Brooklyn dream-boats, The So So Glos, are set to DJ three straight
nights at Arrow Bar!. Starting this evening, August 18th, catch the So So Glos DJ
Nite. There will probably be a lot of cigarette smoking, The
Replacement's sing-a-longs, and the breaking down of metaphysics
and how its applied to the current state of the music industry: theoretically speaking. Arrow Bar addy: 85 Avenue A between 5th and 6th! Stay up and get down with
us.
Posted by Ashley Rambo
rambo@greenowl.com
I got home to Brooklyn last Friday and Martín Perna was hanging out
on my couch. It was a welcome site -- I've been a fan of Martín's baritone
sax work since the early days of Antibalas, the Afrobeat orchestra
which he co-founded. When I saw him last week, Martín had been hanging
with Esau Mwamwaya (who was staying with me at the time); they were hitting it off, talking about
pirate radio and Peter Tosh. After a few guinesses, Martín went home and grabbed a few instruments for some impromptu music-making. He's a man of many horns, now recording with his
group called Ocote Soul Sounds and also playing live with his old
friends in TV on the Radio. In this Mugshot Monday exclusive, he
answered a few of our questions via email from his new home in
Nicaragua.
You and Esau were getting deep into pirate radio. Tell us the story of WJMZ, your former station in Brooklyn.
In early 1998 an artist named Zemi 17 put together a 20 watt
transmitter FM station together broadcasting on 89.3 in Williamsburg. I
met up with him through a mutual friend and got a show. At that time,
we were broadcasting out of his studio/loft/bedroom in a big industrial
building where each floor alternated between raw artists spaces and
sweatshops where Dominican women worked their fingers to the bone for
shady landlords/ We then moved to the basement of the building to our own cozy space,
and expanded our programming to Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday nights from
6 PM to 4AM or whenever we got tired. I was station manager one of
those nights, which meant that I would go up to the roof around 6, turn
on the transmitter, and keep an eye on things, then power down at the
end of the night. I also had a two hour show called the Antibalas show,
where I would play funk, jazz, and Latin music and some original
political diatribes.
I was teaching at El Puente Academy for Peace and Justice right up the
street from the station, and invited four students (two current, two
alums) to do a show on Tuesday mornings from 7-9 AM. The show ran for a
few weeks and it was during their program that the FCC agents
triangulated our signal and busted us. I was out moving my van when the
agent got into the studio. They wrote up a citation, then came back
with more agents an hour later. Our landlord, sympathetic to our cause,
led them on a wild goose chase in the building's stairwells "helping"
them find the transmitter while one of our guys ran up to the roof,
dismantled the antenna and transmitter, and spirited away all the
evidence.
At the end, they didn't have any hard proof on which to charge me so I
got off, but that was the end of WJMZ. We tried to relocate after that
to a spot in Greenpoint, but had a lot of technical difficulties and
couldn't find a suitable space from which to broadcast. The FCC bust
took the steam out of our movement. After that, we were invited by
STeal this Radio, a Lower East Side pirate station, to continue our
broadcasts, but they were busted too not long after we were. At that
time, the FCC was busting several stations all over NYC, Haitian and
Hasidic stations down in Crown Heights, and others all over the country.
How did Antibalas begin?
I was a session musician on the Daktaris "Soul Explosion" as well as
most of the other records produced by Desco ,the precursor to Daptone
Records, from 1996-2001. The Daktaris was just a studio album, but it
lit a fire in me to want to do Afrobeat live. At the time I was in
Sharon Jones and the Soul Providers (later the Dap Kings) and invited a
few musicians from that group as well as some other friends to play
some Afrobeat and Latin Funk compositions I had written for a group
which I called "Conjunto Antibalas."
Our first show was at Saint Nick's Pub on 149th and St Nicholas in
Harlem. Olu Dara was in the audience and congratulated us at the end of
the show. I took that as a good omen to continue. It's been over 11
years, 1000 shows, and thirty countries now.
When I last you saw you, you were wearing all white. What's that like?
Reflects negative energy from all around.
Year ago, you lived at NYU with Tunde Adibimpe from TV on the Radio and Gabriel Roth who started Daptone --
what's it been like to have grown parallel with such amazing artists? What happened in
that apartment that was a sign of the great things to come?
