The Young Disciples - Road To Freedom

The Young Disciples were a British/American Acid Jazz band formed in London in 1990 by Carleen Anderson (Vocals and keyboards), Marc Nelson (Bass, guitar and organ) and Femi Williams (Percussion and programming). Their most famous his was the single Apparently Nothin' (Talkin' Loud, 1991), and helped launch Anderson's solo career when the band split.

The group formed in July 1990 after the American Anderson and her young son relocated to London and met with Nelson. They signed to Talkin' Loud records and released their first single Get Yourself Together (Talkin' Loud, 1990). This was followed by Apparently Nothin' , which became a top twenty hit for the group and brought them to national attention. An album quickly followed, Road to Freedom (Talkin' Loud, 1991) and prompted their record company to quickly cash in on the success of their single by releasing a remixed version Apparently Nothin' (Talkin' Loud, 1992).

The group were part of the burgeoning Acid Jazz scene, and also maintained links with the British hip hop scene, with many up and coming rappers of the day recording with them - MC Mell'O', Outlaw Posse and Masta Ace all guested on tracks over their career. The group also remixed tracks for other artists, although in reality this was usually either Nelson or Williams or both.

Anderson left the group in 1992, using the success of Apparently Nothin' to earn herself a solo recording contract with the larger Virgin record company. Following this, the group disbanded, although the name was still used for remix production for many years. Nelson and Williams continued to work behind the scenes in the music industry.

01. Get Yourself Together (Pt 1 And Pt 2)
02. Apparently Nothin (Soul River)
03. Funky Yeh Funki (Mek It)
04. Talkin What I Feel
05. All I Have
06. Move On
07. As We Come (To Be)
08. Step Right On
09. Freedom Suite
10. Young Disciples Theme

Young Disciples Myspace Page

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The Brand New Heavies (1999) - Saturday Nite

The Brand New Heavies - Never Stop

K-Creative - Q.E.D. (Question Everything Done)

Throughout the years, Ski Oakenfull has made a lot of impact in the acid jazz world. He first emerged on the scene in 1991 as a part of K-Creative, one of the initial signings to the then newly established Talkin' Loud Records.

Ski Co-wrote & co-produced K-Creatives debut album 'QED (Question Everything Done)', combining positive hip hop lyrcis with the classic acid jazz sound. After the albums release, the band toured extensively throughout Europe and Japan.

K-Creative only made the one album, but Ski went on to work with acts such as Raw Stylus, Galliano, Incognito and more recently in 2 Banks of 4.

01. To be free (Brother John)
02. Remember where ya came from
03. Q.E.D. (Question everything done)
04. Hook, Line & Sinker
05. K-Spelz Knowledge
06. Summer Breeze
07. Three times a maybe
08. Tynebomb
09. The new tower of babel
10. Back to the real world
11. Give ya the elbow
12. To be free (silent blues mix)
13. Back to the real world (ambient mix)


Ski Oakenfulls Myspace Page

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Ronny Jordan - The Antidote

One of the acid jazz movement's most prominent guitarists, London-born Ronny Jordan is widely credited with returning the instrument to its rightful place as a major force in modern-day jazz; despite outcries from purists, few other artists of his era proved more pivotal in knocking down the long-immutable boundaries of contemporary black music.

The son of a preacher, Jordan's early musical history was rooted in gospel; his first public performances were with gospel groups, but the outbreak of Brit-funk during the early '80s led him to begin exploring other avenues of music, culminating in a fascination with jazz. A self-taught guitarist, his early influences included Charlie Christian, Wes Montgomery, and Grant Green, and when hip-hop began to take off, Jordan started exploring ways to fuse jazz and rap together.

Ronny signed his first record ideal with Universal Island in July 1991, and started work on his debut release, the Antidote. The rest as they say, is history. Ronny "crossed over" instantly with his first release, the first ever international jazz guitar pop chart hit, Miles Davis’s "So What" which was completed on the same night Miles Davis passed away."The Antidote" became a global smash not just because of "So What" - which became the definitive Acid Jazz tune - but also because of his signature tune "After Hours" - the first and most important smooth jazz guitar classic which introduced Ronny to the US market.

