Thanks and Love,
SEE
Help me get to SXSW (Last day to help!)
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Peace everyone! Its the last day of voting for this Vitmn 'Are You Local' contest to get a chance to play at SXSW this year! With a little (or a lot) of help from my friends, I could have a real shot at this. All I need is a couple of clicks (quite literally) from folks who love me, believe me and/or enjoy what I do. To make it a little more enticing, I posted a BRAND NEW SONG on th evoting site, so you can check it out and let me know what you think by casting a vote my way. I sincerely appreciate all of oyour love and suuport and I'll see that it doesn't go unrequited or in vain. I'm working hard out here to make the best art I can possibly make and I don't for one second take you for granted in that process.
Thanks and Love,
SEE
Thanks and Love,
SEE
What I do...
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This is Boombap from the stars at the
pyramids. A dance party with indigineous kings, quantum phyisicists, and
your little cousins. These are lyrics that school, uplift and capture
the imagination. They reprimand wackness. This is the love story between
heritage and irreverance, the make out session between education and
rebellion. A fist fight between what is and whats possible. A heavy blow
from sound logic upon hateful ignorance. Love over fear. SEE MORE PERSPECTIVE
New Spoken Word Album title, artwork, tracklisting and some backstory
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Edit: album release is shaping up to be this summer/early fall. Stay tuned.
Homies,
You may have seen some cryptic and some not so cryptic messages regarding some good news, a new spoken word album and something about a grant. If you tirelessly follow my posts you may have pieced together that I received a VERVE grant from Intermedia Arts to create a new album of spoken word that I'm toting with me to Europe on...THURSDAY. haha.
You may also have read or listened to some poems that I've posted. Posts like this and this. You can also read a little more about the grant here.
Even after all of that, you may not know that I've put music to all of the poems. Music by yours truly. All kinds of percussion and home made sounds and effects and a couple of more (or less) traditional hip hop beats.
Around the beginning of October, I learned that I was awarded the grant. Since then, I have worked so hard to research subjects of my poems, imagine an arc for all the pieces record the vocals, post some of the work here and there and then finally, decided that I should probably put music behind ALL of the pieces...mostly over one weekend before handing in the project to the duplicators. There's no inspiration like a deadline :)
So after a couple of months of writing, researching, brainstorming and "musicifying", here's all the juicy details. Its probably my best work yet, spoken word, hip hop or otherwise. Its unlike anything you've heard from me and probably anyone else and I'm ecstatic with anticipation of you listening to this. Topics include John Henry, Dia de los Muertos, Zapata, Harriet Tubman, Thor, dreams, ghosts, Buddha, and the cosmos. Its fun.
The release date is loosely set for March-ish 2013. There will be a release party and hopefully an intimate listening party sometime in January.
.jpg)
You may have seen some cryptic and some not so cryptic messages regarding some good news, a new spoken word album and something about a grant. If you tirelessly follow my posts you may have pieced together that I received a VERVE grant from Intermedia Arts to create a new album of spoken word that I'm toting with me to Europe on...THURSDAY. haha.
You may also have read or listened to some poems that I've posted. Posts like this and this. You can also read a little more about the grant here.
Even after all of that, you may not know that I've put music to all of the poems. Music by yours truly. All kinds of percussion and home made sounds and effects and a couple of more (or less) traditional hip hop beats.
Around the beginning of October, I learned that I was awarded the grant. Since then, I have worked so hard to research subjects of my poems, imagine an arc for all the pieces record the vocals, post some of the work here and there and then finally, decided that I should probably put music behind ALL of the pieces...mostly over one weekend before handing in the project to the duplicators. There's no inspiration like a deadline :)
So after a couple of months of writing, researching, brainstorming and "musicifying", here's all the juicy details. Its probably my best work yet, spoken word, hip hop or otherwise. Its unlike anything you've heard from me and probably anyone else and I'm ecstatic with anticipation of you listening to this. Topics include John Henry, Dia de los Muertos, Zapata, Harriet Tubman, Thor, dreams, ghosts, Buddha, and the cosmos. Its fun.
The release date is loosely set for March-ish 2013. There will be a release party and hopefully an intimate listening party sometime in January.
The Cosmos According to Your Closed Eyes
Music and Spoken Word written, performed, recorded and engineered by
SEE MORE PERSPECTIVE
My Theory of Time and Space
Ofrenda
The Definitive Telling of John Henry's Tale
Dream Sequence #4 (Misery Loves Company)
Until Ragnarok
Interlude
Dream Sequence #5 (Buddhas of the Valley)
The Tiger of Morelos
Dream Sequence #3 (The Presence)
The Conductor
We Are Star Dust
The Cosmos According to Your Closed Eyes
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Europe, Dream sequence #4 and new work update!
