Composed and produced by Kinks frontman Ray Davies, "Waterloo Sunset" is one of the ...
" feat. Gretchen Parlato (Digital Download)
*2017 - "Four on the Floor" feat. Soup and Marc 7
Albums
*2004 - ''Wildflowers'' (
Now-Again Records
Now-Again Records is a Los Angeles–based music imprint that specializes in reissues and compilations of funk, soul, and psychedelic rock from the 1960s to the 1980s. Founded in 2002 by Eothen "Egon" Alapatt as a subsidiary of Stones Throw Reco ...
)
*2008 - ''Tell Me Something'' (Ubiquity Records)
*2019 - ''Lucas High'' (Fat Beats/A Man Called Horse Records)
EPs
*2006 - "Sticks & Stones" EP (NA5020)
*2014 - "Lucas High" EP (Digital Download/Promo CD - A Man Called Horse Records)
References
{{Authority control
American funk musical groups
Ubiquity Records artists
Musical groups from Los Angeles
Now-Again Records artists