“See the Light” – Green Day – Berlin – May 2009

I really hope that when Green Day puts out their next album, whenever that may be, that they and we can go back to “happier” times and lyrics, singing at breakneck speed about burning out, growing old, obsessive love, masturbation and pot… but… we’ll see.
-greendaymind

Why Green Day?

I’ve gotten the question of “Why Green Day?” so many times this year that I thought I should finally explain myself. My friends are a bit astounded at me for following Green Day intensely this year. They knew I was a fan but never knew how much of one I’d become. All I can really say is that it’s been one of those years and Green Day has gotten me through a rough season.

Green Day recently celebrated their 21st year together, but I’m a relatively new fan (read about that here, if you care) from the American Idiot era. It’s well-known among hardcore fans that their lyrics have spoken to fans for two decades now, but for me, this year has been the second time (during the latter Bush Administration being the first) in which Green Day helped me through a bad political and social time.

2005

Raphael Lemkin, Father of the Genocide Convention

Five years ago, I worked as an archivist at the American Jewish Historical Society. At the Society, we have a collection of archival materials written by a man of the name, Raphael Lemkin. Never heard of him? Don’t worry, you are not the only one. He coined the word genocide (Greek word genos, meaning tribe, and the Latin word cide, meaning to kill) in 1943/44 and was the first person to systematically write about a human condition which pops up more than we would like: the intent to destroy specific groups of humans by other groups of humans. There had been no word for this crime prior to this time, but there had been plenty of genocidal incidents before World War II (primary case in point: Armenia, 1915-1917).

Lemkin single-handedly pushed a major treaty through the United Nations in 1948, a document that he felt would be the beginning of the end of this disease that occasionally afflicts humans now named genocide, the United Nations Convention for the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide. Boy, was he wrong, but at least he tried. (Ok, he wasn’t wrong about the concept, just wrong that humans would do something about it if there was a law, a treaty, a will, a way…)

I was assigned to archive his papers and afterward, I wrote a journal article on Lemkin’s collections which was published in a jaunty-sounding journal called the Journal of Genocide Research. The paper (click here for it if you care) has since been used by genocide scholars around the world to access Lemkin’s papers for their own historical and future research into the worst of human traits: the ability for one group of people to lose their collective minds and kill other groups of people who aren’t like them.

This Year

This past June 7-10, I was asked to present a paper at another jaunty-sounding event, the International Association of Genocide Scholars, held in Washington, D.C. The conference itself consisted of scholars with one goal in mind: presenting papers on this most heinous problem of mankind from numerous countries and perspectives, but primarily the social, economic and human toil that genocide inflicts on humankind.

I didn’t want to do it. I’m not a scholar, just someone who has the ability to put one and one together and present facts with some conclusions. But my previous paper had made such a big impact on the community of scholars that I had no choice but to present. I had to drag myself kicking and screaming to do my research and write the paper. I was my own worst enemy when it came to putting my thoughts on paper, it was ridiculous. And Green Day came to my rescue with the song, “Know Your Enemy.”

Do you know the enemy?
Do you know your enemy?
Well gotta know the enemy right here
Well gotta know the enemy right here

Silence is an enemy against your insurgency so rally up the demons of your soul.

I listened to KYE probably 100 times to help get over myself and plow through the research and writing. My topic was on a group of African-Americans, who just happened to be Communists, that accused the United States government of genocide toward blacks in America. The group published a petition in 1951 by the name of “We Charge Genocide” at the start of the Cold War and against the backdrop of the intense ideological struggles of the time between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. The petition was also one of the many precursors of the Civil Rights movement and caused quite a stir in the FBI and State Department.

The group’s premise was that in America, blacks had been terrorized and murdered under the willing eye of law enforcement and as such, were being destroyed as a group. Their accusations didn’t quite fit under the covenants of the actual Convention, but when you are trying to make a point, you can fit your argument into almost anything.

By the time I hit D.C., I was physically and mentally drained. I stayed at a friend’s house in D.C. for a night, which was nice, and headed off the next day for 2.5 days of non-stop genocide talk. Oh joy. Oh bliss.

The conference itself was ok, and my paper was well-received, if a bit light and fluffy. I was on the same panel as a woman from Australia who had done some intense research regarding the genocide which occurred in Cambodia from 1975-1979, asking the question whether Cambodia constituted genocide, crimes against humanity or revolution. Yes, people argue constantly over what constitutes genocide, subtly trying to undermine the premise of it until the distinctions become useless and paralyzing. Her conclusion was that it was genocide, plain and simple.

