I’m pretty excited about Sunday Spin at Benetti’s Coffee Experience this weekend, as my father-in-law, Jim Gutwein, has chosen all the music.  Katy’s parents are in town for Thanksgiving, and I asked Jim to share some records before they leave.  (Most of the records are culled from his personal collection, and Jim is proud to gloat that all are original pressings thereof.)  He has decided to play Christmas music Sunday evening, so grab a cup of coffee or hot chocolate and wind down from the hectic holiday weekend, looking forward to the Christmas season.

1. Nat King Cole Trio – “The Christmas Song” (original 45 from 1946, not the version made popular in the the early 1960s)
2. Bing Crosby – excerpt of a radio broadcast from A Christmas Sing with Bing (1956)
3. Joan Baez – side 1 of Noel (1966)
4. The Ramsey Lewis Trio – Sound of Christmas (1961)
5. Tony Bennett – Snowfall: The Tony Bennett Christmas Album (1968)
6. The Miracles – side 2 of The Season for Miracles (1970)
7. The Temptations – side 1 of The Temptations Christmas Card (1970)
8. Various Artists – side 2 of A Christmas Gift for You (1963)
9. Charles Brown – side 1 of Charles Brown Sings Christmas Songs (1960)
10. James Brown – side 2 of James Brown Sings Christmas Songs (1966)

We’ll augment your own research on these record with handout Sunday evening.  See you there from 6:00-9:00.

Bad news; I still do not have the time to blog about my so called trip. Nor do I have the mood or ideas to write about it. But I WILL write about it all. I promise. Someone (you know who you are) is waiting for it though I bet you that it is going to be super duper boring :-|

Lately, I haven’t been getting the mood to blog which is extremely RARE and UNUSUAL for me, right? All the “loyal” readers should know that. On normal days, I usually write AT LEAST, at the VERY least, one post per day. And sometimes, up to 3 posts per day (I think I have not yet written more than that, right?)

And now, here I am, forcing myself to blog about my no mood for blogging. How weird is that? On a scale of 1 to 10, I’d give it a weird scale of 3. Not so weird after all huh.

I am just feeling super guilty right now. I don’t know how to get rid of this guilt. I don’t know how to get rid of this fear and worry inside me. God, how I wish I am not so f*cked up. Sorry for my choice of word this time, but seriously, I have not the time to be all delicate like a flower and all that rubbish.

Eh, wait. Not that I am implying that being gentle and polite and all that are rubbish, okay? Seriously, no. But at this moment, those stuffs seem like rubbish TO ME, if I were to use them. Yes.

I am holding back tears. Urghhhhhh. I badly want to sob my eyeballs out. Here I go, being all emotional again. But who wouldn’t if they just put themselves in MY shoes? Seriously, you would cry too. Unless, you are like this totally devilish person or something, I don’t know.

I want Mama. I want her to hug me and tell me that everything’s going to be alright. I want her to caress and pat my head. I want to cuddle up next to her and feel like I am just a little child again. I am scared. I am seriously, seriously, scared.I just want Mama.

Sometimes, really, I just wish I was born an animal. So what if I don’t have any brain? So what if I look so damn ugly? So what if some people is going to kill me for my meat or whatever? At least I won’t have to experience things like fear, guilt, heartbroken, insecure and all that hated feelings. Right?

But then again, I won’t know the meaning of family and friendship and happiness, etc. I doubt there’d be so much that I would miss out on. But I think I’d give it all to be a SWAN. Yeah, just like the one I saw in Switzerland. I think they are protected animals, right? Yeah, so it’d be best to just be them. Pretty and beautiful and peaceful. No worries about anything else in the world.

Forgive me, please.

I seriously don’t know how to think in the correct way again. Seriously no clue how to.

Urgh. I need chocolate.

Because it’s just too good.

xoxo, Fanah.

One of the good things about having a blog is accountability. For example, right now I want a hot chocolate, in fact I’d go as far as to say in my weaker moment’s you may have heard me mutter I need hot chocolate. But the reality is I don’t, so I won’t. Only I might have to keep visiting this post to get me through today!!! How many hours left until bedtime?!

Ignorance of good is darkness of the soul. And if person is not united with Christ, Who is light, he cannot escape the ruler of darkness, the devil.

If a humble person falls a million times they get get up again and this is seen as a victory over the fall. Whereas a proud person, immediately after falling into sin, also falls into depondency, and being hardened does not went to get up again. Despondency is a mortal sin and the devil rejoices in this overall. It is completely obliterated by confesssion of thoughts.

A person can only really stand up straight when the grace of God arrives. Otherwise, without grace they’ll always trip over and fall.

Temptations are medicines and healing plants, that treat to treat our visible passionsand invisible wounds. It is better to have one day as a winner with prizes, than many years living carelessly. Don’t expect to be freed of the passions without a struggle and shedding of blood.

Sin, whether great or small, is wiped out by true repentance.

Even though a man is forgiven his sins, the fantasy of his error and the working of it remains. Although forgive the sin, this is the rule, in proportion to the greatness of the fault.

I will either live one hour as you would like, O my Christ, or it’s better not to live at all. This is the way you cry and grive and so the Lord’s mercy comes. The passions are calmed and you are at peace with yourself, with God and with the whole of creation. Everything that causes pleasure is healed with pain.

Elder Joseph the Hesychast

• I Want You Back – The Jackson 5
• My Girl – The Temptations
• Reach Out, I’ll Be There – The Four Tops
• What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted – Jimmy Ruffin
• The Tracks Of My Tears – Smokey Robinson and The Miracles
• Please Mr. Postman – The Marvelettes
• Let’s Get It On – Marvin Gaye
• My Guy – Mary Wells
• War – Edwin Starr
• Stop! In The Name Of Love – The Supremes

Play Manu Play

by Katie

Who doesn’t love a good WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO? Take it away, fellas!

