Saul Williams Speaks to Soul Train

One of the biggest things to happen to me this year was getting to interview one of the most brilliant minds of our time, Saul Williams. He had a show one night, and I pestered his publicist enough to chat with him earlier that day. The insight he gave was amazing!

The first thing I wanted to talk about was Don Cornelius's sudden passing. I still tremble at how he did it, and Saul seemed to feel the same way. I also noticed in the VH1 special on Soul Train how he was frustrated with the change in the music scene that Cornelius was a guy who liked everything to be the way it always is and life is easiest when things are concrete. Saul touches on ageism when I ask him about Don Cornelius, and while he's right, I feel like Cornelius had much deeper problems than just his age. I hope more is reported on Cornelius and he's not just a historic man we now place RIP in front of. Here's where Saul and I discuss the man of Soul Train:

Soul Train: What was your initial reaction to hearing about Don Cornelius’s passing? 

Saul Williams: It’s the way that he passed that was shocking. For one, it’s not something that is known to be prevalent in our community. And I can only imagine what it’s like to grow older and lose strength, and become frustrated with the times where things aren’t the way they were – that type of ageism that happens often in our country. I think it becomes really hard for old people who are frustrated with how things start to not work for them. It also brings you back to healthcare issues and how we need to get it straight to where everyone is treated fairly, and the people are taken care of, especially psychologically.

When I asked him about how he feels about the music biz now, he gave me quite an earful about how stuck we've become on the concept of celebrity. I always peeped that in how we direct one another's status to Twitter followers, Facebook friends, as well as our circle. Big city Atlanta is notorious for that! The socialite scene can be more about your following than what you actually do. Even beyond that scene - my niece said to me after I asked her what she wants to do when she grows up "I wanna be famous. I don't know what yet, but I'm gonna be famous." I gave the spiel on having and fulfilling a purpose but what 12-year-old wants to hear that? Anyway, off the soapbox I go. Here's an excerpt of what Saul had to say about that topic:

ST: So what about music now, especially in terms of urban alternative music? 

SW: I think we’re at a time now where I look at anyone from Odd Future to Lil’ Wayne to Kanye and Jay-Z, and for the most part people have become more open to new music. But America at-large has established an idea of celebrity. We need to find a way to give the rightful attention to real talent, to people who are exploring. Right now we’re running the risk of having a very formulaic approach to music, to sound, to popularity...

 Check out the rest of the interview over on Soul Train's website!!!

Saidah Baba Talibah's Toronto Sound Off

When I turned this in to soultrain.com, I knew what I was getting myself into. Saidah Baba Talibah and I conversed as if kids are unable to use the Internets. From talking about blues singer Lucille Bogans to screaming and(/or) creaming, Soul Train's Sound Check was never the same. Here's an excerpt of what actually ran:

SBT: Expression is borderless – I express myself one way, and another artist could express themselves another way. At the same time, when it comes to being a woman expressing these types of feelings and being – not aggressive – assertive, knowing what you want, strong and unafraid of vulnerability is not really out there. So I guess that could be raunchy, like just in explaining how I want to please a man or how I want him to please me. We feel like we have to hide that idea behind what it means to be a lady. There are ways to do all of that and still be classy. 

ST: I get it, and there’s even each one’s own interpretation of “classy” and what is a lady. 

SBT: This is why I love old blues artists like Betty Davis. She was raunchy, but she was real in stating her facts of life. Also, there was Lucille Bogan, a blues singer from 1935.  She was even raunchier than Betty Davis, raunchier than anyone I ever heard to this day and age! 

ST: So let me ask: how important is it for you to implement sensuality into your music, and music in general? 

SBT: I think sensuality – not necessarily sex – is very important in everything that I do. In the true form of sensuality – calling on touch, sight, sounds and all those things and bring all the senses together – that’s where I’m coming from. 

ST: How did you develop your music within calling on those senses from The Phone Demos to (S)Cream and so on? 

SBT: Continuing to remind myself to stay as free as possible and to be as real as possible. That’s always the emphasis of where I’m coming from. At least I try to because that can be a little scary. I’m still human. It’s not easy being an artist because everyone has their opinion and capability to judge. 

ST:Toronto music –Canada in general – is nothing to sneeze at. How much of the T-Dot inspires your music? 

SBT: There’s a lot of ridiculous talent, great musicians, great singers on the scene. There’s By Divine Right, Jully Black, Ayah, and a lot of them have branched out and moved but this city is a beast.Toronto can take over the world.

