WORSHIP THE SUN 2: when there is no sun...

inspiration :: solar heartbeat :: cycle :: lava :: forever ::: existence :: we ::: are :: breathing :: solar :: love

THE ROOTS of VIOLENCE and the SEARCH FOR PEACE: exclusive Questlove interview

Back in March this year, I had a chance to interview the two front men of THE ROOTS, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson and Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter at their Chelsea studio. I pitched the piece for the PEACE issue of TRACE, but it never ended up getting published in the issue. Tarik talked shortly about their new album Rising Down, while Ahmir got deep on some political matters. The election a week away, I felt that Questlove's thoughts on the meaning of violence and peace, on the current elections, and on the importance of grassroots activism couldn't be more timely, so I decided to publish it myself...there is a lot to chew on in here. The day I did the interview I also met Amir Ebrahimi who took these beautiful shots, and he became a friend since. Amir's work never sees to amaze me, make sure to check his photos after reading this: here.

Here is the unedited full version of the interview.

“In a land of war, seek peace of mind through mental peacefulness/ Peacefulness is in the mind of the beholder”, rhymed Black Thought on THE ROOTS’ 1993 debut album, Organix, which put the Philly-bred group on the map as one of the most innovative and politically outspoken hip-hop groups of the early 90’s. More than fifteen years in the game, the Grammy-award winning band has lost none of its edge and remains to be the much-needed breath of fresh air amidst the blinged-out club-bangers that seem to have a financial monopoly these days. As expected, THE ROOTS still have much to say about the search for peace in our post 9/11 world. A dark musical odyssey set out to expose the hidden roots of violence, their latest album Rising Down is a highly political project and a true testament to the subversive power of rhymes hip-hop has been best known for. Like many other times before, the album was inspired by a book; this time, they drew inspiration from William T. Vollmann’s epic seven-volume opus magnum entitled Rising Up and Rising Down, in which the author presents a powerful critique of political violence through an in-debt historical analysis of why humans resort to violence and how they justify it through political means.

Lichiban: Do you think that it is important to promote peace through music?

Questlove: You know the most ironic thing you could say about this album is that it is about peace. The way we went about it though is through a back-door route. First of all, the title of the album is based on a book, entitled Rising Up and Rising Down, a massive study of the history of violence. It breaks down the psychology of why human beings resort to violence, from local to global scale. It starts with international issues, and goes from citizens against the police state down to local issues, violence in prison, school violence, domestic violence, all the way to civil rivalry. This is the first book that we based an album on that I haven’t read fully…it’s like 1900 pages. It really taught me a lot. The way we wanted to present it on this album is kind of strange. There is an underlying thread that connects though the entire record of how violence is used. There is a character Criminal who observes the hypocrisy of the government-approved violence, like war crimes.[...] They only reported that they spent 6 billion on this war, but the actual number is 3600 billion, so how come the government goes unpunished for crimes it commits, but yet citizens are still getting harsh sentences for lesser offenses. Or even the idea of the Rockefeller law in NY, where urban drugs are getting a stiff 10-year penalty, while a casual Wall Street cocaine user might get a slap on the wrist. It deals with the hypocrisy of crimes and violence from the government's standpoint and then looks at it from the citizen’s standpoint. The song “Lost Desire” expresses the mentality of why young black men are nihilistic and why they have really no passion. Lost Passion would’ve been a better title but Lost Desire gives off the same vibe. Why young men are so numbed by society that they’re just cold-blooded. You have to understand that we’re from Philadelphia. Philadelphia is the murder capitol of the United States. We’re dealing here with, on a good week, 4 murders a week, on a typical week 9 murders. New York had celebrated maybe 7 murders in a calendar year. 475 murders, that’s more than a murder a day. Imagine if all Philadelphia citizens stand in line and someone says them, every 24 hours 2 of you are gonna die, you don’t know which one of you it is.

