David Fink and Kim Clark, the creative visionaries behind Three Oaks’ Acorn Theater.

                                       

 

          Kim Clark and David Fink are men of big dreams and even bigger actions. As the heart, soul, and creative minds behind the Acorn Theater they have been a big part of Three Oaks’ burgeoning arts renaissance. In its 5 years of existence the Acorn has quickly established itself as one of the most unique and innovative performance venues in the region. The dynamic duo has used the venue to push the creative and cultural envelopes of the small town consistently. “All creativity requires some kind of risk,” says Clark, the theater’s artistic director and co-owner. The former head of writing for Second City goes on to say “We try to be a hothouse for creative and new works at the Acorn and we try to bring a big world to a small town.” His business partner and the theater’s producer, David Fink, chimes in “People don’t expect to find this kind of big city culture in the middle of a corn field.”

            Since opening in 2003, Three Oaks’ Acorn Theater has brought an incredible range of diverse performances to the Michiana region. “We try to vary what we do so people can come over and over and not get bored,” says Fink. He is not exaggerating either. To date the venue has hosted jazz, folk, blues, rock, and world music concerts, vaudeville style performance artists, cabaret acts, plays, art showings, opera, and participatory theme based dance parties. Additionally, the venue hosts acting and art classes, a comedy camp for kids, a Thursday night video lounge, and has a well stocked bar and in house wine shop. It is more than just these happenings at the Acorn that makes it so special. Fink and Clark put an incredible amount of thought, time, intention, and money into both the rehab of the building and the design and construction of the theater.

            “We wanted to create a sanctuary for the arts, a place where artists of all kinds would have a unique platform to express ideas to an appreciative audience,” says Clark. It was this intention that led them to install performance friendly quiet air conditioning and silent heating. The acoustic design was also given careful consideration. These and countless other details helped give the Acorn a unique ambience that several performers consider among the best in the country. “Many of our performers tell us this is their favorite place to play,” says Fink. “Now it is to the point where people like Jefferson Starship are contacting us to play here.” It is easy to see why. The Acorn Theater is unpretentious yet classy. It is spacious yet intimate. Few people would have had the creative vision to see how an old dilapidated featherbone factory could be transformed into such a warm and inviting space. Clark and Fink had that vision, as well as the patience, passion, and dedication to back it up. Now the Acorn has a carefully cultivated and inspiring ambience that has endeared it to both performers and audience alike.

            “The great thing is the relationship we have cultivated with our audience,” says Fink. “They really trust us and might come see things they would not normally see just because they know we book good stuff.” He adds “ We also get thank you gifts and postcards at the theater from people who regularly come here.” “I think this theater fills a big space for a lot of people” explains Clark. The heartfelt appreciation of the Acorn audience is just one of many things that makes running the theater so rewarding for the two owners. When asked the best part of running the Acorn, Clark says “getting to know so many smart, interesting, and fun people”. Indeed the pair seem quite happy with the love, energy, time, and capital they have so heavily invested into the Acorn. Fink concludes “We feel lucky. We have front row seats to the best show ever, and it never stops.” www.acorntheater.com

           

 

 

Orquesta Caribe, Island Park, Elkhart IN. 7-11-08

           

              Orquesta Caribe brought its fiery non-stop Latin dance party sounds to Island Park on July 11th. Their music was the perfect soundtrack to a fun, festive and sultry summer night in the beautiful downtown park. The annual event put on by WVPE was well attended by a large and diverse mix of listeners and dancers, old fans and curious newcomers alike. Spirited music as large as life itself filled the air as the band delivered an impressive and varied set of Latin grooves. Those in attendance seemed to enjoy the passionate and remarkably tight musicianship of this ensemble.

            The event also included fun and engaging dance lessons for those new to the rich and varied traditions of Latin dance. The unusual above the band dance floor was filled with throngs of enthusiastic dancers learning to bust a variety of new moves. There was also an impressive dance contest with some remarkably seasoned salsa aficionados putting on an incredible display of dance artistry. It was the perfect compliment to a wonderful performance from one of Michiana’s best bands.

             Orquesta Caribe is a 12 piece pan-Latin ensemble that breaks the mold of traditional Latin bands by playing a variety of different regional styles in their performances. Authentically executed musical forms such as Salsa, Merengue, and Cumbia representing the sounds of Puerto Rico, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic, can all be heard in a single set from the band. Orquesta Caribe consists of a dynamic mix of musicians with varied backgrounds who have all brought their own flavor into the project. James Riley, the bands Timbalero(timbale player) cites Tito Puente, Poncho Sanchez, Ray Barretto, Eddie Palmieri, and Joe Arroyo as musical inspirations for the band.

            Orquesta Caribe has been around in various forms under different names for several years. The present and most solid line up has been together since 2005. The current stability has helped build a passionate following that is as much a part of the fun as the band is. An enthusiastic crowd of skilled dancers has shown up to heat up the dance floor at each Orquesta Caribe performance I have seen. The event in Island Park was no different. This is a band that truly gets the audience involved in the music. If you like to dance and enjoy authentic Latin music you owe it to yourself to seek out the backyard musical treasure that is Orquesta Caribe. 

 

 

ART of S.U.N. by S.U.N.

       Step into the light yall. The Art of S.U.N. is a defiant ray of soulshine burning off the clueless fog of commodified rap. This is Hip Hop that matters. With a rough yet refined flow, elegantly tough production, brutal honesty, social conscience, and strong willed love, this is a definite milestone in keeping Hip Hop positively vital.

       SUN’s rhythmic flow is tighter than Al Sharpton and his Bible. Verbal gymnastics team up with deadly knowledge for a loud ass knock on the closed doors of the sleeping mind. SUN’s street polished style brings to mind MC’s like Guru that know revolution is a state of being. On “Let it all out” SUN raps “feedom is simple, you find it in the mental, we all got potential but you gotta know your temple”. A colonized mind/body can’t change shit, and throwing off those shackles is the first step towards freedom. SUN has a tight grip on this fact and this album proves it. The tracks here reveal a wisdom that could only come from someone unafraid to face the painful realities of Life and rise above it all.