01. Get to Grips
02. Blues Grinder
03. After Hours (The Antidote)
04. See the New
05. So What
06. Show Me (Your Love)
07. Nite Spice
08. Summer Smile
09. Cool and Funky

Ronny Jordan's Website

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Black & Brown - Cool Affair

Black & Brown met in 1983 in a cellar in Bologna, Italy. Made up of Andrea Raffini and Picchio their idea was to create a cover band geared towards funk. Their repertoir consisted mostly of songs by their idol James Brown, the rest were songs by Wilson Pickett, AWB, etc. Their name grew from this combination: Black (the type of music) and Brown (their idol). Their lineup consisted of drums, bass, two guitars, voice and sax.

With a five year span between their first album (File Under Funk), Cool Affair was released in 2000. This album was recorded in their home studio, and, unlike their first album, was completely instrumental.

01. Gimme Some of That Stuff
02. Cool Affair
03. Song 4v
04. Still Under Funk
05. Trekking in Kalaw
06. Liquid Flies
07. Specially That One
08. Blue Train
09. Take This Mine
10. Surfing Wave - Balck & Brown
11. What Time in Tokyo
12. A Lick on Your Back
13. Hip-Not
14. Song 4v [Unity Sky Mix]

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Gilles Peterson Podcasts - Coming Soon

Gilles Peterson's bearing on popular culture cannot be overstated: his inexorable passion for untapped music - be it obscure jazz, global fusion, pioneering hip-hop, fiery Brazilliana or urban soul - has seen him rightly and universally deemed one of the most critical DJs and broadcasters in the world.

A former barrow boy, pirate radio pioneer, Talkin' Loud chief, and the man who spearheaded the UK house and acid-jazz scenes, Peterson's weekly BBC Radio 1 Worldwide show remains a critical touchstone for music lovers the globe over.

Gilles' fascination with, and championing of, Brazilian music and culture continues afoot with his new 'Back in Brazil' compilation - the follow-up to his vital 'In Brazil' release. To celebrate the launch of TrocaBrahma and his own ‘Back to Brazil’ compilation Gilles Peterson has created a series of six Brasilian podcasts, available throughout Summer 2006, exploring the culture and music of Brasil, downloadable from -> here <-.

Also, according to Gilles' blog, in a few weeks his website will be up and happening.

The idea is to create a space for my old and current radio shows to be available as pod casts. There'll be a bloggers section which will feature the likes of Karl Injex, Rainer Truby, DJ Debra and others.

Will keep you informed on when this goes live, in the meantime, you can check out Gilles most recent show at BBC.co.uk

Talkin Loud 1990 - 1994 Disc 2

There's been a fair amount of interest in this, so without further ado, here's disc 2...

Disc 2:

01 Music - Omar
02 Who Chooses The Seasons - Omar feat. Carleen Anderson
03 Still A Friend Of Mine - Incognito
04 Colibri - Incognito
05 Back To The Real World - The K-Creative
06 The New Tower Of Babel - The K-Creative
07 Hide & Seek - Urban Species
08 Brother - Urban Species
09 Long Time Gone - Galliano
10 All About Eve - Marxman
11 Listen - Urban Species
12 Keep The Fires Burning - Incognito

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Brooklyn Funk Essentials - In the Buzz Bag

Acid-jazz collective Brooklyn Funk Essentials was first conceived in 1993 by producer Arthur Baker and bassist/musical director Lati Kronlund; by the following year, the group was a staple of the New York City club scene, with early lineups also including singers Joi Cardwell, Sha-Key, and Papa Dee, poets Everton Sylvester and David Allen, DJ Jazzy Nice, keyboardist Yuka Honda, (soon to co-found Cibo Matto), trumpeter Bob Brachmann, trombonist Joshua Roseman, saxophonist Paul Shapiro, drummer Yancy Drew, and percussionist E.J. Rodriguez. Brooklyn Funk Essentials' debut album Cool and Steady and Easy followed in the summer of 1994, scoring an underground hit with its rendition of Pharoah Sanders' "The Creator Has a Master Plan"; when Caldwell exited to mount a solo career, she was replaced by vocalist Stephanie McKay. In the Buzz Bag followed in 1998, and two years later, the group returned with Make 'Em Like It.