Ben Folds Five – Underground

Take that, early emo music! Ben Folds Five threw some poppy harmonies right in your faces! This song also features thrice the falsetto power of most other songs, making it extra awesome.

The Beach Boys – I Get Around

Why don’t boys wear pants like those any more? Besides, you know, the junk squashage. Can an old person please confirm that this is actually what the Beach Boys looked like? I’ve only ever seen them in a “Full House” context. Also, is that Ryan Reynolds??

Mika – Grace Kelly

Starting now, this list may as well be called “mildly embarrassing music that Katie enjoys.” Sure, all of his songs sound alike, but Mika can falsetto with the best of them. (“Falsetto” is officially a verb.) And it’s only because I like this one better and believe in moderation with the head voice that I didn’t post “Relax (Take it Easy).”

Justin Timberlake – Like I Love You

Take note, dudes: the only time it’s ok to follow me around the parking lot outside of the gas station is when you’re Justin Timberlake.

The Temptations – Just My Imagination

Shit, yeah. Welcome to the high voice crew.

The Darkness – I Believe in a Thing Called Love

Anyone who says they don’t like this song is a damn liar. End of story.

Michael Jackson – Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough

The falsettiest song to ever falsetto. When I visited a friend in Austin over the summer, this was our jam. We adopted it when I danced out of an outlet mall bathroom and inexplicably launched into the chorus, and my friend declared, “I somehow knew that’s what you were thinking.” Then we heard the song in every bar we went to! It was a sign!

Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody

Two words: FOR MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.

Ok, gumshoes, what did I miss?

My name is Jeff Harrison and I cut myself.  I don’t do it for attention and I’m not in any emotional crisis.  It’s an addiction that I don’t know how to quit.  It’s been days since I last cut myself and the urge has almost disappeared.  I still think about it though.  I can’t help it either.  I know that I could do more productive things, but I love the sight of my own blood.  The more blood I lose when I cut myself the better.

I have decided that it’s time to get out more.  That should help me with the urge to self-injure and I might meet someone new.  It’s time to find out if I fit in anyway.  I know that I’m down on myself, but how can I change?  I’m not satisfied with my appearance, but it’s a symbol of how I feel about myself.  I can’t cut myself anymore.  My arms are fucked up enough.  How can I explain my scars to someone else and not feel ashamed?

Marvin Gaye – “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” Pop # 1, R&B # 1

By Joel Francis

Producer and songwriter Norman Whitfield had finally triumphed. His fourth attempt at recording “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” had finally made it past Berry Gordy’s Quality Control meetings and triumphed at the top of the charts. Now, just over a year later, he wanted to release an earlier version of the song recorded by Marvin Gaye. Label honcho Berry Gordy had denied Whitfield’s request to release Gaye’s “Grapevine” before Gladys Knight had a hit with the song. His stance would not change. Whitfield was successful, however, in getting the song inserted on Gaye’s “In the Groove” album. Just as he had hoped, listeners started requesting “Grapevine” and DJs clamored for Motown to release the song as a single. Finally released in late October, 1968, “Grapevine” shot to the top of both the pop and R&B charts, outselling Knight’s version and becoming the biggest-selling Motown single to date. The song was so popular, Gaye’s album “In the Groove” was renamed “I Heard It Through the Grapevine.”

The path to getting the song recorded wasn’t much smoother. Whitfield spent a month recording the backing track with the Funk Brothers, Detroit Symphony and backing vocal group the Andantes. During these sessions, Gaye and Whitfield started to argue over the vocal arrangement. Whitfield, who worked primarily with the Temptations, wanted Gaye to sing above his natural ranges, as David Ruffin did on the Tempt’s hit “Ain’t To Proud To Beg.” Gaye initially resisted, but finally gave in. The combination of Gaye’s rasp and the Andantes convinced Whitfield he had a hit. Now he had to persuade Gordy.

Gaye’s version of “I Heard it Through the Grapevine” bears little resemblance to the song Knight took to No. 1. The defining organ line in Gaye’s arrangement barely appears in Knight’s version. Her reading was all about funk and atmosphere; Gaye’s speaks directly to the lyrics. His strained voice is haunting and filled with pain. And while the emphasis is placed on the strings, check out the great interaction between the bass and drums and the great drum sound. It almost sounds tribal.

This reading of “Grapevine” has become the definitive version, but that hasn’t stopped dozens of other artists from trying their hand. Hoping to strike lightning thrice, Whitfield gave the song to the Temptations, who included it on their 1969 album “Puzzle People.” In 1970, Creedence Clearwater Revival released a blistering 11 minute version that featured lots of fretwork and jamming from the usually concise quartet. Talk-box titan and funkmaster Roger Troutman took the song back to No. 1 on the R&B charts with his 1982 cover. The song was also famously co-opted by the California Raisins (and sung by former Jimi Hendrix drummer Buddy Miles) in 1986.

The book of James was most likely written by James, the Lord’s half-brother (Mark 6:3), circa 60 A.D. James was converted after Christ’s resurrection and ascension, then became a leading apostle at the church in Jerusalem (he was a presiding leader in Acts 15, the ministerial council to discuss Gentile converts, whether they needed to be circumcised or not). It is true that the original Apostle James (the one that saw Jesus transfigured on the mount – Matt 17:1-2) was killed in Acts 12:2, but it was most likely James, the Lord’s half-brother, who, as an apostle (he is listed with Peter and John in Galatians 2:9 as one of the pillars of the New Testament Church), wrote the epistle of James.

