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LA EVENTS: Labor Day Weekend

LA Babies, if you aren’t heading out of town there are a myriad of events taking place in our city this weekend, and these are just a few that caught our eye. Grab your family, good friends, or your snuggle buddy and hit the streets to check these out!

The Black Music & Art Festival

We dedicated and entire post to this three-day event in Rancho Park. Check it out. 

LA County Fair

The 2012 Annual County Fair is back for it’s 90th year and opens its gates, starting Friday, August 31st. Prices and hours of operation vary by day. There are various attractions, including a traveling circus, a farm, and a concert series that includes Chaka Khan, George Benson, Babyface, Boyz II Men and Earth, Wind, and Fire.

The Taste

For all the foodies, the Los Angeles Times presents The Taste, a five-event experience spanning over the three-day weekend, showcasing some of LA’s best culinary delights. Daytime and evening events hosted by special guest celebrity chefs are $65 each, although the price will rise to $75 on September 1st.

Jim Kelly

This is only for the grown and sexy. BI buddy Garth Trinidad and Mateo Senolia are back with one of our favorite body rock events known as Jim Kelly this Sunday, September 2nd at The Virgil in Hollywood. What we love most about this event (aside from Garth on the ones and twos) is that no top 40 music is played – only the best in house, NYC garage, funk, disco, hip-hop and world music will be played. With no school on Monday, the BI crew will be shutting this event down.

FYF Festival

In Downtown Los Angeles in the L.A. State Historic Park, the FYF Festival – a combination of music and comedy acts, will take place September 1st and 2nd of this weekend. Some of the acts scheduled to appear are Beirut, Aesop Rock, James Black, and BI fav DaM-FunK! This events runs from 12 noon – midnight and weekend passes will cost you $89.

Enjoy the last bit of summer sunshine this weekend! See you on the streets of LA!


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Culture Connection: Malcolm’s “Must-Have” Music

In this episode of Culture Connection, Brother Malcolm shares with us some of the music he currently cannot live without. The records referenced in this episode are:

Pacific Standard Time – Slow Down – Poolside

Robert Glasper featuring Ledisi – Gonna Be Alright – Black Radio

Robert Glasper featuring King – Move Love – Black Radio

Tall Black Guy Move Love Remix

Kai Pineda – Speechless – Authentic Worship

Moodymann – Black Mahogani – Black Mahogani

Clams Casino – mixtape

Channel Orange – Frank Ocean

Marvin Sapp – I Win

Open Mike Eagle – 4NML HSPTL

For questions or comments about this episode, call our hotline at (323) 455-4219!

Photo by Anna Mae Lam Photography


 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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LA EVENTS: The Pharcyde and Lianne La Havas

LA Babies as summer approaches, events abound, but good live music events aren’t always easy to come by. There are two this week that you would want to make serious effort to attend:

The Pharcyde: For true Angelenos, we remember when the Pharcyde’s “Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde” hit the streets of Los Angeles in 1992. It was life changing – and for this LA girl remains on her list of classic hip-hop albums. It’s been 20 years and The Pharcyde is celebrating their 20 year anniversary at The Roxy this Wednesday. This event will feature original members Slim Kid Tre (who I will never stop having a crush on) and Fatlip. Be there!

Lianne La Havas: If you aren’t hip to this songbird, I’m going to suggest you start tuning in to Chocolate City with Garth Trinidad M- F from 8-10pm on KCRW. Visiting from London, England, Lianne La Havas will be here this Tuesday at the Bootleg Bar and the event is hosted by Mr. Trinidad himself. I don’t want to preface this event, but will say the first time I heard Lianne’s voice, I had no choice but the stop what I was doing and pay attention. I’m willing to get you will have the same response.

 

Enjoy!

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The Fall of Black Music – Part 3

The current state of black music is dismal. That is not an exaggeration. In fact, the current state of American music, by and large, is pretty bad as well. In the past, American popular music and certainly black American music has always been a force for social progress; a continuous and melodic illustration of our truest values and our deepest yearnings. Never before has our music, or America’s music generally, held back social progress. Never before has our music, to any significant degree, served as a vehicle for the celebration of the worst instincts and realities of black America and the black experience. This is a reality of, roughly, the last twenty years in particular. Our great gift to America has become a cancer within ourselves. This needs to change.