Lichiban: It’s like living in a war zone.
Questlove: It’s absolutely like a war zone. You watch action news. The one thing that I absolutely cringe hearing...they always give you the four top stories of the night. “The big story of action news tonight: 3 murders in North Philadelhia”. And someone like “Oh my god, it’s my cousin.” And you’re always watching, praying to god that it’s no one that you know who makes action news. It’s almost like a lottery, “Let’s see, go to see the war, how many murders we’ve got this week, ah 272 not even July,.. hopefully we will make it to December without 500.”

Lichiban: I visited several civil war stricken areas where people had to live with the idea of mortality or bear the affects of sustained fear on a daily basis. The cases of untreated post-traumatic stress disorder is really high and it really hurts the community. I feel like it is overlooked in this country.
Questlove: You know what, I’m gonna tell you something funny. It’s to the point that I can’t ignore it. Even though I’m minority. Even in my celebritidom, you’d think...Years ago, I could actually say, “Eh, I’m not a part of that, it’s not gonna affect me. I’m on tour large part of the year, it’s not gonna affect me. But it does affect me. There are solutions to this now that I don’t agree with. Philadelphia wants to do away with the fourth amendment right. Basically the police can stop you whenever they want to and go through your bags. You could say, well 9 murders a week, this has got to stop. This has been going on for 3 years in a row, so maybe this is the solution. No, the real solution is you have to go through and find out what drives a person to the point where they now feel that they have to end your life. There is a lot of possible answers. One theory is that the lack of finances, lack of education, lack of job opportunities are the reasons why teens lack self–esteem and lack appreciation for life. All these things you need to catch that early. Have you seen the Wire? The Wire should be required to be watched by every government official. It is a real depiction of what truly is going on.

I told the Obama campaign that I don’t want to do the celebrity stuff…that I want to do something real, on the ground. I’ll go to the hood. I’ll drive a 16-passenger van and send along with me a bunch of people, knock on door... you know it’d be a little weird first [laugh.] I don’t know nobody, but I’m still Questlove. And they’d be like, “What the hell are you doing here?” and I'd say,"Trying to make sure that you vote here. You know you’re eligible to vote, I know because I got it on record." And then I’d let them know that the Republicans went overtime in 2004. A lot of people don’t know these things because they are not informed. That’s the kind of things I think are getting to a real solution.
You have to start from small. Like a tree doesn’t come from nowhere. You have to care for it, nurture it. And then it becomes the tree. Any solution, overseas or here has to be the same way. The way I feel I can contribute the most unique and effective way is through music. I don’t mean it in a sense of “oh Questlove, the drummer of the Roots[high note]”. No I mean, in a real way. There are 7 kids who came into my life between the ages of 9-11 about 17 years ago. Some went to college, some didn't, but one is still passionate to the point that he is now one of my main producers. I know him since he was 11 years old and now he is a 23 year-old man. I gave them my equipment to use, he taught himself, I just told him no girls in here. Now he has his own protégé, he teaches kids. I think it is way more effective than something like “Camp Questlove” with 5000 children in upstate New York. That’s nice, but I think if you really want to bring some change, you have to start small, you have to give them individual attention, individual love, and individual encouragement, and they will use that to experiment, experiment, experiment. They try to get me into this project called “Read to a Child”. I’m a little uncomfortable doing things that are personal in public. People would say “He reads to them. He takes them to baseball. Takes them to the movies." And I do it. But I do it in private. I feel like it’s more sincere that way. That’s one of the biggest thing about Obama, that he touches youth. He has to talk to 35 million people across the nation. He is really charismatic in person too.

Have you seen the Unusual Suspects? The first line goes like “The greatest trick that the Devil had played on the world was that he convinced the world that he didn’t exist.” Not that anything particularly dreadful about the Clinton administration, but there were a lot of issues that I felt were not for the best of my interest. I mean, the 3 strikes law. During the Clinton administration, there were Haitian refugees trying to come to this country and they were turned away! The AIDS epidemic in Africa..we were a little too slow reacting to that.

Lichiban: Then there was Rwanda.
Questlove: Yeah, Rwanda, let’s not forget that.

