Thursday, March 18, 2004
Finally, after what seemed like endless delays, Xinguism is finally out - and selling. At the moment, we have only two direct means of selling the disc: during a scheduled XINGU performance, or if you're lucky enough to catch us in public with a couple in our possession. So far, the latter has been the primary means of selling, and I am amazed at how quickly, in our eyes, these discs have been going. It's great to see everyone with not only enthusiasm for the album, but also delight in how it turned out, visually and audably. For the time being, if you are interested in purchasing one or more of our discs, send an email to xinguism@xingumusic.com.
It really makes all of us feel good and builds our spirits up to see such a great reaction to what had been, in my personal opinion, a severely delayed release. Nonetheless, I am excited now, more than ever, to start selling these CDs in the various cities across the Southeast, if not beyond. It may not come at a better time too, as we are gearing to re-hit markets like Valdosta, GA and Destin, FL, and aiming for new markets in Albany, GA, Charleston, SC, and more.
As soon as more methods for purchasing the CD become available, we will notify through our mailing list - all the more reason for you to sign up than ever. Thank you all for your patience, but be patient no more and experience Xinguism!
It really makes all of us feel good and builds our spirits up to see such a great reaction to what had been, in my personal opinion, a severely delayed release. Nonetheless, I am excited now, more than ever, to start selling these CDs in the various cities across the Southeast, if not beyond. It may not come at a better time too, as we are gearing to re-hit markets like Valdosta, GA and Destin, FL, and aiming for new markets in Albany, GA, Charleston, SC, and more.
As soon as more methods for purchasing the CD become available, we will notify through our mailing list - all the more reason for you to sign up than ever. Thank you all for your patience, but be patient no more and experience Xinguism!
Tuesday, March 16, 2004
For those of you that know me, this should come as no surprise, but for those of you that don't, allow me to take you back in time.
It was 1984, and what was a lonely first-grader to do when he was too shy to want to go out and make friends or rather just stay at home? Watch MTV. Yes, I have been and, despite my harsh grievances with the current age of the station, always will be an MTV child. I, like many other kids (some aspiring to be musicians), sat glued to the endless flow of videos. While the station made darlings out of Duran Duran, Billy Joel, Elton John, Madonna, and many others, one star that particularly grabbed my attention was Prince.
I was a seriously, sheltered child during my childhood, but my parents, when normally they could have turned it off, allowed me to watch MTV and slowly become a fan of Prince. Granted a lot of what Prince was writing about in the legendary albums 1999 and Purple Rain was extremely racy and rauchy (especially for those times), it wasn't the words that grabbed my attention - it was both the music he was creating and the charisma he showed onstage that flowed effortlessly from him.
I became enchanted with the career of this man. I was able to watch Purple Rain the movie (something that many parents today wouldn't let their child to do), and the many videos that Prince created during that time. It was his 20-minute live rendition of I Would Die For U/Baby, I'm a Star, a video aired at 9:00 PM three days straight on MTV, that become one of the many events that would change my life forever. With dreams in my head, my parents were able to spot me mimicking, both in dance moves and onstage antics, the things Prince did in that live performance. The Coup de' tat was when Prince came to Tallahassee's Leon County Civic Center, the biggest venue in town (still is), and I was treated to my first ever live concert experience with the Purple One. The show, with lengthy editions of all his tracks, not to mention the incredible stage/light performance, was incredible, and it's still, to this day, one of my earliest memories of my childhood I have not forgotten.
So, what is a guy like me to say about one of my biggest early influences being inducted in the quintessential museum of Rock & Roll fame? It's time to party like it's 1999!
Prince has deserved this honor for quite some time, and the only thing that held him back was the length of years you had to be in the business to qualify. This man is an unparalleled musical genius, whose music and exploits will stand the test of time. Regretfully, I haven't been able to follow his career in the last few years, when my mind was preoccupied with many new artists I came in contact with. But that hasn't stopped me from respecting him. Say what you will about his antics, past, present & future, but there's no denying the man's musical intellect.
Playing almost as many instruments as I have years to my life, he is the consummate musician, someone whom I aspire to be. What I wouldn't give to have a piece of his musical intellect and the incredible freedom he pursues and composes in each of his albums. But what propels me to write this piece is not so much the fact that he is being inducted into the 2004 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, but rather the articles that are coming out about him and where he is aiming to go in the world of music. His desire to bring musicianship back into the fold, away from the glitz and glamour and wild stage performance antics that have littered so many stages in the last decade, is commendable for someone who helped set the stage for such antics more than 20 years ago. He is, as he put it, pushing the envelope by not 'pushing the envelope.'
It's really hard for me not to admire the man that Prince is today. Speaking from his heart, encouraging a spiritual presence in the music, wishing all of us young artists the best of luck, and expressing a desire to teach music and musicianship to many aspiring musicians, Prince has transcending to the heights of musical supremacy. No artist is more deserving of this most recent recognition than this man.
It was 1984, and what was a lonely first-grader to do when he was too shy to want to go out and make friends or rather just stay at home? Watch MTV. Yes, I have been and, despite my harsh grievances with the current age of the station, always will be an MTV child. I, like many other kids (some aspiring to be musicians), sat glued to the endless flow of videos. While the station made darlings out of Duran Duran, Billy Joel, Elton John, Madonna, and many others, one star that particularly grabbed my attention was Prince.
