Artist Spotlight: 1-O.A.K.

For reasons only my therapist can tell me, I tend to take a severely long time to vocally respond to things. It took me one year to fully articulate how I felt about Michael Jackson’s death. In the meantime, I lazily responded, saying “this is so sad” so many times until I eventually became more impressed with the idea of becoming mute.  I still have yet to understand how I feel about his passing, other than “sad”. Fortunately, there are artists such as 1-O.A.K. who do a better job than I do of transmitting feeling into sound.

Though I am not quite sure how he feels about Jackson’s passing, I can safely assume that with his spring début “Special Request”, 1-O.A.K. is doing his best to keep Jackson’s legacy of good music alive.

“Special Request” feels good. Something like a loofah and Avon bath oil.

Why? Because loofahs never fail to surprise me with their uncanny tendency to sneak up in a crevice I didn’t even know about. I’ve seen 1-O.A.K. casually strolling around the town buying pastries and orange juice, working with the young folk and often on stage sporting a very fashionable cardigan. I always knew I liked his sound. However, songs like “Stay With Me” and his closer “ Homerun” exfoliated my critique, forcing me to be present and enjoy his artisan shower. No R. Kelly.

Aside from kissing mirrors, I had a childhood interest in perusing catalogues; imagining the feeling of wealth and all the things it could afford me. Granny would never buy me what I wanted from these catalogues. Instead of flavored chap stick, she’d consistently gift me with a 16 oz bottle of Skin So Soft bath oil straight out of the back of the Avon catalogue. Granny knew what I needed better than I understood what I wanted.

Songs like “Me & You”, “Sweet Memories”, “Yaya”, “So Sincere” and  “Long Time” (practically the entire EP) make 1-O.A.K. a damned good bathtub. I am looking forward to hearing at least one of these songs next time I choose to go out to a club in Oakland/San Francisco and listen to really loud music in uncomfortable, but cute looking shoes.

Apologies Bay Area for taking too long to listen to 1-O.A.K.’s “Special Request”. Though I have not had my favorite songs on repeat for as long as I think I should before soliciting my opinion, one thing is for sure: 1-O.A.K.’s freshman project is deserving of five loofahs from the Source (should they supplement mics for unique body scrubbing mechanisms). If you go here, you can download his entire EP, which includes an electronic copy of his lyrics for convenient shower singing. Here’s to body wash, legacy and good music. Thank you McFarland.

Find him on twitter: #1oakALLDAY

Black Men Are More Than Just A XXL White-Tee…

I prefer to keep the company of a vintage human. You know, someone with a bit of experience behind their teeth; the opposite of a sharp biting youth with dull shoulder blades to match. Skip past analogies and fast forward into the yolk of this post: quite a few men my age, and younger, dress in ways that make me want to Holy Ghost all over this blog and down the coast to my grannie’s house for a proper prayer of forgiveness. What makes matters even more complex (or not), is for every young man I see wearing clothes that fit, there are several more broadcast on major media outlets doused in oversized everything. Accompanied by even larger womanly body parts.

Fortunately, we have the vision of Shantrelle P. Lewis, curator for the exhibit ‘Dandy Lion: Articulating a Re(de)fined Black Masculine Identity.’ This exhibit explores how Black male identity is literally being refashioned. I suggest you check out the link and peep when the exhibit makes its way near your city and/or town.

The bearded men from Street Etiquette and Brooklyn Circus have repurposed so many mundane items, I wouldn’t be surprised if I saw one of these gentlemen wearing a doily on their head in place of a snap back. They are for certain, the genre of man capable of redefining what it means to lace us with game.

Back to Lewis. She has yet to make mention of an Oakland interlude during the Dandy-Lion’s tour. I smh’d for an entire day, until I noticed one of Oakland’s own stark Dandy-Lions on Broadway and 14th.

For a 22year old young man, with a name to match his bow-tie, Bartholomew has stepped up Oakland’s swag factor by more than just a few bars.

He can out-dress men and women twice his age and left me in my spandex and Target socks feeling like an elementary school reject. Back to the drawing board I go.