This is an unusual offering for the New York funk/jazz/hip hop outfit, recorded in Istanbul in consortium with local combo Laco Tayfa. Already adept at fusing funk, reggae, Latin, and jazz in their mix, Funk Essentials here add Turkish rhythms and instruments like the kanun, oud, zuma, and clarinet, usually just for color in the dance groove. When things work, as on the title track, it's a highly successful marriage, but at times it is a little forced. The material strays to a couple of sappy "urban contemporary" ballads, but luckily Buzz Bag is generally upbeat, and the band's inherent musicality, humor, and intelligence keep things afloat. The most interesting tracks are the ones that carry the most Turkish influence, but generally this is less a World Summit than a Nu Kultural Flava.

01. By And Bye
02. Istanbul Twilight
03. Magick Karpet Ride
04. In The BuzzBag
05. Keep It Together
06. Selling Out
07. Ska Ka-Bop
08. You Don't Know Nothing
09. Freeway To Uskudar
10. Zuma Preserve

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Beggar & Co. - (Somebody) Help Me Out

Beggar & Co.(Light Of The World) doing "(Somebody) Help Me Out" on Top Of The Pops in 1981.

Beggar & Co was formed by founder Light Of The World members Kenny Wellington, Breeze McKrieth and David Baptiste. After recording the seminal Light Of The World album 'Round Trip' various members of Light Of The World began a series of other projects. Other key LOTW members Jean Paul Maunick, Paul Williams had already begun the first of many recordings by the now internationally acclaimed Incognito.

Now returning as Beggar and Co and about to kick the Britfunk scene into the present with an all new album featuring guests from the past as well as shows to herald their return.

Skunkhour - Skunkhour

Sydney band Skunkhour started out as an urban funk band fronted by a rapper. From there, the band incorporated all manner of styles and fusion elements into its frantic, rhythmic, groove-based attack.

The Larkin brothers Del and Aya had a background in ska bands. Guitarist Warwick Scott was influenced by funk and rock. The Sutherland brothers rhythm team played rock and jazz. Common influences for all musicians were reggae, 1970s funk (James Brown, Funkadelic) and hip hop. They joined together to become Skunk, and later, Skunkhour, named after the poem by Robert Lowell.

"The first show (as Skunk - Dean, Michael, Warwick) was at what is now The Underground (formerly the Tom Tom Club, Kings Cross). Del and I were both in the audience, just independent of one another, and we bumped into one another and went, 'these guys are fucking awesome'. Brilliant, you know... it sounded just like our Sly Stone records. We were like, 'this is good', and then in a few weeks we joined the band" -- Aya.

Over the course of 18 months, the band became a popular live attraction on the Sydney scene. Skunkhour was amongst a clutch of new bands exploring diverse musical avenues on the traditional Australian pub-rock circuit during the early 1990s: Juice's hard funk, Swoop's soulful funk grooves, Def FX's techno-metal, d.i.g.'s acid-jazz and Caligula's techno-pop.

In early 1993, Skunkhour supported UK acid-jazz outfit Galliano on an Australian tour, and then issued their debut, self-titled album.

01 Echidna (One)
02 Pullatickin
03 A Cow And A Pig
04 Horse
05 Bootyfull
06 Echidna (Two) / Smuckin
07 Back To Basics
08 The Sheep Of Sam Clams Disco
09 Free man
10 Echidna (Three)
11 Do You Like It

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Wagon Cooking - Mar

Talkin' Loud 1990-1994

Impressive double-CD retrospective collection from Gilles Peterson's Talkin Loud label. Covering the label's heyday, this 24-track compilation features work from the artists that established the label as one of Britain's brightest during the optimistic post-acid house boom of the early 1990s.

