4 on Tour Preview

Wednesday night we performed at Amani International Coffeehouse in Pittsburgh, PA. And when I say 'we', I mean 4 great singer-songwriters: Garrett Heath, Brooke Annibale, myself and Joy Ike. We'll be touring the eastern region together at the beginning of October - check out our Facebook group for more info: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=63933549943
Below is a preview of what our 9-date tour will look like. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1e1H2JtWb8

The MoSoul Poetry Festival

When Josephus Thompson III invited me to be part of the MoSoul Poetry Festival in Greensboro this year, I didn't quite know what to expect. Having now experienced it, I am totally blown away by the talent and abilities of those involved as artists and as organizers. When I came to Greensboro in March while on tour, Josephus was my first introduction to serious spoken poetry, and I can easily say that he is not the only one with mad skills in wordplay.
At the risk of making this a long post and expanding on the excellent post by Reason2Rhyme's blog, let me detail the talent represented by this month's (the final of the year's series) poetry festival. Keep in mind that many of the things I say about a single artist are true of every other artist - what I say here are simply what strike me from our first interactions. This post is too long to embed videos, but definitely check each of these artists out on their own websites, go see them live, and check out my YouTube page for performances from the festival weekend.
Here they are in the order that we performed:
Josephus Thompson III - one of Greensboro's premier spoken word artist's, he has been in the thick of the arts scene in this city for most of the last 8 years. He has started or is involved in numerous organizations to foster the arts and most notably to encourage young people in schools to express themselves in new and constructive ways. Along with T.I.G. and a core group of volunteers, Reasons2Rhyme was formed to continue this vision and bring poetry to Greensboro and elsewhere.
Keith Rodgers - a man of many talents who hails from Tallahassee, FL, where he formed Black-on-Black Rhyme, a network of many spoken word artists that has chapters in various cities around Florida. Keith is incredibly business-savvy (he carries a point-of-sale credit card machine with him on his belt), has a way with words both on stage and in everyday conversation, and can really work a crowd.
Hiram Ring - the one writing this post. Need I say more?
Ebony - part of Keith's Black-on-Black network, she is a serious poet dealing with social issues. Ebony is also the co-founder and marketing director of Yo-Talent.com, a social network for poets allows them to sell product as well as connect with other artists.
The One Sun Lion Ra - a musician and rapper as well as a poet, Ra went to school in Greensboro but now lives in New York city. His rhymes run the gamut of rhythmic and inspiring to contemplative. He is a committed family man and speaks from a depth of experience.
Will McInerney - a Chapel Hill, NC native with a political/social bent, Will's poetry often deals with what it means to be human. He is not afraid to tackle and speak his mind on issues such as land rights and political conflict of the past, present, and future. He's a member of Sacrificial Poets and took part in the Brave New Voices poetry competition recently documented on an HBO miniseries.
Justice - Antwidamala Justice Umbiya translates directly to, “He who greets with fire” and “Just and righteous champion of the people”. It's a fitting title for one whose poetry speaks so passionately about individual struggles from a personal perspective. Justice's life is a story of determined struggle, and he recently left his high-paying job at GM to continue pursuing his passion - sharing his stories with others.
Evin Gibson - an award-winning singer, songwriter and producer, Evin is tons of fun in person and on stage. He has traveled the world with his music and resides in Greensboro. Usually backed by dancers and musicians, this guy is an excellent singer and manages to pull off his songs a-capella as well.
Isaiah 11:11 - a teacher in Newark, NJ, Isaiah also pursues his musical passion as a hip-hop and reggae artist and started getting into spoken word poetry around the same time that he first met Josephus at a rap show. Originally from Liberia, Isaiah's words deal with social inequities and racial issues, and his knowledge of history and world politics deepens his expression.
Moe - another Floridian, native of Jacksonville, Moe's rhyme is pokes fun at himself and the world around him while capturing his audience with its depth and wordplay. His phrasing and expression is smooth yet complex. A favorite in his hometown, he regularly sells out shows at Jacksonville's biggest venue.
Andrew Tyree - another killer poet from Greensboro, Andrew has won numerous awards for his work. Most recently he was the 2009 Charlotte Grand Slam Champion. He deals with personal issues, relationships and nearly everything else, making his listeners think about life in new ways.
As I said, the weekend has completely expanded my horizons and makes me want to encourage spoken word events all over the US - hopefully this festival simply continues to grow. To find out what you can do to help the cause, visit the Reasons2Rhyme blog and become friends with them on Facebook and elsewhere. Lets spread the word and encourage people to write.

