Bold As Love

Q&A with The Bots

The Bots: Anaiah (l) and Mikaiah Lei
Photo credit: Walter Einenkel, courtesy of Vital Records

An edited version of this ran on Converse.com on January 15.  Here’s the full version of my conversation with Mikaiah and Anaiah Lei, better known as The Bots.

Have you heard of The Bots?  If not, then meet Mikaiah and Anaiah Lei--16 and 13 years old, respectively--two brothers from Glendale, California who are causing quite a buzz with their debut album, “Self-Titled Album”.  Their sound reflects influences as diverse as Punk, Ska, Rock and Reggae.

How did you two get your start with music?

Mikaiah:  It's always present in our family. We have a musical family, you know, my parents are Rastafari so reggae was always playing.  They loved music, and we've always loved music .
Anaiah: And our dad always showed us music on the computer too. We always did that too.
M: Yeah that's something we always did together, us and him, since we were like 5 years old.  He'd show us System of A Down, like hardcore stuff, and rock today.  And yeah, and you know our dad used to take us to the studio a lot. His friends are engineers.
A:  We went there a lot, and we got to hang with H.R. from Bad Brains. He was buddies with our dad.
M: I remember eating their food! Aaaalways eating their food.

Talk about some of the music that inspires you.  Who are some of your musical heroes?

M: We like a lot of the same people: Bad Brains, The Arctic Monkeys, The White Stripes.  But heavy rotation? That would be Arcade Fire, Vampire Weekend... The Yeah. Yeah Yeahs.
A:  But Arcade Fire the most.

What songs do like the best?

A: "No Cars Go".... "Headlights Look Like Diamond"s..... What else? "In The Back Seat".... that's all Arcade Fire.

M: I am picky about the music I listen to. Like Arcade Fire, before it became really big with the Wild Things movie I listened to "Wake Up" all the time, played it a lot myself, too.  But really listen to it.... It's an emotional song. The way he sings it, some lyrics might not make sense but you can get it.  I also like how they play with all kinds of different sounds...Celtic...the violins… I love the violins.  It's a beautiful sound. Yeah, its that they have a current sound and touch on something classical.  Yeah, it's just different. Maybe that's why it's so important to me and Anaiah that our music is our own.

What's it like having to balance touring and school?

M: I actually haven’t noticed the change.  We don’t participate in any activities at school.  We just do our music.  We go to school, we do a show, we practice.

VIDEO: The 54 -- "Domination"

Been aware of these guys for a minute, but just discovered this video.  Haven't heard their album yet, but this morning got a tweet from fam in ATL (thanks Gudrun!) that the band's live show kills.  By the looks of this video, it looks like these guys can show and prove.

From what I see on their MySpace page, it looks like they'll be at SXSW.  In the meantime, I'm sure our ATL contributor Dom Brady has them in his sights for an interview in the near future.

Additional link:

• The 54 on Myspace

Do you like what you've seen on this blog over the last three years? If so, consider making a small donation--$1, $5, $10--whatever you can. Here's why I'm asking and how you can donate.

REDUX: Help me get to SXSW

You may recall a few weeks ago that I announced that I'd been asked to conduct a live interview with legendary Detroit punk band Death at this year's upcoming SXSW Music Festival.  The interview will take place on Saturday, March 20 at 2pm, so for those of you who'll be in Austin, please mark your calendars.  It's a huge honor and I'm thrilled to do so.

All that said, I'm trying to figure out ways to cover expenses to get down there.  Therefore, I'm asking you, the readers and the community to help me out.  If you've found the work that's been going on in this space for the last three years valuable, then I hope you'll consider making a small donation--$1, $5, $10, whatever--via this link.  Literally, whatever you provide will help defray travel costs.  The reality is, even on the cheap, getting to SXSW can end up costing close to $1,000 or more.  That's nothing for someone who's on a corporate expense account: they'll turn in their receipts when they get back to the office the following week.

That ain't my situation.  It's all out-of-pocket expenses at a time when this blog has yet to generate significant money, if at all.  Now that hasn't stopped me from cranking out over 620 posts, doing events, releasing a free compilation album that's been downloaded over 10,000 times, and supporting a ton of artists.  But, it's not paying the bills around here.  For that I (thankfully) still have a day job.

