Secret B-Sides are celebrating the release of a new album, Welcome to Soul City, which successfully contributes another forty-five minutes to the world’s supply of “solid gold baby making music”. Known in Western North Carolina as a top Soul band, the Secret B-Sides remain a secret to most of the globe.
With the release of albums like Welcome to Soul City, Easy Magic, Flowers & Chocolate, and Live on the Mothership (not to mention, lost EPisodes) the B-Sides provide musical escape pods for a selective constellation of listeners; some folks appreciate the occasional psychedelic jaunt through vast regions of space-time. B-Sides albums also feature sincerely sexy slow-jams, thoughtful brass and woodwind arrangements, as well as articulated rap verses from some of the region’s best eMCees: Agent 23 (AKA Secret Agent 23 Skidoo), Preach Jacobs, Chach (AKA Chachillie), and Red!nk.
Presented as a stripped-down quartet–drums, bass, keys, and guitar, with three-part vocal harmonies–or accompanied by any number of guest collaborators, this band is here on the planet, ready to help the people of Earth get together, feel a little sexy, and have some good, clean fun. (Despite rumors to the contrary, the B-Sides are still, in fact, all about flying saucers, dinosaurs, and love.)
Since conception, the Secret B-Sides have opened in direct support for Lee Fields & the Expressions, Soulive, +he Foreign Exchange, Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, SPAM Allstars, Talib Kweli, Dead Prez, Dwele, and many more, including a very special performance as the backing band for Gift of Gab, from Blackalicious.