Original Noise LIVINGCOLOUR-VERNONREID-NOTES-2021-1

Reid’s rampant eclecticism encompasses everything from heavy metal and punk to funk, R&B and avant-garde jazz. His anarchic, lightning-fast solos have become a hallmark. — Critic Steve Huey

The Artist — After a stadium run of North America, opening for the Rolling Stones on their 1989 Steel Wheels Tour, and releasing an acclaimed second studio album,Time’s Up, Vernon Reid and his band, Living Colour, were backing their virtuosity with a no-less-loud and proud visual message. Taking the natural second step, following Vivid, the band’s Grammy-winning, platinum-selling, Rock N Roll “Masterpiece,” moving forward, always knowing the importance of looking good, in MTV’s Wonderful World of Living Color.

Back On Earth, after a dizzying, astronomic rocket ride with the Rolling Stones, Vernon had never lost sight of his own creative needs. Although always aware of Living Colour’s image, fashion, and visual style, it was always in the context of how it helped Vernon deliver his always honest, socially conscious message. An aggressive message in a fight for economic equality, and social justice.

Lollopalooza
— Lured To The West
Perry Farrell’s Jane’s Addiction Farewell?
((audio))

Inaugural
1991 — As Vernon sat down for the picture to appear on Guitar World magazine’s January 1991 cover, he and Living Colour were preparing to play Perry Farrell’s Inaugural Lollapalooza Tour, originally meant to be a Jane’s Addiction farewell tour.

All this was Vernon and Living Colour living up to the high expectations of a band whose debut was Vivid, immediately recognized for its virtuosity, universally praised for its social consciousness, and often legitimately called a Rock N Roll “MASTERPIECE.”

For Art’s Sake
2007 — Wimbash After Show (Doug Wimbish, Vernon Reid, Keith LeBlanc, Jeff Smith (inside) Sully’s Pub & Tiki Bar (Hartford, CT) after a Living Colour show, on the main stage in the small parking lot (outside).

TALK ABOUT THE ROLLING STONES
WCCC (Planet Sound) RADIO HARTFORD
INTERVIEW & PERFORMANCE
SOUND CHECK / COREY w/SON / SUMMER PICNIC

Storm Is Rising
As Vernon Reid and Living Colour entered the Rock N Roll fray at a time when Metal was more angry, guttural, and fast. Living Colour could play in that space, but put as much thought into the band’s thoughtful, political, and socially conscious message. GRUNGE OVER THE HORIZON

Vivid — Living Colour
Surfing With The Alien — Joe Satriani
Appetite For Destruction — Guns N Roses

All Noisy On The Eastern Front
CLASH METAL
Anthrax (1981)
Bad Brains (1982)
Run-DMC (1983)
Public Enemy (1985)
YO MTV RAPS
SPIKE LEE
Do The Right Thing (1986)
Malcolm X (1986)
The Notorius B.I.G. (1993)
Mos Def
How The West Was Won
LOS ANGELES
COLORS (Movie)
BLOODS v. CRIPS (Red/Blue)
NWA
ICE-T
TUPAC SHAKUR
VAN HALEN
BIG WEDNESDAY (Movie)
STONED AGE (Movie)
BACK TO THE BEACH (Movie)
Frankie Avalon & Annette Funicello
FISHBONE
Dick Dale / Stevie Ray Vaughan SRV
Gary Hoey / Kennedy (“Cool” Right Wingers) MTV
ENDLESS SUMMER II / SURFERS: THE MOVIE
BUS BOYS
Eddie Murphy
48 Hours
Beverly Hills Cop
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
David Lee Roth
Steve Vai
Dweezil Zappa
Eric Johnson
Joe Satriani
Guns N Roses
SUNSET STRIP
Decline Of The Western Civilization
TOOL

San Francisco Flowers Turned to Metal, and a thing called Grunge was on the horizon.
The 1980s were over. Hip Hop had taken root, Metal and Thrash was lurking in wait. A dangerous Storm Was Rising in the never-satisfied World of Rock N Roll.
Metal had emerged when Rock N Roll was hard and heavy, more than angry and sharp . Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath had dominated ’70s Rock with passion, virtuosity, and theatrics. The 80s saw Metal turn to Thrash, spandex turn to black denim, skulls and chains, and a general decline in Los Angeles civilization.
Nothing against any one genre, but not all Rock N Roll fans liked the idea of a World where Death Metal is considered Pop.

