Ain't No Stopping Us. No Stoppin'. No One Does It Better (10/25/06)

1984 Breakin' Anthem. 

so about one week ago today i was hanging out on mi lil hand-me-down-brown-soft and back-breaking couch...catchin' a lil radiation from the tube and stumbled across the VH1 Hip Hop Honours 2006 on MuchMusic...honorees were; 

Beastie Boys ~ surpassed the novelty/white boy/rap-act stigma and has represented the skillz leaps and bounds over the past 15 years...one of my favorite musical forces of all time...for sure.

MC Lyte ~ she inspired me as a youth to get me into the hip hop arena by way of writing killer battle rhymes by using me girl-hood charm as a secret weapon..oh and she was the reason i was compelled to sport those bandu canteen earrings non-stop everyday...all day...she's ice cold...

Rakim ~ when a friend of mine introduced me to Eric B and Rakim it was earth shattering...Paid In Full was laced with an assault of lyrical genius...i remember dubbing a couple of tapes...yes...cassette tapes (Paid In Full and Mecca and the Soul Brother by Pete Rock and CL Smooth) off of that same friend and listening to them over and over in my walkman...this album is essential to the b-boy/b-girl massive...if only i could find those tapes.....i guess it's time to hunt them down on CD

Ice Cube~ honestly, i was never really an early Ice Cube/NWA fan as i wasn't a huge fan of gangsta rap at the time.....but i DO and DID have an appreciation for it...i was a big fan of early solo ice Cube with tracks like Check Yo Self from the Predator album......good shit.

Afrika Bambaataa ~ b-boys, b-girls, we have this being to thank for uniting all aspects and elements of hip hop together...breakin/bombin' (graffiti)/turntablism/microphone commanding...creating the force that exists this very day...i got word of this celestial being (believe me scope a pic of him and you will see what i mean~different level bizness entirely)...by catching the Rock Steady Crew as they are basically synonymous with each other....so ultimate respect due....

Easy E ~ like i mentioned earlier...never a huge fan of NWA although you can't deny the force that the track Straight Outta Compton has had on rap music, pop music in general, and dare i say pop culture in general...

Wu Tang Clan ~ oh the Wu....*tears*...it's 1993...hanging out in the foyer of my high school and reciting lyrics of the 36 Chambers album...non stop!!!!!...shaolin style!!!!...L....Enter The Wu/36 Chambers most definitely acts as a backdrop of my "formative years"......sick sick album.....maybe one of the most well executed concept albums in hip hop history.......R.I.P.Little Baby Jesus......

so in short....this was a great television spectacle for me to witness as all these artists (among many more) have influenced me musically or otherwise.....

Non-stop. Hip Hop.

(Ka)Nish

Rocktober Tally (10/31/06)

the stadiums are now slowly converting from houses of the holy into housing the jocks...as the pennant flags and jerseys rise, the fists and devil horns slowly fall...the spring/summer 2006 season wasn't as fruitful as years past...nonetheless...there are memories to be had that were fabricated by the bass and treble...from travelling over 3000 clicks into the sunshine & heat to suffering in the pouring rain, soaked to the ____...it was quite a ride...here's how the tale started.....

COLDPLAY

DATE: March 22 2006

VENUE: Air Canada Centre (hence forth referred to as ACC), Toronto

OPENING BAND: Richard Ashcroft~cool engaging, brilliant man and inspiring musician/lyricist

CROWD FAVORITE: Yellow

MY FAVORITE:  In My Place/Speed Of Sound

MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT: greasy and obnoxious guy getting kicked out for smoking mock-like weed substance...it smelled fowl...and he had no skills....

IN A WORD OR TWO: Fantastically Free (friend gave me tix)

BLACKALICIOUS

DATE: March 28, 2006

VENUE: Opera House, Toronto

OPENING BAND: Fat Lip~please come with hits other than Pharcyde tracks...you can do it!!!! 

CROWD FAVORITE: Make Ya Feel That Way/Alphabet Aerobics

MY FAVORITE: World Of Vibrations/Alphabet Aerobics

MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT: Fat Lip getting angry with the crowd because of lack of participation....boooo.

IN A WORD OR TWO:Why Fat Lip?! Why?!

PEARL JAM

DATE: May 10, 2006

VENUE: ACC, Toronto

OPENING BAND: The Buzzcocks~got there late...so i missed them

CROWD FAVORITE: Better Man

MY FAVORITE: Evolution

MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT: the band stopped playing while the crowd sang Better Man from line 1 & Eddie Vedder knocking back the vino every chance he got

IN A WORD OR TWO: Welcome back!!!!!!!

