No time for Discretion!

S.O...... two letters is all he goes by. My favourite rapper right now and most probaby for a long time to come. He is an urban Psalmist. A poet who speaks in complete vunerability. He does not spare his flaws for reveal, he is Biblicial in his praise, he is relevant, he slays the inauthentic realism that this generation projects on themselves and others, he is daring -- with fire he will speak to your heart.

 

I've been meaning to post about S.O. for a while now, but I wanted to wait for his new album "S.O. it continues" to drop. I love this video, the black and white with the highlighted reds and oranges. It has such a vintage feel to it. They did good to rap on a sunset canvas. S.O. rips his bars apart, such a talented brother, did ya catch his Brit/American accent?

 

I appreciate hip hop that is created out of a love and humility that pays no mind to the lights and the numbers. I believe good hip hop or music is creating for The Creator.

Kimbra

4 hours of waiting. We dared not move from position as time grew closer. Darkness fell on thousands of anticipating faces. Chants of a single name began to brew from behind us and powerfully come alive when glimpses of a possible beginning was seen amongst moving shadows. "KIMBRA, KIMBRA, KIMBRA." Four figures appear in swift but careful fashion. They begin on their instruments, sending the crowd deep into roaring excitement. No sign yet of the one to whom the single name belongs. Then as if out of nowhere she runs out blazing with a rainbow colored flapping and moving dress with a black jewelled corset and black boots. Her infamous dark as night crop bounced as she flashed a bedazzling smile at the crowd. The spotlight hit her exposing mesmerizing beauty. As she kicked off her first song, everyone just stood there unmoved, paralyzed and transfixed trying to take in her energy. All I could hear around me was astonished gasps and exchanged comments of "she's so amazing, what the hek!?", "are you serious, shes so beautiful!" Waves of disbelief swept the arena. When she dropped the beat for "Warrior" we all seemed to snap out of our hypnotic state and straight into some serious fist pump and head bumping action. This has been one song that's been on replay on my Ipod and I tell you, hearing it live was just another level of excitment for me.

Kimbra's live voice is powerful, soaring and without blemish. She grips the crowd with the emotions and stories in her songs. When she sang "Call Me", I felt the giddy confidence that the song imbued, it was crazy to see her acting out it's very words. She danced, jumped and head pounded like no tomorrow, all with pink tambourine in hand. She also played a rendition of "Settle Down", using an iPad to create loops of her live voice. I've only seen her do that on Youtube (see below), but as I said it before seeing it live is when you really appreciate that kind of skill and talent. She is one of the best, if not the best live performances I've seen so far. Seriously, if you ever get the chance, you cannot miss her!

P.O.D Concert, how I survived.

Let me start off the story with this picture of the aftermath. This is my brother and I... a complete mess, drenched in sweat and water with our brother Ryan from the Whosoevers.

Sonny the Lead singer

Its a cold and raining Wednesday afternoon. We have 3hrs till the concert and I'm contemplating whether to go for a run or not. This is how my mind processes situations like this: "it's only rain, it's not like it's acid, plus I had pizza...though I should save some energy for tonight, but this could be like warm-up, I don't wanna be stretching anything in the middle of a mosh." Conclusion? I ran, not too far, but enough to get absolutely drenched.

Now, I'm staring into my wardrobe thinking, "what does one wear to a rock concert?...black tee, black pants...ALL BLACK EVERYTHING?" And indeed this was my attire of choice, wore my Whosoevers tee, which got me looking like I knew what I was doing.

I wasn't quite sure what to expect as I entered the floor. There were a surprisingly large assortment of individuals among the crowd - parents, grandparents, little kids, young adults, adults, teens, tweens. Anyone who was there to supervise were congregated towards the back safe from flying sweat, loud speakers and spontaneous limb explosions. My brother and I crucially strategized before we entered the building, this strategy was altered as we got closer and closer to the stage.

Phase 1: Find a clear and safe spot to scope out the crowd and find a possible path to the front.

Phase 2: Take that path to the outskirts of the mosh pit.

Phase 3: Cross through the mosh while in full motion, this avoids having to push through people who are just standing.

Phase 4: By this point, we would've been in the very front center of the stage. Mission complete. Or so I thought, ahhh I'm such an amateur.

