Beston and the Kitchen may be playing on the second stage at this year’s Sun God festival, but that’s not even close to being on the back burner. Instead, the stage will simmer with the smooth stew of funk, soul, hip-hop and samba.
Beston, 29, is a Nashville, Tenn., native, but his musical style blends an assortment of tastes. The local musical culture of his boyhood and deep musical influences that he discovered in his parent’s record collections resulted in a true musical multitasker. Beston’s gigs have found him tampering with the guitar, tinkering with the bass and piano, and projecting his powerful voice.
His first solo album, Chrysalis, coupled blues, jazz and acoustics. Beston explored the songwriting customs of rap music and cultivated a heady, full album. This musical thesis of sorts earned Beston the 1999 MP3.com Hip-Hop Artist of the Year Award. 2001’s effort, How to Pass Wonder On, chronicled his travels through Brazil, Europe, Africa and sampled from the different musical tastes he discovered.
Now, Beston has decided to take his work to The Kitchen, a San Diego-based band known for their fiery music.
The Kitchen is like a United Nations of musical influences. Jazz drummer Gabried Damaceno is a graduate of the powerful Brazilian school Imperatriz, which is one of Brazil’s most decorated music schools. Alejandro Galindo handles the congas with a certain unique flair — not everyone can slap a drum like he can. Singers Stephanie Hentz and Marnie Havert harmonize while the gospel-singing bassist Joe Hilgeman is reportedly one of the funkiest bass players to come from Guam.
Needless to say, this is a buffet of musical genres. Ranging from West Coast hip-hop to Cuban congas and Brazilian samba.
Many of the tunes that will be heard during the Sun God festivities are off Beston’s 2002 release On & Up. On it, Beston worked with producer Los Angeles Rafi Benjamin, who is known for his work with acoustic hip-hop group Ziyoushi.
Beston and The Kitchen will heat up the second stage at the Sun God festival at 9:30 p.m.
