Thanksgiving #1

The Location: T and Xena's Place, San Francisco

The Time: 11/23, 4pm

The Crowd: Xena, T, Za, McButter, Bini, Nah, Marge, Windy, Lene, Sunshine and many others.

The Menu: Rolls, salad, stuffing, turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, Brussel sprouts cooked with prosciutto

November iPod Update

{for all music related posts, see .Evolving.Music}

For a taste of October's music, click here.

November's update comes with over 100 tracks spanning both new and old albums, and quite a bit in terms of the Yancey family. We've got hip-hop and indie rock, R&B and rap. Enjoy!

Black Milk, Tronic: An album that pushes the traditional boundaries of hip-hop with futuristic synths and musical approaches, Black Milk still puts out several songs that utilize nostalgic samples. I won't say much more because I've already written a full album review, but in my recent interview with Hieroglyphics members Opio and Tajai, they named Black Milk as one of the hip-hop producers they were liking the sound of recently. Read the full album review here. Don't Sleep On: "Long Story Short," "Bounce," and "Losing Out" featuring Royce da 5'9"

Bloc Party, Intimacy: When Bloc Party released their initial effort, Silent Alarm in 2005, it brought a distinct sound to the indie rock arena with Kele Okereke's emotional British accent and their hard charging guitars on songs like "Banquet." That album spawned a remix album before the release of what I viewed to be a lackluster sophomore effort on 2007's A Weekend in the City, an album that had three, maybe four really solid songs, tops. Thankfully though, Intimacy not only serves to take some of the band's music in another direction, but returns the indie sound on their rock songs to the top-notch form that looked possible from their debut. Intimacy still has driving drums and screaming guitars, but the band has started to utilize more in the way of drum machines and electronic flourishes that create a new dimension for them to explore and in some cases creates some of the most musically advanced songs the band has produced to date. Okereke's use of his voice is showing maturity, commanding more range of both pitch and emotion here. In some songs, it feels like the input they had on their work from Silent Alarm Remixes has prompted them to explore in new directions. A very solid album. Don't Sleep On: "Signs," "One Month Off," and "Talons."

Illa J, Yancey Boys: I've read a few reviews of this album that basically mock Illa J's approach and state that he only made this album because he got posthumously released tracks from his big brother J Dilla. I think these reviews miss the point of the album in that Illa J doesn't fancy himself a rapper or hip-hopper, he's a self-described singer/songwriter, so it only makes sense that what he does over Dilla beats is going to be different from Dilla's output when he was alive. On this album, the younger Yancey proves himself musically diverse and extremely relaxed, while also recognizing the importance of respecting Dilla's production. The tracks here are laid back and jazzy, and Illa takes no effort to listen to, he's that easy. Click here for the full album review, and click here for my interview with Illa J. Don't Sleep On: "R U Listenin'?" feat. Guity Simpson, "We Here," and "DTFT" feat. Affion Crockett

For the rest of November's music, click here.

Zion I Interview

{for all music related posts, see .Evolving.Music}

From their initial release, 2000‘s Mind Over Matter, to last year’s collaboration album with The Grouch, Heroes in the City of Dope, the Bay Area based duo of MC Zumbi and AmpLive known as Zion I has been making incredible music that incorporates hip-hop, world rhythms, hyphy, electronica and jazz sensibilities with intelligent lyrics looking at economic situations, social situations and meditative introspection. They’ve released an album in Japan (Break A Dawn) and have put out mix tape’s like Curb Servin’ and remixes in the form of AmpLive’s re-working of Radiohead’s In Rainbows release. After their show at the Grand Ballroom in San Francisco on Saturday night, I got a chance to sit down with these two and ask them about their upcoming album, The Take Over, making hip-hop in the Bay Area and their favorite Zion I song.

AC: How do you determine your setlists?

Amp: For a tour, we practice before we go out, but basically our set lists have been the same the last couple of years and just changes slightly with the albums.

AC: The last album you did with The Grouch, Heroes in the City of Dope, what was it like working on The Take Over with just the two of you again?