It was this James who speaks in the first chapter of his self-named epistle concerning the trials and temptations that we face, and our need to exhibit patience and perseverance during these times which inevitably come upon us.

Trials are those things which put a person to the test – like testing certain metals for strength and purity. They can be those things which are thrust upon us from the outside, like being attacked by a person or even surrounded by a multitude of grievous people. They can be varied and complex issues or problems like physical ailments or moral or ethical dilemmas. Regardless of the nature of the trial – we know them when we’re in them.

Temptations are those things which internally offer themselves as alluring and attractive, albeit sinful, distractions – the fleshly draws of the carnal mind – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life as we read in 1 John 2:16. Those things which pull at us from within, seeking to draw our hearts and minds away from God, His laws, and His ways – in essence, they are the remnant of the old man.

Are you experiencing the testing that comes through trial or temptation? Are you reigning in your life as a conqueror – achieving victory with each passing day? Are you rejoicing in your trial, as strange as that concept seems to be to our human minds?

James said in verse 2 of chapter 1 that we should “count it all joy” when these trials and tests happen in our lives. That if we endure, we will be blessed. It is this endurance and rejoicing attitude that will make us the overcomers that God is looking for to rule with Him forever in His Kingdom.

Let’s examine the topic of trials and temptations and how we, through patience, perseverance, and endurance, can overcome and receive the crown of life, which is the gift of eternal life, and become MORE than conquerors through Christ living in us. Let’s discuss how we can achieve transcendent happiness.

James chapter 1 and verse 12 states that the man who endures temptation will be blessed.

“Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.” – James 1:12

It is those who love God that will be blessed and will receive the crown of life. Jesus said to His disciples before His crucifixion and death, “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him” (John 14:21). By the keeping of God’s commandments we show God that we love Him.

This word blessed, according to the Expositors Bible Commentary, is the Greek word “makarios” and is described as “transcendent happiness of life beyond care, labor and death”. Strong’s defines it as “supremely blest, supremely happier”. This incredible level of happiness, surpassing even the prospect of impending death, is only available AFTER our faith has been “approved”. The temptation to doubt and to waffle in our belief and conviction that Christ, the author and finisher of our faith, is leading us in our lives, and is working out a purpose and plan, is ever present in trials. We read in James 5:10-11: “My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience. Indeed we count them blessed who endure…”

We can and should rejoice when we are surrounded with trials and tests as this is the only way that our faith can be tried, as metal is tried in a fire, and we can be approved – ready to receive the crown of life. at the resurrection, and ready also to receive this transcendent happiness in this life, even now. The crown being described here is like the garland that is given to athletes after they win a race – triumphantly sprinting across the finish line. In contrast, the garland that we will receive when we enter into eternal life will be an everlasting crown, not like the leafy garlands sought after by those victorious athletes would have worn. Our crown will not wither and fade away.

This crown, however, can be taken from us. Providing exhortation to the Church of the Philadelphians, the Apostle John conveys the words of Jesus.

“Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown. He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. And I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name” – Revelation 3:11-12

It is the overcomers that will receive this crown and reign with the Father and Christ in the New Jerusalem when it comes down out of heaven from God (ibid.) after the millennial reign of Christ on earth and the White Throne Judgment which follows. We will be victorious – IF we endure, patiently, with perseverance to the end. If we conquer Satan, sin, and self. If we are truly conquered by God.

Paul wrote in Romans, “As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (Romans 8:36-37). We are more than conquerors through the living, resurrected Christ! It was Christ who loved us, and still does love us, giving His life’s blood dying on the stake so that we might have eternal life through the power of the Holy Spirit and the fact that Christ will live His obedient life in us through the indwelling of that spirit (Galatians 2:20). That is real encouragement – the knowledge that through Christ living in us we are MORE than conquerors, and truly we are. When we enter into eternal life we will have overcome and been victorious over death itself, and we will not be bound by the laws of physics any longer. No more decline and decay. No more limitations to our physical mobility – we will even be able to quantum leap through time and space!

We will not be bound by human insecurities and fears. No more stress and worry. No more sorrow or tears. No more struggle against Satan-inspired human nature. Even though we endure trials and temptations in our lives now, and they may go on, seemingly without end, when we have persevered, when we have endured patiently, when our faith has been tested and approved as genuine, we will be blessed beyond comprehension, and we will be victorious conquerors. Jesus, in speaking with His disciples before His crucifixion, stated in John 16:33 that, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world”.

The Apostle Paul said it so well when he penned the words, “Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Phil 4:11-13). This is the key to properly enduring and persevering. This is the key to holding on and patiently waiting on God’s deliverance from all our afflictions – the trials and temptations that seem ever present and sometimes never ending – but God always provides a way of escape. That we can bank on!

He will never forsake us by leaving us in a trial beyond our capacity to endure. He wishes that none perish, but that all will have everlasting life. The key is ensuring that Christ is living and working in us through our trials. Through surrender by way of fervent prayer, diligent Bible study, meditation on what we are studying, and thoughtful dedicated fasting we can know that Christ will come to our aid. Christ will live in us. Christ will live His life in us, and just as He learned obedience through the things which He suffered and became an overcomer, He will do the same in our lives!

So let us continue on to victory! Let us not get bitter through trials and tests, but rather, let us grow better through all we suffer! All the while keeping our minds fixed on the crown that we will receive, if we remain steadfast to the end. If we focus on obeying God and truly overcoming human nature and the temptations that so easily ensnare us.

Hebrews 12:1-2 summarize well all that we have been discussing. “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God”.

