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experiencing the flavor at the songwriter’s soul kitchen

 In September 2008, I got to experience one of the most magically memorable events of my adult life. Part of the reason I haven’t written about it here yet, is because it’s always proven hard for me to put everything about that experience into words. But I figured it’d be better to do a bad job of recapping the moment, than not to share it at all. So here goes….

I just got back in town late last night from a week of hectic travel for work. And here I am back on the road again, braving Friday afternoon Labor Day weekend traffic on a 2.5 hour drive to McRae.

“What the hell is Mac-ray?” Asked one friend who I’d informed of my trip earlier that week.

“It’s McRae,” I corrected, “and it’s a city in south Georgia”

“And you’re going there for Labor Day weekend?”

A few months ago, I probably would have been as incredulous as my friend if someone had told me I’d be spending valuable off-work time in some small town in the middle of nowhere. But a few months ago, I’d never heard of the Songwriter’s Soul Kitchen. A few months ago, I’d never even heard of Vinx.

Trying to classify Vinx would be futile at best and likely, inaccurate. The most apt description is this: Vinx is music. He’s a multitalented, singer, songwriter, musician, and teacher that Stevie Wonder has been quoted as calling, “the gift you give to someone that you really care about”. A good friend of mine who’d lived in Europe (where the artist has a huge following) had given me the gift of Vinx’s music only a few weeks before I got a chance to see him perform at Smith’s Olde Bar. That night’s performance was one of the purest examples of musicianship I’d ever seen. No flashy sets or on-stage gimmicks. Just this larger-than-life bandannaed and bespectacled man who crooned with the velvety timbre of a Luther Vandross, and easily employed the vocal gymnastics of a Bobby McFerrin. That night, I watched transfixed, as Vinx deftly switched from drums, to keys, to using some on-stage recording device that allowed him to provide his own backup vocals right on the spot. Each tune was like a pit stop on an expressive journey of unvarnished emotion – humor, lust, romance, and joie de vivre. By the time he left the stage, I was so moved, that when the announcer reminded the audience of our last chance to enter a drawing, I didn’t even care what the drawing was for, I just knew that I wanted my name in the hat. As it turned out, what was being raffled off was a complimentary trip to the Songwriter’s Soul Kitchen – a multi-day retreat where singers, musicians, and songwriters gather to hone their crafts at Vinx’s house in – you guessed it – McRae.

The Soul Kitchen Magic

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So it happened that a series of fortunate events (I actually won the drawing) was how I came to be standing on the wide porch of Vinx’s home – an antebellum mansion turned artist’s residence and recording studio in the heart of McRae’s historic district. The door opens, and I’m greeted warmly and familiarly by Katherine, an auntie who bears an uncanny resemblance to Whoopi Goldberg. She takes the bottle of wine I’ve brought as a gift, directs me where to set my bags, and introduces me to the 8 or so other people seated at Vinx’s dining room table, before offering to take me on the nickel tour of the house.

On the tour, I realize just how multifaceted Vinx is as an artist and a human being. Originally from Kansas City, Vinx – who started life as Vincent D’jon Parette – is a military brat, and a former Olympic-qualifying track and field athlete, who got started with music in college as a part-time DJ and a member of Kansas State University’s marching band. After several years touring and recording with the likes of Sting, Stevie Wonder, Branford Marsalis, and Cassandra Wilson, Vinx eventually added visual artist and educator to his resume. He’s now a professor at the esteemed Berklee College of Music in Boston. In addition to his busy music touring schedule, he’s also planning a gallery show where he’ll take small groups of people through a guided tour of his art, performing songs at each installment, creating a one-of-a-kind experience that merges the emotion of the visual piece with that of the musical one.