Z: It was different because Grouch brings a whole different element, a whole different mind pattern. When we were working on Heroes, I remember sitting down and talking over each song really in depth, cause he’s a real insightful person, so we’d just talk out everything, so by the time the pen hit the paper, everything was already laid out. When it’s just Zion I, we talk about it, but my process is more about figuring it out as I go, like I feel something from the beat, and I have something but I have to remember to stay on topic. Grouch is just focused. Plus, Grouch writes half the verses too, when it’s Zion I, I have to write everything, so in that way it’s different. And I think with the beats, on Zion I stuff Amp is able to just go off more on his own. Zion I is just a more eclectic vibe, so we push a little bit harder and go off in different experimental ways.

AC: As you guys have progressed through your albums from Mind Over Matter to Deep Water Slang and the ones that have followed, what has become easier about making hip-hop for you, and what has become harder for you?

Z: Good question.

Amp: To me it’s never easy, because you don’t know if people are going to like it, and you just want it to be tight. Sometimes it’s hard knowing what to do, honestly, you have the way you feel, but sometimes it’s hard deciding what direction you want to go.

Z: For me, as a writer, it’s easier to know what I feel when I hear music because I’ve been doing it longer now as opposed to in ’95. I’ve been doing it 13 more years now, so I know what I feel. But still, like he said, you can’t get too cocky to the music or the culture, you have to be humble and a fan, you have to stay a fan. You don’t want to get old school, like you’re retro now on purpose, you have to have your ears to the street and just be open to the music. Sometimes it’s easy to get like, “Oh man, we used to do it like that back then and the new cats are doing it like this and that ain’t tight.” But you have to, as a fan of the culture, you have to have an open lingo to everything to stay fresh and relevant.

For the rest of my interview with Zion I, click here.

Zion I at the Grand Ballroom

{for all music related posts, see .Evolving.Music}
{to read Evolving Music’s interview with AmpLive, click here}

Hip-Hop shows, at their base, are usually only going to be as good as their crowds. With rock bands and other performers who play in large venues, just the sheer numbers will create an energetic atmosphere, and with pop songs, sing-a-longs easily get fans into the performance. With hip-hop, however, there are few performers who truly know all the words to their own rhymes. Often, performers will cut songs short in order to do just snippets of more popular songs. And the music is such that it requires energy from what is usually a smaller crowd, and the smaller the crowd, the harder it is to convince people to really sell out and get into it.

By these standards, the shows I have seen of Zion I have been some of the most varied in terms of audience enthusiasm and demographics of crowds. I’ve seen an incredible Zion I performance at the Fillmore where a truly live hip-hop crowd that knew their work was into it and the concert was amazing. But then I saw them a few years ago doing a back to school concert at UCLA. The venue was too large, there weren’t enough people there and the stage was set up in a way that allowed for almost no fan interaction. The people who were there mostly didn’t know the music, so what was an amazing set list got very little in the way of crowd appreciation.

The Mighty Underdogs opened, and considering they're made up of Gift of Gab from Blackalicious and Lateef the Truth Speaker from Latryx, they got short attention from most of the crowd. They were excellent though, bringing a speed of delivery that is difficult for most to imagine, and Gift of Gab's ability to increase speed while maintaining a level of coherency in his diction was showcased in my second opportunity to see him do "Alphabet Aerobics" live.

And when they got to the stage, Zion I got another odd turnout in the form of what looked more like a high school dance than a hip-hop show. The majority of the people there were girls between the ages of 14 and 17. Watching them run enthusiastically during set changes to find a cigarette they could puff on was hilarious in and of itself. And what can you expect from this group other than that they’ll know the singles and their favorite songs, but won’t have the depth of knowledge of Zion I’s catalog to truly appreciate and buy into the set.

And that’s unfortunate considering that I view Zion I to be one of the hardest working live acts in hip-hop and true masters of their craft. AmpLive and Zumbi consistently work in both old favorites and new tracks, while also remembering the art of the true freestyle, with both of them taking turns improvising on either lyrics or beats. On stage, Amp becomes a grand marshal, moving the set seamlessly from one track to the next, and adding flairs through the use of a live sample and drum machine.

For the rest of the review of Saturday's night show, click here.

Lookout Below!