Now that she mentioned it, all those T-Dot artists are dope (including her, I mean, have you heard her music?!). Off the top, By Divine Right is like Toronto's own Radiohead (if only the US had there's - sigh) with their indie kick and their music being vet-like boss status. Jully Black is sassy as shit. No seriously, she has a bold R&B sound that's different than what's typical among other R&B divas, like an over-the-top image isn't necessary to accompany her music. Naturally, fashion is her forte. Ayah, a DJ Jazzy Jeff protege, is Philly soul stuck in Toronto mixed with house, hiphop and whatever else her mind is truly capable of - in fact, a song just dropped she did in collaboration with Slakah The Beatchild called "Keep Up." More heat is sure to follow, I mean, the summer is near!



I'm so glad Saidah hipped me to all these artists. My headphones been on repeat with these folks ever since!

After filling your ears with all that Van Glorious, check out the rest of the interview with Saidah here.

Discussing Frankly with Sean Falyon

This guy is great. Sean Falyon did a Frank Discussion session with me, and his scatterbrain had me in tears! Here's an excerpt:

The best thing about where I live is it has a roof on it.

... and when you come here, you should check out my fridge I just bought.

You haven't lived until you went on a recon mission with Sean Falyon's beard!

To see the whole Frank Discussion on Frank151's Atlanta League website, and for the link to his latest Jackin 4 Beats mixtape, click here.

A Guinea Pig + Rhode Island + A Guitar = Ellis Ashbrook

Bands with a sense of musical maturity and ambiguous mystery create some of the most stimulating, unwinding tunes. There's nothing like having the right soundtrack when trying to chill, whether it's early Saturday morning or after 5 Monday evening.

Ellis Ashbrook has that kind of sound. This New York band of four is coming to Smith's Olde Bar in Atlanta on the 7th bringing their prog-rock, jazz and funk with them. Come to the Midtown bar to unwind because we all know how the case of the Monday's can be!

Until then, check out this interview they did for the blog. They talk about their name - which could easily confuse folks who are equally confused with the GROUP Travis Porter - and their latest project Meridia.

How did you guys get together and form Ellis Ashbrook?

The guitarist John and drummer Alex started playing together as kids. Bassist Jonathan joined up around the beginning of college and Natalie, keys and vocalist, at the end of college. Several other members have come and gone over the years, but the 4 of us have been living and playing together in NYC the last 4 years.

Where did that name come from?

Ellis was a Guinea Pig, Ashbrook is a street in Rhode Island. Can you dig it?

I sense a maturity with this group, when it comes to your sound. Like, chill or folk rock of some sort. Am I at least on the right track? How would you describe your music?

We wear many hats. For instance, on our latest album Meridia you will hear down tempo jazz, progressive organ-driven funk, Tool-esque riff rock, saxophone, strings, 20 guitars at once and a lizard tongue bass.

Where do your musical influences come from? Do you guys all come from the same background musically?

Yes and no. Natalie grew up on classical music and basically sans contemporary pop-culture save Elton John, Xanadu, Sheena Easton and Whitney Houston. We also have a strong 60’s and 70’s classic rock, prog-rock, and funk foundation mixed with the rock music of the early 90’s. Lately, there’s been more of a jazz and electronic influence, but we are constantly exposing our ears to new sounds and vibrations so our musical palate can grow and expand in unforeseen directions.

If "sometimes it's unassuming, unalarming" then why not watch? I guess I'm asking what's really going on in "No Please Don't Watch."

“No Please, Don’t Watch” is about the beautiful, confident dualities that make people tick.

Does Meridia sound like this, lyrically? What else does this album's lyrical content contain?

The lyrical content of all our songs is based in sensation, observation, meditation and consecration. We encourage positivity, yet we embrace the dark depths of everyone’s life experience.

How long did it take to create this album? What was making this project like?

Jerry Garcia said recording an album is like building a ship in a glass bottle, playing live is like sailing the ocean. Long before we were anywhere near a microphone we perfected song structures, lyrics, melodies and grooves so we could layer parts freely for days. Our motto became lay it all down then start building it up piece by piece.

What has touring been like so far? What do you guys look forward to the most (other than performing) when you come to Atlanta?

Haha off the previous question, touring is like building the proverbial ark. You can’t be prepared, you create a flow and you go. We love local record stores and I am hoping Criminal Records is still around when we get there. Great food and vintage clothing are always a must too. Seeing the different worlds growing in each city is the best really, Brooklyn has its own flavor and we love it but there are so many wonderful meccas we have stumbled upon on tour. It’s refreshing.

PlanetRAWK, The One with The Sure Shot

Trying to find a median between genres such as hiphop and rock, soul and pop, electronic and jazz can be difficult - oh, don't be fooled by those rappers who throw in a guitar here and there just to call themselves genre-blending. You can't just be a great vocalist and merge yourself into pop culture either.