Omar, Incognito, Galliano, Urban Species, Marxman, The K-Creative and The Young Disciples all carried the torch for a sound that mixed in equal parts soul, jazz and dancefloor sensibility, reflecting a nationwide desire to dance, but Talkin Loud was a centre-point for a lot of people who wanted to capture that E-fuelled energy, but weren't so keen on the obsessive 4/4 beat-driven culture that was happening around them.

This music was cool (man) and had considerably more substance and soul than the driving piano tunes and hardcore breaks that ruled the roost, and as a result it sounds a lot less dated than much of the music that came out during the early 1990s. The Young Disciples in particular still sound as fresh as they did back in 1991 when their self-titled debut LP hit the shelves.
Although many would argue that Talkin Loud produced much of it's best work in the following five or six years, including their 1996 Mercury Prize win with Roni Size & Reprazent's 'New Forms', the latter half of the nineties was essentially a 'wind-down' period for the label as many artists left the fold. Also, from about 1994 other labels, notably James 'UNKLE' Lavelle's Mo' Wax, took up the baton and ran two steps further out the box thanks to their indie nature, something that Talkin Loud, tied as it was to the fortunes of Mercury/Phonogram, could never really do.

So this compilation is a bittersweet testament from a cultural viewpoint, but at the end of the day (which is pretty much today as far as this is concerned) it's the music that's really important and that music is still brilliantly fresh, exciting and Talkin Loud, Sayin Something. Essential.

Disc 1:

01 Apparently Nothin' - Young Disciples
02 Always There (Bluey's Mix) - Incognito
03 There's Nothing Like This - Omar
04 Step Right On - Young Disciples
05 K Spells Knowledge - The K-Creative
06 57th Minute Of The 23rd Hour - Galliano
07 All I Have In Me - Young Disciples
08 It Don't Mean A Thing - Omar
09 Take Me Now - Tammy Payne
10 Feed The Feeling - Perception
11 I Commit - Bryan Powell
12 Prince Of Peace - Galliano

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Disc 2 to come soon...

Monday Michiru - Jazz Brat

Monday Michiru Mariano (more commonly known as Monday Michiru) is a Japanese-American actress, singer, and songwriter whose music encompasses and fuses a wide variety of genres including jazz, dance, pop, and soul. She is arguably best known for being a pioneer of the acid jazz movement in Japan in the early 1990's yet she has created her own unique style of music that transcends traditional definitions of the aforementioned genres.

With her sophomore effort, Monday Michiru proved her debut was no fluke. Featuring 12 tracks that lean firmly on the jazz side of the acid jazz fence and a host of New York and Tokyo's finest, Michiru took the vocal arrangements firmly into her own hands and allowed Shinichi Osawa and Jeff Brown to handle the musical charts, and adds the talents of everyone from Cleveland Watkiss, Javon Jackson, and DJ Krush to Hajime Yoshizawa to the mix.

Typical of her early records, Michiru moves all over the map, from the driven soul-jazz of "Look Into the Past" to the Brazilian-tinged "Rainy Daze," and "La Flora" (for Michiru's main influence, Flora Purim), to the hip-hopped-up acid jazz shimmy of "Givin' It" to the funky R&B groove of "Sunshine After the Rain."

As is true of all Michiru's recordings, the production, song selection (all written by her) and charts are first rate. This is a professional recording job, but so pro it keeps all the emotion inside the mix. The feel is easy, breezy, and in the pocket. And all one can say at the end of the day is that Michiru is no ordinary jazz singer, no ordinary soul singer, no ordinary singer. She's a bona fide diva.

01. Look Into The Past
02. Rainy Daze
03. Sunshine After The Rain
04. Hold On
05. Wolf In Sheep's Clothing
06. Angel's Falling
07. Givin'it
08. In Utopia
09. Scat Attack
10. Fading Beauty
11. Just Another Day
12. La Flora

Monday Michiru's Website

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Brand New Heavies - Heavy Rhyme Experience Vol. 1

The Brand New Heavies collaborate with a stylistic assortment of rappers on their second album, but the jazzy soul sound of HEAVY RHYME EXPERIENCE, which is live rather than sampled, is all their own.