The front cover of this April’s edition of The Atlantic Magazine features an article with the headline reading American Mozart: The Genius of Kanye West. I have to admit, seeing this gave me a somewhat depressed feeling. It’s not that Kanye West’s music is, in my opinion, at the heart of our ethnic and national cultural problem (though some of it is). I’ve liked some of his stuff in the past, particularly his earlier things with Twister; Through the Wire (which was uplifting, and like-ably silly) and so forth. But a great deal of it is emblematic of the vacuousness and the mediocrity of our musical culture, if not something quite a bit worse. Take for example one of Kanye West’s breakout hits from way back in 2004, a song called Diamonds from Sierra Leone…

Diamonds from Sierra Leone is sort of a cool song to listen to, minus the fact that, if you chance to pay attention to the lyrics, it has nothing to do with the diamond mines of Sierra Leone. Nothing, no reference to it at all in the original. If you think about it, that alone is astonishing. The imagery of the music video does deal directly with that however, and the video is (again excepting the actual lyrics of the song) poignant because of it. But it’s reflective of the moral confusion of our times that an artist would borrow the name of a subject of such wrenching human tragedy only to use it as the entrance to a song that is in reality both irrelevant to the subject for which it is named, and a self-troubled glorification of the artist himself. In the latter sense then, and it’s coldly ironic, there is some relevance to the matter of the diamond mines of Sierra Leone that Kanye West did not intend. The music video begins with a quote from Mr. West, saying “Little is known of Sierra Leone, and how it connects to the diamonds we own.” Cliche sounding, but very sad, and very true. The song, as noted, then proceeds to do nothing to remedy that sadness, but rather launches into a collage of vanities that I don’t have time to go through here. But in the video a short bit of narration plays before the song, presumably from the voice of one of the slaves from the mines, testifying to the fact that they are forced to slave day in and day out for the icy stone “under the eye of watchful soldiers.” He tells us as we stare at the shirtless figure of a Leonean Rebel as he berates us through the camera, making us, for a moment, the slaves of the mines, that they slaves were forced to kill their own families for the diamonds. Then comes the chilling high-point of the tension, the moment when you see the face of a slave child, and you’re horrified to see the pupils of his eyes wide as saucers because he’s toiled in the mines for so long that his eyes are starved for sunlight. The boys eyes have become something that looks as alien as it does human because that is how his eyes have had to adjust to the unending darkness of the mines.

 

 

The tragedy is real, but the poignancy of it is manipulated in the context of the video into a perverse glorification of Kanye West himself. Explicitly, as the video displays him as some kind of hero of the Leonean slaves, but implicitly just by the odd juxtaposition of this type of imagery to the self-indulgent lyrics of the song, (“You know you can call, you gotta best believe it, the Roc stand tall and you would never believe it”). But though the video shows white westerners obliviously wearing and sharing these ill gotten jewels (and then horrified when the blood from the “blood” diamonds crawls upon their skin before the witness of slave children) so uncaring or unaware are they of the human price of their privilege and their luxury, the truth is that the self-absorption exemplified in Kanye’s lyrics is wholly reflective of the mindset that makes such moral detachment possible. Yes the video at it’s end makes a token request of us to buy non-conflict diamonds, and yes Kanye did make a remix that made an effort at dealing with the substance of this issue directly (an effort that fails entirely at being serious or profound. Jay-Z is on the remix, and his entire verse which comprises half the song is again about “The Roc” and irrelevant to the blood diamonds and the slave children of Sierra Leone. Lupe Fiasco, to his credit at least, made a much more conscientious attempt at dealing with this issue in his song “Conflict Diamonds,” inspired by the Kanye tracks). But while the video shows the children of the mines pulling Kanye from the ground as he leaps out of his European sports car, sending it crashing through what I presume was a Jewelers shop. Though the children run to him and hail him as he play pianos in a cathedral before stone figures of Christ and the angels of God, spitting his irrelevant flows as if they were either poignant or profound, Kanye West (whether he realizes it or not) exploits these children and this travesty more insidiously than the people he portrays. Most people buy and wear these diamonds out of ignorance, reveling in the stones themselves, but Kanye revels in the blood diamonds ability to make him look like something he is not: that is a man using music to fight for a higher cause, as opposed to a man using the suffering of others to glorify himself.