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In less than three weeks I'll be getting on a plane to London where I'll be starting a three city, three country journey for 17 days. I'll be getting off the plane, getting into a car and going straight to STONE HENGE. I'll take some notes and at some point write about the experience in a poem. After that, its off to a pub before my wife and I go drop off our bags and rest up for an amazing trip through London, Paris and Rome.
Obviously, I'll see some historical sites and I'll definitely come back with some new spoken word that reflects on what I see and experience. Most importantly, I'm currently writing new work that I'll put on CD to spread around throughout my trip. That will be ready to go in about a week or so and I'll have an official Twin Cities release for that sometime in January or February. So stay tuned for that, cuz 2013 will be coming in hot!
Here's one I finished last week, from the "dream sequence" series about dreams of mine:
Through miles of jagged rock like a sky of broken shark teeth
there is a pocket of earth and rock smoothed into a home
a clearing with an air of humble majesty
and the every day sacred
ecstatic truth wrapped in the mundane
there are two inhabitants here
one, a custodian of sorts – a ragged man committed to a singular purpose
and the other, an ascetic of the highest order - living wisdom and compassion
there is an immense statue there of the greatest buddha
soft, milk white marble contours the imagination into a smile
just smaller, immersed and emerging from this supple colossus of knowing gentleness
is a golden, shimmering figure like the sun snuggled in a comforter of fog and sky
days pass and the old, kind worker tends to the dirt and polish and broom
he is lava, slow but certain
the enlightened one walks and sits, filling the newly dusted grounds with ubiquitous thought
days pass in their clearing amidst the rocks and nothing changes, save where the dust gathers most
and where the thoughtful old gentlemen begins with his broom
days pass and an otherwise invisible fact emerges - these two characters trade places every day
one always the custodian and the other always the holy man
as if two sides of coin
I am an observer on the wind of this quiet, magical place
my presence a still water tension, my breath held as to keep this constant, silent peace
suddenly, something occurs to me like the first breath to the drowning
these are not days that pass in the animated amber of this experience, they are lifetimes
centuries have lived and died over the course of this dream
there is a gift in this realization that is not meant for my waking hands
I learn something I cannot exactly bring with me as these tides of knowing and wakefulness wash over me simeltaneously
I am pitched out of this knowledge, Hurling through the last moments of understanding
I hit the ground running
My wholeself aimed at this lost truth
Strides of thought stretch toward that gasp of realization
And I am still running
If you missed them, here's a couple other pieces from the project about dreams, cultural traditions, folk and tall tales and my journey as a person and as an artist. It might sound all over th eplace, but it really is going to make sense and I'm so proud of the poems I'm writing.
Obviously, I'll see some historical sites and I'll definitely come back with some new spoken word that reflects on what I see and experience. Most importantly, I'm currently writing new work that I'll put on CD to spread around throughout my trip. That will be ready to go in about a week or so and I'll have an official Twin Cities release for that sometime in January or February. So stay tuned for that, cuz 2013 will be coming in hot!
Here's one I finished last week, from the "dream sequence" series about dreams of mine:
Through miles of jagged rock like a sky of broken shark teeth
there is a pocket of earth and rock smoothed into a home
a clearing with an air of humble majesty
and the every day sacred
ecstatic truth wrapped in the mundane
there are two inhabitants here
one, a custodian of sorts – a ragged man committed to a singular purpose
and the other, an ascetic of the highest order - living wisdom and compassion
there is an immense statue there of the greatest buddha
soft, milk white marble contours the imagination into a smile
just smaller, immersed and emerging from this supple colossus of knowing gentleness
is a golden, shimmering figure like the sun snuggled in a comforter of fog and sky
days pass and the old, kind worker tends to the dirt and polish and broom
he is lava, slow but certain
the enlightened one walks and sits, filling the newly dusted grounds with ubiquitous thought
days pass in their clearing amidst the rocks and nothing changes, save where the dust gathers most
and where the thoughtful old gentlemen begins with his broom
days pass and an otherwise invisible fact emerges - these two characters trade places every day
one always the custodian and the other always the holy man
as if two sides of coin
I am an observer on the wind of this quiet, magical place
my presence a still water tension, my breath held as to keep this constant, silent peace
suddenly, something occurs to me like the first breath to the drowning
these are not days that pass in the animated amber of this experience, they are lifetimes
centuries have lived and died over the course of this dream
there is a gift in this realization that is not meant for my waking hands
I learn something I cannot exactly bring with me as these tides of knowing and wakefulness wash over me simeltaneously
I am pitched out of this knowledge, Hurling through the last moments of understanding
I hit the ground running
My wholeself aimed at this lost truth
Strides of thought stretch toward that gasp of realization
And I am still running
If you missed them, here's a couple other pieces from the project about dreams, cultural traditions, folk and tall tales and my journey as a person and as an artist. It might sound all over th eplace, but it really is going to make sense and I'm so proud of the poems I'm writing.