       Not content to ride trends, S.U.N. is an uncompromising artist whose throwin’ down a gauntlet of knowledge. Too many hack MC’s can’t find a needle of a clue in the haystack of their ego. They tread the safe predictable grounds of the empty boast and a hostile pose. SUN on the other hand blazes trails in directions few others dare to tread. Again and again the listener is asked to see things from a new angle. On Black economics the vital question”where you spend yo money at?” is powerfully directed at anyone who has not been thinking about it. The cut “Give me understanding” is a powerful meditation on the suffering of materialism and the riches of the spirit. With “lyrics like a shamen” it is clear this man is out to do a lot more than merely entertain. SUN understands well that music can be a weapon and medicine roled into one. Not much is spared from the bombs of knowledge dropped on this album as ignorant assumptions, economic injustice, government corruption, and the chumped up motives of sucka MC’s all get some wicked S.U.N. burn. The Art of S.U.N. gracefully tackles a range of topics wider than Fat Albert. This brotha has some open eyes and the music here is on some straight up view master shit. If Chuck D was right that Hip Hop is the Black CNN, then SUN is straight gunnin’ for the top anchor position.

       The production on the Art of S.U.N. is the perfect complement to his dead set delivery. Its is simultaneously stripped down and dressed up, raw and refined. Sparse thumpin’ beats are layered with creative instrumentation and thought provoking samples. Strings, female vocals, piano, and a cast of cohorts add to the fullness of the sound. The production style is solid though not revolutionary. While the music works perfectly as a framework for SUN’s lyrical gifts, it is definitly not upbeat party music. This is a serious album for serious times. The dark tone and down tempo flow reflect the stark realities of Urban America. That being said it is still one of the most empowering and uplifting Hip Hop albums in a long while. You can tell SUN has worked long and hard to to put Love and positivity into his craft.

       The experience and Soul of a Real Hip Hop artist shines through the force of their voice. You can hear if they’re speaking from their own heart or thinking someone else’s pre-programmed thoughts. It takes a lot of Soul searching to be able to drop wisdom like this. This is liberated music from a liberated mind. Like his chosen name, SUN is a powerful source of light in the darkness of modern America. He is not some fluffy entertainer or half baked punk MC. SUN has a message and a mission. Like a modern day Griot, he is keeping the Tribe in the know. This is a man on the move and he’s not gonna’ stop. If you have yet to see the SUN, it might be a good time to go and catch some rays.

Burning Man: An uprising of Love, Culture, Community, and radical self expression

       I have just returned from my fourth Burning Man Festival in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada. For those who have never gone let me preface this writing with a quote from Laurie Anderson:”Talking about music is like dancing about architecture”. Indeed writing about Burning Man is like attempting to capture the ocean in a leaky bucket. That being said I will continue.

       Imagine you are having a dream that is being simultaneously generated by the subconscious minds of Salvador Dali, Jimi Hendrix, Dr. Seuss, Peter Sellers, George Clinton, and 30,000 other beings thoroughly rooted in the realm of spontaneous self creation. In this dream you are in a harsh desert environment complete with raging duststorms, intense heat, and cold nights. You are not alone though. There are thousands of other radical spirits like you, each trying to make this the most outrageously enjoyable dream/party/revolution/ritual ever. Collectively they have created incredible art installations, hundreds of roving party/art mobiles in every conceivable size, shape, and flavor, hundreds of insanely elaborate theme camps, and ridiculously amusing activities to enjoy. You find incredible fashion shows, swimming pools, roller rinks, game shows, spirit tuning rituals, healing body work, and life changing, soulful conversations wherever you go. And the Dancing. Practically every inch of this place is a dance floor erupting with more energy than any any you have ever been on before.

       Dub, hip hop, D&B, trance, house, funk, electro, and techno DJ’s are spinning everywhere from art cars, theme camps, and seemingly invisible locations unfindable within the normal confines of space-time. There are live stages everywhere with spontaneous improv jams. MC’s mix it up with horns and soulful grooves, afrobeats meat psychedelic rock, funk bubbles up into middle eastern dub, soul divas flow over dank house, impromptu jazz jams catch fire, and damn near any style of music imaginable jumps up and affectionatly bites you in the buttocks. The whole place takes on the form of some sort of futuristic city of sound, light, and love. You are in Black Rock city, home of Burning Man, and it is like no place on Earth.

       There are no spectators here, only paricipants. This party is whatever you want to make it. Anywhere your eyes land there are incredible displays of art, sculptures, lights, lazers, costumes, and other bold statements of humankind and taking its creative potential to a level never before imagined. All of these creative outbursts intermingle and feed off of eachothers energy. Nothing here is perceived in the isolated vacuum of everyday consciousness. Everything is part of a sensory overload that occurrs as you are surrounded by radical acts of self expression designed to awaken in all who witness them the realization that it is all of us who create reality. In this dream we are creating a new vision of Life more vibrant, aware, expressive, inclusive, imaginative, beautiful, bold, alive and transformative than any reality ever before created. In this place it is so glaringly obvious just how infinitly powerful, giving, and unlimited the love and creative spirit that exists in all of us truly is.

      Wherever you go you find examples of inspiring generosity. Cash is not the medium of exchange here. Barter, gifts, and random kindness fuels new models of social interaction. You meet a camp of fishermen who have brought in 2000 pounds of freshly caught salmon and tuna that they are grilling in a gourmet marinade and just giving away. A “flavor mobile” drives by and offers you any flavor you can imagine. Strangers invite you to a vegetarian dinner party and you can’t seem to shake the sensation that everyone here is your friend. During this week long dream you are offered such delicacies as sushi, sorbet, thai food, saki, middle eastern food, pasta, and watermelon. All over the city you find bars giving or bartering away drinks. Many of these bars are built into roaming vehicles complete with stages, dance floors, lounges, DJ’s or bands, and ridiculously creative themes.

       In this mysteriously vast desert you see giant sharks, magic carpets, living rooms on wheels, glowing worms, ornate dragon’s, flying saucers, and renegade pirate ships, just to name a few. At night the ceaseless parade of art cars takes on the appearance of a giant aquarium filled with glowing neon colored fish. The phrase free ride takes on new meaning here. Each vehicle and its sound system roams the expansively open stretch of desert called the playa where anything can happen. New friends are made on board, new neighborhoods and clubs discovered, and destinations never before dreamed of are arrived at without an ounce of effort. Everyone here has a ticket to ride.