Tunde Adebimpe, Gabriel Roth, and I lived together on-and-off in
different apartments from 1995-2001, including 1997-1998 when we all
lived in the same loft in pre-gentrification Williamsburg. We all have
different aesthetics but shared a love of humor and music and are all
self-starters. It has been a joy to see their careers blossom as they
stay true to their hearts and do their stuff with maximum integrity. We
are very busy these days and are apart most of the time, so when we get
together, it is very sweet.
Talk to us a bit about biodiesel. I've heard a bit about your involvement in the industry.
In 2003 while playing with Antibalas at the Bonnaroo music festival, I
saw a schoolbus with a sticker saying "Powered by Vegetable Oil." That
blew my mind and about six months later I was driving down to Mexico
in an 1981 Mercedes Benz station wagon outfitted with a Greasecar
system, scooping nasty used veggie oil from restaurant dumpsters to
power my engine.
In 2005, my mom died and left me some money which I
invested in Tristate Biodiesel, a startup biodiesel company started by
a pirate radio colleage DJ Chrome aka Brent Baker. The company is up
and running now, and collecting waste veggie oil from over 2400
restaurants in NYC. Our biodiesel powered the generators that shot
lights into the air at the Ground Zero memorial last year. The
financial crisis has thwarted our efforts to raise more capital to
build a refinery in New York--one of the banks that was to invest in us
went under--but we are still working on it.
3 greatest bari-sax moments in music history
I don't know about music history, but I can tell you one of my
favorites--TV on the Radio at Hollywood Bowl, 2005. I put together a
horn section for the show--me, David Ralicke (Beck, Dengue Fever) and
Double G aka Geoff Gallegos (Breakestra, Dakah). For the song "Wrong
Way" we had three baritone saxes. It sounded like a rockabilly freight
train.
Rashied Ali passed away recently, tell us about the influence of free music on your style?
I won't lie--I am not that versed in that era of Coltrane and don't
have too much experience in "free music" or "free jazz." I appreciate
it on an intellectual and political level but as far as my own playing
I always have to feel some kind of structure, both melodic and
rhythmic. Melodic, usually the dorian or aeolian mode, and rhythmic
based on clave (either rumba or son clave or variations of the 6/8
clave).
If you could duet with anyone alive or dead?
Victor Jara (Chilean revolutionary folksinger)
What part of Fela's story / history is most relevant or reflective of your own story?
Fela grew up with exposure to international struggles through his
grandfather and his mother, and had the privilege to study abroad and
bring those experiences back to Nigeria. It took him a while, almost
ten years, to find his own unique musical voice, and from that point
there was no stopping him. My family in Mexico was very radical--they
had the first socialist bookstore in Mexico, DF and housed Trotsky
during part of his exile in Mexico before he was murdered. I have had a
similar trajectory in my life, ditching family hopes and expectations
for me to pursue music and find my own voice while trying to give voice
to the voiceless and to pay homage to heroes forgotten or overlooked.
At the same time I don't feel like I have fully fleshed out my own
musical sound or voice like Fela did.
Tell us about teaching. What have you learned most from your experiences as a teacher?
I taught high school electives and afterschool programs when I was in
my early 20s in Brooklyn and felt incredibly unprepared. My musical
career with Antibalas took off during that time so I followed that but
now I'm back to school myself, doing a Masters in Education. I hate the
structure of the public school system and feel like it is incredibly
stifling and makes a lot more kids hate learning than love learning.
Give us a rundown on a project that you have going on right now?
Passport (working title): A combination cultural arts passport/free
transit pass/library card and "social credit record" for the youth of
Austin, Texas. It aims to connect the dots between the cultural,
educational, and transportation infrastructure to create a learning web
for all students and a way for students to meet each other based on
shared, authentic interests in socially positive destinations.
When we last spoke you told me a bit about living in the country in
Nicaragua. As someone in a band who defined New York for so long,
what's it been like to leave the city for the country? Any photos of
your place out there you could send?
To me, New York as a creative crucible is over. I see it as a place
where I will always have a home, but the conditions there are so
anti-creative and soul-sucking. It's not to say that there are no
possibilities there, but the cost of living is so high, and I'm not
that interested in paying the cover charge.
I moved to Austin in 2005, where musicians can afford to own homes. I
grow about a third of my food there and keep chickens for eggs. I got
married to an incredible woman who is doing her PhD fieldwork in
Bluefields Nicaragua studying political participation of Black Creole
women on the Atlantic Coast. I am supporting her work and doing some of
my own, documenting Creole musical traditions with legends such as Sabu
the Cat Man and Mango Ghost, as well as producing and mentoring younger
singers such as Kila B, Papa Bantam, Kali Boom, Mad Angels, and Vatos
Locos through a studio/label called Bluefields Sound System (bluefieldsound.com).
