Afro Punk Cringe

My friend and photographer Dwayne Rodgers sent me this dope image that he made at the AfroPunk after party this summer; look at my weak ass straining to keep James Spooner up in the mosh pit. Damn, I'm getting old!!

Muxtape & Francis and the Lights

Found this band after reading the letter that Muxtape creator Justin Ouellette wrote about how major labels and the RIAA with their bureaucracies and non communication caused him to shut down what would have probably been the next big idea in digital music distribution. Well, if you get a chance to read the letter; its a good lesson for those of us in this industry that both love music and are challenged with finding new and interesting ways of distributing and marketing it. The Muxtape story is a telling one; what it says is that major labels still feel like they can control the sharing of music and instead of finding creative ways to profit from the culture of music sharing they continue to fight for the outdated notion of copyright. As one who is in the business of selling music; I am all for getting paid for that which I have invested in, but there are a million ways to skin a cat. I believe artists and labels will get the long dollar from creating movement based brands based on individual artists, label brands, or associated movements that are defined by types of artists and music. Grow the brand and everyone from the fans to other corporate brands are going to want to patronize it. Anyway, thanks to Muxtape.com I found Francis & the Lights. Francis and the Lights are a mixture of Prince, Fine Young Cannibals, Roger Troutman, and Cold Play. You can download both of their EP's A Modern Promise and Striking for free here
After listening to both EP's all morning, I can say that they are officially one of my favorite new bands, check them out for yourself.

You ever heard of?

Have you noticed that there are certain personalities that are only famous in the black community? I don't think anyone outside of the black race knows who Melba Moore, Stacey Lattisaw, Evelyn Champagne King, Lavar Burton, The Sylvers, Kashif, Flip Wilson, Tina Marie, Peabo Bryson, Alexander Oneal or Della Reese is. If you are over 30 and non-black and you know who most of these people are; then you probably wear cufis and guayaberas and you are a purcussionist or guitar player in a neo-soul band. When you get around a large group of black people you often sound like Huggie Bear from Starsky and Hutch. If you are black and over 30 and haven't heard of these people then you are either in denial, were adopted by white people, or weren't born in this country. Either way you have no black friends have never dated a black person and you are basically Carlton from the Fresh Prince of Bel Air. Like it or not, if you know who these folks are, you can not escape your blackness, no matter how bougeousie you have become, what college you went to or what neighborhood you currently live in. I don't know why but something tickles me about this. I'm kinda proud to know who these people are. Somehow these folks were able to have careers based solely off of the patronage of black folks and even after they are no longer relevant in even mainstream black society they can still make money doing chitterling circuit plays at the Beacon Theater. Now that's self reliance, maybe.

The Apes

Every time this band comes up on my iPod on my shuffle I get excited. If you haven't heard this album you should head to your local digital download retailer and cop it right away.

Freedom!!

My good friend Christian Ericson has been going through a lot of changes due to a recent surprise pitfall in his romantic life. Sometimes the most insensitive of moments clash with very sensitive people and the explosion of emotions is volcanic. With Christian this is the case and he is dealing with it in his own way. He recently went to the Bahamas to unwind and be with friends. I have always admired Christians passion and his wanting to know himself in deeper ways through his relationships with others. He sent me this picture that he took of himself jumping into a pool with all of his clothes on. Now that's Christian, I hope that this one set back doesn't make him hesitate to jump in with his heart first once again, when the right thing presents itself.

The Moment!

As I was walking home today from my morning swim I realized once again that all I have in this life is the moment. Who I am and how I view myself can often be swayed by those moments. My circumstances in life change rather quickly it seems; one day I am in the studio in Atlanta and soon after I am in Amsterdam. Sometimes like right now I am in a space where my life slows down and I have the opportunity to really ponder myself. By self I mean the many thoughts that I have and choices that I have made. I also mean the continuum of self love and hate that I may travel through from moment to moment subconsciously. Now that may sound extreme, but I have realized in my own self study that the ego is in a constant battle with your higher purpose and it is within that battle where love and hate reside subconsciously in regards to self. I am learning this, however the subtleties are so intricate that it is hard to recognize which end of that continuum I am on in the moment. The realization often comes in a moment of reflection. It's a beautiful struggle. The more and more I understand that I am evolving the more I can accept myself right now and the more faith I have in a higher power. The design of life and consciousness is so interesting to me. Anyway, in this particular moment I am battling fear which at the end of the day is a lack of faith. So there it is, and here I am; taking it all in.

