After catching the Bilal concert recently, I started to think about all the people who I used to listen to who fits in his same category. I quickly got on the internet and researched artists such as Erykah Badu, Common (whom I found out were Pisces like myself and Common’s birthday is after mine) and Talib Kweli. After reading their information, I thought about another artist who I enjoyed listening to.

Her name is Res (reese) who is a Philly born singer/songwriter who came out with her debut album How I Do in 2001. The album featured what I thought was a hit single, the song “Golden Boys” which also had a video where we see Res beautifully and artistically dressed, sporting her signature locks, surrounded by a crowd of hipsters of all color. I can remember flipping through the television and stopping on this video. Whether it was the music or the vibe of the video, something kept me glued to the television to watch all 4:05 of the video. Even though I thought she was talking about me, I enjoyed the video so much that I actually went out and bought the album, which was unusual due to the high prices of albums in those days.

From start to finish, Res debut album was a melodic journey that told stories of hustlers, lovers and self motivation. Along with “Golden Boys,” songs like “Tsunami” “700 Mile Situation,” “Ice King,” “How I Do,” and “I’ve Known the Garden.” Her second single which actually became a hit single “They Say Vision” is another good song on the album which also has a video featuring Res in a nice black and red cowgirl outfit backed by a live band against a white back drop as musical notes and words drift across the screen. Her debut album also featured song writing support from Santi White also known as Santigold.

Since her debut album, Res has performed background vocals for Gnarls Barkley. As she was on tour, she wrote some new material for a new album. She also got together with Brooklyn artist Talib Kweli and Canadian artist Graph Nobel to form the group Idle Warship. They debut their Hip-Hop and singing act at South By Southwest in 2008.

Res has recently come out with her sophomore solo album Black.Girls.Rock! From the title, I can assume that you will hear a bit more aggression compared to the first album but still get Res’s subtle voice in the mix. You can check out more of Res’s music at www.myspace.com/res. You can also visit her website at www.the1res.com.

Later Days…

Recently I had an epiphany that I should do a documentary about artists and musicians in the Atlanta area. The documentary is called We Run the Streets and for this documentary I will be conducting interviews with various artists and musicians. I got the chance to interview my friend Brooke who is a DJ at East Side Lounge and after interviewing her she got me the contact number for this band I had seen before called This Piano Plays Itself.

Like I said, I’ve seen the band perform live before and it was more than breath taking, so I was more than enthused to be able to interview this band for the documentary. As I interviewed the band, I got to see how passionate they were about their music and how they made sacrifices to get to where they have gotten. I feel that it’s always good when a band is good at what they do and are actually cool people behind the scenes.

This Piano Plays Itself is comprised of five members: Eric (Guitar and vocals), Aaron (Bass), Jayson (Guitar and keys), Justin (Drums) and Doug (Guitar and keys). Their music can be described in a number of ways, such as garage rock, psychedelic, or even happy music, but the more interesting but somewhat accurate way of describing their music would be “Mushroom Rock,” a form of music that makes the listener feel as though they are going through an out of body experience. A usual song will begin with a nice melody, then explode into a barrage of guitars and a heavy bass booming through the music. It’s almost like a roller coaster full of melodies and vocals that make you feel as if you are soaring though hyper space. Their live shows are always intense and will definitely make you go home feeling like you have just gone through an experience that will stay with you for a while.
While talking to the band, you can tell that they have put much practice and special care of their talent. I also got the feeling of how serious they are about their musical career as they were researching prices for a tour bus online so they can begin touring soon. They are currently working on a new album that is due to come out sometime hopefully this year. For now they commit to playing at different venues around the Atlanta area while practicing vigorously for new songs for people to hear. They will be performing January 29th at the Picaflor Studio in Atlanta and will also be performing January 30th at the Highland Inn Ballroom also in Atlanta. They are definitely a band that will has something special and original to offer to the ears of those who dare to listen.

Later Days…

You can check out some of their tunes here: www.myspace.com/thispianoplaysitself

I think I almost had them sold until I started showing them several of their videos, including the music video for “Heart-Shaped Box.” Instantly, upon seeing the videos, Corinne exclaimed that Kurt Cobain seemed so dark and depressed and that you could hear it in his music. What made it even more unconvincing was their music videos “Come As You Are” and “Heart-Shaped Box.” These two videos displayed dark and somewhat disturbing images such as a gun sinking in water and a dog with one of those lamp shades on his neck in “Come As You Are.”