While there are a growing number of musicians attempting to truly melt the musical pot, PlanetRAWK is an example of those who get it right, at least as far as hiphop and rock is concerned. You check him out live with Tragedy Called Truth, another rock band, at Atlanta's Drunken Unicorn November 9th!

How and why did you come up with the name PlanetRAWK? Was it influenced by Afrika Bambaataa?

Yes, it was influenced by the song Planet Rock, I thought their songwriting was very interesting and became a fan very quickly.

Who are your musical influences, aside from Bam of course?

In junior high I was a fan of Jay Z, Playa Fly, UGK, Master P and 3-6 Mafia. Currently, I am really into Dance Gavin Dance, Emarosa, Johnny Craig, 30 Seconds To Mars, Panic at The Disco.

So, do you listen to mainstream hiphop artists now?

Not really. Lupe Fiasco is a good one, I think he is amazing. But this so-called trap music played on radio and TV sounds like garbage and gives a negative site on black people. I mean, kids listen to this and grow up thinking this is cool or this is the way to make it, it's nonsense and has no creativity or originality whatsoever.

What got you into doing rock although you have strong hiphop influences, artistically?

I woke up and came downstairs, made a beat and wrote the lyrics to it, and said to myself "this is way too easy." Decided from then on to challenge myself musically, got a band and went on from there learning musical theory.

How would you describe your sound?

Well we involve different genres, but to keep it simple I say alternative hiphop with rock and electronic fusion.

On "Hush," your new single, you have some elements of scream rock in there. How much of that element will be on your projects to come?

A lot. I am a big fan of post hardcore music. Beautiful melodies with screams I think are awesome.

I see you have heavy rock influences, and I agree about the beauty behind hardcore melodies, but how did you get into rock music and ultimately do rock music?

I promise you at the age of 7 or 8 I was getting dress in the morning to Nirvana and Pearl Jam going to school. Rock has always been my first love, when I first saw Kurt Cobain on MTV Music Awards, I knew I wanted to be a rock star but as a black kid in an all-Black school I didn't want to get picked on or those weird stares because I was different, so I hid my passion. But now I embrace it.

How'd you hook up with Tragedy Called Truth? The energy they have is crazy!

I met them through my bass player JT Thomas and we have been friends ever since. We tour together, they are my studio and live band, couldn't ask for better friends.

What has the Atlanta indie scene been like for you?

I love it, there are some amazing bands in Atlanta, some dicky venues but we will keep our mouths shut about them haha!

What's been the biggest obstacle as an indie artist? I ask because I spoke with quite a few other Atlanta musicians and they tend to lean towards generating a fanbase outside of other musicians. Is that a problem for you, or are there other things you have to focus on?

When I look at my fanbase on facebook, I have fans in Austria, Zambia and United Kingdom, so if your music reaches then people all over will love it. My biggest issue is funding because we want to tour, but that costs money. We want to be in a nice studio, but that costs money. We want to be packaged nice and pretty, but it costs money. Everything costs money and we don't have a label, so we fund everything ourselves - so we are taking applications for investors haha!

Complete this sentence: when you come to a PlanetRAWK show, look out for flying monkeys because they always happens to find themselves on stage.

How can people keep up with you, social media-wise?

Download a copy of my new single at http://planetrock.bandcamp.com/ and donate what you can to help us fund touring cost. Also, www.facebook.com/planetrockband, www.planetrawkmusic.com and Twitter at @planetrawk

Big K.R.I.T is Performing at A3C 2011 (Retro Interview)

I am super excited for this year's A3C Festival in Atlanta! From Big Daddy Kane to Big K.R.I.T, it seems like all kinds of hiphop is coming down for the three-day festival.

In light of this year's coverage, here's an interview with Big K.R.I.T for AOL back in the "sometimes free doesn't mean you won't get paid" freelance days with their City's Best site. We went on and on about what he does when he's in town, but in this excerpt we talk about the day he got signed to Def Jam:

In such a short amount of time, we've heard your music go across the board. What's your ultimate goal as a musician?

Make music that people can relate to, something for all walks of life. I feel like as an artist, I'm supposed to paint all these pictures. So, I stay true to myself and do the right music and be original.

What was it like meeting Sha Money XL and the day you signed to Def Jam?

It was dope! Sha Money is a down-to-earth person. He has a respect for where I come from -- from nothing to a million-dollar signing -- it's like a homie kind of aspect. I ended up calling my father in the elevator like, "Pops, this is real!" It's Def Jam, the mecca of Hip-Hop, and to be from the Dirty South it was like we did it!

 Check out the rest of the interview on AOL City's Best.

