music is life.
point blank peri-odd © phonte
it's been an interesting few days since my last entry. whirlwind of experience type deal.
i went to new york city to see the roots and co. at Radio City Music Hall. one word: incredible. i have plenty other adjectives for the experience, but there'd be no point in typing them out. it was just incredible.
i've had the good fortune of attending some really great concerts. there was the blackstar reuninon concert in 2001, the tribe reunion in 2004(?), sundry roots concerts over the years, the awesome okayplayer tour in 2000... i can say without much reservation that, had i been in the front row as i usually am at concerts i pay to attend, this would have been the best concert i've ever been to. it may have been, regardless.
music concerts have always been a triple+ edged sword of sorts for me. a duality in experience that makes them bittersweet... basically because i hate *just* being a fan. it's hard to explain, but if you've ever read any of my concert recap entries at my other blog, you'd have a basic idea of what i mean. it's like i belong up there, performing and driving a crowd into emotional overload. so when i'm just chilling in the stands very inconspicuous and average-joe, i've always felt some type of way about that.
also, falling under that umbrella, i feel incredibly inspired when i leave a good concert. i suspect that the average concert-goer leaves with a satisfied feeling along the lines of "wow, that was a great show!". i'm on more of a "wow...time to get in the lab again!!!!!!!!" type of deal.
but friday, man. i honestly just enjoyed the concert for what it was. of course i was inspired, but i wasn't mad that it wasn't me up there, and the inspirational rush didn't come til well after the concert had ended. i just danced and sang and rapped and partied on the second mezzanine of the Radio City Music Hall like i was standing in my living room stark naked, with my iTunes playlist jumping around on shuffle.
(i do that alot, no homo)
i won't break down the exact procession of the show, i'm sure that can be found in a more professional recap (see: okayplayer, village voice, etc etc) but the build up and subsequent money-shot was so clinical and well thought out, well... i mean, everybody put their foot into their performance. and it was one great artist after another.
props to j*davey for doing a GREAT set, even though the crowd wasn't nearly as receptive as they could have and SHOULD have been. getting up in front of a crowd of 5000 plus, peppered with snob-lamebrains who'd rather play tetris on their phone than dance, in new york city (at RCMH no less) and doing a kickass performance like that deserves a giant soul clap or 3.
it was just a big deal for the crowd AND the performers. a huge deal. mos def was as starstruck with the platform for the event as we were. erykah badu was incredible. the roots were the roots. hub, the most unsung and soft spoken band member, got to blow the brains out of the entire crowd with an 5+ minute solo spotlight performance. jazzy jeff destroyed the turntables. questlove didn't miss a beat.
and then...
as the show begins to wrap up, an eerily familiar 2 bar piano riff begins to play, and a tall hooded figure saunters on to the stage as he's introduced by black thought to the crowd as a "good friend".
folks. i can't explain the electricty that absolutely engulfed the auditorium. i lost myself for a second, and if i knew i had a chance of surviving, i would have swan-dived off of my perch on the 2nd mezz. no lie.
i don't know why, maybe it was the first jay-z concert for most of us (considering the roots fanbase has historically been anti-establishment, regardless if niggas make good music) or maybe it was the visual coming of age we were all watching, seeing the hometown favorite underdog-esque roots pull one of the biggest musical phenomenons since MJ on stage to close out their show in new york city (i was feeling an emotional surge resulting from an ill combination of the two)
but...
4 minutes was all i needed to finish losing my voice and approach hyperventilation.
my god.
____________
sunday night, i was invited via myspace to a red bull academy info session/chat & party with Kool DJ Red Alert.
the chat was really good. Red seems to be a good guy with humility and respect for the music he plays. he was dope to listen to, and the video that was shown got me really excited about applying for red bull. it's a long shot, but nothing beats a failure but a try.
but the night was sullied a bit by something i've noticed as rampant in the music community in this beautiful city of philadelphia, and i'm sure elsewhere as well.
scenesterism/cliquism.
