So we went to my Uncle Clem’s house to visit with my cousins. He’s recently been blessed with his first grand-daughter and she and her parents were visiting from New York this week. That’s really neither here nor there though. 

We began to talk about Apple and Steve Jobs, how innovative a person he was and debate about how long we will continue to see his direct impact on the Apple brand before the first non Steve product is released. During this conversation a cousin of mine went into how Steve, and other creative minds in the past, was known for doing LSD. I have no idea if this is true but it’s relevance to this post is in no way to speak negatively about his genius or discredit him in anyway. 

So Uncle Clem starts to go in on how that’s also very common with musicians (which he and his brother - my popops are/were). And how very creative minds often have problems taking the creativity farther than before without experiencing “Nirvana” as he called it. That they create better when on “different mental planes”. All the while we’re cracking up over what he’s saying and finally I ask, “Uncle how CREATIVE are you?” 

We roared with laughter when he responded, “I use to be creative. I’m not creative anymore.”

I love my family. 

Kid Cudi arrived on the scene just as I began to approach a crossroads in my life. I wasn’t quite sure why but at the time I couldn’t be more excited about A Kid Named Cudi. My ex and I would sit up late in the middle of the week and debate whether or not he had staying power; market appeal. The following year what I perceived to be sadness laced all through Man on The Moon was something like the liquor I drowned my sorrows in. I remember very clearly playing it as I packed my suitcase the night before a departing flight from Seattle. I was heading back to Cali to clean up the time bomb of a six year relationship that exploded all up in my face just a few days prior. While I clearly find Scot Mescudi talented and without a doubt in his own lane, I was actually contemplating not going to the June 22^nd date of his Cud Life Tour with obvious reason. Well maybe it’s not so obvious so I’ll just spell it out; Cudi has a way of projecting his state of mind through his music. He sound tracked the final years of my very long term relationship and quite frankly I became a fan-fan while I was drunk on heartbreak. I wasn’t sure if backsliding was good for my health. Turns out it was exactly what I needed.

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Was just added to my On Tour Off Stage musical binge. As exciting as this is I realize I haven’t even written up the Kid Cudi show which exceeded my expectations by like, 100 times! So I will attempt to do that before the line up this Saturday overwhelms my mental capacity and I forget what it is I wanted to say. 

If you didn’t know, I have three daughters aged 9, 6 and 4. You don’t have to know my girls to guess that some of the stuff they say is off the wall, and more often than not hilarious as idonknowhat. As a result I’ve decided to quote the outrageous, comedic, sweet and sometimes impolite things that escape them. If you’re interested, need a laugh or something to contemplate - we all know some of the most honest, wisdom filled words can come from children - please head over to MyKidSays.tumblr.com and click the follow button.

Please and thank you.

Mel

So while it’s way past due, this post is in reference to the LBoogie concert I went to last month. I remember telling a friend of mine that it caused me to have a sort of epiphany in terms of my own life. So instead of complain about how her voice sounded a little broken, or wondering out loud why she seemed to be dressing like a pregnant woman (yes I know she is in fact pregnant but she hadn’t announced it at that time), or hoping she reads this and realizes that she is distracting the audiences when she in a terahertz like fashion directs the band all throughout every song and STOPS, I’ve decided to share with you all what it is I have come to realize.

We all know Ms. Hill has changed. Everything from her voice to the arrangement of her music has completely changed. Standing in the audience anxiously waiting to hear the memory of my high school years only to be confronted with the reality that it just doesn’t sound the same today as it did then was a little more than I could take at first.

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So I realize it’s been a while since I’ve actually produced any type of content here, but it’s been super busy at the office and I’m only now catching up on sleep. I did however hit up two shows in the last few weeks, the Lauryn Hill concert which you should already know about and the JazzReggae Fest which I’m not sure I mentioned before. Both shows were great for their own reasons and eventually I’ll get around to writing about them.

I’m sure most have heard by now but if not, Coachella is gonna sell tickets nearly a year in advance (This coming Friday to be exact) so I figure may as well make sure I can actually attend come 2012 purchase mine now. My summer is already looking like a no sleep zone with Kid Cudi in June, some travel in July and then Rock The Bells in August and, if you haven’t seen the line up yet you may want to check it out sooner than later. I’m too excited about seeing Black Star back on stage again, however I’m interested in the material they’ll perform since I haven’t really heard anything new as of late in the way of a Black Star album. Erykah Badu, Raekwon+Ghostface, and Macklemore oh and Nas are what really have me giddy which reminds me…*Checks on sale dates…searches for livenation mobile app* tickets will be available this weekend also. I swear I need a second income just to keep up.