“Paint It Black” b/ Rolling Stones (1966)
“Black Is Black” b/ Los Bravos (1966)

The White Album b/ The Beatles (1968)
“Back In The U.S.S.R”
b/ Living Colour (2007)

Like some sort of Rock N Roll God, Mick Jagger, in 1988, anointed a new generation of musicians talented and eclectic enough to remind us that there was more to Rock N Roll than anger, volume, and speed.

Grammy Awards
Best Hard Rock Performance (twice)
1988 — Vivid “Cult Of Personality”
1990 — Time’s Up

International Music Awards (1989)
“Johnny B. Goode” (video)
Tiny Elvis Statues / Eric Clapton “E.C. Was Here”
Why Not A Jimi?
“Elvis Is Dead”
Jethro Tull vs. Metallica
Steel Wheels (1989)
Living Colour
MTV
Grammy Awards
International Music Awards (1989)
Tiny E Statues / Eric Clapton
(EC Was Here)
Johnny B. Goode (video)
Chuck Berry
Hail! Hail! Rock N Roll (1987)
Keith Richards
Eric Clapton
Tiny Elvis? Should have been a Little Jimi.
Stone Free: Tribute to Jimi Hendrix (1993)
“Crosstown Traffic”

The 2010 Experience Hendrix Tour featured a who’s who of rock and blues artists, and in March, for four shows in Florida and Georgia, Band of Gypsys bassist Billy Cox joined the tour. Other musicians those nights includeed: Joe Satriani, Jonny Lang, Eric Johnson, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Brad Whitford (Aerosmith), Doyle Bramhall II, Ernie Isley, Living Colour, Double Trouble’s Chris Layton.

“It’s a thrill for me to play Jimi’s music for audiences now as it was in the 1960s,” says Cox. “The Experience Hendrix tours have shown how timeless this music really is.” Billy Cox first met Jimi when they were in the 101st Airborne division in the Army, and Hendrix later recruited him for the Band of Gypsys in 1969. He appeared with Hendrix at numerous historical festivals, including Woodstock and the Isle of Wight. Cox is the sole surviving member of both Hendrix’s Experience and Band of Gypsys groups.

Also not to be missed are the hard hitting bass lines of Living Colour’s Doug Wimbish. After this tour, Living Colour will continue touring overseas.

Vernon (Backstage)
Staten Island Ferry B&W photography
To Do, Or Not To Do”
“We are not Living Color” T-Shirt
In Living Colour (1990) Sketch Comedy TV
Will Calhoun
Miami Beach (Italian Designer) Boutique. Will trying on clothes for the
Young couple, gay man, Serbian woman.
$50,000 Black Cocktail Dress at the door.
Surprisingly heavy, as it was made of thousands of smooth, black beads, hand-sewn by the Italian Designer, or one of his talented assistants.
Will with trio, Soundscape Park, w/Miami Orchestra violins and cello, and acrobatic dancers on the New World Symphony Concert Hall’s glass wall. (video) Kim Kumura
At Fairchild Gardens
Nova University

1991 — One of Rolling Stone Magazine’s All-Time “Best 100” Guitarists. Vernon Reid #66.

Here’s another example of the early ’90’s black rock movement that, for whatever reason, just never got the play or marketing push they needed to get over the top.

1991 — Eye & I (w/DK Dyson) As far and high as Vernon has flown, he has never completely broken free of his Downtown NYC roots.

The branks (headgear) worn by the androgynous model on pictured on the cover of Living Colour’s third studio album, Stain.

A Branks is a device consisting of a headpiece with a flat, iron bit to restrain the tongue, formerly used to punish scolds.

1987 — Bill Hicks, nearly homeless, is invited to be part of Rodney Dangerfield’s Young Comedians special. (Also, Sam Kinison and Roseanne Barr)

1980 — The Decline of Western Civilization The story of the Los Angeles punk rock scene (1979/1980), directed by Penelope Spheeris. After the movie’s premiere (1981), Los Angeles Police Chief Daryl Gates wrote a letter demanding the film not be shown again in Los Angeles.

1998 — The Decline of Western Civilization III (1998), chronicles the gutter punk lifestyle of homeless teenagers in the late 1990s. The film features a mix of live concert footage and interviews with established heavy metal performers such as

Several unsigned club bands are also prominently featured, such as Odin and Seduce.

1990 — Living Colour was still surfing the monster wave of MTV momentum, as the band rode into the new decade. Without pause, Vernon continued, sustaining the energy in what had been one of the most explosive launches of a band into Rock N Roll History.