Speaking of "best," best of luck to Big K.R.I.T on winning his first BET Hip Hop Award this year. Although not many people credit BET for serious award ceremonies, there's nothing like having a physical symbol of appreciation (because YouTube and Bandcamp hits can only mean so much). In other words, you can't really place Internet buzz on your mantle or trophy case. Good luck Big K.R.I.T!

This Examiner Interview with Lucy Dreams: Life for Young Musicians!

Music is indeed getting younger and younger, in age, not necessarily in style and technique. Communication between older and younger generations - and older and younger techniques - generally goes from old to young and hardly ever vice-versa. The cycle will continue for pop culture, and generally the same for hiphop and punk within mainstream realms.

Interviewing Lucy Dreams for Examiner reminds me that not all fresh meat musicians have complete sponges for minds because of how eloquently they speak and how hard they work on their music. Not that they don't need to listen to their elders - I'm sure they do - but they seem like they haven't arrived to the sea of music as dry sponges ready to soak up whatever they can. In this excerpt I talk to Lucy Dreams, who came together while they were still in high school, about their textured sound and how they form their music:

Does your sound come about organically? Do you try to form the right music and notes?

When we’re practicing we do play around until something comes out right, we rarely ever bring something prepared to practice. The songwriting process is very organic compared to our sound because of how we jam. What isn’t really organic is the actual sonic sound of our music. That’s a little more conscious on our part. We have this idea, not really exact, but a vague idea of what we want our sound to be. Being a band that’s so focused on the textures and wash of everything, it can be kind of tough for our shows too. Getting something like that to sound just right, especially with all the pedals, that’s a lot of work.

I noticed that throughout your performance you guys were going back and forth with the pedals and the knobs. You guys worked the hell out of tweaking your sound onstage!

Yeah, we kinda were. Whenever there’s nothing to do though, I’m like “eh, I bet this will sound better,” and start messing with the sound.

It was really interesting watching that, and watching your sound unfold. Can you guys describe what your sound or where it’s going?

It’s textured. It’s atmospheric. I think the idea of it is to not be simply chords and notes, but invoke something more than that. The noises that you’re hearing set different kinds of moods. It’s more than just the backing of our vocals. In fact, it’s the other way around – the vocals are the backing of our noises.

You speak so well about music. Are you guys still in school? You look so young!

No, well, we’re in Georgia State. Except Dani’s still in high school, she’s a junior.

 Continue reading on Examiner.com Get to know: Lucy Dreams - Atlanta Local Music | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/local-music-in-atlanta/get-to-know-lucy-dreams

Curio Museum In Exmainer Reveal Honesty and Emotions

Every week in Little Five Points are at least five shows that are worth going to, regardless of what type of music folks actually listen to - because it'll all be there one way or another. Whether it's rock or rap, in some way, shape or form there's something from all genres for someone from all walks of life.

That's what Curio Museum helped me realize when I a) saw them perform one Thursday night and b) interviewed them for Examiner.

In this excerpt, Nadia (the band's lead singer) talks about her crazy vocals and how expressing their emotions can make one feel dirty after:

With your performances, as innocent and laid back as you guys are, it gets really tense up there with all the yelling. Where does that come from and why do you do that?

I’m gonna be 100% honest, the band wanted me to just stand there and sing with my cute voice. One day, I got really upset while I was singing during a live performance, and I screamed one line. It stayed with me, so now I continue to do it every now and then. It was totally an accident, but I stuck with it because it sounds great. Plus, all the songs are really emotional, and I love to try and capture that. I put a lot of myself into these songs so that it’s very real and very a part of me. It overcomes me a lot because most of the time it’s the deepest darkest secrets I’m telling. Encoded, but still telling.

Wow, so how should I listen to it?

You should feel dirty afterwards.

Oh, like I should go wash after this show then, huh?

No, maybe, but it’s a very serious thing I do. I hope the emotion shines through even beyond the meaning, and I hope people feel it. People can take and mold their own meaning to our stuff, I just would really like it to mean something to someone else.

Continue reading on Examiner.com Get to know: Curio Museum - Atlanta Local Music | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/local-music-in-atlanta/get-to-know-curio-museum

He Couldn't Help Himself: An Interview with Jéan P

If you've seen the buzzing viral video about the stereotypes of the 50 states, then you know Ohio only matters during elections. With that said, because it's absolutely true, finding musical gems within the state can be tough. Being from Ohio, I know too many talented cats "sitting on a dream." Luckily, there are emcees like Jean P who let me know hope is not far-fetch for Ohioans, especially the musicians.

We talked to Jean about his slightly gloomy documentary - with his extreme emphasis on why he, well, couldn't help himself.

You have an extremely old-school style, even down to the rhyme. Who are your influences? Is old school hiphop your direct influence?

