JR and José Parlá - Wrinkles of the City project in Havana, Cuba
More of José Parlá posts can be found here.
Jose Parla
CO/MIX - SATURDAY 22ND OF SEPTEMBER 2012
CO/Mix Mural - done by MakOne
I was really amped when I heard that the Open Book Festival would include a little event dedicated to comic books.
I had never been to one of these ..only really seen the likes of it in TV shows refering to “COMIC CON” and read about them in the likes of the now defunct OTAKU magazine.
I really had to close my eyes when I entered the venue.Why?
You know a comic book store called Reader’s Den where we all have bought our comic books in Cape Town at some point?
….The one that used to be over in Long Street (now in Claremont , The Link)with the life size Catwoman mannequin?
Yeah well they were at the first table as you arrived.
The Reader’s Den temptations
I must say it nice to see that the legend , Nizar Abrahams , is still doing his thing and distributing comic books.
(Where was Outer Limits crew?)
Nizar Abrahams - Owner of Reader’s Den Comic Book Store
Meghan Daniels of Ilizwi Photo Club somehow materialized next to me after a random complement on footwear (hers not mine)
It was interesting to hear her take on this event as she shared Antjie Krog and other intellectuals’ recent comments #worldwritersconf .I only got wind of the twitter convo afterwards by the way.
We ventured into the topic (This again) about the death of books especially since the exhibitors were still mostly dealing in traditional media such as Comic books.
Mik Hoog/Aim High
Contributor: Jerome Rex / Mr Rex
Aim high! Funny how some things stick in your memory. This was the motto of Kuils River Primary, the school I attended as a young, impressionable lad.
Many years later these words again proved themselves to be true and relevant – even in the struggles of an indie performing artist in Cape Town!
A few months ago my buddy Linkris and I undertook a joint venture; he had just finished work on his brilliant Oscillation Compilation LP, and me and Cream were nearing completion on the Cream & Rex is Flow Motion album. Somewhere among many late-night GoogleTalk conversations the obvious course of action dawned on us. We would host a massive party together to launch both CDs.
By our estimation the venue could comfortably take about 200 people. The floor layout was such that 50 people could look like a decent turnout and 100 people would make it appear full. We decided that we wanted 300 people to show up.
The next few weeks were a blur; we had flyers designed, we printed promotional teaser CDs and gave them out at shows, we contacted local print publications and called in favours from friends to get articles placed about the event. In 4 weeks we made 10 promotional appearances at concerts, park jams, open mic nights and radio shows. We were everywhere!
The Big Day finally arrived and it started raining. The first real rain of the year. From the previous day, all through the night, and all day on the day of our launch party it poured with rain. It was cold, windy and very wet. For those of you who don’t interact with the Cape Town hip hop community much, this is not a good thing if you’re looking for a big turnout. Hip hoppers like to be warm and cosy and if it looks like rain outside, they’re staying home.
Eventually a little more than 80 people showed up. Linkris and I gave the performances of our lives. I sold 15 Flow Motion CDs and my entire stock of 7 t-shirts. Everyone who came had a great time. I made a bunch of new friends and now and then someone will still bring that night up in conversation. By our estimation it was a roaring success.
Back to the title of this post. Aim high. The reality is that things can and will go wrong with your event – the venue can let you down, another promoter could set up a competing event, an accident on the freeway can divert a bunch of your guests to another party that’s easier to get to. In the words of veteran promoter Rozzano Davids, stuff happens (he doesn’t use the word ‘stuff’ when he says that).
Our event was a success because we set an ambitious target and we were super motivated about achieving it. There is no doubt in my mind that we could have had double the turnout if the weather and a few other things had played in our favour. But they didn’t. And if we’d aimed for getting 50 people at our event and put in the equivalent of 50 people’s worth of work we might have gotten a crowd of 20 on the day.
So here’s the moral then – aim high, work hard, be bold, and do the damn thing!
About the author: Jerome Rex is a founding member of the hip hop groups Antioch Hip Hop Ministries and Flow Motion. Antioch is a recognised name on the festival and concert circuit. The duo Flow Motion has opened for international artists Sho Baraka and Suzy Rock, and their single, Kry Vir Jou, has spent 28 weeks on the Good Hope FM Hip Hop Top 30.
Find Flow Motion’s music here:
http://flowmotion2.bandcamp.com/
Jerome also blogs about the life and times of an independent artist at www.jerome-rex.blogspot.com.
More “cleaning up” of Woodstock, Cape Town was done today in Cornwall street in Woodstock. These residents missed the cutoff to vacate the homes they occupied and this resulted in the Sherriff of the Court having to forcibly have them removed.