Why make this article about Kanye West? To put a microscope on our cultural problem, one general to America and particular to black America. I agree with President Obama that West is (or frequently can be) a “Jack Ass,” but I also agree with him that West is talented, if not to the extent that he seems to suggest (see the Atlantic article). Kanye West is not a composer. He is not a musician, at least not one of any consequence (neither of course are Jay-Z and P-Diddy). I’m not being insulting, those are just facts. He is a producer; one who cleverly takes music by talented musicians and composers of the past, dissects them, and simply applies his oft vain and otherwise meaningless lyrics to them, albeit to great effect as far as his many fans are concerned. But he’s no Bob Dylan, using art to poignantly decry the injustices of our times. He’s no Mozart of any kind. Duke Ellington was an American Mozart, a composer and musician par excellence like Mozart himself. Neither has anything in common with Kanye West. But you don’t have to be a Mozart to make meaningful music, and you don’t even have to be a great musician. Kanye West’s biggest failing, particular with Diamonds from Sierra Leone (as I said before he has made better songs lyrically at other times) is the failing of our modern music generally and that is the fact that it’s orientation begins and ends with glorification of egoism, of materialism, of image and of the self. The thing that makes Kanye West’s Diamonds from Sierra Leone so galling is the fact that it takes an issue that would call upon us to reject these values to truly acknowledge it and, in the guise of calling us to do so, uses it as a vehicle to celebrate some of the very sins of our nature that causes the world to be such a cruel place to begin with.

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Webwatch 2012

More than 40 million new websites hit the Internet this year and with so much information available, it’s difficult to decipher what to check out and what to pass by. Luckily, Mr. Lehman and I have done the hard work for you and have a few suggestions for sites to keep an eye on in this year to come.

Garth Trinidad Sound|Adventures of an Anomaly: Garth Trinidad is a Los Angeles legend for a myriad of reasons, but is best known by Angelenos for being at the helm of the best radio LA has to offer as the DJ for KCRW’s Chocolate City, Monday – Friday from 8 – 10 pm on FM 89.9. In his 16 years as a DJ, Garth has befriended some of music’s most notable artists (check his KCRW archives for in-studio guests) and as such, his website, Garth Trinidad Sound is packed with information most of us wish we had direct access to. From Monday to Thursday Garth posts his musings on music and culture, free music downloads, articles and events he’s been made privy to and shares the information with the good people of Los Angeles – and anywhere else you may be when you tap in. In lieu of a copy of his personal contacts this will do, as visiting Garth’s world will leave you steps ahead of the rest in terms of where the good music, good culture and good vibes in LA live and thrive. While in his world, pay a visit to the Moja Moja project he curates as well. Moja Moja takes what Garth does with Chocolate City to a multimedia level and provides a platform for listeners to discover urban and international alternative music and culture.

New Culture Society: Are you certain you know all that the West Coast has to offer? Do you feel like you keep your finger on the pulse of what’s next to come? If not, then you should visit (and subscribe) to New Culture Society. This group of young LA residents has pooled their interests and resources to put together a funky, happening website that highlights what’s current and next to come on the Best Coast regarding cinema, literature, fashion and music. Individually, the staff showcases an impressive resume so collectively, it’s a home run. Black Is friend, Merc80 is a part of the team and put us on to this new project and we look forward to seeing what’s coming up with NCS in 2012.

KimmayTube (YouTube): There are TONS of websites dedicated to natural hair – TONS. Everybody has some of the same information, some of it conflicting, and for anybody thinking about transitioning to natural hair or maintaining it, the entire process can be convoluted if you search the web for information. Enter KimmayTube, a YouTube channel that clarifies it all. Watching KimmayTube is like watching a good television station dedicated to natural hair. It’s awesome – and it helps that our host, Kim Love, knows what she’s talking about. Her own hair is a testament to the versatility of natural hair and debunks all myths that Black hair is difficult to manage and unable to grow to great lengths. Visit KimmayTube for tips on growing and maintaining natural hair, learn tips on how to determine what products work best for your hair, and watch tutorials for everything from washing and detangling to various styling techniques. While there, visit her site, Luv Naturals to purchase many of the products Kim uses in her videos.