Get your numbers up!!

The fact that influential bloggers can make a gang of money is not exactly breaking news; however I found this really interesting.

And the answer is....

Many urban black kids are picking up instruments again and expressing themselves without the stigmas and outside of the box of "urban" music. These kids are the Afropunkers and the ghetto metals; they are the blipsters and are creating a new sound in soul music. It's alternative, it's multi-genre and it's free. My friend Shawn Hewitt from Toronto is dropping an album called Spare Hearts on the 30th; but you can listen to the entire album streamed on My Space music. There it is, a case for My Space music. Maybe I was wrong, check the album out here; I highly recommend you a listen.

Next?

What ever happened to the days when it was embarrassing to be wack? When musical quality was competitive? I guess that still exists in many genres, but it urban music that has all but disappeared. What ever happened to being fresh? What's the next hip hop or bebop? What's the next fresh thing out of the urban community? Have poor people lost their imagination? We are moving into the next economic depression, that may create less distractions. When people are really poor again, will they regain that hunger for new expression. That's what hip hop was born out of.....what's next?

Silent Pitch

My little point and shoot can take video but without audio so please excuse me for this silent clip but I ask you to use your imagination. The guy on the left was pitching a new tune to singer Gregory Porter, the guy on the right. I decided to film it, just being a bit nosey; because I loved the rhythm of the conversation and I thought it befitting to watch that rhythm without the distraction of sound. Check it out.

MySpace

So all of the hype this week and last has been about the arrival of My Space's new Music store. There has been debate after debate conjecturing over My Space's model and whether or not they will include independent artists. First of all, iTunes still does 90% of the legal digital download business, why the iPod and it's Apple. Granted the Amazon digital music store is doing well, but amazon is a retail destination that sells many products; it's kind of the digital version of Wallmart without food, so buying MP3's from them is logical. People are used to doing business with Amazon. My Space is social network that has never been a retail destination and doesn't have a Zune like answer to the iPod. Infact My Space is chasing Facebook as a social network and is associated with 30 something year old cornballs. I can't remember the last time I checked my MySpace account but I use Facebook everyday, it's a better tool. In my opinion this move is too late, they could have competed 3 years ago when they were at the top of the digital food chain. So why do we need another digital music store, all of the same labels have their music up on Amazon and eMusic DRM free. People aren't going to start using their credit cards with a service they have habitually used for free for the last 5 years. I don't see the point or buy the hype.

Ravi Coltrane

I decided to go over my boy Michael Weintrob's studio in Williamsburg today and kick it with him before he left town. I figured I could get out of my home office and get some work done in another environment. When I get there he's all excited; he says "Ravi Coltrane" is coming by to pick up some photos. Apparently he took some photos of him and his family during an Alice Coltrane tribute recently.

Ravi finally arrives and checks out Michael's images and loves them. Dude has a lovely demeanor. As time passes somehow we all get into this deep conversation about the loss of parents. His father John died when he was a baby and his mother Alice died about a year an a half ago. He admitted that he hasn't been able to compose any new music since his mother died. I told him about the loss of my mother 10 years ago and how I was crying on the floor of the hospital before she went into a comma. He was able to articulate the connection between a mother and son in a way that I haven't heard before, it was beautiful. I told him that if he could translate that same emotional concept musically, he may have a break through. He said he had not thought of that, and thanked me.

Nokia Call Me!

