boston progress radio

I’ve finally gotten around to finalizing the agreement forms. These forms are used to allow artists (this means YOU!) to play their music on our radio station. Again, if you think you would like us to play your music, fill out the forms and let us know. Once we get a few approvals, I’ll setup the radio station and we can get the ball rolling. I hope you are as excited as I am.

Tags: News, Online Radio.

When I saw this post at angry asian man about a reality series the making of a band, I had a flashback to that show Making the Band. Does anyone else remember O-Town? And Ikaika? (Ok, I’ll shut up about this now… but doesn’t this say something about bands spawned from reality tv? I digress.)

Anyway, this certainly isn’t O-Town, but “The Making of Seriously” is a cute little glimpse into the journey of 4 Asian American guys who are on a journey into the entertainment industry. They’re low-key guys, like some guys you knew in college who had a jam band on the side. I think this is the appeal - they’re not superstars from another planet - they’re just 4 guys trying to make some music. The episodes are short enough to watch while your boss isn’t looking, and it has a homegrown feel that makes you want to root for these guys. Seriously.

Check them out here and here.

Tags: Reviews, Webcasting.

On Thursday, April 5, 2007, Giles Li, a spoken word performer from Boston, showcased his form of art at Northeastern University. The event was sponsored by the university’s first and only Asian-interest fraternity Pi Delta Psi. Over the past few weeks, Giles Li has been performing all over the United States. If one were unfamiliar with Giles Li or spoken word, this was a great place to start to learn and be captivated by this style of music.

The small setting created an intimate feeling between the audience and Giles. Laughter filled the room the entire night, but serious issues were addressed through Giles’ words. From “The Worst Poem in the World” to the poem dedicated to the life of Anna Nicole Smith simply named “Anna Nicole,” the audience was interested in every word that Giles had to say. The most inspiring part of the night occurred when Giles performed the piece “Women.” The poem was about “the woman who gave life and the woman who gave meaning to life.” After the conclusion of that poem, it inspired yours truly to pick up his phone and call his mother. The performance concluded with a loud and fun interaction with the audience saying “WHAT, OKAY and YEAH.” It was a fitting conclusion to the night.

WHAT! OKAY! YEAH!

Reviewer Long W. is currently a first year student at Northeastern University, and claims to be the most awesome kid ever. If you are interested in reviewing performances or albums, please contact us at info #AT# bprlive.org.

Tags: Recap.

Right now, I’m standing inside the East Meets West Bookstore located at 934 Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridge, MA between Harvard Square and Central Square. It’s April and the store is still freezing. The East Meets West Bookstore is a non-profit bookstore run by members of the Boston Progress Arts Collective (surprise!). The East Meets West Bookstore carries the largest selection of chapbooks and independent music by Asian American artists and writers in New England. The reason I’m mentioning the bookstore is because you can buy much of the music you will hear on Boston Progress Radio from the store. Drop by if you’re interested.

Also, if you’re a musician or spoken word artist and want to sell your CD somewhere, the East Meets West Bookstore is more than willing to do so on a consignment basis. Just contact us at collective@bostonprogress.org or drop by the bookstore when you’re in the Boston/Cambridge area. We always love meeting new artists.

Tags: Boston Progress.

Giles Li, a local community activist and spoken word artist, will be performing in 272 West Village F at Northeastern University.

Giles has traveled the country performing and conducting workshops on both writing and important community concerns.
A firm believer in poetry as politics, his writing approaches serious topics from an emotional point of view. He draws inspiration from a wide range of influences, including Pablo Neruda, Stevie Wonder, Martìn Espada, Nellie Wong and De La Soul. He has performed all over the country at coffee shops, college campuses, and national conventions. He has shared the stage with celebrated poets, such as Louis Reyes Rivera, Jesús Papoleto Meléndez, Willie Perdomo, and Tish Benson, as well as activists like Felix Arroyo, Mel King, and Helen Zia. Giles is also a co-founder of the Boston Progress Arts Collective.

Native Guns is back in the Boston area. They are playing at Dewick Macphie Hall at Tufts University. Papersky is opening for them. The event is free and open to people with a college id. If you aren’t a college student, e-mail tufts.fusion@gmail.com to get on the guest list. This event is part of Tufts University’s FUSION event.

Update: Tufts has added Giles Li to their line-up. Y’all know Giles Li.

Jin “The Emcee” Au-Yeung and Jay Legaspi will be playing at Grains of Rice 2007 at Walker Memorial at MIT in Cambridge, MA. There will also be other performances. Last year, Ken Oak and Phil Good rocked at MIT… we’ll see what happens this year. This event is sponsored by the MIT Asian American Association. For more information, you can check out the Facebook Event posting. Advance tickets are $12. $15 for tickets at the door.

Update: The full line-up is going to be:

• Ailah
• Jay Legaspi
• Korean Oori
• Dance Revelasion
• MIT Chamak
• MIT Bhangra
• MIT Thai Student Association
• MIT Filipino Student Association
• Freestyle Battle
• Jin “The Emcee”

I love anything with mangos, and anything with Mango Tribe probably rocks too. Check out Mangos with Chili, a queer trans person of color roadshow on Wednesday, April 4, Spontaneous Celebrations, 45 Danforth St, Boston. Check out more information at their Myspace page.