I was a seriously, sheltered child during my childhood, but my parents, when normally they could have turned it off, allowed me to watch MTV and slowly become a fan of Prince. Granted a lot of what Prince was writing about in the legendary albums 1999 and Purple Rain was extremely racy and rauchy (especially for those times), it wasn't the words that grabbed my attention - it was both the music he was creating and the charisma he showed onstage that flowed effortlessly from him.
I became enchanted with the career of this man. I was able to watch Purple Rain the movie (something that many parents today wouldn't let their child to do), and the many videos that Prince created during that time. It was his 20-minute live rendition of I Would Die For U/Baby, I'm a Star, a video aired at 9:00 PM three days straight on MTV, that become one of the many events that would change my life forever. With dreams in my head, my parents were able to spot me mimicking, both in dance moves and onstage antics, the things Prince did in that live performance. The Coup de' tat was when Prince came to Tallahassee's Leon County Civic Center, the biggest venue in town (still is), and I was treated to my first ever live concert experience with the Purple One. The show, with lengthy editions of all his tracks, not to mention the incredible stage/light performance, was incredible, and it's still, to this day, one of my earliest memories of my childhood I have not forgotten.
So, what is a guy like me to say about one of my biggest early influences being inducted in the quintessential museum of Rock & Roll fame? It's time to party like it's 1999!
Prince has deserved this honor for quite some time, and the only thing that held him back was the length of years you had to be in the business to qualify. This man is an unparalleled musical genius, whose music and exploits will stand the test of time. Regretfully, I haven't been able to follow his career in the last few years, when my mind was preoccupied with many new artists I came in contact with. But that hasn't stopped me from respecting him. Say what you will about his antics, past, present & future, but there's no denying the man's musical intellect.
Playing almost as many instruments as I have years to my life, he is the consummate musician, someone whom I aspire to be. What I wouldn't give to have a piece of his musical intellect and the incredible freedom he pursues and composes in each of his albums. But what propels me to write this piece is not so much the fact that he is being inducted into the 2004 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, but rather the articles that are coming out about him and where he is aiming to go in the world of music. His desire to bring musicianship back into the fold, away from the glitz and glamour and wild stage performance antics that have littered so many stages in the last decade, is commendable for someone who helped set the stage for such antics more than 20 years ago. He is, as he put it, pushing the envelope by not 'pushing the envelope.'
It's really hard for me not to admire the man that Prince is today. Speaking from his heart, encouraging a spiritual presence in the music, wishing all of us young artists the best of luck, and expressing a desire to teach music and musicianship to many aspiring musicians, Prince has transcending to the heights of musical supremacy. No artist is more deserving of this most recent recognition than this man.
Monday, March 15, 2004
No I haven't forgotten about this thing, and yes I know it has been a while since my last post. I'm just bogged down an awful lot with work and I'm reading about so much stuff that I just haven't had the chance to settle down and put it on paper.
But rest assured that I will be back hopefully in the next week, if not earlier. Stay tuned.
But rest assured that I will be back hopefully in the next week, if not earlier. Stay tuned.
Thursday, February 19, 2004
The Return of the Culture Wars
There are a couple of articles I want to pose to you:
Both articles, one from a blog, another as an op-ed in a highly notable American newspaper, are crucial articles that I think we all, as fans of music, need to be concerned. While the second one is very telling about the state of the current industry, the first is not helping matters and has a more profound effect on our culture and how others perceive our country.
I remember feeling a sinking in my stomach upon reading that Ibrahim Ferrer, singer of the marvelous Buena Vista Social Club (whose documentary is a must-see) who was invited by and to be honored at the Grammy's this year, was denied entry into the United States because they were among those deemed as, according to a US Diplomat, "detrimental to the interest of the United States." In other words, they felt that the 77 year-old Cuban musician was a potential political and/or terrorist threat to the US.
They are not the only ones, as the article shows. Various other artists, not just musicians but painters and poets, are being denied entry to the US because of these new fierce immigration policies. Although I am in agreement that such policies needed to be strengthened in light of 9/11, but just like all such things, they have gotten way out of control. This state of perpetual fear that is gripping this country is mind-boggling, forcing us to consider even the most harmless of people as a threat to national security.
It is doing us no favors internationally. The world that once grabbed America's shoulders and offered sympathy and compassion now looks at us with disdain, anger and disappointment into what we have now become. The import of various members of the international art community is what has made our country a vibrant, respected, and honored nation, further evolving our culture and wisdom in ways not even imagined. Today, our government and corporate leaders (and yes I'm putting the two together), even though they don't believe they are doing such a thing, are tearing apart that fabric, and replacing that of art with missiles, that of music with guns. How long before we, as American citizens, find it within ourselves to stand up and tell our government that closing our doors to art and music hurts us just as much as it hurts the world?
Which brings me to the second article, written by Eagles singer/songwriter/drummer, Don Henley. I have always had a feeling of respect for the man but was blocked at times given his stature in the industry. But his recent op-ed to the Washington Post hit the nail on the head. He had the courage to stand up and state the one thing that so many of us have been wanting to say and that the corporations and big labels have refused to hear:
This industry is dying.