New Recording Project

The other day Matthew Monticchio and I went out to our friend George Yellack's house to record some drums for songs we are working on for a new collection of sacred songs. We wrote some of the songs and re-worked old hymns for this project, much like our last two Christmas album projects. This album will be released again under Pageant Music, and features a bunch of local musicians (Cliff Lewis, Katie Becker, Claire Battle, myself, Matt, others to be named) in a folk/pop/indie vein. You can download a rough demo of one of our original tunes, 'Communion Hymn' HERE. I'll try to keep you updated on our progress - here's a short video of our journey to George's and what we did when we got there.

Beat

I'm writing an essay on rhythm for a new book that my friend Ned Bustard is editing. It's coming along, and I'm encouraged thus far. Here's an excerpt:
"There is a... kind of music that surrounds us at all times and places. This is the music of the natural world, the language of plants and animals, wind and weather, even the chatter of mechanical things that humans use, cars, trucks, traffic, electrical appliances, tools and implements. Humans are beings that seek consistency, pattern, and dislike changes that interfere with that pattern. There are natural cycles that we engage in and respond to and that we observe in the world around us. It almost seems that if we could pull far enough back from our understanding of time, we would be able to hear all of these noises together and discern a larger movement of harmony or dissonance in the whole. Classically, this is akin to the 'music of the spheres'. We might also refer to these phenomena as 'rhythm'."

Of course, sometimes I need inspiration, which is why I was glad when my friend Ed turned me on to this classic clip from the muppets:

Lancaster City

It's really good to be home. Last weekend was Music Friday in Lancaster, and my friends Katie Becker and Cliff Lewis each played a set of music with their bands at Building Character, a neat grass-roots venue with a really cool vibe that started up just at the beginning of the new year. It was tons of fun to simply hang out with people and not have to play music - just enjoy it.
After the concert a bunch of us went across the street to The Belvedere, where our friend Matthew Monticchio was playing jazz with a bassist and drummer up in the martini lounge. I brought my video camera along and managed to get some footage of them playing (and riffing off of) Duke Ellington's tune 'In a Sentimental Mood'. It was a great night and it's good to be back in community again.

