MaCCNO Program Coordinator Hannah Kreiger-Benson recently sat down with MaCCNO Board members “Big Sam” Williams (bandleader, Big Sam’s Funky Nation) and Nate “Suave” Cameron, Jr. (tour manager, Tank and the Bangas and President, GLBL WRMNG Records) to discuss the state of the local music industry. Read the full article at the link below.
M.J.’s Brass Bopper’s Second Line Project brings music and culture of New Orleans to Oakland (East Bay Times)(March 2018)
By: Jane Tyska
OAKLAND — Parasols twirled to the beat, brass band sounds filled the air and rim shots were heard instead of gunshots in East Oakland.
The Oakland Second Line Project made its debut last week at Arroyo Viejo Park to the delight of a diverse crowd of nearly a hundred, many who decorated their own umbrellas for the parade.
The Second Line Project was co-founded by M.J.’s Brass Bopper’s bass drummer Nate “Suave” Cameron Jr. and snare drummer Michael “M.J.” Jones, and aims to bring the music and cultural heritage of New Orleans to black and brown neighborhoods in the East Bay through free performances.
Read full article at link below.
A Second Line parade brings out the Big Easy in East Oakland (KALW, San Francisco)(Sept. 2018)
By: Jenee Darden
When I arrive at Arroyo Viejo Park in East Oakland, the neighborhood looks more like the French Quarter in New Orleans. Sounds from the band MJ’s Brass Boppers fill the streets. People are dancing, holding gold-trimmed parasols in their hands and wearing Mardi Gras beads around their necks. Residents are on their porches, waving to us as we pass by.
I grew up a few miles away from this East Oakland park, but this is the first time I’m parading in a “Second Line” celebration. It’s a parade of dance and live music that’s more common in New Orleans than in Oakland, but an organization called the Oakland Second Line Project just may change that.
Read full article at link below.