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Showing posts with label nnedi okorafor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nnedi okorafor. Show all posts
Monday, February 23, 2015
Official video for Greeny Jungle + upcoming shows in NYC, DC, SEA
Monday, January 27, 2014
writing for freedom
I want to start out by thanking everyone in Seattle who supported that beautiful Town Hall show with Krar Collective, as well as the 2 events I did at Seattle University last week. You all got glimpses of my latest work before anyone else, and I really appreciated the love. Aida Solomon at Seattle Globalist was kind enough to post some photos, check it out here.
Also, last week, The Feminist Wire ran an incredible week-long forum on Mumia and mass incarceration. I was honored to write something for it, about Mumia and My Survival which you can read here. In it, I talk about high school, what led me to become a vegetarian, schools and prisons, and how Mumia Abu-Jamal and MOVE's inspiration helped shape me.
Another writing/storytelling project that I want people to pay attention to is Black on Palestine. Earlier this month, there was a delegation to Palestine that included dream hampton, Jasiri X, Ferrari Sheppard, Remi Kanazi, Bryonn Bain and others. They started a tumblr page you can follow here, and I love the much-needed conversations that are happening now about true solidarity between people of African descent and the people of Palestine. So necessary and overdue.
Also this month, Nnedi Okorafor wrote a beautiful piece for the New York Times titled African Science Fiction is Still Alien. The New York Times decided not to publish it, but she posted it on her blog anyway. This woman is one of my favorite authors, so you have to understand it means the world to me when she mentions CopperWire and quotes the line "whatchu' think we do all day, swat flies?!" Check it out here.
And finally, a show announcement. (Again in Seattle... will be touring soon, I promise!) I'm really excited about this one... a tribute to my other favorite voice in science-fiction, Octavia Butler. Octavia's Brood co-editors Walidah Imarisha & adrienne maree brown will be at the EMP Museum doing an interactive reading on February 28th (also featuring David Walker and myself), DJ Sassy Black (of THEEsatisfaction) will be spinning a science-fiction inspired set of music, Felicia Loud and myself will be performing a few Octavia Butler-inspired songs, and you will get to see a rarely seen interview with Octavia Butler, along with stories from people that knew her well. Ticket info on the EMP site. Also, On March 1st, Walidah Imarisha & adrienne maree brown will also be hosting a few workshops at Seattle University. Registration information for both workshops is here. Much love to John Jennings for the Wild Seed-inspired artwork on this poster.
Octavia's Brood is an anthology of radical science and speculative fiction written by organizers and activists, based in the idea that those working to change the world are already sci-fi/speculative thinkers. The anthology is set to release June 22, 2014.
Sunday, December 29, 2013
2013: A retrospective. (Part 1 of 3: What inspired me the most.)
This blog (not just this entry, but the whole blog's existence) is meant to be about 2 things: What I create, and what inspires me. Last year on New Year's Eve I did a retrospective that was (almost) strictly focused on music. It was in 2 parts, here and here. This year, more than any other, I felt myself growing way past just being a musician. So naturally my inspirations aren't just music either. This is what inspired me the most, outside of music in 2013.
Idle No More
I think the most pressing (and least-talked about) issue of our time is climate change. We are talking about the future of life on this planet here. 95% of scientists agree that climate change is at the very least partially a man-made phenomenon, yet the United States mainstream media gives those few scientists that disagree, at least half of the airtime as everyone else speaking on the issue. In 2013 global carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels have hit a record high, and as scientists agree, if we as a species don't do something to change this soon, climate change becomes irreversible. You see, there are methane gases trapped in glaciers on this planet's poles. As those glaciers melt, more methane is released into the atmosphere... and we're talking about a planet that heats up so fast it becomes uninhabitable for life in just a few generation's time. Don't just take my word for it. Do the research. Allan Savory did a great TED Talk on using livestock to basically imitate nature, to fight desertification in order to keep the world habitable. Naomi Klein wrote an excellent article on "How science is telling us all to revolt" - which brings me to one of the movements that inspired me the most in 2013, Idle No More.