Things I've Learned from Tour

For 68 days, beginning on March 2nd, I was on the road - driving down the east coast and around through the midwest (as far west as Tulsa, Oklahoma) up to Chicago and back through Ohio to good ol' PA. I kept a log of each day here on my blog (scroll down) and took video as well. Some days I got better video footage than others.
I traveled 6,347.3 miles, according to the mileage I wrote down on my receipts when I filled up my tank in whatever place I happened to be. Some other data from those receipts (for you data-gatherers): the average price of gas during those two months was $2 per gallon, my car used 181 gallons of fuel and I averaged 35 miles per gallon. Not bad for a 1985 Toyota Tercel.
So what did I learn from the experience? Here's a few bullet points:
1. The United States is a big place. I never TRULY realized this until I started driving around on my own - the land itself is incredibly varied. Soil and land/elevation differences cause flora and fauna to change as you go south from PA through the hills of VA to the clay soil of North and South Carolina to the sandy and more tropical Georgia and FL. Tennessee is halfway tropical and then Arkansas starts into the plains and open spaces, which is what Kansas, Missouri, Illinois and most of Ohio is like - only when I crossed back into PA did I start getting back into mountain areas.
2. GPS is the way to go. I have to say that for this trip it was awesome to have a GPS to navigate for me - took a lot of the guesswork out of getting from one place to another. You do have to keep your wits and an eye on the road though - it's not a perfect system and there's lots of change in names of roads, etc... that still happens in the US.
3. Originality was not a strong suit for many of the early settlers. Everywhere I went I kept finding names repeated - of towns, cities, roads, etc.. I guess settlers were more concerned about having a name than that the name be unique. It makes me realize that our value of uniqueness may be a rather recent phenomenon.
4. NJ drivers are not the only bad drivers. Wherever I went this was pretty similar - there are always a few people on the road who are either completely oblivious to what's going on around them, or they aren't paying attention. There were a couple pretty hairy spots that I managed to escape from intact simply because I was paying attention to other drivers who obviously weren't paying attention and maybe didn't even care that they almost caused an accident.
5. People are friendly wherever you go. This was definitely true in every place I stopped, even when I was the only white person around - be friendly and direct, and people will return the favor. Probably my favorite part of the trip was spending time with friends and family along the way - sleeping over, sharing meals, helping out around the house, building community. It makes me realize how important it is to stay interested in people and to invest in each others lives, and that community only exists (and can even exist on the road) when you invest in it.
All in all, the trip was a great experience. I got some really positive feedback, played about 25 shows, sold about 250 CDs (10 per show on average, though some places I sold a lot more and some I sold a lot less). The average crowd was 20 people, which means I sold CDs to about half the people that came to my shows. It was extremely encouraging to me as a musician to have that kind of response, and it makes me think that I'm writing and performing music that really connects with people, which is exactly where I want to be.

Vlog Day 67 - Grove City

I arrived in Grove City, PA on my way home from Ohio. My brother Seth lives here with his wife, and I also have some friends that go to school here. My friend Rachel was in the youth group at Wheatland where I have been a leader for the last year or so, and she showed me around the campus, talking a bit about the buildings and interesting practices ('creeking' for example) that have become part of life at Grove City College.

Vlog Day 65 - Bob Holmes

I'm staying with some friends in Amherst who work for Math-U-See. We went to watch Bob Holmes play volleyball against a couple teams by himself. Then he gave an inspirational message and the gospel. Here's some shots from the event.

Vlog Day 61 - Lucha Libre, Moody Bible Institute

I took the elevated train in to Chicago city (the Loop) from Pilsen. Down below the track there was a block party going on, and Lucha Libre was just getting started. The Mexican version of WWF, part soap opera and part fight choreography, it would have been fun to see. However, I rode the train instead and met up with my friends Anna and Emma at Moody Bible Institute, where they're finishing up school.
They showed me around the campus, which is bigger than it looks, and took me through the tunnels and around and about. They seem to know everyone and kept introducing me to people as their friend from Ghana (we grew up as fellow MKs). There was a fair being put on by the student government for students and the community, so we partook of cotton candy and popcorn and watched people on the bungee swings. They mentioned they wanted to see 'Wolverine', the latest X-Men movie, and so we walked downtown to the theater to see it - a really good film, if you haven't seen it yet. I would review it, but this isn't the place. Or maybe it is and I'm just lazy. If you comment on this post, I'll review it. Afterwards, dinner was Go Roma, a great pizza/salad spot downtown.