I HATE THAT SHT.
like... after i settled in for the Q & A with Red Alert, i found myself surrounded by posers and disingenious scensters asking blahzay questions, dapping each other up and just making the night a typical SCENE night in philadelphia. UGH. i HATE SCENESTERS!!!!!!!! just hanging around waiting for the next event to happen so they can show up and talk to each other and the various persons of the hour. it disgusts me!
and then! the so-called "musicians". the rappers and producers, the "djs"- on cue, they show up and dickride/eat like it was going out of style, pissing me off every step of the way. it's bugged, yo. of course, i'm sure my face is relatively familiar in these spots as well, but it's something tangible about their lack of sincerity that protrudes like a sore thumb.
philadelphia's music scene is filled with talented individuals who could align and make wonderful things happen. a serious resurgence of TSOP proportions is only a few years away, on paper. but like my nizlet karas said as we made our way to Lorenzo's on south street...
"did you see how as soon as the Q&A was over, everybody went to their little circles and stayed there?"
yup, sure did.
it makes me sick. it's crazy that one of the first people to seriously reach out to me was DJ Jamad in ATLANTA, GA. i can see why he left philly. it's disgusting! a certain person who shall remain nameless was at this show, and knowing i live to make music, neglected to introduce me to their music-making friends. on purpose? not consciously, i don't think so. but this person is unquestionably a scenester posing as a musicmaker.
don't get me wrong. i could very well have networked myself, but i'm not throwing myself at anybody's feet, especially amidst the obvious disinterest in networking that in the air, thick enough to slice with a bread knife. but if i was in a position to put one of my peoples on to somebody in the area of work where they excel, i'd do it in a heartbeat.
what i'ma sequester my peoples for in that situation? it benefits me none.
i'm not entirely mad though, even if it reads like i am. i'm proud of what i've accomplished with very little effort... people know who i am. via myspace and word of mouth. i've sold beats, i've gotten invites to work on projects... and i'm really good at what i do, with the potential to get exponentially better. WITHOUT the networking. so that's not bad at all.
but philly, man. the outlook is horrible if these scensters and movefakers aren't supplanted at the helm of our music scene.
anyway. rant over.
____________
it's been an interesting few days since my last entry. whirlwind of experience type deal.
i went to new york city to see the roots and co. at Radio City Music Hall. one word: incredible. i have plenty other adjectives for the experience, but there'd be no point in typing them out. it was just incredible.
i've had the good fortune of attending some really great concerts. there was the blackstar reuninon concert in 2001, the tribe reunion in 2004(?), sundry roots concerts over the years, the awesome okayplayer tour in 2000... i can say without much reservation that, had i been in the front row as i usually am at concerts i pay to attend, this would have been the best concert i've ever been to. it may have been, regardless.
music concerts have always been a triple+ edged sword of sorts for me. a duality in experience that makes them bittersweet... basically because i hate *just* being a fan. it's hard to explain, but if you've ever read any of my concert recap entries at my other blog, you'd have a basic idea of what i mean. it's like i belong up there, performing and driving a crowd into emotional overload. so when i'm just chilling in the stands very inconspicuous and average-joe, i've always felt some type of way about that.
also, falling under that umbrella, i feel incredibly inspired when i leave a good concert. i suspect that the average concert-goer leaves with a satisfied feeling along the lines of "wow, that was a great show!". i'm on more of a "wow...time to get in the lab again!!!!!!!!" type of deal.
but friday, man. i honestly just enjoyed the concert for what it was. of course i was inspired, but i wasn't mad that it wasn't me up there, and the inspirational rush didn't come til well after the concert had ended. i just danced and sang and rapped and partied on the second mezzanine of the Radio City Music Hall like i was standing in my living room stark naked, with my iTunes playlist jumping around on shuffle.
