boston progress radio

As part of their art installation “Stories from Asian America,” the Asian American Studies Program at UMass Boston will be hosting a Spoken Word Performance featuring BPR’s own Giles Li along with Bao Phi, a Vietnamese American slam poet who has appeared on HBO’s Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry.

The event will be taking place at the UMass Boston Campus Center Alumni Lounge 2nd fl.

The moniker Yellow Powered Radio (YPR) has served us well for the first two months of the existence of this online space. After having a number of discussions with various independent Asian American musicians and allies within the Asian American community, we have decided that a name change is in order. The original intention of the name was to pay homage to the “Yellow Power Movement” that started in the 1960s. However, the term “yellow” is generally a negative one. For one thing, the term has been used in a derogatory manner to describe Asians Americans. Moreover, the term may be interpreted to exclude Asian-Americans who do not have “yellow” skin.

Our hope was to reclaim “yellow” and turn it into a term of empowerment. However, one of the principles of our station, this blog, and the Boston Progress Arts Collective is to ensure that minorities of all ethnic backgrounds feel welcome by our community. To address concerns by some of the people within our community, henceforth, this blog and its Internet radio station will be known as Boston Progress Radio. We choose the name to indicate our direct affiliation with the Boston Progress Arts Collective. Moreover, we adopt many of the ideals and principles of Boston Progress as the ideals and principles of this blog and this station.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us at info@bprlive.org. We hope to have our radio station online in time for May, APA Heritage Month, so stay tuned.

Tags: News.

Jin does a performance of one of his songs from his ABC album. Yeah, it’s in Cantonese. And he’s not an independent artist anymore. Still, he put on a good show. I’ll write more about The Grains of Rice 2007 tomorrow. But I’ll leave you with a little treat.

Tags: Recaps, Video.

In putting together his latest LP, Jin clearly outlines his by naming the album ABC (American-Born Chinese) and dedicating it to “everybody (especially the young Chinese Americans) that are proud of their heritage and are comfortable with their own identity.” ABC is a collection of 10 songs that attempt to unpack the individual and overlapping identities among many of Jin’s generation of Chinese Americans (or perhaps more precisely, Cantonese Americans). Exclusively rapped in Cantonese, Jin makes a conscious and ambitious effort to capture not only the nuances and particularities of the Cantonese dialect but also the cultural signifiers in the experiences of many first- and second-generation, working class Chinese Americans.

Read more

Tags: Reviews.

Due to unforeseen circumstances, Exit Clov is cancelling their Boston shows. This means no show at the Middle East and no special open mic. But, I hear they’ll be back, so in the meantime, go get their new EP “Respond Respond” from the East Meets West Bookstore or from their website.

Tags: News.

Native Guns visited the East Meets Words Open Mic back on February 23, 2007.
Since they are coming back to Boston, I thought I’d put up a little clip of their performance here. Enjoy.

Tags: Open Mic, Video.

 

 Interview with Jay Legaspi [10:44m]: Play Now | Play in Popup

Our first interview is live! I had a chance to sit down with Jay Legaspi on Friday, April 13, 2007, before his set at East Meets Words, the monthly open mic hosted by Boston Progress in conjunction with the East Meets West bookstore. Jay was great to talk to and he played to a full house. Listen to the interview and then head over to jaylegaspi.com to hear some of his music. Also check back for some clips from his show at EMW.

Tags: Interview, Podcasts.

titofelix reminds me of those boy bands that wear make-up and sing songs about broken hearts and family failures. Pretty much bands like Simple Plan, My Chemical Romance and Good Charlotte. On their site titofelix.com, you can find videos of their performances at Club Downunder. Hailing from Atlanta, Georgia, the band covers the Usher song, “Nice and Slow.” The site also has two live performances of their singles “Something Strange” and “Lie Apart.” If you like alternative bands or rock bands, you’ll enjoy this band.

Tags: CD, Reviews.