L'episodio di oggi e' dedicato ad Erykah Badu ed al suo nuovo album “New Amerykah Part One (4th
World War)”. Certo, per motivi che gia' sapete non potro' diffondere ad onde libere la sua musica. Ma nessuno mi vieta di parlarne e poi di raccontare, attraverso aneddoti d'interviste ed il documentario "Before The Music Dies", il percorso dell'artista piu' ecclettica e trasversale della musica soul!
Mentre ascoltate tenete d'occhio il sito per titoli, nomi, artisti e tutto il resto che ho compilato poco fa.
Ah rispondo ad un mucchio d'ascoltatori attivi sul Myspace (3): si, sono io quella che "parla" e sono io che faccio da regia!
What else? Mi scrivo quello che devo dire, ma non leggo quasi mai!
Dall'inizio alla fine... Blazin' The Official Soul/rnb podcast in Italy! Qui su funnypodcast.podshow.com!
01 - presto - relax your mind instrumentals
02 - havana - shine
03 - soulride - mr radio
04 - K- Hill - Still Got Luv 4 U
05 - Drag Wan - io sono colui che mi si crede
06 - Karme - evasioni prevedibili
07 - Presto - trip to brazil
08 - Dj Spinna feat Ndea Davenport - where's the love
09 - Direct Drive - time machine
10 - Lim Jeong Hee - music is my life
11 - Sol Uprising - Don't Ignore Me
12 - bray - manufactured atmosphere
13 - special generation - love me just for me
14 - natalie williams - yours truly
15 - lizz fields - silent simphony
In questo documentario "Before The Music Dies", si racconta di come parte della musica sia morta, a sostituzione dei piu' semplificati congegni tecnologici. Invece, nello spezzone sopra, si tratta del sistema radiofonico americano che detiene la maggior parte del suo mercato per distribuire prodotti (essendoci dei format venduti al miglior offerente). Personalmente sono convinta che ci siano sempre delle possibilita', basta avere una mente lungimirante. E come dice Erykah Badu "bisogna diventare imprenditori di se' stessi". Per questo e molti altri motivi, le persone scelgono sempre piu' la rete perche' offre una risposta che nei canali ufficiali non c'e': semplice, diretta, autentica, autonoma e fonte di riguardo dei media tradizionali. Non e' un caso che oggi la tv e la radio hanno utilizzato questo responso sul net riprogrammando i loro show e pescando dalla rete talenti. Questo metodo e' per stare sul mercato, non perche' stiano fallendo, ma perche' se non lo fanno possono fallire. Erykah Badu e molti altri musicisti, per i quali e' necessaria la preparazione autentica per fare la loro arte, ne hanno discusso suscitando in me risposte (che per altro gia' sapevo) ed un incoraggiamento in piu' per prendere atto che nel grande (grazie a questi personaggi come Erykah Badu, The Roots, Mos Def...ecc) si puo' fare qualcosa per fare bene, per diffondere della musica e non dei prodotti. Ed anche noi indipendenti d'ultima linea possiamo lavorare tranquillamente sapendo di far emergere la qualita'. Un flusso positivo per la musica. Finche e' cosi non muore niente!
Sy Smith esce con il nuovo album "conflict". Lei per me e' un grande esempio della musica odierna. Pubblico sotto quest' 'intervista di Tom Paul tratta da SoulTracks che ci aiuta meglio a conoscerla.
L'intervista e' in americano, ma comprensibile!
TP: You are considered one of the pioneers of the
Indie Soul movement before the phrase was ever coined. Now that you are
releasing your new Solo project "Conflict", how do you view the growth
of the Indie Soul movement over the years?
SS: I didn't realize that I am considered one of the pioneers
of the Indie Soul movement! When I started taking control of my music
career, it was mainly out of necessity (the mother of invention). I
figured out that the only way the public would be able to hear my music
was if I released it on my own. Everything just blossomed from there.
