Esau Mwawmwaya makes a secret debut around 1am at the NY Tropical party in Williamsburg at The Glasslands. 
Village Voice bigups the party here.

Talk about reviving the sounds of the ‘80’s.   With a hint of electro, a sprinkle of new wave and a touch of soul, the Brooklyn born rapper Theophilus London sets it off once again.  Recently he performed at SXSW 2009 for the Green Owl Showcase and Levis Fader Fort with special guest Solange Knowles.  He is currently offering a free mixtape filled with witty lyrics, sleek production  and songs that you will indeed put on repeat.  Check him out here.

Soundtrack from Cody Chesnutt:

More here.

Esau Mwamwaya NOW in NY for the first-time!!! Catch him on Friday as a very special guest at the NY TROPICAL party with DUTTYARTZ (flyer below).

E

Poloroid via GVSBEAR

The Mad Decent Party featured The Very Best, Rye Rye, Blaqstarr and others

The Very Best (featuring Esau Mwamwaya) brought down the house last night in Austin.  Mad Decent rented out a vacant salvation army store for a huge party -- the vibe was grimey, filled with sweaty kids and DJs.   TVB hit at 1AM and the crowd couldn't get enough.  Front-row girls got rowdy with The Very Best's dancers, splashing beer, grabbing asses and swooning over Esau.   Hot videos to come on greenowl.com from this show and others.

Esau Mwamwaya, the morning after

The Very Best's Mo-Laudi

Last night's Green Owl showcase was through the roof. The Very Best and Theophilus crowned the evening after a night of rowdy muisc from Shilpa Ray, The London Souls,Dub Defender,Ninjasonik and Blaqstarr. The world kept turnin this morning with The Very Best + Radioclit at the Ranch. What is looks like...

Dub Defender's Zakee Kuduro and Telli from Ninjasonik

GREEN OWL SXSW THROWDOWN
FREE - 8AM -> 2AM
902 E. CAESAR CHAVEZ (near the convention center)

Fires burnin at the Green Owl Ranch in Austin, TX

There's at least four different bands staying at the Green Owl ranch in Austin.  Things are starting to heat up heat up.  Keep it tuned to greenowl.com for behind the scenery footage with BLKS JKS, Esau Mwamwaya, Radioclit, Bermuda, Dub Defender, Shilpa Ray, The So So Glos and the London Souls (all under one roof, whaat!!).   if you're in Austin, see below for all the info on Green Owl-affiliated shows happenin around town.

Yohan and Esau from THE VERY BEST interviewed by MTV at the bat-bridge

THE VERY BEST @ SXSW
thursday: moshi moshi party in afternoon at The Red House Pizzeria 4PM
franki chan party in evening, set time 12.00-1am
friday: green owl party 1.30 AM
saturday: mad decent party in evening. set time TBD.

Chris from the London Souls on the Green Owl veggie-oil bus

LONDON SOULS @ SXSW
thursday: afro-punk showcase with big boi (of outkast) at the austin music hall
friday: green owl party 8.20 PM

South Africa's BLK JKS under one roof at the GO ranch

BLK JKS @ SXSW
thursday: NPR show at The Parish 2PM
secretly canadian showcase at The Mohawk 10.30 PM
friday: other music + dig for fire party at French Legation 2PM

DUB DEFENDER, behind it all at Green Owl SXSW

DUB DEFENDER @ SXSW
thursday: meet and greet at the GO ranch
friday: green owl party all night long

Matt + Zack + Ryan + Alex = the mthfckn SO SO GLOS from Brooklyn

THE SO SO GLOS @ SXSW
thursday:  acoustic showcase at undisclosed location
friday: green owl party 11.55 PM