       You jump on a mad max like flame throwing vehicle and end up at a far away installation called the Temple of Gravity. Here you find a raging hip hop party has broken out that gives new meaning to the phrase “rockin’ out”. You see some of the nastiest bay area hip hop DJ’s throwing down at a dance floor where slabs of granite weighing thousands of pounds are suspended above the dance floor by chains and a thin metal structure. While deceptively safe, it appears to be the ultimate way to dance on the edge. Should the granite fall for any reason the dancers below would be crushed. To add to the insanely fearless vibe there are scads of people dancing atop the granite slabs, making them bounce and swing wildly in an astonishingly death defying gesture of unrepentant funkiness. People from all over the world are here at this party and you truly feel that this place is both everywhere and nowhere all at once.

       On another occasion you jump on a double decker bus that has been converted into roving opium den lounge. After bouncing around the main drags and inner playa you are taken to the outer limits of Black Rock City where you find others who have gathered for a spontaneous dance party at sunrise. Each person you meet here seems to bring back some long lost but sorely needed life wisdom. Pieces of your soul come floating back to you in each experience you have. The walls of everyday society have been triumphantly demolished. There is no class, racial, or religious differences. Just beautiful souls who are surviving the struggles of a harsh environment together in the most creatively positive ways imaginable.

       Love here takes on new dimensions. No longer trapped in the context of one on one romantic encounters(though there is plenty of this going on) Love is freed up to exist in a million different forms, each one helping to release the spirit from the limiting confines of expectation. Love can appear here as a soul bonding conversation, a suprisingly thoughtful gift, affectionate and loving contact from a friend, a spectacular sunrise, unexpected yet necesary help, or an incredibly inspiring work of art.

      This desert has a powerful healing energy that can’t be denied. One cannot be surrounded by so much Love, creativity, beauty, freedom, and sexiness without having there own wounds and issues jump to the surface. Any residual negative energy one is holding onto that prevents them from being fully present in this moment undoubtedly makes itself known, sometimes unexpectedly and painfully so. The beautiful thing though is that the environment here is one where this is expected and people go out of there way to help eachother acknowledge, heal, and release their inner pain. Friends help eachother process deep seated emotional traumas,  the community looks out for its members, and there is always a serious session of dance therapy awaiting anyone who needs it. Others volunteer reiki, massage, and energy work. No one is alone here unless they decide to subscribe to that particular illusion. Not only is one given valuable insight into their own unconsciously imposed limitations, but also the tools to heal it. This is much more than any other social gathering has ever attempted to be in our Western culture. This is an elixir that revitalizes the core creative essence in our being that has atrophied in commodified society. At times Burning Man feels like the final answer to that eternal question:”Why?”.

       Then there is the Burning of the Man itself. While this incredibly intense ritual takes on different meanings to different people, it is an undeniably powerful release of energy. What is the energy that is being released? It is the freeing of the past and all its unfufilled expectations. It is the freeing of our inner pain as it is transformed into new light. It is the obliteration of former limits of perception we unkowingly subscribed to. It is our creative potential becoming aware of and in tune with itself. It is the full restoration of ritual sacredness to Life itself. It is the abolition of an arbitrarily imposed sense of a singular, isolated self and its replacement with an empowered sense of unified community. It is the release of a new self. The birth of a new and unified tribal mindset. It is whatever you decide you want it to be and so much more than you ever could have imagined. Burning Man is the antidote to all the half assed flawed concepts of life and reality that humanity has allowed itself to be suckered into. Burning Man is the single biggest “Fuck You” to that ubiquitous oppressor,”the Man”, ever conceived of.

       Remember that party that you went to where all the walls broke down and all the old rules no longer applied? The music was alive, the crowd was one, and the energy just simply would not stop? Remember just how magical, vibrant, and alive the whole party felt, as if it had taken on a Life of its own? Remember how changed you felt after it, as if things could never be looked at the same way again, as if you had regained some lost ability to see truth and Love more clearly? Burning Man is like a thousand such parties simultaneously blowing up into and out of eachother, creating an entire city of that energy that burns to the ground any belief that we are anything less than the creative Love and Magic of Life itself. Stop sleeping. Come dream with us. www.burningman.com

Movement in Detroit

       Love and blessings to all my friends and family. I hope you are all vibin’ and thrivin’. Here is the latest installment of my musical adventure travelogue.

       This wild and intense wake up call to Love we call life works in the most mysterious of ways. After spending time sorting out family affairs in North Carolina I had an unexpected but fortuitous change of travel directions. I had planned to bounce around down South for a while but travel exhaustion, diminishing funds, and the need to help my ailing father relocate to Chicago pulled me back to the Midwest. My brother turned me on to what was formerly called the Detroit Electronic Music Festival which was now called Movement. Since I was headed that way I made it a destination and still cannot believe what I saw happen there.

        Movement is a large and fairly high profile event that draws electronic music fans from all over our Planet to the birthplace of techno. For anyone that does not know, it was in the underground clubs of Detroit where artists like Derrick May revolutionized modern music making and gave birth to techno. In the past this event has been run by a big production company that has over commercialized it and alienated many of the artists/fans in the process. This year the city decided to put it back into the hands of the local music community when Derrick May himself stepped up and fronted $65,000 of his own bucks to help throw it down proper. He brought in his own production crew, formed a second one to help, called amazing artists from all over, and put together the most raging throw down of modern electronic music I have ever seen. I got to meet this brother and he was the coolest cat I have met in a long time. He is so in it for the Love as were all the other great people who pulled this puppy off. It was so obvious. The combination of vibe, energy, acts booked, setting, and concept made for an absolutely amazing event.

       Movement took place in this perfectly weird post modern abstract industrial semi-subterranean riverside joint called Hart Plaza. It had four separate stages equipped with amazing sound systems designed to vibrationally realign the bejesus out of any out of tune molecule in the area. In addition to this there were sub stages and booths overflowing with great DJ’s, underground fashion designers, cutting edge record labels, turntable demos and duels, film makers, production companies, political info, food and who knows what else. Detroit is a deep underground scene and the networking at Movement was intense. Never have I been handed so many fliers for things that actually looked like I shouldn’t miss them. Almost every DJ, booth, or stage had its own unique vision of modern music. Wherever I went some enlightened future reality seemed to be beaming back its consciousness to me through the most futuristic music I have ever heard.