What's the story of Ocote Soul? What's next for you guys?
I started recording under the name Ocote
Soul Sounds way back in 2002 to put out some of my own compositions
that didn't fit the Antibalas mold. My first 45 was put out by Bobbito
Garcia on his label Fondle Em/ Giant Step. I did shows every now and
then at Joe's Pub and a few other places but didn't push it too hard
because my energies and loyalties were still very much with Antibalas.
In 2004, on my way back from Mexico, my car broke down and I spent 17
days in Austin Texas, where I stayed at the home of Adrian Quesada of
Grupo Fantasma. We hit it off immediately and put our heads together.
We made an album during that time which we released as "Ocote Soul Sounds and Adrian Quesada" and have done two more since. We
self-released our first album and Adrian gave a copy to Thievery
Corporation. Three days later, we had a record deal with their label
ESL music and have put out two more records since, including our latest
"Coconut Rock." We are doing some touring these days and expanding the
sound quite a bit, moving from more of a studio project to a live one. (Ocote in the stream below)
Tell us a bit about your friends and loved ones. How do they inspire you creatively?
My friends in Antibalas and the Dap Kings have taught me almost
everything I know about music besides what I have learned from
listening to albums and I am extremely grateful to have spent so much
time with such talented, creative people. My friends are doing great
things--writing books, having kids, making great records and movies,
working in social movements and all of their efforts inspire me to keep
on pushing in my own life and to never give up.
Posted by Wills Glasspiegel
wills@greenowl.com
Somewhere on the Lower East Side in New York City next to a brightly lit Indian restaurant is a bodega that sells beers with owls on label. You can imagine my excitement once stumbling upon such a treasure. But alas, these brightly colored owl beers were $16 a pop! I had to know: where did these beauties come from? How can we get in on this $16/per a frothy bottle fantasy? How can we do a commercial for these genius brewers? After a drunken exchange of slurred words with the deli clerk, I left with my questions unanswered and a pain in my heart (of course, that pain was the residual ouch! left from the price tag). Magic blog audience I never see, do you know where these amazing brews come from? Email me the answer 1st and get some other owl goods. Stay up!
Posted by Ashley Rambo
rambo@greenowl.com
Last Friday at Pianos was a great Electro-acoustic extravaganza indeed. Our new favorite Philly bro's, Grandchildren, tore up the stage and dosed us with tracks off their EP Cold Warrior. There was gasping, extreme drumming, fortes and even a single tear or two. One particularly impressive feat by Grandchildren, was their ability to rotate instruments as if involved in a game of musical chairs. Not everyday you see a band that can trade instruments and proceed with ease and breeze; but these guys did it and did it well. After the set, excited fans and audience members congratulated the band on being so solid gold. If you didn't get your fix Friday at Pianos, or Saturday at Danger Danger Gallery in Philly, you can catch them at The Market Hotel on September 12th, in the dirty BK. Until then gang, stay up!
Starting on the good foot
They call him Hot Stuff Roman
Smart Alek
Dream-Boat Katz
Russell bam bam
Check out some boss photos of Friday's show done by Sean Patrick Flannigan
Posted by Ashley Rambo
rambo@greenowl.com
Posted by Wills Glasspiegel
wills@greenowl.com
More environmental art here on the Environmental Art Blog.
Posted by Wills Glasspiegel
wills@greenowl.com
Electric car pioneer and Better Place CEO, Shai Agassi takes his billion dollar idea to Australia. Full look from BUSINESSGREEN.COM.
Posted by Wills Glasspiegel
wills@greenowl.com
Poster by Life and Ashley Rambo
Come peep the goods gang! Philadelphia's Grandchildren are going to tear up Pianos with the harmonic, heart-felt, strumming and dreamy, melancholy melodies off their debut LP Cold Warrior. Fall in love, wallow in heartache, get drunk and talk to our friendly bros about them needing 18 outlets for their set! The possibilities are endless! See you there cool kids. Friday August, 14th, 8 PM. Stay up!
Posted by Ashley Rambo
rambo@greenowl.com
Asher Roth and the Roth Boys (above) had teamwork --- Brooklyn Crew with Kim of MATT + KIM had shouts of Ninja F***in Sonik, we are Sonik F***in Ninjas!!!