Shilpa Ray on harmonium at the BK Vegan party

SHILPA RAY AND HER HAPPY HOOKERS @ SXSW
thursday:  12:15 AM: Of Great and Mortal Men Showcase 43 Songs about Presidents at
Habana Calle 6, 12:15 AM
friday: 2:15 PM:  Everloving Party at Design Within Reach - Akron/Family, Young Republic, Herman Dune & Phenomenal Handclap Band Address:  200 W. 2nd Street at Colorado (2 blocks west of Congress)
RSVP IS INFO@EVERLOVING.COM
9:05 PM:  Green Owl Party at 902 East Cesar Chavez, Set Time 9:05 with the
Telepathe, Ninjasonik, So So Glos and the London Souls
Address:  902 East Cesar Chavez (just east of Route 35)
saturday: 12:30 PM Hot Freaks Party at the Mohawk Indoors, Set Time 12:30 SHARP, with
the Roadside Graves, Amazing Baby, Mason Proper & Lemonade
Address:  917 Red River Street, (between E. 9 & 10th)
6 PM- Salvage Vanguard Theater (back room), Set Time 6 PM with Project
Jenny/Project Jan, Midnight Masses & Grafitti Monsters
Address:  2803 Manor Road (Just North of 22nd street & Alexander)

Today at SXSW, we debuted a new mixtape called THE FORTUNE.  A link to download THE FORTUNE was hidden inside home-made fortune cookies that were baked using ovens powered by wind turbines.   Here's the mouth-watering tracklist:

1. The So So Glos - There's A War
2. Shilpa Ray & Her Happy Hookers - Coward Cracked the Dawn
3. School of Seven Bells - Trance Figure
4. Ninjasonik - Art School Girls
5. Telepathe - Chrome's On it
6. Theophilus London - Ultra Violet (MRE Extended Version)
7. The London Souls - Someday
8. The Very Best (Esau Mwamwaya & Radioclit) - Sister Betina
9. The So So Glos - Throw Your Hands Up (Dub Defender Mix)
10. The So So Glos Feat. Jah & Theophilus London - 99 Degrees (Ninjasonik Remix)
11. The Very Best (Esau Mwamwaya & Radioclit) - Dinosaur On The Ark

THE FORTUNE features artists from Green Owl's upcoming SXSW party on Friday (flyer above and below).  The show is phenomenal and it's free.   Don't miss it.

Esau Mwamwaya Bday at the Ranch from Green Owl on Vimeo.

Green Owl in the mothafuckn house.  First night at the ranch with BLK JKS, Esau's B-day,  Radioclit, So So Glos and shrimp on the grillz. 

Follow us with Dub Defender, too.

London Souls - On the Spot from Green Owl on Vimeo.

This week's SXSW Mugshot Monday features Tash and Chris (center and right) from the London Souls.  We've been traveling with them for the last two days in the Green Owl bus towards Austin, TX.  The London Souls are a NY-based rock band.  

What's a good interview question?
That one.  Next question.

Your last religious experience?
Jesus at the crossroads (with a Puerto Rican accent) sayin, "listen bro, you gotta youtube John Mayer."

If your music was a video game, which one would it be?
Definitely the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on NES -- you can switch players, there's an aerial view and it's all about the teamwork.

What's the strangest musical instrument you ever played?
I played the zither (an Eastern-European five-stringed instrument) in Normandy, France on the beach.  Then I vomited and tripped for 12 hours.

How does your hair affect your sound?
In a positive way -- the more hair you have, the better you play.  Plus, if shit gets rough, you can get backstage to your own show.

Do you write songs about specific things?Now it's more subconscious and I try to find lyrics that sound good.  Then, later on, I'll realize how self-expressive those lyrics are and see how a song develops its own logic and relates to itself.    It's usually after I write, not before, that I'll figure our what a song is about conceptually.

3AM // Rest stop, Delaware en route to Austin

It's the middle of the night and we're cruising towards Maryland.  The biodiesel bus (above) is running like a dream.  We got the London Souls asleep in the back and Talking Heading on the stereo.  When the sun rises, we'll be on the other side of the mason dixon line.  As we get closer to Texas, we'll keep you posted with photos and video from the journey.  Lots of surprises to come.