Just as Jesus, after He had suffered awhile, has now achieved transcendent happiness forevermore, we too can experience a foretaste of this happiness when we endure patiently, persevering and enduring to the end, having our faith approved by having Christ living in us. Let’s seek those things that lead to transcendent happiness!

In These Changing Times is just one of the hundreds of slept on Four Tops songs.  This particular song appeared on the Tops 1970 album Changing Times, the message as with most of their music is still relevant to this day.It’s been just over a year since the passing of Four Tops lead singer the great Levi Stubbs.  http://hulkhatetimetravel.com/2008/10/21/levi-stubbs/  In These Changing Times – Four Tops

HAPPY WEDNESDAY!

I pray all is well with everyone, and you’re enjoying another beautiful “hump day”. I’m doing great! I was feeling a little under the weather earlier today, but I think it’s only allergies. With all the fuss about the Swine flu, and the differences between the flu and a cold, every time I get the sniffles or a headache, I always become a little concerned. I’ve had my Flu shot, but I don’t think I’ll get the Swine Flu vaccine this year. I wash my hands often, keep my Purell handy, take my vitamins, and pray without ceasing, so I think I have all points covered. Nothing is new under the sun, and similar “Plagues” or ”Pandemics” are written about in the bible. It’s just another sign to get your life right, to insure that you’re under the eternal protection of God. I’m grateful we’re halfway through the week, and it’s the start of a new month, God is good. One more month to a new year, and new beginnings, this has been a wonderful year for me, and I see it only getting better. Have a wonderful day, and been blessed family!

Today’s scriptures are about expecting temptations and trials. Walking with Jesus entails a lot more than blessings and sunshine, but requires us to live a certain type of lifestyle. Temptations and trails are to be expected, because we live in the mist of Spiritual warfare. It’s written in a Revelation, revealed through a dream: And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him (Rev. 12:7-9). Satan’s main objective is to get us out of the will of God. He has a legion of demons working for him, and they will stop at nothing to keep us bound by sin, heartache, pain, worry, anxiety, and fear. As children of God, and joint heirs to His Kingdom, our jobs are to stay strong. Have you ever heard the song ”Soldier in the Army of the Lord”? That’s exactly what we are, and we’re given Victory by the blood of Jesus Christ.  Here’s what Jesus said: “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.” (Luke 10:18-20) By the blood of Jesus, we’ve already won, Hallelujah!  The enemy will never be as powerful as God, and doesn’t reign over His children. God allow us to be tempted to test our strength in certain areas, in most cases to prepare us for the road ahead. When we’re going through trials, it’s import to keep our focus on God, and not our current circumstance, because there’s always a benefit at the end. When those seasons come we shouldn’t be shocked and react irrationally, but get on our knees and pray and ask for the Strength to be endure. All the while, we should be rejoicing and thanking God for the blessing to come. Job is one of the most profound books in the bible in my opinion. I’ve studied parts of it, and I’ve also heard many sermons preached on his life. Job was a man who loved God, lived a righteous life, and did His best not to sin. He prayed, fasted, offered sacrifices, paid his tithes, gave offerings, raised God fearing children, etc. Anything you could do the magnify God, Job did. God allowed Job to be tempted by Satan, and Job lost every earthly possession and loved one he had, as well as his health. Through all of this pain and suffering, Job never stopped loving and praising God. He never stopped doing all of the things he was doing before. He came close to giving up, as any of us would, but he never did. You could only imagine how much God blessed Job when the suffering came to an end. We often think that life is supposed to be good all the time, and the minute we hit a “speed bump”, instead of slowing down and acknowledging God and learning from our trials, we want to speed through them. This behavior could cause more harm than good. Marvin Gaye said it best in the song entitled “Trouble Man”, There are only three things that’s for certain, taxes, death, and trouble. That song has a lot of Faith in it, although he never mentions God. Marvin is saying no matter what type of life he’s had or trails he’ll face, he’s still going to make it. That’s where God wants us to be. No matter what may fall in your path, hold on your Faith and allow God to get you through it. If you don’t know Jesus as your Savior then you’re on the wrong side of the war. Please take a moment and get your relationship right with God, by saying one simple prayer asking Jesus to be a part of your life. If you need a prayer partner please contact me, because I want to see you in Heaven. My favorite verses today are: Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: but rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. (1 Peter 4:12,13)

ENJOY! http://www.bible.com/scripture-detail.php?juli=2455140&dtype=Scripture

http://www.intouch.org/site/pp.aspx?c=cnKBIPNuEoG&b=4943197

http://www.intouch.org/site/apps/nl/newsletter2.asp?c=cnKBIPNuEoG&b=5569835

I love you!

Seattle hip-hop had a nice showing at this year’s edition of the CMJ Music Festival here in New York City. Performing alongside Champagne Champagne — but not officially on the bill — were THEESatisfaction who actually came out to NY over a week before the October 24th CMJ show to network, chill with friends, and just enjoy everything this amazing city has to offer. The ladies of THEESatisfaction, Cat and Stasia, were gracious enough to reach out to me for an interview. These two women (girlfriends, for those that don’t know) are funny, charming, creative, and beautiful. And it’s apparent, after spending a little over an hour with them, that they’re in this hip-hop sh*t strictly for the love. I met them for lunch at a diner in the Financial District a few blocks from my work the day before they were scheduled to share the stage with Champagne Champagne.

