Little Dragon Nov. 4th @ The Independent in SF

Unabashedly declaring Little Dragon as my favorite group out right now.

I haven’t really had a favorite group or a band or an artist for that matter that I have felt this much in a loooong while so it is a really big deal for me.

The homies and I went to the Little Dragon show this past Wednesday at The Independent over in Frisco and damn if it wasn’t the most spiritual experience I’ve had in a long while. It’s Friday now and I’m still on a high from the show.

Yukimi Nagano’s voice is so powerful and her stage presence and energy on the stage transforms you from spectator into participant. She jumped into the crowd and starting giggin in the middle of the audience space & got the docile folks in the middle more into it. From then it was on! At one point towards the very end of the show she damn near went horizontal in mid-air and landed face first onto the stage…and kept going! Yukimi was definitely a performer possesed on Wednesday night. I can’t say enough about the band of Erik, Frederick, and Hakan who provide a backdrop that never actually plays the background. Yukimi’s voice & all of their instrumentation together blend into an atmospheric evironment that completely envelopes the entire venue. I’m sorry, i’m not going to go back and edit, I’m just going to let myself ramble like a starstruck fan because honestly I can’t remember a time that I’ve been this excited about music or musicians, and for that I will allow myself to come across like a blabbering screaming TRL fan standing outside with a sign. I was extra juiced when somebody at the same show posted some videos of it on youtube, and that’s the reason for this post. My first post since August if anyone besides me is counting.

And the CROWD was dope as fuck as well! Easily twice as many people than the show in May. I think the band was definitely appreciative of the exuberant folks clapping, screaming, yelling, dancing, and smiling. I damn near drove down to Santa Cruz to see them at The Rio where they’re playing tonight.

Little Dragon GOES!

Test @ The Independent 11/4/09 -

After the Rain @ The Independent 11/4/09 -

Her screams hurt me soul so beautifully, ugh.

Jockin’ Hella Too Tough & Very Okay With That,

GMitch.

PS- Do people still write reviews of shows? Because this one definitely deserved a fuckin well thought out write up! Come on Colinrespose!…no pressure tho.

PPS- Shout out to komodoTV for posting these videos on youtube!

PPPS- Shout out to Adriel Luis for putting up Colin on this group who then put me up on them. Ugh, gotta love word of mouth.

Dewey Cox – Beautiful Ride

I woke up with this song in my head, and this is the best I’ve felt waking up in forever so I’m posting this. The last song in one of my favorite movies (Top 5 comedies 4 me). [Skip the first 20 secs of vid, OR go ahead and watch the techno intro if you'd like]:

As I stand on the precipice of death
My perspective is enormous,

G.

PS – Just for the fuck of it -

Let’s Duet ft. Kristen Wiig

Hella Mad I missed the ‘Cox Around America Tour’ lol.

Kristen Wiig & John C. Reilly GO!

EZ.

The Cool 2007 Lupe Fiasco @ EMU & Collective Memory

The way our collective attention spans work these days, the rappers who remain the most relevant in public perception are either on EVERY new single out (Wayne, Kanye), getting in trouble with the law (Wayne, Kanye, T.I.), or just by being outtapocket with petty beefs (Rick Ross, 50 Cent). Now, none of these things necessesarily bother me very much at all, I just write this to make an observation about how quickly both rappers and songs become outdated and irrelevant in our collective consciousness. It’s crazy interesting to me particularly when I begin to take this same concept and apply it to real hard pressing issues affecting our communities both local and global.

The same way we dismiss rappers who haven’t leaked a new song every couple weeks is the same way so many of us in the U.S. relate to the current socio-economic and political issues we face as a people. For example, the tragedy of prolonged violence in the Middle-East is overshadowed by controversial torture procedures enforced during the Bush administration. Of course torture should be looked at closely, it’s inhumane, unspeakably fucked up and shouldn’t happen, but the amount of time the media chooses to focus on it while not telling us much of anything new about it is simply a waste of time. There’s ALL KINDS of death and fucked up shit going on right now in the Bay Area and it seems like the shit that our communities go through are just forgotten and pushed aside for the new subject du jour (of the day). The role of mass media as a central tool for propaganda and distraction can NEVER be underemphasized.