The conference was supposed to end at noon on the 10th, but these things never end on time, and we were having our final session at the Capitol, a place I had never been before. The session dragged on until after the noon hour and I had promised another friend that I would meet him for lunch, so I left. A few minutes later I got a call from him saying he needed to blow through a deadline and we were unable to meet. I now had nothing to do until my Bolt Bus left at 5:30.

I could have gone back to the meeting, but I was mentally done with the conference, so I pondered a bit and decided to head to the Holocaust Museum since I had never been there. As I was approaching the METRO, I became apprehensive about going and by the I reached the Capitol stop, I said forget it, turned around, and went across the street to the Library of Congress since I had never been there before. I toured what I could of the building for about an hour and decided to take my leave back to the hotel and that’s when I started to hear people talk about some incident that had occurred in D.C. I didn’t hear the details of the incident until I got on the METRO and it was still innuendo and rumor. People knew something had happened but not quite what.

When I entered my hotel, the big screen television in the lobby was focused on the Holocaust Museum. I froze and just stared, realizing how close I had come to being there. I sat in the lobby, watching the screen and hearing the most devastating news possible, a shooting had occurred and one man was dead. I began crying, particularly since the death crazed aspects of me being in D.C. were overwhelming and I had just spent 2.5 days listening to talk of genocide and presenting a paper on the subject.

In a nutshell, a white supremacist had walked into a Holocaust Museum and killed a black security guard. From that moment, I went into what I call, Humanity Overload.

Crying uncontrollably and still looking at the T.V., I put my headphones on and listened to 21st Century Breakdown. I was having one, that’s for certain.

Billie Joe's Guitar of Conscience - Screenshot by CarmenPunkGirl

I don’t really remember much of the album as I was listening. I just know that its effect on me was calming, despite the guitars and Billie’s screamed lyrics. I kept the album on as I went to catch my bus, and all I could think of was how much humanity sucked.

From then on, it was Green Day for the rest of the summer. I took a break from politics, I didn’t think of genocide, I no longer watched the news. I primarily found comfort in a crazy band of fun misfits who sang about everything I felt. I went to four of their concerts in the States (Albany, the two MSGs, and San Antonio), and two shows in England. I began this blog the day before the conference, on June 6, to personally document their tour and escape from the harsh realities of life. I still haven’t paid much attention to the news. I needed a break, a respite. Sometimes you just have to DO IT.

But genocide never really leaves you once you think about it in any serious way. My place of work is holding a conference on Lemkin’s collection of correspondence, papers, and life’s work coming up this weekend in New York (click on the picture below for more information), and I’ve had to help with the accompanying exhibit and will also be presenting a short paper on the recently digitized collection of correspondence we now have on the web.

Letters of Conscience - Raphael Lemkin and the Quest to End Genocide

However, I don’t feel as panicked and hopeless about it or humanity in general as I did earlier in the summer. In fact, I’m regaining my sense of fight and hope, of pluck and stamina, and I have Green Day to thank for helping me, kicking and screaming all the way, renew a sense of purpose. As Billie Joe says, you have to live here, in the moment, right now, so get up, stand up.

Mind you, I don’t want to equate Billie Joe Armstrong’s lyrics or actions to the words or actions of Raphael Lemkin as being equal. Lemkin was determined to stop a very real problem of humanity by using the law and political will to stop the mass killing of groups. Billie Joe wants to raise our conscience a couple of levels while raising a few beers and forgoing our guilt in having a good time. However, I think Lemkin and he both possess a special and rare human quality that few people possess. This far-reaching quality is the ability to encompass large groups of people, embrace them, and try, for just a moment or their lifetime, to ease their pain.

I told my fellow GD friend, Tony, that I had listened to “Know Your Enemy” to prepare for the conference earlier this year and that I had no desire to think positively about a myriad of things in regard to humanity or the upcoming conference. He succinctly said, “you just have to ‘See The Light’ instead.” I took his advice and began to listen to this song from Green Day. And slowly, but surely, it’s been helping to pull me up from the abyss.

I really hope that one day genocide will no longer be a problem and that no one has to think about such a horrible crime again.

