S.O.S. Band Brings the Funk to August Wilson Ctr.; The Devil Wears Prada at Mr. Smalls (Fri., 12/14/18)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXo_CH1gqkg

1) The S.O.S. Band got many a party jamming in 1980 with the song “Take Your Time (Do It Right) (Part 1).” The funky beat of the band combined with the strong vocals of lead singer Mary Davis on the tune to give the Atlanta born group its first big hit. “Do It Right” rose to No.1 on the Billboard R&B chart and No. 3 on the Hot 100 chart that year. S.O.S. went on to score more top dance hits with the songs “Just be Good to Me” and “The Finest.” Now they are visiting Pittsburgh as part of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s We Want the Funk Festival with Con Funk Shun and Brick.

“Sometimes heart strings can be broken, but you just have to keep on goin’” is a line from the hit emotional slow-jammer “Love’s Train” by Con Funk Shun. The group started out as a high school band in Vallejo, California, and was initially on Stax Records before signing with Mercury Records in 1976. That’s when their true success began. Con Funk Shun went on to have 11 albums that topped the Billboard charts and spawned numerous hit singles. Those hits include “Straight from the Heart,” “Got To Be Enough,” and “Ffun.” They disbanded in 1986, but the group now tours with three of the original members. Brick, like S.O.S. Band, rose out of the city of Atlanta and had a big hit with “Dazz,” which reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart in 1976.  S.O.S. Band will play Friday night. Brick will open for Con Funk Shun on Saturday night. There’s a Friday night after party with DJs Nick Nice and Nate Da Phat Barber facing-off in an old school DJ battle. Before the Saturday night concert there is a screening of the documentary “Finding the Funk” by Dr. Scot Brown. These weekend concerts should heat up the month. 8 p.m., Friday; 7:30 p.m., Saturday. August Wilson Center, 980 Liberty Ave., Cultural District. (RH)

2) Representing a few areas of culture we don’t often see converge, The Devil Wears Prada is a Christian melodic metalcore band named after a chick-lit novel. They’ve worked hard to earn the respect of the metalcore world. (With their name and religiosity, they had to.) The Dayton, Ohio-based musicians are on their With Roots Above & Branches Below 10 Year Anniversary Tour. “Sailor’s Prayer” is a good example of their music. Opening is Fit for a King, and ‘68. 8 p.m. Mr. Smalls Theatre, 400 Lincoln Ave., Millvale. (EC, RH)

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