Interestingly enough, this video of Lupe Fiasco performing his song, “The Coolest,” off of his album The Cool, brought all of this to mind. Specifically because back when this album first came out Lupe was my favorite rapper by FAR and in my head nobody could top his talent at songwriting, wordplay, etc etc. But if someone had asked me who my favorite rapper in the game was yesterday he wouldn’t even have crossed my mind initially. Knowing me, I probly woulda said Young Dro or someone. But then I went back and looked at this video and was just floored again at this fool. He’s just ridiculous. I mean how long ago was 2007 really? But I’m SURE if i put together a mix to throw on at a party and it had something from Lupe’s 2007 album on it muhfuckas would definitely be giving me the stink face. It makes me check myself and my own susceptibility to being swept up into the waves of the “current” and losing touch on things that I loved (or things that affected me) but I just hadn’t thought of in a while.

(Sometimes I ramble, sorry).

Anywho, here goes the video that sparked this tangent:

Peace.

G-Mitch

PS – Shout out to DSB for checkin me and makin me do a new blog. Your turn now bruh bruh!

Jadakiss – I Tried ft. Avery Storm

[Again man, try gettin the song for real, cuz youtube makes the shit sound not as good, and i aint computer saavy nor patient enough how to put on the song another way.]

I always wait for those songs where Jada can get on a beat and display his lyrical profenciency as “i” believe it was meant to be shown off (who am i of course, simply a fan of his skill). Not only does Jada rip this shit to shreds he just uplifted me for the day as i “keep tryin” to do my thang and stay motivated and inspired in life.

It’s funny, i feel like hella people think Avery Storm is a corny half talented hook singer, but i seem to keep hella feelin the hooks he lays down, so maybe (probly) i’m hella corny too or else people are just hatin’ and trippin’ a little too hard, which ain’t that unusual in this day and age. Too little time to hate is what i say.

Jada’s new album was originally titled “Kiss My Ass,” but the extra BEEZY ass record execs (“suspects”)  made him rename it. Ass can even be said on t.v. now & an artist can’t use that word in an album title…bullshita. So, “The Last Kiss,” it is. This is not titled because this is Jada’s last album, but rather because as he tells it, the “Kiss” theme of all his previous solo album titles has run its course. I feel that. Good idea, time to start fresh doggie.

I like a bunch of the songs on the album, but there ARE some irkish ass tracks on that shit. Most obvious to me is (of couse) the track contributed by Swiss (cot-damn) Beatz, “Who’s Real.” Swizzy, who constantly gives people trash beats and even more terrible hooks keeps on going on this track. UGH. The Mary J. track sounded like the J.V. version of Nas & Keri Hilson “Hero.” But where those tracks and a few others slack off, songs like “Smoking Gun” with Jazmine Sullivan and “Cartel Gathering” with Ghostface & Raekwon are real dope. I hella like the “Rocking With The Best” with Pharrell song, but like i said before i sometimes fall hard for the cornball sounding ish. Jada still aint reached his peak, as he’ll tell you himself, but it’s another album that’s worth listening to. Alright let me stop frontin like i’ve actually reviewed an album before.

Let’s Get It!

Al-Queda Jada

Aiight,

G.

Favorite Song Right Now

The-Dream ft. Kanye West – Walkin On The Moon

Track #3 off The-Dream’s new album, Love Vs. Money (shit just dropped on the 10th)

Disclaimer: The youtube version don’t hit as hard as the version i got on my itunes, but til i learn how to put up music on this blog this will have to do. Damn it, just get a taste, then cop the album then slap it in the whip while driving on the freeway! Holler!

Ugghhhh. That damn breakdown for the hook hits me so cold everytime i hear it. Kanye’s verse is cool (“and uhhh”). But GOT-DAMN that “I’ll pull down a cloud for you…” whole part ugggh. Yeah man, i fucks wit The-Dream (word to Stacy)!

Uggghh,

G.Mitch.

The Berenstain Bears and Too Much TV + HAPPY 3rd BDAY KAYLIN!