So, that’s my story of 2009: Green Day and genocide. What a year its been.

Well I crossed the river
Fell into the sea
Where the non-believers
Go beyond belief

Then I scratched the surface
In the mouth of hell
Running out of service
In the blood I fell

Well I, I just want to see the light
And I, I don’t want to lose my sight
Well I, I just want to see the light
And I need to know what’s worth the fight

I’ve been wasted
Pills and alcohol
And I’ve been chasing
Down the pool halls

Then I drank the water
From a hurricane
And I set a fire
Just to see the flame

Well I, I just want to see the light
And I, I don’t want to lose my sight
Well I, I just want to see the light
And I need to know what’s worth the fight

Well I crossed the desert
Reaching higher ground
Then I pound the pavement
To take the liars down

But it’s gone forever
But never too late
Where the ever after
Is in the hands of fate

Well I, I just want to see the light
And I, I don’t want to lose my sight
Well I, I just want to see the light
And I need to know what’s worth the fight

© GREEN DAZE MUSIC; WB MUSIC CORP.;

Norman Jeffrey Healey nacque a Toronto (Ontario, Canada) il 25 marzo 1966 ed è morto il 2 marzo 2008, poco prima di compiere 42 anni.

E’  stato un chitarrista di talento, esprimendosi con grande dimestichezza sia nella musica blues, come nel rock’n'roll, nel pop, ed anche nel jazz tradizionale.

Cieco fin dall’infanzia a causa di una rara forma di tumore all’occhio, si è interessato alla musica fin da bambino, cominciando a suanare la chitarra all’età di tre anni. Jeff si abituò a suonare la chitarra tenendola orizzantalmente in grembo e sviluppando uno stile unico curvando le corde e martellando.

Jeff aveva 17 anni quando formò “Blues Direction“, la sua prima Band, un quartetto che suonava quasi esclusivamente cover. Due anni dopo formò la “Jeff Healey Band” con il bassista Joe Rockman ed il batterista Tom Stephen.

Nel 1988, dopo aver stipulato un importante contratto con la Arista, grazie al grande successo del singolo “Angel eyes” classificatosi al 5° posto della Billboard Hot 100, l’album “See the light” vendette oltre un milione di copie in America e più di due milioni in tutto il mondo, consacrando Jeff Healey come un nuovo giovane talento del rock-blues.

Durante la registrazione dell’album di debutto, la “Jeff Healey Band” apparve nel film “Road House” interpretato dal compianto Patrick Swayze, e contribuendo notevolmente al successo della colonna sonora.

Il cancro che aveva dato la caccia a Jeff per tutta la vita, si riprensentò nel 2007, costringendolo ad un delicato e difficile intervento chirurgico ai polmoni. Ma prima della sua morte Jeff era riuscito a finire “Mess of Blues”, il suo primo album blues dopo otto anni, ed uscito postumo.

“Mess of Blues“, splendido lavoro, ebbe un enorme successo. Dalla “Blues Foundation” ricevette l’onore di essere il “Rock Blues Album of the Year” e facendo man bassa di premi al “Maple Blues Awards“.  La canzone “From the road” è stata pubblica nel settembre 2009.

Jeff ha dovuto lottare fin da piccolissimo contro una della più devastanti malattie che conosciamo, ma è riuscito ad imparare a suonare la chitarra ed a creare quel suo particolare stile che la ha contraddistinto. Era veramente bravo, apprezzato da molti. Ha suonato con B. B. King, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Eric Clapton, Steve Lukater, Buddy Guy e registrato con George Harrison, Mark Knopfler e con la leggenda del Blues Jimmy Rogers, così come con decine di altri grandi musicisti. Negli ultimi anni, stanco degli estenuanti tour effettuati quando aveva 20-30 anni, decise di non muoversi da casa e vivere la famiglia, con la moglie e i due figli. Appassionato del Blues in ogni sua forma espressiva, ho sempre apprezzato la sua musica.