Vivid

Hard Rock vs. Metal, Thrash, Hardcore (cute blonde girlfriend)

Living Colour guitar tech’s, 20-something girlfriend.

(not to judge, but just wondering) Is this your kind of music?

“yes. it is,” said with the cutest smile.

Queensrÿche (EP), such and such ryche, getting together’

“yes. The Third Reich

• NAZI GERMANY

Heavy Metal Confronts It’s Nazi Problem (New Yorker)

Mick Jagger heard word of a young “rock n roll” band making a lot of new noise, after hours, in the darker Underground of downtown New York City.

When Mick saw Living Colour and met Vernon, he was happy to realize what he heard was true, Living Colour was better than expected, and after meeting Vernon, Mick offered to help, anyway he could.

Four months later, and with encouragement from Mick, Epic Records offered Living Colour a deal he help, The Rolling Stones were looking for young blood to open their long anticipated, Steel Wheels World Tour. Manhattan the band, downtown took them on the road (Steel Wheels), and helped them with Vivid, Living Colour’s debut was featured on the cover of Guitar Magazine, his band, Living Colour, had just released Time’s Up, its second album, Time’s Up, and they had just accepted old friend, Perry Farrell’s (Jane’s Addiction) invitation to join his Inaugural Lollapalooza, Summer Tour.

— Lollapalooza (Summer 1991)

“Type”
b/ Living Colour Time’s Up (1990)
((audio))

— Living Colour’s Epic Launch

A Band Grows In Brooklyn …

[1991] — After a meteoric rise out of the Manhattan Underground, playing stadiums with his new friend Mick, and the rest of the Stones, Vernon and Living Colour were flying high, and landing back home, in New York City, did nothing to keep Living Colour on the ground.

• FLY ME TO THE MTV MOON

They were anxious to finish Time’s Up, their second album, the work already in progress, since before the release of Vivid, Living Colour’s debut masterpiece.

— OriginalNoise.Org

Back In Black
Many, especially critics and industry professionals, argued that Living Colour’s third record, Stain marked another exploratory change in a band, from the beginning, known for playing on the edge of its own making.

[1976] — “Funkanova”

• Wood Brass & Steel

• Studio 54

— OriginalNoise.Org

Wood Brass & Steel, a dance/funk band (Hartford, Connecticut) was signed with Turbo Records, one of a number of such small record “businesses” under the control of Joe Robinson and his wife, Sylvia. The Robinsons tapped Wood Brass & Steel’s rhythm section to serve as the house band for the Robinsons’ new label the called Sugar Hill Records.

• Hip Hop Happens / Sugar Hill Records

meanwhile:downtown

[1980] — Vernon Reid.

As a member of Ronald Shannon Jackson and The Decoding Society, and also, later, playing and recording with DEFUNKT, and EYE & I, popular bands in the dark, underground of downtown Manhattan. While above ground, and Uptown in The Bronx and Harlem, B-Boys (DJs, MCs, Graffiti Writers, and Break Dancers were plugging into parks and abandoned buildings, and were , and using the power to MC parties behind the unlocked, chain-link fence.

— OriginalNoise.Org

Unerground, Ronald Shannon Jackson, The Knitting Factory, Defunkt, Eye & I, Screaming Headless Torsos, Graffiti Cemetery, and reaching up to the Hip Hop (above ground) urban world. Harlem World, The Original Sugar Hill Rhythm Section. Sugar Hill Records House Band.

Vernon’s earned an early reputation as one of the young, hot-shit guitar players in the Avant-Funk/Outside-Jazz scene, one could see way DOWNTOWN, on the Island of Manhattan. It was there and then Vernon was inspired to step out on his own and form a number of bands, all of which he called Living Colour.

• Bad Brains

• CBGB

CBGB (movie)

• Basquiat

• Andy Warhol

• WildStyle

• Beat Street

• The Roxy

— photograph b/ dave. (OriginalNoise.Org)

Learning to skate (cross over) Step to the beat, don’t snuffle. The Roxy (Roller Rink by Day) Niip Hop nightclub. Bernard Fowler, Beat Street Preacher.

• Six Degrees Of Separation

• Paradise Garage

Paradise Garage (doc.) Video

• David Mancuso / The Loft

• Flashdance B-Boy scene

Malcolm X

• Malcolm X d/ Spike Lee

“The Message”

b/ Melle Mel (Not) Grandmaster Flash

“White Lines (Don’t Don’t Do It)“

b/ Melle Mel & The Furious Five (1983)

“White Lines” (video) w/ Spike Lee, Lawrence Fishburne

A warning of the dangers of cocaine.