Although I am an avid Nirvana fan, I strongly believe that images like that would make anyone who saw them on tv, change the channel immediately. As explained by Corinne and Kendrick, it’s not that the song is bad, it’s just that the music videos are so eerie and unappealing that it makes you not even give the song a chance. I pretty much give anything a first try, but I do remember those days when I would see a music video on MTV and upon seeing several weird images, I would just turn the channel. When I start to think, I often wonder, “is this why black people don’t listen to rock music?” I mean if I, a person who accepts anything, could be turned off by certain things in their music videos, I know that normal black person would not pay any attention to it.

My purpose for going to the concert was to cover this band called The Islands who are pretty good (Check them out). Unfortunately I had to work before going which made me late to the concert. The good news was that they were part of the opening act for The Psychedelic Furs. The other band in the opening acts was Happy Mondays which some chick told me it was The Psychedelic Furs. I didn’t think it was them because it didn’t sound like them. Plus, there was some chick singing on the stage with them who I honestly thought was Santigold because of the way she looked, danced and kind of sung. When I learned it was The Happy Mondays, I quickly googled them and found out it was some chick that was a part of the band. It would’ve been awesome if it was her though!

The lights got dark with a hint of purple and The Psychedelic Furs came out ready to perform. The lead singer, Richard Butler seemed very youthful as he jumped around and danced a little as he sang their 80’s tunes. The biggest excitement for me was watching them perform their hit single “Pretty in Pink.” It’s like I’ve heard that song so many times before and I would never have thought that I would see that song performed live by the original band. It was definitely a movie moment! As I was watching the show, this older lady leaned to me and sad “you’re too young to know about this.” I simply told that her that I’m not young enough to listen to good music, plus I thought “Pretty in Pink” was a pretty popular song.

Even I don’t know the whole song, but I still know the melody. I also got a free drink from this drunk chick who brought her friend to the concert for her birthday. She said it was her first time there, so I started to question what made them come, but I knew that I wouldn’t have been able to understand anyway. She was digging on my glasses and my blue sweater, saying that blue was her favorite color and she also dug the yellow happy face button that I was wearing. We actually ended up singing cartoon songs like The Gummy Bears and Scooby Doo! When we went back in, she asked me what I was drinking and the shy guy that I am, I just said PBR and she quickly said I’m giving you a vodka tonic. As my friend Kendrick would say “I am not opposed,” so I gladly accepted the drink which had a strong kick to it, but I’m not the type to waste a good drink! I sat and chatted with them (or at least tried to but the music was too loud) so I just continued to watch the show, and after awhile, they left.

Although I missed the band I was supposed to cover, I’m glad that I got the chance to see The Psychedelic Furs. It’s like transporting back to the 80’s for a couple of hours, with the long hair, alternative attire, and trippy lights bouncing off of black sunglasses. The only thing was I could have also gone to Le Flash in Castleberry which is a French based art show in Atlanta. I thought it would’ve been a good time to hang out with friends on a Friday night and also catch a bit of Paris, especially since I’m learning French. All in all, I never know how long this 80’s band would last, so I’m glad I got the chance to see them and hear them sing “Pretty in Pink.”

Later Days…

I can just remember the countless places that I went to when I was younger where my friends would be playing Madden while blasting some Goodie Mob or just hanging out in the garage playing cards while listening to “Cell Therapy“ playing from the radio. I used to even have a friend who was such a die hard Outkast/ Dungeon Family fan that he threw my cd player on the ground because I was playing around and said that Outkast sucked. Of course I couldn’t possibly mean it, but I do have a knack for testing people’s limits…

As we entered the park, the water sprinkled down from the grey heavens and people were dressed as if the sky were shining with bright daylight. I could tell I was definitely going to a Goodie Mob concert. We walked through the muddy waters of the Masquerade Park and made our way towards the front of the crowd. As we’re walking through the crowd, I couldn’t help but keep my eyes on the foursome group all dressed in red, each one looking as exotic as the next.

Khujo Goodie was rocking his gangsta style with a red wife beater and red shorts, sporting his prosthetic leg that kind of reminded me of the Terminator. T-Mo was rocking a red and white striped polo with red pants. The most unique outfits came from Gipp and Cee-lo, with Gipp rocking his usual pimp attire with his hair slicked back and a red outfit with a red cape like Superman and Cee-lo with a red, sequined, 70’s type outfit. No matter there different styles they all looked great on the stage together and what was even better was that they had a backup band as well. I was so amazed at the assortment of musicians playing! They had a bongo player, a synthesizer, trumpet and of course, the drum, bass and especially the guitar.