After the opening acts had finished and the stage was finally set up for P.O.D. It was game time, literally. There was only one girl between me and the railing, I was comfortable and there was a decent amount of arm room. As soon as lead guitarist Marcus walks out, it was like ripples of waves slowly crashing toward me. By the time the entire band was on stage my face was flat on the back of this girl. My brother and I got separated by his intent to remain close to the mosh and mine to get the best view of the band. As soon as those sticks hit the drums, the crowd turned into an orchestrated pool of caged animals, it was insane and I became one of them. The crowd was so uncontrollably heavy and compact that lifting your arm turned into a 10kg bicep curl. I was squared by two skinny 6'3 guys on my right, a huge 6'0 guy on my left and hundreds of screaming, jumping, pushing people behind me. In that moment I could only pray that God keep me from being accidently elbowed in the face or that one of my shoes don't go missing. I quickly got use to the non-violent passionate violence, the harmonious screams, the prompt water sprays by security and the inescapable thumping, grabbing and jumping that every beat exerted out of every person. Once lead singer Sonny belted out that first note I remembered exactly why I love this band and that tonight was all about release.

I screamed every word I knew like a mad woman. I jumped and pushed as much as I could signifying my love for the song, for the band. But it was rough, the crazier the song, the crazier the crowd, the crazier the mosh. On the very first song Sonny jumped onto the crowd, right on top of the two guys on my right. We all pushed him up and around, I was soo ecstatic, I couldn't believe I was helping Sonny crowd surf haha! The crowd pushed him back on stage and he stood on a platform right next to the railing overlooking the crowd screaming and singing directly into our eyes and hearts. I couldn't believe how close he was. Waves of people pushed toward the front even more, as they tried to get a hand on Sonny. Hands reaching out towards him for a touch. One of the greatest moments in my life happened as I stared him square in the face screaming back to him the same words he screamed to me and seeing all that passion explode like a furnace in his eyes and on his face. He pointed directly at me as I furiously mouthed his song as if saying, "yeah you got it". Life was almost complete. UNTIL he passes me the mic, this happened 3 times, this is why being in front is amazing! Myself and whoever was next to me start screaming the chorus into it. Out of the corner of my eye I catch my brother. I pass it back to him avoiding the snatching hands. Him and whoever was next to him start going nuts, screaming the chorus into the mic. I turn to the stage and see Sonny jiving, smiling and laughing. After the mic makes it's way back to Sonny, I turn back to my brother and we exchange agreeing looks as if we were rock stars. Absolutely epic.

Sonny

Because I was so pressed to the front where the crowd resembled swirling, crashing waves it was important to stand my ground. If I didn't I would've easily have lost this amazing spot. So the best thing to do especially if you're not as physcially apt as the bigger, taller guys around you is to find a couple of anchors. These are guys preferably in front of you who are strong and have sturdy position despite how crazy the crowd gets. Thank you Lord for giving me the best anchors a girl could ask for haha. These two guys had moved in front of me to protect the girls getting squashed at the railings, it was perfect. There was never enough space to turn around to see how the mosh was getting on in the middle, but THE ONE TIME I do turn around, who's facilitating the mosh!!?? - clearing the area, forming the circle and getting everyone hyped...MY BROTHER. Hahahha I was cracking up thinking, "thiiiiiss guy".

Their set list was too good. Of course they dished out "ALIVE" ,but my favourites was when they ripped "Southtown" out of nowhere, Oh man I swear I turned into a crazy, territz pokemon hahha. "Satellite" was their encore, to which everyone went 5 times harder to. Another big favourite was "Boom", this was one of the song where he passed me the mic, I'm still trippin. Sonny got the meenest swag on stage, he goes N.U.T.S and then off stage he's sweet and gentle. I loved that he shared about God and that he was all about everyone having fun and just letting go for the one night. When it was all over, my brother and I were so drenched, deaf and voiceless. As if the night couldn't get any better, my bro spotted Ryan the co-founder of the Whosoevers and we went over and had an amazing conversation about the movement, God, Fiji, who we were. He was so stoked to see I was reppin The Whosoevers with my tee, he was so keen to introduce us to Sonny who is the other co-founder of The Whosoevers. I swear I was going to cry, but lame event staff was kicking us out. So, we told Ryan we'd meet him tomorrow and he could introduce us to Sonny then. I need to make sure I don't start balling in Sonny's face hahha. ANYWAY...that easily makes top 4 amazing moments of my life, up there with giving my life to Jesus. And yes...my entire body is a little sore.

Forgive me for my lack of high quality and quantity pictures. It was actually impossible to take any kind of photos in the position I was in. The photos I did take I risked the safety of my arms for lol.

Sonny... again

Pictures: My own

Street Culture.

