While bar shows can lose out to the summer months' festival frenzy Queens hosts two cool acts next week as an antidote to the dusty summer heat.
Mr. Something Something takes the stage on Wednesday in a swirling afro-beat flurry combining the matchless dance rhythms of Nigeria, Senegal, Mali and Ghana with western instrumentation and improvisation styles.
Mr. Something Something has been at it for two years. Founding members Larry Graves (drums) and John MacLean (saxophone, vocals) are joined by Johan Hultqvist (vocalist and performance artist.)
The overall effect is a deliberate attempt to draw you out to the floor and keep you there. Ecstatic.
And if the music weren't enough, there's the consciousness-raising lyrics.
Mr. Something Something's self-titled debut album hit in July 2004 followed by a solid coast to coast tour schedule with the crew out for over 120 shows in 2005 and sharing the stage with acts like The Trews and Matt Mays & El Torpedo. The Edge, the band's second album, keeps things humming for 2006.
Look for a live show "wildly energized and unpredictable" according to gushing testimonials from Canadian music press far and wide. Check out sound samples and stuff at www.mrsomethingsomething.com.
On Thursday night Moka Only brings sleek grooves, a hip hop sound smooth as silk, to the stage for a show with D-Dose.
An intelligent and deeply soulful man, Moka is a refreshing change from the wealth-obsessed bling-demons typical of the hip hop scene.
"Musicians are like the last standing prophets, the last people you could count on to have the power to change the way people feel," Moka says.
With more than 10 years in the scene Moka Only has risen to one of the most respected and critically acclaimed MCs in the country.
After an early start in the rhyming game, Moka hooked up with Vancouver MC Prevail and honed his skills with live performance and recording. They met another Vancouver MC, Mad Child, in '95 and went on to form Canadian hip hop powerhouse Swollen Members.
Moka continued to record independently while working with Swollen Members; the band grabbed national attention with several Juno awards in 2002, 2003, and 2004.
"It's cool to accept your place, it's OK.
"There will always be different people drifting over the lines and confines," he says.
August 2005 saw the release of Moka's debut full length album The Desired Effect featuring guests MF Doom (Madvllian), and production by Jay Dee including guest appearances by the Swollen Members guys and hit single Calling Out featuring K-OS.
Check him out online, including an album he "did for fun last fall" at myspace.com/mokaonly.