I listen to new artists, watching hiphop films and digging in the crates to listen to samples – even early hiphop songs – the culture is forever my influence. I got a few emcees I’m influenced by: Gangstarr, Jeru the Damaja, Rakim and A Tribe Called Quest. Forreal-forreal, it’s the culture as a whole because I’m just amazed with it, and it’s something that’s part of me. It makes me happy to do what I’m doing because I feel that I’m contributing to it.

So have you seen the Tribe documentary?

Yeah, I seen it. I loved it. That blew my mind! I felt like a little kid at the candy store, but then at one point I was so shocked. It was perfect though because they showed you the whole story and answered all the questions that you wanted to know. I always wanted to know about the samples – I always wanted to know about the music-making process.

I never really try to emulate people, but if I had to, I would wanna be like Q-Tip. The documentary got me to buy a record player. I got my music equipment down in the basement, and I started to buy records for the player just because Q-Tip’s interest in vinyl. With his knowledge of records, especially in the mp3 age, he stands out, so I wanna accumulate that same type of knowledge so I stand out too.

How have you developed as a musician, beyond emceeing?

I had the same set-up at OU as I do now in Canton, but I now own my own set. There were times I couldn’t record with iShine because I been out of school due to my grades, but I’ll be returning back to OU in January hopefully.

I got all that stuff because I wasn’t sure that I would be able to come back, but I looked into my papers and realized I had a chance to go back since it was only a suspension. It helped me a lot though because it made me do it on my own, and it gave me the feel to do everything on my own. I’ve got my website on my own, got my logo on my own and everything I got it was just me. It’s been like experimenting the same way a kid would do with toys. Like, I’ll play on my Akai for a really long time and find myself making a beat. My free time isn’t partying and all that, it’s being on my equipment.

Is it because you’re in Canton now? How have you been adapting to the Canton scene as opposed to OU/Athens?

The music scene here is buzzing. There’s a few artists here, but not like “oh my God! Canton’s the place for hiphop.” Being here has made me realize the importance of being in school. It was a real wake-up call. While all my friends were in class I was going to work at Goodwill, or just sitting at home in my room. I really sat and thought about it, and I love my city to death, but I don’t wanna be here sitting on a dream. I know I can rhyme. I know I can be a musician. But I know I worked hard to get to OU, so I need to work hard to get a degree. Being at home helped me realize that if you gotta sit in a classroom and study, I’d rather do that than be working a 9-5. When I was slacking off at OU, it wasn’t like I was doing it on purpose. It was just that I got so caught up in being Jean P, the rapper, that I wasn’t focused on being Jean P, the student. When I go back in January, I’ll be way more focused. I’ll still be performing, don’t get me wrong, but I’m gonna form a balance. I think I’ve built enough of a buzz for the past two years, so I can buckle down and focus on getting my degree.

Being here in Canton has caused me to wake up because there’s not a lot of success stories here – just negative things going on like crime, poverty and it’s just a small place. I don’t wanna be a product of my environment.

Jéan P - "Can't Help Myself" Canton's Own from CreMedia on Vimeo.

Seeing the video Can’t Help Myself, I see a lot of emptiness and abandoned buildings and whatnot in Canton. Same deal for your album cover. Is there an underlying theme behind this video that is parallel to what I’m seeing in this documentary?

That was exactly what I was trying to say through all of these projects. If you’ve noticed my music before, you’ll think Will Rap 4 Food is very depressing! It was honest, it was one of my most successful projects I’ve done and got me a lot of buzz, but it’s really depressing. I had to let it all off my chest – the birth of my son, not being out with my friends, my life – I was being real on Will Rap 4 Food. I put a lot into and pulled a lot out because I felt like I was done since I wasn’t in school anymore, plus the birth of my son. I really wanted to give up, I’m not gonna lie. But when I got the attention from the album, I wanted to keep going. I’m glad I didn’t give up because you wouldn’t have seen me on KevinNottingham, ThisIs50 and DJBooth.

You said it took a lot outta you to do Will Rap 4 Food, and the content has changed since the last time you were on this blog. Tell me about how the writing and lyrical content has developed since then.

I’ve matured. I listened to my other projects and saw what I wasn’t doing to step it up for Will Rap 4 Food. Like, I can’t even listen to Thought Process anymore because I sounded so juvenile, so different. I love doing more projects because I know it’ll be nothing but growth.

Tell me about your upcoming project with Lakim Opposites Attract.

