Fishbone Documentary: SoCal Mindfunk

Just before my family was over-swept by the vomiting illness from hell last weekend, I had a chance to watch Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone (2010), which is now available via Netflix streaming.

This is a band I've loved and admired for a long time, so perhaps my endorsement has a "fanboy" quality to it, but here are some of my impressions anyway:

1. We're often told about band X or band Y that "no recording can possibly capture their live act." It's become a cliche (mostly used to sell concert tickets), but it couldn't be more true of Fishbone. There is a kinetic energy and a synergy among bandmates that has to be seen to be understood. The documentary captures some of that, and I'm grateful to the filmmakers for including that footage.

2. You can't help but come away from this movie wondering how a fucked up (and dying?) industry like the recording biz ever managed to thrive in the first place. Some of the most revealing and discouraging scenes from the movies entail sit-down interviews with Sony/Columbia producer David Kahne, who signed the band to their first contract back in the day. Kahne describes being blown away by the band after seeing them live and taking a demo around to the big-wigs in his label, who treated it like toxic waste and finally, grudgingly, agreed to channel it through their "black music" outlets. Listening to Kahne describe the inner workings of the corporate music machine conjures the bad old days of Jim Crow segregation and "race radio" but also provides an important look into the narrow-minded thinking of a parasitic industry. Monetization always begins with crude categorization, and a band like Fishbone wasn't an easy fit, to say the least. Although Kahne's interviews comprise only a few minutes within the film, these scenes explain so much about how this amazing outfit fell through the cracks and disappeared prematurely from many people's radar.

3. Finally, something needs to be said about historical context and the connection between politics and culture. Fishbone took shape in Los Angeles in 1979. Most of the band's members (Angelo Moore being the exception) came from neighborhoods in and around South Central, but these guys were also bussed to the Valley for school under a court-ordered desegregation ruling. (Remember, this all takes place in the shadow of the Watts Riots.) In any case, the mix of inner-city kids and suburban kids, not only forged the original Fishbone lineup, it allowed for an incredible cross-pollination of styles and interests. Basically, it helped create the blend of funk/soul and punk that Fishbone pioneered and perfected and that others (e.g., RHCP) pursued in their own way. Minds melded as buses clunked up and down the L.A. freeways and (sub-) cultures which had been neatly divided--by concrete, money, and politics--began to run together in interesting and powerfully creative ways. The take away here is profound, but also easy to miss in a documentary which is about the music, first and foremost: what happens in the courts, what happens in the realm of politics, what happens in public life, ACTUALLY DOES inform the quality of our culture. Judges (can) do bold and interesting things from the bench, and energetic kids will kick down whatever other doors remain closed along the way.

Make some time for this movie (107 mins.) and get a dose of TRUTH and SOUL that will keep you going long into 2013. I guarantee we will feature more from Fishbone in upcoming editions of the Civil Disobedience Hour. Stay tuned.

Watch the trailer:


"Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone" (documentary trailer) from Tilapia Film on Vimeo.

Afrobeat v. Petro-state: Album of the Year

End-of-the-year lists abound. Seun Kuti and Egypt 80, From Africa with Fury: Rise has staked a claim at the top of mine.

Video for the single, "Rise," is absolutely gripping:

We must rise up I say
We must rise up I say
We must rise up against the petroleum companies
We dey use our oil to destroy our land oh ho
We must rise against the diamond companies
Wey dey use our brothers as slave for the stone
We must rise against our African rulers
Wey be black man for face, white man for yansh
We must rise against companies like Mosanto and Halliburton
Wey dey use their food to make my people hungry

we have never been modern

Christ. People, this is not a revolution:

"This is the uprising of the working class. We're redistributing the wealth," said Bryn Phillips, 28, a self-described anarchist, as young people emerged from the store with chocolate bars and ice cream cones.

Also... Indie Labels Hit Hard in London Riots:

Stay safe, Londoners. Illegitimi non carborundum.

CDH Archives (Seasons 1-3) on Spotify

Hello, friends and music aficionados.

I'm excited to let you know that you can now access the CDH show archives online and listen to playlists from Seasons 1-3 on demand via Spotify.

I'll be moving playlists over there in several batches. Currently, there are six published playlists available. These can be heard (with a free Spotify account) 24/7 ON DEMAND. Right now, the playlists include only Xan's material, but I hope to get Joe on board quickly.

World Beat, Afrobeat, Punk Rock, Hip-Hop, Mash-Ups...

It's all there! Download the Spotify player and click the banner below to start listening.

Pieces of Gil: Remnants of the Poet/Philosopher

The way you get to know yourself is by the expressions on other people’s faces.

It's been several days since the news of Gil Scott-Heron's death, but no word yet on the official cause. Not hard to imagine what took down the crack-addicted, HIV-positive blues-ologist, but perhaps it's not fair to speculate.

I've been trawling for items related to GSH for the last few days. Here are a couple of the stronger picks:

"New York is Killing Me" (2010) by Alec Wilson. A long piece which appeared last summer in The New Yorker. GSH reminisces here about how he got his start, what he thinks about his place in hip-hop, and the place of crack-cocaine in his life. Well written and stirring.

The Revolution Will Not Be Televised (2004). A one-hour documentary which appeared on BBC4. Lots of gaps in the story, but also meaningful interviews with collaborators like Brian Jackson, disciples like Chuck D, Sarah Jones, and Mos Def, and long segments with GSH himself. The video popped up on Youtube over the weekend in four segments of roughly 15 minutes each.

Part 1 of 4 below.



Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

R.I.P. Gil Scott-Heron (1949-2011)

No Matter How Far Wrong You've Gone...

...you can always turn around. Rest in peace, Gil Scott-Heron (1949-2011).

On the Road with Black Flag - Documentary (1986)

The sound and the fury. Candy-ass retro bands take note: the 1980s were not what you think. No embed permission, so go ahead and click the link. One hour, one minute, and fifty-one seconds of punk-as-fuck life and art.