What are some things that first come to mind when you hear "street culture"? The concept easily translates into so many diverse forms of expression, ideals and actions all depending on social, cultural and political contexts. What street is to me can be completely different to what it is to you, right? Our experiences of street culture are never static but are constantly and consistently influenced and even more so now because of our ever minimizing world. Our understanding of street culture extends to our current and past locations and the attachments and experiences acquired from these places. But then, there are things like the media, music and art that permeate through our global borders, creating an almost direct experience which we subconsciously and consciously apply to the experiences of our real life locations. We see it all the time in the way that Pacific Island kids emulate the street culture of the streets of Compton or Long Beach in the forms of gangs or attire or the graffiti art that kids might see onYouTube, which they try in their own neighborhoods, thus implementing and establishing a whole new street culture of graffiti. Then, there are those who identify street culture with danger, bombs, death and violence. It's amazing how radically the same things can separate one group, yet bring another together, for better and for worse.

Today I was thinking about what it meant to me. A whole range of things came to mind - Stussy, respect, graffiti, skaters, street kids, blockades, evangelism, curfews, sport and hang-outs. I laughed to myself abit when I realized Stussy was the first thing that came to mind. When I think street, I feel like Stussy encompasses the basic principles of street in terms of a brand any way - graffiti, skate, liberation, one love, style, global and rawness. I've been such a big fan for a while now and I really am a sucker for the stuff. I remember being in Tokyo and wanting to cry when I spotted the Stussy store tucked away in this small alley.

Stussy store I visited in Tokyo

In my attempt to look like a man this Winter, Stussy is a definite go-to for all the curve hiding, tent-like attire that a cold girl will need to brave the Winter chill. I actually just stocked up on a whole pile of the stuff today, so that could be the reason why it came to mind haha. But in all truth, it is something I automatically associate with street culture. Street culture is such an interesting concept to pick apart. In relation to our Pacific Island youth living in the islands, I wonder how this concept is influencing the way they relate to the world.

Pictures: (1) http://stussy.tumblr.com/archive (2) http://www.stussy.com/tokyo-trip (3-6) http://stussy.tumblr.com/archive

Heart Attack News.

Picture: https://twitter.com/#!/thewhosoevers

The WHOSOEVERS are coming to NZ!!! I almost had a heart attack when I read this on twitter literally 2 minutes ago. Now and again I would always hit up these guys on twitter begging them to come down to NZ. I missed out on their conference in L.A when I was over there and guttered is a understatement. If you're out here in Auckland YOU NEED to come to out and hear what these guys have to say about this INSANE movement. They are blessed, called and on fire for God. I guarantee you they'll change your perspective on Christ and Christianity.

Payable Only by Death

Pictures: http://thewhosoevers.com/blog/archives/3504

Most people have their all time favorite artists that transcends time, trends and current sounds or markets. We all have those few artists that we hold close to our hearts because their music is iconic, timeless, nostalgic, empowering, relatable, they offer an expression of our inner selves.

I listen to alot of "hipster" music...I suppose. I can't believe I just admitted that. I completely understand if you don't want to be friends. Indie, Alternative, Electronic, Folk etc. all of that good stuff. But it's funny because my all time favorite artists don't exactly fall under those genres. Is anyone else the same way? Or am I the only one living a paradoxical life? I only want to mention one of those all time favorites for now, as an attempt to keep this fairly short and sweet. P.O.D ...Payable Only by Death, remember these guys? They created those killer rock tracks "Alive", "Youth of the Nation" and "Goodbye for Now". Yeah well....hands down these guys I will love to the grave, I have every single album, live track, demo, mixtape, remix blah blah. I honestly feel like I can take on a tank when I have them blaring through my earphones. But it's more than that, they are trying to reach a lost generation in a way that our elders have forgotten. I really feel like their challenging the norms upon which we look at Christianity, I listen to them and feel a revival, it's insane. It's been quite a while since they've released anything new, but FINALLY they're recording a new album and will be on tour next month!! I am beyond thrilled, and now even more when I read that they're touring NZ!! Thank you God for soldiers like these guys.

Shirt Swag that I Need.

The last time I watched a video with my jaw to tha floor the ENTIRE time was "Bizness" by tUnE-yArDs, which was a while ago. And I know I'm probably really late with this, but after abit of blog stalking, I came across this video by Lianne La Havas called "Forget". I don't really know why I clicked play, I think it was the name, but man am I glad I did. BECAUSE I literally had my mouth open the entire time, gawking at her amazing shirts!! Sooo sooo beautiful I could swim in them. But she's also gorgeous and its's also abit of a gangsta anti-love ballad/don't mess wit' me jam with some silky smooth vocals. Seriously though, those shirts are killinngg mee! *school girl scream*

Since we're talking about jaw-droppers, why not post "Bizness" by tUnE-yArDs. This is probably my favorite video of 2011. The entire video is what I like to imagine myself as looking and feeling after a week of no sleep and too much sugar. Enjoy.