I don't think I can recall a time when the state of our industry was in such dire straits as it is now, and as a musician and someone who dreamed of being one since he was still in rollers, it tugs at my heart as much as it threatens my future. As far as I am concerned, all the pieces I contribute or compose are written in a manner that is pleasing to me more so than if it is pleasing to a consumer. I write the kind of music that I want to listen to in my car as I drive down the Interstate. But while that may clear my conscience, it may not be enough for someone to help put bread on my table.
Fewer and fewer people in charge of finding, promoting, and creating artists, means fewer and fewer artists that can be successful. These corporations must understand that without us there would be no industry, but sadly they don't. They are too focused on the Franklins they have in their vault to see the sad fact that by pushing away the very artists that want to make a living doing this thing they love, they are destroying the industry they so fear of losing. And worse, while they bite the hands that feed them through illegal download lawsuits (another post altogether), they feel that the only way they can survive is by consolidating and consolidating more.
That just leaves the one thing keeping artists alive in the business and doing what they love to do - you, the fans. That's why after every show, even though I know it takes me forever and a day to break down my rig, I try my best to come out and meet as many of you as I can, because you are the reason why I am doing this gig. I can have the big wigs forking me a million dollar contract, but without you showing your support, coming out to the shows, and buying our product through either a ticket or merchandise, I cannot and will not be successful. If the contract worked alone, all those bands you saw on MTV in the last decade would still be around making thousands of dollars and touring. The fact that they aren't speaks volumes as to how this business has conducted itself in the last two decades.
Still, while fan support is crucial, it will still be necessary to have certain individuals or companies helping out anyway they can to make the machine work. Henley discusses the prospect of artists pursuing legislative or judicial actions to fight for their art and their rights as artists. However, I not only say that, but add that the fans need to get involved too. As a later post will show, I think for humankind to survive or have any chance of political, environmental, and artistic survival, Corporate America and The Corporate World will have to break apart. That will occur when ordinary people come together with artists, politicians, activists, and many other groups of people to help each other through service and trade, to make our lives better, and tell the Corporate Machines that it is not always about the money.
Today, the industry is dominated by the Big 5 (now possibly becoming the Big 3), Clear Channel, and huge conglomerates like Viacom. Smaller, independent labels continue to pop up, but most do not have the availability or the resources to do a lot of what the big labels are doing, more or less because the very things they need are already bought up by these same conglomerates! If we are to make any difference in this industry, it will have to come not just from artists, but from the fans as well. I, along with the rest of XINGU, cannot, in enough words, express our gratitude to everyone who has bought a ticket or paid a cover charge to see one of our shows. Your support not only strengthens us as a group, but it also adds fuel to a fire that has been dying to burn for years now.
Say what people will about Bonnaroo these days, there is no denying that the ball of change got a pretty big push when Bonnaroo 2002 happened. But while people finally started to realize that there was other great music out there to grab, today's world is not making it any easier for us. I feel for artists like Robert Walter, whom we had the honor of supporting last week, who confided to me that compared to the days of the Greyboy Allstars, it's not really a good time to be a musician in regards to the current economy, clubs closing left and right, and people unable to see live music because of financial worries. But I, for some strange reason, feel a change in the air. The culture war that lay dorment for years now appears, in light of the recent Super Bowl controversy, to be coming back, and with each culture war, as it did in the late 60s, comes a new revolution in art and music. It is now time for fans and musicians alike to support the music like never before, for I cannot help but believe that art and music will begin to have an impact on how our world and culture are shaped in the years to come.
- Special Treatment (from Pacific Views)
- Killing the Music
Both articles, one from a blog, another as an op-ed in a highly notable American newspaper, are crucial articles that I think we all, as fans of music, need to be concerned. While the second one is very telling about the state of the current industry, the first is not helping matters and has a more profound effect on our culture and how others perceive our country.
I remember feeling a sinking in my stomach upon reading that Ibrahim Ferrer, singer of the marvelous Buena Vista Social Club (whose documentary is a must-see) who was invited by and to be honored at the Grammy's this year, was denied entry into the United States because they were among those deemed as, according to a US Diplomat, "detrimental to the interest of the United States." In other words, they felt that the 77 year-old Cuban musician was a potential political and/or terrorist threat to the US.
They are not the only ones, as the article shows. Various other artists, not just musicians but painters and poets, are being denied entry to the US because of these new fierce immigration policies. Although I am in agreement that such policies needed to be strengthened in light of 9/11, but just like all such things, they have gotten way out of control. This state of perpetual fear that is gripping this country is mind-boggling, forcing us to consider even the most harmless of people as a threat to national security.
It is doing us no favors internationally. The world that once grabbed America's shoulders and offered sympathy and compassion now looks at us with disdain, anger and disappointment into what we have now become. The import of various members of the international art community is what has made our country a vibrant, respected, and honored nation, further evolving our culture and wisdom in ways not even imagined. Today, our government and corporate leaders (and yes I'm putting the two together), even though they don't believe they are doing such a thing, are tearing apart that fabric, and replacing that of art with missiles, that of music with guns. How long before we, as American citizens, find it within ourselves to stand up and tell our government that closing our doors to art and music hurts us just as much as it hurts the world?
Which brings me to the second article, written by Eagles singer/songwriter/drummer, Don Henley. I have always had a feeling of respect for the man but was blocked at times given his stature in the industry. But his recent op-ed to the Washington Post hit the nail on the head. He had the courage to stand up and state the one thing that so many of us have been wanting to say and that the corporations and big labels have refused to hear:
This industry is dying.