I am proud of other recording artists/producers/musicians for taking
their dreams into their own hands. It makes me proud that together
with the listening audience, we created a demand for a specific type of
venue/format/style and then we supplied that demand. We created a
demand for CHOICE. Thinking people like to have choices, they don't
want to be spoon-fed. I believe that the indie soul movement is a
movement for thinking people. The growth of the movement is directly
related to the expansion of people's minds, and for that I am truly
excited! I'm always happy when more people are thinking instead of
sleep-walking. Ya know? So I guess it's nice to know that some folks
consider me to be amongst the leaders in that movement.
TP: Tell me about your newest release "Conflict"? Did you produce this yourself? Co-Produce?
SS: I exec produced "Conflict". I saw over all of my own
recordings, wrote the lyrics to every tune (except the Minnie reprise),
sometimes co-wrote music too, put together certain musicians for
certain sessions, hand-picked tracks/producers that I wanted to work
with... etc. Even the photo shoot for the artwork, I spear-headed. I
typed all the liner notes, credits, and walked all of the materials
into Discmakers for manufacturing. It was SO MUCH WORK! And quite
expensive. But I think it will pay off. I'm so happy with the
finished project! Conflict is my baby right now. My favorite child!
TP: Do you find yourself working with specific group
of musicians that you are comfortable with on your project? Or do you
like to bring in different musicians that bring various elements to
your sound?
SS: I treat every song differently. So I choose the musicians
depending on what I'm doing. Also, there are times when I'll just have
a sound in my head, but not a whole song per se. So I'll call the
musicians who fit the sound in my head AND who will compliment each
other. We'll go in the studio and just vibe on the description of what
I'm feeling. Then that feeling will evolve into a song.
TP: With you being such an in-demand backup singer for
touring/television appearances, commercials and writing for film, how
do you fit in time for your own art?
SS: I don't make time for my art. My art makes time for me.
My art forces its way into my life, whether or not I summon it. I
write because I have to. I sing because I have to. I make music
because I must. I'm like Bed-stuy. I gotta do it or die.
TP: How long have you been singing backups on American
Idol? What is the band schedule like when you tape American Idol? Do
you have X rehearsal time during the week with the band working out the
arrangements and then rehearse with the contestants? I guess what I'm
saying is what is a typical day like schedule wise?
SS: I've been part of the live orchestra since Season 4.
American Idol didn't have live music prior to that. Ooooh weeeee, the
band schedule... Well, it usually commences with us rehearsing the top
24 contestants' songs on Saturday and Sunday. When we rehearse, the
other two backing vocals and I isolate ourselves somewhere and learn
the tunes/arrangements using both the charts provided and our ears
(many times, vocal inflections and subtleties can't be charted, so we
have to rely on our ears as much as anything). Then we come together
with the band and run the tunes before lunch. After lunch, the
contestants join the band and we run their tunes until each contestant
is comfortable. Usually 2-4 times. Sometimes we make adjustments like
changing the key, or alter the endings, etc. Rickey Minor, our music
director, is extremely good at helping the contestants feel comfortable
as they are under so much stress. Then on Monday we run the show for
the top 12 males (or females) and then film it. It airs on Tuesday.
Then Tuesday we run the show for the opposite gender's top 12 and tape
the show. It airs on Wednesday. Then Thursday the results show goes
live. When we get down to the top 12 contestants, we rehearse the
tunes on Monday, then the shows are live on Tuesday and Wednesday. The
days go anywhere from 8-10 hours. Oh yeah, on Sundays when we get down
to the top 12, we record full-length versions of the contestants' songs
at Capitol Records recording studios.
Are you tired yet? LOL!
TP: How do you apply your degree in Psychology from
Howard University into the lyrics you write? You must feel like you
have a playground to work with lyrically with that knowledge stored in
your mind?
SS: I don't know that I consciously apply my knowledge of
psychology into my music or lyrics. At least, not anymore than anyone
else does. We all use psychology in everything we do I'm sure, only
difference is I know the terminology that goes along with it. I do
feel like I have a playground to work with lyrically though, but that's
probably because I read ALL THE TIME. I read so many books, it's
pretty crazy. If I have to fly somewhere and I don't have a book to
read on the plane, I break my neck getting to a book store the night
before the flight. I was also a copy editor at Howard's newspaper, so
I've become a bit of a grammarian too. Ha ha! Imagine that...
TP: How many instruments do you play besides your voice?
SS: I play piano. That's pretty much it.
