Reggae Icons 06 Show at the Crossroads in MD

pictures coming soon.

BIG thanks to DIA, Crossroads--- , and all the artists there tonight... especially Lady Ann who introduced me to Yellowman, Shabba Ranks, Sister Charmaine, etc.. BIG THANKS and Nuff Respect!!

check out Crossroads upcoming show listings! another big one coming in September!

If Music Could Talk- anti war show- fighting ignorance and brutality with music PART 2

PODCAST LINK HERE

Here's a link to a cool article on the Common Dreams website (thanks JaeJae!)

Twilight of Empire

from the description at Perceval Press:
"Now that the Bush administration's occupation of Iraq has become more about enforcing the economic and political objectives of a corporate elite and less about disarming a dictator that used to be an American ally and had nothing to do with the tragedies of 9/11, a spirited and informed analysis of the conflagration -- and its various casualties -- is needed more than ever. Twilight of Empire fulfills that growing hunger for desperately needed on-the-ground truth and context far from the talking-head misinformation offered by conventional media outlets. "

i was searching for some alternatives to the mass media take on current affairs... so i just read the first 1/4 of this book. the book is available (along with some previews of the pages) here (or at your favorite local book store hopefully) (thanks sis! what a valuable gift this turned out to be!)

This week's show "If music could talk"

PODCAST LINK

thanks for listening!!

(these links to radio4all have gone down for a short period of time-if the link doesnt work, pls check back soon)

Pangaea Lounge - 7/13/06

part 1 of the podcast from last night's Pangaea Lounge at Cafe Gutenberg starts with a minute and a half of silence...00:01:28 I hope that doesnt make you give up too soon.. the rest of the podcast file contains my favorite songs and rhythms from all over the world! (some volume fluctuations this time too- it is a live gig.. so some parts are quieter than others)

Pangaea Lounge happens once a month, on the SECOND Thursday of the month. Thanks to everyone who showed up! See you next time!

WTF?

will someone please send me back to my "Politics of the Middle East" class that i was enrolled in in college? I am really confused... how did things get so f-ed up and how did "WE" get in this predicament? (i think we actually helped start it, along with "great" britain.. drawing maps, pitting leaders against eachother.. choosing sides, then switching.... but nevertheless ) is there a way to make sense of this? does the answer lie somewhere in recent history? or is it as senseless as road rage, this recent eruption of violence in the Middle East. how do you choose sides where are our loyalties in this conflict? is it oil? is it justice? is it "human rights" ? ? is it some fued thats been fed with dishonesty and excuses for years and years?

Pangaea Lounge- Tomorrow night at Cafe Gutenberg!!

Check it out!! My monthly dj gig at Cafe Gutenberg is tomorrow night! please spread the word if you feel so inclined... see you at the Pangaea Lounge!

If Music Could Talk

This week's show: PODCAST LINK
enjoy!

and dont forget, Pangaea Lounge is on Thursday at Cafe Gutenberg!

Neil Young's new album

get it here

it's genius! just read the song titles

US Soldiers charged with rape and murder

Link

and more on Haditha

textimagepoem Andrew Topel Steve Dalachinsky Ralph Eaton STACEAL Jukka Pekka Kervinen Jacob bensen Peter Ganick john m. bennett Jim Leftwich et al..

click here for textimagepoem

i'll be featuring steve dalachinsky,
his poetry
and his voice
on the show
if music CoUld TalK
soon



7-9Pm Eastern Time on sundays
www.wrir.org
listen online

Steve Dalachinsky has also just released a new book available now

spinning the web

the previous post ("the media worships violence") seems now to me, after discussing with friends about this particular media phenomenon of showing a "fresh kill with a bloody nose" all over the news.. to me, its just part of my frustration against the cluttered and tasteless news delivery styles of the media -- specifically on the internet, things are in such a jumble... you hear about a tsunami, flood, or horrible massacre, and then they're telling you about the SUPER BOWL in the next link... this format is disorienting... and so "A.D.D." -- which is another myth invented to sell more drugs... but ok, so maybe the army used Zarqawi as an example to all the thugs planning acts of violence against the US? .... are they trying to say that they really can fight that "clean" war they boasted about at the start? after all the mistakes and recent f-ups? whatever you believe... i still think the news is tabloid... and its based more on ratings than anything else... they pick the most glamorous and terrifying things to make the headlines-- but this sort of media draws our attention in a million different directions... ("shock and awe" haha ) and we get so diffused and cluttered that we dont know whats really happening anymore... so all im saying is.. if you dont make an active effort to filter this mess--- whatever "filter" you are using--- then you wont ever take action or speak out about ANYTHING...you'll just keep browsing, surfing, changing channels, confused and complacent, wondering when the next version of X box is coming out...

Independence Day (SAY SOMETHING!!!!!!!)

im thankful for my right to free speech.... so i have wanted to say this for a while... please, you good citizens and fellow country-men and women of America, Impeach Bush!
And get our priorities back in order and stop letting the corporations run the country... we need to make some serious changes in the way we waste energy, human lives, and take our own "freedom" for granted...
we need to start doing some positive things to show the world that we arent ALL idiots.. exercise your rights!! and if i get pegged as "unamerican" for saying this--- well, like those annoying smiley face ads say.. "bite me" ok. im done with the soapbox...

PERSEPOLIS

children can be so honest... so why not write a children's book for adults about growing up in Iran?
the story, a three volume series, will give you some perspective on what the people in Iran (and Iraq) have been through in recent years... through the eyes of someone who lived it - Marjane Satrapi (picture below)
My friend Chris says "its more informative than anything I think I've ever read about the Middle East" - specifically IRAN. It's a comic book in black and white called PERSEPOLIS. Buy this book here. Thanks to Ben for lending me Vol 1 and 2 which i read in two days while in NYC last month.

the media worships violence (and stupidity)

those people at MSN really know how to fill a page... it's organized in a way that puts Paris Hilton right up there with Global warming on the news priorities list... anyway, im being sarcastic below--- but its basically the underlying message i get from alot of this crap
today's horror scope: [+] floods, massacres, bombings, and executions!
shop aholic? dont worry, theyre building a new wal mart on your favorite undeveloped patch of dirt! goodbye native wildflowers, hello plastic and pavement!!
is your boyfriend a cheater?
(how about your president? or boss? or local city council representative? )
job interview tips- forget your dreams... COMPROMISE and settle for less!! or...
join the army! or should you just wait for them to start the draft again?
* global warming blah blah who cares ? silly hippy!! the oil companies dont!
what about hemp for fuel? hey, who needs those mountains in appalachia anyway!?! hooray for coal mines and erosion!!hooray for oil and all the blood that's shed over it. hooray for corporate favoritism! rah rah rah!
and cant forget those new "smilie face" ads all over the internet that blare " you make me blush" , "say something!!" or..." bite me! " through your computer speakers...turn that OFF please!! is this a new form of mass torture?! well, it hurts! oh, and heres some other "news" - recent killing of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. "We" love revenge dont "we"? or is this "proof" that our mission is sane and our armed forces are "competent" after the recent war crimes they have committed?

pasting pictures of dead men all over the news... a shameless war this is.. and the media just loves it... its better than american idol even!

music from egypt and tunisia

i've recently archived these cassettes and given fresh clean CD copies back to the original owner...truly awesome and stirring live concert recordings from Egypt and Tunisia!!! cassette tapes are so fragile... now theyre digitized! and according to him, there are many more to come! some are even apparently on old school reel to reel!!

If Music Could Talk - last Sunday night

more info and setlists soon (for the past two shows)
here's last Sunday's show PODCAST LINK