Disclaimer: I love supporting local talent. However, I only support local talent that I truly believe is great.... not by local standards, but by national standards. Or my standards. Which isn't always the same thing. Bottom line, I will only support and endorse talent that I would have no problem telling a friend in D.C., or California, or Minnesota, to check out. So, with that said.......
Click here to experience and download some great music
Bashiri Asad.....The Space Between. I have been a fan of Bashiri for some time now. I used to work across the street from the City Market where occasionally he and Xenobia Green would perform, and right before lunch time I could hear the music from across the street and immediately say "Ah, Bashiri is performing today!" He is truly an Indianapolis gem. He performs some amazing covers (because Indianapolis loves their cover performances) but his original work is equally impressive. I was lucky enough to give a copy of his latest project, The Space Between, and have been thoroughly impressed. This is definitely a CD that will stay in my car stereo and playing on my computer at work.
If you are a fan of R&B, or soul, or neo-soul, or good music, or LOVE..... check out where love is really found......The Space Between.
I've started a new thing on Twitter that I called Daughter of Priam Mind Music, or, as it's hash tag labeled, #DOPMindMusic. I got the idea from Got SOLE Boutique, who pretty much only Tweets the music currently playing in the shop (it's some good ish, too). And, like Got SOLE, most of the time people post songs they are currently listening to.
My list is a little different.
First of all, I LOVE music. I couldn't imagine a world without it, or how people drive without it, or how people are not interested in it period. I can't say I'm a connoisseur who knows every song title, artist, album, producer and sample origin, but I can just say I love all types of music. I don't believe in only sticking with one genre, or completely excluding a genre. Good music is just good music.
Secondly, I don't know what everyone else has going on in the background of their mind throughout the course of the day, but in my head there's always music. When I'm sitting around thinking about nothing in particular, or working on something mundane, or really just all the damn time, I have a melody or a hook or a line playing in my head. I hate the question "What are you thinking about right now?" because honestly it's rarely anything profound, and most likely the honest answer is going to be something like "The hook of Bonita Applebum by ATCQ" or "'What kind of fuckery is this? You made me miss the Slick Rick gig. And thought I didn't love you when I did.....' from Amy Winehouse's Me and Mr. Jones." Everyone gets songs stuck in their heads, but I have a whole iPod playlist stuck in my head about 85% of the time.
So the other day I had Guns 'n Roses "Welcome to the Jungle" and Dude 'N Nem "Watch My Feet" playing in my head almost simultaneously and was thinking "Where in the hell did these come from??" So I decided to start posting in real time what songs were going on in my head, and created the #DOPMindMusic hash tag to keep track. So far there have been songs such as:
The music spans all genres and decades. Sometimes a song in my head is triggered by something I see or hear, but most of the time it's completely and utterly out of the blue (although, perhaps my subconscious picked up on something). If I consciously try and put a random song in my head, it doesn't work. But I've just been trying to catch myself and keep track of the various songs that run through my head throughout the day.
Not sure what I'm going to do with it this yet, or if I'll do anything at all, but like all my blogging/tweeting/journaling, it's interesting to see if there's a pattern over time. Or maybe I'll make actual playlists. And actually I would LOVE if someone (i.e. a DJ) would take the list and make me a schweet mix. *hint hint*
Perhaps this means I'm crazy.... I dunno. But this is just a little insight into one of the ways in which my brain works. Hope you enjoy my Mind Music.
I am not a mushy girlie-girl. I'm very much womanly, but not girlie. Traditional romantical [sic] stuff is ok and all, and I like it every once and awhile, but I like real, customized romance that fits my idiosyncrasies. After all, it's about the people in the romance, not the abstract idea of romance.
So, this is more of my idea of a good love song.....enjoy:
You're a part time lover and a full time friend
The monkey on you're back is the latest trend
I don't see what anyone can see, in anyone else
But you
I kiss you on the brain in the shadow of a train
I kiss you all starry eyed, my body's swings from side to side
I don't see what anyone can see, in anyone else
But you
Here is the church and here is the steeple
We sure are cute for two ugly people
I don't see what anyone can see, in anyone else
But you
The pebbles forgive me, the trees forgive me So why can't, you forgive me?
I don't see what anyone can see, in anyone else
But you
I will find my nitch in your car
With my mp3 DVD rumble-pack guitar
I don't see what anyone can see, in anyone else
But you
Du du du du du du dudu Du du du du du du dudu Du du du du du du dudu du
I don't see what anyone can see, in anyone else
But you
You are always trying to keep it real
I'm in love with how you feel
I don't see what anyone can see, in anyone else
But you
We both have shiny happy fits of rage
You want more fans, I want more stage
I don't see what anyone can see, in anyone else
But you
Don Quixote was a steel driving man
My name is Adam I'm your biggest fan
I don't see what anyone can see, in anyone else
But you
Squinched up your face and did a dance
You shook a little turd out of the bottom of your pants
I don't see what anyone can see, in anyone else
But you
Du du du du du du dudu Du du du du du du dudu Du du du du du du dudu du
But you
~Anything Else But You, Kimya Dawson of the Moldy Peaches
When I'm feeling particularly distressed, I don't write. I fear that too much negativity will come spewing out into the ether, exponentially magnified by everyone who reads my words. Plus sometimes you end up saying things you wish you could take back, but they are forever memorialized in your writing. And besides, we off that.
