Wednesday, April 23, 2014

The Life


Greetings Brothers & Sisters,

Hopefully, the pollen’s not killing you and your respiratory systems… or, at least, not too much. I wanted to pop in and blog about a few things.

Recently, my second IndieFeed feature was posted. It feels great to be back. It’s been a few years now. You can check it out here: http://indiefeedpp.libsyn.com/christian-j-collier-acceptance



I’ve been rehearsing with the band Function for our upcoming show at The Camp House (1427 Williams St.) this Saturday night, and it’s been shaping up NICELY! Everything sounds great, and I’m going to be debuting a BRAND SPANKIN’ NEW poem. Come on out, dance, and let us entertain you. I guarantee that you’ll be moved, and all of my merch (my chapbook Ghosts & Echoes, the EP Between Beauty & Bedlam, and my Spoken-Word Rockstar t-shirts) will be present, so if you’d like to scoop something up, we can definitely make that happen.

Switching gears, for over a year now, I’ve really been focusing on becoming more Zen and trying to positively rearrange certain things in and around my life that were inhibiting me from growing as I needed to. I think I’ve largely been successful in my pursuit, even though I still have a long way to go. This past Sunday, I heard a really interesting quote regarding letting go of the past, which is something that I’ve struggled with a great deal. Basically, the crux of the statement was that you should be thankful for the problematic things and times, because otherwise, you continue, whether you’re aware of it or not, to feed energy into them and keep the wounds and emotion fresh. You end up seeking validation and vindication that you’re, most likely, not going to find.



As fate would have it, later that same day, I was able to make my peace with a few things and people, which was huge. I REALLY hope to be able to continue to just let things be, because none of us are the same people we were last week let alone a few years ago. Wisdom, baby!

Well, that’s all I’ve got for now. Be good, be well, and I hope to see you on Saturday!

Blessings

Links:




Twitter - @ichristian3030

Sunday, April 13, 2014

Connection!


Greetings Boys & Girls,

This past week was a good one. It had adventure, sickness, gigs, etc. Let’s jump in!



 

I’ve been on the sick side of the coin for over a week now. At the beginning of last week, I was under the impression that I’d be feeling well enough to do the show at The Hunter without a problem. However, I realized during my rehearsal on Sunday or Monday that that wasn’t going to be the case. My voice was spotty at best, my breath control was terrible, yadda yadda. So, I decided to take myself to the doctor and get a few shots to kick my recovery into overdrive.

 

If you’ve followed this humble blog of mine for any length of time, there’s a good chance you’ve seen me say this before about The Hunter. Every time I have the opportunity to perform there, it always feels special. Scratch that, it always IS special. On this particular go round, I was accompanied by my bandmates Zowie Boyd and Jessica Nunn, and once we got rolling, I think we did a great job of filling the room. One of the greatest things aside from bringing the material to life is that we, as a group not only continue to get better, but we grow closer together while we’re performing, and that’s an amazing feeling.

 



After the performance, several people came up to talk to us, and I was really overwhelmed by the response. A few days prior to the show, I spoke with a friend from Florida who worked with the radio with me as well as started producing music with yours truly. He'd listened to my EP and asked that if my material isn't going to get airplay and because poetry has a very definite ceiling for opportunities (right now), where did I see myself going next. I told him that I really felt that with the band, we offer something unique, resonant, etc. and that if we can continue to just bring people into the work and atmosphere, we can carve out our own lane. The Hunter performance truly felt like a small affirmation towards that.

 



Friday night, I was asked to perform in a fundraiser for Equality Everywhere and for two young bands. It was a really interesting night and bill. There was indie rock, there was a little dabble of drag, and there was me. I haven’t performed at JJ’s Bohemia in a while, and I’ve always enjoyed being on that stage. It was a lot of fun to rock out in front of a room full of people who’d largely never heard of me.

 

I reached back and did some older pieces that I don’t get to perform that much anymore, and everybody was hip to it, man. It’s always great when that happens. When I jumped off the stage, a guy came over, and we started talking. He said that he was surprised that spoken word resonated so much with him. I replied that regardless of the medium, on some level, that’s what every artist hopes for. We hope that whoever experiences our work and regardless of their background, there will be a point in time when everything gels and you truly connect. Every time I record something or touch a stage, that’s legitimately what I strive for. As a matter of fact, I even frequently quote Brother Ali’s, “There’s no me, there’s no you/There’s just us” at the beginning of my sets because it is the PERFECT perspective for where I’m at as an artist and a person.

 



Well, that’s about all I’ve got for now. Come see Function and me on April 26th at Camp House (1427 Williams St.), and be good!

 

Links:

You can buy my new EP here: http://christianjcollier.bandcamp.com/   



Twitter - @ichristian3030

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

April!


Greetings,

I’ve been gearing up for my upcoming performance at The Hunter this Thursday, and it’s been rough. I’ve been on the sick side of the coin, and it’s been eating up my voice. I’ll be good to go on Thursday though. This, I guarantee.



If you’re a fan of the music and culture of jazz music, you should check out http://jazzanooga.org  for a schedule of events taking place. Former “American Idol” runner-up Ruben Studdard, Grammy-winners Gregory Porter and Lalah Hathaway, and more are coming to Chattanooga, so make sure to stay in the loop of this month’s activities.

Next, as I mentioned before, I’ll be performing at The Hunter Thursday night. It will be a celebration of the phenomenal new exhibit featuring African-American art from the Renaissance and up, as well as Jazz Appreciation Month and National Poetry Month. I’m really excited about this performance and all of the surprises I have in store. You can also check out an article on the show and yours truly in general here: http://www.chattanoogapulse.com/arts/renaissance-gumbo-from-a-word-chef/  



Oh, you can also check out an article the features some other proponents of literacy and me here: http://www.chattanooganow.com/news/2014/apr/04/changing-chattanooga-spreading-the-word/. My picture was actually taken at rehearsal, so I’m glad that it was snapped before I worked up a holy sweat. 

Lastly, on April 26th, I’ll be sharing the stage With Function. They just recently won this year’s Road to Nightfall competition, and if you haven’t checked them out yet, you’re absolutely missing out. We’re going to be playing some soul music with a message, so bring yourselves out for good times.



Well, that’s all that I have for now, brothers and sisters. Be good, stay tuned, and I hope to see you out and about soon.