Friday night, still riding high from my interview the night before with Opio and Tajai, I pack off to the city and meet up with Topher, Marc and Jang to pre-party in the Marina. After a few drinks and rounds of Liar's Dice, we give Maurod a call and he picks us up and takes us to WW's, where she's celebrating her birthday (and I think she's younger than us, so it was a young birthday).

When we get there, the apartment is sweltering, on account of its size and the number of people in it. I'm pleasantly surprised to see not one but two of my old friends married (although one of them has stashed her husband at home for the evening so I don't get to meet him.) WW has got a new boyfriend, and he shows us all how devastatingly cool he is by breaking open the Jose Cuervo and passing it around after chugging straight from the bottle. Yum.

Marc and Topher are ready quick and call Maurod for the quick turnaround. We get out to the curb and Marc has already started trying to make a power play for Maurod's services, despite the fact that I was nice enough to set them up to begin with. When we get curbside, there's three of them heading back to the Marina, and me, heading elsewhere, so I send them off and take to ground.

I walk from Geary and Larkin to Castro and Market, which really doesn't take too long at the pace I'm moving. When I get there, Marge is outside the Bar, and we end up waiting there for 10-15 minutes while Bini, Nah and Za finish their drinks so we can avoid paying the $5 cover. When we're all assembled in the street, the cold and the walk from downtown have me halfway back to sober so we agree to find the first bar with dancing and get down. It is close to 12 at this point, so we've gotten a late start on our 11pm dancing start time.

The first place we come to is the Lookout which boasts a balcony overlooking Market Street, which is incidentally perfect for smoking. Aside from that, there's much dancing going on, and at some point I get handed one of the shots someone is carrying around on trays. Whatever sobriety I had gained from the walk and the dancing was now gone. After the bar shuts down, we're out in the street and Za and I decide we're going to take a walk back to her place. We get a burrito on the way (tell me what about "Nothing but steak, sour cream and cilantro" translates to "steak, beans, rice, tomatoes, and everything else you can fit in there"?) I manage to eat only half of it before getting back to her place and passing out on the couch, full of disgusting rice, but not, of course, before we succeed in waking up McButter...

10 Things to Think About on a Friday (and the Hiero Interview)

This week, by any standard, was nuts. I started Monday with a Coaches' meeting for the end of the XC season. It wasn't fun or particularly exciting, but we got some good business done. Wednesday night I got in a stellar game of dominoes. And then there's last night. After working relentlessly to finish the team movie in time for our team potluck last night, I got it done and went over there around 6:00. Following the movie, I picked up Hessica and we headed over to Oakland where I had an in-person interview with Opio and Tajai of Souls of Mischief/Hieroglyphics.

This was amazing. I've been listening to Hiero for probably 10 years or a bit more now, and to all of a sudden, through my work on a blog, get the chance to meet two members in person and pick their brain about the music industry was unreal. They've got a huge compound that had an office or two, a studio and numerous rooms full of friends playing video games, shooting the shit and smoking. We got to talk and toke for about an hour and a half. Be on the lookout for that interview, should be up in a week or so. But now, 10 things to think about...

1) I don't get why the NFL fines players and coaches over their comments. Are they afraid the fans might actually recognize the fact that the refs make mistakes or some of the league policies are ridiculous? If the ref is bad or a mistake is made, shouldn't they be allowed to say so?

2) How about Eminem in M&Ms?

3) If you've got an iPhone, it's time to update your software.

4) I wasn't sure if I was reading this interview with Jean-Claude Van Damme correctly...I thought it was a joke. But how about some dancing Van Damme?

5) Eminem may have done it, but you won't find Trick Trick rapping with Elton John anytime soon...not after he said he didn't want homosexuals buying his album...

6) A friend of mine sent this over...seems that no matter what, the bureaucracy is unwilling to leave smokers alone.

7) In the scary news story of the week....how depressed would you need to be to not only think about, but to actually commit suicide in front of an online audience?

8) The Warriors are trading Al Harrington for Jamal Crawford...what do you think?

9) I was trying to get Hessica to do Princess Leia for Halloween...It didn't happen, but this Princess Leia slave outfit isn't half bad...in fact, it isn't any bad.

10) And finally, for all you SF natives (or people that wish you were), you can go here and vote for the "doucheiest bar in SF."

That's it folks...go forth and multiply. Up next, Zion-i, and a week of Thanksgiving dinners...

