What can I say but this dance band from Athens Georgia is a ton of fun. Peep them in the video below shaking the floor at the Kung-Fu Necktie doing “Blast Off”
Search
Links
Yellow Ostrich – Live at Johnny Brenda’s – Video Inside
Yellow Ostrich hit Johnny Brenda’s for their 4th show. Playing much of the new material off of Strange Land Alex Schaaf and company opened with their upbeat rocker “Whale”. Peep that and stellar versions of “Marathon Runner” in the video Below.
The Voice Project
Unless you’ve been avoiding the media altogether you’re probably familiar with the problems in Central Africa with children being taken from their families and forced to fight for Joseph Kony’s LRA . The LRA is making these children do awful things including killing their friends and family members. Some of these children escape and hide, afraid to return home because of retaliations for the atrocities they were forced to commit.
In 2003 American Jason Russell created a group called Invisible Children, and released the now famous “Kony 2012” video, describing the atrocities committed by the Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony. There is another video now being spread by The Voice Project
The women of northern Uganda have been banding together in groups to support each other and they are singing songs. The lyrics of “dwog paco” (come home) songs to let their abducted children and former soldiers know that they are forgiven and that they should come back. The songs are spread by radio and word of mouth and it’s just starting to see positive results. There is NO other way for these mothers to get messages to these kids in the jungle. Their children are returning and for the first time in many years the area has a chance at peace.
The Voice Project is an attempt to support these incredible women and to amplify the peace movement in central Africa, and an effort to see how far a voice can carry.
The Voice Project raises money to build the radio towers throughout and around the jungle. Please watch this video (actually made by Invisible Children co-founder Bobby Bailey, who shot a lot of Kony 2012). It encourages people to buy a scarf with the money going to build the towers. For more information on The Voice Project please visit http://voiceproject.org/
New Multitudes at Union Transfer
People’s eyes were opened to the truth steeped in deep and powerful music and words of Woodrow Wilson “Woody” Guthrie . He made his mark on so many by crafting his insightful views and experiences into folk songs using his machine that could kill fascism, a guitar. Now in 2012 as the country celebrates the anniversary of his 100th birthday another set of musicians paid tribute to the Dust Bowl Troubadour.
The full review is here on Jambase
Peep Jay Farrar, Anders Parker, Yim Yames and Will Johnson doing “Changing World” and “My Revolutionary Mind” at Philadelphia’s Union Transfer.
Roller Derby or Why Women Have More Fun
Last Friday several friends and I were invited to see our first ever live Roller Derby game. From the moment I set foot in the Derby Den I was in awe, a regular kid in the candy store grin across my face. Cool Uniforms, A wild looking track, Roller Skates, tri-blocks… seriously it’s like I was wisked back twenty years except now I was seeing it live and not on TV.
The Derby Den is in a warehouse located in west Deptford NJ and contains a rough and tumble banked track where The South Jersey Derby Girls (SJDG) league does battle. On Friday we watched two intraleague teams skate, The Rolling Barren Bandits Vs. The Big Rig Betties
It’s not hard to get the hang of Roller Derby. It’s a slew of short 5 on 5 matchups in which both teams designate a scoring player (the “jammer”) who scores points by lapping members of the opposing team. McMenace dominated Friday night lapping the Bandits as TuTu Toxic and the rest of the Betties assisted while unpolitely hindering the Bandits to win the game. The Big Rig Betties next game is an all-star game against Man’s Ruin from New York. The game on March 17 has been moved to Deptford Skating and Fun Center in Deptford NJ – tickets can be purchased here: http://sjderbygirls.com/tix.html – definately worth checking out! FYI – The South Jersey Derby Girls skate the MADE (Modern Athletic Derby Endeavor) ruleset
Peep the Video below to see all the Hot Roller Derby Action!
Marco Benevento Slays Philly with Three sets
So the Blockley has been blowing it up recently pulling in the likes of Akron/Family, everyone’s man Otis Day and The Knights (Animal House) and this past Friday an epic 3 set show with Marco Benevento, Dave Dreiwitz and Andrew Borger. Set one contained a new B side off of the 7″ record that Bene was selling at the show called “Fireworks.” Peep it in the first video below as well as the fiery end to “The Real Morning Party” from the beginning of the second set. The band kicked out stellar versions of “Atari” and “Heartbeats’ before the Soul Rebels Brass Band stopped in after opening for Galactic across the city. The combo of musicians bounced through the second half of the second set with a wild horn honking cover of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and Sleigh Bells’ “Infinity Guitars.”
At 2 am the Blockley sold cases of beer for the crowd late night consumption as Bene laid out some stellar work on Elton John’s “Benny and The Jets” before finishing the night around 4 am.
“Fireworks” and more
The Benevento Trio with The Soul Rebels
Otis Day and the Knights doing an Animal House Toga Party 2.18.12
Otis Day and the Knights are still around – alive and kicking. Sure everyone’s man Otis is now in his 60′s but he can still get the crowd moving! Peep the Video below to see him get the masses moving at the Blockley in Philadelphia.
The Thinking Man on Postive Healthcare Technology
Technology is generating some questions around fairness and how it will increasingly complicate our already messy approach to health care. Whether you are for or against certain new technology in healthcare this video clip is purely positive.
Akron / Family – Round 2 video from 1.20.12
Round 2 Video from that epic Akron / Family Show on 1.20.12 with guests the Sun Ra Arkestra. The footage mashed in is from Sedona AZ during Novemeber 2011. Enjoy!
The Thinking Man discusses online video changing society
Cameras are getting smaller while still getting more powerful and the improvements are only speeding up. Aside from having better video of your latest show or family moment, having this much video kicking around is sure to change society in unknown ways.
Start with kids. I have one. I also have no less than 4 accessible ways to capture him on film. Cameras, phones, laptops, etc. Much of his life, and the lives of his peers is digital.
How will the fact that he is a little Derek Zoolander affect him later in life?
Unclear, but I hope he doesn’t turn out like this…
With all that video kicking around, society is likely to get more depraved as every politician, movie star, and public person will be fighting off embarrassing video of themselves from years past.
The pool of people with no embarrassing videos loaded to social media sites will only become smaller. I believe this has serious ramifications for society at large. Some good, some bad.
Think for a moment about politicians. Part of the reason why normal people consistently rank their elected representatives as “crap” is because these are people who have been squeaky clean as they’ve aimed for an office of public life since they were young. Or they had rich parents to cover things up for them.
More and more, people will be forced to confront their past, which they hope society will judge as youthful transgression. Obama admitted past drug use. Bush did the same but would things be different if we had a video of George W. Bush pulling a 4 foot bong hit in the frat house?
What about embarrassing Facebook photos and video of that night you got really drunk and your friend posted online? What about video of you that was captured via CCTV or without your knowledge or consent? When was the last time you picked your nose in public? Are you comfortable with what is out there about you? If you aren’t is there anything that you can do?