PREFUSE 73

DATE: July 7th, 2006

VENUE: Harbourfront Ctr./Break, Beats, & Culture Festival, Toronto

OPENING BAND: N/A

CROWD FAVORITE: Everything

MY FAVORITE: Everything

MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT: people bustin' out in crazy breakdance/up-rock maneuvers.(Prefuse 73 tends to evoke that)

IN A WORD OR TWO (or SIX): Lucious lake water and boombastic beats

311

DATE: August 12, 2006

VENUE: Kool Haus, Toronto

OPENING BAND: Panic & The Rebel Emergency~the Euro designer jeans have got to go!

CROWD FAVORITE: Applied Science

MY FAVORITE: Omaha Stylee

MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT: (see previous blog posted)

IN A WORD OR TWO: Get Worked!

BEN HARPER/DAMIAN Jr. Gong MARLEY

DATE: September 2, 2006

VENUE: Molson Amphitheatre, Toronto

OPENING BAND: Bedouin Soundclash~missed them...arrived late

CROWD FAVORITE: Harper~Steal My Kisses/Jr. Gong~Beautiful

MY FAVORITE: Harper~Burn One Down/Jr. Gong~We're Gonna Make It & Confrontation

MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT: Harper/Marley duet on Get Up Stand Up and partaking in a session with all the people in our section without interference from the 5-0

IN A WORD OR TWO (or FOUR): Soaking up sweet sounds

311

DATE: September 8, 2006

VENUE: Greek Theatre, Los Angeles

OPENING BAND: Pepper, The Wailers~missed Pepper (but the crowd wouldn't stop giving them props so i guess they were good)/The Wailers~ rock steady reggae vibes, absolute niceness

CROWD FAVORITE: Down

MY FAVORITE: Omaha Stylee & Nix Hex

MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT: super jam session with the Wailers on Exodus

IN A WORD OR TWO: Love

TRIBE CALLED QUEST

DATE: September 10, 2006

VENUE: Wiltern, Los Angeles

OPENING BAND: ???????????

CROWD FAVORITE: Scenario

MY FAVORITE: Sucka Nigga

MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT: Q-Tip mixing it up with the crowd, driving security absolutely bonkers...AND being able to score last minute tix for a Tribe reunion show in a sweet venue with unbelievable acoustics....priceless

IN A WORD OR TWO: Sick!

ROGER WATERS

DATE: September 20, 2006

VENUE: ACC, Toronto

OPENING BAND: N/A

CROWD FAVORITE: Wish You Were Here

MY FAVORITE: Vera, Dark Side Of The Moon

MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT: giant blow-up pig hovering over the crowd in protest & seeing little children hanging out with their parents while clouds of sweet smoke fill the venue to the brim

IN A WORD OR TWO (or FOUR): Why not any sooner?

RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS

DATE: September 25, 2006

VENUE: ACC, Toronto

OPENING BAND: The Mars Volta~missed them AGAIN!

CROWD FAVORITE: By The Way

MY FAVORITE: Nobody Weird Like Me

MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT: guy passed out behind me for half the show~seriously...SLEEPING!.....how?...i dunno.

IN A WORD OR TWO (or THREE): Red Hot Fiyah!

(Ka)Nish

Check. Check. 311 In LA. (9/27/06)

