Thursday, March 19, 2009

ADOBE, PHOTO, SHOP


New Mexico looks like the pages from a social studies textbook.
Feels like calm in the middle of the storm.
Beautiful scenery! Super greenery! Good peeps all around.
Towns once underground, filled with earthly images & mountainous sound.

Off to the next gig. Performance poetry on the menu.
Thinking the 15-20 minute set list will be:

Netsanett Ahun
The Expose
Ghetto Soliloquy
Hear the Headstone Rolling Toward the Sun
Stuck on Passion Felt
Mingus Fingers
Living Out My Dream

Might change it up depending on the vibe though. Promoter told me it was cool to keep it loose, so hey...let's do it!

Friday, March 13, 2009

SUPER-HERO CELEBRATION

After blindly participating in a mostly hidden pregnancy & then enduring a 24 hour labor phase, Oriana lee was born.

HerO-riana, Mama say, "She Rana!"

One of my favorite artists wrote this for me many years ago.
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FAMILY BUSINESS

Eye know first hand what's it's like to grow in the family business. As a youth, my once obsessive passion for vehicles grew out of my grandfathers love for tinkering around under the hood. Such a fascination that for many years he owned & operated an auto shop that he built & had me help him manage well into my 20's.

Now having children of my own who are musically inclined & likely to end up following Dad & Mom into the business, it pleases me to see solid examples of what carrying on the legacy looks like.

See evidence of two incredible R&B vocalists passing on the torch. So sweet!



Thursday, March 12, 2009

SANTA FE - HOORAY!



Looks like eye will be in Santa Fe while everyone else does SXSW. Catch me if you're around. Austin next year this time. Promise!

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

OOPS

We all know that sex between consenting adults is normal. No judgment here as to whether the participants should be married or not, that's a personal choice. What people decide to do specifically during their intimate moments, are, too, up to the individuals. But, when evidence of acts shared privately mysteriously 'go public', it can turn a loving moment into a 'freak' show.

As a person somewhat public, it makes me wonder just what COULD eventually turn up on the web. A high school photo of me surfaced out of nowhere this week. Even though eye was sure those pics died with New Jack Swing, unbeknowst to me, someone from my past was still holding on to the memory.

With that said, eye am curious to know who's leaking all of these private celebrity sex sessions to the public.

Is it a close friend? Family member? The help? Might the stars themselves be involved in some desperate ploy for media attention.

However it's going down, seems that such flicks & images are becoming increasingly more common. Keeping in line with America's double-standard, females are mostly the ones being exposed. With the exception of the ultimate PK, Ray J, who has constructed a whole new tier of fame from his well-publicized tape (so has his co-star), actresses and female MC's are among the most mentioned, and scrutinized.

Don't get me wrong, these powerful, public sheros have the right to do what they will behind closed doors (even with the tape rolling), but obviously need to be more conscious about what happens after the recording stops. Ladies, remember:

1. Take care.
No one can or will protect your 'private parts' or your image like you can. Make sure the people around you can be trusted.

2. Be safe.
Sexual temptation goes back to the original humans, but unlike those times, there is such a a disease called A.I.D.S. that takes no prisoners.

3. Be smart.
A night of fun caught on tape could end up diminishing your funds in the long run. Protect your greatest financial interest - Self!

After peeping around the net for "research" purposes (lol), someone looking on my computer advised me to remember to clear my history before eye loan it out for use. Good advice, too. After some of the images eye came across (after having to change my search filter from moderate), eye am certain my little men are not ready for even a small taste of Kelis' milkshake.

NATIONAL WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH

Monday, March 9, 2009

TENNESSEE PRIDE

How refreshing! Nikki Giovanni continues to cradle Hiphop as a true God-mother of the culture.

"Hip-hop Speaks to Children" (2008), shows Ms. Nikki's commitment to properly educating the youth of today about the positiveness often unassociated by the masses, but distinctly in her own voice, as always. She is really reppin' as we would hope any elder in tune with our generation would. Thanks for always remaining true Professor Giovanni.

Friday, March 6, 2009

IF EYE CAN'T SAY A WORD


Karen Clark-Sheard is the BEST singer in the world. Pound-for-pound. Period.

Comes to me eye have written that here before. If so, then just consider this a reminder.

Our meeting this past July - completely divine ordering. Imagine tapping the first domino and watching every other domino fall promptly into place with no effort from you at all. Crazy like that.

Really though, as much as she had impacted my life through her music, and, especially the previous six months, eye always thought it better off not to ever have a spoken exchange. Of course, in this industry it was certainly possible we would cross paths, but eye never wanted to share more than a vibe...maybe a stare. (HA!) All coming from the school of thought that meeting would ruin the image, which would have ideally tainted the fantasy. That's all you have when you have not shared space with someone you admire. We cling to it for that reason.

Ironically, the experience was the total opposite. More pleasant and natural than ever imagined.

Eye am almost certain that my ex-step-father's mother took me to see the Clark Sisters live at a church in Philly around '80-'81. Not being able to confirm that with a family member is a clear examples of the detachments that occur when families breakdown. Stinks. Such is life.

As eye digress...whether or not we were reconnecting, or just current, it was a serious testament to the power of The Creator.

At that very church, eye first recall feeling the Holy Spirit. Tried to join the crowd of worshipers moving to the front of the church. Wow! Amazing how the past evokes as powerful an emotion as the future.

All eye can say - SHE. IS. THE. TRUTH.

Shakti

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

WHO TO KNOW

If able to meet any five living persons in the world,
eye would meet...
[DRUMROLLPLEASE]:

1. Dad
2. Grandparents (if applicable)
3. Siblings (if applicable)
4. Dana Owens
5. Barbara Walters
(accused this week of causing a Twitter outage)

Actually, a biography about Ms. Walters propelled my love for writing. This is one of those "you would never guess it" facts about me. Still not sure if it was her story or great perspective by the book's author, but from that moment in second grade it was as if something was bestowed upon me bound to eventually come out in a book of my own. Sure wish eye could find that book in a library or at a used book sale just so eye can figure it all out. But thanks to those forces, Something To Cope will be available through Kindle Books. YEAH!! All digi-tal, baby!

Monday, March 2, 2009

CUCKOO


While begrudgingly buttering toast (darn...after discovering no bagels), a classical piece coming softly, but forcefully through the radio speakers caught my attention. It's been a while since eye wanted to purchase music on first listen, but this one hit me in my middle digital download section. The instruments played like the soundtrack to my Monday & the movements naturally moved my mood in a more positive direction.

When the DJ finally broke to announce the playlist, eye listened eagerly for the name & felt comforted when it rolled off of her tongue. "How ironic?", eye thought while chuckling.

"On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring" couldn't be more fitting!

Frederick Delius - Delius: Orchestral Works - On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring

Sunday, March 1, 2009

READY FOR MARCH MADNESS


Usually, March 1 initiates an itch under my skin for springtime air. But, as today brings us the first real west Tennessee snow in the three years we have been here, eye am finding winter to be a welcomed seasonal guest. But ever since streaming the Super Bowl, eye have wanted to watch sports for the first time since not owning a television. Something about the healthy competition that stirs excitement in my own winning pursuit.

Gimme a sec to find a live feed & consider this afternoon a wrap. Putting on my fan robe. Toasting to the Sol inside & out! College basketball- count me in the pool. Got $5 on it!