New Poem - Ofrenda for Dia de los Muertos
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This is the recording of a poem I wrote just in time for Dia de Los Muertos. It means a lot to to me to take some time for those we've lost, to celebrate them and honor them and to live life to the fullest for and because of them.
When I got the idea for this piece, it came from the thought of what I might like to see at my ofrenda, were I to saunter down to earth for a visit on Dia de los Muertos...I thought of the impact I'd like to make in this world and how the greatest honor would be to see that impact live on. What might my ofrenda look like 1000 years after my death?
This poem is for Dia de los Muertos. For everyone we've lost. It's for past generations and for future generations. This poem is for us.
Please give it a listen and if you enjoy it, feel free to share.
Thank you!!
When I got the idea for this piece, it came from the thought of what I might like to see at my ofrenda, were I to saunter down to earth for a visit on Dia de los Muertos...I thought of the impact I'd like to make in this world and how the greatest honor would be to see that impact live on. What might my ofrenda look like 1000 years after my death?
This poem is for Dia de los Muertos. For everyone we've lost. It's for past generations and for future generations. This poem is for us.
Please give it a listen and if you enjoy it, feel free to share.
Thank you!!
Huge Announcement!!
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My people,
As you may recall, I asked many of you (via Facebook) to think of me for a day, because something big was on the horizon and I was just about to hear back...on like 3 separate occasions. I want you to know that it was not in vain!!! I am so proud to announce that, thanks to the good people of Intermedia Arts, I've been awarded a 2012 Verve Grant for Spoken Word!!!
The VERVE grant program is designed for emerging artists who are ready to achieve their next level of artistic success, and who are interested in developing their abilities to become artistic leaders in their communities. In addition to their grant award, recipients will also participate in a 12-month cohort program that provides community, mentorship, guidance, workshops, and resources throughout the program year.
Sounds cool, right? It's awesome. I can't wait to see my project come to life. And there's some very cool people involved. I'm looking forward to building with them as well.
I'm going to be creating new works of Spoken Word Poetry that explore different cultural traditions, folks tales/tall tales, and dreams, connecting to my growth as an artist and as a human being. These new works will be documented on my blog here and recorded onto a new album of Poetry that I will duplicate and bring with me to Europe in December! I'm currently connecting with artists and venues there to see what performances we can plan for. If you know anyone in London, Paris or Rome, feel free to give me/them a shout! I'd love to connect with your people there.
Stay tuned, this is going to start picking up pace like whoah.
Thanks and Love,
SEE
As you may recall, I asked many of you (via Facebook) to think of me for a day, because something big was on the horizon and I was just about to hear back...on like 3 separate occasions. I want you to know that it was not in vain!!! I am so proud to announce that, thanks to the good people of Intermedia Arts, I've been awarded a 2012 Verve Grant for Spoken Word!!!
The VERVE grant program is designed for emerging artists who are ready to achieve their next level of artistic success, and who are interested in developing their abilities to become artistic leaders in their communities. In addition to their grant award, recipients will also participate in a 12-month cohort program that provides community, mentorship, guidance, workshops, and resources throughout the program year.
Sounds cool, right? It's awesome. I can't wait to see my project come to life. And there's some very cool people involved. I'm looking forward to building with them as well.
I'm going to be creating new works of Spoken Word Poetry that explore different cultural traditions, folks tales/tall tales, and dreams, connecting to my growth as an artist and as a human being. These new works will be documented on my blog here and recorded onto a new album of Poetry that I will duplicate and bring with me to Europe in December! I'm currently connecting with artists and venues there to see what performances we can plan for. If you know anyone in London, Paris or Rome, feel free to give me/them a shout! I'd love to connect with your people there.
Stay tuned, this is going to start picking up pace like whoah.
Thanks and Love,
SEE
A Look at The Subtlety of White Privilige in Literature and World Culture
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A while back I was having a conversation about good books. I was telling this woman how I didn't quite dig the opening for this excellent collection of short stories by Mexican Authors, most of which had never been published in English. I mentioned that he said some things that made it feel like he didn't really have a connection to the culture, these authors, their works or genre. She asked if it was because he was racist. I answered "maybe?".
I don't think I would have talked about it in that way, but she kind of assumed how I might talk about an issue like this. Unfortunate, because without closing me off in that way and putting me in a box, we actually could have had a much more meaningful conversation...
Anyway, she said that white people almost have to try harder to prove themselves in situations like that, and while I agree that there needs to be some forethought to what you're saying as a white man introducing stories of a genre and culture with which you obviously do not participate in, I don't think there's an "unfairness" in that, as she was implying.