Talk a little about how you came to be involved with CMJ. Did someone associated with the Festival hear you and ask you to be involved?
Cat: No, nothing like that. We’re doing CMJ through Champagne Champagne, because they asked us to do a song with them that we perform all the time called “Magnetic Blackness.” Basically we’re just like a family, so whenever we have an opportunity to do [that song] together, we do it. It’s a really great opportunity, we appreciate Champagne Champagne for letting us be a part of it. I’ve known Pearl for years, before THEESatisfaction and Champagne Champagne [formed], and Thomas [Gray] is like family. He’s like my best friend’s cousin.
Stas: Yeah, those are our brothers!

The stuff Pearl Dragon was doing before Champagne Champagne is much different than what he’s doing now.
Cat: He’s really creative. He and Thomas and Mark [aka DJ Gajamagic] are all really, really creative.

What’s your take on the Seattle hip-hop movement right now? It’s really blowing up.
Stas: I think it’s amazing. I remember a time when I didn’t listen to anything [from Seattle], except for Blue Scholars and Cancer Rising. Now there are shows every weekend, everybody is collaborating with each other. It’s like a huge family. People are on the move. Everybody is coming to Seattle to do shows. Wu-Tang has been here [a lot]. It’s just bringing more attention to Seattle. [Before] we’d have to go to Portland or LA to see a good show.

It does seem like there are very few prominent female acts in the spotlight, though. I mean outside of you guys.
Stas: I’m blessed to be an example and inspiration for more of them.

Do you think more female emcees are out there and just not receiving the proper exposure?
Stas: There are a lot of artists out right now.
Cat: A lot of female artists have been sheltered or pushed to the side.
Stas: Not just being a [female] hip-hop artist, just being a female musician of any kind [is difficult].
Cat: It’s starting to change, though.
Stas: Another prominent group is Canary Sing. They just did a show at The Rendezvous.
Cat: JusMoni, too.

So you guys are now in the Bay Area, right?
Stas: No, actually we’re just traveling.
Cat: We were going to move to the Bay, but we never even wound up going there, [laughs] just to LA. We came back to Seattle for a show and now we’re in New York.

How’s the life of a traveling musician?
Stas: I love it. It’s exciting. I knew I’d be a wanderer, nomad child, that got into all sorts of crazy shenanigans.
Cat: It’s cool. At some point you just realize there’s so much more to see.
Stas: It’s nice to have friends to stay with. We have friends in LA and friends out here that we’re staying with.

Musically, what’s your background? Are you formally trained or self-taught?
Cat: I’ve been in choirs forever and I studied Jazz in college.
Stas: I didn’t [study music]. But I’ve been around music all my life. My mom is a choir director and plays the piano, my dad plays the piano and has been in multiple choirs. I’ve been a poet for about eight years.

I was wondering about that. Your music seems inspired strongly by Spoken Word poetry.
Stas: Yeah, absolutely. We both do Spoken Word.
Cat: That’s how we met actually, through the Spoken Word circuit.

What venue?
Cat: It was Retro Open Mic night at U-Dub.

Did you both go to the University of Washington?
Stas: I did.
Cat: I went to Cornish. But I was always at U-Dub events. [laughs]

I read that your most recent album, Snow Motion, was recorded in a basement when you were snowed-in during the famous Seattle Winter of 2008.
Cat: Yeah.
Stas: We recorded [the songs] in a closet.
Cat: Some of the songs were recorded on Beacon [Hill], some of them were recorded in the house. It was crazy. That was all bad. We moved into this house, it was on 23rd and Madison [in the Central District] and it was sunny and nice and everything when we checked out the house. It looked nice in May or June, and then it got to wintertime, and the house had no insulation. And then the rats came. It was infested with rats. You wouldn’t want to leave your bedroom at night because there were rats running all through the house. There were holes under the bathroom sink and they would come in through the cabinets and they would get in our food. Our refrigerator stopped working three times.
Stas: Then our laundry machine stopped working.
Cat: Yeah, it just filled up with water. And then, it didn’t just freeze over, it was a solid block of ice.
Stas: We were working at Costco.
Cat: Pushing carts outside. Our buses weren’t running, so we had to walk halfway [to work], from 23rd and Madison to Downtown to catch the bus. If you didn’t come in, you’d get fired or written-up. They were really determined to be open.
Stas: We recorded [Snow Motion] because we were fed-up and depressed. We had family members passing away. One of our friends was murdered in February [concert promoter Tyrone Love], literally down the street.
Cat: It was a really tough time. We were working all the time, too. It was really hard to finish the album.
Stas: There was no sane place for us to be.
Cat: No there wasn’t, because we had to find somewhere else to live, too. We were working all the time. We’d always come home tired. We just had to decide what we were going to do.

For as much of a horrible time that was, Snow Motion come across, to me at least, as a really optimistic record. I read an article on a blog that said something like, “THEESatisfaction creates Snow Motion while they descend into madness.” But I thought it was a pretty coherent record, for the most part.
Cat: Thanks! [laughs]

So nowadays, the life of aspiring musicians sounds busy.
Stas: It’s pretty hectic. We book our own shows.
Cat: We don’t have a manager or anything. Everything is just us two, researching things and at the same time making music, trying to keep it fresh.
Stas: It’s challenging, but I couldn’t ask for more. I’m having the best time of my life. I’m having so much fun. I can’t imagine ever working at Costco again.
Cat: I’d rather work my ass off at this than work a corporate job again.

When do you find time to write?
Cat: We write all the time.

It’s not a process for you? Like, I must write at nine in the morning every day?
Cat: No. The whole thing is a process. From updating the website, to writing the press releases, to burning the CDs, to mixing it down. We try to let things just come naturally.