I don't think I can recall a time when the state of our industry was in such dire straits as it is now, and as a musician and someone who dreamed of being one since he was still in rollers, it tugs at my heart as much as it threatens my future. As far as I am concerned, all the pieces I contribute or compose are written in a manner that is pleasing to me more so than if it is pleasing to a consumer. I write the kind of music that I want to listen to in my car as I drive down the Interstate. But while that may clear my conscience, it may not be enough for someone to help put bread on my table.
Fewer and fewer people in charge of finding, promoting, and creating artists, means fewer and fewer artists that can be successful. These corporations must understand that without us there would be no industry, but sadly they don't. They are too focused on the Franklins they have in their vault to see the sad fact that by pushing away the very artists that want to make a living doing this thing they love, they are destroying the industry they so fear of losing. And worse, while they bite the hands that feed them through illegal download lawsuits (another post altogether), they feel that the only way they can survive is by consolidating and consolidating more.
That just leaves the one thing keeping artists alive in the business and doing what they love to do - you, the fans. That's why after every show, even though I know it takes me forever and a day to break down my rig, I try my best to come out and meet as many of you as I can, because you are the reason why I am doing this gig. I can have the big wigs forking me a million dollar contract, but without you showing your support, coming out to the shows, and buying our product through either a ticket or merchandise, I cannot and will not be successful. If the contract worked alone, all those bands you saw on MTV in the last decade would still be around making thousands of dollars and touring. The fact that they aren't speaks volumes as to how this business has conducted itself in the last two decades.
Still, while fan support is crucial, it will still be necessary to have certain individuals or companies helping out anyway they can to make the machine work. Henley discusses the prospect of artists pursuing legislative or judicial actions to fight for their art and their rights as artists. However, I not only say that, but add that the fans need to get involved too. As a later post will show, I think for humankind to survive or have any chance of political, environmental, and artistic survival, Corporate America and The Corporate World will have to break apart. That will occur when ordinary people come together with artists, politicians, activists, and many other groups of people to help each other through service and trade, to make our lives better, and tell the Corporate Machines that it is not always about the money.
Today, the industry is dominated by the Big 5 (now possibly becoming the Big 3), Clear Channel, and huge conglomerates like Viacom. Smaller, independent labels continue to pop up, but most do not have the availability or the resources to do a lot of what the big labels are doing, more or less because the very things they need are already bought up by these same conglomerates! If we are to make any difference in this industry, it will have to come not just from artists, but from the fans as well. I, along with the rest of XINGU, cannot, in enough words, express our gratitude to everyone who has bought a ticket or paid a cover charge to see one of our shows. Your support not only strengthens us as a group, but it also adds fuel to a fire that has been dying to burn for years now.
Say what people will about Bonnaroo these days, there is no denying that the ball of change got a pretty big push when Bonnaroo 2002 happened. But while people finally started to realize that there was other great music out there to grab, today's world is not making it any easier for us. I feel for artists like Robert Walter, whom we had the honor of supporting last week, who confided to me that compared to the days of the Greyboy Allstars, it's not really a good time to be a musician in regards to the current economy, clubs closing left and right, and people unable to see live music because of financial worries. But I, for some strange reason, feel a change in the air. The culture war that lay dorment for years now appears, in light of the recent Super Bowl controversy, to be coming back, and with each culture war, as it did in the late 60s, comes a new revolution in art and music. It is now time for fans and musicians alike to support the music like never before, for I cannot help but believe that art and music will begin to have an impact on how our world and culture are shaped in the years to come.
Friday, February 13, 2004
Follow-Up to Congress in Session
One more note to make reference to the previous post...
In March 2002, my old band Full Black Out had just exploded onto the local Tallahassee music scene, and got offered a Potbelly's gig on the 19th. We accepted, even though turnout was less than enthusiastic, as is the case with last-minute bookings. I remember Jess Franklin and Cameron Williams, guitarists/vocalists for Tishamingo, stopping by towards the end of our show, and told us that they came from a Warehouse show (I believe) featuring a band I had never heard of before called Robert Walter's 20th Congress. Jess & Cameron were quick to declare Mr. Walter to be a complete badass on the keys, while I, to be honest, never did think much about it back then. Little did I know that the band that competed against us that night would end up featuring the player I would later grow to idolize and study in 2003.
One thing's for certain is that you can expect me front and center this Sunday night, 2/15, at the rig of Mr. Walter studying everything he does and plays!
In March 2002, my old band Full Black Out had just exploded onto the local Tallahassee music scene, and got offered a Potbelly's gig on the 19th. We accepted, even though turnout was less than enthusiastic, as is the case with last-minute bookings. I remember Jess Franklin and Cameron Williams, guitarists/vocalists for Tishamingo, stopping by towards the end of our show, and told us that they came from a Warehouse show (I believe) featuring a band I had never heard of before called Robert Walter's 20th Congress. Jess & Cameron were quick to declare Mr. Walter to be a complete badass on the keys, while I, to be honest, never did think much about it back then. Little did I know that the band that competed against us that night would end up featuring the player I would later grow to idolize and study in 2003.
One thing's for certain is that you can expect me front and center this Sunday night, 2/15, at the rig of Mr. Walter studying everything he does and plays!
Monday, February 09, 2004
The Breast That Shut Down The World
CBS has got themselves into a whole heap of trouble now.
