What Happened?

I went like 10 months without posting, but I am liable to do that. I've had like 16 blogs over the years, and I lost interest in all of them over time. I mean I'd like to keep this one going, but who knows whether that will actually happen.

I have been thinking about embarking on a sort of musical odyssey with this blog in an attempt to realize how I ended up "here" so to speak, listening to Nigerian highlife music. After all, I've never lived anywhere else other than Louisiana, and my traveling outside the United States is limited to a day adventure in Mexico while on spring break in Texas freshman year. I haven't even done much traveling within the US, as I've stuck to the south with the exception of a couple medical visits to Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, and a ridiculous 5 days in Los Angeles for spring break junior year.

In other words, there is no real reason for me to love the random sounds I pick up from the digital corners of the globe. My family isn't exactly a multicultural one either- my father was raised in Monroe, Louisiana; and my mother in Baton Rouge. Neither towns are cultural meccas. Granted, I have spent almost my entire life around New Orleans, but this doesn't explain it really either.

As with most things, it is mostly useless to seek to understand the reasons behind why we love something (or someone, for that matter). It is enough to know that you fucking love it, and to just enjoy it. So I let the waves of sound wash over me, the rhythm pumping through my veins, the horns echoing in my brain, the guitars plucking at the corners of my mouth, forming a smile.

Note: Until I work something out to allow me to upload mp3's again, I am going to stick with embedding youtube vids. This one comes from the Nigerian band Super Negro Bantous.

Do You Feel Like We Do?

No, I'm not talking about Peter Frampton. I'm talking about Lucky Dube (Doo-bay). It may be hard to take him seriously at first sight, since he looks like Lenny Kravitz or one of the members of Milli Vanilli, bbut don't be fooled, this man was a badass. I first heard of Lucky Dube following his unfortunate death. Some fuckhead carjackers in South Africa killed one of the world's greatest artists for his goddamn car. What the fuck? Initially I blew Lucky Dube's music off because I hadn't really liked previous examples of South African music that I had heard. I got my first legitimate taste of Lucky Dube when I walked into a reggae/head shop in Venice Beach last month while on Spring Break. Floating out from the speakers was the smoothest, most soulful reggae music. "What is this?" I asked. "Eets Lucky Dube mon," the Rasta working the shop answered. Now, having listened to Lucky Dube all weekend, I love the man and can't understand the randomness of his death. I immediately equate him with Fela in the sense that his songs are all urgent and passionate pleas for love, equality, and less nonsense for the government. The main difference being that Fela always sounded like he was on the verge of leading a violent revolution against Obasanjo, no matter the costs. Lucky Dube approached the problems of South Africa in a much more "come together" sense. Either way, both Fela and Lucky Dube provide an example of what political music really is. Don't be fooled by the likes of will.i.am, etc. This is Serious Reggae Business.

Lucky Dube- Feel Irie
Lucky Dube- Together As One (Live)