       What New Orleans Jazzfest is to Southern roots music, jazz, and the jam band scene, Movement is to modern urban and electronic music. It was not just a techno thing-One was surrounded by new soul, hip Hop, electro-funk, jazztronica, drum and bass, down tempo, IDM, dub, spoken word, and any style of music you have ever heard played by a good DJ plus ten more you didn’t know existed. This thing felt like a cross between an atomic hip hop house party, a ghetto Rave, a funk uprising, a riverfront music festival, a future fashion show, an out of control block party, a music business networking conference and a cultural revolution. Movement reminded me of the raw street energy you see in Old School Hip Hop films like Wild Style. It had the spirit of an Urban Burning Man. A Bumbershoot with Balls. An Electric Mardi Gras. D-town is funky to the bone and this thang was out to prove it.

       One of the coolest things about Movement was how indredibly inclusive it was. Unlike many music festivals it was totally free. Where as most Music festivals tend to financially exclude the urban poor, Movement was a priced right party. The inner city of Detroit really knows how to get it on and has serious steam to let off. Movement felt like some kind of transdimensional ghetto party pressure release valve. I have never seen such a harmonious, diverse, and highly energized integration of ages, races, incomes, cultural backgrounds, and musical tastes throwing down so damn hard before. Vast quantities of Hip Hoppers, Funkateers, Jazz Freaks, Ravers, Rastas, Hippies, Punks, Goths, and Rockers all mingled at this unified party. I saw cops dancing(a lot). Little 5 year old black kids inventing the break dances of the future egged on by the love and energy of hundreds of people. I saw break dance circles spontaneously forming of virgin breakers who collectively encouraged each other to bust out any freaky move they could. Everybody was throwin’ down and pushin’ each other to take it to the next level of freaky funky freedom.

       From Motown to Funkadelic to Brothers from Another Planet, Detroit has always pushed the Soul envelope. Detroit has a gritty, industrial edge, a hard attitude and an intense energy. The music and people reflect it and at Movement this vibe was so perfectly channeled that I did not see a fight, argument, or hint of violence the entire time I was there. In fact the thought of it seemed ridiculous. I saw so many people who seemed to be being deeply healed by the spirit of Love contained within the music and community at the event. You could see the positivity and communal bond in people’s eyes.

It was amazing to be in an atmosphere where so many people were expressing themselves so freely through dance. I have been to plenty of good Raves over the years and even some amazing things like Burning Man that thrive on the freedom and expression of dance. But Movement had this pronounced and profound African American influence that took electronic music to another level. The techno I heard in Detroit is incredibly African in its spirit, and this is what I feel has been missing in so much of the modern electronic music out there. Much of what I heard at Movement has more in common with Ancient African tribal drumming than with the commercial techno we hear on the radio.

       Movement transcended the concept of “music festival”. There was a point at which All was motion and all were dancing, the young with the old, the black with the white, the gay with the straight, chicos and chicas. The awareness of where I was dissolved and I stepped into a timeless space of pure energy that has opened up to musical communities for thousands of years. Each individual was an energetic expression of the whole, and  what was happening was a singular expression of unified energy. I felt I could have been anywhere-a gypsy camp, an African village, or a Native American pow wow. I knew what I was witnessing was not so much modern electronic music but the ancient power of music to create a true experience of unified community.

       In all my musical experiences and studies of ethnomusicology I have seen repeating patterns of how music empowers and enables a sense of spiritual community amongst those involved in the creation of the music. Creation of the music in this sense means anyone dancing, singing, clapping, listening, or otherwise participating and contributing to the energy of the music. When enough people whole heartedly throw themselves into the music in this way, the music and experience of connected community take on a life of their own.

       Movement revealed to me the intense potential of the Electronic dance culture and enlightened hip hop music to fill the communal void currently missing in our “entertainment”(very different from music in my opinion) obsessed culture. What I heard was simultaneously global and urban, futuristic and primitive. Both the Dance culture and hip hop(at their purest and least commercial) is founded uppon audience participation with the role of the DJ being closer to that of ritual initiator than that of entertainer. The emphasis is less on being entertained than on contributing to the overall experience. Real Music is not spectator entertainment-it is participatory communal expression and creation. Movement though was more than this truth expressed. It was a sonic blue print for what hip hop, soul, funk, jazz, and electronica have in common and how they are collectively fusing into entirely new modes of mind/booty liberation. These forms are really begginning to merge and when they do those afraid to dance had better put on some funky ass rollerskates. Such a sight would be right at home at the Movement festival.

       The stages were consciously created to feature diverse forms of electronic music. My favorite was definitly the High Tech Soul stage which featured new soul, live jazztronica, future funk, and hip hop. Show highlights included keyboardist/vocalist Amp Fiddler from P-funk/Prince doing an absolutely inspired set of future Soul with an 8 piece band. His set seamlessly combined soul vocals, funk grooves, electronic textures, jazz vibes, and incredible group chemistry. Amp is setting a new standard for modern groove music that should not be missed. Another great project Amp played in was the Reese project, a Live jazztronica funk ensemble. This was seriously soulful and funky club music with a live edge and straight up soul sister vocals.

       Pevin Everett was another artist mixing new soul, jazz, latin, and electronic dance music. He had a smoking band and is definitely an artist to watch. His integration of jazzy latin samba and Soul was espescially hip. Also breaking ground was The Detroit Experiment. This was a jazz-funk hybrid that featured Amp, members of the Blackbyrds, Detroit DJ fixture Carl Craig, and the elite of the vibrant Detroit Jazz scene. They tied the freedom and experimentalism of old school Detroit Jazz, funk influenced grooves, and new school electronica overtones into a tight ass funky knot. Smooth. Speaking of smooth Niko Marks Cosmology was a solid act that was a live electronic Soul fusion group. They had a gospel quality with a dance club club aesthetic. They should be heatin’ it up so watch out.

There were a million great DJ’s I saw but the one I liked the most was Reggie Dokes. I don’t know where he gets his shit but the set I saw was pure funk concentrate. Some of it sounded like New Orleans house music with unbelievably bad ass horn lines. Other solid DJ bets were Francois K and Rich Medina. The best thing about the music at Movement was the depth and diversity of it. There was so much upcoming young funky talent with such original and unique concepts that one couldn’t help but get excited about tomorrow’s music. I can honestly say that the Movement festival revealed to me both the coming future and the eternal past of the Living Soul of Music.