Lakim is a producer out of Virginia. He’s a hybrid of all the great producers I’ve wanted – like 9th Wonder and J Dilla – rolled up into one person. When he sent me those beats, I was like “damn, man. You make all these beats for free?!” The title comes from, one, I’m from Ohio and he’s from Virginia. Two, I’m an emcee and he’s a producer. We attract together because we want to bring some real hiphop and give yall a dope album. He was originally gonna be on Will Rap 4 Food, but when he sent me those beats I wanted to do a whole album with him. I’ve always wanted to do an album like that too – like Pete Rock & CL Smooth or Guru and DJ Premier. While I’ve sort-of done it with iShine, Lakim has that boom bap-style I need. iShine is his own man because he has that DC sound that’s kind of R&B and pop, so when he was making hiphop beats for me it wasn’t a style he was used to. At the end of the day though, we’re still family and part of one team.

Gun Party Interview for Examiner

Before you get all "is this blue-collar, shoot-em-up rockabilly music" on me, check out Gun Party's Bandcamp player below.


Now that you know what's going on, here's the interview I did with this group. Although it's just an excerpt, get to know the deets behind their debut album.

Our drummer loves, loves, loves Radiohead. I am more of a fan of female punk singers and bands. Our guitarist really, really loves loud garage rock. Our bassist is more of a Harry Nilsson fan. It all just kinda merged into this clusterfuck of rock music that kinda turned out awesome!

How has merging all those different styles been like when it comes to creating the first album?

It could be a really interesting process. Some of our songs came way more organically than others, and some time we didn’t really notice we have different tastes in music because we seem to have one when we’re able to go into the studio. A lot of the songs, like the “Kite Flights,” we’ll work on for months and the original form was all over the place. It was very much rock and roll, but it was all kinds of things – punk, then it was blues rock, and then it had loud, garage-y guitar tones – and it wasn’t making a lot of sense. It took many, many weeks and us sitting down tweaking a lot of things. What really did it was when we went into the studio to record it and having somebody else listen to it. They were able to tell us how it was running into each other. The main thing of us having so much of a difference is that it takes us a really long time to figure out which is appropriate and which is perfect for the song we’re doing. Ultimately, it worked out, and now “Kite Flights” is my favorite song.

Whenever I’m listening to the album, what should folks look out for within the content and lyrics?

There’s a theme to each song, but not easy to pick up on. We try to not be completely random with our lyrics – it’s usually about something, sometimes they’re about someone, but they all have themes. If you keep listening, you’ll pick up on them. Like “Runaway” is a break-up song, so I’m sappy and crying. “Kite Flights” is a self-destruction song, and it doesn’t make sense at first but it’s within the way that song builds as well as lends itself to the lyrics which lets you know how feisty it is. In “DBV,” which stands for Dead Bitch Vagina, is simply about a stalker in a hotel room. They’re all over the place, but each song has a consistency with the lyrics...

 Read more, like how they formed out of being a joke band and exactly how did they come up with the name, by clicking here!

Interviews on the spot: Richelle Brown for Examiner

One thing I've began to enjoy is catching an artist fresh off the stage. They're guard is slightly up because they know all eyes (and investigative ears) are on them, they have prepared answers for the press - before their self-proclaimed wicked performance and they're still on cloud 9 after said-wicked performance.

This got the same result.

After her performance for one of SMKA's Through The Rabbit Hole concert series, I interviewed Richelle Brown AKA Cornbread for my Get To Know Q&A series for Examiner.com. We talked about how she got her name, her influences and her upcoming projects. Here is an excerpt from our discussion where we talked about her nickname, which became her pen name - Cornbread.

... I call my music electro-funk because it’s electronically done and we summon up the funk gods. It’s funky, it’s gonna make you stank, it’s gonna make you dance, it’s gonna make you sing, it’s gonna make you wanna love somebody, and ain’t nothing better than love! And funk. Love and funk!

Let me ask you this, if it’s along those lines. You’re nickname is Cornbread. Where did that come from?

Oh gosh, that name. When I was in high school, there was this new guy that came to school and he was so cute. All the girls liked him because he was super thugged-out. As I was walking down the hallway, and all the girls were looking at him, he looked up at me and was like “What’s up Cornbread?” I was like “First of all, my name is Richelle, it is not Cornbread, and don’t you ever call me that again.” I had to let him know but then every time he sees me in the hallway, he’d yell “Cornbread!” and I yell back “That’s not my name!” I started asking people why does he keep calling me that, and come to find out he was calling me Cornbread because I was thick and was not a skinny girl. They said that people who eat a lot of bread get thick or whatever. Fast-forward to college, I was in my first class and the teacher was asking an icebreaker question like “What’s the weirdest pick-up line you ever had?” I was 17, and I couldn’t think of any weird pick-up lines except for that because I wasn’t able to date. I told the story, and when I told them that they started calling me Cornbread because they liked that name. When I got my first job, or any time somebody from my school would see me somewhere, they call me Cornbread. Then other people hear it, and they wanna call me that too because it’s easy for people to remember. With my brand, Space Age Hippie, it fit.

