Greetings!!!
What's up ya'll? Here I am again months later with just a few thoughts. I hear music. This journey is just full of surprises. I've been globe trotting between Atlanta, Houston, New York and of course Paris. Lot's of new artist that I am digging like this new cat Lyfe wow. I have written a few more songs and I am closer to the end of this part of the voyage. As usual so many things have happened since we last spoke...lol.
I have begun to work with a couple new musicians like Morris Pleasure. Now he is class and style smooth and just plain funky-jazzy. He's played with a lot of people Earth,Wind and Fire notably, and now he's on his journey as label owner, producer,writer and my new friend. Shout out to Lori, his wife, thanx for the hospitality. I spent time at their home in Atlanta. We jammed out together and even wrote a song. It's really cool to spend time with musicians, you see that you're not the only one from planet strange. I also work with this cat named Leroy from D.C. This cat is just pure funk. He's got a group out of San Francisco and they tour a lot in France and Cali.
I am discovering that music is really really everywhere. Not that I want to be too floatie or anything, but in these last couple of months I have begun too "let love shine" (a song on the albulm). And I'm telling you when you accept to be good to yourself; then you can see the possibilities. It may take me a little longer than December to finish this cd. There are a couple of other artists on the label who are recording now. So, I am in the meantime writing and preproducing some cool songs with the cats I spoke about earlier.
Still doing some cool stuff with the cats from Filet of Soul. They got a new project that I have been invited to join in on. It was really fun the time we spent recording. Those guys are really easy to work with. They're like little kids, they want to try everything. It's so much fun.
I went home to Houston to visit with the family. It's strange that I always go home in hurricane season.
It was so terrible what happened n New Orleans. I love that town. There is so much energy and music and life there. I used to drive every other weekend or so from Houston with my friend Heidi and Adrianna. We used to drink too much and stay up too late. Hanging out in the French quarter listening to blues and zydeco. We used to go to the pier before the sun would rise. It smelled so awfully and there was always a fog, but we loved it. Now the people who lived there are struggling to put it all back together. I mean loosing everything like old photos and documents and snick snac gifts and things seem trivial but mean a lot. It makes you appreciate your friends and family. I heard so many bad things about what happened there like in Gretna. Racism is still alive and kicking. It makes me sick to my stomach really. A lot of the people came here to Houston. I met a lot of New Orlean musicians out and about. I think that the Houston music scene is really gonna change and be heavily influenced by our new neighbors. How cool is that?
When I got to Houston, I found myself bracing for our own hurricane. It was neat actually (not the destruction) because my whole immediate family got together and taped up the windows, filled up jugs, filled up tubs, bought board games ,candles ,water, flashlights, batteries and so forth. We all huddled up in one apartment for like four or five days. We lost electricity for a moment, but other than that our neighborhood wasn't touched. My friend however, lost her house and of course had no insurance. She's left town a bit heartbroken and overwhelmed. She has to start all over. I feel so bad for her and others like her, who have children and animals.
Honestly, we were not well enough prepared. I mean we were 12 heartbeats in the same space of about 120 square feet. We should have had like a gallon of water per person per day. We were so far from that. And well the food we had would have lasted about 4 days, but if we were in the dark for longer we would have been up the creek.
We were gonna evacuate when the gas prices shot up so high it was unbelievable. I heard in Atlanta it got up to $5.60per gallon for one day. Anyway in Houston, the lines were so long and it was so hot outside. Needless to say we decided to stay and thank God because 2.7 million people did leave their homes. All around the same time. It was quite a performance to see that on TV. It was ridiculous. Coming back was no easy trick either.
While I was down in Houston I met another kid who makes some really cool songs. His name is Kanvas because music for him is like painting adding layers of colors that can always be changed with the stroke of the brush. He's got some very soulful acid jazz like vibe to his songs. Even the hip hop ones. He's also got a touch of blues in his heart, it's kinda funny from a kid of 22 years old. Anyway, I dig his stuff a lot so I wrote a couple of songs with him too. ..........So now I am back in Paris and I'll be in the studio all this week. I can't wait to hear what new child will be born. Peace to all............................