Advertisement
You are here: Sun HomeCollectionsWiggins

Tony! Toni! Tone!, All Grown Up, Look Forward To Playing The City's Afram Festival

July 02, 2009|By Chris Kaltenbach , chris.kaltenbach@baltsun.com

"I connect with Baltimore like it's Oakland," Wiggins says. "I look forward to playing there like you wouldn't understand. I just love the area. ... It's not so New York-y, you've got real folks out there."

While admitting it's something of a hoot thinking of the Tonys as elder statesmen, Wiggins insists there's nothing stodgy about their music. He says he continues to see its influence, and is especially pleased when a few notes or a couple of riffs from their catalog pop up in someone else's work.

"I think the hip-hop audience has been a major force to sustaining what the Tonys are," he says. "They are the reason a lot of our music is still reaching a young audience. I like to hear my beats under that rap stuff."

Advertisement

Which helps explain, Wiggins believes, why Tony! Toni! Tone! concerts always turn into a good time for everyone.

"You get people 17 to 60 years old," he says, "partying with us. It becomes like a little house party, it really does. Sometimes, you catch young kids who know these songs."

If you go

* 8th annual African-American Heritage Festival

* July 3-5 (Friday-Sunday) at lots B and C of the Camden Yards M&T Bank Stadium Complex.

* Hours: Friday, 4 p.m.-10 p.m.; Saturday, noon-10 p.m.; Sunday, noon-9 p.m.

* General admission is $5, free for kids 12 and under; preferred seating for the musical acts is available for $40-$80

* Information, including a full schedule of performances: 410-235-4427, ext. 211, or aahf.net.

Baltimore Sun Articles
|