Jazz Fest Adventures

       Hello to all my homies and homettes. Here are the latest updates from the Deep South pilgramage I am currently embarked uppon. After Phoenix I drove my butt through this other dimension called Texas where the normal rules of time/space no longer apply. After several lifetimes I finally reached the other side of that sucker. I really did like hangin’ in Austin though. A great city that I had to breeze through quickly cuz Jazz Fest in New Orleans was about to start. Austin had some great food, a great collective sense of weirdness, some really cool black college radio, and was surprisingly  green and lush. I pretty much tore through the rest of the drive to get to N’oleans for the start of Jazz fest.

       One of the wiser things I have heard in my Life is the phrase “Life is like licking the honey off of a thorn”. My amazing week and a half in New Orleans very much embodied these words. Never have I been somewhere more crazy, dangerous, fun, hilarious, Soul suckingly hot/humid, musical, better tasting, better-and worse-smelling, difficult, frustrating, rewarding, loving, confusing, and insanely alive than this giant sauna of FUNK. Every corner I turned I was hit upside the head with an insanely funky sound, a ridiculously good smell, a ludicrous looking/behaving character, incredibly soulful art, or some definite reminder that the poverty and desperation there for so many is extremely intense. Throughout the south I have to say the Blues aint no joke. It is the Soul’s response to a painfuly raw and difficult set of economic and social conditions.

       Southern music in general seems to derive its intensity from the fact that it is one of the few things that people own and can take them away from the crap one must put up with on a daily basis. It took me three days to find a neighborhood that was not in the heart of the Ghetto in New Orleans. There is no such thing as a good place to park there. The first night there It took almost an hour to find a reasonably safe looking place to park the van and crash. First thing next morning was this insanely loud knock, the likes of which could only emanate from someone packing a gun. Sure enough, it was the fuzz. I guess in the few places that don’t look so bad the people are real paranoid and immediately report anything that looks unusual to the cops. I dealt with the local p on several occasions because of this situation. I have to say they were really nice every time, and I was impressed with how cool they were given what an absolutly crazy job they have.  Maybe that helps make them cooler somehow.

       N’Orleans feels more like Europe and Africa than America. No where is there a more pronounced collision of cultures in this country(although NY comes to mind as a close second.) The spirit world seriously is bubbling over there, and it leaps into the music whenever any is played which is pretty much all the time everywhere during jazz fest. Even (and espescially)the Funerals are better jams than what most people are groovin to elswhere. While I was there local legend Earl King died and they had the most amazing second line funeral party for him. For anyone that does not know, a second line is when they have a huge parade through the streets with a seriously funky marching band at the front and back of the parade. It is like a mobile block party that funkitizes the way of the deceased so they may enter the afterlife with a nice fat groove to pave the way. That is how I want to go out!

       What I like most about the South is that you are ambushed by not just one or two roots music traditions you normally don’t get to hear in undiluted form but rather by a whole gang of them. Blues, Soul, Funk, Second line, Gospell, Southern Rock, Soul, Jazz, country, bluegrass, zydeco, cajun, all spank your brain constantly while here. It is all so real and unpretentious. Music is more than entertainment in the South. It is the survival of the Soul. Even the commercial bar oriented music has more Soul than what you will hear in bars outside the South. Even the crickets and frogs are funky. While I was at a bayou swamp state park on the South side of town(a great, safe, and cheap way to stay during Jazzfest) I recorded the craziest orchestra of frogs, insects, and crickets of every conceivable pitch and rhythm imaginable. I swear it is in these sounds that inspired the start of Jazz. It was one of the baddest jam sessions I have ever heard.

       Musical highlights from N.O. included Bernie Worell from p-funk with Will Calhoun and Doug Wimbish from Living Coulur, and Leo Nocetelli from the Meters. This was some of the baddest and heaviest funk I have ever witnessed. They even shredded some live drum and bass on a scale I have never seen before. Also kickin it was Garage a tois-This group is so much more enjoyable to me than its members other projects-Galactic, Charlie Hunter, and Critter’s. With Mike D in the mix they have just taken their punk jazz go go funk slam grooves to another level. They had a 4 piece horn section at the end and it was BAD. Speaking of horns Soulive w/ a 7 piece horn section(incl. Fred Wesley), Bill Summers from the headhunters and Ivan Neville was quite a throwdown. Even cooler than that though was seeing all my Seattle homies Reggie Watts, Dale Fanning, Jessica Lurie, and Brad Hauser mix it up with Grant Greene Jr.(bad as Dad), and Bernie Worrell. What a groove that was. Seeing Bernie kiss Reggies enormous fro was definitly a beautiful site to behold. Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe also threw down a great late nighter and Maktub put in a respectable set as well. Muchas Gracias to all my musician friends who hooked up the guest list action-Yall made the trip 100 times cooler.All the jams I just mentioned was 1/2 of 1% of the music that was going on there those 10 days. This was just the after hours stuff-I havent even got to the fest yet.

       Jazz fest itself is unlike anything I have been to. It is like what all the other music fests wish they could be. The food is out of control, the people are amazingly cool, and the music-well they book everything imaginable as long as it has soul. Joe Cocker tore that sucker up in a way I had no idea was possible. So did Robert Randolph-a must see if you have not. The dimensions of Faith Choir was bad as was just about everything at the Gospell tent. It was nice randomly bumping into Steve Taylor to, a friend to many on this list. (He is doing good.) I saw so much music that I did not even know who or what it was that Words seem kind of silly trying to convey any of it in. I will say that it is interesting seeing how Jazzfest has some cultural obstacles that it did not used to have and how it deals with them.

       When I first went I felt like pulling all of those musics out of the culture that spawned them(the churches, juke joints, porches, and backyards) and into a festival setting was kind of wrong. The audiences were definitly stiff at some of the shows but then there were other times and shows where the whole place became a church, juke joint, or a backyard. The spirit of what was happening transformed the environment and  those attending and brought them into the spiritual place that the music originates. It was as if the power of the music and culture would not give way to the festival environment and instead took over it. Each stage feads on the energy of others, and every band tries to outdo every other. The environment is like a pressure cooker of serious Soul in Sound. The coolest thing about it is you see how interconnected and related all these different styles of music really are. The differences in them add their depth and complexity but ultimately it is all about Soul and taking people to a higher plane of experience. JazzFest definitly did that for me.