So when we were in Atlanta recording his latest album; Martin Luther recorded a gang of video from his Nokia phone. The idea is to use these crude phone video shorts as a video blog diary from his point of view of the recordings. We could widgetize the episodes, podcast them and partner with Topspin to release them as episodes to his fans. We could also distribute them for free download to other mobile phones. If we only had a sponsor; Nokia are you listening? This is a no-brainer. Here are a few examples of what I'm talking about.

VC Pitching

This lecture seems to over simplify the process of VC pitching a bit; but I think it's worth a listen.

Amazing!

What's wild about the Internet as it relates to music is that you can find endless drafts and versions of songs that are being developed by artists. This particular odd case is of someone covering a test version of one of Martin Luther's new songs that had yet to be officially recorded at the time. Since then this song has been recorded and the lyrics and arrangement have changed a bit, so not only is there a first draft acoustic version of "Amazing" on You Tube, there is also a cover of that first draft version. Makes you wonder which version people will find first once the album is released and which version will move them more to cover. I guess we shall find out soon enough.

The Grocery Report

My friend Richard Rodriguez sent this to me last night; it's an entry from his amazing blog entitled Everyone's In Love With You. He has a post called Food Corp that details the types and numbers of grocery vendors in Bed Stuy, from Bodegas to Organic Markets. It's amazing how those of us that live in "urban" which translates into "black and latino" neighborhoods in this city have to leave our neighborhoods to get good, healthy, food. Let me start the body of this post by stating that I am for the most part a humanist who would eventually love to live in a world where the construct of race is irrelevant. We are not there yet.

It's not until neighborhood's gentrify that organic and green markets start coming into a community. Gentrification is an interesting word and topic because black and latino neighborhoods often go through a class gentrification before a racial one. Young black and latino recent college graduates and artists usually move into these neighborhoods because the rent in cheaper and they feel more comfortable (somethimes) around their own. They take it upon themselves to open up coffee shops, bookstores, bars, and small restaurants in order to have places where they and their peers can meet. Once the word gets out more recent college grads and artists move in and eventually the neighborhood that was once a hardcore hood becomes a new young vibrant middle class black scene. That was Ft. Greene in the 90's when it was at it's height, that scene spawned Saul Williams, Erykah Badu, Mos Def and a host of others. There was some tension between the classes but at the end of the day it was all black folks so there was at least an understanding kind of like cousins who went seperate ways but still love eachother. So you have it; a community full of negros that are smart, working, and culturally open, white folks love these negros. Stage two, culturally astute white folks start to pioneer the neighborhood and easily blend in because they are usually very similar in sensibilty to the black kids that live there. They are politically left and have taken African dance classes and minored African American studies; they have huge jazz cellections; they've read Morrison, Fanon, and Bell and listen to Fela and Omar, so they are cool. And they are cool and the culture of the neighborhood thrives and black college grads from all around the country start moving in; even the really conservative corny one's and they bring with them good incomes and the young black entrepreneurs are able to open juice bars and more coffee shops and bars to service them.

It's awesome until stage three happens. Somehow the neighborhood gets features in Time Out New York as one of the hottest neighborhoods in the city. Well...that's it; they start moving in. And when I say they I mean "regular" white folks; and they don't mean any harm, they want to be around the "good" blacks in this funky little neighborhood that was created out of a former ghetto. "I live in Ft Greene" "I live in Red Hook" it's cool to say when you are originally from IOWA. All it takes is a few pioneers from "them" and within a year the neighborhood has been completely gentrified. Ft. Greene today is neighborhood or cornball blacks and whites, it has completely lost its culture and flavor but it has more fine restaurants and gourmet and organic grocery stores than you can count. I was one of those black college students that class gentrified Ft. Greene and once it started to flip a bunch of us moved to Bed Stuy and did it again; that was in 2001 and now Bed Stuy is moving into the begginings of Stage Three. I wonder how long it will take for this grocery map that Richard has sent me to change? Where do we go next once this isn't cool anymore? I guess we flip it and move to the suburbs, maybe "they" will chase us there and we can have our ghetto back.

Mooji!

My friend Thorma Crawford told me about this man Mooji and I thank him for that. It was perfect timing!

Datacrats!