The Family Portrait

Back in my younger years I used to pick three books for my mama to read to me before I went to sleep every night. She would always start trailing off during the last story of the night and start mumbling funnies that only come out of your mouth when you’re trying to read out loud as you fall asleep. Those are fond memories. She would always ask me what certain words meant and she would tell me to figure the word out within the context of the sentence. This has to be the reason why I love reading and enjoy writing so much to this day.

My mama DID have a limit though. I was HELLA into The Berenstain Bears growing up and I tried to collect all of the ones they would put on the back cover of each book (because it said “Collect Them All!” and I was good at following certain directions). At a certain point in the night for any mama tryin to go to bed, 3 Berenstain Bears books just begins to be too much reading, so she told me I could still pick out 3 books, but only two of them could be the Berenstain Bears.

I bring these memories up for a few reasons:

1 is that I just got back from 5 days split between Maui & Oahu. While we were out there I spent almost every second I could outside doing something cool.

The Fam Eatin' in Maui

We went snorkling, bike riding, went to hella beaches and tried to boogy board (which is lightweight hard when there ain’t some big waves), AND probly the most exciting thing EVER: I saw friggin Humpback whales breaching BLUD!!! (and i didn’t take my camera along for none of those things cuz I knew I would break it so…here’s a youtube clip.

Basically I watched little to no TV, and damn near more important in MY case was that I didnt spend ANY time on the internet. It felt so fuckin good. I forgot that feeling damn near of just being not dependent on any screens (whether it be TV, computer, phone, whatever). It reminded me of the year in college where we decided that we weren’t going to have cable or internet in our spot and it wound up being one of the most active / learning / crazy filled years of my life (on hella levels).

My mama recently did some cleaning out of my gramma’s basement and brought a box back to here house of hella my old books and records and randomly accumulated miscellaneous shit, and in the box was, The Berenstain Bears and Too Much TV.

I just re-read that shit and it made me feel hella good, and it just kinda reminded me that just because I’m back home from a vacation doesn’t mean I should go back to my routine of watching the same shows at the same times i tend to. It reminded me (along with the trip to Hawaii) that I gotta do things daily to turn my hometown(s) into my own concrete paradise. It doesn’t hurt that the spring is creeping in (the pollen in my nose reminds me of this annually) and the whether is (trying) to change and get rid of this rain and cold weather. And then daylight savings always gets people back outta their shelter and moving around a lot more again.

So I got a few good books right now (some of which i meant to read/finish a while ago)  to keep me away from the screens in my life:

• A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose by Eckhart Tolle (It’s in Oprah’s Book Club, holla!)
• Confessions of a Yakuza by Junichi Saga (Word to C. Darby for that plug)
• Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons (Yup, book before the movie type read)
• The Small-Mart Revolution: How Local Businesses Are Beating the Global Competition by Michael H. Shuman (Word to K-Chedda Mo’ Betta for that one)
• Grant Writing for Dummies by Dr. Beverly A. Browning
• The Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz (I read half of it like 3 months ago and just set it down). And last but MOST important(ly)…….
• The Land Before Time: The Search for the Great Valley by Little Foot

So between all of these books, trying to finish two albums (The Mitchell Report, with Senbei of the mighty mighty Broken Halos & Colinrespose, and BASS aka Bay Area Super Slap (word C+) for OPTIC), working on trying to find work and working that work, being a part of a Dominoes League, and kickin it with the fam (all my families), it should hopefully be tough to fit in any time for these screens…except for Warriors games!!! Come on man, that’s the reason I got cable in the first place!

Holler Atcha Fam Bam,

G.Mitch

PS- If you got any ideas for fun activities that don’t include screens lemme know!

PPS-HAPPY 3rd BDAY to my niece Kaylin…(Dang, she’s three ALREADY!?!?)

My 2 Favorite Womyn (The one who read me Berenstain Bears & the one who gets read Berenstain Bears Now.

“Oh My GOD!”

This is a tribute / dream feature post. This is one of my favortie youtube clips of all time. To me, it’s the shit like this that gets captured that makes youtube one of the tightest things ever. Enjoy!

Damn sun. I replay this shit constantly.

G-Mitch.

It’s Goin’ Down Like Gravity.

Patrick Rizzo (Berkeley, CA) Smashin' Down Another Hill!