I became aware of the Idle No More movement in December of 2012, as flash mob videos of Indigenous people taking over shopping malls and crowded city centers with song and dance, started to go viral. It was such a powerful, necessary and public reclamation both of land and tradition. When I learned why it was happening, my heart sunk: Canada was taking away what sovereignty Indigenous people still had, re-writing every treaty, and doing it all overnight. The reason: Oil - from the tar sands in Northern Alberta to be specific - and pipelines. Now, keep in mind everything you just read about climate change and then add this to it: The oil produced from those tar sands releases 3 times the amount of greenhouse emissions as most of the oil we use, due to the energy required to extract and process it. This is potentially one of the biggest threats to Planet Earth in a time when we need to cut those carbon emissions more than anything else. And it's still happening, fast. Of course the Indigenous people in Canada whose lands are right there are the most affected, and it makes sense that they would lead this movement (I believe we should follow their lead) but it is an issue that all of humanity has to deal with... one way or another.
In Seattle, there were several Idle No More teach-ins where I learned about these issues, re-connected with old friends, and built new friendships. One of my new life mantras actually comes from something I heard at one of these teach-ins in Seattle: It was from a brother who made a commitment to himself and the group to not isolate himself any longer. He spoke to all the reasons why it is so easy to isolate himself; from awkwardness to time issues, which I feel on such a personal level... but how isolation is one of the biggest contributing factors to all the problems we face. We can only overcome them together. He said it twice as eloquently as I could. For more information on Idle No More please check idlenomore.ca
Dream Defenders
The other movement that inspired me the most in 2013 is Dream Defenders from the state of Florida. Black and Brown Youth who mobilized themselves after George Zimmerman's acquittal in the senseless murder of Trayvon Martin. They occupied the Florida State Capitol for an entire month in an effort to enact what they called "Trayvon's Law" which would of repealed the stand your ground law, banned racial profiling, and put an end to the school to prison pipeline. The work they are continuing to do now is necessary and on-point. Something that I realized about justice in the days after Zimmerman's acquittal is this: justice is a process, not a conclusion. Justice was not served in that trial, nor do I believe that it even exists in the US Courts or the Prison System today. I believe The Dream Defenders are what justice in action looks like. Please check them out and keep following them at dreamdefenders.org
Arise For Assata
In the month of May, the United States Government placed one of my heroes and greatest inspirations, Assata Shakur on a "most-wanted terrorists" list and they placed a $2 million bounty on her head. I urge anyone reading this to go pick up Assata's autobiography, and learn more about her life, and her case. It is easily one of the best books I've ever read. I think about her affirmation of life all the time. In the wake of this news, Alixa Garcia of Climbing PoeTree (already one of the most inspiring groups I know anywhere) has been creating a new piece of art every single day to envision the freedom of Assata Shakur. Check it out now at ariseforassataproject.tumblr.com
Homeboy Sandman wrote one of most important articles I read all year, and it meant a lot to me that it was written by another Independent MC. To love and embody an art form while maintaining a critical eye on how it's used, is literally what we have to do to survive, and Homeboy Sandman gave a shining example of what that looks like with this article. Even the photo I used for Homeboy on the right (this might not of been what was intended) is an example of what Frantz Fanon calls double-consciousness: the state of constantly having to be aware of who you really are, and the contradiction of how you are perceived at large.
The article makes some crucial connections I had never seen made before, from how a mere 232 media executives controls the entire information diet of 277 million people in the US, to how some of those media executives have a huge stake in the Prison Industrial Complex, to why rap music on the radio is what it is; and how that music is being used to target, incarcerate, and enslave an entire generation. Read the article here.
