MetroSonics

Thoughts while watching, "Winter Soldier"- interviews with Vietnam vets

2010-07-30T00:08:00.001-07:00

We got to get it together. The things that are going on right in front of us and which, by lack of action, we are complicit in supporting are horrific and unacceptable. I speak for myself when I say this. People, we are being led by a destructive oligarchy. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are frightfully similar to the Vietnam war. No offense, but I see very few people here on Facebook concerned about anything of significance to our survival as a people, a planet or a nation. Lenin said, "If you don't get involved in politics, politics will get involved with you". If you really think about all the senseless killing and environmental destruction that has been going on for the past couple of centuries it really puts things in perspective; why are we letting evil people run the damn show?

A note from a friend: thoughts for the day.

2010-07-29T11:15:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine sent me this message on Facebook about a week ago:

"I must be spending too much time on facebook as your angry (though dead-on) comments have seeped into my subconscious. Had a dream last night that you were yelling on the street about oil spills and dead geese!"

I must be doing something right! ; - j
I got to say, as much as I like to enjoy my time on this planet and
as much as I feel very grateful for what's left of the earth, it is pretty
disturbing to witness the incessant environmental assaults and human and
animal rights abuses that are occurring at a dizzying rate these days. Not only that
the events seem to be accelerating in a cascade of bad sh*t. (Literally: my tap water in Brooklyn
smelled like sewage this morning because it drizzled for a couple of minutes. When that happens in NY the sewers flood and spill over into the water supply. Lovely!)

Well here's my latest facebook interaction which pretty much sums up my mood today:

My post:

F*cking BP. It looks like the dispersants (Corexit) they put in the ocean may likely be KILLING the very MICROBES that would naturally break down and eat the oil.

Yuisa Dávila WHAT THE FLUFF??!!!!! DONT THEY HAVE SCIENTISTS THAT COULD HAVE/SHOULD HAVE WARNED THEM OF THIS????!!!!! IM ABSOLUTELY SICK WITH THIS!!!!!
E.l. Copeland well man the other oil spill in michigan day before last isnt even being covered it was 800k gallons right into the drinking water

Djibril Toure yup it was cheaper than skimmin it off the surface..inglorious basterdz

MY RESPONSE:

‎@E.L. dude I heard about that. Supposedly there's an effort to stop it from getting to lake Michigan. To all: we need to keep putting the word out about these things and raise awareness and discussion. For the health of our planet to become a priority there has to be a big popular swell of outrage over these events and our government's failure to aggressively push towards a sustainable energy infrastructure. The cats running the show at the moment are content to let this place go to hell. It would seem that they are convinced that money and class advantage will allow them to remain untouched by the catastrophic events that are sure to pass; in large part as a direct result of their tolerance, support or aggressive pursuit of a fossil fuel based energy system and an oil and war economy. Things are very real.

That's the rub. Till next time friends.
Stay up!

P

Climate change and the state of the earth.

2010-07-19T20:24:00.000-07:00

Climate change is so real and what to do about it? We see so many signs of trouble ahead but the world as we know it ( waste, want, destruction, war, stupidity) carries on without a hitch. The earth is distabalizing and the people with the most influence are supporting more and more waste and damage. And here we all are just trying to get by, pay our bills, advance our careers etc... man,
we better wake up. When you speak in these terms most people probably feel like it's an over-reaction. This summer is way too dry. There's no more snow in the Alps... f*ck.
I feel like anytime spent aside from organizing and working towards trying to save what little planet we have left is the only thing really worth doing. We are so connected through various social networking sights and the internet but more fragmented than ever. It's one big popularity contest and nobody seems to give enough of a crap to work together to do something about the state of the world and society.
I'm not trying to be a doom sayer but things are strange, people.
Stay up...

P

The Rant: The oil, the law.

2010-06-04T09:21:00.000-07:00

There are two major issues that have been on my mind. One is the disastrous result of offshore drilling in the Gulf of Mexico that is leaking between 20,000 and 100,000 barrels of oil per day into the ocean. This oil is already killing significant numbers of wild life and sea creatures, is sure to be the cause of many more uncounted, deaths moving forward, and will surely result in the destruction of huge swaths of sensitive shoreline areas and beaches. The other issue is Immigration Law SB1070 that was just passed in Arizona. What it reflects about law enforcement and the penal system in this country is something that needs to be addressed. These two issues present what I see as the two most important issues of our time: sustainability and, what I call, the rights of beings. In the organs of these terms lies the uncomfortable spirit we find surrounding us in these United States of Exponential Waste. I'm going to keep it short.

