Soul Reasoning: The Drunk Test...

Now, let me just put this out there. I am not Swappi's biggest fan. The laundry list of issues I have with him could well be a post all of its own. That being said, when I first heard "Bubble On A DJ", my ears perked up. It sounded like hot mess, yes, but did it pass The Drunk Test? In short, when drunk, could I see myself wining in ways that would make Mama Bear (a) disown me, and (b) send me to sleep on the couch due to indiscreet behaviour whilst wining???

You tell me...

Quickie Reasonings, Vol. 3…

 

1. Christmas, for the 6th consecutive year, sucks. Hard…

2. I have a dread cuss out to get from…Spotty Cuss

3. I have become very adept at rolling with the punches. It would be appreciated if there were less haymakers and more speculative jabs to roll with…

4. I’m sticking on developing my writing skills. If I play this right, I may have the opportunity to make money doing something I love…

5. I am really missing Mama Bear. Bad…

6. Points 1 and 5 are definitely related…

7. Carnival needs to hurry up…

More phone pic fun...

If I had a better eye for material, I would actually be more into this photography thing. Alas, playing around with my iPhone will have to do.

In Blackest Night...

It's the things like this make me love my fam...

The Lil Things

Sometimes, it's the lil things that give us the greatest sense of peace of mind and tranquility. Like changing the colour of my room.

(Btw, have I mentioned that I love the camera on my iPhone???)

Shots, shots, shots...

Photography will never be my thing, but I thought this made for a pretty cool shot at the Central Market this morning. One of the spice vendors we frequent had her baskets out, and this was the effect:

A New Chapter Begins...

It's official...

Lord, give me the strength, energy, drive and creativity to see this thru to the very end, and not fuck it up...

Amen.

Welcome, Triniyute!

Soul Reasonings: Carnival Jumbie

Trust The Hurricane to pull me out of semi-retirement.

In case you haven’t heard, I have been asked to do some guest pieces for the Carnival blog/site Trinidad Carnivals. The site is a new entry into the Carnival coverage scene, and is run by The Hurricane, aka Maria Lopez, aka *whap*, OWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!! (she’s really trying to stay on the low). Anyway, our agreement was I do 2 guest articles for the site and, depending on how those 2 articles are received, we’ll discuss my becoming a regular contributor.

Well, I wrote the 2 pieces. The first was a simple narrative, based on my experiences on Carnival Tuesdays over the years (this got split into 2 parts). The second was a review of a mas camp that myself and partners-in-crime, Shello and Lylos, visited. I wrote my ass off, submitted the 2 pieces, and proceeded to grab my bottle of Patron, some grapefruit juice (needed chaser), and cower in the darkest corner I could find to await Armageddon (aka The Phone Call).

So, what happened? It appears that I will be having a discussion with The Hurricane regarding my becoming a regular contributor to the site. And all I can say is thank you. People have always told me that I have a talent for writing, but if you know me, you know I never believe my own hype. So in short, I am incredibly honoured and humbled, and I hope to raise the quality of my writing, so that I never disappoint anyone who may happen across my work. 

Thanks a lot, once again to The Hurricane, for dragging my ass off the couch, and to everyone who took the time to read my work.

Chad, aka Triniyute, aka Soul Reasoner…

P.S. The two articles are linked in the posts below.

Special Assignment: Terrific Tuesdays: Tales of Mas, Mayhem, and How to lose a Band in 5 Minutes Part 1

The second post for Trinidad Carnivals. Part 2 to follow next Tuesday...

Terrific Tuesdays: Tales of Mas, Mayhem, and How to lose a Band in 5 Minutes Part 1

Special Assignment: Trinidad Carnivals Mas Camp Tour 2012: Oasis Carnival

So, I have started to d some guest articles for the good folk at Trinidadcarnivals.com.

This first post was a simple review of Oasis Carnival's mas camp. I have a longer one that should be up and running by tomorrow morning.

Wish me luck...

Trinidad Carnivals Mas Camp Tour 2012: Oasis Carnival

Music Challenge Day 3: The Oldest Song You Love…

Billie Holiday – Strange Fruit
I won’t sully this with an intro. The song itself says enough, and trumps anything I could possibly ever think to put here.
Ladies and Gents, Ms. Billie Holiday…