Discografia essenziale:

See the ligth (Arista Records, 1988)
Hell to pay (Arista Records, 1990)
Feel this (Arista Records, 1992)
Cover to cover (Arista Record, 1995)
Get me some (Forte Records, 1000)
Among friends (Stony Plain, 2002)
Adventures in Jazzland (Stony Plain, 2004)
Live at Montreux 1999 (Eagle Rock, 2005)
It’s tight like that (Stony Plain, 2006)
Mess of Blues (Ruf Records, 2008)
Songs of the Road (Ruf Records, 2009)

Visitate: Jeff Healey Website

One of the most difficult of words in the English language neither a bombastic word nor a difficult word to spell. In fact it is a word that seems to be the hardest thing to flow out of anyone’s mouth…no matter what the age (from a young rebellious child to a hardened 80 year old man!). It is the word ‘Sorry’. Even Billy Joel seems to agree with that statement through one of his best selling songs.

‘Sorry’…can also be said in many ways, ’soooo soorry’ (sarcastically) to ‘SORRY’ (in anger) to ‘sorry’ (what dear? I can’t quite hear what you said…). A lot of times, the word sorry gets stuck in between the desire to be Right to the fear of being Wrong  and with a twist of deceit of wanting to keep our Pride (and sometimes Face, too). Yes, we ego-centric people living in this modern microwave society are tongue-tied and bashful to say the least, to admit that it was actually ‘my fault’.

What brave souls of the past, I remember watching a golden favorite, “To Kill a Mockingbird” where the main character (an African man) was accused for a crime that he did not commit. I loved his character…so humble, so gentle and without pride (but faced with tons of prejudice)…and you could see that at one point, he even considered taking on the punishment for a crime he did not commit (which made me think that he was willing to say a Silent Sorry for it).

What makes us hold on to our Pride (even when we are wrong and ought to apologize)? I believe it could be a many things from our past and the environment we grew up to the influences we open ourselves to through the years to the all the “standing for our Rights” movement. We all grew up rebelling in a form or other. Turn on the News today and you can see the same things that plagued Bible times…Sin, Lust, Greed, Jealousy, Anger and Pride.

I have through the years, mellowed from a very hot and short tempered man to an almost even tempered and sometimes sliding to the mild tempered side. I could say I have matured, but I like to believe that I have CHOSEN to CHANGE. I saw the pain I personally put my loved ones through the many years and decided that I have to begin to QUIT IT. Yes…time has been the testimony of the changes I have made…I never gave up but most of all, the people who loved me, did NOT Give Up on me! (that was probably my saving Grace).

In the Name of LOVE…the Love I have for my God, the Love I have for my Wife and Family…I made a shift and after many encounters with the dark-side of reality…I finally see the light and I am truly Blessed and Happy about the Journey…in which I am still learning from…each and every day.

Where are you at today? I urge you to Choose Life and take the Stand to walk away from Pride…the beauty of your decision will become a Flower blossoming into your Destiny.

My first year at Cal Poly, I was living on campus and didn’t do much except study and roam around campus. My second year, I lived at another on-campus dorm and started to become familiar with the local music scene. I befriended the See the Light band and found my group of friends. I also discovered Chase McBride and PK, back when they were still starting out. I spent most of my time going to shows and taking photos of their performances. My junior year, I met the love of my life. I attended some concerts, but started doing some hiking and climbing. Its unbelievable how many different terrains SLO offers for the adventurer!  Now, I am in my fourth year and find myself busy with both school and outdoor activities. I appreciate SLO much more now because I have discovered so many things to do and see. People just have to be motivated and creative to go out and do something instead of sitting at home.

“Be the change you wish to see in the world.” – Gandhi

Below are pictures from over the years of what life is like for the average, and not-so-average, college student in SLO.

Sophomore Year:

Junior Year:

Senior Year:

Have you ever been on a Boat Ride that was rocky and bumpy all the way to your destination? I for one do not enjoy a rocky boat ride. There was once I threw up all over the side of the boat whilst it anchored itself in ocean on a fishing trip. I did not manage to fish that day…but I’m sure the fish had a gala time with my “offerings”.

You know…you don’t have to be on any “boat” if you choose otherwise. But you have to realize that once you agree to go for the ride…you are at the mercy of the open waters.

When I coach, I often encounter clients feeling stuck and they often wonder why/how they ended up on a boat (of life) that they did not want to be on, in the first place. They just either went along with it…or just did not think of questioning their decision at that point of time. And hence, I would ask them this; “now that you are on the boat…what do you want to do?“

Realizing that instead of moping around or complain, they soon realize that they have a few choices

• enjoy the journey (smile bravely at the storm?)
• take over the boat (by force or negotiation?) or
• simply get off the boat!