John McCain Steals Music (pt. 2)

{for all music related posts, see .Evolving.Music}

Several weeks ago at the height of the election race, I posted concerning McCain and Palin's unauthorized campaign use of songs by several different artists. Well, the campaign is over, McCain has lost, but that doesn't mean he's ready to throw in the towel on the lawsuit brought against him by Jackson Browne. McCain (or, as McCain claims the Ohio Republican Party) used a 30 second clip of the Browne song "Running on Empty" in a commercial televised in Ohio. While a majority of McCain's usage of music by groups that are Democrats and in other ways don't support this aging war-hawk isn't eligible for trial as it was broadcast live and publicly at venues that traditionally have rights to use songs, Browne's lawsuit is the exception because it did it in a nationally televised with without asking for rights to use the song.

To read this post in its entirety, click here.

An Interview with Illa J

{for all music related posts, see .Evolving.Music}

Illa J, the younger brother of hip-hop legend J Dilla, has stepped out on his own into the world of music with last week's release of his debut album on Delicious Vinyl, Yancey Boys. I had a chance to catch up with Illa J last week and discuss his musical influences, working with Delicious Vinyl, making a recording studio from J Dilla's equipment, and the importance of originality in music. Here's what he had to say.

AC: What were you initial musical influences and where do you find most of the inspiration for your work?

IJ: Growing up, the first music I ever listened to was jazz. My Dad would always be playing the Manhattan Transfers and the Four Freshmen, so I got into it early. My early influences were Al Green, Marvin Gaye, Sam Cooke, Stevie Wonder and a lot of Soul early on.

AC: Is it true your parents were in a jazz a cappella group?

IJ: Yea, they had their own group. They used to practice in our living room at home for hours and hours, and that’s how I got my musical ear, because they sang so much I had no choice but to learn all the jazz chords.

AC: Talk about growing up the younger brother of one of hip-hop’s most well known producers. How did this hurt you and how did it help you?

IJ: I don’t think it hurt me in anyway. If anything, people because of that, the first thing they want to do is compare me to my brother. Honestly, I don’t even think about that. When I’m in the studio, I’m in the zone, it’s all about the music. At the end of the day, I was brought up around nothing but music and that’s in my blood lines. In my immediate family, pretty much everyone sings and everybody writes songs and are musicians, so it’s pretty normal in my household that someone can sing or play an instrument. So it’s really no pressure to me, I’m just doing my thing, having fun.

AC: So when did you first start formally performing in front of audiences and when did you actually make the decision that music was going to be your career?

IJ: I always knew from a young age that I was going to do music. I’d be in front of the TV, a video or something would be on and I’d act like I was singing, and I’d always be singing around the house. I always knew I was going to do music, I just didn’t know when. And after my brother passed, when you have a big loss like that, a lot of people when they have big losses, in a sense it gives them a whole new perspective on life. That’s what happened with me. To lose my bigger brother that soon, cause I didn’t expect to lose him at 32, that definitely changed my life from that day on. I knew before that, even midway through college, I kinda knew I was going to work in music, but after he passed, that’s when I dedicated my life to music, just do what’s in my blood, do my craft, and that’s pretty much how it started.

AC: I read in another interview you did that you liked Los Angeles because people were always getting stuff done. Do you still feel that way about the city and what in your mind stands out as the brightest part about LA?

IJ: Not necessarily getting things done…people get stuff done in Detroit too, but right now, Detroit is kinda crazy, especially with how the economy is. Out here, I feel that it’s a whole new city for me, and I feel a lot more relaxed. When I’m in Detroit, I feel that there’s a lot going on and so many distractions, but when I’m out here, I’m free to just stick to my craft.

AC: In terms of music that you created in Detroit vs. music that you created in Los Angeles, do you feel that there’s a big difference there in terms of what you’ve done with the different atmospheres?

To see what else Illa had to say about the music industry and his new album Yancey Boys, click here.

Weekender

In comparison to previous weekenders, this one was a mild one. It started Friday night when Hessica, Chaz and I met up with Andy, my old roommate from SC, and his new girlfriend. We head out and take them to Bourbon and Branch which is, without a question, incredibly different from the bar scene in Los Angeles. But it's not a late night, as I've got an early morning, so after we hit the Crepe stand it's off home.

