Beyond the Boots

*Sigh* Where to begin.... Friday night I hosted a show, Beyond the Boots, based off of my piece, Vintage Boots. If you happened to come across my blog entry a few down from this one, you know the importance of this event, and my pressing desire to take the popularity of this piece and do something purposeful with it... go "beyond" it, if you will. A piece primarily about parents without children, this event would give back in a way to support children without parents. Thus, the show was at Monkey Business Cafe, a non-profit organization that provides employment, homes, and programs for foster children in LA and Orange County. Headlining was some of LA's most well-known poets and my good friends, David Romero, Matt Sedillo, and Francois. Also featuring was KasiTeYana, Alex Alpharaoh, Danny Sugimoto, Nathan McWherter, Nghiem Le, Samantha Park, and Joy Oladoku. There was also a good list of open mic. sign-ups, all which brought the house down! To say the least, the night was incredible. I had the privilege of putting on the show with my best friend Kasey, our second show since The Necessary Project, and had the help of my other friends and roommates Ally, Kylie, Roman, and Delsy. It was very special for me personally to put the show on with the leading ladies in my life. And of course, the bulk of the evening had nothing to do with me. All of the poets and musicians brought their own stories, words of heartache, words of healing, words of comedy, and words of romance. Like every open mic or poetry showcase, the poets built the show themselves. There is no way that there was anywhere in California where a more powerful night of poetry was taking place at the same time as ours. These poets are unparalleled, and I am truly blessed to be surrounded and supported by such a profound group of artist. The cafe was packed; people kept streaming in as the night went on and we were busting at the seems. I wish we had pictures that gave the large resulting crowd justice. With over 100 attendees, and over $500 dollars raised for foster programs, the night was beyond the success we expected it to be. To everyone who came, thank you. I hope you enjoyed a night off of your busy schedules to bask in the beauty of raw, vulnerable, brilliant, and authentic story-telling... through poetry. Now it's your turn to write your own. Whatever circumstance you are victim to, whatever life situations have continued to suffocate you, grab a pen, and exhale. Together, let's do something to go beyond it.

(Six days 'til the Boots) Spotlighting Artist...

Last Thursday I had the privilege to visit I.E. legend and friend Judah One at his open mic venue LionLike Mindstate in Pomona (check it out HERE). One of the fastest growing open mics in Los Angeles County by far, every time I perform here or just visit, there's always new voices, new DJs, and new eye opening philosophies shot straight to my brain. This night in particular LionLike was featuring Seth Walker, and for anyone who is radical about social change, open minded to new ways of thought, or just a huge fan of ingenious spoken word, you either already know of him or you're going to want to check him out HERE. Currently touring with Lauren Begent, their lyrics and rhythm both together and separate with take you on a road trip through human emotions that are equally profound, hilarious, and real.
On top of experiencing the one and only Seth Walker live, I attended LionLike to touch base with incredible accessories stylist and spoken word artist, Cayenne. She will be selling an array of hand-made jewelry at Beyond the Boots (click HERE for more info), coming up on the 25th, complete with various stones, feathers, and metals that a lot of artists in the I.E. like to rock. Here in the photo, she is only showing a sample of her earring collection, but on the 25th she will also be selling necklaces and rings as well.

Another friend and amazing stylist will also be selling on the 25th, the one and only Meredith, founder of Made by Mere accessories (check her out HERE). Below is a picture of some of her holiday line this past December, but just like the small selection you saw of Cayenne's, this sample photo does not give justice to the brilliance of Mere's art. She has tons of new fabrics and flairs she'll be showcasing at Beyond the Boots, so bring some extra cash and come out and support your local artist!
Remember David Romero, Matt Sedillo, and Francois are headlining, and we have a huge line up of other amazing features, as well as a limited open mic. Hope to see you on Friday! Six days and counting!

UCYC Day 3: Not ready to leave...

The weekend most definitely went by too fast. Without getting too personal, there were connections and relationships we found with some of the kids that we know we'll hold on to for quite some time. It was hard saying good bye to our new found friends, the wonderful staff, and our relaxing, luxurious cabin. I opened the ending session with a new piece, "Asthmatic." I actually love this piece, and it's one my best friends', Ally's, favorite. It was a blessing to do this piece in front of so many people who I had grown to know and love over the short course of three days. After the session, it was time to say our goodbyes. Saying goodbye to some of the kids was definitely hard, and we tried to prolong our departure as long as possible. We had one last lunch with the camp staff, and then headed back on the road to Orange County. This weekend was phenomenal. It's times like these where I wish I were more liberal with my emotions on the world wide web, so that I could give this past weekend justice. If you'd like to hear any of these more intimate stories, never hesitate to ask me personally, shoot me an email perhaps. To say the very least, it was a life-changing experience. Being on the road with Nathan and Danny, bringing spoken word to a world where many had never heard of it, and meeting new rad people and making new friends was most certainly an experience of a lifetime. Thank you UCYC, the boys of Spit in the Mud, and Trey, our biggest fan by far :) In the pictures you'll see a group photo of the band, sound and stage crew, camp directors, speaker, and Spit in the Mud, as well as a shot of da boyz muggin hard, and a final SITM picture that I shall soon frame and put on my mantle. Stay tuned at www.SpitInTheMud.com for upcoming photos and videos from the weekend!

