boston progress radio

There’s a really interesting piece by Jeff Chang on salon.com called, So you think they can break dance?” It’s all about the Korean B-boys a la Planet B-Boy, why hip-hop culture resonates with them, and the evolution of B-boy culture in Korea. It’s pretty interesting, especially considering that there are Korean Americans (the post-Sa-I-Gu generation Chang calls them) who are part of this movement.

Check it out!! (Though, you’ll have to wait through the salon.com ad.)

Shuffled! is a weekly column appearing every Thursday here on BPRLive. Each week, we welcome a person from the APA community to share some thoughts about the music they listen to. Check out the Shuffled! archive for past articles.

Today’s Shuffler: Leonard Shek

Leonard Shek is a product of his environment. Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, his politics, life, and language are all a strange multi-cultural hybrid of the famously left and diverse region. As a jack-of-all-trades and a master of none, he juggles life as a writer, cook, graphic designer, restaurant consultant, and filmmaker.

He is the creator of kitchenstink.com, a home base for his writing, film and culinary projects. His most recent project is a film about the Guangdong Province of southern China, home of 90% of Chinese immigrants to America from the early 1800’s to WWII.

He was one of the founding members of Proletariat Bronze, a poetry and spoken word performance group featured in venues across the country. He has worked as Program Coordinator for the Chinese Historical Society of America, a museum located in San Francisco’s Chinatown.

Do the shuffle… Read more

Tags: Shuffled!.

“I want to tell you how proud I am to be the President of a nation that — in which there’s a lot of Philippine-Americans. They love America and they love their heritage…I am reminded of the great talent of the — of our Philippine-Americans when I eat dinner at the White House.”

- President George W. Bush (June 24, 2008)

AW HELL NO HE DIDN’T!

It’s been ten days since the previous East Meets Words open mic. Usually, we put up the recap promptly, but things in Beantown have been a little electric, hectic, somewhat epileptic. You know, with the Celtics winning their 17th NBA Championship, we’ve been a little busy sipping the bubbly, partying with Pierce, Allen, and KG.

Anyhow, Boston Progress did indeed host another East Meets Words open mic at the East Meets West Bookstore. I took some notes about the lineup, but somehow, I’ve misplaced them somewhere.

[Good thing Eugene's better-memoried-half took notes]

Two newcomers and Carlos-supporters started off the open mic.  Steve shared his vision for a future with his vegan kids “Hey” and “Babe,” imploring parents to be nice, or at least be kind to their children.  Michael then shared his poem about monsters and night lights and the dark.

[I didn't say my notes were good; I just knew where they were.]

I remember the feature was Carlos Williams, a student and spoken word poet from Emerson College. He brought a few of his slam poetry friends and they all shared some fine pieces too.

Regulars Giles and Dave both shared some pieces. Giles did an old standby, “The Worst Poet in the World,” while Dave beatboxed some musical pieces. Carlos hit the stage at the end of the night. He has a fast flowing delivery. One of his pieces spoke about being lonely in Boston. And here are some quotes that I remember from his performance. Taken out of context, they really lose their potency, but it is what I have. So don’t complain.

“…somewhere there is someone who loves you like it is a crime…”

“…do not leave your porch light on, we’re not coming back…”

Stay tuned for next month’s open mic feature: Two Warriors.

Tags: Boston Progress, Recap, spoken word.

Whoa…. so I’m reading up on local museums to patronize, and look what I stumbled upon! This sounds kind of trippy, like that thing about that Pink Floyd album and the Wizard of Oz… but this is sounds like it takes it to a new level…

Unfortunately, the host is Mass MoCA, which is in North Adams, MA, not exactly near Boston.

Enter the Dragon with music by Karsh Kale

Saturday, June 28, 2008, 9:00 pm
Pavilion or Hunter Center
$15 in advance/$19 day of show

South Asian DJ, tabla master, and Bruce Lee fanatic Karsh Kale (Listen now!)performs a incendiary new score to history’s greatest martial arts movie. The film has it all: an outrageous plot (insane crime lord holds deadly karate tournament at island fortress!), the best fight scenes ever committed to celluloid (choreographed by Lee!), and, of course, nunchucks (nunchucks!). This is Bruce Lee at his very best, and Kale’s live score will squeeze every last drop of excitement and hilarity out of the onscreen mayhem.

My homie Mas has been playing with this unit in NYC for a minute now called P.I.C. Even though he’s a close buddy, I just neglected to check them out for the longest time, that’s simply my bad, I have no reasonable excuse. So earlier this week, I got a chance to peep their newest music video, and damn! I wish I had been paying attention like a good friend should, because this shit is catchy as hell.

P.I.C. is made up of 9 people (9! That’s absurd!), two-full-thirds of whom are API folks: Rice on keys, Sulu on trumpet and vocals, Un-G on turns and vocals, Concerto on guitar, Saki on sax, and Mas on turns. Rounding out the roster is Horny Jeff (ha!) on sax, Rick Fingers on bass, and J-Bomb on vocals.

Anyway, here’s the video for “Fonzarelli (Arthur’s Theme),” which will be on their upcoming release “El Nova Hustle.” Learn more about them at picscape.com.

Now step into my office…

Tags: Video.

Shuffled! is a weekly column appearing every Thursday here on BPRLive. Each week, we welcome a person from the APA community to share some thoughts about the music they listen to. Check out the Shuffled! archive for past articles.

Today’s Shuffler: Patrick Rosal

Patrick Rosal is the author of two full-length poetry collections, Uprock Headspin Scramble and Dive , which won the Members’ Choice Award from the Asian American Writers’ Workshop, and most recently My American Kundiman, which won the Association of Asian American Studies 2006 Book Award in Poetry as well as the 2007 Global Filipino Literary Award. His chapbook Uncommon Denominators won the Palanquin Poetry Series Award from the University of South Carolina, Aiken. His poems and essays have been published widely in journals and anthologies including Harvard Review, Crab Orchard Review, Indiana Review, North American Review, The Literary Review, Pindledyboz, Black Renaissance Noire, Brevity: A Journal of Concise Literary Non-Fiction, Columbia: A Journal of Literature and Art , and the Beacon Best. In the 1980s and early 90s, he produced music for Metroplitan Recording Corporation, working with acts like April, Laissez Faire, and Joey Gold. He still loves an impromptu jam session.

Peep his shuffle now… Read more

Tags: Shuffled!.

This is kind of amazing… the New York Times homepage has a photo of Asian American activist Helen Zia getting married today in San Francisco.

I think it’s awesome that a lesbian Asian American couple is pictured… and that same-sex couples are getting married in California… (unless you live in Kern County).

Check out the rest of the article here.

Tags: gay marriage, helen zia.