Thursday, January 28, 2010

She Sunk My Battleship


And by the way, for those out there having trouble in relationships, take heed. We feel you. I sunk another ship - can't even figure out who's fault it was though. Good question - Does it really matter at the end of a relationship to figure out who was at fault, if anyone?

Brand New Day


Just one of those days. Got to surf manhattan this morning, but the payback is that its 1245am, and I'm still working. And its all soooo important! yeah, right. you ever laugh at yourself as the anxiety is settling in, the nervous energy brewing, and you laugh because in the perenial bigger picture its really not that important. After all, I have a restaurant/bar and a venue...I wonder what Obama is doing right now. I bet he takes the blue ones every time. But alas, the work continues, and we confirm new artists, and we develop new stuff, and it can be fun. But the other day i was at Tyrone & Mark's show (Tyrone Wells on Sunday), on Sunday when I usually dont work, because I went to film them. And it was fun. I got lost in the music for awhile (see the clips at the end of this blog). And at the end of the show, after a great performance, Tyrone was outside talking to fans and signing autographs like a true fan-thankful artist; not too cool for school, no give-me-my-post-show-rider-pizza-and-hot-tea, no pay-me-im-out...instead, he was genuinely interested in the people that had driven miles just to see him play. And as I walked away, humble, I smiled. Music is alive.

http://www.justin.tv/s/oHEV75M/clip/60824f08e89db688

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Marley Family & Saint Rocke


So the last time Julian Marley came into town, he needed a practice venue - somewhere to polish up the show before they played Saint Rocke and moved onto Australia. So I told the agent to send them over to Charlie's, a friend of mine that has a pretty cool studio over by the old PV Bowl on Crenshaw. Well, Julian and his crew enjoyed it, so when they came back out, they asked for the favor again - and Charlie was gracious enough to grant it. They played SR last night (sick show), but on Monday night I had the pleasure of going to see them rehearse. Now let me set the table...you show up in an industrial cul-de-sac, walk into the back lot of a chain-linked fence lot, where there are few stragglers warming their hands at the makeshift firepit, with the smell of you-know-what pungent through the night air, and as you make your way inside, there is an army of music loving reggae souls getting the space ready for julian to play. The best way I can describe my interaction was 'fly on the wallesque', which is what I love. Colleen, a friend (who by the way check out her classic website www.thepickupchick.com) came with me, and usually I would go alone - but in this case, it was more fun with her. Cool thing about her is that a long time ago, I totally blew trying to ask her out and putzed it, and because of that, there is no longer that nervous expectation in my head. Sounds odd, but then again...
Anyway, they start playing slowly, sharply, jaggedly, stopping and starting, calling out changes, and then a rhythm sets in. drums and bass connect, keys follow, guitar starts up, and they begin with Natural Mystic followed by Positive Vibration. And I start laughing. Cant stop laughing. Am I really here? Is this what it felt like to sit in on Bob's rehearsals in Kingston? I closed my eyes, and Julian's gruff voice resembled Bob's, but his energy and love for the songs seemed identical. And I listened for a few hours, lost in the classic melodies. And a story was born.