First off they blatantly ban an ad, from MoveOn.org created to criticize President Bush's $1 trillion deficit, from appearing during the Super Bowl, saying that they don't promote advocacy ads. Yet, they gladly went ahead and pushed the White House's ads on drug prevention and control, hereby labeling themselves as the ultimate hypocrites and line-towers of the current Administration. But while they refused to air an ad that would - gasp! - make people think and ponder about what their children's futures could possibly hold, they proceeded to throw down on our television sets oodles and oodles of sexually degrading advertisements that mainly appeal to the lowest common denominator, and ads that fixate on a male's erectile dysfunction, if that is how you spell it.
Now, I'm not against such ads, as I have knowingly laughed out loud at some of these ads and still do today - I have a rather unique sense of humor. All I am saying is that a clear double standard was deposited here, and it's sad that CBS, a network I at one time admired greatly, fell for the trap. And so, after all the hoopla about banning, or rather censoring as some would say, the MoveOn.org ad (not to mention the PETA ad they rejected too), what we end up getting as a part of the NFL's Special Halftime Extravaganza is an onslaught of image over substance that was enough to make even the least serious musician gag. I guess there was nothing much they could do in terms of making a musical statement since music's current and greatest pioneer of politics, Bono of U2, was also not invited to the festivities because they felt that people did not want to hear a song about AIDS during America's self-made holiday of beer and football. So all they had was incredible stage props, lots of dancers, many flashing lights, just a complete saturation of image over substance, and then....it happened.
With a simply stroke across Ms. Jackson's chest, Justin helped reveal to the world for one second Janet's SLIGHTLY covered breast. All of CBS's hard work at keeping everything decent and humane went out the window thanks to that flash, and all hell, shall we say, broke loose, so bad in that Michael Powell, the chairman of the FCC, whom I also admired for a time until his corporate roots began to shine, threatened to revoke, that's right revoke, CBS's broadcast license! You mean....no more CBS? You mean to tell me that on a network that was willing to show ghastly images of children's limbs blown off, chicks in provocative situations in advertisements and programs, and other such images as a part of their news and entertainment programs over the past year, Michael Powell was going to shut down CBS because of Janet's one-second flash?!
*pause* Excuse me, I had to check my watch to see if we really were in 2004, not 1964.
Thankfully Powell took the measure off the table, but it really irks me to think that people these days are once again getting so jumpy about such a situation. I could not believe how much ink was wasted (and I'm doing no better here discussing this) on such a meaningless story, and yet, Janet's flash become the most watched TIVO segment in its history. For heaven's sake people, it's just a boob - you can find 20x that amount on Bourbon Street on New Years Eve or Mardi Gras, or hell, how about National Geographic, or even the Discovery Channel! I found it quite astonishing, however, that this garnered more negative publicity than did Britanny and Madonna's smooch on the MTV Video Music Awards (I guess they felt it was the VMAs, they do that stuff all the time). Sheesh!
So that brings us back to my previous post, the Grammys, and Janet's absence from the program. Her absence, which apparently was attempted to be changed under certain conditions but to no avail, was felt during the broadcast. It provoked an awful lot of thought and debate that no one expected to experience Sunday night. Most expressed confusion and bewilderment at the actions of CBS and the Grammys. The five-minute, not second, delay casted another shadow over the festivities, and made the show that much more unbearable to many fans, forcing the show to be completely predictable and null of unexpected moments, except for stuff like Coldplay's acceptance speech.
Now, I'm not coming out to say that Janet was right in doing what she did. It had no major effect on how I felt about the performance or the Super Bowl or the halftime show, even though it did make me go "uh ok, Justin went for a little too much there!" But, Janet made the best call to not join the Grammy festivities after she was first told not to come, and then later asked to rejoin under certain conditions. Her refusal to join has helped spark a debate over what she did during the Super Bowl, and the actions of both CBS and the Grammys. This will no doubt bring forth debates on obscenity and indecency on television, but also it will bring back the debate over media consolidation and the fact that censorship seems to be creeping back, ever so gingerly, into the mainstream again with this current administration.
Anyone who knows me knows that I am an anti-censorship, First Amendment advocate. Hell, I'm an artist, and if I am true to my profession, that automatically makes me an anti-censorship advocate. It's a very touchy subject, censorship, as I understand concerns on both sides of the aisle. Still, the issue, which hasn't been greatly brought up during the sleazy Clinton years, is now back with a vengeance it seems. After many years of thinking we were past all this crap, it's now coming back, but not just in terms of sexual indecency, but also now in political indecency. Sadly, it's going to affect how so many artists portray their work, or the means by which their work can be viewed by the mainstream public. Then again, it could make more people vigilant in expressing their own beliefs, not to mention the desire to shock people into thinking and debating various issues, something our political discourse has seriously lacked in the last couple of years, but that's for another post.
Who would have thought that in 2004 the entire world (currently experiencing record poverty levels all over, the increasing threat of the melting polar ice caps, terrorism and hatred around every corner, and governments misleading their people with unjust wars, laws and indictments) would shut down, or possibly change course, due to the exposure of a woman's breast? It speak volumes not just how we have come along since the 90s, but also the immense power that women still seem to have with their bosom.