Lichiban: During Clinton, all we heard that the economy was booming, and I think the arts lost their edge. Do you think that the encroaching recession will affect music in a positive way?

Questlove: I once said that depressing times and hardship would actually make better black music, because normally that has been the case. Actually the situation is so horrible that it gave the opposite effect. People got numbed to it. It actually started in the Clinton administration. The ideals got replaced. Kurt Cobain was the down-to-earth anti-hero, and Puffy became the privileged celebratory, the Great Gatsby-esque figure. I think it’s because Clinton represented a sigh of relief after 4 years of Bush, 8 years of Ronald Reagan. Socially, economically, the 70’s were not the best of times in America, but then again, the Nixon administration set us back to the civil rights period. Kennedy’s assassination really set the progress back. Clinton was the first mainstay of an 8-year period after Bush and Reagan. We were celebrating, but while celebrating we kind of let the rope go, the rope through which we were hanging onto justice. We let the ballon go up in the sky and we can’t get it back. Since Bush has been in office, I thought that we ‘re gonna be more socially conscious, we would be more for our rights. But in fact, the exact opposite happened. I think we got more scarred, more politically correct. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that in the last 8 years you haven’t heard from the Rage Against the Machine. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that you haven’t heard from Lauryn Hill since George Bush. Or D’Angelo. The voices that you’d think would be the most outspoken, the most political. I think the fact that he stole the election just put it beyond hope. People started to think “they stole the election, they can do anything. They can destroy your life in a second, and you can do nothing about it you can’t prove nothing to nobody.” Yeah, I would be scarred too.
I don’t know if there is going to be a Restoration, but I know that, personally, I feel as though this is one of our best efforts ever. I don’t know how it will do on the market, I don’t know if people are going to receive it well, but if we’re gonna go down, we’re gonna go down with my best foot forward and that’s more important than not saying nothing.

******

Support real music. Buy music from independent artists. Follow the link if you don't have the album yet.

This Saturday: MUTANT FOLKLORE IN DIGITAL

I am going to be live painting at the TEA LOUNGE in Park Slope, BK this Saturday Nov 1, 2008 with some of my favorite girlfriends...my other blog project with Sarah White, WRONGLIPS has featured all of these amazing women before. Our original goal with WRONGLIPS was to connect and build with fellow artists and as you can see, it worked! Click on names to see why my girlfriends RULE! Shout out to Five Six Media for the support!
Tea Lounge 837 Union St Park Slope Brooklyn
Q to 7th Ave, 2/3 to Grand Army Plaza, M/R to Union St.
9pm to 12am
MUTANT FOLKLORES IN DIGITAL featuring:
Rucyl Mills (electrocardio), Steph of Fish Eye, Sarah White (bagpak), Eagle Nebula (Epistrophic Peachsound, grooveattack), Marthalicia and Lichiban

FREE MUSIC: BENJI B (deviation, BBC 1) featuring PPP

PPP just came back from their European tour and are gearing up to drop their brilliant new album on unsuspecting ears in the US as well. While in London, they visited old friend Benji B (BBC Radio 1). Check Benji's playlist full of exclusive tracks from Waajeed's highly secret new solo project among other gems. You can also stream Waajeed's live set recorded at the deviation party last year...In general, if you want to be up on plain simple real good soulful music from different genres, then Benji is your man..tune into his show on BBC Radio here. And if that is not enough, visit another member of the greater bling47 fam, Kenny Fresh and his dope site FRESH SELECT for an exclusive free download of WAAJEED's remix of PPP. feat J. Dilla "Shotgun." Kenny has other free goodies, so make sure drop by regularly. WRONGLIPS is working closely with these folks on a party to shake things up over here in NYC, so stay tuned.