What’s the first hip-hop music you remember listening to?
Cat: First stuff was like A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul. I have an older brother who’s 36 so he was putting me on to a lot of stuff.
Stas: I wasn’t even listening to hip-hop. My parents were only listening to gospel and r&b. I didn’t really get into hip-hop until Snoop Dogg and Death Row Records. That was my first exposure, that gangsta rap. Then, once I started seeking out on my own, I got into Tribe and De La.
Cat: I listened to only De La Soul and Tribe when my brother lived with us and then [after he moved out] it went back to jazz and, I don’t know what to call it: alternative folk music [laughs]. It was like hippie music, James Taylor and Joni Mitchell.
Stas: I remember my mom got a hold of my Doggystyle album cover. Remember the cartoon? She was like, “What is this?!”
Cat: I was like the prude kid. Like, “I can’t hear that stuff, it’s bad for my ears!” I didn’t know about 2Pac or Biggie, or most other rap other than De La and Tribe until I moved to Seattle. [Cat grew up in the Bay Area and Hawaii]. I listened to Chaka Khan, TLC, Technotronic. I know about hella random groups like Pet Shop Boys [laughs]. Lately, we’ve been switching it up, listening to all different kinds of stuff but we’ve always listened to a lot of different [music].
Stas: A lot of soul music.
Cat: Yeah, a lot of soul. Temptations, The Spinners, old Chaka Khan, Al Green. A lot of Michael Jackson and a lot of Jackson 5. I mean, we typically listen to Michael Jackson all the time, anyway. On our first mixtape [That's Weird] we sampled Thriller.

Where were you guys when you heard he passed?
Cat: We were in our house on Beacon Hill and Stas got a text message or something. We got a text message and I was like, “This is a joke.” So we got on Twitter, we started googling everything, turned on the television and saw that he’d been hospitalized.
Stas: Then we started playing his music videos.
Cat: It was too much, it was very overwhelming. It’s still overwhelming.
Stas: I still haven’t watched the funeral in its entirety. I’ve been watching it on Youtube. I think I got maybe halfway through.
Cat: I don’t think so. I think you only got a third of the way through.
Stas: It’s still emotional.
Cat: It is. I watched [the funeral] on CNN while Stas was at Costco and it was really crazy. I didn’t think it was going to happen in my lifetime.
Stas: Nice shirt too! [laughs]

Yeah, that’s why I asked. [Cat is wearing a Michael Jackson t-shirt she purchased at a thrift store.]

So what’s next for THEESatisfaction?
Stas: We have a new mixtape coming out.

When?
Stas: We’re thinking December, January, February.
Cat: One of those three months! [laughs]
Stas: The beats are pretty much finished. We’re teaming up with OC Notes. We hooked up with him for this next mixtape. We’re trying something new.
Cat: It’s the first time [we've worked with just one producer]. It’s cool, especially when that person knows your groove and knows your sound and it fits. A lot of artists will just work with whoever, you know?

So, one more question. You’ve already experienced a small amount of fame in Seattle. What’s that been like?
Stas: I wish I could enjoy my life a little bit more. It’s weird. You have to watch what you say all the time. But I don’t, really. [laughs]
Cat: You just have to be yourself. Some artists are controlled by other people, their managers, their band mates, by their producers. For us, we have freedom. We can say, “I’m not feeling well today so I’m not going to that event.” I think that gives a different spin to it. It makes it a different experience. It doesn’t make it easier though, that’s for damn sure! People used to come up to us all the time in Costco. It was weird, the contrast between working at Costco and being on stage. There’s a different amount of respect people have for you when at work. There you’re just Joe Schmo. It’s like, “Go over there and fold those clothes!”
Stas: When we’re at shows it’s, “Can I get you a drink? Can I get your autograph?” At work it’s totally the opposite. You’re just a robot again.

Costco seems like a major formative experience in your recent lives. What else happened at Costco?
Cat: When I was at work one day, Justo [of The Physics] came in and was like, “Hey, what’s up?” We didn’t even really know The Physics.

Did you know who he was?
Cat: I’d heard of The Physics and seen their picture, but I was really tired at work that day, so it took me a second to put it together. [laughs]

Was that how the collaboration on “Radio Head” came about?
Cat: [Justo] came into the store just in general and recognized me and said he’d been meaning to get in contact with us. But yeah, that’s generally how it started. After that we went and got in the studio together.
Stas: That’s where we met Rik Rude from Fresh Espresso, too.
Cat: Yeah. We saw Sabzi in Costco. All of Seattle goes to Costco!

—–

Catch THEESatisfaction at their next show on 11.10.09 at Nectar:

And buy their album, Snow Motion, online here:

Temptations – “Cloud 9,” Pop # 6, R&B # 2

By Joel Francis

When the Temptations kicked David Ruffin out of the group in 1968, they cleaned house. Free of their troubled lead singer and his drug dependence and egocentric demands to rebill the quintet “David Ruffin and the Temptations,” founding member Otis Williams decided the psychedelic stylings of Sly and the Family Stone were the sound of the future. Although producer Norman Whitfield was reluctant to change the band’s sound with something “that ain’t nothing but a little passing fancy,” he eventually relented.

The wah guitar and flat cymbal sound that opens the song was completely unlike anything Motown had issued before. Instead of featuring one vocalist, the number finds all five Temptations passing the lead around. Williams and Whitfield’s early interest in Sly and the Family Stone is betrayed by the arrangement, which mirrors the San Francisco group’s No. 8 hit, “Dance to the Music.”

The lyrics also hit on what would become another touchstone of the post-Ruffin Temptations. The socially conscious themes of poverty, abuse and danger in the urban core would be repeated in the hits “Ball of Confusion,” “Run Away Child, Running Wild” and several other album tracks.