During times like these I turn to music to express my feelings, or to pick myself up, or to convey a message. This is my FAVORITE quote that expresses why music is so important to me: "We don't have a language, or even a linguistic eloquence, that can begin to be fully truthful to the experiences that we have the short time we are here in time and space. So therefore you need some sounds.....even some noise. Organized noise. We need silence between the notes and the sounds that get at the deeper truths of who we are....." (Ludwig von Beethoven, via Dr. Cornel West, via DJ Limelight's "Meaning of Michael".... get familiar) Music expresses what we sometimes cannot. And it goes beyond what is said in the lyrics; the music itself taps into a part of our soul that words cannot reach.
With all that said, I wanted to share this with you, loved ones. Mainstream doesn't know about this song or this group, and if you're one of the few that do and you're not already a dear friend of mine, you should be. This is my FAVORITE song. Period. (Though sometimes Common "Break My Heart" makes for a photo finish.) I will scream and run over you onto the dance floor when it plays. I really believe in this song, and I really want to make it a reality in my life. And that's all I'll say about that. That's all I NEED to say about that. Enjoy......
For anyone who doesn't know me, I LOVE music. No, I'm not a music factoid junkie, but music is seriously a necessity in my life, like food and shelter and sex. Good music doesn't just touch my ears, it touches my soul.
Today, loved ones, I am sharing one such piece of auditory and visual stimulation...... Q-Tip feat. Norah Jones - "Life is Better" video. Q-Tip and Norah are two of my favorite "feel good" artists. From "Bonita Applebum" to "Gettin' Up", any time I hear an ATCQ or Q-Tip song I instantly feel better. And I fell in love with Norah's distinctive voice the very first time I heard "Don't Know Why".... her voice is just so soothing and unique that I can always tell when it's her singing.
So Q-Tip plus Norah?? Yea, if this doesn't make you feel good.... *points finger at door* get out.
Another AID gem I will share with you...... and you can listen to it thru the link on the right. And this dude made it even BETTER! Dunno how that is possible, but he did it. Man.......
"Beethoven says that music is deeper than philosophy..... because in the end we're finite creatures. We don't have a language, or even a linguistic eloquence, that can begin to be fully truthful to the experiences that we have the short time we are here in time and space. So therefore you need some sounds.....even some noise. Organized noise. We need silence between the notes and the sounds that get at the deeper truths of who we are....." ~ Dr. Cornel West
(click to listen and download)
It is my utter joy and privilege share with you the best Michael Jackson tribute mix ever, created by my dear friend and favorite DJ, DJ Limelight. Yes, I know MJ died back in June, and it is now September, after all of the frenzy around his death has begun to wane, so it would seem that this is coming a little.... late. Not so. At ALL. Michael Jackson's musical career spanned 45 years.... most artists are lucky to get 4.5 months of success, let alone almost half a century. So to rush to throw together a Michael Jackson tribute mix a week or two after he died would not have done this great artist justice. DJ Limelight has literally been working on creating and perfecting his self-professed "magnum opus" since MJ died in June.... and it shows.
With that said, this is not your typical assemblage of Michael Jackson's music that you hear at wedding receptions, class reunions, and your local dive bar. Don't look for Beat It, Bad, Billie Jean, or Thriller..... they're not here. As the title implies, this is the true meaning of Michael Jackson in the eyes (and ears) of DJ Limelight, AND in the hearts of anyone who is truly a Michael Jackson fan. It's a timeless piece that transcends generations.... I made copies for my parents AND my 10 year old daughter. It doesn't just make you dance, it makes you feel.
But wait, there's more..... aside from the insanely creative butter smooth transitions between songs that just give you chills (or make you fall out on the floor like my homegirl over at Kunta Fly Shyt did when we were given a sneak preview of the final mix), the rare and unreleased MJ tracks (what ya know about that PYT Demo??), one of my favorite things about this mix is the commentary from scholars, comedians and artists interspersed and woven seamlessly in with the music that really touches on Michael Jackson's impact and genius as an artist and entertainer, and each comment is tied into the song that comes after it. There are several clips from scholar Dr. Cornel West from an interview with Tavis Smiley and Dr. Michael Eric Dyson that are just pure genius.... one of my favorite parts of the mix comes at 38:38, beginning with this quote from Dr. West:
"I think the important thing to understand first and foremost about Michael Jackson is that he was the international emblem of the African American blues spiritual impulse that goes back through slavery - Jim Crow, Jane Crow, up to the present moment, through a Louis Armstrong, through a Ma Rainey, through a Bessie Smith, all the way to John Coltrane, Aretha Franklin and Nina Simone. Michael Jackson was part of that tremendous wave....."
(Listen to and read the entire interview HERE, and you'll have to listen to the mix to hear why I run around and start screaming when I hear it)
I mean, what other DJs out there are doing this? Analyzing and commenting on the philosophical and sociological impact of Michael Jackson while at the same time giving you music that just makes you feel GOOD. I have been listening to this non-stop for the past 3 days since it was released, and I still can't get enough of it. Sheer brilliance..... both Michael Jackson and DJ Limelight.
So listen to it.... download it.... share it.... love it.
(click to listen and download)