::Ancestry In Progress::

08.29.58-06.25.09

Your legacy has left an indelible impression on the world-at-large.
Thank you for the precious gifts you bore.
May your journey be peaceful and radiant

:::MLK FREE Summer Concert Series 2009 Line-Up @ Wingate Field::Brooklyn, NYC:::

We all know about both Central Park SummerStage and Prospect Park Celebrate Brooklyn's dope summer concert line ups. But if you ain't up on the Wingate Park Martin Luther King Summer Concert Series, you missin' out (Crown Heights, STAND UP!)! For those that like a bit more soul food on their plate (seasoned with a likkle bit curry), this is more your speed. Like clockwork, every Monday evening brings a new free show!

Here's this year's line up:

* July 13: Keyshia Cole & Lyfe Jennings
* July 20: The Ojays, Russell Thomkins, Jr. & The New Stylistics, Jerry Butler, Harold Melvin's Blue Notes
* July 27: Anita Baker & Charlie Wilson
* August 3: Jazmine Sullivan & Robin Thicke
* August 10: Teena Marie, Jeffrey Osborne, Ruben Studdard
* August 17: Yolanda Adams & Israel Houghton
* August 24: Sean Paul & Mighty Sparrow

Shows "start" at 7:30 PM, but if you learned anything from the Erykah Badu & Patti LaBelle shows last summer...GET THERE MAD EARLY!! THE LINE IS BANANAS!!

More info here.

:::DJ Spooky's Rebirth Of A Nation @ MoMa 6/22-6/28:::

DJ Spooky (a.k.a. Paul D. Miller, a.k.a. That Subliminal Kid) is an absolute beast. It has definitely been a pleasant experience seeing this kat evolve from just a quirky Black instrumental electronica artist hailing from D.C. into a progressive, well-versed music intellectual and multimedia artist. As a matter of fact, he's number four on my list of favorite Black music intellectuals (who also double as artists):



1. ?uestlove


2. Greg Tate


3. Branford Marsalis (his brother Wynton is pretty dope too)

But back to Spooky...I was kinda kicking myself in the arse for not being able to catch the premier of his Rebirth Of A Nation audio/ video performance at last year's Tribeca Film Festival. Good thing he brought it back. From June 22nd through the 28th, the Museum of Modern Art will be hosting Spooky's retooling of the controversial 1915 G.W. Griffith classic film The Birth Of A Nation. Ah, yes. When overt racism was king. For more info, go here.


- Clip from DJ Spooky's Rebirth Of A Nation.
(Visit blog to view YouTube video embedded)

In addition, as a part of Brooklyn Academy of Music's (BAM) 2009 Next Wave Festival, another one of DJ Spooky's A/V creations will be produced in December entitled Terra Nova: Sinfonia Antarctica. This creation with a focus on the topic of climate change will not only include Spooky's own bleeps, blips, and sound bites from a recent trip to Antarctica, but also a two-piece string section and grand piano from the International Contemporary Ensemble. Muy interesante **strokes beard**. More info here.


- Clip from DJ Spooky's Rebirth Of A Nation.
(Visit blog to view YouTube video embedded)

:::Butt In Ass::NYC Video Art Exhibit 6/22-7/3:::

Everybody needs a lil' Butt...every now and then. In memory of the seedier NYC of yesteryear, Butt Magazine - in tandem with American Apparel - will unveil a new video art exhibit at Asia Song Society in TriBeCa next week. From June 22nd to July 3rd, roll though and view works from 19 artists shown in buddy booths. I'm guessing the subject matter will vary, but then again the adjective "arousing" says I just may be wrong. Just maybe. I wonder what these folks plan to do to deter sticky seats. The Asia Song Society website says that the exhibit opens this Saturday, June 20th...which slightly contradicts the above info. I'd call in advance if you're planing to visit tomorrow to make sure. At any rate, should be interesting. And although Butt is a gay mag, I've become increasingly intrigued by visual art these days and plan on making a few video pieces myself sometime soon. So I guess I can stand some inspiration. Even if the subject matter is not necessarily...up my alley. Pause. For more info, go here.

Butt In Ass
An Exhibition of Arousing Video Art Screened in Buddy Booths
June 22nd - July 3rd
2-10PM
@
Asia Song Society
45 Canal Street
Between Orchard and Ludlow

:::Lewis Forever @ New Museum::Thursdays in June Residency:::

The Lewis Family are...umm...unique. Yeah...that's it. Unique. Drawing on their half-Dominican, half-Jewish background, siblings Ligia, Sarah, George, and Isabel have birthed a brand of performance art that captivates, amuses, and perplexes all in one fell swoop.


(Visit the blog to see YouTube video embedded)

After presenting their first performance piece Freak The Room at P.S. 122 last year, Lewis Forever has become a collective on the cutting edge buzzing on the tongues of the press and the art world alike. At present, these folks are artists-in-residence at the New Museum in downtown Manhattan.


(Visit the blog to see YouTube video embedded)

I ventured down to see their performance yesterday evening:


And I must say...I was not anticipating any of the events to come. They integrated audience participation, coloring, cut out dolls on popsicle sticks, operatic swooning, and a quasi-disturbing ode to Barack Obama. Considering that the typical American audience is confined inside the convention of "I paid my money to see you perform," it was quite different for me to be involved in the performance instead of being objectively entertained. But, to my surprise...it shook something inside me to life. Thanks, y'all!


(Visit the blog to see YouTube video embedded)

While their style of performance art may not be for everybody, I encourage you to do something out of the ordinary. Their New Museum residency ends next Thursday on June 25th. Find out more about The Lewis' here.