Melle Mel One of his signature tracks.

Sugar Hill house band (

f/ Doug Wimbish

covering “Cavern”

by Liquid Liquid (New York City)

“No Sell Out” b/ Keith Leblanc (Malcolm X)

Malcolm X speeches cut to Keith, the drummer’s beats. (1984)

vs. Sugar Hill Records

w/ Betty Shabazz (Malcolm’s widow) “The Queen”

vs. Joe & Sylvia Robinson (Federal Court)

Newark, New Jersey

Across the George Washington Bridge (GW)

“I Was Afraid Of Malcolm” b/ Garland Jeffreys

• Do the Right Thing (1985)

• After Hours (1985)

6 “Up On The Roof” b/ The Drifters

— Up On The Roof

There could not have been a more appropriate place (location) for Vernon Reid and Living Colour to stand for their first (Epic Records) promotional photograph. Up On The Roof of a building in their Brooklyn (NYC) neighborhood.

“Cult Of Personality”

b/ Living Colour Vivid (1988)

Lollapalooza — Hot Fun In The Summertime. Vernon was looking forward to playing his friend Perry Farrell’s Inaugural Lollapalooza Festival Tour, later that Summer of 1991.

Before sitting down for a lengthy “Guitar” magazine interview, Vernon sat for his cover shoot. Always serious, socially conscious, unquestionably honest, and artistically aware, Vernon took interest in the Living Colour picture Guitar Magazine was painting. The image it would place on its most valuable, visual real estate.

In what he had control over, all the while consulting with the talented photographer, it was decided that Vernon be holding his “Malcolm X” bright pink Hammer(?), with Malcolm’s face, and the words that introduced Living Colour to the MTV World, written in marker, covering the body of the guitar.

“During the few moments we have left …”

[1993] — After Muzz Skillings quit the band in the middle of its first World Tour (1992), between Europe and South America, Vernon’s old, downtown NYC friend, the already legendary bassist Doug Wimbish joined Living Colour on its high-flying adventure.

“Banned In D.C.” b/ Bad Brains (1993)

The Bad Brains Prophecy — Vernon Reid and Living Colour were touring with their friends, Bad Brains, Washington D.C.’s pioneering, African American, Hardcore Punk band, when he unexpectedly (at least to the rest of the band), decided to bring Living Colour’s first voyage to an abrupt end.

— Living Colour (1993)

— The End Of The Beginning

Before we embark on the next voyage into the future, let’s look back.

6 “Love & Happiness” b/ Livng Colour Biscuits (Japan)

— The End Of The Beginning

Before we embark on the next voyage into the future, let’s look back.

• “Dangerous Sex” (video)

• Paradise Garage

• After Hours (movie)

— Little Annie Bandez

Little Annie, a downtown NYC chanteuse, and friend of the Original Sugar Hill Rhythm Section. Downtown neighbors.

• Little Annie Bandez

• “Strange Love” (Levi’s video)

• Max’s Kansas City (nightclub)

• Frank Zappa (“About Annie”)

• The Dakota

• John & Yoko

• Double Fantasy

• Bernard / Earl Slick (“Fame”)

• The Wonderful World Of Living Colour
• Pt.1 — a vivid beginning
• Pt.2 — post-apocalyptic reunion
• Pt.3 — back in the USSR
• “who shot ya?”
• SHADE (Sept. 9, 2017)

• Pt.5 — see the light

• “Imagine / Two Sides”

Living Colour broke up in 1995 but reformed in 2000. Since then, they have released three more albums: Collideøscope in October 2003 on Sanctuary Records, The Chair in the Doorway in September 2009, and Shade in September 2017 on Megaforce Records.

In addition to his work with Living Colour, Reid has been engaged in a number of other projects. He released Mistaken Identity, his first solo album, in 1996 and has collaborated with the choreographers Bill T. Jones on Still/Here and Donald Byrd on Jazztrain. He performed “Party ‘Til The End of Time” at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) with The Roots, an end of the 2000 millennium tribute featuring the music of Prince’s album 1999. He also composed and performed “Bring Your Beats” a children’s program for BAM.