In regards to the disaster in the Gulf: It is painfully clear that we have to move towards renewable energy; like solar, wind and hydro-electrical systems. Every thing else is just plain stupid. The earth will survive what we have done to it but life as we know it, and the beings we share that life with, will cease to exist pretty quickly if we don't stop this madness and start allowing the environment to heal from all the toxicity we continue to spew into it in untold quantities on a minute to minute basis. The fact that no one has really even brought up the reality that what has transpired in the Gulf is an environmental tragedy is disheartening, to put it mildly. I hear people use the words tragedy and disaster but I don't hear the explicit expression of outrage that is warranted. The bio sphere and the interrelationships between the beings of this planet and it's natural resources are EXACTLY like the relationship between various organs, cells, neurons, tendons, bones, blood etc. in the human body. You can't inject rat poison into your liver and expect good results, right? Same thing with the planet, just on a bigger and slower scale when compared to the human body and sense of time and life span.
Oysters, for example, are natural filters for shoreline waters. We flood oysters with oil, they die trying to clean it up. The downside of poisoning oysters with oil, aside from eating dinosaur blood (joke) with your blue-point's on the half shell, is that a crucial part of the eco-system has been weakened and very likely wiped out in the effected area. In many cases of 'environmental terrorism' some species completely die out; bees, oysters, and sea turtles are some that are coming really close.

This brings us to the concept of 'The Rights of Beings'. We need to start seeing the various organisms of this planet, plants above and below water included, as having rights just as we think of human rights. I'm not suggesting that we encourage parrots to testify in court. The idea is that beings should be able to exist as each is designed to. If Tigers hunt, let them hunt. If Zebras graze, let them graze. At this point the balance of the earth and protection of natural resources does not appear to rank very highly when it comes to personal or governmental decisions regarding war, waste management, public policy, education, or business. This lack of consideration is a problem. What is meant when we talk about the rights of beings and sustainability is that we as a global community we be best served to allow this earth to sustain us and make sure that our lifestyle does not interfere with the regeneration and natural healing process of the planet. We have to allow for the myriad beings to exist with the land and have access to the earth's natural resources.

Now, as matter of regulation and policy specifically regarding off shore drilling, we must confront the reality that these huge oil companies like BP, Exxon etc. are allowed to wield such power over our environment without any significant accountability. They wield highly dangerous and destructive tools, like machines that drill miles below the ocean, without proper regard for the environmental impact or proper oversight over drilling operations and planning. The primary regulatory body, the Federal Minerals and Management Service, is completely corrupted. The fact that oil companies regularly buy inspectors for the Minerals and Management Service vacation packages and the like, and that one of the most highly ranked rig inspectors often went to inspections high on crystal methamphetamine, are not reassuring factoids. The bottom line is we as a people should have the right to deny these massive, private corporations from committing environmental crimes, and if crimes are perpetrated by these corporations there have to be prison sentences not symbolic fines and a slap on the wrist. If a regulatory body is complicit in a crime the parties within that body should face legal prosecution as well.

In terms of the Immigration law I hardly know where to begin but the basic problem in my eyes is that the law is a big step towards entrenching this pervasive police state that has developed. The over policing of communities of color and immigrant populations is disgusting; a practice that is a direct continuation of American slavery. Public schools in minority communities in New York city, for example, are basically 'farm teams' for the prison system and military.
It's time we start speaking out strongly against measures like this. We can't let our civil liberties be stripped away. Police and law enforcement should serve the interests of civilians. As of now, especially in New York, Police lord over the population; menacing and threatening peaceful civilians and dragging people off the street for highly questionable reasons.

That's the rub. I've been trying to get this one out for a WHILE. To be continued...