Saturday, I wake up early and head out to Toro Park in Salinas for CCS. The team runs well in a 12:15 race, after which I turn around, drive back to the Peninsula and head to Stanford. I park aways from the stadium and walk over, js blazing and ipod playing as I take in the sights of a tailgating stadium that seems like an SC home game. Walking to the will call booth to put Za's ticket in for her as she's going to be late, I walk smack into one of the girls from my dorm floor freshmen year, Hillary. It's amazing and random.

After watching SC beat up on Stanford, which is a dicey game at halftime but blown wide open in the second half, I jump in the car and head home where I shower and get ready to head up to the city. I get over to Topher and ChengJ's place where Gies, Foster, Marc, Paol and others are congregating playing Liar's Dice and Wii. Erin from City shows up and we head out among the throngs in town for the Weekender.

And, of course, every bar is packed. We're talking long lines to see the bouncer and even longer lines to get a drink once you're inside. With this kind of crowd and wait, and the fact that it's already 11, we head over to City where the side window bouncer (Dave Chappelle) and the owner are standing outside and let us in through the window where we step immediately to the bar. This is the perk of being a local and a regular. Inside, the place is jammed up with a ton of very nice looking ladies and even more ridiculously obnoxious LA douchebags. I'm not sure what it is about LA, but the percentage of frosted-tip, overly buff, intensely loud and extremely rude guys to come out of there is off the charts. When you can pick out the LA guy in the crowd, there's something wrong with LA.

At one point, a girl walking past us for the second time says, "Excuse me," as she moves Foster out of the way. In a joking manner I say, "She wants to get by, again," and she turns on me. "You don't know me, what gives you any right to be rude to me? I'm just walking here." I attempt to calm her, explain to her that I'm not being rude at all, that I was joking. She's not buying and continues to talk shit for no good reason. I'm confused. Then Foster mentions and she goes, "Yeaaaa, Trojans! I go to SC." We then tell her that the two guys she's been making nice with are not Trojans and the one guy she's been yelling at for no apparent reason is. She's skeptical, and thinks about making peace with me, but before she can I'm back on the sidewalk with another j. Stupid LA.

Next up...the week of Thanksgivings!

10 Things to Think About on a Friday

I couldn't think of a better way to get to Friday than for it to just be Friday already. It wasn't a tough week, other than seeing the Niners hand a game over to the Cardinals on Monday night, which, I'll admit, was quite painful. Hopefully, that will all be washed away tomorrow as I watch my team head down to XC CCS and then get over to the Farm to watch SC annihilate Stanford with Andy. But until that all happens, some of you poor schmucks still have almost 8 hours to go until your work day ends, so here's a few things you can consider while waiting on that clock.

1) I wasn't quite sure that Bush could be considered a sentient human being. I mean, the guy's made more mental, verbal and foreign policy blunders than you'd expect from a 3rd trimester fetus was running the White House as well as possessing the lowest approval rating in approval rating poll history. And what's worse is that he's never appeared particularly worried by anything he's done. Well, I am pleased to tell you that he realizes he's made some mistakes, and now he's talking about them. I particularly love it when he says that he's going to write a book about what it was like to be in some of those historic moments...you wonder if he'll focus more on what Cheney said or what he had for breakfast on those momentous days.

2) I never ceased to be amazed at lawsuits that people file. Like the city of Batman suing the movie franchise Batman for damages.

3) I don't think there's a single sports fan in this country who doesn't think college football needs a playoff system. Whether you're the fan of the team that just won the mockery that is the BCS Championship game, or a fan of one of the many 1 loss teams that got left out of the hunt, I think it's widely accepted by all fans that the only proper way to crown a champion is a playoff system. Even Barack Obama agrees. Tell me then why the Presidents of this BCS system continue to claim that everything is fine and we don't need playoffs? Are they watching a different season or sport than we are? WAKE UP AND GIVE US THE PLAYOFFS WE WANT!

4) You know those times when you feel like all reasonable hope is lost and you just need to do something over the top? Well, this guy didn't feel like getting arrested for drunk driving was enough, so he decided to piss on the cop too.