Williams has denied that the songs glorifies drugs as an escape to the world’s problems. For him, the key line is when Eddie Kendricks explains that cloud nine is “a world of love and harmony.”

“Cloud 9” brought Motown its first Grammy for Best Rhythm & Blues Group Performance, Vocal or Instrumental. The new category was just in its third year and had previously been awarded to Ramsey Lewis and Sam and Dave. The song paved the way for later psychedelic hits “Runaway Child, Running Wild,” “Psychedelic Shack.” These songs placed the Temptations on the vanguard of soul music and helped clear the way for Funkadelic, Earth Wind and Fire and the funk movement of the 1970s.

“Cloud 9” was run through the Motown stable and covered by Marvin Gaye, Gladys Knight and Edwin Starr. Meshell Ndgeocello performed the song live in the excellent Funk Brothers tribute/documentary “Standing in the Shadows of Motown.” The song has also been covered by reggae artist Carl Dawkins, Latin musician Mongo Santamaria and Rod Stewart.

Day 4, and I stayed so busy today that I didn’t have time to blog until now.  There was the farmer’s market this morning, where I got lots of good stuff for my leans and greens.  Tonight we’re having elk, which I suspect will be delicious.  Not like the cod fiasco!  I’m having salad with this gorgeous baby asian green mix I picked up at the market, plus some broccoli, peppers and cukes thrown in.  My husband requested potatoes with his dinner, and I am SO jealous, lol.  I could have potatoes morning, noon, and night, but understand that I can’t right now.

I did a lot of yard work, trying to spruce up the front of our house in anticipation of trick or treaters.  It was the first time since starting MF that I did something a little more active, lots of squatting, picking up daisy clippings, and using a shovel to try to break up clumps of said daisies.  I got so busy that I missed each meal time by like an hour, which sort of worked out to my favor since I will get to have my 5th meal after my lean and green.  It will be nice to have a “dessert”, because right now I want a Twix so bad that I could cry.  I have been battling in my head all day, that I could cut one of the little mini-Twix bars in half, just to sneak a bite and have a taste, just to kind of quell that craving.  Each time I tell myself that I need to have more willpower, and that even that one bite may be enough to throw me out of ketosis, which basically just started for me probably.  I finally decided that I am spending a tremenous amount of money, and I’d be pretty dumb to cheat just for a processed crappy Twix.  I think a lot of it is that I probably am more like 4-5 hours since my last MF meal, so I am pretty hungry.  I think when I eat dinner that it will help things.  By the time I have my shake, hopefully all Twix obsessions will be past.  And I don’t care if I have to give each kid a double fist of candy, I don’t want a single piece left in the house to tempt me!!

I am finding that I am getting less and less hungry between meals, which is really awesome, and I am starting to feel less lethargic.  I weighed again this morning and was down to 234.  I was blown away, I mean, I wasn’t at 234 when I was starving myself and attempting to train for a 10k a few months ago.  I mean I’m not even a week into this, and already 6 pounds down.  I know I won’t always lose a ton every week, but it’s nice that I’m losing it this week.  That’s all I can focus on!

The song was written in 1969 by Barrett Strong and Norman Whitfield, but released in 1971 by the Temptations. Totally apart from the bass, there is something about the failure of innocence that makes this song more than just a “dream” thing.

The Rolling Stones had their own version in 1977. The predictable thing is that this hits you more in the gut than in the heart. But the Stones are the Stones.

otall

I just wrapped up a little bit of work. I’m currently working for d’Vinci Interactive, a small web development company in Hagerstown, Maryland. I work at home now and then because the nature of what I do (writing and editing) is portable.

So I’m listening to the Miracles’ Going To a Go-Go, which is notable as a fantastic album but also because it’s really the Temptations that I’ve been preoccupied for the last half a year or so. David Ruffin is a particularly interesting figure, though of course his tenure with the Tempts doesn’t encompass all they did (though mostly).

Let’s see what else I can mention that’s occurred since March:

-Vacation in July, to Myrtle Beach. I was especially pleased to be tossed about in the ocean, and though instinctually it’s supposed to be a frightening thing, it was really just amusing and disarming to be rolled around in the source of all life on Earth.

-This spring, temporary work with the US Census Bureau. Very good, though the work itself was unremarkable. Got to drive around Berkeley and Jefferson Counties, listening to music and having a job for the first time in entirely too long.

-In July, moved from Tiffany’s apartment on Perth Way to a big green house in Shepherdstown:

It’s scruffy, but there’s more room than we know what to do with, which is a nice change of pace.

-Been volunteering at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, but work and weekend busy-ness keeps me from volunteering very often. Drat.

-Going to a National Association for Interpretation conference next month, in Hartford, Connecticut. Provided the weather stays non-snowy, it should be a very fruitful week.

Okay, that’s it.

Overcoming Temptation
 
Remember that as a child of God you are endowed with greater strength than you will ever need to overcome all the trials that God may send you.
—Sri Sri Paramahansa Yogananda, “Man’s Eternal Quest”

–
From: Vishal – a  pure soul like You.
http://capitalmarketandspirituality.blogspot.com/

Photo by Leoncillo Sabino

Genesis 3 goes more thoroughly into the story of the forbidden fruit. I already wrote that I believe this story is about the fact that we always have a choice and about the importance of deferred gratification (and read the comments on my earlier post for an interesting discussion of this concept).

So, I continued thinking about this story as I was reading Genesis 3 and I think it is about responsibility. Life if full of temptations. Life is also full of mistakes. If you make choices, you would make some wrong ones along the way. Sometimes, it will just be because you made wrong choice. other times it will because of “Serpent”, because There will always be a “Serpent” along the way that will fool you into making the wrong choices. There are no complete saints. Everybody succumbs to some kind of temptation or makes some kind of error along the way. The real test is how you behave after you make that mistake.