“It really says something about a person who would open up their home like this.” I overhear someone say this as I re-enter the dining room. Vinx – who’s still seated at the table – informs me that we’re all preparing to introduce ourselves musically to each other. In my mind, I think it’s about to be some scheduled event with a lineup of who will perform when. But from what I can tell it sounds like it’s already happening spontaneously in a room at the rear of the house. Vinx and I chat familiarly for a while, but even though I’m trying my best to concentrate, I’m only about 60% present. The rest of me is wondering who’s riffing* so damned hard on the guitar!? He senses my restlessness, and graciously releases me to go and mingle with the others.

My default question for everyone is, “So how’d you come to be here?” Each response is as deep and reverent as what you’d hear from a devotee on a pilgrimage. There’s Purple Haze, a spitifire sista from Newark who’s got the gift of gab and knows how to use it. Her genre is hip hop, and once I hear her freestyle, I’m convinced that she’s the undiscovered heir to the throne once inhabited by Lauryn Hill and Bahamadia. She shares with me that she gave her 2 week notice before coming down this weekend. Her job? Performing testing and consultations in an HIV clinic.

Ritse is a somewhat timid, open-faced Nigerian-born girl from D.C. who’s obviously a strong vocal talent, but is just starting to come out of her shell musically. She’s travelled here to help spur along her confidence and engage with other artists that are more experienced.

The baby-faced Vince – who over dinner gets dubbed ‘Little Vinx’ mainly because he sports ths same bandana doo-rag that his namesake often does – is here on ‘scholarship’, and hails from Arkansas. From listening to him on the keys*, and how he prods and encourages some of his peers, and digs into cleaning up the dinner dishes, you can tell he also has the same down-to-earth mettle as his counterpart.

Keith – a kinda quiet, kinda lanky white guy from Nashville – is a self-confessed techno geek who’s also a beast on keys and music production in general.

And there’s Ya-Ya – who hails from Philadelphia by way of San Francisco. She’s a novice guitarist who also helps with the administrative work of the Soul Kitchen and makes a mean quesadilla.

Over the next couple of days, Vinx plays the role of papa bear to us, his cubs. He walks us through how and why to register with each of the performer’s rights organizations – BMI, ASCAP, and SESAC, has us break out into different groups to create songs, making sure that the writers, musicians, and vocalists among us all get a chance to express our unique perspective, while learning how to work with unfamiliar genres and challenging subjects. Each musical work that we create in our groups is actually recorded and produced in one of 2 studios at Vinx’s house. One of the group songs I worked on, which had to include the words ‘black belt’ and ‘popcorn’, becomes an absolute work of art after DJ Vando and Jessie – the Soul Kitchen’s resident producers – put their magic on it.

Throughout the weekend, other members of the Soul Kitchen family appear as if from nowhere. One night, Atlanta-based folk singer Doria Roberts shows up to make everyone dinner and dessert crepes. Others like Tubby Love, Gray Mation, B@man, and Ben aka ‘The Big Dipper’, breeze in and out – but no one is a stranger, no one is a star. Everyone is on equal footing and here for only one thing – the love of the music.

During my 3 day stay at the Soul Kitchen, I laugh much, learn more, and sleep little. On more than one occasion I get the feeling that I’m at a grown-up summer camp, or on a reality TV show with the subtitle, “What happens when a bunch of people get together to live in a house and starting getting real…with music?” Having never performed any of my written pieces before an audience, I’m more than a little nervous when the musical introduction that was supposed to happen on the night I arrived, occurs. But as I start to recite one of my poems, I hear The Big Dipper step up to the conga drums and accompany my words, imparting a rhythm I’d never imagined they could have. I instinctively adjust my pace to match his. The other members of the Soul Kitchen family listen, grunt their approval, smile and nod at the satisfactory flavor of my particular lyrical dish. There’s a touch of bitter realness in the words that I share, but when I’m done the only thing that lingers is a sweet smile of accomplishment, and a warm fullness that can only be found in this kitchen.