ARTIST TO WATCH: Quan Luv

heart ::: ancient ::: vision ::: feline ::: past ::: cover ::: ninja ::: future ::: higher ::: galaxy ::: spirit :::aligned
i'm rolling up my sleeves in preparation to get a few collaborations going with some of my favorite artist colleagues/friends/inspirations/spiritual brethren to be part of my solo show in december at YUME. i'm really excited to get things started on a collab with amazing artist QUAN LUV of A.L.I.E.N crew. stay tuned for an interview with Quan coming up soon. [thanks for the shout out!]

Quan and the crew (Dorjan & Mega) inspired me to dig up some old work i've done back when i was 17 (i stopped doing this on a daily for a while)...i owe them the inspiration to reconnect with myself as an artist back then, when all i was working on was my art and my spiritual quest trying to understand myself and my relation to the Higher Self through drawing and mediation (like Mani, the founder of the Central Asian Manichean sect). these particular mandalas were originally intended as tattoo designs. more to come...

what the FUNK?!?!

Multiply James Brown x Fela Kuti x DJ Spinna x Rich Medina x & Afrobeat Band CHICO MANNX pre-Halloween= WHAT THE FUNK?, the hottest pre-Halloween party of the city this upcoming Thursday... shout out to KEISTAR that always throws best parties. RSVP & Info - keistarproductions@gmail.com

BROOKLYN DIARIES: HEART & SOUL opening night...BLAST!

I was blown away by the turnout and the vibe at the opening night of YOUNITY's Heart & Soul female art show & book launch I was part of. Brooklyn where it's at, we are the makers of a new era...art has reclamed its connection to peoples' heart (unlike abstract art that stimulates the aesthetic and the intellectual faculties mainly). Big thanks to my beautiful artists colleagues, TOOFLY and Alice Mizrachi (who you might also remember from the Girls Dream in Color show) who did an amazing job with the show as well as the with book. One of the illustrious members of YOUNITY is famed photographer/documentarian, Martha Cooper (below) with SLONE. To check more pics from the show, check the YOUNITY blog here.

Beautiful people, Rucyl Mills & King Britt, thanks for coming out!::: w/ artists colleagues Wahidah Fowler & Abeni Garrett, whose work was featured on the H & S flyer.

Jelsen "Jargon" Inncocent!! ::: "mirror mirror on the wall..."

Mikey of Fresthetic & Rodney White artists extraordinaire

RESIST: Ursula Rucker is the truth

Here is a beautiful piece from Ursula Rucker to inspire and reawaken. Ursula is one of the most powerful female voices of today and a huge inspiration of mine. You can support her new release on Five Six Media: RUCKUS SOUNDSYSDOM (drops 11.11.08) with production by King Britt, Dego, FishEye, Rucyl Mills, Amatus, Hugh Marsh, Kevin Arthur, Tim Motzer and Rich Medina, this album is an amazing achievement in sonics, lyrics and semantics. MARK YOUR CALENDAR!

FIVESIXMEDIA music store launch: get it from the source

Philly-based artist/producer, KING BRITT has just relaunched his online digital download site FIVE SIX MEDIA. The site actually represents more than an online music store...the way it's going about distributing music is brilliant in that it creates (or connects) a community around the music.


Get your membership/subscription now because Ursula Rucker's new album Ruckus SoundSysdom, will be available next week to subscribers only as a pre-release !
about FIVE SIX MEDIA :::: Five Six Media is an example of the new music revolution. As revolutionaries, we choose sound as our weapon of choice. In this fight against the mundane, we use the universal language of music, as our means to communicate and present a new game plan, take back the control of our destiny. We are a music label, store and production house owned by artist and producer King Britt. We have many of the top artists in the world lending a hand in the movement. Ursula Rucker, Power Douglas, King Britt Presents Sylk 130, ObaFunke and many more to come. The store is exclusive to music on our label. We offer A La Carte Purchasing as well as subscription service. All MP3s of the highest quality. Flac and .wav files available for special releases. With the subscription service, you will get any and all mp3s that we put up in the year, member's only exclusive content and you will save an amazing amount of money. From now until January, we are offering an introductory $35 yearly fee. After January it will go up significantly. So get your membership now.