       The people in New Orleans are some of the nicest anywhere. Everyone was really friendly, social, and helpful. I found myself getting into great conversations about everything with everybody I met. People would start going off about their favorite recipes and how cooking is a religion in N.O. and how there are feuds and wars over the best way to make a gravy or sauce. The metaphors are hilarious. An empty bag don’t stand when the wind blow. I was telling this woman how special I thought New Orleans was and she laughed really hard and said” Special!-oh we’re real special down here, really special-little yellow bus special!” referring to the less functional aspects of life in N.O.  They say the South is more segragated than in the North and in some ways that is true. But I have found there are incredibly cool opportunities for people to mix it up down here that do not even exist in the North. Music is a huge part of that, and where music is concerned, the South is vastly more integrated than the North.

       Other fun stuff was busking on Bourbon Street on a Saturday night after J.F. let out. That was crazy-that street takes partying to a whole nother level. There are some great ways to check out the regional scene as well like the Louisianna music factory, an independant music store featuring local stuff. There was also great radio too. People seem to take a lot of pride and work to keep the traditions and history alive. This was also true of my next stop, Memphis.

       I took the beautiful Natchez Trace drive up through Mississippi(did I spell that right?) and cut over to Memphis. I spent much less time in Memphis than N.O. but it revealed its living spirit of soulful music to me on day one. I stumbled into Memphis music, a great music store with a deep, deep selection and an incredibly knowledgeable and helpful resident”bluesologist”, Malcolm. He hooked me up with some great jams, clubs to check out, and historical sights to see. I checked out the Rock and Soul museum which was way cool. Memphis is so key to the history of not only rock but Soul and Blues as well. Think about it. It was Memphis that spawned or produced the first records by Elvis, B.B. King, Isaac Hayes, Roy Orbison, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Ike and Tina, Al Greene, Staples singers, Bar Kays, Johnny Cash, Booker T and the M.G.’s, Albert King, the Memphis horns, Otis Redding, Sam and Dave, and a whole lot more. It is a lot more subdued than it used to be, but it is still one soulful city with a ton of stuff hidden in the woodwork. I got to see this great country blues artist Richard Johnston playing this double necked cigar boxed jug band instrument called a lobow. He was tearing it up at a joint called the Flying saucer. He did this song called I got the dog with me where he was barking like a deranged hound. He got the whole place barking and howling like dogs. It was very inspiring and I got to say people really give it up for good music down south.

       The next town I went to was Nashville, a very vibrant and diverse music scene. It has tons more going on than country and Blue grass. It is also one of the mellower towns I was in and seemed fairly liveable, though like all of the South it gets way to hot. In May already. Anyway It is worth a visit if you’re in the area. After that I drove through the gorgeous Smoky Mountains to Asheville, NC. It is as if someone took all the coolness of Portland or Seattle and mixed it up with southern vibeage and through it into the mountains of NC. What a beautiful and hip little town. It reminded me a lot of Ashland OR. Definitly a good place to do a show if your band is in this neck of the woods. South Carolina in general has a ton of cool towns with funky flavor, good radio, and a nice amount of natural ambience. I think I like it most of the Southern states so far. That is where I am writing from now. I am currently visiting my dad and doing some R&R following all the craziness. I am not sure what happens next but I have a feeling it will be interesting. Until then,

Boycott McLife,

Sean

Hit the Road Jack

       I am currently living the long term dream of making a pilgrimage to the New Orleans Jazz festival. I started in Seattle 3 weeks ago and am now in Phoenix, less than a week away from kickoff. I started by having a great time in Portland, an absolutely  magical city bursting with Life. Thanks to my friend Diana and her cool roomies for puttin’ me up. Tons of great music/art spaces hidden in the woodwork, some great clubs (Medicine hat, Good foot, Conans, Om), and plenty of natural spaces to explore. I climbed a waterfall ovelooking the Columbia Gorge and spent a few days at the Ocean with my ridiculously cool friend Kyrstyn. Ended up at some crazy goth party, took in a great film festival, and was thoroughly entertained by the obsession Portlanders seem to have for Pabst Blue Ribbon. For a second I thought I was back in Wisconsin.

       The best music I saw while there was LTJ Bukem(slamming drum and bass, got in free and to hang with the master afterwards) and Wil Bernard’s band(sick jazz-funk). (Hey Sawka-Bukem said to send those beats you were gonna send). Both turned it out in top form and kept us movin’ non stop. I saw some cool films at the film festival. One was “Haunters”, a hilarious documentary about the eccentric freaks who put on haunted houses. The director was from Portland and at the show and was a super cool cat. (Yo Bryan Theiss, Scarecrow could really use a copy of this). The most powerful film I have probably ever seen though was Civilian Casualties:fragments from the war on terror by Frances Anderson. This film picked up where Bowling for Columbine left off. The director traveled to Afghanistan with 4 people who had lost family members on Sept. 11th. The deeply human experience and bond the Americans shared with the Afghans who had just been bombed by the U.S. was incredibly powerful. For anyone looking for a constructive way to combat the rampant ignorance in the U.S.A I recomend setting up a screening of this film at a nearby theater or campus. I doubt any human being could see this film and not be somehow changed.

       Following Portland I made my way down the cost to the beautiful and hip town of Ashland. A nice place worth stopping through. I then went through Northern Cali which was more lush and alive than I have ever seen it. I hit a blizzard by Shasta(I thought of you Bongo!) but made it right through. I stopped in Sacramento at this great Rastafarian restuarant and then headed for Tahoe. I almost made it there when another snow storm hit. It was bad, low visibility and treacherous mountainous roads and me with no tire chains. I decided to reroute and save Shasta for another day. Flexibility and non attachment have been key to this trip. In the book Hagakuri:way of the Samurai they talk about determination and if you have decided to do something to let nothing stop you from attaining your goal. My goal had been to be in Vegas by that evening anyway so I went the long way back through central Cali and made it by mid evening. The drive was great from the springtime lushness of central Cali to the barren beauty of the Mojave desert.