That’s really cool how it stuck with you and grew on you...

 Read more by clicking here!

Thurzday of U-N-I Interview with Frank151

While covering the Atlanta Indie Festival, I got to see one of my favorite now former group U-N-I member Thurzday perform. Of course, after his set he sat down with me to talk about his favorite Atlanta artists, his new album - which is out today, go cop L.A. Riot - and then I got to let out some lame yet witty U-N-I/you and I jokes. He was cool about it, as well as cool about talking about leaving the group.

Here is an excerpt of the interview. Check out Frank151 for the full article!

So where are you at? Let's talk about this new project.

It definitely pulls inspiration from the '92 riots, and also basically I'm at a burn-and-rebuild stage right now. Left the group, and I had to almost re-brand myself so that people know I'm a force. I burnt down the old image, and it's me re-establishing myself. I'm also putting out quality over quantity, so this thing I put out really represents where my mind is at and all the people that are pushing me right now. It's not a historical project, it just touches on a lot of life situations and, well, real shit.

Ok, so you said you left the group. So does that mean no more U-N-I?

We'll see.

I mean, you and I - as far as I'm concerned - seem ok, as long as you keep doing dope stuff, but U-N-I is ka-put?

Ha! As of right now, we're not doing the group thing anymore. I'm just really attached to doing my solo work. The sounds that I am making are really big, and I'm really digging the music I've created and the producers created lately. I definitely appreciate where U-N-I got me and all the accolades we've received, but right now it's time for me to do me.

Well, I'm glad you appreciate where I've gotten you. Ok, I'm done with the lame U-N-I jokes! With performing, how were you digging the Atlanta atmosphere?

My boy DJ Z reached out to me wanting me to come and rock. He's been supporting all the records I've released so far, so I really wanted to help support that movement. I brought my DJ Ro Blvd. to join me, and I'm glad to be out here.

Fli Pelican Interview for Frank151

I chopped it up with Nino from Fli Pelican Clothing. We talked mainly about his team's clothes, but also about the music he's bumping now. Was he swiping shots with that comment about Big Sean ("who sold 80,000 first *cough cough*")? I can't call it, but I did a little digging, and saw that Drake might have swiped a shot at Big Sean via Twitter.

Anyway, here's an excerpt of the interview with the Fli Pelican cats:

So what are you listening to now? What’s on Nino’s iPod?

I’m over here right now listening to Lil’ Wayne’s Sorry For The Wait mixtape. I’m listening to Frank Ocean, and Big Sean, of course. He’s from the hometown, D-Town, who sold 80,000 first *cough, cough*. Also, I’m listening to some stuff in Cali, like Chase N. Cashe. Kanye always bump.

What was your reaction when you first heard about or saw Lil’ Wayne donning the “No Sucka S#it” shirt on the cover of XXL?

I already knew about the cover. My man’s had told me he was gonna do it, but I’m the type of person that has to see it. I didn’t even tell my team then. The day it got on the Internet, we were at Krystal’s in the drive-thru and Lil Chuckee (Young Money/Cash Money artist) called. I went to see what Chuckee wanted, and he said “y’all over there doing it big now, huh?” I kind of knew what he was talking about, but I was still like “what?” He said, “I see you guys getting on these covers and things!” He sent me the picture of Wayne on the cover with the shirt, and this was the first time I felt like the artist really embodied the clothing line because he’s just wearing the shirt. It’s not like someone made him put in on for the cover. Plus, we’ve built a relationship with him and the Young Money/Cash Money staff as well. It’s more genuine, nobody forced it upon him or nothing like that.

In the entire interview, we chat about his upcoming projects which include an in-process deal with a BMX cat, plus - of course - snapbacks. Read it here!

Check out my feature with Soul Train featuring Heston

With an album coming later this month, Heston and I discuss his live sound and how he feels timeless music does not go hand-in-hand with "what's hot." Here is a clip of our Sound Check interview:

On loving the live elements of his sound - I think the perfect imperfections, like delays in timing or feelings, are things you can’t really manufacture, or program on the one or on the two. Those perfect imperfections is what makes music real.

On his new album Warm Human, Cold World - When you are in a relationship, especially a successful relationship, you find that it’s easier to navigate, it’s easier to lean on someone when you’re having a bad day and have someone to come home to. It’s about relationships and having someone’s shoulder to lay on.

On creating timeless music - (...) I do not want to go with the sound of the month, or the type of thing where there’s a certain sound in the industry right now for R&B music and has certain synthesizers, I’m not interested. For me, it’s making music that I can be happy with forever.

Soul Train: What about how much R&B has changed over time? Do you feel that with R&B changing that you’ll be able to still create the music that you want to? 

