boston progress radio

Blue Scholars. I was introduced to this hip hop duo by my good friend, Long, over the summer. He was excited to meet the Seattle duo since before he knew he was ever going to get to breathe the same air as them. When I found I out I was going to meet Geo and Sabzi at Cornell’s ECAASU Conference in February, I was just pumped that I was getting backstage passes. It does not matter who you are going to meet with backstage passes, as long as you get to tell people you have BACKSTAGE passes, you are automatically in the cool crowd.

Hours before we even knew for sure that Long, Van, and I were going to have a meeting session with the Scholars, Long and Van were already overjoyed beyond controllability. I, on the other hand, was playing it chill. Scholars–they are just regular people, right? I am not even a real die hard fan. I told Van that I could not become a devout Blue Scholarist until I see them perform. Since I had two thrilled enthusiasts with me, I thought I was going to be the composed one. Interviewing a rapper and a dj? Piece of Oreo cookie cake. I was not going to be like Van and Long, who were likely gong to have a drooling mop up session right in front of the Scholars. Read more

Tags: Interview, Video.

On February 16, 2008, I received an early birthday present. I got to meet the Blue Scholars for the first time. Even though the Scholars were scheduled to perform at Northeastern University the following week, and I was the co-coordinator for that event, it was still awesome to get to meet the Scholars a few days earlier. It was a crazy day to begin with, ECAASU was in full swing and everything was happening that Saturday. First off, big props to the people at Cornell for hosting a great event. Everything was hectic that morning with people registering and rushing into the workshops. I thought my backstage pass to the concert was ready to go when I registered, but when I got there, the staff said there was no such thing. But thankfully, Eugene came through and I gave the Programming Chair a call. The interview was set up at 6:30 pm at the performance venue.

We ate dinner before we made our trip to the venue. I was getting nervous, thinking about what I would ask. Thankfully I had two great people in Jess and Van with me and it was good to see that they were as nervous and excited as I was. As we made our way to the interview, we asked Brian, their tour manager, about what questions we should ask. We didn’t end up asking any of them. When Brian opened the door, I forgot everything—there sat Geo just chilling on the couch and Sabzi sitting opposite him.
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Tags: Commentary, Community.

A couple of friends of Boston Progress Arts Collective has embarked on a new adventure to spread positive facts and debunk old lies about Asian Americans—to tell everyone how awesome Asian Americans are behind the wheel.

Kit Yan—transgendered champion slam poet—and Melissa Li—lesbian folkrocker—are driving across the country in a small automobile, spreading their music and words wherever they go. Both of them featured at East Meets Words last year and I had the privilege of interviewing them for Boston Progress Radio.

You can follow them on their cross country journey as they travel through 30 states and 20 major cities, seeking out the Asian American and queer communities, and representing voices that are not often heard. Read about their adventures on their blog and check when they might be coming through your town. Read more

Tags: Boston Progress, Community, Concert, Video.

Tomorrow is the anniversary of the first post on Boston Progress Radio’s blog. BPR is officially turning one tomorrow.

In many ways, BPR is really like a baby to many of us involved. Like with a tiny person new to the world, each milestone for BPR has seemed huge. Our first post, our first interview, getting the stream going, the first CD we received out of the blue.

Babies have this magical way of bringing people together, and I think in many ways, BPR has done that too. Even a year ago, I would say that I was only starting to develop relationships with many of the contributors to the blog. Now, I wouldn’t hesitate to call all of them my friends, and in many cases family. (Yes, that’s you Uncle!)

I thought that I was a little g33ky before, but now I am armed with more skills and more knowledge, about wordpress, php, and all kinds of fun stuff. I thought that I knew nothing about music before, and now I am convinced that I know even less about music. But, hey, now I have good tunes to rock out to at work. And an amazing resource where I can learn more.

What I appreciate most about being part of BPR is being part of a community. I believe that online communities have the power to connect people in different ways than in real life. It’s not a substitute, but it’s yet another way of finding support, inspiration, collaboration spread out across the country, except in North Dakota, Wyoming, Utah, Nebraska, Iowa, Indiana, West Virginia, or South Carolina.

It’s exciting to see a community evolve - and while BPR centers on Asian American music, BPR is also about our own expressions - of our identity, of our roles, of ourselves as members of a larger community.

And now that BPR has taken its first few steps, I know that we’re in for a ride. Sure, we might hit the terrible twos, potty training, and other challenges. But at the end of the day, it’s not those challenges that define us. It’s our existence, our presence, and the fact that we are defining who we are and who we will become. And it’s about love. It’s all about love.

Watch for Shuffled! every Thursday. Also check out the Shuffled! archive.