Anyway let me stop myself before I end up writing a post so long it makes no sense that I haven’t recapped the concerts I have actually attended. So - yeah. 

Hopefully from the title you’ve gathered that I’m not really a touring artist. Actually – hopefully you know that because you’ve been following (checking in, whatever) fairly regularly and know I only write about music, I don’t make it. Anyway the Talib Kweli show I bought tickets to at the last minute earlier this month (literally the night before the show – possibly the last two tickets for sale since when my homegirl attempted to purchase hers the next day they had sold out) has officially kicked off my 2011 Summer Tour. I am (will be) averaging one concert (at least) a month between now and July where there is a break until Bumbershoot in September. I go on lockdown in the fall, because I’m usually taking classes, working like a maniac due to the holidays and oh yeah it’s the holidays, so I’m booked through New Years. Of course should Kanye go on tour at that time the whole game will change and trust I will find a way to ink it into my calendar.

Anyway the reason I’m sharing this bit of potentially useless information with you is, well actually I don’t know but it seemed fitting, and I’ve been looking for something to talk about with you all and right now this is it. Chances are this will be IT here on tumblr for a while. So take a look below for some of the shows I’m already “booked” to attend and check back for more to follow. I’ll post pictures (usually from @SisterBluez but sometimes taken by me) and a brief recap – not a review because I am not a critic – of the show and such post performance. You’ll want to read because I take in music unlike many other people, and people-watching is one of my favorite pass times and there’s no better place to do it than at a live performance. People just seem to let loose at concerts like this one girl who looked like she was having strobe light induced seizures at last Thursday’s Prince Concert. But I’ll save those details for another post that will soon come. 

Upcoming Recaps

Talib Kweli April 4, 2011

Prince April 22, 2011

Upcoming Tour Dates

Lauryn Hill May 17, 2011

JazzReggae Festival May 29/30, 2011

Kid Cudi June 22, 2011

July International Travel and a stop in NY

August TBA

Bumbershoot September 3-5, 2011

Me: Why doesn’t anyone take control of their careers anymore? Who is teaching these kids? Where are the mentors? What happened to the career coaches?

Friend: We’re it.

Its review season for many of us and so it’s no surprise that the hot topic of conversation is career development and growth. The conversation excerpt above was from a discussion about how not enough young people are truly active in their industries. Instead of participating and contributing they become dependent on their current employers. This disastrous career move (becoming stagnant) does nothing more but result in a sort of entitlement of career advancement as opposed to breeding true development and growth in their career. It’s weird for me because this is not the way it was when I was coming up.

Now don’t get me wrong, I had the “it’s been three whole years, what is your promotion plan for me?” tantrum of my own. I was about 21, maybe 22 at the time (I know it seems young but it’s true) but it wasn’t long before I quickly realized that the corporate cookie just doesn’t crumble that way.

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So over at SingleBlackMale.org there was some talk today about 8 Things Women Just Don’t Get. I read the blog pretty regularly but you know that this post struck a chord with me if my response was more than what seems appropriate for the comments section of a website. Another indicator would be the fact that I’m writing anything at all since lately I haven’t really had much to say; just look at my most recent posts.

Before I let you in on my own thoughts let me walk you through a brief recap of today’s SBM post. Slim Jackson, with the help of RightCoastLexSteele, goes in on women for a variety of indiscretions, but what it really comes down to is this: 

Women are telephone stalkers suffering from repeat dial & text syndrome who require a round of applause for every verbalized thought and are probably currently petitioning the grammar police to include “xo” as a new form of punctuation. We often disregard speed limits (read the post for further explanation), we’re orally selfish, fail to realize that sh!t stinks and that even our boo needs a break from our self perceived awesomeness. I think that pretty much sums it up.

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A lot of people say don’t hate the player hate the game. That’s fine and all but for a moment I’d like to ask for a little bit of honesty. Sometimes the players make the game less than enjoyable and this has been made most clear to me during Modern Day Matchmaker Wednesdays.

Now don’t be confused, I am not saying that the participants are horrible people, or suck in anyway (although I’m sure a few of them do…#pause or don’t – whatever), and I’m not saying that MDMW is anything less than superb. I “tune in” every week it’s on so please don’t roll your eyes – yet.

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