5) In case you missed it yesterday, you can now buy a vibrator that hooks up to your iPod, runs off its battery and moves in time to the music you're listening to. Single girls can now pretend they're actually with Jack Johnson, T-Pain, Amy Winehouse, Cher or any other artist of their choice.

6) I've heard of celebrities binging on coke or booze. Then you have the celebrities who can't shake their addiction to sex or heroin. But here's a story you don't hear too often...a celebrity addicted to breast feeding.

7) Once a week, the President of our country gets on the radio to talk about things. Of course, for the past 8 years, most people would rather attempt a self-performed frontal lobotomy with a screwdriver than listen to what that guy passes off as "talking." But now, things have changed, and not only can you listen to our new President on the radio, but you can go check him out on YouTube as well.

8) Once again, the controversy and absurdity of Prop 8 continues to dominate the news weeks after the election. Thankfully, I don't see this Proposition standing up very long before the courts get a hold of it....they are there to make sure people stay equal, after all. But, it never hurts to have more star power like George Clooney speaking out against it...And here's something that most people didn't talk about when attempting to pass Prop 8...the economic repercussions.

9) By the way...anyone remember that Osama bin Laden guy? How's the hunt for him going?

10) We'll end this on a sleazy note...how about the 10 worst places to have sex?

That's it folks, be good to each other...

Illa J - Yancey Boys

{for all music related posts, see .Evolving.Music}

When some of the most influential hip-hop over the past 15 years has been created by your older brother, it can sometimes be hard to get out from under that shadow and create on your own. But that's exactly what Illa J has accomplished on his recently released debut album, Yancey Boys. Active in the hip-hop scene from 1992 to his untimely death arising from medical complications in 2006, Jay Dee, also known as J Dilla, was a mastermind at production, creating music for the likes of Slum Village, Pharcyde, Busta Rhymes, Common, Madlib and Janet Jackson among others. Starting as a DIYer making beats with a tape deck, J Dilla quickly rose among the hip-hop ranks and infused the genre with the soul based inflections that have become so big today, especially in the most recent Common releases.

But most overlooked about J Dilla and his career is the fact that he comes from an extremely talented and musically well educated family. It is this depth of familial music that comes out in vibrant colors on younger brother Illa J's new release from Delicious Vinyl. Having moved to LA from Detroit and constructing a studio out of his older brother's equipment, Illa J met Mike Ross who provided him with a CD of unused Dilla beats, which this album draws heavily from. Produced by J Dilla and the legendary Mike Ross, Yancey Boys, while brief (14 tracks, 47 minutes) is one of the most consistent hip-hop albums of the year from start to finish, and succeeds because it never tries to do too much or be more than what it is.

The album starts with "Timeless," taking lazy piano flourishes into a laid back beat with Illa meandering vocally like D'Angelo. Indeed, the neo-soul and hip-hop hybrid comes through continually on the album, producing the smooth and effortless sound that makes listening to it as easy as bobbing your head. The first single, "We Here" comes next, and immediately steps up the tempo and introduces you to Illa as a rapper. His rhymes are simple in content but complex in rhyme scheme, never sounding forced, but at the same time coming off skillfully crafted. At times however, this is a weakness in the album as it seems that the mellow melodies sometimes leave Illa feeling content and therefore failing to challenge himself to stretch for something a little harder to reach.

For the rest of this album review, click here.

10 Things to Think About on a Friday

What a week, eh? We see history made by electing the first black President of the US, the new Futurama movie comes out, Domino Night is in full force and Wendi celebrated her birthday. Pretty impressive list of things there. But really, I have to say that Tuesday felt both wonderful and horrendous. On one hand, it was the first time in about 7 years that I've felt hopeful about the direction our government and country is heading in. Watching Obama give his acceptance speech felt historic and monumental, like one of those crucial moments that changes everything. It gave me goosebumps like some of Kennedy's speeches and I couldn't help but feel a sense that things are about to change for the better.

Then, a good portion of all of that was made bittersweet when unintelligent, prejudiced and bigoted voters of California passed Prop. 8. It made me feel like all the steps away from discrimination we had taken with Obama's election were tossed out the window as the latest casualty of the culture wars started by Bush's campaigns to the religious right prior to his elections.