So, I want to thank those of you who've already donated, and encourage the rest to consider doing so, especially if you've gotten any value from this blog over the last three years.  Any money that's left over from the trip will be used to improve the blog.  Specifically, I'm planning to transition everything to Wordpress to improve your experience on the site, but I know that's not going to be cheap given the number of links that I have to keep intact.

Thanks in advance.  I'll appreciate whatever amount you can donate.  Click below to get started.

I have no right to be mad at the Grammys and neither do you.

 

I realized that I really have no right to be mad at The Grammys.

Yeah, I was one of those salty folks on Twitter who took potshots at the awards ceremony this past Sunday.  And yes, the Michael Jackson tribute seemed a little half-hearted; the Jamie Foxx/T-Pain performance was just shy of embarrassing; and India.Arie won an Urban/Alternative Grammy for a tired remake.

I gotta let all that go.

I’m reminded that the Grammys are “the music industry’s biggest night” and a time for the industry to celebrate itself.  This was not the People’s Choice Awards.  This was a night for the industry to honor those who kept it afloat and those who it expects will keep it afloat going forward.

It’s about celebrating those who can—and do—make money.  We’ve got to remember that.

If we want to see more black rock or Afro-Punk artists taking home awards, then collectively, we’ve got to figure out a way to make all of this matter in the marketplace.  Progressive culture and commerce.  It can happen.  As fans, we’re a big part of that equation.  We’ve got to vote with our dollars and our attention for the things that matter to our community.  We’ve got to use all the technology that’s at our disposal and to not only spread the word about the music, art, film, literature, etc. that we care about, but build a community that will support it economically. Technology makes it easy for almost everyone to have a voice, but it also makes us responsible for the direction the culture takes.

Believe me, this is only way that we will be able to change the culture and make that change permanent.  When the corporations realize where the great mass of us is heading, where we’re gathering and where we’re spending our money, then they’ll have no choice by to follow. 

We can do it.

LISTENING POST: SociaLybrium -- "Another Day"

SociaLyrbium (l to r): Blackbyrd McKnight, Bernie Worrell, JT Lewis, Melvin Gibbs

Four badasses get together and make the magic look easy. 

SociaLybrium is  Blackbyrd McKnight, Bernie Worrell, Melvin Gibbs and JT Lewis.  If you're not familiar with them, then check them out here and see the who's who list of folks they've worked with: P-Funk, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rollins Band, Herbie Hancock, Sting. 

There's a lot of good stuff on their recently released album, "For You/For Us/For All", but this is one of my favorite tracks.  Blackbyrd absolutely blazes the guitar solo here.

Damn, these guys have probably forgotten more about music than most of us will ever learn.

Additional link:

• SociaLybrium on MySpace
• "For You/For Us/For All" on Amazon
• "For You/For Us/For All" on iTunes

Do you like what you've seen on this blog over the last three years? If so, consider making a small donation--$1, $5, $10--whatever you can. Here's why I'm asking and how you can donate.

Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song (the Hood Opera)

Tomorrow marks the first of three preview performances of Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song (the Hood Opera), Melvin Van Peebles' (above) musical adaptation of his groundbreaking 1971 film of the same name.  The musical was originally scheduled for only two previews--on February 3rd and 4th--but due to overwhelming demand a third performance has been added for Friday, February 5.  All performances are at 8pm, but the first two are sold out.

This is a great opportunity to see this musical in advance of its world premiere at the Son D'Hiver Festival in Paris on February 19 and 20.  From the press release:

Sweet Sweetback at BRIC will give audiences a unique opportunity to experience the intimate process of artistic collaboration between BRIC Artists-In-Residence Van Peebles and music ensemble Burnt Sugar The Arkestra Chamber, along with a large cast of actors and singers, as they bring to the stage one of the most influential films of the African-American cinema.
 
The work-in-progress previews will conclude with an audience dialogue with the artists, followed by a book-signing with Melvin Van Peebles.
 
Tickets are $10 and can be purchased online at www.bricartsmedia.org and at the door two hours ahead of showtime on the day of each performance at the BRIC Box Office.  BRIC Arts | Media | Bklyn is located at 647 Fulton Street, 2nd floor (entrance on Rockwell Pl.) in Downtown Brooklyn.  Telephone is 718-855-7882.
 