First off they blatantly ban an ad, from MoveOn.org created to criticize President Bush's $1 trillion deficit, from appearing during the Super Bowl, saying that they don't promote advocacy ads. Yet, they gladly went ahead and pushed the White House's ads on drug prevention and control, hereby labeling themselves as the ultimate hypocrites and line-towers of the current Administration. But while they refused to air an ad that would - gasp! - make people think and ponder about what their children's futures could possibly hold, they proceeded to throw down on our television sets oodles and oodles of sexually degrading advertisements that mainly appeal to the lowest common denominator, and ads that fixate on a male's erectile dysfunction, if that is how you spell it.
Now, I'm not against such ads, as I have knowingly laughed out loud at some of these ads and still do today - I have a rather unique sense of humor. All I am saying is that a clear double standard was deposited here, and it's sad that CBS, a network I at one time admired greatly, fell for the trap. And so, after all the hoopla about banning, or rather censoring as some would say, the MoveOn.org ad (not to mention the PETA ad they rejected too), what we end up getting as a part of the NFL's Special Halftime Extravaganza is an onslaught of image over substance that was enough to make even the least serious musician gag. I guess there was nothing much they could do in terms of making a musical statement since music's current and greatest pioneer of politics, Bono of U2, was also not invited to the festivities because they felt that people did not want to hear a song about AIDS during America's self-made holiday of beer and football. So all they had was incredible stage props, lots of dancers, many flashing lights, just a complete saturation of image over substance, and then....it happened.
With a simply stroke across Ms. Jackson's chest, Justin helped reveal to the world for one second Janet's SLIGHTLY covered breast. All of CBS's hard work at keeping everything decent and humane went out the window thanks to that flash, and all hell, shall we say, broke loose, so bad in that Michael Powell, the chairman of the FCC, whom I also admired for a time until his corporate roots began to shine, threatened to revoke, that's right revoke, CBS's broadcast license! You mean....no more CBS? You mean to tell me that on a network that was willing to show ghastly images of children's limbs blown off, chicks in provocative situations in advertisements and programs, and other such images as a part of their news and entertainment programs over the past year, Michael Powell was going to shut down CBS because of Janet's one-second flash?!
*pause* Excuse me, I had to check my watch to see if we really were in 2004, not 1964.
Thankfully Powell took the measure off the table, but it really irks me to think that people these days are once again getting so jumpy about such a situation. I could not believe how much ink was wasted (and I'm doing no better here discussing this) on such a meaningless story, and yet, Janet's flash become the most watched TIVO segment in its history. For heaven's sake people, it's just a boob - you can find 20x that amount on Bourbon Street on New Years Eve or Mardi Gras, or hell, how about National Geographic, or even the Discovery Channel! I found it quite astonishing, however, that this garnered more negative publicity than did Britanny and Madonna's smooch on the MTV Video Music Awards (I guess they felt it was the VMAs, they do that stuff all the time). Sheesh!
So that brings us back to my previous post, the Grammys, and Janet's absence from the program. Her absence, which apparently was attempted to be changed under certain conditions but to no avail, was felt during the broadcast. It provoked an awful lot of thought and debate that no one expected to experience Sunday night. Most expressed confusion and bewilderment at the actions of CBS and the Grammys. The five-minute, not second, delay casted another shadow over the festivities, and made the show that much more unbearable to many fans, forcing the show to be completely predictable and null of unexpected moments, except for stuff like Coldplay's acceptance speech.
Now, I'm not coming out to say that Janet was right in doing what she did. It had no major effect on how I felt about the performance or the Super Bowl or the halftime show, even though it did make me go "uh ok, Justin went for a little too much there!" But, Janet made the best call to not join the Grammy festivities after she was first told not to come, and then later asked to rejoin under certain conditions. Her refusal to join has helped spark a debate over what she did during the Super Bowl, and the actions of both CBS and the Grammys. This will no doubt bring forth debates on obscenity and indecency on television, but also it will bring back the debate over media consolidation and the fact that censorship seems to be creeping back, ever so gingerly, into the mainstream again with this current administration.
Anyone who knows me knows that I am an anti-censorship, First Amendment advocate. Hell, I'm an artist, and if I am true to my profession, that automatically makes me an anti-censorship advocate. It's a very touchy subject, censorship, as I understand concerns on both sides of the aisle. Still, the issue, which hasn't been greatly brought up during the sleazy Clinton years, is now back with a vengeance it seems. After many years of thinking we were past all this crap, it's now coming back, but not just in terms of sexual indecency, but also now in political indecency. Sadly, it's going to affect how so many artists portray their work, or the means by which their work can be viewed by the mainstream public. Then again, it could make more people vigilant in expressing their own beliefs, not to mention the desire to shock people into thinking and debating various issues, something our political discourse has seriously lacked in the last couple of years, but that's for another post.
Who would have thought that in 2004 the entire world (currently experiencing record poverty levels all over, the increasing threat of the melting polar ice caps, terrorism and hatred around every corner, and governments misleading their people with unjust wars, laws and indictments) would shut down, or possibly change course, due to the exposure of a woman's breast? It speak volumes not just how we have come along since the 90s, but also the immense power that women still seem to have with their bosom.