It seems like the more progressive we are in general as a people, the more the religious people of this country, who are given the freedom to practice their religion of choice, are interested in taking away the freedoms and rights and beliefs of people who disagree with their views. The separation between church and state is becoming increasingly blurred as the Mormon church, a non-profit organization, poured buckets of money into the Yes campaign, using their non-profit status and deep coffers to interfere with general public law. More on Prop 8 later, before I get too out of hand here....You didn't come to hear me rant, you came for 10 things to think about before your work week ends. Well, here they are...

1) In a case of the pot calling the kettle and every other black thing in the kitchen black, China has told the rest of the world that it needs to clean up its act in regards to climate change. Wasn't there worry during the Beijing Olympics that the air wouldn't even be clean enough for athletes to compete? Air pollution what?

2) Most people don't like running. But what if, while out jogging, you had to run a mile to your car with a fox gnawing on your arm?

3) I didn't like living in LA, but I sure love visiting there...seeing SC, going to football games, eating Zankou...but I can tell you that I absolutely hate the drive. Luckily for us, California voters approved a high speed train to connect SD to SF.

4) Radiohead, masters of the remix and opponents of Bush, have released a free remix for download of a Thom Yorke song to celebrate Obama's election. Yea, it's tight.

5) We all have the bars and clubs that we prefer to avoid...but what do you think is the bar with the biggest percentage of douchebags?

6) The Italian Prime Minister this week called Obama "tanned." Do you think it's a cute joke, as he says he intended it, or do you find it offensive?

7) I was curious today and thought you all might be interested in where Pumpernickel bread gets its name.

8) As in Prop 8. As in Prop H8. Turns out that a large portion of Prop 8's success was in reaching out to poorer, more uneducated, but more importantly, staunchly religious groups. Turns out that Latino voters, entrenched in the religion that European settlers forced on them hundreds of years ago, are against equal rights for such petty fears as husbands leaving wives to "become gay." Here's a great commentary discussing how Latinos, who are still fighting for civil rights in the face of immigration policy, are foolish for not recognizing the marginalization of another minority group. To be fighting for your rights, and then actively take rights of another minority group is hypocritical and short-sighted. Also, big ups to Jeff Lieber who so adequately states one of my previous points regarding church and state, and examines the absurdity of religions and their attempt to impose their viewpoints on others.

9) Try imagining growing up in the White House...

10) If you could be one author in history, living or dead, who would you want to be and why?

That's it folks, be good to each other!

From Trick or Freak to 406

On Halloween, after I've abandoned the idea of being Kriss Kross in part because I have no Kross (or Kriss, if I were Kross), and in part because if you've ever actually attempted to put on a pair of pants backwards, you would realize they need to be 10 sizes bigger than the pants you actually wear, I've decided to be a pro-Beirut player. Not a very crazy costume, but one that was both super comfortable and easy to sell.

I leave the house around 6 and head over to Moon Bay to trick or treat at my Mom/P's place. I stay with them for a little bit before heading up the coast and stopping in at my Dad's Halloween party where everyone seems to be having a pretty good time. My Dad, obsessed at the moment with TrueBlood, has vampire teeth in, and they've got dry ice everywhere giving the house a nice festive feel. I kill a rodka there and continue on to the city. I get to Za's house and she as Matt Hasselbeck, myself as a better pro and Marge as Kung Fu Panda have a few before having Maurod pick us up.

He drives us over to the Lollipop party at Kelly's Mission Rock. The last Lollipop party I went to, before Pride, was a blast, and this one is no exception. Thankfully, we got there early enough to avoid the huge lines and wait that killed us before, and we get right in and up to a bar. If you haven't been out to this place and have a chance to get there for a party, do it. The venue is perfect, with multiple dance floors and bars so it never gets too hard to get a drink, plenty of outdoor space for smoking and hanging out. As the evening progresses, T, Arl, Wend and others show up in various forms of dress, and I'm treated to such outfits as Waldo twins, and my personal favorite of the evening, Mario, Luigi and the Princess.

After we leave, Maurod gets us and drops most of us off at the Lex before driving me on to pick up Marc and Jean to head back to the Marina. Once there, they offer me a place on their couch, which I graciously decline. The next morning, I enjoy an outstanding walk in the rain from the Marina to the Mission before hitting the club and heading home.