The band played a great part in the concert especially when Cee-lo busted out with his solo song “Crazy.” When Cee-lo performed his solo song, it reminded me of how much he has progressed from his gritty days with Goodie Mob to a more popular sound. What caught me off guard the most with the show was when they started to play “Cell Therapy” and then they stopped playing. They brought the beat back again, but this time, they gave their guitarist some time to shine as he played the riff from Black Sabbath’s “Iron Man.” I was completely blown away at how they blended the two songs because it matched so well. I was extra excited because it was a mix of my two favorite songs from two completely different genres. It seemed as if Goodie Mob read my mind when they decided to do that. They also played my other favorite Goodie Mob song “They Don’t Dance No Mo.’” I just love the beat from that song. It really makes you not really dance but do some other movement that I don’t think you would call dancing. All the while I can just remember those times when I would listen to Goodie Mob on the bus ride home from school. Those were the days…

You could tell the amount of love that people have for Goodie Mob. Not only was the park filled with bodies but all of their hands were up in the air, giving their support of the group. As the show went on, there was never a dull moment and I don’t think Goodie Mob would have it any other way for their best performance in their hometown. You know, listening to Goodie Mob at the concert reminded me of when Southern rap music was good. I must admit that the beats may bear some resemblance but the words were of different quality. The content was a bit different although the popular topics of weed and partying were represented, but they gave people another perspective and catchy hooks especially with “Cell Therapy:” “Who’s that peeking in my window? Pow pow! Nobody now!” I thought that was so clever when I first heard it and kind of funny which is also apart of Goodie Mob’s music. Along with Outkast, and other southern musicians, Goodie Mob has propelled Southern music to heights never known and it is because of them that we have a memory of how the older heads used to kick it back in the days. From Goodie Mob, I learned about Cadillacs and Sedan DeVilles. I learned to get up, get out and get something and I definitely learned some cell therapy.

Later days…

Photos by Brandi Pettijohn

Nothing was more anticipated than the Michael Jackson tribute by his sister Janet Jackson as people wondered how she would do it. We were all wide eyed and glued to the tv screen so we could feel as if we are just as important as the people who inspire us.

For me, there was no anticipation. My plans were to do a photo shoot during the day, and then go home to sleep and learn some more French. Of course, since I was hanging out with Sojourner, I couldn’t help but watch the VMAs as she was itching to see her icon Lady Gaga and what she would wear and to see her performance. I must admit, Lady Gaga has grown on me a bit with ” Paparazzi,” so I kinda wanted to see what she was going to look like and perform too. As the Pre show ended, everyone, including myself were watching as the VMAs began and Madonna slowly approached the microphone.

We all love Madonna, some more than others…but I think it’s safe to say that she gave the longest introduction about her dinners and thoughts about Michael Jackson. It would’ve been a great speech if only she wasn’t reading it from a TelePrompTer. I know that they want the VMAs to run like a machine, but if you’re giving a speech about your feelings about someone, shouldn’t it be from the heart and not from a screen. I was just sitting there thinking “Is she really just gonna stare right into my face and give that long ass speech?” I blame MTV for Madonna’s not so great speech…Madonna always gets a free pass from me.

What made it worse and more annoying was the host, Russel Brand. I love the English, in fact I had become accustomed to their movies and their language lately, so I was eager to see how this Brit would crank up the VMAs. Again, just a blank stare into the screen as he read, or should I say screamed whatever he was reading from the teleprompter. I thought at least the host could have improvised, but I guess he wasn’t that good at it so they stuck him to the screen. Pitiful…I thought I would hear some new British slang.

The Michael jackson tribute worked out exactly as I had pictured it… just different dancers eager to show how much they’ve been studying Michael Jackson’s moves. It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t great. When Janet Jackson came out, the tribute got more interesting as she danced beside her brother on the screen for their song “Scream.” It was Janet Jackson, so there’s nothing more to say. I was gladly surprised at Katy Perry’s intro with the guitar player who I think was even better than Perry’s cover song. However, everything from this point on was pretty much a bore. There wasn’t too much excitement going on as I made my complaints. Well… everything was dull until Taylor Swift came onto the stage to accept her award for Best Female Video.