Reid has also undertaken significant work as a record producer, including two Grammy-nominated albums: Papa (1999) by the African vocalist

Salif Keita

James Blood Ulmer

Memphis Blood: The Sun Sessions (2001) by guitarist . Ulmer’s subsequent albums,

No Escape from the Blues: The Electric Lady Sessions (2003),

Birthright (2005), and

Bad Blood in the City: The Piety Street Sessions (2007), were also produced by Reid.

Guitar Oblique (Knitting Factory)

w/ David Torn / Elliott Sharp.

Reid was also featured in the program presented by BAM and the Experience Music Project in Seattle entitled “Magic Science”, which includes

Medeski Martin & Wood and the

Gil Evans Orchestra performing Gil Evans’ arrangements of songs by Jimi Hendrix.

Reid composed the score for the film

Paid in Full, directed by Charles Stone III (well known for creating the “Wasssup!” series of commercials for Budweiser as well as directing three videos for Living Colour) and released by Miramax in the fall of 2002. Reid also composed the score for the celebrated documentary Ghosts of Attica (directed by Brad Lichtenstein), which aired on Court TV in the fall of 2001 and has been featured at several film festivals. He composed the score for another documentary directed by Lichtenstein, Almost Home, which aired in 2006 on the PBS series Independent Lens.

Reid and DJ Logic, calling themselves “Yohimbe Brothers”, released an album in September 2002 entitled Front End Lifter. The Yohimbe Brothers have been touring on and off since the release of the album. Reid was also the music supervisor for the film Mr. 3000, starring Bernie Mac and directed by Charles Stone III; the film was released in September 2004. Vernon’s album with Masque (Leon Gruenbaum – keyboards & Samchillian, Hank Schroy – bass and Marlon Browden – drums), an instrumental album entitled Known Unknown, was released in April 2004, and on 18 April 2006 Vernon Reid and Masque released Other True Self, both on Favored Nations records, owned by another guitarist, Steve Vai.

Reid has a prolific session output in a variety of contexts. He has played live or on record with

The Roots,

Eye & I,

Ambitious Lovers,

Spearhead,

Ronald Shannon Jackson,

Meridiem,

Black Sugar Transmission

(Reid solos on the title track of 2009’s USE IT EP) and

DJ Spooky.

1999/2000

America’s Millennium Gala,

New Year’s Eve 2000

Lincoln Memorial, performing

“Fortunate Son” w/John Fogerty. Among those in the audience were

President Bill Clinton and

First Lady Hillary Clinton.

In March 2007, Reid played with Jamaaladeen Tacuma, and G. Calvin Weston at Tonic in New York and Tritone in Philadelphia, which led them to record as

Free Form Funky Freqs

Urban Mythology Volume 1.

European Tour November.

In July 2008 Vernon Reid assembled a one-off solo band for his appearance at the

G-TARanaki Guitar Festival

in Taranaki, New Zealand,

with keyboard player Jonathan Crayford, bassist Crete Haami and drummer Magesh Magesh.

At the Puke Ariki “Midnight Session” concert, Vernon performed an all-star jam with

Uli Jon Roth,

Gilby Clarke and

Alex Skolnick.

In 2008 Reid also played a series of Blue Note Club tribute concerts to the Tony Williams Lifetime in Japan with

Jack Bruce,

Cindy Blackman and

John Medeski.

In June 2012 the collaboration released a self-titled album

Spectrum Road Palmetto.

Accompanied by a series of dates at large jazz festivals in North America and Europe throughout June and July.

In 2018, Reid signed with Mascot Label Group. He has an album slated for release in 2019.

“An Underground Railroad Of The Mind”

In 2017, Reid debuted his semi-monthly broadcast on the streaming radio station Home. His show, titled “An Underground Railroad of the Mind,” features Reid playing vinyl records from his record collection.

Reid resides in Staten Island with his wife Gabri Christa, a choreographer and filmmaker, and their daughter Idea (born June 30, 2003).

influences.

Eddie Van Halen, and

During the early years of Living Colour, Reid used a multi-colored ESP Mirage with EMG pickups, and he was an endorser of the A/DA MP-1 preamp. In later years, Reid has used custom Hamer guitars, and started a relationship with Parker Guitars, who built the DF824VR Vernon Reid signature model based on their Dragonfly design. it has EMG-X pickups in a H SS layout with 5-way switching system, a Floyd Rose vibrato (a first for Parker), and a Roland GK divided pickup. In 2016, he switched to PRS and was working on a signature model with them.^{[citation needed]}^[15] The result is the PRS S2 VR Vela.