TP: When was the last time you sat down to play
classical piano for yourself? It must be a great relaxing escape when
you find that time?
SS: I haven't done that in a long time. I should though. It
would be easier if I had some of my old books to play from... Bach was
one of my favorites to play, so if I could get my old Bach book,
playing would be a nice escape for me. My boyfriend plays classical
piano and I enjoy listening to him from time to time. He plays Debussy
really well, kinda romantic right?
TP: When you are ready to produce one of your songs do
you go into the studio with a set idea of the arrangement? Or do you
let the flow of musicians take it to another place?
SS: Sometimes I have a specific arrangement in my head, but I
don't get married to anything before I get into the studio. I don't
really sing out loud until I get to a microphone, so many times I write
the songs in my head and don't hear them out loud until I get into a
studio. I just recently started demo-ing my own song ideas in
Garageband, which is a very cool tool for working out songs. But
before that, I'd let a song stay in my head and wouldn't sing it for
anybody until I got into the studio. The studio is like a birthing
place for the songs for me... The songs are in me until I get to the
studio, but I won't really get to see how they'll turn out until I
record them. In the same way that people might know that they're
having a boy or a girl, but they won't know what the kid looks like
until it's born.
TP: I love the futuristic sound of your production,
where do those inflections inspire from? Specific musicians? Specific
Records that influenced you? Producers?
SS: I'm a noisemaker. I like listening to noises too. So I'm
inspired by lots of things including music but also sounds in nature,
sounds of the city, rhythms in everyday things like the coffee grinder,
windshield wipers, cordless toothbrushes... haha! Of course, I've been
influenced by lots synth-based music (like some of the late 70s Stevie
Wonder material), but I've always been tuned in to beat-driven stuff
like The Art Of Noise, Portishead, and mostly all hip-hop of the 80s
and early 90s. I also love soulful house music, especially that out of
Chicago, Detroit and Baltimore. The more I answer the question, the
more influences come to mind... Specific albums that have hit me
particularly hard include Prince's "For You", Take 6's first album
(self-titled), Tribe's "People's Instinctive Travels..." and "Low End
Theory", De La Soul's "3 Feet High & Rising" and "De La Soul Is
Dead", Beastie Boys' "Licensed To Ill", Chaka Khan & Rufus'
"Stomping At The Savoy", Chuck Brown & The Soul Searchers "Best
Of...", Rare Essence's "Live at Breeze's Metro Club", John Coltrane's
"Giant Steps" and "My Favorite Things", Patrice Rushen's "Best Of..."
Brainstorm's "Journey To The Light" - Oh my God! So many to name!!
Ali Shaheed is one of my favorite producers (and one of my favorite
people), I love DJ Premier and Pete Rock too. Jimmy Jam & Terry
Lewis to me are the best production team ever to have walked the earth.
Rich Harrison is also a wonderfully-talented producer. I also love
the orchestral arrangements of Clare Fischer. Jeez, I almost forgot to
mention everything Michael Jackson has ever done. I'm trippin'.
TP: Name 3 artists that you'd like to go out on the
road with that you have not toured with and why? What do they bring
musically that excites you?
SS: I'd love to tour with Sting - he's amazing, constantly
evolving, the perpetual student. I'd love to tour with Prince because
he's so damn funky! Just when you think he can't get no funkier, he
funks harder! I love that! Those two names come to mind immediately.
Hmmmm, let me think of a third one... I'd love to sing with Michael
Jackson, but can he even sing anymore? It seems like singing would be
hard to do with all of your orifices damn-near sewn shut. But in my
dreams, I see Michael Jackson and a very small band, maybe drums, keys,
guitar, bass, percussion... maybe even 3 horns and 3 BGVs (okay, that's
not such a small band anymore) touring venues like House Of Blues, or
9:30 Club (in DC) and singing stuff from Off The Wall, Thriller,
Destiny, Triumph, etc... Wouldn't that be the bomb??
TP: What was the last few recordings you purchased? What made you want to buy those recordings?