Vlog Day 60 - Chicago

I drove to Chicago, from Gridley (the kids made me a really great card, so just for that I have to go back to see them at some point in the future) stopping in Peoria along the way to get an oil change at Firestone. It was probably good I stopped, because they also changed the battery, which was leaking acid. Ended up being a bit more expensive but not terrible, and now my car runs again like a dream.
In Chicago I'm staying with my cousin Carolyn, who lives on Peoria street in the Mexican part of the city. We had a great time catching up - visiting Kristoffer's Cafe (which has Tres Leche Cake - very good!) and generally hanging out. I haven't seen her in 4 years or so. I love reconnecting with people, which has been kind of a theme of the trip.
In the evening I played at Uncommon Ground in northern Chicago, opening for my friends Lucrezio. Jennifer and I went to college together, and they have a really great acoustic sound. I also got to see my friends Anna and Emma, whose parents were missionaries in Ghana as well. They go to Moody Bible Institute and kindly took some video for me. It was a really vibey place, but the sound was a bit hard to get used to. We (I and the sound guy) figured it out halfway through, fortunately, and ended strong.

Vlog Day 59 - Goat Fence

I helped Duane put up the goat fence today. It was pretty windy - I had to wear my knit cap to keep my ears from freezing. Beautiful day though. It's been rainy, but it hardly rained at all today. The goats will be coming next week - they're planning on milking them and making cheese.

Vlog Day 58 - Ithaka Fellowship

I slept in today, then got up and went with Duane, his son Calvin, and his father to pick up some things from Normal - fence for the two dairy goats they are getting next week, the PA system for tonight, and some bricks and mortar for repairs around the house. We drove four across the front seat through mile after mile of fields that are empty, waiting for the rainwater to drain so that the fields will be dry enough for planting to begin. Duane's dad is full of knowledge about the area and the process of farming, so I learned a lot on the drive.
On the way back we drove part way on Route 66, which goes right through here on its way south to St. Louis. Then we made preparations for the event tonight, and at 7pm people started arriving. Here's a piece of the event - my car song 'Steer Into the Curve'.

Vlog Day 57 - Illinois

I drove to Illinois today, through Springfield to Gridley where some friends of my friend Tom Becker live. Duane and Julie host monthly talks and discussion groups in their home under the name of Ithaka Fellowship. I am their speaker this Wednesday, and was able to meet them tonight for dinner with some friends who live down the road that spent a couple years in Ghana, of all places!
Gridley is in the middle of farm country, where corn is king. Duane is the 5th generation of farmers, and moved back to learn farming from his father, who has a lot of knowledge about the land and how farming has changed over the last thirty years.

Vlog Day 56 - Grandview

I wandered around Grandview, Missouri a bit today - had lunch with my friend Phil, visited IHOP's prayer room, which has teams that keep prayer and music going 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It's pretty cool - you'd have to experience it for yourself. The facilities are a bit spread out within the town of Grandview (part of the sprawl that is Kansas City), but part of the land is located across the street from the Truman Farm, which is where President Harry Truman spent part of his life, learned to farm, and 'gained his common sense', according to his mother. I stopped at what is left of the farm and was able to take the cell-phone guided tour. Pretty interesting, and not super involved, which was nice.

Vlog Day 55 - IHOP Kansas City

I'm staying with my friends the Samuels south of Kansas City. They are part of the International House of Prayer, which is dedicated to praying for the nations and teaching the gifts of the Spirit to the younger generations. It is a really neat place full of people here to seek God and to learn from the scriptures. They had a guest speaker this Sunday, Bill Wiese, who shared his experience of a vision he received about hell. It was really interesting to hear about his vision, and to hear the scriptural references he found to back up the experience. He's a really good storyteller.
I went with the Samuels to their home group in the evening, and we sang some praise songs together, and I also played 'I Am Not A Thief'. It's a great community they are part of, and I was blessed to be able to spend time with all of them.