       Vegas was a trip. If I could sum it up with one symbol it would be that 20 foot bronze statue of Sigfried and Roy, those blond German dudes with the albino tigres. Make mine a SCHMALTED. Any way saw lots of little old ladies, mob guys, buffets(I sure do likes me a good buffet!)alcoholics, and blank eyed tourists. The funnest part was finding this incredible old school funk band from Boston. They were ripping it up in the lounge of this casino with tons of people watching. There was this fat empty dance floor and I was like not gonna let that injustice stand. I started funking out and then these older black ladies got up  and started busting these way back in the day moves I had never seen before. Damn they could dance! Pretty soon we had that whole floor turnin it out. Having helped spread the funk in Vegas I felt it was time to move on. I headed for the National Park system in Utah.

       I made it to Zion which was gorgeous and then crashed out at the end of a warm and beautiful day. By morning there was snow on the ground and the temp was way cold. I made my way to Bryce canyon(also beautiful) only to find out a big snow storm was on the way. Not wanting to get caught in that mess I decided to leave and head south, giving up my plans to hit Arches and Canyonlands. As soon as I went to fire up the van, it would not start. I was very cold, wanting to get out b4 the storm and feeling a little stuck. I meditated and had a vision of the native spirits that watch over that land. For them song is a way to connect people to the Earth. They said they knew this was the intention of my quest and wanted to help. They put horses and fire into my engine to make it run. They gave me a name that means “Dreams like mountain” and renamed the van Spirit chaser. After the meditation my van started right up with renewed vigor.

       The whole time on this trip I have been having the deepest connection with the spiritual power of this amazing land we live on. There are so many sacred places just waiting to teach us the lessons of life. When I studied shamanism I learned it was common for them to communicate with the spirit of animals, mountains, etc. I have learned through experience that this is available to anyone who is sincerely open to it. In fact it is a historical anomaly that we are so far from the natural wisdom of the Earth. It is alive and well though and wants to share itself with us. All we need do is open ourselves to it.

       After leaving Bryce I drove all night long with a gorgeously full moon through mysterious southern Utah and Northern Arizona. I made it to the Grand Canyon as the sun was rising at one end of it and the moon was setting at the other end. Wow. After that I kept goin til I got to  Flagstaff. Flagstaff definitely goes on the list of hip little college towns worth  dropping by if you’re in the area. Even more amazing though was Sedona. For years I had heard about Sedona’s natural beauty, but nothing prepared me for what a special place it really is. The Earth radiates intense life wherever you go there. I heard several people talking openly about “vortexes” that were there. I wanted more info about these “vortexes” and asks a guy at the healthfood store “so what exactly is a vortex?” He pointed behind me and I turned around to see a brightly colored book entitled”what is a vortex?”. It talked about a place where natural energy of the Earth is abundant and that it has definite effects on our state of mind/being. As far as I am concerned that whole place is a big ass vortex. It is just incredible and a great place to lose oneself for a while. I connected with good friends, climbed a mountain, hiked trails, set up my gear in the desert, and played to the mountains there. Yeah! After Sedona I stopped by Jerome, a trippy little mountain artist colony south of Sedona. Probably the most unique place I have passed through yet. Then I drove to sunny and warm Phoenix where I caught up with some old friends from IN. (Thanks Mike and Maria! for puttin’ me up). I am leaving for Austin shortly and then on to Noleans. Til next time,

Live out Loud,

Sean

Live Love Lyrics

Here are the lyrics from my first album, “Live Love”.

 

Lyrics – Sean Conlon

NEW DAWN

Her bank account is full with the pain of yesterday
And every withdrawal she makes chase her dreams away
She manufactures clouds to keep the sun from her sky
She looks for it everywhere, but never with her own eyes

Everyone’s in debt to lessons they don’t want to learn
Big money’s making war again and the people getting burned
We got to trace it back, to the source-the dark cartel of our remorse
Its been holding us back, keeping us down, running our lives from the underground

Interest free currency is a better bet than usury
Banks of greed are running free foreclosing on our liberty
Interest free currency like the Love in you and the Love in me,
It’s the way to set us free from the prison of complacency

All the old ways have cut off the heart, but in this moment is another start
A new chance to get it right, to live with kindness in the light
I can feel it coming on the night is ending and this is the new dawn
And the light of Love is shining strong, bringing us together where we belong

SHAKEN & STIRRED

Well I saw you and you saw me, the vibe was in the air like its supposed to be
We hooked up and started hanging out, vibin’ and groovin’ there could be no doubt
Something beautiful could have went down, but you couldn’t stop drinking and running around-you run so hard to get free but you bring the past that you want to flee

You’re acting like the party can’t stop-keep living like that and your body will drop
In your heart love won’t be found until you heal what shut it down

I got so many better things to do than to sit around here thinking about you
I’ve got a life to live, and love to give but your heart won’t love til you forgive

It’s a long hike to learn who we are, but lugging the past makes it twice as far
There’s so much love life is giving to you,
but you can block it out when you’re acting a fool
I can see the depth of your pain but it’s the could you’re in that makes the rain
You wanna live today so heal the past, make room for love that will everlast

To you my friend I wish you well, but there’s just one thing I wish you could tell-where the party stops and the problem starts, they are shaken and stirred in equal parts.

STATE OF GRACE

Well once I was a young man, blind with negativity
Stumbling through the dark, I simply could not see
All the times that life does not go your way You shouldn’t let them drag you down-but this is where I went astray

Well the nature of all things is to change
A Universe filling up with Love is going to have to rearrange
If better things are going to come to you, you’ve got to let go of the old and
create the new

From the pain we know into the place we grow
We walk a path that is long and slow
But in our spirits time our souls will shine
In our Heart’s space, we’ll find a state of Grace

A toothless, homeless man once told me-
one foot then the other, that’s the way it has to be
But sometimes it’s hard to find the will
to keep on climbing, climbing up a hill
With all the struggles Life is raining down on me
They are making me stronger, making me see
The pain we are in is real but we are not alone in this time to heal

From the pain we know into the place we grow
We walk a path that is long and slow
But in our spirits time our soul’s will shine
In our Heart’s space we’ll find our state of Grace

DIG DEEP

Don’t you know that its time-One love people got a groove on
Everyone can sing- and Now is the time of the new song
There’s so much love inside-It’s enough to heal all that’s wrong
Bring it to the world and shine your light all night long

Let it shine-shine your light right out loud
Shine-ride it past every cloud
Let it shine-can’t no storm get in the way
Shine-shine your light on a brand new day