Music Challenge Day 2: Favourite Cover Song…

D’Angelo – Cruisin’
This category was actually much easier than I expected. I honestly thought that it would turn out to be a dogfight between a couple of worthy competitors, but in the end, one clear winner rose above the rest. The surprising thing, for me, is that with all the rampant sampling that is going on in music currently, there are very few actual covers existing in modern music today. Add to the fact that there tend to be multiple covers of 1 or 2 songs, and it’s apparent that something is clearly awry. (I’ll define “awry” in another post). While doing a cover is often deemed a tribute (in which case Stevie Wonder has to be the most tributed artist alive, cuz I found no less than 5 artists covering “As”, and yes, I made up “tributed”)), I actually consider covers a creative cop out (unless it’s an instrumental). I mean no disrespect, but the same thing that made you, the artist, love a song so much that you felt the need to sing it over, means that I am probably not going to like your version unless you really have a creative new spin on it (and I don’t mean just adjusting the tone and adding some adlibbing on the high notes). It is going to sound like you were lazy, and added the track to your album as filler. And nothing stands out more glaringly than a filler track, into which a previous artist put their heart and soul. With that being said, I suggest going back and listening to Smokey Robinson’s original version of “Cruisin”. Savour it. It is a classic ballad. From concept to conceptualization, Smokey laid down a track that ensured it would live for the ages. Then, 16 years later, D’Angelo did the impossible. He topped the original.
I know that the D’Angelo cover is nowhere near as popular as the original. I know that the classicists are going to try to have me committed. But the neo-soul take on the melody adds something to the original. It breathes fresh air into it. Be it the slowed tempo, the additional breaks, or just the smoky-silky-smooth, jazz café styling that is added to the song. When you compare them, this is an entirely different beast: familiar, yet new. Timeless and treasured, yet edgy and daring. D’Angelo took what was largely a squeaky clean love song, and turned it into something way more visceral and sensual. And goddammit, the shit worked. There is a dimension to the song now, which is unmistakable. D’Angelo effectively pulled off the single most difficult trick in the musical book. He took the mould, but he didn’t break it. He simply reshaped it. And when he was done, what was left was a work of art carrying all the hallmarks of the original piece, yet now garnished with the detailed work of a fresh and inspired perspective. If more artists would learn that skill then maybe, just maybe, I wouldn’t have to shake my head every time I hear a cover.

Soul Sounds…The Music Challenge: Day 1

 

Music Challenge: Day 1

Welcome to the 30-Day Music Challenge!!!!! No, seriously!!!! 30 days!!!! All music!!!!! All the time!!!!!

In a more serious, less 80’s era themed, radio jock inspired introduction, The Music Challenge is a piece of fb idleness that a very good friend either found or created. And taking into account my very deep-seated obsession with most things musical, I decided to pick it up. The premise is simple. There is a musical theme for each day of the challenge and you simply post the song that best matches that theme in your fb status for the day. Simple enough right? Well, it’s coming along ok enough, though I am only on day 3, and have yet to hit “Song you love by an artist you hate.” (Hint: the artist’s name is a moniker for anyone under the legal age of adulthood). That wasn’t enough however, so I decided to add a little more of a personalized touch to it. So, here we go:

Each song that I post on my fb account, I will repost here with a bit more “information” ( for lack of a better term), describing why I chose the song, and what it means to me. Because after a 5 month hiatus, I am finding that writers block can be a bitch. And I think this is a good way to get back into a slow and steady writing rhythm. And I love music. And I’m a lil bored in work. And, most importantly, because I can...

Music Challenge Day 1: Favourite song with a colour in the title

Lupe Fiasco – All Black Everything

I have to admit that not much thought went into today’s selection, and laziness had nothing to do with it. It is a well known fact that I am a Lupe-phile (read: expect a lot more Lupe in this list). It has been a long time (Public Enemy being the last truly notable example, in my humble opinion), since a rapper has decided to hit hard with lyricism that aspires to be more than its apparent archetype. Putting together words that rhyme, in clichés that make word “clichéd” seem fresh, using a rapid spit style seems to be the name of the game currently. It’s very rare to hear a song that truly rises to the heights of the art form. True wordsmiths are becoming increasingly rarer. This is why Lupe stands out. He may not be the most talented emcee to ever grace the game, but his ability to weave a tapestry and tell a story, (so eerily reminiscent of Biggie), is captivating. This all combined to “All Black Everything” the hands down choice.

I am not going to lie and say that Trinidad has always been a paradise of tranquillity and racial harmony. There has always been an ugly underbelly that exists to our rainbow society. From the conspiracy theories I grew up hearing about the Syrian community and their influence in organized crime, to the time I heard an 8 year old African girl call a similar aged Indian girl a “flat bottomed Indian”, to the time my mom came home and recounted the story of her co-worker bursting into tears one Monday morning. Because he was Indian, had invited his predominantly African co-workers (my mom included) home for a Sunday lunch over the weekend, only for his mother to throw out all of the silverware after his co-workers left, saying the silverware was now “spoiled”. Yet, none of that matches the cauldron that is simmering right now. I am not naïve. I do not expect harmony over night. Yet, I should not feel uncomfortable going into a restaurant with my girlfriend, who is Indian by the way, because the girl working the counter is watching us with unabashed scorn, and then refuses to address her (true story). Until the day comes when none of that nonsense matters though, I guess the world in “All Black Everything” will have to do…