Correction about Southside

2010-03-27T01:43:00.000-07:00

Just a note, been talking to Ben Jones tonight, the co-owner of Southside coffee, at his off-the-hook locavore restaurant (Lot 2) across the street from the cafe, he hipped me to the fact that the shop does actually play music made by its customers. They just don't promote the stuff, totally reasonable. I'm still into the whole local distribution idea I mentioned below but that's a separate issue. Gotta say I'm really stoked on what Ben and his team are bringing to the neighborhood, now known as 'Greenwood heights'.

P

Coffee, the NY attitude, "the polestar of downtown intelligentsia"...

2010-03-26T13:19:00.000-07:00

Blog date March 26^th , 2010.

I’m sitting at Southside Coffee drinking a cortado; for those who don’t know that’s a little less milk than a Cappuccino and a little more milk than a Macchiato. In plain talk, the brew is that real dope. Places like this make me feel like the world has a fighting chance of not slipping into a digital void. It reminds me of the Chinese tea houses I read about years back in a book called The Search for Modern China. The tea houses were places where people could come and drink tea, smoke, sit all day shoot the shit, play mahjong, and generally pass the time with their neighbors. At Southside I can buy a cup of coffee, work on my computer, go out and take a little stroll, exchange eyes with interesting people (some of which happen to be female and not unpleasant to look at), and listen to some music I might not otherwise have heard.

The people who pull the shots over at Southside have good taste in tunes. Right now the dude behind the counter is playing The Shins, never heard of them before but they sound good. The other day the barista put on Things Fall Apart by the Roots, I got a LOT of love for that album. Axel Niehaus who mixed half my album, Focused Fire, also mixed half of Things Fall Apart; including my favorite track Dynamite.

One thing that kind of gets my goat about Southside is that they refuse to play my album in the shop! They feel that they don’t want to pick favorites out of the many musicians that frequent the joint. I hear them but I think it’s a bit jive at the same time. A relationship between MetroSonics and Southside would a great way of doing some good-natured local co-branding. If we respect each other’s respective crafts, and business ethos, we could work out a distribution deal in which both parties benefit. But aside from the business aspect there's another issue of principle that arises here: people shouldn’t be afraid to express their opinions! The critical quality of New Yorkers is what has defined the city as a great place for artists to test their metal since this place was a pirate town. I feel like there’s a new trend in the city towards being totally neutral; a sort of paranoia to offend. In terms of live music, many acts that are tolerated in clubs in NY these days would have been straight up yoked or yelled off the stage when I was coming up as a teenager. So it goes, I'm not going to rant about that now. I'm just telling it like I see it.

In other news, I just purchased a book called "Spaced Out" by Alastair Gordon. Before I get into my thoughts on the book I’d like to point out that I bought the thing at St. Mark's Bookshop in Manhattan : www.stmarksbookshop.com. My cousin, Ben Gerson, who is a former writer for Rolling Stone magazine, former op-ed editor of New York Newsday and has as held positions at many other major publications, pointed out as we walked through the shop that places like St. Mark's Bookshop are essential as the filtering point for thought. He said, “You can come to a place like this, spend a couple of hours a week browsing the books, and get a good grip on the most important current trends in art and thought. It's the polestar of the downtown intelligentsia." We agreed that the dissolution of these nexuses of thought and ideas cannot be compensated for by the mass of information accessible today on the internet. I look at it like a division of labor in some ways; it's difficult to be a master of a lot of things. There are people, many of them, that spend a lot of time reading, going to museums, seeing films, traveling and otherwise keeping abreast of the most current trends in art, literature, and thought. These people are experts at perceiving, what literature in this case, is most worthy of presentation. That's a valuable resource. It's a skill that we as a culture should support. I for one spend most of my time making music, performing, working on my business, teaching, practicing tai-chi, cooking, and enjoying the time! I like to be able to count on well studied members of my community to point me in good directions and save me the time they've spent sifting through the muck. My tai-chi teacher, C.K. Chu, pointed out that after 36 years of having his school, the students he is currently teaching are getting a much more refined system because of his own growth over the years. Bottom line, we benefit from supporting people who do good work to educate us and keep us informed of the most important trends of our culture.