Little Dragon. Love the way her voice sounds, love the songs
and the subjects. I also bought "Stevie Wonder presents Syreeta" - my
voice has been compared to her so much that I needed to hear a full
album and see what the fuss was about. I like the way her voice makes
me feel and I like that particular album a lot. I also recently
purchased Mitch Hedberg's "Mitch Hedberg Together". He was a really
funny, extremely talented comedian who died before his time. If you
like comedy, I highly recommend getting this from iTunes or wherever
you can find it!
TP: Are you working on any new projects outside of your own work that you can tell us about?
SS: Mark Whitfield (jazz guitarist and happens to be my cousin)
has a Stevie tribute project that I worked on, it's really nice! I
have another CD that's in my head at the moment, it'll probably be
coming to fruition before the end of the year. I won't say much about
it, but I will tell you that it might be categorized as jazz. MIGHT be.
TP: With your busy schedule, when you do find time to
write new material? Do you have a production team that you work with?
Or do you prefer to work with various people?
SS: I don't really force songs. When they come to me, I write
'em down. Kinda like I said earlier, art finds time for me. If a song
comes to me though, I like to record it almost immediately. I don't
like sitting on ideas at all!
TP: How hands on are you the music business end of
your own projects? Do you have your own label? Are you doing the PR,
Marketing, arranging the Street Teams, setting up the shows? Or do you
have a management/label team that assists with these duties?
SS: I'm so hands-on, it makes no sense at all! LOL! I handle
almost everything that needs to be handled. I also have my good friend
Pattie Howard who handles my booking, stage and production management,
and general organization. I've also forged a new distribution deal
with MDI Distribution, so my products will be more accessible and in
most retail stores. (For Japan, Daryl Cura at Mahasa Music is the
distributor). For that I'm truly grateful because it was becoming a
pain in the neck packing boxes with CDs and going to the post office
every other day! Ha ha! I did get to know some of the postal
employees very well though, so now I can jump the line and act like I
was there earlier... hee hee! (Maybe I shouldn't have told you that...)
When it comes to shows, I pretty much conceptualize the set
myself. Sometimes it's agonizing, because unlike most major artists
who do the same show until they release a new record, I like to change
up every show. It's only fair to the folks who come out, because
nobody really wants to see the exact same set twice. So I'll jot (or
type) set list ideas and gradually come up with a set I'm happy with.
I'll e-mail the set to my music director or my band (in L.A. I don't
have a set music director but in DC I have Dre King as my MD). Then
the band comes together for one or two rehearsals. We tighten up
material that we already know and then we spend more time on new tunes.
We'll run the show one or two times and the next day or so, we hit.
On stage, I'm still not married to the set list and will often add to
or delete from the set list. Even when we shot my live DVD "Worship At
The Temple", I think I skipped a song on the set list... I'm kind of
notorious for doing that.
As for a street team, I don't have one that I know of... Maybe
someone reading this will start one in his/her city. Matthew Daniel www.myspace.com/soulismspris
doing publicity for me in the UK and beyond. He's a soul music
enthusiast in every way! My mom handles fan club from her home in
Tennessee. She's the best!
TP: Name some Indie artists in any genre that really move you live when you've heard them perform?
SS: I love Omar live (is he an indie artist?). I absolutely
love hearing Stokely of Mint Condition! I like going to Eric
Roberson's shows when I can. His songs read so well live. There's a
band in L.A. called the Boogaloo Assassins, kind of a cuban-mambo type
band. I like hearing them play a lot. I like hearing Tortured Soul
live. I like going to hear the Oz Noy Trio, it's a jazz group sort of,
but I like them so much that I had to mention it.
TP: What artists, records or live concerts helped shape the sound of Sy Smith today?
SS: Can I copy and paste my answer from number 10? LOL! I'm
very much influenced by all things Michael. I love Prince and most
sounds that came out of Minneapolis during those days. I'm a b-girl at
heart, maybe I was a rapper in another life time or a break dancer.
I'm very much influenced by the golden era of hip-hop. I love the
intensity of Nina Simone and The Last Poets. I also like big band and
the light-hearted nature of some early Duke Ellington, Count Basie. I
love the timbre of the clarinet. I love bands with prominent horn
sections like Earth, Wind & Fire. Never realized how much I'm
influenced by Minnie Ripperton until recently when I started playing
around with my whistle tone... But when I listen to her placements and
her interpretation, I'm definitely inspired. I'm very much influenced
by all of the aforementioned things. I also like sunflowers and
pretty smiles.