(i do that alot, no homo)
i won't break down the exact procession of the show, i'm sure that can be found in a more professional recap (see: okayplayer, village voice, etc etc) but the build up and subsequent money-shot was so clinical and well thought out, well... i mean, everybody put their foot into their performance. and it was one great artist after another.
props to j*davey for doing a GREAT set, even though the crowd wasn't nearly as receptive as they could have and SHOULD have been. getting up in front of a crowd of 5000 plus, peppered with snob-lamebrains who'd rather play tetris on their phone than dance, in new york city (at RCMH no less) and doing a kickass performance like that deserves a giant soul clap or 3.
it was just a big deal for the crowd AND the performers. a huge deal. mos def was as starstruck with the platform for the event as we were. erykah badu was incredible. the roots were the roots. hub, the most unsung and soft spoken band member, got to blow the brains out of the entire crowd with an 5+ minute solo spotlight performance. jazzy jeff destroyed the turntables. questlove didn't miss a beat.
and then...
as the show begins to wrap up, an eerily familiar 2 bar piano riff begins to play, and a tall hooded figure saunters on to the stage as he's introduced by black thought to the crowd as a "good friend".
folks. i can't explain the electricty that absolutely engulfed the auditorium. i lost myself for a second, and if i knew i had a chance of surviving, i would have swan-dived off of my perch on the 2nd mezz. no lie.
i don't know why, maybe it was the first jay-z concert for most of us (considering the roots fanbase has historically been anti-establishment, regardless if niggas make good music) or maybe it was the visual coming of age we were all watching, seeing the hometown favorite underdog-esque roots pull one of the biggest musical phenomenons since MJ on stage to close out their show in new york city (i was feeling an emotional surge resulting from an ill combination of the two)
but...
4 minutes was all i needed to finish losing my voice and approach hyperventilation.
my god.
____________
sunday night, i was invited via myspace to a red bull academy info session/chat & party with Kool DJ Red Alert.
the chat was really good. Red seems to be a good guy with humility and respect for the music he plays. he was dope to listen to, and the video that was shown got me really excited about applying for red bull. it's a long shot, but nothing beats a failure but a try.
but the night was sullied a bit by something i've noticed as rampant in the music community in this beautiful city of philadelphia, and i'm sure elsewhere as well.
scenesterism/cliquism.
I HATE THAT SHT.
like... after i settled in for the Q & A with Red Alert, i found myself surrounded by posers and disingenious scensters asking blahzay questions, dapping each other up and just making the night a typical SCENE night in philadelphia. UGH. i HATE SCENESTERS!!!!!!!! just hanging around waiting for the next event to happen so they can show up and talk to each other and the various persons of the hour. it disgusts me!
and then! the so-called "musicians". the rappers and producers, the "djs"- on cue, they show up and dickride/eat like it was going out of style, pissing me off every step of the way. it's bugged, yo. of course, i'm sure my face is relatively familiar in these spots as well, but it's something tangible about their lack of sincerity that protrudes like a sore thumb.
philadelphia's music scene is filled with talented individuals who could align and make wonderful things happen. a serious resurgence of TSOP proportions is only a few years away, on paper. but like my nizlet karas said as we made our way to Lorenzo's on south street...
"did you see how as soon as the Q&A was over, everybody went to their little circles and stayed there?"
yup, sure did.
it makes me sick. it's crazy that one of the first people to seriously reach out to me was DJ Jamad in ATLANTA, GA. i can see why he left philly. it's disgusting! a certain person who shall remain nameless was at this show, and knowing i live to make music, neglected to introduce me to their music-making friends. on purpose? not consciously, i don't think so. but this person is unquestionably a scenester posing as a musicmaker.
don't get me wrong. i could very well have networked myself, but i'm not throwing myself at anybody's feet, especially amidst the obvious disinterest in networking that in the air, thick enough to slice with a bread knife. but if i was in a position to put one of my peoples on to somebody in the area of work where they excel, i'd do it in a heartbeat.
what i'ma sequester my peoples for in that situation? it benefits me none.
i'm not entirely mad though, even if it reads like i am. i'm proud of what i've accomplished with very little effort... people know who i am. via myspace and word of mouth. i've sold beats, i've gotten invites to work on projects... and i'm really good at what i do, with the potential to get exponentially better. WITHOUT the networking. so that's not bad at all.
but philly, man. the outlook is horrible if these scensters and movefakers aren't supplanted at the helm of our music scene.
anyway. rant over.
____________