Questlove
While we're on the subject of Hip Hop artists expanding beyond just making music, I've got to talk about Questlove of The Roots! He published his first book Mo' Meta Blues in 2013, which I thought was brilliant, both in content and form. From the story of his life told through the music he listened to, to the hilarious 2nd, 3rd and 4th voices that offered (often contradictory) footnotes and different perspectives on both the history being talked about, and the writing process of that history... it was everything that a Hip Hop artist's memoir should be. A book that remixes and attempts to transform how such books are even written. In addition to Mo' Meta Blues... Questlove's incredibly vulnerable article about Trayvon Martin that was all over the internet, made him my favorite new writer I read in 2013. Looking forward to seeing more artists writing books in the coming years... (there's a lot I know working on em!)
Life With Jeannie
Another Hip Hop artist, one of my favorite emcees actually, that has constantly encouraged people to imagine themselves differently and go hard for your dreams no matter how many roads you may have to invent along the way is Jean Grae. She debuted her long-awaited sitcom Life With Jeannie on Christmas Day, and like Questlove, I believe she did a bit of remixing the form of what a sitcom could be. I mean... the show is hilarious, you should watch it right away, and I would of had it on this list even if this didn't happen... but there were some technical issues on December 25th, and the show didn't go online exactly at 8PM as was promoted... so at 8PM she turned on Ustream and had an interactive video chat with her, the crew of the show, and anybody that happened to sign in. This was live for 4 hours until the show went online. I tuned in for a few minutes, and not to knock the show... but the live video chat was as funny as the show itself. Later, half an hour after the show went online, they all went back on Ustream to take questions. I don't think that level of vulnerability and interacting with your audience has ever happened for a TV show. Maybe it wasn't even possible. Props to Jean Grae and the whole crew that make Life With Jeannie possible. Hoping the show takes off in 2014! First episode posted above.
Nnedi Okorafor
If you read this blog, or follow my music, you should already be familiar with one of my favorite voices in speculative fiction: Nnedi Okorafor. At some point in 2013, and only after reading 4 of her novels, I realized there was a common alternate universe in all of them. (Genius!) I'm currently getting into her recently released collection of short stories Kabu Kabu. I also have to say Nnedi's occasional tweets on her writing process have been a constant inspiration as well. Looking forward to Lagoon in 2014!
(artwork on the left by John Jennings)
Hamda Yusuf
In March, I performed alongside my brother Ka.lil as Abyssinian Creole at the Youth Speaks Seattle Grand Slam. It was an especially special night for me as there were 3 young East African poets who represented hard! This meant the world to me, because I remember being 18 years old in Seattle, and one of only 3 East African poets on the whole scene... as well as the only East African emcee I knew of anywhere, up until I was 24. (I first heard K'naan and met Burntface around 2005) Anyways... Hamda Yusuf had me on my feet cheering all night at the Youth Speaks event, and then again as she did her first TED Talk later in the year. Will be posting that video as soon as it's available. Look out for Hamda more in the future!
The 2013 music retrospective is coming next...
Idle No More
I think the most pressing (and least-talked about) issue of our time is climate change. We are talking about the future of life on this planet here. 95% of scientists agree that climate change is at the very least partially a man-made phenomenon, yet the United States mainstream media gives those few scientists that disagree, at least half of the airtime as everyone else speaking on the issue. In 2013 global carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels have hit a record high, and as scientists agree, if we as a species don't do something to change this soon, climate change becomes irreversible. You see, there are methane gases trapped in glaciers on this planet's poles. As those glaciers melt, more methane is released into the atmosphere... and we're talking about a planet that heats up so fast it becomes uninhabitable for life in just a few generation's time. Don't just take my word for it. Do the research. Allan Savory did a great TED Talk on using livestock to basically imitate nature, to fight desertification in order to keep the world habitable. Naomi Klein wrote an excellent article on "How science is telling us all to revolt" - which brings me to one of the movements that inspired me the most in 2013, Idle No More.