I think that you need to be thoughtful, sensitive and probably learn a good deal about what you're talking about, before talking like an expert about something that's still new to you. Is that something that people of other traditions have to do to contribute to White American culture? Hell yes. Are the people of color expected to bend over backwards and assimilate to White American culture just to fit in? If you could bet on it 24/7 you would be the richest of the 1% (wait a minute...there might be something to that). Are people of color and alternate traditions so easily allowed to assume expertise about things that are new to us? Hell no. Is it a privilege that, as a white, mainstream American, someone can assume and impose an interpretation on a culture or its traditions? I'm afraid so.
It's also a privilege to call people who question these things too quick to "pull the race card". To assume that they're wrong. After all, racism is a power dynamic and privilege is one of the outcomes of that dynamic. There is people who hold power over others. Politically, socially, and Econimically. That privilege is asserted every time they get the benefit of the doubt. As in this circumstance, the benefit of the doubt that this man (me) is an angry person of color, hastily pulling the race card because he doesn't like white people - as well as the benefit of the doubt that an unknown white author (I didn't remember his name and she didn't seem to recognize his work) has to work harder than any author of color in that situation (introducing a book by people of color) because of the unfairness of angry, white-people-haters like me.
This is the language of oppression, of privilege, and it has been created as something subtle so that it can survive. If people had to say, "I think you're worng because your brown" and "I have inherited a sense of entitlement because of the way that our racist country has raised me", it would be hard to argue with the truth. Instead, well meaning, everyday people assume they're in the right about things they don't understand because of what we are taught in this country on the most basic level: That some people are better than others. It's in the schools, it's in the neighborhoods and outlet malls. It's on TV and in our books. Most people don't consiusly believe that some people are better than others of course, but they also don't understand it and how these themes play out in the world around them, nor how their ignorance on the issue contributes to it.
The only way to arm yourself against this nefarious subconcious American and Human phenomona, is to learn. There is classes, books and people to talk to all over who are not enraged, white-people-haters, spewing everything they can just to hurt and demean you because they "don't have it good". Talk to these people, learn from these books and courses and make the world that much better.
Thanks and Love for reading and thinking,
SEE
I don't think I would have talked about it in that way, but she kind of assumed how I might talk about an issue like this. Unfortunate, because without closing me off in that way and putting me in a box, we actually could have had a much more meaningful conversation...
Anyway, she said that white people almost have to try harder to prove themselves in situations like that, and while I agree that there needs to be some forethought to what you're saying as a white man introducing stories of a genre and culture with which you obviously do not participate in, I don't think there's an "unfairness" in that, as she was implying.
I think that you need to be thoughtful, sensitive and probably learn a good deal about what you're talking about, before talking like an expert about something that's still new to you. Is that something that people of other traditions have to do to contribute to White American culture? Hell yes. Are the people of color expected to bend over backwards and assimilate to White American culture just to fit in? If you could bet on it 24/7 you would be the richest of the 1% (wait a minute...there might be something to that). Are people of color and alternate traditions so easily allowed to assume expertise about things that are new to us? Hell no. Is it a privilege that, as a white, mainstream American, someone can assume and impose an interpretation on a culture or its traditions? I'm afraid so.
It's also a privilege to call people who question these things too quick to "pull the race card". To assume that they're wrong. After all, racism is a power dynamic and privilege is one of the outcomes of that dynamic. There is people who hold power over others. Politically, socially, and Econimically. That privilege is asserted every time they get the benefit of the doubt. As in this circumstance, the benefit of the doubt that this man (me) is an angry person of color, hastily pulling the race card because he doesn't like white people - as well as the benefit of the doubt that an unknown white author (I didn't remember his name and she didn't seem to recognize his work) has to work harder than any author of color in that situation (introducing a book by people of color) because of the unfairness of angry, white-people-haters like me.
This is the language of oppression, of privilege, and it has been created as something subtle so that it can survive. If people had to say, "I think you're worng because your brown" and "I have inherited a sense of entitlement because of the way that our racist country has raised me", it would be hard to argue with the truth. Instead, well meaning, everyday people assume they're in the right about things they don't understand because of what we are taught in this country on the most basic level: That some people are better than others. It's in the schools, it's in the neighborhoods and outlet malls. It's on TV and in our books. Most people don't consiusly believe that some people are better than others of course, but they also don't understand it and how these themes play out in the world around them, nor how their ignorance on the issue contributes to it.
The only way to arm yourself against this nefarious subconcious American and Human phenomona, is to learn. There is classes, books and people to talk to all over who are not enraged, white-people-haters, spewing everything they can just to hurt and demean you because they "don't have it good". Talk to these people, learn from these books and courses and make the world that much better.
Thanks and Love for reading and thinking,
SEE
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