When the 19 year old “Country” singer made her way to the stage I thought to myself ” I can’t be surprised. The VMAs like cute. poppy teens.” I was slumped deep into my chair as Taylor began to make her acceptance speech. Suddenly, I see Kanye West come to the stage and grab the microphone from Taylor Swift and at first I’m thinking he was just going to congratulate her on being young and winning an award, but he did the total opposite and rather turned the attention to Beyonce as he expressed to the audience that Beyonce should’ve won Best Female Video of the year. After hearing and seeing Kanye West do this, I jumped out of my seat laughing hysterically, pointing to the screen and screaming “Kanye West is my dog!” For me, Kanye West turned a slow and dull show into the home of the most controversial act ever. I could just see one of the people from MTV whispering “see this is what happens when we allow black people in here.” I say this because I would be thinking the same thing! Everything was birds and roses until Kanye made his presence known in embarrassing a 19 year old girl on stage in front of millions of viewers.

You could see that even Taylor Swift didn’t know how to react to this ordeal as she just stood there stunned in her own spotlight. Luckily, Beyonce saved the day and gave up her time to shine in order to let Miss Swift have her say. I guess in the end, Kanye did make Beyonce the Best Female of the night. No matter how you look at it, whether Kanye was right or wrong, Kanye West was the best performer of the night! He was even kicked out of the VMAs like a TRUE Rocknrolla after his outrageous act. Jack Black came behind him with his demonic prayer to Satin as the crowd bowed their heads in a prayer to the dark forces. Kanye West says his excuse for his actions were that he is just real and that he’s just into pop culture, well that goes the same for Jack Black and his love for heavy metal. He doesn’t care where he is, or who the audience is, Jack Black will let it be known his respect for the Metal.

People like Kanye West and Jack Black really do spark my attention. They are people so into whatever they are into that they will go so far as to embarrass other people and even themselves to do it, as we saw jack Black wearing the bloated muscle arms wielding a strong arm axe. These people to me are true rock stars because they just don’t care about what other people think as they express themselves in their own way. Don’t get me wrong, I do believe that everything should be done in decency and in order but when things are too decent, it’s always good to have some real people step forward to shake it up a little.

Later Days…

It has your favorite British actors such as Tom Wilkinson from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Gerald Butler from 300, and the beautiful Thandie Newton from Crash. It also stars Ludacris, Idis Elba from Obsessed and Jeremy Piven from Entourage. It also stars another upcoming British actor, Toby Kebbell who plays the eccentric musician Johnny Quid who is my favorite character from the film. With a great plot and great characters, this movie will either have you laughing or waiting to see what happens next. I’ll give you a quick summary to spark your interest…

The movie begins with a narration from Archy, who is the right-hand man to Lenny who is the crime boss who controls London’s real estate. Archy describes his boss, Lenny and why no one messes with him, and he also sets up the scene for the events ahead. The catalyst for the movie is when Yuri, a Russian businessman comes into town and entrusts his lucky painting with Lenny after they make a deal to put up real estate in London. Later, Lenny finds that the painting is stolen and sends all of his henchmen out to “bring back the painting and bring me a body.”

Meanwhile, Yuri needs 7 million dollars to pay Lenny for the construction, so he calls upon his beautiful accountant, Stella to process the money for him. Little does he know, Stella secretly lets one of Lenny’s henchman, OneTwo know when and where Yuri’s money would be transported so that he and his gang called “The Wildbunch” can retrieve the money and bring it to her. Going back to the painting, Lenny is informed that his eccentric step-son, Johnny Quid who is a rock and roll musician pronounced dead, was the thief who stole his painting. Lenny advises that Johnny’s managers Rome and Mickey find Johnny or else they will “catch a cold.” Things take a crazy turn of events when Yuri learns of his lost painting and even worse that his money is being stolen. Yuri hires two mercenaries to retrieve his money and Yuri’s right-hand man Victor commands them to spy on Yuri’s accountant, Stella. The rest of the movie is up to you to discover for yourself but I promise you that you’ll enjoy it.