I found this great article about data mining and the future of online advertising. Check it out yourself, click here.

Rotterdam

I have to admit something; I really did not love Amsterdam. I mean, i didn't hate it; but it was kind of hollow to me. I really can't explain it, I just don't think the energy of the place agreed with me. Don't get me wrong I loved all of the little novelty attractions like the "coffee shops" and the red light district. I don't smoke nor have sex with prostitutes (poor me, huh) but it was cool to see others with the ability to freely partake. It could have also been the fact that I only had fleeting moments of meals and scrambling tourist excursions in the city; like visiting the sex museum. Although I have a few friends that live there; my schedule never permitted me hooking up with any of them. Rotterdam however is another story.

Two years ago I met this woman from Rotterdam who's mother was dutch and father was from Ghana. It was the 4th of July and I was at a roof deck party at the building in crown heights were 3 of my Morehouse brothers, Tahir, Malik, and Scott live. That party was one of the absolutely most drunkard moments of my life. We were drinking Hatian rum, lots of it and what I forgot was that I had taken a Benedryl earlier. I was fractured!! Anyway, I was laying on the roof top and in walks in these three woman, 2 from holland and one was Tahir's cousin. I struck up a conversation with one who oddly reminded me of my mother. I offered her a drink and she said blankly that she didn't drink. I was intriqued so I asked her why; she said "because I don't need to drink to be myself." I looked at her drunk as hell and said, "do you want to get married?" She laughed and said no, and I immediately passed out. I woke up 3 hours later in Tahir's apartment and everyone had left the party, including my new friend from Holland.

I don't know why but this woman intriqued me, I am always attracted to blunt....sort of unaffected woman, and that was her (she shall remain nameless). I asked my boy Tahir to call his cousin and find out if I could contact her. Tahir never got in touch with his cousin and I was SOL....until. About 2 weeks later there was a Little Brother concert in Ft. Green park, Tahir and I were watching the band and I happend to look behind me and BOOM, there she was; and her friend Bibi from Holland, NICE!! Tahir approached them first and then called me over. we ended hanging out with them that day and then that night at some Fader event. The whole night I was trying to strike up conversation with her and she was chestnut tight...I mean the cold mug and everything; no love at all. I almost gave up. Bibi gave me her local number and I got up the nerve a couple of days later to call her and check on her friend. I asked her to come and see a band that I was managing at the time named Earl Greyhound, she came out. We saw the band, then we walked and talked for about 3 hours. She ended up staying at my house that night, but I slept on the couch...but the next day right before she left, I kissed her and she kissed me back...everything else that happened is no one's business.

She and I kept in touch for a long time until the distance drew us a bit apart. 2 years later and I have this business trip to Amsterdam...of course she is mad busy for the first half of my trip and I didn't see her. It was a bit uncomfortable, because we had talked about seeing eachother but I didn't want to presume anything. Finally, she called as I was about to book another hotel in Amsterdam (I was staying in Hilversun) and offered me to stay at her place in Rotterdam for the last 3 days of my trip. Anyway, without going into details, I like Rotterdam and I really like her.

Holland

It is 2AM Tuesday morning in Holland and I am both exhausted and restless. I came here on a consulting job for a fairly famous dutch rapper/musician named Postman. When I reached the airport in Amsterdam I realized that I my iPhone had not been set up properly to work overseas. I could not call or text or receive calls or texts, this situation sucked because I was supposed to text or call my ride when I landed. Luckily I found a pay phone and and Postman's manager's cell number and everything worked out.

Monique picked me up and we immediately drove The Hague where we hooked up with Postman for a meeting with a graphic designer for Postman's website. Needless to say I was exhausted. After the meeting we had lunch in The Hague and strolled around downtown a bit.

After The Hague we went Monique's office in LOOSDRECHT, which is a sleepy little town next to Hilversum, which is another; tiny bit bigger sleepy town where I am staying while I work. Not Amsterdam, 25 minutes away. I am a little bummed; but tomorrow night I hit the road and I party in the DAM. These photos are in ascending order.