Issa Rae: The woman behind The MisAdventures of Awkward Black Girl has more in store for those of you looking for programming online. Visit her personal website and get familiar with her other two shows, The F Word and my personal favorite, Dorm Diaries for more hilarious webisodes to mix up your weekly programming. The first season of MisAdventures wraps up on January 12th and we are anxiously awaiting what season two has to offer.

Moovmnt: Mr. Lehman, the editor-at-large here at Black Is has the most discriminating ear when it comes to music and shuns most American radio for streaming what he considers great music from global resources online. As such, he is constantly looking for sites that will introduce him to music he hasn’t before. Enter Moovmnt, a site that’s primary focus is to introduce its visitors to great music – period. Go here to learn about independent artists and producers that you won’t hear much about via mainstream media outlets.

Spotify: The trouble with the internet is that there is much opportunity for one site to outdo another. Though there is room for everybody to do their thing, sometime a site just stands apart and that’s where Spotify comes in. Sorry, Pandora, but Spotify changes the game in free music streaming by allowing consumers to truly customize their listening experience. On Spotify you can listen to an entire album of an artist before deciding to purchase, or listen to an artists’ complete catalog. You can also create playlists of your favorite songs for free. Spotify was founded in Sweden and headquartered in the UK so the amount of world music available is pretty vast.

BHCP: Yes, BHCP stands for Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza. With the renovation of our mall almost complete and the surrounding area deep in the throes of gentrification, the mall website is a hub for what’s going on in our community. Check the BHCP Redevelopment site for community events, free concerts, business openings, and status updates on construction to know what’s happening in our neighborhood. All of this transition is happening for us, so let’s support it!

Sickly Cat: Our brother site remain relevant in 2012. Sickly Cat continues to be the premier site for unadulterated infotainment. Check this site daily for only the most interesting findings in world news and strong opinion pieces. What makes this site unique are the variety of contributors and therefore, opinions about everyday issues. It’s worth it to jump into the conversation and give feedback in the comment section – most likely, you’ll receive a reply from the author themselves. Expect this site to explode with news and commentary during the 2012 presidential campaign and election.

Mr. Moody’s Neighborhood: Based in Atlanta, GA Mr. Moody’s Neighborhood is a real, in-your-face, adult podcast discussing a variety of social issues. From relationships to parenting, the host Mr. Moody pulls no punches with his commentary and the show will inform you while keeping you in stitches. What we love most about this site is Mr. Moody is a husband and father and much of his commentary comes from his experience in those roles. He’s definitely about keep the Black family unit tight and we can’t help but love that. Again, this is for adults only as Moody isn’t editing his thoughts. Put the kids to bed, pour a glass of wine, sit back and listen to a new show on a Thursday night. Guaranteed you will be back for more. You can also subscribe via iTunes and check out past episodes you have missed.

 

 

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Give The Drummer Some!

It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood, a beautiful day indeed. But this Mr. Rogers wears no knitted sweaters and has no puppets for house guests. That is of course unless they are holding his sticks. Black Is contributor, Mr. CEO  recently conducted an exclusive interview with Bennie Rogers, drummer extraordinaire. In our constant quest to find interesting individuals who are passionate about life, their craft, and the uplifting of others, Bennie tells us more about himself.

 

 

State your name and where are you from for our readers?

My name is Bennie Rodgers II and I’m from Planet Briight Red.. Look it up!

 

HAHAHA, ok Briight Red. So what is Black to you?

Black to me? Black beauty, Black is more then just a color, Black stands out among others. I’m “Black” in a sense.

 

Which instrument(s) do you play?

I play the Drums, the Kazoo, the Washboard, the Triangle and the Accordion. I also do a mean Hambone!

We may have to start a Kazoo and Hambone traveling band.

When and why did you start playing?

I started playing drums at the age of 3. My mother taught me how to play, when she figured that I could clap on beat better than most adults.

 

What drew you to playing the drums?

I came up in a musical family. My older cousin was a really good drummer and I wanted to be just like him when I was younger. Drums was one of the most interesting instrument I’ve seen played, or was ever exposed to, at such a young age. I felt as if I could express myself in a different way, on “the kit”, so I kept at it.