Heston: Absolutely. If you look at people like Jill Scott, Anthony Hamilton, Maxwell, India.Arie and even Alicia Keys, there are such stories as people creating timeless music where those songs will last forever. There’s a certain quality and sustainability to the music that defies the flavor or producer of the month in it. Like, an Alicia Keys song could’ve been dropped in 1970 and still be as relevant as it is now. Sade’s been doing the same quality of music with the same type of production for many years. It’s just a matter of stepping outside of recording, like the marketing, performing, and being available. While I’m interested in all that, I’m not concerned with altering my sound for what’s going on today.

 Be sure to check out the full interview on Soul Train's website by clicking here!

SlapStik's One-on-One with Margaret Cho

Aside from covering music - for the most part - I am the editor of SlapStik Magazine and operator of their blog. In the blogs and mags we specialize in comic interviews, going one-on-one with some of the funniest people on the planet. I got to chat with Margaret Cho about Drop Dead Diva, her development as a stand-up comic, and inevitably her music. Here's an excerpt of that: 

You also do music as well. Cho Dependent got a lot of good reception, including the Grammy nomination, so what’s next for you musically? 

The next album coming out will be The Yellow Album, and it’s really in the works now. It’s a little bit hard to do because I’m working on a TV show, so all these multiple projects are moving a little slowly. When the TV show comes out, then I’ll have more time to work on the album. 

How will The Yellow Album be different than Cho Dependent? 

Yellow will have some of the songs that didn’t make it onto Cho Dependent. I recorded about 22 songs and some didn’t make it, so there’s a few that I want to be on Yellow. There’s some new stuff I recorded just for Yellow. And Yellow will be about race and the Asian identity, and being an ethnic “other.” I’m really excited about that, and I’m really excited about the song I did with my parents. My parents are musicians and they sang on this song. It was really funny because they’ve been singers for a long time but have never recorded, so it was really daunting for them to be in a studio and a stretch to take it to that level for them because they seemed intimidated.

Check out the full interview on SlapStik's blog by clicking here!

Jeffrey Butzer Talks Toy Piano Album and Show at Drunken Unicorn

While developing a relationship with many Atlanta musicians through Examiner and AOL, I receive tons of emails with the city's best hidden gems. Jeffrey Bützer is a multi-instrumentalist notorious for blessing my inbox and leaving behind pieces reflective of Atlanta's greatest current musicianship.

Under many band names - West End Hotel, Midwives, The Compartmentalizationalists, and The Bicycle Eaters - Bützer is one man of many genres and a wide variety of compositions in his holster. His last release with Claire Lodge called Past Wanstead Flats exemplified his ability to make life - however long the album may seem - aurally feel like a movie (click the title to see the story I wrote about it for AOL to see what I mean). Bützer is showing no signs of slowing down, with a few more releases coming soon this year. Although cinema is his major influence, he is so much more than a guy who can make a mean film score. I spoke with him about his new solo release, an untitled box set with compositions from a toy piano unofficially called "the Toy Pop Box," and just a general idea of what's been up with the composer.

Instead of asking this question generically, I’ll give it a little twist. What words best describe your sound?

For the bulk of my music I would say, minimal, French, cinematic, I hope.

I would like to talk about this album you are working on, the toy piano project.

I actually have three things coming out back to back to back. In short, the first is a soundtrack I made last year. It will be a three-inch CD through Lona Records. Then a seven-inch is coming with my full band The Bicycle Eaters, and then the Toy Pop album will be part of a boxed set, both via AcidsoXX Records.

So how is the toy piano project going to sound? How is this gonna be different from the last album you did w/ Claire?

I play guitar with Claire, accordion piano and things with bicycle eaters, but the Toy Pop Box is closer to my solo albums. It is a mini album, so I'm going for a more minimal sound. 

Do you play toy piano, and how long have you played it?

I bought my first toy piano in 2003. I wanted a lighter sound on my first record to double some accordion and organ lines. I had heard mostly Rob Burger, of Tin Hat Trio, play them.

What other elements of your musicianship are in your album?

This mini album is for a toy boxed set. So it is mostly toy piano, toy accordion and other toy instruments. But there is some piano, guitar and other things. Unlike my recent recordings, I am playing everything on this album.

When is this album coming out?

I'm not sure about the release date. AcidsoXX is waiting on some artists to finish their albums.

What do you plan on doing next as far as making music is concerned?

I am doing a live score to Buster Keaton's film The Balloonatic at the Drunken Unicorn on May 28. The score has bits and pieces from the album - it's sort of a collage score. I also just finished a seven inch with The Bicycle Eaters, and myself and Claire Lodge have a new set of songs we are recording with The Compartmentalizationalists.