You see…life can sometimes keep us “captive”…but I’m sure when we come to our senses, we know better and acknowledge that we have a choice. Be bold and take that step of faith! I challenge you to make a decision today to step out of your “captivity/prison/comfort zone” and perhaps…jump out of the boat!

What will be your choice today?

E’ tempo di presentazioni per i video italiani.  Dopo See The Light degli altoatesini Gentlemen Riders (di cui avevamo dato notizia qui), anche Snowbox e Random Video pubblicano un assaggio via You Tube.

Pietropoli, Munari, Benussi, Crudeli, Borella e Matrao sono solo alcuni dei riders che vedrete su Snowbox 2009…il più longevo video del nostro panorama snowboard, che si ripresenta ancora una volta all’appuntamento. Il teaser qui.

Daniel Neulichedl, Tato Chiala, Lollo Barbieri, Massimo Ferro, Stefano Kinder Carini, Tania Detomas e tanti altri li potete invece trovare su Gimme Some, il nuovo video di Random Production in uscita a novembre con Sequence. Su tutto il gradito ritorno di Lukas Goller, direttamente dalla nave dei pirati. Il teaser qui.

Livigno, Stefano “Kinder” Carini
Foto di Nicola Cecchini via Backside Blog on Flickr

Another European movie with a song I think I’ve heard in 2 other teasers for this year. Check out the attempt at going for a double where the guy comes up short and implodes, doesn’t look like it was fun.

La scena altoatesina capitanata dai Gentlemen Riders presenta il teaser di See The Light, video autoprodotto girato da Stephan “Pfossy” Kofler con tutti i migliori riders del sud Tirolo: Daniel “Plazy” Neulichedl, Tobias Raffeiner, Simon Gruber, Hannes Frei, Marco “Bambi” Concin, Max Stampfl e tanti altri. Park tirati a squadra, ottimi riders, litri di birra, skatepark, salsicce & bratwurst. Il video uscirà in autunno e si potrà scaricare gratuitamente.

www.myspace.com/gmrvideoproduction

Gran disco que se han marcado estos stoners ingleses liderados por Bill Steer -ex-guitarrista de Carcass y Napalm Death-.

No soy muy devoto de éste género de rock pero debo reconocer que “Grand Union” de este mismo año me ha convencido con ese estilo tan personal. Buena música, si señor.

Más info: http://ripplemusic.blogspot.com/2009/06/firebird-grand-union.html

En octubre del año pasado ya anunciamos que The Hours publicarían su nuevo disco, el segundo después de Narcissus Road, durante la primavera de este año. Pues bien, el momento ya ha llegado y See The Light está disponible en formato CD y digital desde el pasado lunes. Se puede escuchar en su totalidad en la página web oficial del grupo.

Hay que comentar la estrecha colaboración entre The Hours y Damien Hirst, uno de los artistas contemporáneos más importantes y aclamados en todo el mundo.  Se ha hablado bastante sobre este artista británico últimamente por una calavera  con diamentes incrustados que vendió por un millón de dolares. Se dice que la calavera en cuestión es de un señor de unos 35 años que vivió en el siglo XVIII.  Precisamente el emblema de este grupo británico es una calavera y todo el trabajo artístico del disco es obra suya. Después de echar una ojeada por el resto de su trabajo, tengo que decir que no conecta con mi sensibilidad artística para nada, aunque sus obras se vendan por esas cantidades tan desorbitadas. Por cierto, esta es la portada del disco:

Este es su segundo single, Big Black Hole, con su correspondiente video (dirigido también por Damien Hirst) :

Ant Genn and Martin Slattery of The Hours

Something tells me that soft indie-rockers The Hours have spent the last two years doing some hardcore networking.

Since the release of their debut album, Naricissus Road – which sold 20,000 copies, but then seemed to disappear into the vast music industry ether without a trace – Antony Genn and Martin Slattery of The Hours have notched up a hotly tipped new album, a music video with Sienna Miller and directed by Tony Kaye (of American History X), and a new album cover artwork painted by His Pickled Sharkness, Damien Hirst.

Not only this, but the Observer Music Monthly seems to have jumped on the collaboration bandwagon, now offering the original Hirst painting that appears on new album See The Light (currently valued at £125,000) to one lucky person, chosen from a host of hopefuls with the integrity to answer a series of gruelling questions online.