Yesterday, Converse hosted Band of Ballers -- the best 3 on 3 basketball tournament ever played on a half court in a sweaty youth center on Mulberry St in Manhattan. The day was hot, the girls were hotter, and Jim Jones and Family were NOT messing around. With more injuries than fouls called throughout the tournament, one would think this was street-ball, but everyone was in high spirits -- especially the BROOKLYN CREW featuring Theophilus London and Ninja Sonik!!! Brooklyn Crew made it past the Asher Roth and The Roth Boys to the semi-finals, where we went down to Jim Jones, who took out Mad Decent much earlier in the tournament. Fools Gold was so impressed by our team spirit that they asked us to root for them during their semi-final game versus Pac Div, claiming east coast comraderie, but then lost during a sudden death round. Announcements by Pete Rosenburg were energetic if not always sports informative and Jim Jones and Family came out on top over Pac Div in the finals, all I hope is that we all come back next year!!
Jim Jones and the Jones Family took the Trophy -- Brooklyn Crew took about 3 breaths total in between all their shouts and heckling. i'm hearing BROOOKLYYYYN in my sleep.
We can't wait for next year and I just want to say:
thanks Rosa Acosta for wearing BK's colors of the day. i <3 u, girl.
Posted by Vanessa Bronfman
vanessa@greenowl.com
Korean sculptor, Choi Xoo Ang creates ridiculously realistic human sculptures that embody the emotional and physical states of the human condition. In his second solo gallery, Choesuang Pieces, Xoo Ang depicts love, adolescence and the vegetative state. Yes, these are sculptures -- damn good ones obviously, none of that Paris Hilton House of Wax shite here. Checks it and stay up people.
In Between
The One
The Awkward Age
The Vegetative State
Posted by Ashley Rambo
rambo@greenowl.com
We mourn the recent death of Rashied Ali, one of the great emancipators of music. From his tenure with John Coltrane to decades of experiences at New York art enclaves like The Cooler, Ali set the music free. And within 24 hours of Les Paul's passing, we can only imagine these two giants walking down a long road together, two souls humming on toward heaven.
Posted by Wills Glasspiegel
wills@greenowl.com
Rest in peace, axeman.
Posted by Wills Glasspiegel
wills@greenowl.com
Banksy's run through the Bristol Museum is almost over. If you're in the UK, catch it before it closes on Aug. 31st.
Posted by Wills Glasspiegel
wills@greenowl.com
Shepard Fairey should give Obama an A+ in making him a rich bitch
In the most recent issue of Rolling Stone (1085) the iconic magazine's "National Affairs" section combines the thoughts of David Gergen, Paul Krugman, Michael Moore, RS staffers and the American people to complete President Barack Obama's report card on environmental strategies and execution. The report card breaks down the Obama Administration's efforts into categories: victories, blunders, real change, warning signs, gutsy moments, and issues still needing a good Obama Lashing. So here we go!
Victory: Secured authority in the Environmental Protection Agency so
that the Clean Air Act may actually be... well, self explanatory.
Blunder: Supported 3.4 billion stimulus spending for jam tomorrow research on carbon capture and sequestration.
Fo Real, Fo Real: Preserved 2 million acres of public land,
committed the U.S. to a treaty phasing out toxic mercury, revoked
Bush's drilling permits near national parks, beefed up regulatory
enforcement, funneled billions in stimulus spending to get-the-steppin
on the green economy.
Red Flags: Endorsed a House bill that "betrays campaign promise by giving
away carbon-pollution permits," didn't convince China or India to jump
on the global-plan-to-cut-greenhouse-emissions-in-half-by-2050
bandwagon.
Major Balls Moment: "Forced Detroit to boost fuel-economy standards
by more than 10 miles per gallon by 2016 - the greenhouse equivalent to
of shutting down 194 coal fired power plants."
Man Up To: Big Coal. Obama seems to be delusional about "clean coal"
along with, the EPA who granted 42 permits for mountaintop removal
mining.
Green Owls response: All in all, Mr. Obama has had some serious cleaning to do. Like moving into an old tweaker pad and having to clean it up yourself. Thus far, he's turning around Bush's mess quite nicely. What with his smooth swagger and composed persona, Obama is very capable of re-vamping America systematically, socially, and culturally; we need to give the guy a bit of time before we shout and throw empty AM/PM slushy cups at him. Stay up.
Posted by Ashley Rambo
rambo@greenowl.com