The Heavy trio of Simon Bartholomew, Andrew Levy and Jan Kincaid, who came up through London's acid-jazz underground, is a rock-solid core with a natural affinity for rhythms that twist and turn.

The Heavies move easily from the rubbery, pogoing dancehall of "Jump N' Move," which features Jamalski, to a mellow vibe over which Guru throws down looser rhymes on "It's Gettin Hectic." Main Source rides a slow groove deep into the pocket of "Bonafide Funk," on which horns lazily fade out at the end of every other measure. The Heavies are equally capable of laying down a noir-ish groove, as they do to match Kool G. Rap's menacing rhymes on "Death Threat."

01. Bonafied Funk (Featuring Main Source)
02. It's Gettin Hectic (Featuring Gangstarr)
03. Who Makes The Loot? (Featuring Grand Puba)
04. Wake Me When I'm Dead (Featuring Masta Ace)
05. Jump N' Move (Featuring Jamalski)
06. Death Threat (Featuring Kool G. Rap)
07. State Of Yo (Featuring Black Sheep)
08. Do Whatta I Gotta Do (Featuring Ed O.G.)
09. Whatgabouthat (Featuring Tiger)
10. Soul Flower (Featuring The Pharcyde)

Brand New Heavies Website

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Galactic - Late for the Future

The New Orleans-based jazz-funk ensemble Galactic formed in 1994; originally an eight-piece, the group soon pared down to an instrumental sextet comprising guitarist Jeff Raines, organist Rich Vogel, bassist Robert Mercurio, saxophonists Ben Ellman and Jason Mingledorff, and drummer Stanton Moore.

Later adding Crescent City music scene vet Theryl deClouet on vocals, Galactic built a fervent local following on the strength of a relentless live schedule which included opening slots for group heroes including the Meters, Maceo Parker and Medeski, Martin & Wood.

In 1996 the band issued their debut LP, Coolin' Off; upon signing to major label Capricorn, they re-released the album two years later, soon followed by the all-new Crazyhorse Mongoose.

Late for the Future appeared in the spring of 2000.

01. Black-Eyed Pea
02. Baker's Dozen
03. Thrill
04. Century City
05. Jeffe 2000
06. Doublewide
07. Running Man
08. Vilified
09. As Big As Your Face
10. Hit The Wall
11. Action Speaks Louder Than Words
12. Bobski 2000
13. Two Clowns
14. Untitled - (Hidden Track.

Galactics Website
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Mondo Grosso feat. Monday Michiru - Butterfly

Butterly by Mondo Grosso feat. Monday Michiru. Released August 11, 2000.

Galliano - 'Prince Of Peace' (live '94)

Galliano performing 'Prince Of Peace' at the '93-edition of the dutch Pinkpop festival.

Tab Two - Belle Affaire

Tab Two have been hailed as the German pioneers of Acid Jazz, consisting of Hellmut Hattler on bass and Joo Kraus on trumpet ("Tab" stands for "Trumpet And Bass"). Forming in 1991, they combined Acid Jazz with Hip-Hop, Trip Hop, Drum'n'Bass and other styles.

Belle Affaire was released in 1997. The muted trumpet, moving basslines and hypnotic rhythms make for a very pleasent aural experience.

01. Let It Flow
02. Lieblingslied
03. No Flagman Ahead
04. Sad News
05. Mind Movie
06. Club Mambo
07. My Horn
08. Belle Affaire
09. Watchagonnado
10. Public Meditation
11. Not-A-Lot
12. Vorfilm

Tab Two's Website

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Snowboy - Pit Bull Latin Jazz

Snowboy is a British-based Latin artist who blends dance-club rhythms with acid jazz, hip-hop and pop.

Beginning with 1988's Ritmo Snowbo, he released a series of independent records on Acid Jazz -- one of which, the 1994 album Something's Coming, reached the Top Ten on the U.K. independent charts -- before signing to Hollywood Records in 1995.