I became aware of the Idle No More movement in December of 2012, as flash mob videos of Indigenous people taking over shopping malls and crowded city centers with song and dance, started to go viral. It was such a powerful, necessary and public reclamation both of land and tradition. When I learned why it was happening, my heart sunk: Canada was taking away what sovereignty Indigenous people still had, re-writing every treaty, and doing it all overnight. The reason: Oil - from the tar sands in Northern Alberta to be specific - and pipelines. Now, keep in mind everything you just read about climate change and then add this to it: The oil produced from those tar sands releases 3 times the amount of greenhouse emissions as most of the oil we use, due to the energy required to extract and process it. This is potentially one of the biggest threats to Planet Earth in a time when we need to cut those carbon emissions more than anything else. And it's still happening, fast. Of course the Indigenous people in Canada whose lands are right there are the most affected, and it makes sense that they would lead this movement (I believe we should follow their lead) but it is an issue that all of humanity has to deal with... one way or another.
In Seattle, there were several Idle No More teach-ins where I learned about these issues, re-connected with old friends, and built new friendships. One of my new life mantras actually comes from something I heard at one of these teach-ins in Seattle: It was from a brother who made a commitment to himself and the group to not isolate himself any longer. He spoke to all the reasons why it is so easy to isolate himself; from awkwardness to time issues, which I feel on such a personal level... but how isolation is one of the biggest contributing factors to all the problems we face. We can only overcome them together. He said it twice as eloquently as I could. For more information on Idle No More please check idlenomore.ca
Dream Defenders
The other movement that inspired me the most in 2013 is Dream Defenders from the state of Florida. Black and Brown Youth who mobilized themselves after George Zimmerman's acquittal in the senseless murder of Trayvon Martin. They occupied the Florida State Capitol for an entire month in an effort to enact what they called "Trayvon's Law" which would of repealed the stand your ground law, banned racial profiling, and put an end to the school to prison pipeline. The work they are continuing to do now is necessary and on-point. Something that I realized about justice in the days after Zimmerman's acquittal is this: justice is a process, not a conclusion. Justice was not served in that trial, nor do I believe that it even exists in the US Courts or the Prison System today. I believe The Dream Defenders are what justice in action looks like. Please check them out and keep following them at dreamdefenders.org
Arise For Assata
Homeboy Sandman wrote one of most important articles I read all year, and it meant a lot to me that it was written by another Independent MC. To love and embody an art form while maintaining a critical eye on how it's used, is literally what we have to do to survive, and Homeboy Sandman gave a shining example of what that looks like with this article. Even the photo I used for Homeboy on the right (this might not of been what was intended) is an example of what Frantz Fanon calls double-consciousness: the state of constantly having to be aware of who you really are, and the contradiction of how you are perceived at large.
The article makes some crucial connections I had never seen made before, from how a mere 232 media executives controls the entire information diet of 277 million people in the US, to how some of those media executives have a huge stake in the Prison Industrial Complex, to why rap music on the radio is what it is; and how that music is being used to target, incarcerate, and enslave an entire generation. Read the article here.
Questlove
While we're on the subject of Hip Hop artists expanding beyond just making music, I've got to talk about Questlove of The Roots! He published his first book Mo' Meta Blues in 2013, which I thought was brilliant, both in content and form. From the story of his life told through the music he listened to, to the hilarious 2nd, 3rd and 4th voices that offered (often contradictory) footnotes and different perspectives on both the history being talked about, and the writing process of that history... it was everything that a Hip Hop artist's memoir should be. A book that remixes and attempts to transform how such books are even written. In addition to Mo' Meta Blues... Questlove's incredibly vulnerable article about Trayvon Martin that was all over the internet, made him my favorite new writer I read in 2013. Looking forward to seeing more artists writing books in the coming years... (there's a lot I know working on em!)