Today’s Shuffler: Koba

“…mad-as-hell Koba delivered one of the afternoon’s angriest and most on point performances which drew high praise from the crowd.” - Urb Magazine, April 2005

“Koba recited lyrics that earnestly expressed his grievances with the state of hip-hop.” - The Nation Magazine, March 16, 2005

Koba is an inventive, irreverent and unrepentantly radical hip-hop vocalist slash producer hailing from Brooklyn, NY. For five years he entertained eager audiences from coast to coast as part of the now disbanded Asian-American hip-hop group Kontrast, culminating with the release of their debut album Pencils (which Koba produced and wrote the bulk of). From soulful vocal harmonies giving expression to another world of possibility to a delivery as equally unrelenting as reality itself “from the West Bank to the South Side of Chicago,” Koba creates music with nothing less than the entire globe in his sights. The urgency of Koba’s rhymes are anchored by production inspired by an unimaginably diverse and international range of influences while staying concretely in tune with the pulse of the streets, assisted by Toronto-based co-producer Gamshooter of All Day Productions. The formidable DJ Boo, also of the Juggaknots and Quannum-recording artists ApSci, provides the backbone to Koba’s signature sweat-drenched live show.

Koba has rocked at venues and schools across the country like the future depends on it, sharing the stage with Talib Kweli, Slum Village, dead prez, Last Emperor, DJ Envy, Immortal Technique, Medusa, Vernon Reid, C Rayz Walz, The X-Ecutioners, Outernational and others at such venues as SOB’s, the Knitting Factory, the Wetlands, CBGB’s, NYU’s Skirball Center, the Lion’s Den, the Middle East and elsewhere. He currently is working on his debut solo album Culture War due in 2008. Against the drowning tide of petty materialism and misogyny Koba stands to be at the center of a cultural bridge to an entirely different future.

Check out Koba’s homepage at kobasounds.com.

See that? Move on to the shuffle… Read more

Tags: Shuffled!.

with the exception of one month, for three years, every second friday has transformed a tiny bookstore into a magical haven of shared energy—stanzas, lyrics, melodies, rhymes, dances, visuals, fragmented thoughts, reciprocation and appreciation, have been transferred between bodies and spirits.

so i thought it would be fun to take a short look back, in order to look forward.

the bookstore, east meets west, opened october of 2004, with just a small table full of independent apia CD’s and chapbooks. only open on saturdays, the store served as a clubhouse of sorts for boston progress members to catch up, crack jokes, and build together. having an actual physical space available and seeing the potential of our space, it was only natural to program an open mic… but what shape it would take or how it would be actualized, no one really could tell. up to that point, only a few people have actually passed through the threshold of the store and wandered into our world.

in a boba tea spot in the back bay, at a monthly boston progress meeting, the open mic began to form an identity. after several suggestions (ginger-bred, mic-a-saurus rex), vinh the kid said after only a second of thought, east meets words, and the open mic had a name.

first open mic, we had the synchronous fortune of having not just one, but two members of 2 tongues, anida yoeu ali and marlon esguerra, in the northeast. it seems only fitting to have them be the first to bless the open mic as our first co-features. flash forward a year, we had regie cabico telling stories of mini-wooden-penises from men in barrels while humping a stool as a make-shift lover. in between and following, beautiful features from nyc, philly, the bay, LA, minnesota, toronto, chicago, jersee, and locals—all have graced the space.the list of open mic-er seem to be just as illustrious with local poets, musicians, freestylers, youth, passer-byers—all have come thru the space and shared…

to now. we don’t even have to worry about having folks come through… without fail, open mic nights become packed. and the unheated bookstore warms with body heat, which is the only thing that can keep you warm during the cold cold cold boston winters.

on a personal tip, the open mic has opened gates internally, like nothing has before. it’s not just learning the audience banter as a host, or getting over awkward insecurities as an open mic-er, or being brave enough to read from dusty journals as a feature, but i’ve learned that the more i can let go of… speak my mind and heart about, the more room i have to grow… i’ve learned to be open, unguarded—even if just for a few minutes—shed walls and free little pieces of my thoughts with the people. i’ve learned in a deep way the power of words… the unlocking of held breathes i usually choke back, releasing spiritual self into the physical world. even now, three years later, once a month, i still get nervous as i open my black book of secrets and with a shaky voice read out. but i’ve started to see many others, other unidentified poets and writers looking forward, raising their voice at the open mic. in the most obvious way, the open mic was a monthly session to meditate on the state of your union. where would i be if i didn’t have that space… i can’t even begin to assume.

looking back, we realize the open mics really wouldn’t be anything without everyone who supports–reads out on the list, listens in the metal chairs, claps their hands to the beat, yells words to rhyme about, and who shouts—ohhhhhh yeah. so it seems only right to have our three year anniversary feature be east meets words—a super mic of sorts. each and every participant—open mic-ers and audience alike—are the feature.

oh, the only month we did not hold the open mic at east meets west, was august 2005—when boston hosted the 3rd apia spoken word summit. but i guess even then, one can see the community and family showcase as open mics, so yeah, then for three years, boston progress has hosted an open mic, each month… and we’re still holding it down. solid.

Tags: Boston Progress, Commentary, Open Mic.