The Latin-jazz-oriented Mambo Rage followed on the Ubiquity label in 1998, highlighting Snowboy's conga playing, and he scored a club hit that year with the single "Casa Forte."

In 2000, he returned with two releases, The Soul of Snowboy and Afro Cuban Jazz (the latter strongly influenced by progressive Latin jazz musicians like Charlie and Eddie Palmieri).

Pit Bull Latin Jazz was released in 1995. Snowboy himself has been quoted as saying of this album "Musically this is nearer to the sound and direction I'd been looking for; specifically the 'Rhodes and Organ' sound on both EDDIE and CHARLIE PALMIERI'S Latin albums of the early 70's. We still use this sound currently. I still think What the Hell's Going On and particularly The East Harlem Quickstep are the best two tracks i've ever recorded. If there is a 'Snowboy sound' these represent it the closest. "

01. Go, Snow, Go
02. L 4 Cuero
03. Theres Nothing Like This
04. Havana Club
05. What the Hell's Going on
06. Mambo Tumbadora
07. Little Man
08. The East Harlem Quickstep
09. The Sound of the Berimbau
10. Toque Y Canto Para Dada

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Snowboys Website

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Mother Earth - The People Tree

From the Acid Jazz stables, Mother Earth could almost be described as the Small Faces for a new generation: uplifting organs and body-moving bass carve a steady groove that carries a poignant message of harmony and peace.

Their love for Steve Marriott and the Small Faces is apparent on "Dragster", a vocal rendition of their guitar funk instrumental originally from the "Grow Your Own" EP.

The Modfather and the Samba King join the band on "Mr. Freedom" when Paul Weller meets Snowboy for a latin rock extravaganza.

The pace slows for the beautifully moving "Jesse" a tale of unrequited love and guardian angels that is filled with tearful strings and gospel harmonies.

When an album can boast a number of guest appearances, including James Taylor (without his Quartet), it's hard to imagine a time or place where The People Tree is not an essential for any devotee of original Acid Jazz.

01. Institution Man
02. Jesse
03. Stardust Bubblegum
04. Mister Freedom
05. Warlocks Of The Mind Part 1
06. Dragster
07. Find It In The End
08. The People Tree
09. Apple Green
10. Time Of The Future
11. Saturation 70
12. Illusions
13. Warlocks Of The Mind Part 2
14. A Trip Down Brian Lane


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The Story Of Acid Jazz (Disc 2)

Disc 2

01. A Good Thing - James Taylor Quartet
02. Trust Me - Vibraphonic, Alison Limerick
03. Creation - James Taylor Quartet
04. Love Sick - Night Trains
05. Spinning Wheel - The New Jersey Kings
06. Ain't No Use - Pure Wildness
07. The Monkey Drop - The New Jersey Kings
08. Everything's Going to the Beat - Ace of Clubs
09. Tears Inside - Emperors New Clothes
10. Watch My Garden Grow - Humble Souls
11. Modal - Quiet Boys
12. Sweet Ohm - Ohm
13. Just Dream - Mac Pac
14. Astral Space - Quiet Boys

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Maysa - What About Our Love LIVE

Greyboy Allstars - West Coast Boogaloo

The Greyboy Allstars were formed in San Diego in 1993 by DJ Greyboy and saxophonist Karl Denson (known for his work with Lenny Kravitz). Bringing on fellow members Elgin Park (guitar/vocals), Chris Stillwell (bass), Zak Najor (drums) and Robert Walter (keyboards), the group quickly became a West Coast underground sensation, blending acid jazz, '70s funk, swing and other groove-laden music to create artistic yet danceable compositions.

In 1995, The Greyboy Allstars teamed up with reknowned funk trombonist Fred Wesley to record their first album, West Coast Boogaloo. The group then recorded a live album in 1997. Their latest release, A Town Called Earth, was issued on their own Greyboy Records label in late 1997.

01. Soul Dream
02. Let the Music Take Your Mind
03. Fried Grease
04. Fire-Eater
05. Tenor Man
06. Miss Riverside
07. Gravee
08. The Browns at Home

Greyboy Website
Greyboy Allstars Myspace Page
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