I caught bits and pieces of the Grammys, so here some thoughts on last Sunday night's awards ceremony:
- There is a certain feeling you get in your stomach, an uplifting feeling, when you see a band you opened up for get the chance to be heard on the ultimate soundstage. The fact that we, XINGU, had the opportunity to open for Robert Randolph in Tallahassee and made the kind of impact we did that night makes me smile when millions of fans got the chance to see the wild and crazy Randolph I have known for almost two years and love it too. Way to go guys, you finally made the big time!
- Coldplay rocks - their music rocks, and, in my personal( and only personal!) opinion, their politics rock! A Rush of Blood to the Head is a fantastic album that I would recommend to anyone - great songwriting and great production quality, which was rightly recognized when the fabolous Clocks won Record of the Year.
- My heart goes out to Luther Vandross whose life got turned upside-down with a stroke many months ago, and I wish him the best of luck in his recovery. But, granted he is deserving of great honors for his incredible career (Love Power is still an awesome song to this day), Lose Yourself by Eminem should have won Song of the Year, one of the greatest rap compositions, yes compositions, of this hip-hop generation.
- The funk tribute with Samuel L. Jackson was great, of which featured the return of Earth, Wind & Fire, the aforementioned Family Band, Big Boi of OutKast, and George Clinton. That was almost entirely too many people on stage at the end of that performance, however, hehe!
- Bye, bye Whitney Houston - Hello Beyonce Knowles! There is no doubt now that the leader of Destiny's Child is the new mega-diva of this generation, and her two performances were show stealers.
- Chick Corea and the Foo Fighters - that is a combination I never suspected, but in it's own qwirky way, it worked.
- The Warren Zevon tribute was heart-wrenching, and Zevon's song Keep Me in Your Heart is such an awesome piece of work that it deserved that kind of performance tribute.
- OutKast deserved AT LEAST Album of the Year honors for their incredible double-disc CD, Speakerboxxx/The Love Below. The Love Below is the most progressive hip-hop album that I have ever heard, and Andre 3000, Benjamin Andre, whomever he is called, is a musical, creative genius. I long for the day to work with him on a simple, or extended, project!
- Lastly, the 5-minute delay, from what I saw and heard, was never really needed, and all it did was further show CBS's anal-retentiveness that they have gotten since the whole Janet Debacle. Given the news stories that have come out, Janet, whether right or wrong in what she did at the Super Bowl, made the right decision to not join the telecast after apparently CBS or the Grammys made one final attempt to invite her after telling her all last week she was not going to be invited. Look for a future post on that whole spectacle.
Thursday, February 05, 2004
XINGU, as you know, is opening up for Robert Walter's 20th Congress on Sunday, February 15th. For those who know the history of Robert, especially during his period with Karl Denson and The Greyboy Allstars, this show is definitely one you do not want to miss. However, for one particular person (yours truly), this gig has a certain special meaning to it.
It goes back to January 25th, 2003, back when I was a member of Full Black Out. While we had already played Valdosta, GA once back in July 2002, we were primed for our very first major, regional gig - performing at Atlanta, GA's Brandyhouse, opening for Atlanta band Escape Vehicle. Steve Shellman was still a member of the FBO, and the powerful drummer was my ride for the trip. So, just before we crossed the border, Shellman asked if I ever listened to The Greyboy Allstars. My non-affirmative response prompted Steve to order me to find his copy of the Allstars' West Coast Boogaloo. So I got the disc, and he put into his player, and Soul Dream came on in the car. Needless to say at that moment, my life would change forever.
I became amazed listening to the tone of every instrumentalist, how crisp and confident each note in their performance appeared to be. But while Denson's sax work was thrilling, it was Robert's rhodes that stunned me the most with its simplicity and authenticity. I would never look the same way at my digital rhodes sounds again, and I felt once I completed that incredible album that I had finally found my missing link, not to mention the desire to have authentic instruments all around me.
I had always been a jazz fan, but I never could get into (at an early age) the kind of jazz from artists like Chick Corea, Bill Evans, the Flecktones, Herbie Hancock (though I was a fan of Rocket back in the day), Duke Ellington, etc. It never managed to pierce through my head when I was just starting out - but I could easily get down with Phil Collin's brand of jazz pop. It was always there, but I was born an MTV child and I hadn't been able to fully grasp that other side of the spectrum. That missing board for a bridge between the pop and jazz pop I knew from my adolescence and the funky/jazz realm of those greats was missing, and it would have been very difficult to understand and enjoy that other side if I didn't have something to lead me to it.
My musical mind had already started to experience new and different music. Bonnaroo 2002 is up with the January Drive as among the top five, if not three, key musical moments of my career thus far. From that show, I experienced bands like Widespread Panic, moe., Galactic, Robert Randolph, and Gov't Mule for the first time, but it were the performances of Soulive, String Cheese Incident, and Trey Anastasio that would fill in a huge space of musical knowledge. Soulive was the first band to incorporate that funky, jazzy DMB-like style of music that I was already accustomed to before, and I immediately became a HUGE fan of the group. SCI's keyboardist had my jaw dropping from the jazz licks he threw out at that crowd of 50,000 on that Saturday night. Lastly, Trey's amazingly energetic and funky band lit up loads of musical possibilities and jams for me to consider. The nails were put into place, all I needed was that board that would get me over to the other side of the river. I saw MMW a month before, but it was too crazy and too wild (but awesome nonetheless) to be that final link.
