Erykah Badu "window seat" video

In a true guerrilla-style video shoot, Erykah & director Coodie shot the video for her new single "window seat" along the Dealy Plaza route where JFK was assassinated, stripping nude as she neared the point where the President was shot. Reactions have been swift and mainly favorable despite the fact she bared all in front of unknowing, and by the looks of the video, uncaring tourists. As she lies dying and the word "groupthink" spills in blue blood from her head wound the following narration concludes the video: "They who play it safe, are quick to assassinate what they don't understand. They move in packs, ingesting more and more fear with every act of hate on one another. They feel more comfortable in groups, less guilt to swallow. They are us. This is what we have become, afraid to respect the individual." As for the naybobs of negativity, Badu had this to say on Twitter following the debut of the video: "I expected the gossip blog sites to spin it negatively. I expected people to ride with me. ... So it is true. Being honest CAN get u assassinated. Your character, spirit,& sometimes physically. Interesting. What drives this? Keep dialoging." She goes on to tweet "I was petrified while shooting this video ... but liberation began to set in . I conquered many fears in that few moments . I am greatful. We are ALL guilty of groupthink, we have all been VICTIMS of groupthink. [There was no] closed set . [There were] no actors . Everything was real." As for my opinion, watch the video, read Erykah's explanations for it, and decide for your self.

Generation Wave

Born on October 9, 2007 out of the remnants of gunfire and despair from the Saffron Uprising in Myanmar, Generation Wave is a non-political & non-violent youth movement that uses rapping and graffiti to spread it's anti-Military junta messages to an ever increasingly receptive youth culture. Despite recognizing Nobel Peace Prize recipiant Daw Aung Sang Suu Kyi as Burma's democratically-elected president, the group is more interested in fighting for the downfall of the junta than in taking a political side. So far 30 of it's estimated 100 or so members have been arrested, detained, and in most cases imprisoned for their acts. Most of these arrests have been for violating the Unlawful Association Act, by which members have been sentenced to as much as 5 years in prison for. Members have also compiled a compilation cd that they distribute to friends during their many border crossings into Myanmar from their base in Thailand. Songs from rappers including 9KT and AK carry titles such as "let's get up" a direct call to action aimed at inspiring Burmese youth to take actions against the junta, and "please excuse, ma" a song where the rapper apologizes to his mother for his radical revolutionary ways.

After investigating Generation Wave please contact them on Facebook and get involved. There is a bill in Congress, House Bill 898, that, when passed, would direct the Obama administration to put direct pressure on the military junta to move towards a democratic state. Contact your local Congress person and call on them to support the bill.

Voodoo Funk- Record Digging in West Africa

After reading a small article on this fellow in the current issue of Wax Poetics, I decided to check out his blog and see what he was really up to. Now, this is not a put-down of any other record collector or "digger," but none of us have anything on this guy. "Voodoo Funk" Frank is the ultimate record digger. Just check out his blog to see for yourself. This man has literally risked life and limb in his quest for records. But I do admire his tenacity and his dedication to the music he is uncovering. It seems as if he genuinely does it for the love of music. Just check out how many mixes he has up on his blog of the records he has found. No DJ/Record Nerd secrecy here, just a profound love for African music.

Crate Diggin' Master!

Here's a great interview with ace crate digger and beats collector Monk-One. Check out the pics of some classics finds and read how he became a crate diggin' master!

Dubstepping At Radioactive Records Jan.16, 2010

Follow the link to access my playlist from this past weekend's gig at Radioactive Records. This was my first attempt at playing dubstep live and according to the feedback I received it was a rounding success! Thanks to those who were in attendance...

Teddy Pendergrass died Wednesday night at the age of 59. Teddy was one of the greatest soul singers of the 70's with monster hits both as a solo artist and with Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes. Never will I forget setting the mood for love by spinning slow jams such as "love t.k.o." & "close the door". And who can forget the greatest break-up song ever, Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes' 1972 debut single "i miss you." In 1982 Teddy injured his spine in a car accident that left him paralyzed from the neck down. He made sporadic stage and recording appearances, including one at Live Aid in 1985, before making a grand return in 2001 in Atlantic City. He and his music will be greatly missed. My personal favorite song, "this is the last time" from his 1988 album Joy.

Cosmic & Free Jazz

As our journey for new and unheard sounds continues I've added new links for 2 great jazz experiences. Kosmigroov is a cosmic/avant-garde/spiritual jazz database listing recordings that fall under the author's "kosmigroov" definition. Inconstant Sol is a blog forum for the discussion of free/abstract jazz of all styles. My thanks to Paul P. for the link.

2010

2009 was a great year for all things music. I can't remember a year since 1985 that had more great records released in it than 2009. And from what I am already listening to 2010 may just top 2009! It's my hope that this blog will help those who read it uncover and discover great music. So please continue to check the blog routinely for reviews, links, and other musical madness. Peace in the New Year!!