Life With Jeannie
Another Hip Hop artist, one of my favorite emcees actually, that has constantly encouraged people to imagine themselves differently and go hard for your dreams no matter how many roads you may have to invent along the way is Jean Grae. She debuted her long-awaited sitcom Life With Jeannie on Christmas Day, and like Questlove, I believe she did a bit of remixing the form of what a sitcom could be. I mean... the show is hilarious, you should watch it right away, and I would of had it on this list even if this didn't happen... but there were some technical issues on December 25th, and the show didn't go online exactly at 8PM as was promoted... so at 8PM she turned on Ustream and had an interactive video chat with her, the crew of the show, and anybody that happened to sign in. This was live for 4 hours until the show went online. I tuned in for a few minutes, and not to knock the show... but the live video chat was as funny as the show itself. Later, half an hour after the show went online, they all went back on Ustream to take questions. I don't think that level of vulnerability and interacting with your audience has ever happened for a TV show. Maybe it wasn't even possible. Props to Jean Grae and the whole crew that make Life With Jeannie possible. Hoping the show takes off in 2014! First episode posted above.
If you read this blog, or follow my music, you should already be familiar with one of my favorite voices in speculative fiction: Nnedi Okorafor. At some point in 2013, and only after reading 4 of her novels, I realized there was a common alternate universe in all of them. (Genius!) I'm currently getting into her recently released collection of short stories Kabu Kabu. I also have to say Nnedi's occasional tweets on her writing process have been a constant inspiration as well. Looking forward to Lagoon in 2014!
(artwork on the left by John Jennings)
Hamda Yusuf
In March, I performed alongside my brother Ka.lil as Abyssinian Creole at the Youth Speaks Seattle Grand Slam. It was an especially special night for me as there were 3 young East African poets who represented hard! This meant the world to me, because I remember being 18 years old in Seattle, and one of only 3 East African poets on the whole scene... as well as the only East African emcee I knew of anywhere, up until I was 24. (I first heard K'naan and met Burntface around 2005) Anyways... Hamda Yusuf had me on my feet cheering all night at the Youth Speaks event, and then again as she did her first TED Talk later in the year. Will be posting that video as soon as it's available. Look out for Hamda more in the future!
The 2013 music retrospective is coming next...
Thursday, October 24, 2013
"Scars/Stars" by Walidah Imarisha + other new books this month!
The day has come, and my family Walidah Imarisha (co-editor of the Octavia's Brood anthology, co-editor of Another World Is Possible, and one-half of Good Sista / Bad Sista) has released a new book of poetry: Scars/Stars. This sister has been a constant inspiration to me for my entire adult life. I wouldn't be the same artist or human being without her, for real. You can get her newest book here now!
Scars/Stars also has the first blurb I ever wrote for a book on the back cover :)
While we're on the topic of new books... here's a few more I'm excited about, all published in the last month (or soon to be published):
If you don't know her, please get familiar. Nnedi Okorafor is the first sci-fi author since Octavia Butler who's work I got completely addicted to... and it wasn't until reading 4 of her novels that I realized there is a common alternate universe in all of them. Genius. If you follow my music closely, you would know Nnedi is also the resident Naijamerican novelist alien sorceress who wrote the "legend" of CopperWire as it reads in the Earthbound liner notes, and website. Kabu Kabu is Nnedi's first collection of short stories. Very exciting!
I have to admit, this one took me by surprise. It's Ytasha L. Womack's guide to Black Sci-Fi everything and it includes something about our Ethiopian Hip Hop Space Opera, CopperWire! I just found out about it a few nights ago, and can't wait to read it! There's also cover artwork by that genius John Jennings... who also did this!
This is my family Bocafloja's second book, and the first one that will be both in English and Spanish. It will feature poetry along with short stories and essays... and I'm very excited to be doing some Northwest events in November around the release of this book! You'll be hearing more about this one very soon, but for now, check the video.
Thursday, January 3, 2013
2012, personally...