Askew Solo Show

Pictures: My own (1) exhibit (2) "The Right Frontal Lobe" (3)&(4) "Pakeha On Crazy Island"

This show was even more amazing in person. The canvases were HUGE. The images and color seemed to wrap itself tightly around my eyes and pull me in. I was fixed and overwhelmed at the talent & creativity. How is it possible that this would come from a normal functioning brain? As soon as I walked in, I was was reminded of my lack of skill. As soon as I read the exhibit booklet I wished I had a cool 5mil sitting around so I could rack up these crazy pieces. I went with my cousin and we both agreed on the "Pakeha On Crazy Island" as being our favorite. I mean honestly, the piece is perfect, it's the epitome of the current Pakeha generation's mindset. It explores so many social, historical and ancestral contexts. I read it and thought "ohh okay, I've always wondered how this generation's Pakeha perceived their place & identity on this island". Its just so interesting, you're glued to the words wanting them elaborated. I also really liked "The Right Frontal Lobe", which screamed comic book art for me and gave me Comic book batman flashback. If you're in Auckland, it ends on Thursday, you need to see it!

Before we headed over to Askew's show, we stopped off at my neighborhood pie/bakery store. Mmmmm...

Dub-step just got MORE GANGSTA.

So a couple weeks back I went to this INSAANNNEE dub-step show with Bulletproof, Kidz In Space and ShapeShifter. Prior to this, I was already sold on dub-step... one word skrillex. But then after a while I was thinking "Man it would be cool if there were a few gospel dub-step tracks" ....*EUREKA MOMENT OF THE WEEK* ...Google Search: Christian Dub-step. I was pretty ecstatic over the results and the mass amount of Christian DJs out there with some legit mixes and tracks. And Just when I thought dub-step couldn't get anymore gangsta... I found this song that BLEW MY MIND "Awesome God" Dub-step remix by this guy called Robert DeLong. Christian or not, this track will pull your heart out! If you weren't a fan of dub-step before, prepare to jump this speeding wagon.

Picture: Kidz in Space at the show I was at

Reading the Right thing at the Right time.

Picture: source - http://streetarse.co.nz/

I remember when I first got to Auckland, I hated it with a passion. I use to hate on it the way people hate on gum stuck in their hair or someone stealing their parking spot. My reasoning for this malicious banter was "oh Auckland is so boring, nothing ever happens, the city is SO DEAD, what can you even do here". Silly, little, ignorant ole me. When you're new to a city, you can't expect it to come rushing toward you showering you with ideas and places to see and eat. Cities are spaces designed to be found and to be lost within. They are living, breathing beings created to be discovered and molded to suit one's imagination. I'm still getting acquainted with Auckland but what I've found so far is that it has an underground scene about it. Events and little things to do here and there are often known by word of mouth or just by being in the right place at the right time. This is what I genuinely grew to love about this city, its closeness and its ability to pleasantly surprise you in subtle ways. It took me a long time to catch on to this though, I was bored for the longest time, until I started watching and reading the right things and the right time, that gave hints of where, how and why. And all of a sudden I found myself at art exhibits, pop-up stores, fashion shows, street shows, live gigs and large concerts. It's made me really appreciate the people more than anything. And it's also made me realize that you just need a little patience with new places.

And speaking of...here's the next one I'm REALLY looking forward to. World renowned graffiti artist Askew One a.k.a Elliot O'Donnell , who is Kiwi by the way is doing a solo show! Truth is, I had no idea who he was, I'm not tuned in enough with the graffiti art or art scene in general in Auckland or around the world really, but like I said I just happened to be reading the right thing and the right time and stumbled across this amazing score. But let's get another thing straight, I am no artist I couldn't draw you a square even if you drew the first two lines (that may be a little exaggerated), OR press play on the stereo if you needed. The creativity that I lack in those outlets are displayed in others, like making sandwiches or creating an ultimate chocolate sundae, things that may not be as relevant to society but you know we can't have it all. So... where is all this enthusiasm for this event coming from? I love art, I do. I have a great appreciation for it, but more so in its cultural and social implications and contexts. That's the anthropology in me. In the case of this exhibit, I'm interested in questions like: what is graffiti? Is it still graffiti when displayed and housed under a socially controlled setting like a gallery? Does a white canvas take away the context and nature of graffiti? How much weight do the concepts of location and law still have on graffiti? And blah blah. Technique, color and image don't strike me quite as much as the questions do behind it. All the intellectual riff raff aside...I'm also just as excited to soak up Mr. O'Donnell's amazing hard work and talent.

ASKEW ONE - SMOKE SIGNALS SHOW from Askew One on Vimeo.