Lookin' Fly Noah. (couldn't find a picture of you skating, ha!)

JM Duran in a Fly ass speed suit. Flowers GO!

All I really know about downhill skateboarding is that it’s some of the hardest badass shit that i’ve seen with my own eyes. My homies Patrick Rizzo &  J.M. Duran have been doing this professionally for a bunch of years now, travelling internationally to race competitavely while being sponsered by different skateboard companies like Sector 9. I am always in awe anytime I get the chance to do their thang, and it is just as inspirational to watch homies get to do what they love for a living.

I just wanted to shout out the homies Patrick & J.M. (and the homie Noah Sakamoto whom I just met over the summer who is also incredibly dope and raw at this shit!) for holding it down like GRAVITY on these steep ass muhfuckin’ hills. Here is some of the latest AMAZING footage of Patrick & Noah bombing down Claremont from the Grizzly Peak area in the Berkeley hills! Got Damn, peep the fuckin’ camera work, I’d of fallin’ off before I even started.

Kick Ass,

G-Mitch

Invincible at Oakland Unity High School

Invincible gracing the cover of Metro Times (Detroit’s weekly alternative for news, arts, culture, music, film, food, fashion and more).

I can’t claim to know a lot about Oakland Unity High School or Invincible, but I did come across this video on youtube while I was trying to find songs from Invincible.

Invincible at Oakland Unity High School:

Invincible is a rapper from DETROIT, Michigan and like so many other incredible emcees that come outta the city made famous by their automotive factories, Eminem and J Dilla (whom I share a birthday with Feb. 7, holla), she puts words together in an incredibly beastly way. She’s also ’bout something, as she couples her emceeing with her activism. Listing, “Audre Lorde, Nina Simone, MC Lyte, Gil Scott-Heron, James Baldwin, Paulo Freire and the Detroit Summer Yoot” as some of her influences on her Myspace music page. It’s pretty inspirational to see aritists of her caliber putting their time and energy doing good work, like coming all the way out here to Oakland and leading workshops in schools, where she is also spittin’ fire about the Prison Industrial Complex as an incredibly destructive, corrupt, and inhumane institution and how it fucks up individuals as well as communities. I’ll let you decide what you think, I just wanna hear her album hella bad now.  Here’s a video that displays how ridiculous she rips it.

Invincible: “Sledgehammer!” Official Video:

That shit’s DOPE.

Here’s to Hip Hop & Activism & 2008 bringing some Cold-Hearted Hot Stueyness,

G. Mitch

P.S. Shout to Paula for waking me up from napping (cuz i aint never sleepin) on Invincible!

P.S. Coming Soon… Senbei & Slavename Present: The Mitchell Report…dun dun dun…

Oh Shit!! Lup E.N.D.

Back up in this muhfucka like whoa! Got my car stolen, lost my phone, cable wasn’t working, but after two long months wit no internet in my new spot I finally hit up comcast and am currently online officially now…legally. To be honest, it’s been so long since i been on wordpress.com, the website went and changed on me and now i’m all confused and gotta relearn how to put pictures on and everything. But hey, since it’s only Colin, D. Scott, and maybe still Korillation that check up on this blog, i’m sure ya’ll love me enough to keep on reading despite the lack of media and flashy things that make blogs so cool in the first place. HA.

Now…With the monumental, life altering, brain bursting, organ churning, world on the edge of it’s collective seats election just hours away…what better time to be back up in here postin like this, am i right? HELL YEAH. That was a rhetorical question. 

But I am posting NOT about the day that may or may not change my outlook on life forever (too dramatic?), but about something that i just saw on HipHopDX that just made me incredibly giddy. I am just waaay too much of a hip hop nerd i think, but i like that kind of nerdiness though, but it was a video featuring one of my favorite rappers in the “game”: Lupe Fiasco. I would just come out and tell you what the video is about, but it’s just so much more exciting letting him tell it for himself. So here goes the link, I hope the video works. HOLLER!!!

http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/videos/id.1786/title.lupe-fiasco-lupend-details

Feels So Good To Be BAAAAAAAACK!

BARACK THE VOTE U BEEZIES!!!!!!!!!!!

G-Slavename.