Talking that Talk!

Hey Folks,

We are now less than one week away from the next MANIFEST. As you probably know, we’ll be doing a Speakeasy session for the event, which is a poetry/spoken word open-mic done my way. For the past couple of months, I’ve had the pleasure of encountering a number of poets who’ve just been sitting on their work, so I figured that it would be a good opportunity to give them a platform to share what they’ve written, especially since the last Speakeasy event in April and the tremendous amount of fun that was.

I’ve said it before, but it continues to ring true. The Speakeasy has meant the world to me. Not only did it pave the way for me to initiate and solidify the MANIFEST brand, but it was my saving grace for a long time. Hopefully, I’m not getting too deep here, but I went through an intense depression in 2009, and Speakeasy really provided me something to take my mind off the troublesome things that were going on in my life at the time. It afforded me the chance to creatively vent, as well as come into contact with a number of writers across the board. Over the years, it’s been a continuing blessing.

We are not charging a set cover for the show, which is on the 14^th. Instead, I’m asking everyone to contribute what they feel is adequate for the entertainment and for bringing the show to fruition. If you’d like to contribute $2, that’s perfectly fine. If you’d like to contribute $20 or more, that’s also perfectly fine. Each individual gets to be the catalyst for how much they’d like to pay. I’ve really been interested in the whole pay-what-you-want model for a number of months now, mostly because it’s an open invitation for anyone to experience the event, which is the most important part of the equation in my eyes. Regardless of how much money you have in your wallet, I really just hope people will come see what we have lined up and experience it with an open mind. I guarantee satisfaction!

In other news, some of you know that I’ve been a producer of Hip-Hop, drum & bass, dubstep, etc. for the past six or more years. I released a drum & bass record in 2008, have had some singles spun in Europe, and a number of other personally cool things. I’ve recently decided to give more attention to producing again (I’ve been dabbling over the past year or so), and I’m very pleased to announce that one of my instrumentals is on The Chronicles of Viktor, which is a free mix dedicated to MF Doom brought to you by the good people from TheBeatTapeProject. If you’re interested in checking out some free music or just hearing my contribution (I’m track 83), you can accomplish both by visiting http://thebeattapeproject.bandcamp.com/album/the-chronicles-of-viktor-the-mfin-doom-beat-tape-3

Well, that’s all I’ve got for now, essentially. I’ll leave you with some albums and artists that I’ve currently been listening to and enjoying. Peace!

1. Miho Hatori
2. Lamb – Fear of Fours
3. Brother Ali – The Bite-Marked Heart
4. Local Natives – Gorilla Manor
5. The Alabama Shakes – Boys & Girls