So being one-third of an Ethiopian Hip Hop Space Opera launched us into a world of African Science-Fiction in 2012, and that has been an absolute highlight of my entire life... starting with the first conversation on the phone I had with Nnedi Okorafor, that happened on my birthday last year :) Nnedi is a Naijamerican novelist alien sorceress (as stated in the legend of CopperWire, which she was so gracious to write) and she wrote the best new novel I read in 2011, Who Fears Death; an epic story set in a post-apocalyptic Saharan Africa. It's been wonderful and so inspiring to read more of her work this year.
Later in the year, when I found out I was getting this incredible opportunity to go to Cape Town, South Africa, Nnedi and my good friend Tigist Selam both introduced me to my new favorite film maker, Wanuri Kahiu. Wanuri is based in Nairobi, and meeting her, learning about her process and what she has cooking, was such an inspiration. Her short film Pumzi is one of the best things I saw in 2011... do yourself a favor and look that up on Netflix now if you've never seen it. She introduced me to the music and videos of Just A Band... which are amazing and all have a sci-fi element, and during my time in South Africa I also got to meet Mbithi from Just A Band, and another incredible Afrofuturist film maker from Nairobi by the name of Bobb Muchiri. Bobb is the creative force behind Kichwateli (posted above) which was easily one of the best things I've seen in 2012. In June, the BBC did a special featuring Nnedi, Wanuri and others entitled "Is Science Fiction coming to Africa?" I'd say the answer is a resounding yes, along with it's always been there.
We were inspired, we were challenged, our lives changed, the world got smaller and our family got bigger... all in one week. So many of my 2012 highlights stem from this trip that it deserves it's own blog. I'll try to stick to what I can link you too. Warsan Shire; I had been checking out her poetry for a while now, but getting to know this sister and being able to call her family in 2012 is a highlight for real, she inspires me to be more honest with myself and the world around me, and she happens to be one of the funniest people I know :) eL Seed; incredible Arabic calligraffiti artist from Tunisia. Every piece I've seen him do involves the entire community around him... this brother is also hilarious, crazy inspiring and he's got a 2013 calendar making our kitchen more beautiful right now. Illume Creative Studio; So good to finally meet Anne from Rwanda, after years of internetting back & forth. Her crew from Illume was there to document the entire journey and they felt like family right away. Ian Kamau; my brother from another hometown (Toronto) inspired me again by doing what I wish I did when he stayed in South Africa, and then got to tour the whole country along with Kenya, Ethiopia and Rwanda. His blog is great so I felt like I was right there too. Now, if you can imagine everyone I just mentioned in an empty hotel lobby, and all of us spitting verses along with Tumi (of the legendary Tumi and the Volume) and Zubz the Last Letter... you have one of my personal favorite moments of 2012. I wonder what Bobb ever did with that footage...
Another one of my favorite moments at the conference was learning from Hakima Abbas and Jessica Horn about the MBBC: Movement Building Bootcamp for Queer African Activists. Their website is incredible... almost as incredible as being in a room full of Africans from all around the world who care about the same issues. Thank you Mazuba and everyone who helped bring us together!
Before we left South Africa, Walidah made sure we visited Robben Island, where members of the African National Congress were imprisoned during Apartheid, and where Nelson Mandela was held for 18 years. The feeling of even for a moment leaving Africa on a boat, on a stormy day with wind and water stinging our face... is such a deep feeling I couldn't even put it into words... but Walidah said it perfectly right here: "Robben Island" by Walidah Imarisha
When I think of Detroit now, I think of our future. What happens when the industry of an entire city collapses, over half of the population moves away, and the people left invent new ways to cooperate and survive and thrive for over 50 years? Welcome to the D... cold winters, hot summers, and the pride is infectious. I have to thank Invincible for welcoming CopperWire to the city, rocking with us, and giving all of us our first tour of the D when we were on the Earthbound tour. Invincible makes me want to do more as an artist every day. The first night we were in the city this time, they introduced us to the Detroit Future Youth Network, which brought together 12 different youth organizations from around the city, and all the youth gave workshops and developed curriculum that was then distributed as the Detroit Future Youth Network Curriculum Mixtape on flash drives you can now purchase! Brilliance.