If you’re interested in cooking up something in the Songwriter’s Soul Kitchen, join Vinx for a special edition of the Soul Kitchen – ‘Vol. 20… The Performance Week’ March 15 – 21. Or, check out the Songwriter’s Soul Kitchen website for future Soul Kitchen dates.

a fleeting bloom in winter – gloAtl’s performance at lenox square mall

Lauri Stallings has a knack for befuddling audiences with her art. When I first heard of Bloom, the site-specific dance performance that would take place in the arteries of – of all places – Lenox Mall, my first response was a wrinkled brow and a head scratch. Why Lenox Mall? Why not a venue that would be more suited to the art form than a place characterized by crowded consumerism? Yet, I was intrigued enough to brave the weekend throngs and hellacious parking lot to catch a glimpse of gloAtl’s final performance of Bloom, which was set to begin at 4pm on Sunday.

At 4:15, a sizeable crowd of curious spectators gathered around a stark white dance floor that had been installed near the Starbuck’s at the center of the mall. Several more people – including yours truly – leaned over the banister of the mezzanine above, waiting for the spectacle to begin. Most people had no idea what they were even waiting for. “There’s a dance performance today,” I informed those who bothered to ask. One guy responded, “Oh, like America’s Best Dance Crew!?” He seemed a mite disappointed when I told him the show would be more ballet than b-boy.

After waiting several minutes with eyes trained on the stage, I noticed an out-of-place character in the crowd below. A svelte dancer clothed in a burlap-and-black tutu dress stood amidst the waiting onlookers; no one appeared to even notice she was there. Another dancer emerged from the crowd, crossed the stage and exited to the stairs leading to the second level of the mall, disappearing from view as quickly as she had appeared. Moments later, two more dancers emerged from the mass of shoppers, stretching limbs, twirling and executing elegantly awkward poses while mall patrons filed by with their shopping bags – some smiling, some oblivious, and some with confused looks on their faces. The befuddlement spread to the mezzanine quickly, especially when more than one dancer nudged between the upstairs onlookers, executing arabesques and fluid backbends over the edge of the railing.

The elimination of the barrier between a performer and an audience made for some profound observations. The crowd seemed to focus more on the dancers when they were in the designated performance space than they did when a dancer was literally performing right in front of their faces. I silently wondered whether the goal of Bloom was to remind us that art – like the blooming of a flower – is organic, and that we should be conscious of its presence all around us, instead of limiting it to a stage or a designated venue that proclaims, ‘herein lies art’.

Or perhaps the intent was to solidify gloAtl as a sort of fine arts flash mob that spreads this message of organic art appreciation throughout Atlanta.

Or maybe… the objective was simply to make people scratch their heads in between sips of their double shot, no foam macchiatos as they headed for their next retail fix.

before black dynamite and bushido brown

Alright, so if you don’t already know (or don’t already have your own bootleg copy), Black Dynamite comes out on DVD today. This hilariously authentic spoof of 70s blaxploitation films features Michael Jai White (of Spawn and other B-movie fame) as the ass-kicking, smack-fighting, lady killer, Black Dynamite, who will stop at nothing to avenge his brother’s death and clean up the ‘hood.

The movie premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, but unfortunately, was largely overshadowed by the heavier-themed Precious.  However, Black Dynamite has gotten a lot of positive reviews from  critics, and I for one think it’s impressive to note that Jai White not only stars in the film – delivering both comic lines and action sequences with great skill – but also had a hand in writing the script. I guess he’s had enough B-movie experience to be able to turn the genre into a comic goldmine for himself.

On a related note, I happened to be enjoying a DVD collection of The Boondocks during Atlanta’s recent snow ‘storm’ , and rediscovered one of my favorite scenes  where Huey goes toe-to-toe with Bushido Brown, a black kung fu master sporting a perfectly coiffed afro and aviator sunglasses. The beau – who’d never seen the Boondocks episode – hipped me to the fact that the cartoon character seemed to be modeled after Jim Kelly, a real-life blaxploitation kung fu action hero from the 70s. Later that day, in an attempt to cure our cabin fever, we made a trip to Videodrome and immediately came across Black Belt Jones, the 1974 flick starring none other than Jim Kelly.  Needless to say I snatched it up and, upon viewing it, was surprised to find that not only did The Boondocks borrow Kelly’s image for the character of Bushido Brown, but Michael Jai White also borrowed heavily from Black Belt Jones for several scenes of Black Dynamite. The theme song from Black Belt Jones – composed by funk guitarist Dennis Coffey – was also surprisingly familiar. A snippet of the theme (along with a snippet from Coffey’s tune, ‘Scorpio’) was sampled in LL Cool J’s ‘Jingling Baby’. Just goes to show, a good thing never goes out of style.