WE ARE THE PEOPLE ::: don't sleep then

The Fort Greene Film Society, Raw Fusion NYC, Rare Form, KeiStar Productions, Herbert Holler, Wonderway, Kilo International, Fusicology, Diamond Girl & Liquid Sound Lounge present

Would like to invite you to a critical film screening (and afterparty)...An opportunity to learn more about how they are planning to steal the election (again)!

We'll be screening 2 documentary films on the topic:
"Steal Back Your Vote"
by Greg Palast (BBC) & Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
and "Uncounted: The New Math of American Elections"

Followed by a reception/social information session. With the city's favorite DJs: Spinna, Moni, Herbert Holler, Scribe, Blu Jemz and surprise guests!

Get your own copy of the "Steal Back Your Vote" comic book guide for free! [artwork "Words of Change" by Gui Borchet]

This Monday 10.27.2008 ::: Doors open at 8:30PM ::: Screening starts at 9:00PM :::::Tribeca Grand Screening Room ::: Reception in the lounge ::::::** This Event Is FREE! **

Did you know…
In the 2004 election:
-Over three million votes cast were not counted at all ::: Over half a million absentee ballots were received but not counted ::: Black voters absentee ballots were over 3 times more likely to be rejected than White voters' ::: Black voters votes were 9 times more likely not to be counted overall ::: Latino voters votes were 5 times more likely not to be counted
Subsequently, using new regulations developed under Bush's "Help America Vote Act":
-California rejected 40% of all new voter registrations in 2006 ::: The GOP Secretary of State of Florida plans to drop 85,000, predominantly African-American, voters from the rolls before this election ::: The former GOP Secretary of State of Colorado dropped almost 20% of all registered voters from the state's voter rolls. that's one out of every five. Now she's the Chairman of the US Election Assistance Commission for the entire country!
What you can do:
-Come to this event, see the screening, tell your friends (especially press, "celebs" who will lend visibility to the issue, and anyone with an audience to share the info with) ::: Go to http://www.stealbackyourvote.com to find out more

TO STAY INFORMED ABOUT THE PROBLEMS WITH THE VOTING MACHINES, make sure to check out the election watchdog organization, Black Box Voting that's working on raising awareness about the possible flaws with the electronic voting machines.

NEW WORK: Tabletop Vision

i needed more surface for my work space, so i decided to make myself a new, larger top for my desk...was kind of reminiscing about the days when i used to tag up my school desks.

iheartbeats: need some ::: COMPUTER LOVE ::::

Computer Love by GLASS CANDY.

BROOKLYN DIARIES: The Masquerade

heart ::: feline ::: birth ::: mask ::: raw ::: wild ::: in your ::: bubble ::: sex ::: tiger ::: pink ::: alien ::: power ::: always ::: forever ::: you
Raye 6's MASQUERADE birthday bash was beyond expectation...Raye and her crew really know how to put on a sexy show... Here are some visual mementos of Raye's magic theater of erotic fantasies and aural pleasures.


Prolific visionary, Concep also known for his massive body of amazing work and kaleidoscopic talent. Support big cats with big vision! [pic. 1-6 courtesy of Richard Louissaint ]

New skool represent!... with beautiful peoples, Jesse Boykins III, Cee the Photographer, Theophilus London and Print of Good Day Good Night [watch my word, you will hear a LOT about these folks in the future...they are all stars in their own rights...Brooklyn nebula keeps on birthing them]

Left: Theophilus London. Right: my fellow artist homies, the wonderful Jelsen Jargon and Rodney White. (check Jeslen's blog about the night:)

with my fly ladies::: L2R: Soul, Keita of Keistar Productions, Ngozi of Harriet's Alter Ego, Yah of Cocolah, Saint Yacque, Yakblak and Ndada. they run biz.

Left: Cee The Photographer and Gabrielle the Painter. Right: My beautiful kat peoples, Yah & Rucyl looking all sweet in front of my design for Raye. Yah styled Raye's black carpet outfit (the sexy black dress she wore before her performance)

Miss Eye Candy: katsister. On the right, sexy mama Miss Ashley ...