The AMC Opening Ceremony "Experiments in the Species Self" was incredible, and it was inspiration behind the closing line in my TED Talk. Autonets, wearable electronics, storytelling as the future of the human species... you should really just watch the whole thing here. Another highlight of 2012 was getting to know Adrienne Maree Brown, who's workshop on Octavia Butler's Lilith's Brood was amazing, and who's blog has been a regular source of inspiration all year. The AMC was a lot of fire, a lot of love, good information, inspiration... and kind of a continuation of what happened in South Africa. I'm looking forward to going back this year, and to all of our worlds getting closer as we grow.
After Detroit, and thanks to my soul sibling Julay (aka the genius behind the Colored People's Time Machine artwork) I finally made it to Montreal... and it completely took me by surprise! Three words: Kalmunity Vibe Collective. The largest musical collective in Canada.
Imagine an improv night, with 10 musicians that revolve every week, and 3 main vocalists that also revolve every week... out of a cast of 60-100 people. (So more than 3 vocalists usually sit in.) The music is Hip Hop, Soul, Jazz, Reggae, there's spoken word, they might Rock out... it's all rooted in Black music, and is always about a feeling. The part that blew my mind, (and I feel so fortunate to have gotten to sit in as a featured vocalist my first night), is that it's story-based improv with multiple vocalists. One of the musicians might start something, and all the other musicians start adding to it as they feel... while us vocalists are off-stage listening until inspiration strikes one of us. It might be a word, a whole chorus, a verse... whatever it is, we say the concept, chorus, or bridge to the group... and somebody else might have something that goes with it (or is ready to make something up in the moment) and then we just go and perform the song.
What I love about the way it's organized is that it's non-hierarchical, it forces everyone to listen, step up, communicate, trust their own strengths and know each others as well. If society could organize itself the way the vocalists of Kalmunity do, we'd be in a much better place. There's no particular genre, it's very gender-balanced, and you almost always hear multiple languages on stage too.
After multiple nights of Kalmunity (I sat in with them at the Montreal Jazz Fest where they did 3 nights in a row, the same week) I realized how powerful it is for the whole city, to be able to go to a show every week because you know your going to have an experience, as opposed to going to a show to see somebody perform. I realized then if you decolonized music... took the industry out of it, took away the ego, and even the idea of a celebrity... every city would have something like Kalmunity.
Also, while at the Montreal Jazz Fest, I got to see my brother The Narcicyst rock an incredible emotionally-charged last set as a Montreal resident. And then, the same week, Nomadic Massive put on one of the best shows I've seen anyone do all year. Live band, 5 emcees (2 women + 3 men) spitting bars in at least 5 languages, completely in sync with choreography, and energy through the roof. Check out all their music, and go see them if you ever can. Montreal... I'm crushing on you. Tear'd up when I had to leave & everything.
In general... I'm feeling very grounded and cool with being in Seattle for the time being. I'm in a house I love, I work 5 different jobs with no boss... can't complain. The future is very uncertain, but what else is new... it's 2013, we've outlived every scheduled apocalypse... time to keep inventing the future now. Hope to see ya'll more this year... bless!
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
CopperWire "Starbound"... see it to believe it.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
CopperWire: first contact
The legend of the CopperWire spacecraft has been recorded by Naijamerican novelist alien sorceress Nnedi Okorafor and future transmissions will be received at www.copperwiremusic.com
First contact has been made there... and it sounds like they keep saying Phone Home...
Monday, August 22, 2011
Nnedi Okorafor
Just read one of my favorite new books and have a new hero in speculative fiction... her name is Nnedi Okorafor. You should read "Who Fears Death" (a story full of magic set in a post-apocalyptic Sudan) and check this brilliant essay on how she got into the craft... Proprioception.
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