The OMM claims that the campaign ‘traces the special and frequently colourful relationship between art and music,’ but as Miranda Sawyer notes in her article in the Observer today, it’s also ‘a great stunt’. Sawyer quizzes Genn, Slatterly and Hirst on who came up with the idea for the competition, and Hirst responds: ‘The idea mainly came from Willy Wonka…’

But just two weeks ago, I recall writing about an ‘auction’ held by art dealers Artichoke Ltd where a Banksy sold for a penny, and I can’t help thinking that this competition is based on a similar kind of marketing premise. Hirst is known for his art-is-business attitude, and since The Hours are now signed to his new record label Is Good, surely he just figured ‘give away a painting, achieve massive album sales’? I know it’s old-fashioned to hope that art should be about art and music should be about music… but something about these PR gimmicks just makes me cringe.

I like the artwork; it reminds me of Edvard Munch’s The Scream. I was also one of the 20,000 to buy Narcissus Road, and I really enjoyed it. So I really hope that Genn is being truthful when he remarks to Sawyer: ‘It’s a Damien Hirst and therefore there’s financial worth attached to it, but the underlying idea is just to give away the artwork for a record sleeve. We all spent our younger years poring over record sleeves.’

Ellie Rose

The Observer Music Monthly is celebrating the relationship between art and music in a special issue of the supplement this Sunday (April 19) in which Brit artist extraordinaire Damien Hirst and band The Hours highlight the ‘strange and extraordinary’ connection between the two formats.

‘From John Lennon and Pete Townshend to MIA and Florence and The Machine, ex-art school students have been crucial to the history of British pop; and from Richard Hamilton and Peter Blake to Banksy, the number of artists who’ve collaborated with their favourite musicians is legion.’ Says the editorial team behind the magazine and in this example, Hirst is designing their record sleeves, art directing their videos and releasing their new album, See The Light, on his own specially-created label.

Music Monthly is also running a competition to win the original artwork for the The Hours new album sleeve – valued at £125,000 and created by Damien himself. Additionally, if you log onto http://www.guardiansolutions.co.uk/hirstcomp/ everyone who registers will get the chance to exclusively download the track These Days from The Hours’ new album See The Light.

(source: mediaguardian.co.uk)

Have a look and listen at one of The Hours latest trackss Big Black Hole…its really quite good!

Artist: AWKWORD
MORE FREE DOWNLOADS
E-Mail and Free MixTape: info@AWKWORDrap.com
Website: http://www.AWKWORDrap.com
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/WorldViewRemixMixtape
Listen: http://www.ilike.com/artist/Awkword
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pTWFUb_Kgg
Ringtones: Free http://www.myxer.com/artist/13493908/

AWKWORD is the mastermind of World View, the earth’s first 100% nonprofit global hip hop project, brought to you by The Morgan Stanley Foundation and the world-famous EOW (End of the Weak; EODub). The album is hosted by Pace Won (of the Outsidaz and The Fugees camp) and Block McCloud (of Brooklyn Academy and Army of the Pharoahs).

AWKWORD stands behind a decade-plus in the music business. His first release, “the Sub-Way mixtape,” featured such hip hop icons as Raekwon, Killah Priest and Remedy of Wu-Tang, ILL BILL & Necro, Tragedy Khadafi, GURU of Gang Starr, Scram Jones and others, and received rave reviews industry-wide. According to Elemental Magazine, AWKWORD showed the most heart on the album.

Image of AWKWORD. Image Provided by Ares Designs.

His solo debut, “See the Light” (named an Exit 97.7 Top Album of 2008), was the inspiration for World View, which is growing as a phenomenon on a daily basis. 100% of the proceeds from this album, out in 2009, will be donated to Guns 4 Cameras, a nonprofit dedicated to eradicating gun violence through the hip hop-inspired education/empowerment of our inner-city youth.

World View features production from 15 nations — and every continent except Antarctica. Guest MCs include: Pace Won, Block McCloud, Main Flow, Sha Stimuli, Josh Martinez, AWOL One, Beretta 9 of Killarmy, Akir, Ruste Juxx, Viro the Virus, and many others. The EOW-sponsored album-release party, scheduled for Summer 2009, will be held in the birthplace of hip hop, New York City.

World View is AWKWORDs, but it belongs to all his people. Indeed, AWKWORD is the People’s Champ. Don’t sleep.