Tell me more about your family, were they musical?

My Family is VERY musical. From my Grandfather, down to my baby brother. Keys, Drums, Vocals, Trombone, Accordion and of course I fit in playing the Hambone!

 

Sounds like the term, one band, one sound was the everyday way in your house?

One word, CHAOS!

Or that.

 

What was the first tune you learned on “the kit”?

Hmmm, the first tune I learned was a song called “NICETY” by Michel’le. I performed that song at my 1st grade talent show… AND WON!!


Which famous musicians do you admire? Why?

I have peers that I admire like, Brian Frasier Moore, Manny Dominick, Spanky, Eric Green, Dennis Chambers, Thomas

Pridgen, Steve Gadd, Ricky Lawson, Stanley Randolph, Vinnie Caluta, Dave Weckel, Danny Carey and Harvey Mason. Then you have the old school greats like Buddy Rich, Tony Williams and Art Blakey

 

Which famous musicians, if any, have you learned from?

I learn from EVERYBODY I come in contact with. The lady at the Burger King drive-thru is nice with some spoons.

 

Who are your favorite artists growing up? And today?

I can’t really say, I don’t have a favorite artist, but in my iPod, I have Lil Wayne, Drake, Jill Scott, Metallica, Paramore, Square Pusher, E-40, Cold Play, Dave Matthews Band, Space Heater, D’Angelo, Bussa Rhymes, Chris Brown, YG, Nippsy Husstle, Alicia Keys, Sting, Sergio Mendes, Nirvana, NERD, Michael Jackson, Lettuce, Kanye, Jaco, Foo Fighters, Fall out Boy, The Foreign Exchange, Dwele and ALOT of ME, and music I’ve played on and produced.

 

What, no Tone Loc?  OK, were you influenced by any old records & tapes?

Yes, I was influenced by old tapes and CDs when they first came out. I couldn’t always remember what my parents were playing, but I know it felt really good. From Gospel, to old RnB, to Pop, and even Jazz. It all played a BIG part in the in my life and made me the musician I am today

In what ways does the place where you live (or grew up), affect the music you create, or your taste in music?

I’m originally from Oakland CA, and a lot of my early musical influences come from there. Older Gospel, all the way to Tower of Power and Stevie Wonder, Luther Vandross. Well, I moved around a lot, and changing schools and making new friends, introduced me to different forms of rock, jazz, RnB etc.

 

What are your fondest musical memories?

One of my fondest musical memories was the day I first started playing in church, and I got a chance to play behind my mom, who was leading a song. It was such a warm feeling, like, “Man, that’s my mom up there ripping and I’m playing the drums for her”. Another memory is when I first got the gig with Mariah Carey. Those 3 – 4 years all together, with that band, was such a great experience.

 

What’s the saddest song you’ve ever heard?

Right now the saddest song to me is “Dance with my father again” by Luther Vandross. I can only think of my Grandfather when I hear this song, I used to love to dance to it around the house.

 

Did you attend any musical academy or college?

I attended M.I. (Musicians Institute Hollywood) back in 2005. I made some of the best friendships, and musical relationships, while I was living there for a few years.

 

Have you been in competitions and/or won any prizes, other than that 1st grade Nicety rendition?

I sure have! I won the Carlos Vega Memorial Scholarship drum competition in 2006, while in school at M.I. That was the biggest competition that I’ve won, thus far.

 

So how has your music evolved since you first began playing?

Since I first started playing, the music that I create and play has evolved VERY much! As I become more exposed to different people and environments, mu sic constantly matures and becomes more refined.

 

Do you write or compose any music of your own?

Yes, I write, compose and arrange all different types of music.

 

How do you handle mistakes during a performance?

Well, that’s what rehearsal is for, so that if you do make a mistake, you can recover and its not real noticeable to the audience. But, if I mess up, I usually have a big smile on my face and just keep going.

 

Do you get nervous before a performance or a show?

I don’t get nervous anymore, I just get really excited and bring my energy up, on stage.

What’s the craziest thing that ever happen on the road or while performing?

The craziest thing to happen to me, has to be throwing up ON STAGE, in the MIDDLE of a high energy song. It was so embarrassing, that I hate to talk about it.