Sunday is Xena's birthday party in combination with her and T's housewarming party, and the gang's all there. Their new place is tight, basically a larger version of their old place with something even better...the deck has been replaced by a roof with panoramic views of the bay and GGBridge. Too. Sweet. The party is complete with a ton of booze (like any of Xena's parties are ever short on that), and an immense amount of food, which is good, because I didn't eat anything before my first drink of the day on my way to the city.

What's funny is that the time change has everyone fucked up, and on top of having been drinking all day, it feels like 11 o'clock when it's only 7:30. People start filing out faded, and I have Hessica who has been a champion to step up and DD for me, to take me home.

An Interview with eLZhi

{for all music related posts, see .Evolving.Music}

In September's version of "What I'm Hearing," I reviewed the solo debut album from eLZhi, The Preface. Late last month, I had a chance to sit down and chat with the up and coming Detroit rapper who has been in the game since the '90s about the state of hip-hop, his progression as an artist, remix culture and politics. Enjoy!

AC: How are you doing? Where you at today?
EL: I’m over at my friend Phat Kat‘s house. Chillin over here, writing rhymes.
AC: Up in Detroit?
EL: Yea, we’re in Detroit right now.
AC: Start off easy…what’s the meaning of your name, and you have stressed capitalization in it. What’s the importance of that?
EL: The L and the Z are capitalized in my name because that’s what I used to go by before eLZhi, LZ. How I even got eLZhi was trying to spend out LZ, spelling it out wrong and it was elzhi and I was like, “Yea, I like that, I’m going to keep that.” At first there wasn’t a meaning to it, I didn’t know what it meant. Then I got into Slum Village and my boy Batan was really big on Hebrew and was learning the Hebrew language and actually broke my name down to me and said my name means “God’s Spirit.” So the “el” is God and the “zhi” is 7 and 7 is a spiritual number.

AC: Talk a bit about growing up in terms of your relationship with music. What were some of your early influences?
EL: Before I started writing rhymes, my influences were things my Mom used to play. She used to play a lot of Motown records from Marvin Gaye to Stevie Wonder, Luther Vandross, things of that nature. My auntie used to play Planet Rock, stuff like Jack the Ripper, LL. I got my first cassette tape from my Grandfather. He bought me a walkman and a cassette tape and it was like Fat Boys. So from there I was in love with the art form and started hearing a little Rakim, hearing a little Special Ed, a little Ice Cube and I was just gone after that, I knew it was something I wanted to pursue and be a part of.

AC: When did you first start officially rapping and writing rhymes and what were your initial experiences like both live and in the studio?
EL: I started writing rhymes at the age of 8. Things like “I figga like a nigga/pop the gun and hold the trigger/the gun is loaded 12 gauge I hold it/the bomb exploded one sucker corroded/and I just won’t stop til my lyrics pop/making sure that you weak and my opponent gets dropped.” That’s something I wrote when I was 8. My first rhyme that I wrote was actually off the top of my head. Another thing that kept me going on and on was one of my family members, she used to always want me to freestyle in front of people she brought around the house. By her pumping me up like that, it really made me want to keep going with it.

The first time I got in the studio it was kinda weird. Usually you’re just rapping on the streets, rapping in the hallways, lunchrooms, whatever, but when you put your voice to that mic, sometimes you don’t sound exactly how you sound to yourself when you’re just talking. I had to really learn how to control my voice, my breath control when I was in the booth, I was out of breath a lot of times, it’s just a whole different world. That’s really the test to see if you want to be an MC is mastering that booth, and mastering how you sound on the mic and then from there mastering how you sound on the stage. When I finally got it down pat, I was definitely satisfied with the outcome.

For the rest of eLZhi's interview, click here.

Movies of October (8)

Another slow movie month, but I really think that just means I'm doing a great job of keeping entertained otherwise. At least the movies we are watching are quality! Tomorrow marks the release of the new Futurama movie (Bender's Game), and of course some Donnie Darko for Halloween...

2: Event Horizon
5: Bowling for Columbine
8: Iron Man, The Beast with a Billion Backs
25: Chocolat
27: Snatch
28: Legends of the Fall
30: Donnie Darko