SELECT REVIEWS (w/ quotes)

Elemental Magazine
“Proves himself as a talented MC with a solid delivery”
“Thoughtful, subjective and compassionate writing”

Urban Magazine
“Koch needs to give this guy an indie deal A.S.A.P.”

UBO Magazine
“One of the hottest underground lava flows”
“One thing about AWKWORD that the public should know is that this guy is a community activist. He is a talented emcee spewing consciousness to his community”

Hat City Entertainment Journal
“Emcee AWKWORD is more than just a stage performer… he finds his material in the world around him”

Juicy Magazine
“Standing out from Eminem will be easy if he keeps drawing on his education”

Marketing gets ever more imaginative. Just when we were starting to have explain to our young what record sleeves were, Damien Hirst jumps to rescue by not only designing the cover art for The Hours’ new album See The Light, but stumps up the cash for its label company too. AND someone manages to talk The Guardian into running a comp for the artwork, with a pre-release giveaway of the track These Days. So with an album title like that – and having quite an interest in modern art and especially the way it tussles and toys with religious concepts – I had to download it.

And guess what – the Sheffield Sound of my youth still lives! Evidently the ten-year old Antony Genn, future Hours man, started his musical career standing at the stage door of The Top Rank (one remembers it well …) waiting for The Clash to turn up.

My musical taste has changed a bit since then, but when I found that the lyrics of the song weren’t yet around on the internet I was intrigued enough by what I could hear to have a go at transcribing them. I don’t guarantee they’re 100% accurate, but you’ll get the drift:

When you’re going through hell you’ve got to keep going
If I stop and think of the state we’re in I just hang my head
And it don’t make sense the seeds we’re sowing
We have nothing left to believe in or rebel against
But for several time we need to pull together
The time is now when everything’s falling apart
The slow rehearsal soon will be gone for ever
These days, these days are all we have
These days are all we have

Can we be bought or sold, for there’s a question
Well if there ain’t no rest it’s best that we all must be beyond cloud nine
It’s sad to find the piece/peace that’s missing
’Cos I need something to believe in before I lose my mind
But for several time we need to pull together
The time is now when everything’s falling apart
The slow rehearsal soon will be gone for ever
These days, these days, these days are all we have
These days are all we have
These days are all we have
These days are all we have

I’m going to set you free
We are going to set you free
We are going to set you free
We are going to set you free

The group’s Manifesto on their website goes like this:

We are living in strange times, the glass is filled to the brim with uncertainty and anticipation. What we all gonna do? Where does this road lead? The truth is nobody knows. We have one choice to make. Am I gonna be a positive force, or a negative force?

Welcome to the world of The Hours. We have made that decision. We mean what we say. Every note. Every beat. Every syllable. The world may be falling apart,so surely now is the time for us to come together. Come inside and get to know us. Know what we think,what we feel,what makes us laugh,what makes us angry. Come and see what we look like. We want to get to know you. Put your arms around us and we’ll put our arms around you too. We’re gonna take you with us…wherever the hell it is that we’re heading…

It’s so redolent of the mood of the moment. Everything seems doomed. There’s nothing to believe in. But we need to believe in something or lose our minds. We don’t know where we’re going. But somehow we need to pull together to get there.

I suppose I really do hope that some of those who are searching like this will indeed ‘See The Light’ – that strange light that shines even in the darkness and even when we don’t understand it.

Oh yes – and I was truly staggered to find that after opening the launch tour in Sheffield (of course) the Hours are then off to my old patch of Carlisle of all places (Brickyard, 10th May, just across from where we lived, in Carlisle’s Georgian Nightclub Quarter – really). Well done them.

Here’s the album’s promo video on YouTube:

It’s April and we are in the midst of Autumn…it is simply beautiful to watch Nature takes it course. The economic scenario bears similar resemblance…as the Southern Hemisphere gets ready for Winter, the scenario according to economists will be looking much worst.

Boosting Confidence and Throwing Government Stimulus to the Public (as in Australia) can only have a short-term effect but the longer trend will prevail. Just as Nature must take it’s course…so must the economy. Companies that have been prudent making wise, long-term decisions in good times will stand a better chance at making it to the end of this gloomy cycle. But what else can be done?