The reason this movie catches my attention is because of the two characters Lenny and his step-son Johnny Quid. Both characters use great British humor: Lenny does it when insulting someone, especially when he uses British slang (wanker) and Johnny with his metaphorical and outlandish way of talking. Also, both characters aren’t afraid to exert who they are with Lenny reminding everyone that he “owns this town” and Johnny Quid who purposely becomes a crack addict and acts like a person with nothing to lose. My favorite scene in the movie is when Johnny Quid stands in front of the mirror holding two guns with his shirt off and aviator glasses on, singing The Clash’s “Bank Robber” loudly as he reminisces on the time when he used to do the same thing as a kid and his step-dad Lenny would whip him for playing his music too loud. Johnny Quid is the character that I was drawn to, especially at the end with my favorite quote: as Johnny is walking towards his Uncle Archy, he says: “I wanna be like you uncle…I’m gonna be a real RocknRolla” then lights his cigarette with his gun resembling lighter. Classic!

Later Days…

When I got there, I bit the bullet and paid ten dollars to park, and then I went and bought my ticket (even though I wish the price could have been a little cheaper). Once inside, I met up with my friend Christan who was at the concert with her friend Krystal and her boyfriend.

As we were waiting, I realized I definitely didn’t have to rush, as the Mighty Mos Def didn’t make his appearance until 45 minutes later. There were a few teases as the music would sometimes change up drastically or you would see someone walk out on stage like they were the main event.

Finally, Mos Def made his appearance, stepping out behind the drum set that was placed onstage. The Brooklyn MC must was wearing what might have been Michael Jackson tribute apparel as he had on a white t-shirt, black slacks and black loafers with red socks. The good thing was his pants weren’t too far from his feet!

He started off his set with what I thought was a tribal call for war as he started to beat onto the drum set. After a few hot improvisions, Mos Def led the drums into the first song on his second album, Boogie Man. What was cool about it was that he was able to sing as he played the drums in unison with his two DJ’s that were onstage with him.

After singing the last verse, he went straight into the second song off of his first album, Hip Hop, which he performed pretty well being that the album came out a decade ago. After these two classics, the mighty Mos went on to sing more than a few cuts from his new album. I felt kind of bad because although I do have his first two albums, I didn’t get the third one yet, and as he was singing and getting the crowd into the song, I didn’t really know how to react, but I still kept my head nodding as I rolled on with the beat. Gladly enough, I thought the songs were hot, so I’m heavily inspired to buy the new album and I also encourage other people who are Mos Def fans to add it to your cd collection.

When Mos Def finally came out from behind the drum set, he had an old school microphone that resembles the ones that announcers use, and went into his set. It was almost like a black musical journey as he went through the different styles from Negro Spirituals, a little bit of jazz and dance to rock and reggae. Whatever the style he was playing, it still had the crowd going, especially when he played a little bit of Barrington Levy “Murderer.”

In the middle of the set, the lights dimmed down, and Mos Def did a little Michael Jackson tribute (which was kind of expected given his outfit) where he sung “Billie Jean” and even did MJ’s trademark Moonwalk. It was cool for the moment but I just hope he doesn’t really add that to his set! What was even more dope was when he sung Aretha Franklin’s song “One Step Ahead,” which is the sample used in his popular song “Ms. Fat Booty,” and after singing a verse from the original, went straight into his song. I thought he was pulling a Nirvana when he stopped the song in the middle of the track. I thought he was tired of singing a song that seemed like the only one that everyone would know him for, but he brought it back and finished it up.

For a couple of songs, including the latter, his DJ’s would switch up the beat while Mos was rapping which kind of lost me for a bit but when I figured it out, I was back on cloud nine. I was surprised but certainly glad when he did a few cuts from Black Star which he did “Definition” and “Respiration.” Sadly, Talib Kweli didn’t make an appearance to do his part, but Mos did Talib’s part, which sounded like his own words. It was lighters up time when he did “Umi Says” close to the end of the set and I was right there with him, singing every verse, reciting it as if I had written the song myself.

I just think that is a song that is very inspirational especially for a guy being that the song is about being a man and taking care of his people. The Mighty Mos Def finally closed out his set by doing another one of my favorites, “Memories,” which was produced by the Asian disc jockey DJ Honda. “I’m leaviiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing”

I’m most definitely glad that I made it to the event and it was definitely well worth the money to go. Even though I was lost for most of it since I didn’t buy the new album (Grrr) I still had a good time just being in the presence of the man who I’ve seen on plenty of good movies, who hosted Def Poetry Jam, and also who has inspired me in my days of an aspiring rapper.
Mos Def is only a man, but he is a man who has shown that you can break into anything you want to whether it’s the music industry, the movie industry or any other industry as long as you keep it real and don’t let anybody stray you from the movement that you have been set on.