 

Safe to say you have to travel a lot? What’s life on the road like?.

Yes! My job consists of traveling quite a bit. Life on the road is very interesting. It’s always a new adventure.

 

Do you ever attend any jam sessions? What makes a good session?

I like jam sessions. It’s a way for me to get out of that “touring box,” and hear some good music and great musicians. What makes a good jam session is the vibe, the environment, the music choice, the musicians, and the energy the audience gives off, when they’re as in-tune with the music .

 

Do you still practice? How often and for how long?

I practice as much as I can. Lately, I tend to practice during rehearsals, for the artist I’m playing for, or about to record with. However, when I do practice, it’s for a few hours at a time.

 

Do you teach music?

Yes, I teach drum private lessons.

 

What advice would you give to beginners who are coming up?

Be humble, stay open to advice, learn how to play a song instead of learning “chops” first, learn the beginning of reading music, and have a great attitude! Nobody likes to be out with a snobby or arrogant musician.

 

When your not playing music or doing a show, what other things do you do for enjoyment

When I’m not playing music, which is NEVER, I like to be on the GO! I like to Jet Ski, hang with friends, Climb stuff, go out and hear music, be outdoors, go ATV riding or go-kart racing and just have fun overall.

 

And how do you balance your music with other obligations such relationship or children?

Right now, I’m single with no kids. When I was in a relationship, it was hard because that person wasn’t completely on my team, they didn’t understand my job. I guess it could’ve worked if you have trust, and a great deal of understanding. Coming from a musicians standpoint, at my age, establishing my business, and brand Briight Red, my team and my career is what’s most important to me right now. I’m 26 having a BALL!

 

So where do you see yourself in 5, 10 years?

In 5 to 10 years, I see myself as a mogul. I would like to be a role model for other musicians, young and old. I see myself acting, modeling, maybe owning a restaurant, who knows! All of this could happen with in a year or two, so 5 – 10 years from now, I might be running a music school on the moon!

 

How can your soon-to-be-fans gain access to your music? Do you have a website with sample songs or a demo CD or videos?

All of this will be on my website soon @ BrIIghtRed.com

 

Is there anyone you’d like to acknowledge for offering financial or emotional support?

I want to thank my entire family, they ALWAYS had my back and I love them for that. I also want to thank my close circleof friends (you know who you are), my team BrIIght Red, my business partner and brains Aisha Duncan, all the company’s who endorse me and gave me a chance, my mentors Gil Smith, Brian Fraiser-Moore, Eric Daniels and Mike McKnight. And most of all I want to thank all of my FANS around the world!!! That’s where a lot of my inspiration comes from you show me a lot of love.

Any current shows, gigs, or performances coming up?

YES! I am currently on the “I Am Still Music” tour 2011 with Lil Wayne. I’ll be playing behind Keri Hilson. We are coming to a city near you so watch out!!

Any last words?

Follow me on twitter @WhosBennie and @BrIIghtRed or Youtube. Currently I’m working on some great music to put out for you all, so stay tuned.. Be Blessed

 

Thank you Sir, this was entertaining!


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LA EVENTS: Taste of Soul

LA Babies, it’s that time of year again! The Los Angeles Sentinel 6th Annual Taste of Soul is going down this Saturday, October 15th from 10 am – 6pm. Come support this community event that features a taste of all things “soulful” including food from local restaurants, live entertainment, displays from local artists, and exhibits from local businesses and organizations. The festival takes place on Crenshaw Blvd. between King and Rodeo. I can attest from experience that this event gets PACKED, so arrive early to get a good parking space. The Taste of Soul is still free, family-friendly and attracts over 250,000 attendees. Some of the businesses represented are:

Follow the Taste of Soul on Twitter @tasteofsoulla and by using the hashtag #Taste.

See you there!

 

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Lalah Hathaway: Where It All Begins

I  challenge anybody to show me a singer today that can touch the voice of Lalah Hathaway.

