NEWS: Aloe Blacc Back In Auckland & Wellington

Following his recent sell-out show in Auckland, Aloe Blacc returns to New Zealand to play the SFBH in Wellington on the 17 February and Auckland's Studio on 18 February.

Demand for his last NZ show was so high, Aloe Blacc simply could not ignore calls for more Kiwi dates. With rave reviews from local media for his last performance, "Blacc oozes charisma and has a remarkable stage presence" (Jeff Neems, stuff.co.nz), the American Soul sensation is set to be a sell-out all over again.

Aloe’s 2010 worldwide hits, ‘I Need A Dollar’ (commissioned as the theme tune for HBO series How To Make It In America) and ‘Femme Fatale’ (The Velvet Underground cover), are merely the tip of a very large iceberg: Aloe Blacc  is fast becoming the spearhead of modern, 21st century soul.

The first-generation American offspring of Panamanian parents, Aloe Blacc has become what writer/activist Amiri Baraka once said of John Coltrane: he is a singular “scope of feeling...” who has found cohesion in art and life.  In the tradition of some of yesteryear’s greatest of soul greats, Aloe Blacc’s goal is to affect change by way of his own success.

"My purpose for music is positive social change," says Aloe. "Even if the music itself does not explicitly express anything that may signify positive social change, the product of the music will."

The stunning new album Good Things marks a shift from his 2006 debut Shine Through: the 30-year-old Aloe has transformed the inner streams of consciousness he possessed as an MC early in his career, into more disciplined, mature perspectives. Good Things resonates with the sounds and emotions of vintage soul music, but the album is Aloe’s definitive declaration of contemporary soul and the modern world.

A record full of heart despite its sobering subject matter, Aloe refers to Good Things as a report from the front lines, where many struggle to survive:  unemployment, homelessness, the misappropriation of wealth, pillaging of resources, and the universal lack of compassion from capitalism at-large.  It is, most certainly, a modern classic in waiting…

Tour Details

• Thursday 17th February 2011 at SFBH, Wellington (Support from Mu, Onstage 10pm sharp)
• Friday 18th February at Studio, Auckland (Support from Stinky Jim, Onstage 10PM sharp)

Tickets on sale from 9AM 2 February, 2011 from undertheradar.co.nz