I just realized a few days ago that Faith was the first black rock band I ever saw live. Back then, Felice Rosser led a quartet. Rene Akan handled guitar duties and there was a woman named Diana on keyboards. I also remember that they almost got signed to Columbia through Spike Lee's label, 40 Acres & A Mule Musicworks. The story I'd heard was that Columbia punked out and refused to let Spike go through with it. One of the many examples of perfectly smart people losing their minds and forgetting everything they know about marketing as soon as black people are involved.
Anyway, Felice has persevered over the years, gigging, building an audience, releasing albums. She is, in fact, keeping the faith.
I've always loved Felice's voice and the fact that her songs tell great stories. But don't believe me: Check out Faith in its current incarnation, the trio pictured above of Felice, Nao Hakamada (l) on guitar and Billy Ficca on drums.
Local 269
269 East Houston at Suffolk Street
Time: 8pm
Cost: $10
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