UCYC Day 2: Prescott is A-Plus

This day was one of those long days. One of those days that feels like it's going on and on and on, but you're loving every second of it, so as long as it feels, you still don't want it to end. Nathan opened up the session spitting his brand new piece, "Zuckerberg Gospel." The kids loved it, seriously. The speaker, Luke Wright, was spectacular, and was able to play off of Nathan's piece, as well as all of our pieces throughout the week. After the first session, we grabbed lunch with the kids, which in all honesty, some of our best relationships came from communal cafeteria time, and then we had the rest of the day off until the night session where Danny would be performing his solo piece. We decided to be tourists in Historical Old Town Prescott, and what a grand decision it was. It took us by surprise how beautiful this little town was. You hear "Arizona" and you immediately think desert and cacti, but this quaint town seemed more like a product of the east coast, with beautiful brick buildings, vintage shops, chic bars and coffee shops, and beautiful courthouses and libraries. We had a great time letting loose for a few hours, touring around the city, and even ran into a few of the campers around town. We stopped in a cafe called The Raven, where we carried out one of our traditions which is to have a toast with cider. It was a first time toasting with warm cider, but it was some of the tastiest cider I've ever had! We then headed back to camp, where we grabbed dinner and then went to the night session where Danny performed one of his newer pieces, "Serenity" (videos of Nathan and Danny's pieces will be on the Spit in the Mud youtube channel soon). Afterwards was Redneck Bowling Night, where all of the campers and leaders dressed up like hicks and went into town to go Bowling. We had a great time hanging out with all the kids and videotaping for our 4 Second Competition (we asked the kids who could do the coolest thing in 4 seconds and at the end of the weekend we gave the winners Spit in the Mud post it notes). We headed back to our cabin and made pizza and ate It's-Its, listened to Jeff play some sick covers, and then headed off to bed. It was a long day sure, but definitely one to remember.

UCYC Day 1: Arriving to an Adventure

4 am, rise & shine. Nathan, Danny, Nicole, and I headed off to Arizona, embarking on a journey of soon-to-be wonderful surprises. The drive there was long, but fun, and it was nice having Nicole along the drive until we dropped her off with friends in Phoenix. Once we hit Prescott, the real adventure began. We were greeted by the friendly, welcoming staff of UCYC, and were shown to a gorgeous cabin complete with a large living room, kitchen, and three bedrooms. We shared the cabin with the camp's music director Jeff Dennis, who later defeated me in a rigged game of Old Maid, and sang the boys to sleep with Lady Gaga covers. We enjoyed some quality camp food in the cafeteria and prepared to perform later that night. We met the camp directors, Chris Holohan and Jarred Medlin, and quickly adjusted to the busy camp schedule. The program UCYC had prepared was phenomenal. It was such a privilege to be a part of their elborately-planned weekend. We met all of the camp leaders, introduced Spit in the Mud and our passion to bring spoken word to their youth, and then went off to the main auditorium where we performed our latest 3-in-1 piece, "Seven Degrees." Performing this piece in front of hundred of high schoolers and young adults was such a high. We had a lot of fun writing the piece together, practicing it and fine-finishing all the details, but it's when it all comes together on stage that perhaps it's the most fun. We had a great time getting to know some of the students later on that night, having pizza with some of the staff, and relaxing in our warm, cozy cabin (it was 20 degrees outside). We enjoyed a night of rest because the days to come would certainly require loads of high energy!

On the Road, like Kerouac

In a couple of hours, Nathan, Danny, and I will be hitting the road for Prescott, Arizona, where we are spitting for four sessions over the course of three days at UCYC... isn't that nuts?! We're exhausted, yes, but mostly so excited to have such an amazing opportunity. We'll of course be bringing our sacred "On the Road" novel to read... on the road... & pay homage to our beloved Beats as we ride upon the road they've paved for us, as well as writers, poets, and adventurers everywhere. We are doing four entirely new pieces and have close to no idea what to expect, and that feeling right there is completely exhilarating to me right now. Earlier today we were privileged to record a piece together, "Our Right, Amplified," on our friends' Jimmy and Jeff's benefit CD. We were in the studio for hardly no time at all, and pulled it off in one take. I am so proud of my team! We even did a freestyle session that will serve as a bonus track for the CD, so be on the look out for that as well! It's definitely been a challenging week for all of us, preparing for UCYC, writing and memorizing, and then managing and preparing for all of the other upcoming shows and events in the midst of work and school, but we are learning so much through all of these experiences, and, most all, each other, and I wouldn't give it up for the world. The piece we're performing Friday night in Arizona is called "Seven Degrees," and it's about God meeting us right where we're at. This piece is very special to us for two reasons, one being that it is the first piece we have written together as a team, and two, because it speaks to our very lives as well as to anyone else around us with a pulse. A line that's really resonating with me is, "God, will You meet me in the chaos? This mess that manifest within all of us?" I'm learning alot through this journey about finding purpose in the chaos, as well as finding peace. I hope you all follow along with our updates about Arizona and the next few months! You can follow us on Twitter by clicking HERE, follow us on Facebook HERE, or follow us on our Blog updates HERE. I should probably head off to bed :) Goodnight Orange County, Good morning Arizona!