Nacinimod, always fresh (check his dope designs here). This night was full of surprises...my kat women incarnated! lichiban hearts eye candy girls

.....it was hot in the pink room....
These are some of EMA's photos. check more here.

Our favorite Minority Report-er (right) was clicking away the whole night incognito...took me a sec to realize that it was Al:) Check his post on the night, here.

ARTIST TO WATCH: Jesse Boykins III

::::: GIFT UNFOLD ::::::::: :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Perhaps a little late in game, but I only recently got exposed to Jesse Boykins III' work while I was doing some design work for DJ SPINNA's last event "SEW FAR SOUL GOOD" (coming up on Nov 8th again!), where I first saw Jesse's name. Then again, while working on Raye's flyer. Damm, I was missing out.

Hailing from Brooklyn via Kingston, Jamaica and Miami, Jesse is one of the most gifted musicians I've seen among the next generation artists who are defining the sound of the new era. He's been writing songs since 4th grade, and his creative journey has been a story of steady ascent since. You have to see him perform live, the power of his voice in a live setting is even more soul-penetrating. It is as if he is channeling music from its very source...truly beautiful work. His first full length album, DOPAMINE: My Life on My Back is one of the freshest sounds I've heard...soothing, sensual, unadulterated music beyond tags and limitation. (I am not surprised that he performed at Spinna's party...I can see them coming out with some soul-shattering sounds.).
DOPAMINE: My Life on My Back is available on itunes. Because it's is cool to SUPPORT living independent artists, buy good music! Keep your eyes out for his latest album "The Beauty Created" dropping on Nov 11th. You can get a closer view on his blog.

THE MASQUERADE :: RAYE 6

heart ::: feline ::: birth ::: mask ::: raw ::: wild ::: in your ::: bubble ::: tiger ::: pink ::: alien ::: power ::: always ::: forever
As expected, Raye 6's MASQUERADE was the theater of erotic fantasies and experience. Raye is adept at putting on a sexy show.


Prolific visionary, Concep.. (....def a kat.) [pic. 1-6 courtesy of Richard Louissaint ]

i love these folks...the leaders of the new generation of Brooklyn talents Jesse Boykins III, Cee, Theophilus London, and Print!




Mmm, my katwoman would love this beauty. On the right, Miss Ashley also known as Miss Sex Kitten.

HOT OFF THE PRESS: CLAM

The new issue of my favorite mag, CLAM - a fashion, photography, art & design magazine covering global creativity esp. from underrepresented countries- is out finally...those of you who miss TRACE, you should check out CLAM. though it's $14 cover price might seem a little steep, but it is actually a collectors-item art& fashion portfolio disguised as a quarterly mag. Definitely recommend it. (Universal News should have it ). Link the crew on myspace.

iRECOMMEND: Doze Green:N.O.O.N at Jonathan Levine Gallery

SATURDAY:: I am usually more exited about checking out a concert than a museum or a gallery, but when it's art that speaks the truth, my heart lights up and I am soaking in the inspiration and energy that's generated by the work. (The work that we create as artists has a life and a vibration field on its own.) This one right here is one of those kinds. One of my favorite living painters, DOZE GREEN's second solo show N.O.O.N is opening this Saturday, October 18th, 2008 at the Jonathan Levine gallery

Oct 18 thru Nov 15, 2008
Opening reception - Saturday, October 18th 7pm-9pm

Doze's mystico-apocalyptic work speaks to my heart with its symbolism rooted in esoteric lore, urban, tribal and galactic visual patterns, colors of revelation and forgotten truths. As one of the original members of the infamous Rock Steady Crew (remember them from Style Wars), Doze already made his mark back in the 70s as a graffiti writer and b-boy, and then expanded his playground to various live art shows, eventually founding his way to the gallery world (though remained a true outsider from what I can gather). These are some images from his last solo show...expect a mindblow!