Now back to Spaced Out, that book I mentioned that led us down this winding and well-winded path we've found ourselves on. It's a book about the psychedelic movement of the 60's with a focus on the physical spaces that were built, which reflected the trends of thought at the time regarding liberating the mind from the ego and sharing in communal ecstatic experience. Looking at the pictures alone is inspiring me to take my musical events to the next level, physically. Get ready for the MetroSonics acid test party! ; - j

That's all for today.

Great to vibe with you!

Paul

Back to Blogistics- investment potential, events, and teaching

2010-03-22T12:08:00.000-07:00

Alright, here's to a renewed dedication to the blog. It's been a minute but I'm ready to go for gusto from here on out.

So I just had a meeting with an investor who looks like he's interested in helping MetroSonics build the name and get the ball rolling on a big level. That's a good thing. When you see me driving around in a limo next week make sure to run after the car screaming. ; - j

Otherwise, sitting at my lawyers office, thinking about 9th st. Espresso (look it up if you don't know- amazing coffe), and waiting for my manager to get here to strategize the next moves. Keep your ears to the street for some big events coming up.

Looks like we'll be performing at Earth Day NY again this year in late April. It's a big street music concert in the middle of Manhattan; great sound and stage and lots off cool eco-tabling and colorful people. I'm also working on an NYC in-school music / environmental awareness tour and/or big event in conjunction with Earth Day; more on that later.

On the school tip: I've been teaching a music/ tai-chi class at P.S. 181 in Brooklyn. It meets once a week and has been a total blast. The intersection of the disciplines makes a fertile ground for the seeds of class room fun to grow into big strong ideas for the kids to climb around on; and gives me great excuses to mumble extensive metaphorical existentialisms at them, and beat box when they look confused!

OK..I've done it. Blog world here I come.
I promise, once a week from now on. Check back in with me and we'll keep this
thing alive. Let me know what's on your mind as well.

Till later,

P

2010-03-11T22:44:00.000-08:00

Blue note show tonight, Friday. Midnight...

Students and Military Marketing

2009-11-13T22:17:00.000-08:00

For the past 8 years I've been running a hip-hop production course that I bring to schools.
I put students into the mode of producers as opposed to consumers and teach them about the positivity of hip-hop culture and broaden there musical awareness in general.
More about that later.
Point being, in my course of working in the schools I have, at times, worked through other organizations. While working with one such organization, The Leadership Program, in 2005 I came across an interesting fact.
The program was funded by the 21st Century Grant, part of "no child left behind". The 21st Century Grant still provides many schools and Community Based Organizations (CBO's) with the funding they need to run after school and in school arts programming.
At the time we teachers, who were sent to schools in various capacities as representatives of The Leadership Program, where told by the organization that we needed to collect student ID numbers and submit them as part of our final attendence record. This deed was mandatory, we where told, as the Grant would not be renewed if we did not provide the ID numbers; reason supposedly being that these numbers were the only proof that students where actually attending classes and that the grant money was being put to good use. We were often reminded that, "we don't get paid without those ID numbers".
Something about this instinctively bothered me. The program put a lot of emphasis on this part of our job, clearly they where being pressured by the money source. It seemed slimy somehow.

To cut to the chase, I got an e-mail from moveon.org which was a real eye opener.
It's pasted above.
It basically is warning parents that "...A little known provision in the federal Leave No Child Behind law is forcing high schools all across the country to disclose the personal information of 30 million teenagers and young adults to a private marketing firm and the military. The pentagon announced just this summer it had been collecting and using the data--including such sensitive personal information as Social Security numbers, ethnicity, GPA, personal email addresses, height, weight, and event the cell phone numbers of our kids, without their parent's permission. They had been keeping this announcement secret for more than 2 years--a violation of federal privacy laws and the privacy of tens of millions of young americans."

They then provide a link to an "opt out" to stop the mega database to be used on your child.
There is a website called " LeaveMyChildAlone.org that can provide more information.

I ended up quiting my job and never turning in my student ID numbers. I work independently now and hope the programs I'm working in conjunction with are not giving students' info to the military. I had told a number of people about this over the years and was never able to find the original document. Well, here it is for all to see.
It's probably a good idea that we stay aware of these types of things.
We have to guard our right to privacy and be aware that the military industrial complex
is out for our children, no joke.
That's the scoop.
Welcome to the blog.

P

USEW Live at Nublu

2009-10-16T15:32:00.000-07:00