Vlog Day 54 - Lawrence Tornado

Today was a pretty chill day - I visited the Watkins museum briefly (did you know they made electric cars at the turn of the century? Milburn did, that is) and then spent most of it in Signs of Life Books (google search it, it's a cool place in Lawrence), and half the time they were playing my music. I spent the time editing video, writing a letter, and talking to people. I also wandered around the bookstore, which rose incredibly in my estimation when I discovered a Square Halo book on its shelves!
Square Halo Books is a publishing company that my friend Ned Bustard started (Ned helped design my album cover and does other great stuff through World's End Images) which publishes great books on art and music - look for a new book out soon, on the business of art/music.
After Rachel got off work, we decided to ignore the tornado warning sirens and walk to get something to eat, which was perhaps not the wisest move. As the storm clouds overtook us (with lightning and beginning to swirl ominously) we took shelter in Wheatfields, a local bakery/pastry shop, and ended up waiting out the storm with other customers in their pastry kitchen. I managed to document the event. Fortunately, the tornado didn't touch down in Lawrence, passing northeast through the city before developing into an actual tornado of swirling wind.
I left Lawrence around 9pm to drive to my friend's house in Kansas City, and the last couple shots in the video are me trying to document the incredible lightning show I received on my drive - miles away and safe enough to drive past. I tell ya - weather is no joke out here.

Vlog Day 53 - Signs of Life Books

My friend Rachel lives in Lawrence, Kansas, where she graduated from college, and she is friends with people that work at Signs of Life Books, a bookstore with lots of great books - both Christian and non - that has managed to become a center for the arts and music in Lawrence, combined with a gallery and coffeeshop - just a really cool place to hang out. They set me up with a show at the bookstore, so I arrived from Tulsa, rented the PA system at Mass Street Music, and played for Rachel, her friends, and others that stopped by. It was a great night. Afterwards we went to a friend's house and hung out around the campfire.

Vlog Day 52 - Tulsa

My friend Ben Walker is a fellow Wycliffe MK (PNG) who graduated from Houghton and lives in Tulsa at the moment, where he's finishing up a master's degree. He connected me with a group that he is involved with that has a lunch every Thursday for international students who go to the University of Tulsa. They invited me to come play for them, so I was able to stop by and play a few songs, which people really connected to - I think I've found my niche. =)
Ben showed me the newly renovated library on campus and then I wandered around the town for the afternoon. I visited Gardner's used book store, which is one of the biggest I've seen, and discovered the golden 'oilman' accidentally before Ben took me to Tally's Diner on Historic Route 66. It was a beautiful evening, so we meandered through downtown and walked along the river while Ben told me a little bit about the oil-rich history.

Vlog Day 51 - Jump Zone

I went to JumpZone with my nephews Jack and Charlie today and my brother Ben - Jack was the one running around and jumping on the huge air-filled playplaces and slides, so I just followed him and got worn out. It's a pretty sweet place though, available for parties for both small kids and big kids like myself. And since they had a membership I got to play for free! I added some of the canned music from FlipShare to the video below - adds to the cheesy enjoyment factor. Enjoy!

Maybe I should get one of those head-mounts for the FlipVideo...

Vlog Day 50 - Peel Mansion, Wal-Mart Museum and Steakburger

I visited the sights of Bentonville, Arkansas today - saw a really neat old house built by Colonel Sam Peel, who was a soldier in the confederacy before moving back to Arkansas and becoming a statesman. It was recently renovated with the help of Wal-Mart and is a pretty cool place. Some really pretty gardens and one of the oldest oaks in the area. The largest sycamore is now in pieces, and they have a giant ring from the trunk sitting against the house.
Sam Walton's original 5-10 has now been converted into the Wal-Mart Visitor's Center, which acts as a museum for the company and catalogs its growth from a small variety store to the incorporated international company that it is today. The museum is really interesting, and shows how Mr. Walton's company grew through a focus on people promoted and exemplified by the man himself - this guy was really committed to providing decent goods to people at the lowest price possible, yet his passion for this was combined with a care for the customer and the people that worked for him, as well as a sense of humor. He was not a person that was wrapped up in himself, and I think the world has benefited from his efforts, for the most part.
Right next to the museum is The Station Cafe, which claims to have the best steakburgers in Northwest Arkansas. I have to admit they are pretty good - as are their chocolate malts. All in all, a great day!