EXCERPT FROM THE PRESSKIT:
The artist’s genealogy inspires many of the themes he explores, his aesthetic influences include a mixture of ancient civilizations and indigenous cultures, including his own Afro-Caribbean roots. His totem-like human and animal figures are conceptually based on various polytheistic deities. These divinities represent sentinels, the guardians of universal truths. Immortal warriors warning mankind of dangers society has manifested, looming on the horizon and threatening to destroy us.
The show title, N.O.O.N., stands for No One Observes Nibiru. This references the planet X prophecy of a cataclysmic cosmic shift occurring in the year 2012, causing dramatic effects to life on earth. Also a prominent year in the Mayan and Hopi calendars, 2012 marks the end of our current solar cycle, signifying transition into a new age. Inspired by these theories, there is a transitional quality to the artwork. Movement, migration and transformation of form combine to form enigmatically kinetic narratives. Portals and beams of energy, layered over collaged media clippings, surround Green’s figures which echo social diaspora of the past, yet also seem to be preparing for a futuristic voyage of sorts—a survivalist evacuation plan for the great escape from doomsday.

"THE HEALER"

"The Healer". IBRAHIM YAQUT x LICHIBAN collab at the CREATIVE HEIGHTS launch party (about 4x8 feet). This was totally unplanned, kind of a spur-of-the-moment collabo with my super dope painter colleague, Ibrahim. I planned something else, so it was a real challenge, but I'm glad I jumped on it. He got it in with the amazing rendition of the cover of the 1978 cult-movie 'Rockers', while I was trying to bring to light my animal guide/spirit on the left...they are both messengers of the same message. Check other examples of his work here.

FREE MUSIC: Sarah White :: FADE (J Todd remix)

My close friend and WRONGLIPS blog partner, Sarah White's new album HIDING BLIND is off the hook! I am a huge fan of her music, so I am very exited to have this brilliant record finally out. She's been getting love from Sweden to Japan! Peep it on iTunes

One of my favorite songs from Sarah, 'FADE' was remixed by J Todd, and the result is fiya! And they're giving it away for free!

Fade - JTodd RMX by Sarah White

RAYE's delivery service

Friday, October 10 //// 2pm. Bell rings. I open the door and .....whaaaaaat? A mysterious looking masked individual properly delivers a... (then it clicks) personal INVITATION to Raye 6's upcoming birthday bash, the Masquerade this Friday, the 17th!! Dayyum, if this is how the delivery looks like, you can only imagine what the actual show is going to be like. The location hasn't been revealed yet, so make sure to check back for more info on Raye's page. It is not too late to rsvp at goodsex08@gmail.com...make sure to do it before the 15th to find out about the secret location. Also, check out her WRONGLIPS feature.

It was great to see my design come to real life on paper. I found out that she and London hand-delivered each personal invite from door to door!

This is why they call it The Raye 6 Experience.

Don't miss out on this one...All three performers are incredible talents in their own right. Make sure to check out Raye's two homies Theophilus London (remember him from an earlier post) and Jesse Boykins III as well.

it's on

...and don't forget, before the Masquerade
the same day
come join me
at the
HEART & SOUL
all-female underground art show & book launch
i am part of.
exact info here

THEOPHILUS LONDON is getting

ready to unleash a much-anticipated new album...The Theophilus/ The Lovers/ Machine Drum combo is a killer (killing you softly, nonetheless). I heard some of it, and can't wait to own the whole damm thing.

WORSHIP THE SUN: all is quiet on the solar front

our sun is at its solar minimum, in the quietest phase of its 11-year activity cycle. the solar wind also has also dropped to its lowest levels in 50 years. unusually calm, apparently.

moon transiting across the face of the sun on february 25, 2007 coronal mass ejection blasting more than a billion tons of matter into space :: january 8, 2002

magnetic structures on the solar surface :: august 22, 2003total solar eclipse :: february 16, 1980

venus transiting the sun :: on june 8, 2004

[source: boston globe]