Shuffled! Leonard Shek
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…
“Old Robes (Nano Machine Remix)”
From Monument to Masses
Perhaps the album should be named “Music to Listen to while pondering dialectical class struggle” which is the underlying message beneath the music of this Bay Area based trio that features no vocalist. The music though is not the fire and brimstone that you’d expect, instead it’s introspective and emotionally lilting progressive rock that draws you into the room and makes you want to smash the monolith with a big giant bone. Or something like that. The third album features remixes and an experimentation of beats that show the groups fondness for 80’s dance beats, 8-bit video games and this track that feels like you’re playing Pole Position.
“NPR: Fresh Air Podcasts” and “WNYC’s Radio Lab”
Ok so this doesn’t quite count as a song, but in keeping with the “shuffled” theme, this is what’s in my itunes. I love NPR. I think Terry Gross totally rocks. I get introduced to new music, get insight to some great tv programs, movies, books, everything the thinking person needs.
Radio Lab totally rocks too. Well produced radio that uses quirky sounds and humor to make science not just digestible but enjoyable to the average listener. I love it when people use quirky metaphors to illustrate an idea or concept, that’s the best way to learn!
“Roll River Roll”
Richard Hawley
According to his Wiki, he first auditioned to be a guitarist for Morrissey by playing an Elvis Presley song but was rejected. He’s a classic troubadour with a voice like the Great One (Elvis, not Morrissey) and an Elvis Costello sensibility.
“Moments in Love”
Art of Noise
If you grew up in the Bay and listened to Love Lines with Theo Misahara every night, you most likely fell asleep to this song. It’s also known as the LP that DJ’s would put on to take a nice long bathroom break.
“Ceremony ”
New Order
I’m on an 80’s kick. This makes me feel like I’m John Cusack. Who doesn’t love New Order? And you call yourself Asian?!
“夏春秋 ”
PixelToy
This video was playing on a constant rotation when I was in China last summer. It’s an awesomely fun song and I love the bit in the middle of the video with the old man. Canto-pop-punk. We used this song to introduce Taishan City in the sample reel, I realized it captures a sense of the youth that are now taking over the cities in China.
Last 5 posts by shuffled
- Shuffled! Delia - August 14th, 2008
- Shuffled! Giles Li - August 7th, 2008
- Shuffled! Alexander Chee - July 31st, 2008
- Shuffled! Terry Park - July 24th, 2008
- Shuffled! Theresa Vu of Magnetic North - July 17th, 2008
Tags: Shuffled!.
NPR rocks almost as much as BPR rocks. Terry Gross is awesome. I don’t listen to her stuff as often as I wish I could. I think it is her voice firm, but gentle. Nice choice.