People living blind, lost in time, sold their Heart for a dollar sign
But everyone is fine everyone divine when you break through the wall of your mind
Dig Deep look seek and find and what you see will blow your mind
Dig Deep look seek and find and what you see will blow your mind
People living Blind lost in time, sold their Soul for a dollar sign
But everyone is fine everyone divine when you break through the wall of your mind
Dig deep look seek and find and what you see will blow your mind
Dig deep look seek and find and what you see will blow your mind

LIVING IN THE MOMENT

What we want we can’t buy
To the Higher Self there is no lie
For the one who sees the path is clear
Straight ahead through your fear
We waste so much time running circles in our mind,
dancing with the questions and the answers we don’t find
We’re always in a rush, no time to take it slow,
But we never seem to get just where we want to go

I know there is a better way to be-living in the Moment and setting the questions free
I know that there is nothing, that I need to know that life won’t show me
in its own sweet flow

Living in the Moment it’s hard to get cut
by some little expectation that you went and made up
Letting them go and setting them free is the only way that you will see

Life is so beautiful when you don’t grab to tight of hold
It used to be a sacred dream until we sold it out to a money making scheme
Life can be what you want it to be when you connect with the Spirit that’s free
Power can say what it wants to say but the love inside can clear the lies away

What we want we can’t buy
To the Higher Self there is no lie
For the one who sees the path is clear
Straight ahead through your fear

Raising up the ceiling and breaking new ground,
Knowing when to speed up and when to slow down
Walking down the path, trying not to slip
Letting things go while getting a grip

Here and now is where I live letting go of the past and learning to forgive
The bygones have all gone by, like the dark clouds leaving a blue sky
I see that life is so beautiful when you don’t grab to tight of hold
It used to be a sacred dream til we sold it out to a money making scheme

Don’t sell it out
Don’t sell it out
Don’t sell it out

LET LOVE INSIDE

The greatest battles are fought inside, between Love and fear, you decide
What you hold and what you give, and which controls how you live
Don’t let fear rule your mind cuz Love’s in you, and now’s the time
To open up and let it through cuz the Revolution begins in you
Let Love inside
To your Soul
It’s the only thing
That will make you whole
You can let the world drag you down or you can seek until you’ve found
The place within’ above it all that answers to its own call
If you don’t block it out and don’t hold it down, through all the struggles it will be found
If you want to heal the world with light, take the wrongs inside and make them right

Let Love inside
To your Soul
It’s the only thing
That will make you whole

Well the walls have been up for so so long-I don’t know why or if they belong
Today’s a new day and they are in the way cuz Love is here and wants to play

True Love casts out fear-Don’t be afraid to come near
The one we are rise above-all illusion into love
The walls that we build with pride come crashing down when love’s inside

Let Love inside.

 

Organissimo at Trio’s in South Bend, IN 3-1-08

 

 

              Lansing based Organ jazz trio Organissimo recently brought their fun, funky, and fired up jazz grooves to the Trio’s stage and a crowded house of appreciative listeners. Following in the footsteps of pioneers like Jimmy Smith, Jack McDuff, Charles Earland, Richard Groove Holmes, and Jimmy McGriff, this group is carrying the organ jazz torch into the new millennium. While not as over the top intense as contemporaries Soulive and Medeski, Martin, and Wood, Organissimo still offered a fresh and contemporary approach to the jazz tradition. Polished musicianship and eclectic compositions made for an entertaining night of unpredictable music. The group fluidly covered a range of jazz styles including funky soul jazz, driving hard bop, spicy Latin jazz, and even a beautiful Gospel number. The diversity of the music presented was testament to the wetsuit tightness of the group.

Organissimo is comprised of three dynamic members. Jim Alfredson anchors the group with a striking command of the timeless Hammond B3 organ. His driving yet subtle approach to simultaneous bass lines, chords, and melodies is truly impressive. Randy Marsh handles the drum kit with the precision of a jazz scientist, and can drop a drum solo that will leave you astounded. Joe Gloss plays it cool on the guitar with a polished and breezy approach. Together the three played three sets at Trios and kept the place grooving all night long.

The scene at Trio’s was as impressive as the band. This club is really starting to live up to its great potential. The hybrid bar/restaurant layout is great and even from a restaurant booth in the opposite corner from the stage the band sounded and looked great. An eclectic mix of patrons contributed to the festive atmosphere, as did the creatively prepared tasty food. If Trio’s continues to book bands as good as Organissimo the combination of vibe, music, people, and cuisine will be unbeatable. 

http://www.organissimo.org

“Hell On High Heels” by Venitia Sekema

 

On her 2nd CD “Hell On High Heels”, talented singer-songwriter Venitia Sekema delivers a solid batch of well-crafted tunes that cover a wide range of moods and emotions. Her style melds elements of folk and blues with a straightforward approach to songwriting that serves her well. Venitia has a mature voice that effortlessly floats atop simple and deceptively stripped down song arrangements. A variety of talented guest artists appear adding to the depth and richness of the music without cluttering it. Indeed the emphasis on this CD is right where it should be-on the refined voice, solid guitar playing, and eclectic songwriting of Venitia.

“Hell on High Heels” covers a wide range of lyrical subjects. “Now is the time” explores the need to live more compassionately, while “Seems like Monday morning all the time” covers the hectic pace of modern life. While there are a few lighthearted songs here that lacked emotional impact, Venitia makes up for it when wrestling with affairs of the heart. “The Same” is a powerful and stark tale of a failed relationship while “Oregon” outlines the sense of peaceful possibility one can find from serious post relationship soul searching. “Circle” is another such success that explores the strange gravitational pull exerted in especially soulful relationships. Venitia has a lot to talk about and her range as a songwriter is obvious on this disc. Like the artist who created it, This CD is

A subtly complex album with a diverse range of emotional layers that becomes more apparent and enjoyable with each listening.

“Hell On High Heels” is a very listenable CD from a rapidly evolving singer- songwriter. While it is not especially adventurous or creatively conceived music, it is an honest and successful effort to artfully explore the emotional roads we all walk. If you enjoy the sound of a good guitar accompanying a beautiful voice with a lot to talk about, you will probably enjoy the music of Venitia Sekema.

 

http://www.venitiasekema.com/