If you’re a fan of movie spoofs, 70s culture, tongue-in-cheek action films, or watching sexy, shirtless black kung fu masters stick it to the man, I strongly suggest you rent them both.

Later for you jive turkeys,

k

a night of bliss: sade album release listening party at halo

Sade’s latest album was released yesterday, and tonight DJ Mars and DJ Doc will dedicate their new weekly event, Bliss: A Night of Intense Musical Pleasure, to exploring the diva’s greatest hits and tracks from the new release.

Free champagne from 9-10. No Cover!

Click here for more details.

cheers,

k

new amerykah part 2 – official album leak today

I was on Twitter earlier than usual this morning and came across this from @fatbellybella (Erykah Badu’s Twitter handle):

At 3:33 pm Tomorrow . Friday . The official leak … erykahbadu.com

In late 2009, Badu announced that she would release the long-awaited followup to her 2008 album, New Amerykah Part 1: 4th World War this year. Entitled, New Amerykah Part 2: Return of the Ankh, this will be the artist’s fifth studio album, containing 11 tracks and featuring collaborations with Georgia Anne Muldrow, 9th Wonder, and the late J Dilla. Badu has said that New Amerykah Part 2 will bear a less ’socio-political’ tone than Part 1, but early reviews of the album confirm that the trippy, electro-soul sound of New Amerykah Part 1 will still be heard on this effort. Apparently, there will also be a third installment, entitled Lowdown, Low Underground,  which will introduce listeners to Badu’s alter-ego, Low Down Loretta Brown.

Synchronize your watches, kids!

The official release date for New Amerykah Part 2: Return of the Ankh is March 30.

cheers,

k

a night of hedonism at apache cafe

Hedonism. It’s more than just a clothing-optional resort in the Caribbean. And from now through February 22, you won’t need a plane ticket or a passport to experience it.

This past Monday, Apache Cafe hosted the opening for Hedonism IX, a once-a-year art show highlighting erotic art, live models, and sensual performances. Like the resort, the art show is for those who don’t mind seeing and showing their more, er… natural side. Unlike the resort, there’s no separate section for the prudes among us, so be sure to check your inhibitions at the door.

Atlanta-based photog Luladae Terefe was on hand to capture her vision of the night’s delightful debauchery, and was kind enough to share her stunningly beautiful images.

Prepare to be titillated. Cold shower optional.

 (click images to see full size)

 

Hedonism IX @ Apache Cafe
Mondays through February 22
64 3rd St. NW
Atlanta, GA 30308-1035

cheers,

k

opening reception: run for cover at spruill gallery

One of the things I lament most about the decline of the album and the CD and the rise of digital music is the loss of that accompanying art form – the album cover. In the past, album covers were as much a statement of the times and the genre as the music was. I mean, what could capture the essence of early-80s, sex-laden funk better than this:

 

On January 14 from 6 to 9 pm, Spruill Gallery will host an opening reception for Run for Cover - an exhibit that will pay homage to ‘the album covers that defined and influenced our experience of music and shaped our lives’. And even if Rick James doesn’t make the cut, I’m looking forward to discovering and re-discovering an array of visual and musical influences crossing a range of generations and genres. The exhibit will shows through March 6.

cheers,

k

Spruill Gallery
4681 Ashford Dunwoody Road
Atlanta, Georgia  30338
http://spruillgallery.blogspot.com/
770.394.4019

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