Anybody that knows Chris and I know that we love us some Lalah. A voice like no other, Lalah’s longevity in the music business is to be applauded with a career that has lasted over 20 years. Much of that success is due to the art she creates; with Lalah, you get real music. No Autotunes or machines, but a well-trained and controlled vocal instrument which is what separates her from other “singers”. The rest is the woman herself: infectious personality, a keen sense of humor, and natural beauty keep her with a solid fan base who wait with baited breath until the next album drops. Real fans can tell you – each album showcases growth and a renewed spirit of an artist that continues to give 100% of herself to her craft. When it hit the Internet that her new album, Where It All Begins, was set to drop in October I knew I wanted to speak to her about it, and where she sees her career going after surviving two decades in the music business, a bragging right that only select artists can claim:

Lalah, how are you today?

Lalah: I am doing great. Glad to be here.

Awesome. I’m so happy to have you on the line today, so I’m going to get right into our conversation. This is your sixth studio album, entitled, Where It All Begins. What inspired the title of this project?

Lalah: It’s inspired by a song that I wrote, which is the second song on the album and its called, “Where It All Begins.” But really I actually feel lke I’m at the beginning of making records, and at the beginning of what my potential might be in terms of being a musician and being an artist and being sort of a 360-degree package in terms of music. So I called it that because after 20 years of making records I feel like something is just about to happen that has never happened before.

I’m going to move on to a question that relates to that. You just mentioned your career spans over 20 years. With the changing climate in the music business, what keeps you motivated to continue putting our new material?

Lalah: Music is actually my motivator, it actually is my passion. I grew up as a musician and as a student of music and art and so regardless of what’s happening in the business, regardless of the actual business of music, I’m always going to be a musician. Another thing that keeps me going, and when I talk to kids and go to schools, and kids ask – you know the number one question they ask is, “How do you inform people like us trying to get in the music business? What’s your advice for us?” and it is always to understand what your passion is. If your passion is the business of music, that’s something else. My passion is actually music and so that keeps me going and keeps me inspired.

How do you handle criticism of your work?

Lalah: I don’t. (laughs) I don’t really have any space. It doesn’t affect me at all because I feel so blessed by what I do and so blessed to be able to do it that I do have an absolute understanding that what you do is not for everybody. So if somebody doesn’t like it or criticizes it or doesn’t get it, that’s their own experience and it has absolutely nothing to do with me or what I do. I don’t really take that stuff to heart at all.

Let’s talk about the process of this album. What was your creative process going into this album and how did it differ from the creation of your last album, Self Portrait?

Lalah: The process for me this time was a little different in that I knew I was going to be putting the record together by myself. Generally, there is someone at the label that’s kind of hands-on or helping you do that or making suggestions. I knew that I didn’t want any kind of extemporaneous suggestions about what I wanted to do. I just wanted to be creative and be allowed to be creative which I was, and that was a great process for me. I also opened it up to my social networking and people on Twitter, people on Facebook sent me songs and tracks and I got a lot of great stuff that way. Ended up using one of the things that we got as one of the bonus songs, but I was really impressed by a lot of the stuff that I got and I was really honored that a lot of people even cared to send stuff in. My process is basically the same since I was 15 or 16 years old and that is listen to music, take it in, find something I like and try to reinterpret it, put a more modern edge to it now.

That kind of leads me into my next question. I follow you on Twitter. I’m also a member of the coveted Pink Room, wearing my “Pank Room” tee right now as we speak…

Lalah: It’s so great when I meet people from the site, you know, because that is really my home base. I built that site in 1998, and Lord, if I had known Twitter was coming I really would have tried to do better and be at the front of that trend. But I appreciate you interviewing me today.

I appreciate you being willing and able and I’m going to gush once I’m done with all my questions, just wait! But I want to know, how do you feel about social networking for marketing, promotions, and connecting with fans, both new and old?

Lalah: Well you know I’m in that Pink Room all the time and for me it’s just a way to really communicate with people. I do like the interaction with people, I do like being able to say, “Have you guys heard this?” or “What’s new that everybody’s listening to?” I really do like the feeling that in some way there’s an aspect of me that is an employee, that I work for the people and serve the people and really try to give them something that’s memorable and that is part of the soundtrack of their lives. I’m a very avid social networker as you know, and I’m also just really into technology and electronics. I’m a gamer so all of that stuff for me kind of culminates together so I’m on there all the time.

That leads me into yet another question because I know you are a self-proclaimed “supreme gadget girl”. What gadget can you not live without?