TP: Thanks for your time and when is your next show and where?
Grazie a tutti per i vostri ascolti. Ragazzi... siamo internazionali! Siamo negli States, in Germania, in Svizzera... ecc ed e' una soddisfazione grazie anche a Networkstudio5. Uso il "siamo" perche' con me ci siete voi appassionati all'ascolto, almeno molti e poi ci sono quelli che ascoltano senza aspettarsi un particolare ritmo. E a tutti voi tengo perche' si formi una community (grazie ai forum e a programmi simili al mio) proprio come ce ne sono negli Usa e in altre parti del mondo. Perdonate quindi la mia ignoranza nel sottovalutare alcuni di voi, senza salutarvi cosi spesso e senza fare l'imbonitrice per catturarsi sempre i positivi consensi, non sono la tipa. Ben vengano critiche, commenti, appunti che accogliero' certamente in maniera diversa, purche' serva per farmi stare nel concreto e non rendere tutto cio' aleatorio. Cio' che vorrei catturare e' solo la musica e condividerla con chi la ama e la supporta dalla radice, dall'inizio alla fine.
Sotto, la copertina del nuovo lavoro di KafOne e FaraOne4, One.
Dall'inizio alla fine... Blazin' The Official Soul/rnb podcast in Italy! Qui su funnypodcast.podshow.com!
01 - soulride - riff to the smooth
02 - amber ojeda - all i need
03 - panacea - Colorful Storms
04 - Thoro - just a woman
05 - Kaf One/ FaraOne4 - Non basta mai (feat.Acbess & Rize)
06 - Big Tone - good ole days street
07 - Presto - Relax your Mind (Nobody Remix)
08 - Ryan Shaw - we got love
09 - Thoro - e lei ancora non mi risponde
10 - Souldavid - il solco
11 - lowd - love thing
12 - steve cole - curtis
13 - blackalicious - powers
14 - Alice Smith - dreams
15 - rosey - those eyes
16 - darrius - blissful
Anche quest' anno i cittadini, compresa me saranno chiamati alle urne. Votare ci permette di esprimere la nostra opinione, con la nostra coscienza. Confido ancora in questo mezzo, come so molti di voi con me. E' l'unico che ci spetta, purtoppo. E' l'unico per cambiare... Non vi diro' su chi si basera' la mia scelta, perche' e' personale. So che pretendo certamente di piu', ma intando confido.
1. Piu' informazione che porta a conoscere e a farsi una propria idea. L'informazione fatta da persone bipartisan che ci fanno sapere senza interessi cio' che succede.
2. Abolire il conflitto d'interesse.
3. Via i condannati in via definitiva dal parlamento!
4. Politica sociale: Istruzione e meritocrazia, sanita'.
Sapere porta alla consapevolezza di migliorarsi e di procedere...
Se volete scaricare l'mp3 iscrivetevi supodshow.compassando dal mio sito. Se invece volete abbonarvi al mio podcast, questo e'il mio feed!
Dall'inizio alla fine... Blazin' The Official Soul/rnb podcast in Italy! Qui su funnypodcast.podshow.com!
01 - Inverse - Til' The End (C.A.L.I.) feat. Trek Life & Deacon The Villain
02 - Dj Alibi - samba international
03 - Dee dee Sharp - ooh child
04 - D Houston, Kenn Starr, Dj Rob Swift, Kev Brown - so good
05 - Kero one - in all the wrong places
06 - Andreas weise - my soul
07 - James Brown - gut bucked
08 - Soulride - mr radio
09 - Dj K.O - best to do it
10 - Bing Ji ling - be here with you
11 - Tubbs - five day nights remix (Fat Freddys Drop)
12 - Kero One - the cycle repeat
13 - Jimmy Sommers - happy hour
14 - Tosca - chocolate Elvis ( boozoo bajou soul suffer version
15 - Hezekiah feat Eleon - my life
16 - Cynthia Lane - be you
17 - Randy Scott - breath
18 - Kero One - check the blueprints