travelling over 3000kms (3490 to be exact)...from Pearson Intl to LAX started off as quite an ordeal with "new" security measures...i had to check my 25L trekking pak or discard of my mascara, MAC illumination foundation AND my vast array of lip glosses (and if you know me, you know the latter is close to impossible to part with)...not gonna happen...luckily it all worked itself out and this small and irritating peg did not stop the wheel of elation from spinnin' round...not to mislead so early in my prose...so let's get back on track...this whole CALIFORNIA experience was not solely headed up by the 311 concert @ The Greek BUT that was the nucleus and definite highlight....to check out the west coast :lifestyle" was always something i wanted to witness (you know like entering the gates of babylon to check out your enemy...LOL)...but the 311 show was the piece-de-resistance...after a 2 day stint on the cold and overcast beaches of San Diego (which i found out translates to "a whales vagina")  where much to my dismay and endless sobbing, i didn't go surfing....i made it back to the smoggy and muggy streets of downtown LA and checked into the Ramada on Vermont Ave....the beds were lush and lovely and there was a balcony to light those deliciously toxic American cigarettes...5 stars from me!!!!!...it was a good start to the Friday....indeed....walking south on Vermont Ave. there was nothing of grandeur to gawk at besides yet another L.Ron Hubbard Institution on Sunset, a Starbucks, a couple of gas stations and a few closed bars so taking a cab up the hill for a hot minute wasn't as much of a cop-out than it usually is for me ( i LOVE walking ANYWHERE i can)....DESTINATION: Griffith Park...an upward tree-lined street twitching and weaving south into what seemed like endless hills...as i got closer to the venue, the traffic grew thicker and thicker.....so i hopped out and decided to connect with the growing anticipation on foot...one thing about the force known as 311 is that their fans seem to be the same no matter what city you're in....energetic (bordering on insane), fun-loving (bordering on maniacal), easy (extremely stoned) bunch of sapiens...people start sharing and conversing as soon as initial contact is made with a smile...par example...one of the characters i met was a girl from Malibu wearing a self-made T-shirt with phelt letters spelling out "I heart 311" that was a tad bit sauced telling me that she will be driving home after the show...DISCLAIMER: most 311 fans are responsible with alcohol and do not drink & drive.....like a true fan , she in fact did have the sense to profess to having to sober up with water before heading back to the pristine town of Malibu...and like a true 311 supporter i encouraged that notion immensely....we conversed about what 311 shows we've seen and where we've seen them...she seemed to be quite impressed that i have travelled to NYC and LA to take in  the continental vibes 311 had to offer....that made me feel lucky and blessed...then there was another dude...i encountered after purchasing a gigantor beer and settled into a nice nook where i could see the lads up close and cozy-like....out of nowhere...he stepped up to me and called for a toast to 311 and proceeded to give me a mini-lecture on "toasting etiquette"...then took off....now that guy was truly my favorite....such a good vibe about him...a flash in the pan....completely random encounter...then out.....those experiences are the zest of life and to that guy...wherever you are...CHEERS!!!(again)....as for the show....no infamous "Are You Ready" intro...but the crowd was certainly ready due to the sweet sounds of the Wailers playing non-stop trailblazing classics a la Bob Marley and The Wailers...you could sense that this was the end of a very long tenure on the road and it seemed like 311 were close to being spent....however...big HOWEVER...they still managed to generate positive energy and deliver the "chunes" a.k.a. tunes.....with as much enthusiasm as the first time....

311. Guaranteed Fresh. Everytime.

(Ka)Nish

Reborn InThe Sweaty Depths Of The Pit (8/15/06)

on saturday august 12 in our year 2006...i added yet another notch to the "kick-the-hell-outta-my-skull-and-my-ass-so-much-that-i-could-pass-out-due-to-extreme-goodness" concert belt...it was at the Kool Haus in Toronto and the band...311...this would be the 6th time (going on my 7th in september live & direct from Cali) that i went out to witness the ensemble as i have bee a supporter since 1996...and to be honest, i was truly excited and was anticipating the whole event as i've never been let down at one of their shoes yet!!!...(even when they jammed with wyclef jean @ Amsterjam in NYC~they were STILL good despite the co-collaborator)...so upon entering the venue...we decided to set up shop on stage right (directly in front of the speakers~my left eardrum is still recovering)...a spot i never wavered from until after the encores were sung and the house lights went up...made it through the rough terrains of elbows in the back...the unstable waters of the mosh pit and swam in the sea of sweat and body odour....something i haven't done since my more pliable and limber years as a teenager (and without any reward...yes i was expecting at least a set list for almost single-handily saving 4-14yr old children, with braces, from being crushed by the well-intentioned...yet blindly pumped masses.....a lil bitter BUT music will ALWAYS be my reward)......which brings me to "the circle"...oddly enough nearly 10 years ago (more like 7 years and some months)..at the same venue....i went to go see 311 (supported by Sugar Ray along side 2 Skinnee J's)...and stood in the exact same spot (stage right directly in between SA and MiT)....it was my first mosh pit experience as i was mainly into hip/hop/reggae/funk/soul (we old skool b-girls aren't used to moshing ~more shuffling and battling more than moshing and crowd surfing)...and at "rock shows" i played low profile.....i decided to get all up in there and hang out in the centre of the action...i almost crowd surfed but easily chickened out as the 2 huge dudes with baseball caps hoisted me up and slightly fondled my ass~wasn't having any of that...anyways...i digress....i feel i have definitely closed the circle on a righteous note....no more moshing in sweaty surroundings or hanging out after the show for the "aftershow" antics (not too impressed by that so i won't dwell)....once revisited is far more rewarding than revitalising behaviors of the past...no evolution in that....so i'm retired and utterly satisfied that it was at a 311 bashment session....and i wasn't remotely stoned either...they are THAT good....never say never....so leaving a slight window of chance open that the warmth of the nautical Nebraska 5 may lure me in one day into the depths of the pit to be reborn...again.....

my 311 days will endure as long as they rawk it steady...freddy!

(Ka)Nish