Lalah: Well, I’m kind of a Mac addict so my iPod I can’t live without. In terms of games right now I’m back on my XBox 360 but I’m sort of a Playstation, XBox 360 person. I have everything, I can’t live without any of it. It’s really sad. I love my iPad and at the beginning of the iPad I figured I don’t really need that. And I really did need it and I’m glad I got one. I have everything: MP3 players, studio gear and keyboards, computers, and tablets, and cellphones. I’m just one of those people.

I was one of the fortunate people who was able to catch you at Yoshi’s Oakland this past New Year’s and I had a moment to talk with your mother. I noticed how much of a great support she is to you. How does she factor into your career and business?

Lalah: Well she travels with me. Growing up in this business, my mom really strived to keep the household as normal as possible and I think she did a great job of that. My mother is just one of those people – everybody loves her, everybody knows her on the road. She does the merchant, and she’s at all the shows almost and she’s just a part of my life that I’m not willing to go without. When I travel on the road with the band, the feeling that we travel with is very family. Most of the guys have been playing for me a long time – people may leave, but they come right back and the feeling we keep on the road is on of family so my mom just fits right in there.

How important is it for you to maintain a sense of identity as an artist?

Lalah: One hundred percent. To maintain your sense of identity period. It’s not something I have to maintain, I just am who I am. People say, “how do you remain who you are an on your path?’ But, like where else would you go? And who else would you be? I don’t have a concept of jumping off my path onto someone else’s path. So my identity and my voice is distinctive and I understand that. I understand that the front of the line for being me is me. So I don’t even have to worry about what’s happening in other places because I’m the best at what I do. There’s nobody else who does what I do.

Many people, myself included, consider you an icon of beauty. What is one beauty product or practice that is  part of your regular, daily regimen?

Lalah: Beauty practice…well,  I’m sort of not a girly girl so much. I’m kind of casual so as little work as I have to do. If I go to the makeup counter or I go to get a facial or any of those things I want to find out, “Do you guys have a one-step process that I can brush on my face and make it pretty?” So my rituals are really simple. I wash my face with a baby wipe and right now I’m using Vitamin E oil on my face cause I just like it. But I change up and it’s never really anything intense. I just try to keep it clean and casual.

Last year, I fell in love with Lah and Rah (Lalah’s self-produced webidosic series, starring herself and friend, Rahsaan Patterson) on YouTube. I just wanted more. So I’m curious – what is the future of Lah and Rah? Will there be more webisodes? Are you actually thinking of doing a reality series? What can we expect?

Lalah: I don’t know. We’re kind of pushing on with it. We were just talking about that yesterday. There will absolutely be more webisodes…I don’t know what ‘s in the future of Lah and Rah. We are writing right now and making music and that’s our first priority, but I’m certain there will be more wacky adventures. He’s just about as casual as I am so you never can say. Never can tell.

And when is the next time Los Angelenos can expect to see you perform live?

Lalah: I have the dates up in the Pink Room and we are in the process of building out the tour right now for the record so most of October I’m gonna be on the road and as soon as the LA date comes up, it will be posted under “Dates” in the Pink Room or on my Facebook.

I’ll be sure to put that information out there. You are so wonderful to meet in person, so down to Earth and I applaud you, respect you, and love you. Looking forward to this album and many, many more.

Lalah: Thank you, thank you so much. Good luck with all you do.

Lalah’s new album, Where It All Begins, drops Tuesday, October 18th and her new single, If You Want To is available on iTunes right now. Turn it up!

 


 

 

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LA EVENTS: EATDRINKLISTEN & CHOICE

Fall season is here and our good friend and brother DJ A-ski is back with two after work events in Downtown LA to get your week off to the right start: EatDrinkListen on Mondays and  Choice: A Weekly After Work Excursion on Tuesdays.

 

The details of these events are soon to come, but we wanted BI readers to know ahead of time what’s in store this fall! There is no Unique74 event that is complete without good food, good drinks and most importantly good music! Start making plans with your people now for after work good times, and as always booth reservations can be made by emailing unique74events@gmail.com.

 

 

6p-2a
626 S. Spring | Downtown LA
Birthdays | Booth Reservations | Special Events > unique74events@gmail.com