I believe a Downturn or a Personal Crisis in Life will only bring out the Best and the Beast in people! What holds true to the end is not just the accumulated wealth, skills/knowledge base or structured processes (even though I believe they do play a part)…the Key is the Strength of the Core Values that Leads to a Way of Life!

What is driving a Company? I used to work for Johnson and Johnson (ASEAN) and I remember the Strong Internal CREDO that each J&J staff must hold true at work and with all external parties. One Key Value was the Strong Appreciation of People/Staff and their Overall Growth/Welfare. I believe companies like a J&J will continue to grow and as a pivotal company way into the 21st Century. Why? They are bound by Strong Values and more importantly Live by them!

Companies that crack under pressure during this Great Recession (we’ve just seen a few with many MORE coming…like the Car Companies, Consulting Firms, Banks, etc)…have only themselves to blame! I believe their Values got “screwed-up” along the way and they forgot their real reason for existence (besides just making lotsa money).

As a Certified Professional Coach, I hold true to the Code of Ethics with the International Coach Federation (ICF). As a Born Again Christian, I hold true to all Truth from the Living Word of GOD for my life! That’s me…what about you?

What are your Values, your Credo? What do you think makes “YOU”? When things don’t seem to go the way it should be for your life and the world around you…how will you act, react, respond?

The decisions you make today according or against your true Values will make OR break your future! It’s high time to re-evaluate our lives and Values and then persevere with Passion to Live our Dream…(not others). And don’t wait till the Recession is over or when the next Bright and Sunny season comes…Begin today!

Due out April 20, “See the Light” has fans excited about the cover art just as much as the music.  Famed British artist Damien Hirst created the CD and Album cover art. Dopeness.

It’s little wonder why the face of The Hours, Antony Genn, shuns his connections with Pulp everywhere but on Wikipedia. For those who of you who are familiar with the philosophies of Roland Barthes, the Pulp citation indeed bears zilcho relevance to what The Hours are about. It’s not news, but it’s still quite surprising. The Hours’ new album, ‘See The Light’, is the most recent offering following four years of output – another surprise. Tell me you’re not as familiar as you ought to be with them either? The track is epic, but in a way that evokes pathos over elation. It runs at an indulgent 7:11 minutes long and where it does build and oscillate well in climax, it’s nothing brain busting. Sure, it’s clean-cut, glidingly well arranged and elegantly simple, but you’re totally forgiven for double-taking it for a down-tempo U2 record.

Genn’s vocals tip towards the viva voce we’re familiar with thanks to Bono (although perhaps not as egotistical) and, coupled with Martin Slattery’s fervence on piano, the sound is very much a U2/Coldplay lovechild. To cap it, the single’s artwork comes courtesy of Damien Hirst and they’ve roped in Sienna Miller for their video: all a bit try-at-a super-group really. It’s accomplished, but very done. Calvin Harris’ remix knocks spots off the original.

DESCARGALO/ENJOY IT

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“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”- Mark Twain

Ever wondered how it would be twenty years from now? Well, twenty years on…will take us to 2029!! How will the world be?…What would you be doing then?…Will we ever see the “Delorian Fly”? (from “Back to the Future”)

Will you be looking back and wondering…hmmm…I wished I did this (and that), I wished I took more risks…If only I made up my mind…What would happen if I had taken the other job or married the other woman?…and the list could go on.

Well it is good to plan and fantasize about the future…and well it is also good to step back and learn from the past (mistakes especially) but the most important key to unlocking your potential and dream is to Live in the NOW! Living in the Present is what you can do, control and bring a positive change for the future…your future!

Someone once said to “live each day as if it were your last”…I believe it was said in the context of living your life with Gusto, Drive, Passion and to the Max. Doing the things that you enjoy (to be at your best), celebrate little successes along the way and looking at life issues with the perspective of “the cup is half full not half empty”. Daily you can also be a blessing to people around you (your children, family, friends), affirming  and encouraging them for what they are doing (and haven’t done) and simply have an attitude to be a “giver rather than a taker”. You can also choose to Smile more, Laugh more and Worry less. ; )

I believe that if we all did the above…the world would definitely be a better place to live in…and come what may, we would have given our all; our mind, our heart and strength…allowing us to live in the peace and with the reassurance that “we have lived”. The choice is yours…how will you live your life?

Yesterday is gone, tomorrow will never come…

all we can do is to make life count and “Live” today!