@caption:Reggae star Pato Banton performs at The Edge on Wednesday, Sept. 3.
Pato Banton is a man with many reasons to be happy, and the title of his latest record, "Stay Positive," reflects that. Over his lengthy musical career, Banton has changed from a ragamuffin MC, igniting clubs in his native England, to a rappin', reggae-pop star who plays to sold-out crowds worldwide. Recently, his "Baby Come Back," a duet with Robin and Ali Campbell of UB40, spent four weeks on top of the U.K. charts, and his remake of the Police's "Spirits in the Material World" was featured in the second "Ace Ventura" film.
But his new album is more than just a joy ride through phat beats and kicking rhymes. In "Stay Positive," Banton addresses many social and political issues, from black-on-black crime in the ghetto in "Gotta Be a Change" to a call for peace in "Rwanda."
"We're living in a world where there are a lot of negative things going on, and enough reasons for people to be down," Banton said in a statement. "With this record, we touch on subjects like living as one, we touch on subjects based on spirituality, we touch on the troubles of the world, but at the end of the day, the only ally is our own life, and then once that change is made, then we can go out and make some contributions to the world around us."
Your chance to "Stay Positive" is on Wednesday, Sept. 3, when Banton performs at The Edge, 260 California Ave., Palo Alto. Dub Nation opens, and the music starts at 9 p.m. Tickets are $9 in advance. For more information, call 324-EDGE.
@caption:Pete Escovedo performs in the Jazz at Filoli series on Sunday, Sept. 7. Percussion Pete
Complimentary beer, wine, nonalcoholic beverages and snacks will be served at the Jazz at Filoli show on Sunday, Sept. 7. Still, you'd better be ready to finish up your food and drink when Latin jazz master Pete Escovedo and his orchestra take the stage. You don't want anything getting in the way of the boogie when this native San Franciscan and his band kick it into gear.
Escovedo has earned accolades over the years for his work with Azteca, Carlos Santana, Herbie Hancock, Tito Puente, George Duke, Boz Scaggs and Anita Baker, among others. Puente has praised Escovedo as "one of today's finest percussionists." And remember, Puente himself is no slouch in the percussion department.
The concert starts at 1:30 p.m. at Filoli Mansion, Canada Road, Woodside. Doors open at noon so that folks will have time to stroll the picturesque gardens. Box lunches are available. Tickets for the performance are $30. For more information, call 364-8300.
Tercera Gallery, 534 Ramona St., Palo Alto, and the Palo Alto Cultural Center, 1313 Newell Road, Palo Alto, join more than 40 other galleries nationwide in naming September "A Month for CERF." "A Month for CERF" is a fund-raising and "friend-raising" event to benefit the Craft Emergency Relief Fund (CERF), a national organization that provides assistance to professional craftspeople who have suffered emergencies such as fire, theft, natural disaster and illness. To celebrate "A Month for CERF," the Cultural Center's Gallery Shop and Tercera Gallery will donate 1 percent of all September sales to CERF. People can also stop by the Gallery Shop and Tercera Gallery to see original work.
The 34th Annual Kings Mountain Art Fair, a juried multimedia show restricted to 125 artists, takes place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday through Monday, Aug. 30 to Sept. 1. The event takes place at Kings Mountain Community Center (fire station), 13889 Skyline Blvd., Woodside. Admission is free. For more information, call 851-2710.
Who's Monty
Despite its name and the fact that it features men acting silly, "The Full Monty"--which opens today, Aug. 29 at the Palo Alto Square--bears no relation to Monty Python. Not even a distant cousin.
Far more contemporary in scope, "The Full Monty"--translation: totally nude--tackles issues like unemployment, the fragility of the male ego and love found in the gritty urban sprawl of a northern English town. Even amid abandoned warehouses, Victorian red-brick housing and not-exactly-Queen's English, the movie has an uplifting and wickedly funny take on post-Thatcher working class England.
Set in Sheffield, England, the steel manufacturing capital of Britain, "The Full Monty" bares more than a few souls as it follows a group of laid-off factory workers in their attempts to get off the dole and on the job.
The solution: The rhythmless misfits band together to choreograph a strip show for the local pub. The outcome: pure fun. See our movie listings for more information and show times.
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