Cole Williams
New York City, New York, United States | INDIE
Music
Press
It was a drizzly, gray, and really quite dreary day today… But regardless of the weather I was pretty excited because it was the Museum Mile Festival, which meant free access to all 9 museums lining the east side of Central Park.
As we were strolling down 5th ave I could’ve sworn that I heard Janelle Monaé playing from a block away. As we curiously drew nearer I could see a crowd amassed in front of a group of about 8 musicians, with instruments ranging from trombones to drums.
I stood soaking in the rain until the end of the performance and forgot that I was even there to tour the famous Solomon R. Guggenheim Museuma.
The guys I saw just a few hours ago are called People’s Champs and least to say I was incredibly blown away, which is why they get this verbose and rambling post dedicated to them.
These guys are talented, unique, and still relatively small. But give them 5 minutes of your time for a quick listen and I guarantee it’ll brighten up your day.
And if you’re really diggin it, go to their website and grab their newly released EP. Cheers. - The Collab Projekt
After the Hycide Magazine Launch party, I had some time to network at a local restaurant with some of the folks from the event, but time somehow got away from me and I had only an hour to get from Newark to the Lower East Side to check out my friend Cole Williams and her band (That's My Cole) at Rockwood Music Hall. Three trains and one crazy cab ride later, I was able to catch the last half of Cole's jam-packed set.
I gotta tell yall, I've been having the darndest (yes I use this word) time trying to classify Cole's sound. When I have a hard time pigeon holing an artist, I usually say, "If so-and-so and so-and-so were to have a baby...", but I can't even do this when I try to explain Cole's music. She would probably like the fact that I can't describe her or her music. I can say however, that she has that "soulful" quality to her voice that makes you sit up and listen. And if I was forced at gunpoint to describe her style, then I would say, it was an incredible mix of reggae, funk, ska and soul (sorry gurl lol). What I loved about this crowd at Rockwood's was that it wasn't the usual cadre of fellow musicians and diehard friends who follow the artist from gig to gig. Instead, this energetic and supportive audience was comprised of new fans who were thoroughly enthralled with Cole, her voice and of course her amazingly crafted outfit for the evening.
Keep your eyes and ears open people. Cole's new EP is soon to be released (hopefully this month) and I can't wait! I've heard some of the tracks, still in production and what I am hearing is pure creativity, heart & soul. Here's a sneak peek track from this upcoming sophomore project Out of the Basement, called Good Thing. - The Katalist
Discography
The Basement Sessions EP (1st album)
Paris to Brooklyn Compilation (Lead Vox)
Dope And Hope Compilation (Lead Vox)
People's Champs EP (Lead Vox)
Diane Birch (Backing Vox)
Salme Dahsltrom "C'Mon Ya'll"(Featured Vox)
Soul 'N R&B Magazine Compilation (Lead Vox)
Photos
Bio
Had it not been for that psychology course she took her first semester in college, Cole Antoinette Williams could easily have been filling her days as a therapist instead of working on her new project, Out of the Basement (out June 2011). After hearing said project, chances are you will be sending Professor Whatshisname a thank you note. Clearly, Williams has found her calling. Having been immersed in music since the wizened old age of 4 – when she learned to play the piano (she was 6 when she began singing) – Williams tried going the traditional route by enrolling in college and contemplating a career in social services. On that fateful day, however, as she sat, staring out the window and letting the words of her professor wash over her in ignorant bliss, she realized that she was paying to learn about something that she just simply didn’t find interesting. Music. Singing. Creating. Now, those she found interesting. Logic won out and she dropped those psych classes after that semester.
Working on her own material, she drew inspiration from some of her favorite artists, such as Donny Hathaway (“I have an affection for the space he was in while creating and making music. You listen to him and feel everything he was going through [while making a particular song] and you believe it!”), Lauryn Hill (“She has a great dynamic of raw emotion and polished vocals.”), Stevie Wonder, The Jackson 5, Sam Cooke, Bob Marley and The Beatles. “I think I find the positive pieces of each artist I look up to and aspire to the vision and clarity in which they work; but I also examine the negative aspects of the industry in their life and put myself in their shoes... how, if possible, can I do it differently.”
Raised in the East Flatbush (aka the Little West Indies) section of Brooklyn, as the only child of a Jamaican mother and Bed Stuy-native father, Cole Williams was immediately inducted into a melting pot of food, music and attitudes. The neighborhood was rough, but the influences remained. Combine those with the records Cole listened to every Sunday in the family’s living room – Richard Smallwood, Andre Crouch, Yolanda Adams, Bob Marley, the Mighty Sparrow, the Jackson 5, Motown, Dancehall Reggae – and you get an eclectic mix of genres that continued to dance around in her head. She has spent a lifetime learning, admiring, making music.
Now, a run-down of the facts: In 2005, Williams released her first EP, The Basement Sessions EP. One of the singles “Anything,” was also released on two compilation CDs: Paris to Brooklyn and France’s Soul R&B Magazine (alongside Kanye West and R. Kelly). In 2006, she earned a Swedish Grammy nomination for Best Live Performance (with Glenn Wish and The New Memphis Orchestra. Then, in 2009, Williams served as the voice of Suave Professionals Shampoo for their “C’mon Ya’ll” jingle as well as CoverGirl's Shadow Blast Campaign in 2011. Interspersed throughout all of this came gigs with Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam, Kaissa, Somi, Noel Gourdin, Big Brooklyn Red, Dana Fuchs, Honey LaRochelle Maya Azucena and Brother Joscephus and The Love Revolution Orchestra; recording back ground vocals for Melinda Doolittle, Diane Birch and Joss Stone; writing/producing jingles for a whole slew of companies, including Salme Dahlstrom and Hidden Tiger Music, among many others. Additionally, she performed background vocals on The Today Show, The Conan O’Brien Show, The Craig Ferguson Show, 90210 and the UK’s The Jools Holland Show alongside S-Curve recording artist Little Jackie.
While putting the finishing touches on her sophomore project Out of the Basement, Williams is currently performing with two bands: That’sMyCole (soul/reggae/alternative) and People’s Champs (an afro beat/rock/soul hybrid).
Links