So, when Steve put that Greyboy album into the player, the bridge had been made, and from that point on, nothing would be the same. My playing began to drastically change - from the poppy, blusey, Phishy style of playing I was used to, to a deeper jazz & funk realm I had not anticipated before. It would take me a while to fully develop that style, and I still am, but I'll be damned if I did not believe that 2003 ended up becoming my most advancing year of musical knowledge and performance of my entire life. After I got hit with the Greyboy Syndrome, I started playing with XINGU, and thanks to that background, I was able to start playing and writing in the realm of music that I needed to be in to fulfill the XINGU project. It should be noted that after that Atlanta gig, both Steve and I pushed hard to add Soul Dream to our repertoire. Our debut performance of that tune came about three weeks after that gig at the Warehouse in Tallahassee when FBO would feature for the first and only time a brass section, a section that included a then young, 20-year-old saxophone phenom by the name of Chelsea Luker.
So this gig is my chance to not only perform for Robert and his band, but also my opportunity to personally thank him for unwittingly giving me the pieces of the puzzle I had been missing to help further along this tapestry of musical knowledge I am continuing to build. I don't know how deep it will resonate with him, as he probably gets tons of similar comments, but it is only fair, for my conscience, to let him know just how much his playing and performing really transformed me into the artist I am today. There really is no greater gift in this business than knowing that your music and abilities have touched someone so greatly, be it professionally or personally - hell, if there is no such gift, what are we doing this for anyway?
It goes back to January 25th, 2003, back when I was a member of Full Black Out. While we had already played Valdosta, GA once back in July 2002, we were primed for our very first major, regional gig - performing at Atlanta, GA's Brandyhouse, opening for Atlanta band Escape Vehicle. Steve Shellman was still a member of the FBO, and the powerful drummer was my ride for the trip. So, just before we crossed the border, Shellman asked if I ever listened to The Greyboy Allstars. My non-affirmative response prompted Steve to order me to find his copy of the Allstars' West Coast Boogaloo. So I got the disc, and he put into his player, and Soul Dream came on in the car. Needless to say at that moment, my life would change forever.
I became amazed listening to the tone of every instrumentalist, how crisp and confident each note in their performance appeared to be. But while Denson's sax work was thrilling, it was Robert's rhodes that stunned me the most with its simplicity and authenticity. I would never look the same way at my digital rhodes sounds again, and I felt once I completed that incredible album that I had finally found my missing link, not to mention the desire to have authentic instruments all around me.
I had always been a jazz fan, but I never could get into (at an early age) the kind of jazz from artists like Chick Corea, Bill Evans, the Flecktones, Herbie Hancock (though I was a fan of Rocket back in the day), Duke Ellington, etc. It never managed to pierce through my head when I was just starting out - but I could easily get down with Phil Collin's brand of jazz pop. It was always there, but I was born an MTV child and I hadn't been able to fully grasp that other side of the spectrum. That missing board for a bridge between the pop and jazz pop I knew from my adolescence and the funky/jazz realm of those greats was missing, and it would have been very difficult to understand and enjoy that other side if I didn't have something to lead me to it.
My musical mind had already started to experience new and different music. Bonnaroo 2002 is up with the January Drive as among the top five, if not three, key musical moments of my career thus far. From that show, I experienced bands like Widespread Panic, moe., Galactic, Robert Randolph, and Gov't Mule for the first time, but it were the performances of Soulive, String Cheese Incident, and Trey Anastasio that would fill in a huge space of musical knowledge. Soulive was the first band to incorporate that funky, jazzy DMB-like style of music that I was already accustomed to before, and I immediately became a HUGE fan of the group. SCI's keyboardist had my jaw dropping from the jazz licks he threw out at that crowd of 50,000 on that Saturday night. Lastly, Trey's amazingly energetic and funky band lit up loads of musical possibilities and jams for me to consider. The nails were put into place, all I needed was that board that would get me over to the other side of the river. I saw MMW a month before, but it was too crazy and too wild (but awesome nonetheless) to be that final link.
So, when Steve put that Greyboy album into the player, the bridge had been made, and from that point on, nothing would be the same. My playing began to drastically change - from the poppy, blusey, Phishy style of playing I was used to, to a deeper jazz & funk realm I had not anticipated before. It would take me a while to fully develop that style, and I still am, but I'll be damned if I did not believe that 2003 ended up becoming my most advancing year of musical knowledge and performance of my entire life. After I got hit with the Greyboy Syndrome, I started playing with XINGU, and thanks to that background, I was able to start playing and writing in the realm of music that I needed to be in to fulfill the XINGU project. It should be noted that after that Atlanta gig, both Steve and I pushed hard to add Soul Dream to our repertoire. Our debut performance of that tune came about three weeks after that gig at the Warehouse in Tallahassee when FBO would feature for the first and only time a brass section, a section that included a then young, 20-year-old saxophone phenom by the name of Chelsea Luker.
So this gig is my chance to not only perform for Robert and his band, but also my opportunity to personally thank him for unwittingly giving me the pieces of the puzzle I had been missing to help further along this tapestry of musical knowledge I am continuing to build. I don't know how deep it will resonate with him, as he probably gets tons of similar comments, but it is only fair, for my conscience, to let him know just how much his playing and performing really transformed me into the artist I am today. There really is no greater gift in this business than knowing that your music and abilities have touched someone so greatly, be it professionally or personally - hell, if there is no such gift, what are we doing this for anyway?