Here’s to Oakland’s young who occupy 14th street and broad taste.

Ps. This man can sing. Be sure to tune into The Parked Car this Thursday 5-6 pm PST for a formal introduction. Fierce button.

Artist Spotlight: Jean Grae “You & Me & Everyone We Know”

I’ve been sitting in my swivel chair for the past two and one half hours figuring out how to follow-up a blog post featuring the music of someone as coiled-and sometimes flat-ironed follicled as Gwen Bunn. Her music is so intriguing that I have been compelled to repost Sunday’s blog three days after Sunday. If music were currency, this woman’s voice would be rich enough to feed a very small to medium-sized island.

While searching for something to rearrange my interests and inspire a new blog post, I stumbled upon Jean Grae’s new single off of her upcoming album “Cake or Death”. Is the title suggesting that this album eulogizes all women who have died from faulty butt implants? Probably not, but that would be interesting.

The track is titled “U & Me and Everyone We Know”. I presume the title is loosely based on the uncanny movie of the same name, directed by Miranda July.

Musically, this rocks my boat. Lyrically, it is a lament and may be the best soundtrack to friendships that are perpetually under construction.

“I still adore you, but you adore me theoretically”. Whoa.

Listen. Appreciate. Feed me back.

Artist Spotlight: Gwen Bunn

Nothing matches an undercooked bowl of oatmeal on a rainy morning than a nice glass of unfamiliar juice and alternative media that doesn’t cast Black men as eager consumers of Wal-Mart street booty.

Girl, catch ya breath.

This morning my oats and I watched instead, joshua bee alafia’s fourth episode of “Staying Together”–a web series that explores questions Black men and women have around relationships and intimacy. Each episode is closed David Chapelle style with a featured vocalist performing an original song around the theme of couples staying together. Musically, the fourth episode is my favorite. I was introduced to Lotus Love, two women who sound like oatmeal.

A very well-cooked bowl of oatmeal.

I have yet to come across a duo like this since Musiq Soulchild’s “Settle for Your Love” ft. Aaries.

I jumped into a quest for more music from these women. After watching their first and only video on their YouTube page, my flight fell short, and I landed upon the likes of Gwen Bunn.

This young woman immediately made a fan out of my disdain with contemporary R&B artists. Particularly the ones with ovaries. Gwen Bunn, 20 years old, hails from Berklee College of Music. Not only can the woman sang, she writes and produces. For all of those who have issues trusting the opinions of bloggers, here is a quick fact for you: Ryan Leslie shopped her a beat. An excellent songwriter in his own right, surpassing warm-oatmeal status, Leslie’s got to see something in this cropped Afro of a singer. I’m pretty certain if her lips were brushes, she’d give Basquiat something to run tell dat.

I’ve listened to her EP “The Verdict” over three times, with minor snack-breaks between. My favorite tracks are “A Baby”, “Right Now” and “Let Me”. However, I vouch for the first seven songs on her EP including a separate track titled “Do It For Me” which can be found here.

Enough of my flaccid review, here she is:

 

 

Crush on Me

Few things other than bearded men, possess the ability to make me smile.

The first would be cupcakes. As long as there is no coconut or exotic sounding nuts involved, I will indulge.

The second is a good song.

You know, the kind of song that gives you a crush on yourself.

Fortunately for our generation, and for me in particular, we have had the honor of living amongst a composer of said songs. Jay Dee, also referred to as “Dilla” and “Ummah” has created many a brilliant song. On many occasions, Dilla has made my ears quiver; from A Tribe Called Quest’s, “Once Again” and Busta Rhymes’ “Whoo Ha!!” to Slum Village’s, “Climax” and Common’s “Come Close“.

Dilla is most likely known for his pop hit “Tainted” with rap group Slum Village. If you thought that was a good song, then you would enjoy Miguel Atwood-Ferguson’s rendition of “Untitled”*. After a few ferocious strokes of the hand, and snare infused head nods, there is little room to doubt that Ferguson was possessed by the spirit of Dilla.