Do you, Like Adam and Eve, try to hide from taking responsibility for your actions? Or, do you face God and all his might and face the consequences of your mistakes? Many times you see people getting into more trouble just because they don’t admit to their original mistake. They try to hide it, or tell more lies and end up in a worst situation than they started with. I don’t know if Adam and Eve’s punishment would have been less severe if they did not hide, but it hiding sure did not help.

Taking responsibility for your choices is not easy. I guess standing in front of the wrath of God wasn’t easy as well. But, your choices will come back to haunt you. It is better to take responsibility and own them sooner rather than later. It is the price we pay for having a choice to begin with, but I think it is a small price to pay.

Elad

This topic was written by a man who is incarcerated at this time for sexual crimes.  He has transitioned the Sexual Offenses Treatment Program and is planning to live a good and productive life when he leaves prison.  I believe you will be deeply interested and moved by what he has to say:

WHAT IF I HAD?

by Michael

Have you ever let your mind wander?  Do you ever daydream?  I know that for me I do that quite a bit.  Some of my thoughts are of great memories of my grandmother, who has went on to be with the Lord, and sometimes I reflect on the places I’ve been and the things I’ve seen in my short time here on this Earth.  However, sometimes I look back at my life and I wonder, “what if I had…?”

I had many opportunities in my life to do the “right thing” but didn’t and the culmination of that has led me down a road of deviancy, and immorality that eventually landed me here in prison for the second time, just six short months after getting out of prison the first time.

Many times I reflect on my teen years and thought, “What if I had applied myself more in school, after all the teachers all said I was capable of good things.”  I look back now and see a lot of missed opportunities that were directly related to my poor behavior in school.  This is where, (age 13) I believe I started rebelling against everyone, doing only the things I wanted to do.  This is called immediate gratification. Do you remember a time in your past when you started doing what you want when you wanted it?  It is my opinion that everyone that is in prison has a problem with immediate gratification. In other words, we came to a point, in any given situation, that we were going to get what we wanted regardless of the potential consequences.

I continued on this path while in the Army.  I was drinking, drugging and many other illegal things.  I could have had a great career and seen the world all the while getting a free education.  I also participated in a part of modern history by serving in combat in Desert Storm and being awarded the Bronze Star not once, but twice!  However, I thew it all away because I thought I was entitled to walk my own path but the Army did not agree.  Therefore, I left behind a huge opportunity to be someone of integrity, respect and trust.  I was quite the liar.

You are probably getting bored with my story, but if you will just hang on, I believe you will find something that applies to you.  That is the reason I am writing this article – to help someone out there that thinks he is all alone.

I have squandered many job opportunities that I could have turned into careers and been able to provide for my family and myself.  Again, I ask myself, “What is I had just toughed it out at work and been thankful for the job I had?”  I was too busy doing whatever my flash desired regardless of consequences or who got hurt.  I have said many times, “I’m a grown man – no one can stop me from doing what I want!”  Maybe I am the only one who has ever thought or said that, but that is what I truly believed at the time.  All by myself, I ruined three marriages and damaged my relationship with my children to the extent that I can only pray that they still love me and want to be part of my life someday.  Every day that my name is highlighted on our prison mail list, I think, “Is it a letter from my daughters?”

My first trip to prison was for sexual assault in Texas.  I spent a lot of my time fighting and sticking my hand into every illegal activity that I could.  How crazy is it, that after arriving at the prison to do my time I continued to commit crimes within the prison!  There is that immediate gratification again.  How could I have been so blind to my behaviors?  I could justify by saying that I was just trying to fit in with the others, but the fact remains that I did the things I did because I wanted to.  Today I see this same kind of behavior from some of the men on our unit; it is not very surprising.  Men are put in prison for rebelling against the law and continue to do so inside prison for two reasons:  1) They are surrounded by people who are doing the same thing.  2) They just do not know how to be different.  I had to make a decision that I was tired of being locked up, tired of hurting my mother’s feelings, tired of beating my head up against the proverbial brick wall, and just plain tired of thinking that I was crazy.  Are you tired yet?

I got the rare opportunity to be a part of the treatment community in this prison and I completed the Program for men who have committed sexual offenses.  I can stay at this prison until I discharge and am trying to give back some of what I have learned to people like me who want to change.  I have to tell you the Program road was hard and hurtful.  I HAD to face the demons of my past and deal with the distorted and twisted way I was thinking.  You can do this as well.  Maybe you are thinking, “I got too much time,  I’ll never get into the right group.  You can start your treatment today.  Remember that true change is focused on the man, not the behavior.  First, make the decision that you are not going to be the same man you were when you walked in here, and that you are going to walk a new path that will lead you to the man that you want to be.  On the inside, I believe there is a place in the hearts of all men that cries out to be a man of honor.

“What if I had known then what I know now?”  We all look back on our past with 20/20 vision and ask ourselves “What if I had….?”  I do not think that it is possible to look back on our past with some regret, but I do believe that from the present time and on into the future we can make a difference in our own lives.  If we really want to take control of our lives, we have to stop the cycle of behaviors that we do that is illegal, against the rules, and harmful to others and ourselves.

I know that this was really a long and wordy way of getting to the point of this paper, but I thought that if I shared a part of my life with you,  maybe I could help someone.  Maybe some of you men will have the courage to step forward to a life of change (it takes loads of courage).  It will be hard, but the payoff if well worth it!  I am willing to communicate with those who need help.

Michael

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

May God bless all who read and heed these words of wisdom,

Macky

]]>