A fiercely independent artist whose work on Broadway has earned him eleven Tony nominations, Mr. Van Peebles financed, wrote, directed, scored, and starred in the original film version of Sweet Sweetback, paving the way for the success of future independent black films. An important work in the history of African-American cinema, it tells the story of a deprived African-American man on his flight from the white authority in satirical, realistic and often humorous detail. The original musical score was performed by Earth, Wind & Fire.
 
Burnt Sugar has been described as a “funk-rock-electronic-samba-soul-jazzfusion-whatever ensemble” and counts among its influences Bitches Brew-era Miles Davis, Funkadelic, Bad Brains, Band of Gypsys, Sun Ra and Herbie Hancock’s Mwandishi.  Bandleader Greg Tate “plays the band” using a technique called conduction, which gets its name from the field of physics, and was developed by jazz conductor Butch Morris. Employing a series of gestures, baton twirls, eye contact, and facial expressions that are used to communicate directions to the band, the bandleader can change the melodic and harmonic structure, creating a one-time composition that could not have been predicted nor repeated.

After the break, check out some pics I shot during a rehearsal last month.

Mr. Van Peebles directing the action onstage.

Greg Tate directing Burnt Sugar

Greg Tate and Laronda Davis, handler of B.I. (aka the business)

Burnt Sugar and a member of the cast

Mr. Van Peebles working with the actors

Additional link:

• Melvin Van Peebles' wikipedia page
  

BRC Seeks Submissions for 25th Anniversary Compilation

ATTENTION BLACK ROCKERS: We're about to do it again... Next week, we'll start accepting submissions for the Black Rock Coalition's 25th Anniversary release, 'Rock 'n' Roll Reparations, Vol. 2.' So pick out two of your most progressive, genre-bending, world-ain't-ready songs and keep your ear to the ground...

Request more info at submissions@blackrockcoalition.org.

Handicapping the Grammys' Urban/Alternative Category

Once again, the Grammys' Urban/Alternative category continues the Recording Academy's tradition of rewarding minor innovation, if you can call the nominees that.  Baby steps to the left are all I see.  Or, this year continues the Grammy tradition of highlighting artists who only take baby steps to the left.  It's like this category has become a consolation entry for artists who aren't moving big numbers and thus can't compete in the big categories.   And as I wrote last year, the majority of black folks wouldn't know what real alternative artists look or sound like.  And, if that's the case, you certainly can't expect The Recording Academy to be forward-looking.  After all, the voting body of the Academy is made of folks who are all up the in the commercial end of the music industry.

Anyway, here's the down 'n' dirty as I see it:

• Tonex. Nothing alternative about a brotha singing about Jesus.  Reaally long odds here.
• India.Arie. A weak remake of a Sade song?  This shouldn't win, but the know-nothings in the Academy are star-fuckers, and it may turn out that they were lazy and went with a recognizable name.
• Eric Roberson.  Gotta give it to him: This is one hard-workin' brotha.   He might be in contention simply because he didn't make it into the Male R&B category, in which the contenders look like Maxwell, Anthony Hamilton and Charlie Wilson.  But, at the end of the day, he's an R&B singer.  Hardly alternative.
• Robert Glasper & Bilal. I guess in the current environment of mostly whack commercial R&B, jazz looks alternative.  Another consolation nomination, as Glasper would be up against heavyweights in the various jazz categories such as Joe Zawinal, Chick Corea, John Pattucci and, I'm happy to say, Allen Toussaint.
• The Foreign Exchange.  This is who SHOULD win.  "Daykeeper" is refreshingly introspective.  It's a odd-metered gem that achieves a serious, yet understated headnod.  The album it's on Leave It All Behind, is somewhat hit or miss for my tastes, but this song is clearly the standout.

Anyway, guess we'll find out soon.

BTW, if you want a list of some real alternatives to tonight's nominees, check out these lists.

Additional link:

• Official site for The Grammy Awards

My "Post Black" interview

It's exciting that more people are noticing the cultural shift that I've been talking about--and this community has, in some ways, been driving--for the last three years.  Case in point is author Ytasha Womack, whose new book, Post Black: How A New Generation Is Redefining African American Identity,  examines that broad cultural forces that are making it possible for black rock music, among other things, to gain more momentum in American society.

