Sly Stone News

February is Black History Month, the mere existence of which is a reminder that white people have spent a majority of America's existence being total dicks.

Nikka Costa plays at the intimate Red Devil Lounge on Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 11-12. 8 p.m., $25. Well before British divas Adele and the late Amy Winehouse scored critical and commercial success for their takes on retro R&B, fiery American soul siren Nikka Costa had already blazed her own distinctive trail through vintage sounds.

The Meters defined New Orleans funk, not only on their own recordings, but also as the backing band for numerous artists, including many produced by Allen Toussaint.

The Psychotronic Film Festival continues Jan. 26 with the Georgia premiere of the documentary "Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone." It tells the story of the much-acclaimed, under-the-radar ska-punk band from California, say co-directors Chris Metzler and Lev Anderson.

Chris M. Slawecki has been published in music industry and related publications for more than thirty years and has served AllAboutJazz.com as Senior Editor since 1997.

John Oates is known for his finely-crafted chart-toppers with Philly soul duo Hall & Oates, but he spent all of last week in a much different capacity on Jam Cruise as one of the ship's honored Artists at Large.