While I wasn't interviewed for the book, I did join Ytasha by phone to talk about black rock.  I'm reading her book now and will return the favor with an interview with her on this blog in a few weeks.  In the meantime, here's an excerpt of our conversation:

YTASHA L. WOMACK: Why do you believe there is a new wave of black rock bands?

RF: I just think that what we are beginning to see is that people, particularly black folks are reaching beyond the narrow bounds of black life that we had been relegated to in greater numbers than before. You always had people in the fringe, people who were into rock or punk. But one of the beautiful things about technology is that it has allowed people of like minded interests to find one another. There are a lot of people out here who are into punk or rock and aren't into the paradigm of commercial hip hop or the r & b lover kind of thing. There is so much more to life than that.

YLW: The flourishing black rock scene is a cultural statement?

RF: It's a really exciting time. Black rock isn't about black kids picking up guitars, but rather an invitation to be brave and to question what we do, how we express ourselves and what we think of as traditionally black. Those are important things to look at if we are going to be citizens of the world. We have to be open to ideas, new people, and embrace diverse influences. It puts us in touch with our humanity. That is what black rock offers.

YLW: Is the rise of black rock also a way of challenging hip hop as the primary expression of black youth culture?

RF: Black folks aren't all thinking about the hip hop paradigm in terms of the way it presents masculinity or the way it presents black authenticity. There are a whole lot of black identities out there. We've always known that. We've never been this monolith. We have more ideas about what black is and you are broadening that definition with the Post Black concept at a time when we need. it. The world has gone global and we're still trying to rep our hood and our block. That's not even the game anymore.

YLW: Why did you create BoldAsLove.com

RF: I started it 3 years ago. I felt a cultural shift happening. With black rock, black people were exploring the musical spectrum. (Black rock) was moving off the fringes. It's in the mainstream. You have Passing Strange on Broadway, Farai Chideya did a novel called Kiss the Sky about a black woman who has a rock band. Artists like Janelle Monet and others aren't fitting neatly into what's black. It's happening in London, too. President Obama is the example of what you're talking about with Post Black. We can't be Post Black until people stop being racist, but Obama is a sense of this larger world. It 's happening in music, in art. It's all this post blackness. I interviewed an African American artist recently and she said her favorite artist was Led Zepplin. Back in the day you would never say that.

Read the full interview here.

Additional links:

• Buy Post Black from Amazon
• Visit the Post Black blog

Do you like what you've seen on this blog over the last three years? If so, consider making a small donation--$1, $5, $10--whatever you can. Here's why I'm asking and how you can donate.

REVIEW: Corinne Bailey Rae’s "The Sea": Mourning Becomes Beauty

Corinne Bailey Rae’s much anticipated sophomore album The Sea premieres today in the U.S. four years after her self-titled debut captured fans on both sides of the pond with “Like a Star” and almost two years since the much publicized death of her husband, Jason Rae. Though loss permeates the album, which Bailey Rae describes as more “intense and heavy” than her first, The Sea isn’t a bunch of sad songs. Like some of our best artists—Billie Holiday and Nina Simone come immediately to mind—Corinne Bailey Rae takes pain and transforms it into the beauty of stolen moments and cherished memories.

Her opening song “Are You Here” is a case in point. Bailey Rae’s caressing voice accompanied by a simple guitar riff pays tribute to her lost love with a sweet and subtle invocation: “He’s a real live wire/He’s the best of his kind/Wait til you see those eyes.” That sweetness punctuates the album, which is billed as pop, but is an amalgam of soul, jazz, rock, and folk. The soft moans and sensuous rhythm of “Closer,” my hands-down favorite track, revives the soulful sound of Minnie Riperton and The Emotions. The album flows from the more intimate tracks like “Closer” and “I Would Like to Call it Beauty” (written with her brother-in-law) to a rock and retro mood in “The Blackest Lily” (recorded with Amir “?uestlove” Thompson and James Poyser) and “Paris Nights/New York Mornings.” The closing title track captures the album’s effort to balance the desolation of loss and the regeneration that one hopes will inevitably follow. The final lines of “The Sea” lament: “The sea … breaks everything/crushes everything/cleans everything/takes everything/from me.” It breaks. It renews.

I think I’ll call it beauty.   

 --Jennifer Williams

Additional links:

• Official Corinne Bailey Rae Website
• CBR on Facebook