All this comes in the wake of comments by new property owners in the area about some of the residents not being “cool” enough for certain buildings and spaces in the area. How far will inconsideration of peoples basic human needs go in the pursuit of material riches…
The Case for Open Mics
Contributor: Jerome Rex / Mr Rex
As I write this, I’ve just gotten word that the excellent Lyric District Open Mic night at Ragazzi Lounge has been cancelled until further notice. This news got me thinking about the open mic concept and the usual controversy that surrounds it in hip hop circles here in Cape Town.
People have differing opinions about this forum, but there are 2 main opposing arguments:
There’s the camp that feels open mics are exploitative, in that participants typically don’t get paid for their performances. Effectively, club owners are getting a full night’s entertainment for free.
The counter-argument is that lesser-known artists probably wouldn’t get booked for shows anyway, and being on stage gives them an opportunity to be seen that could ultimately lead to a paying gig.
For an impartial opinion I spoke with Metabolism Baslik of Writer’s Block. Metabs is a well-known name on the Cape Town hip hop scene – a veteran emcee who himself came through the ranks from doing open mics every weekend, to rocking major shows, to (until recently) hosting the previously mentioned Lyric District nights alongside well-known hip hoppers Mingus and Johnny Filter.
Says Metabolism: I don’t think open mics are exploitative. Cats who participate in Lyric District have a platform to perfect their stage performance. We also let the audience choose their favourite act every week, who are then put on the bill for a bigger event at the end of the month. At this monthly event we charge an entry fee, and the money is split between the artists. It’s all about building the art and uplifting performers.
Personally, I’m a big fan of the open mic concept. When fellow emcee Cream and I started our rap duo Flow Motion, we were an unknown quantity on the hip hop club circuit. No one had ever heard of us and there were certainly no promoters interested in booking us for performances. Events like Lyric District and the Best Of Ekapa hip hop nights offered us an opportunity to improve our live show, try out new material and also to start building buzz around our name – string together a few good performances and you’ll be surprised how quickly people start talking about you and recognising you at events.
For me the key to using this platform to your benefit is consistency. I’ve seen lots of artists do a song somewhere only to disappear, never to be heard from again. This is not how you use the open mic to your advantage. Get out regularly, rehearse your music ahead of time and be good. Learn from every outing and improve where you can. The aim should be to build momentum and try to use these performances as a springboard to bigger things.
Importantly, don’t be selfish or arrogant. If there’s a headline act on before you, make an effort to watch their set. Chat to your fellow artists and trade advice with them (dude, this place’s CD player always skips – try and bring your music on flashdrive next time). Get their contact details and send them a message now and then. Be genuine with your feedback!
What you’re doing is building a network, a small following and, potentially, securing a gig or 2 in the near future. Imagine the club owner/headline act/fellow open mic performer is organising an event 2 months from now. Someone on the bill cancels, and he needs a dope emcee to fill in on short notice. Who do you think he’s going to call: the anonymous rapper who walked in, dropped his verses and slipped out without saying a word, OR… the friendly guy who shook his hand, thanked him for the opportunity and sent a follow-up e-mail a few days later just to stay in touch?
Ultimately, the only way an open mic night could be seen as a one-way street in which only the organisers benefit, is when we the artists fail to use the opportunity to our advantage. Let’s give the promoters a break from the blame game and take some responsibility for our own music careers.
Update: since the writing of this article, Ragazzi has reopened and the open mic Tuesdays have resumed. Interested parties are encouraged to be at Ragazzi in Long Str, Cape Town CBD (diagonally opposite KFC) Tuesdays from 8pm.
Check Metabolism out on Facebook at www.facebook.com/metabolism.
About the author: Jerome Rex is a founding member of the hip hop groups Antioch Hip Hop Ministries and Flow Motion. Antioch is a recognised name on the festival and concert circuit. The duo Flow Motion has opened for international artists Sho Baraka and Suzy Rock, and their single, Kry Vir Jou, has spent 28 weeks on the Good Hope FM Hip Hop Top 30.
Find Flow Motion’s music here:
http://flowmotion2.bandcamp.com/
Jerome also blogs about the life and times of an independent artist at www.jerome-rex.blogspot.com.
@TjingTjingBar , @BACARDI, Atang Tshikare - 29th November - The Nar8iv Photoset
The Sneaker Installation
Fridge of crispy fresh sneaker goodness
Every good fridge needs good art
From the fridge as fresh, to the plate as Main Course - Customized sneakers
The Chef, Atang Tshikare cooking up some doodled side dishes
The Chefs Customized sneakers
Seated comfortably by www.flywheelbikes.co.za
http://www.flywheelbikes.co.za/
Babe You Might Know?
Rachel Bryant….
Sneaker courtesy of Shelflife
Nike Air Jordan - Wolf Grey provided by Anthony of 2BOP -
In honor of veterans day I am reposting this article I wrote for @NewAmericaMedia on Somli American poet and former marine, Shirwa Hersi (@PoetNation). The video above shows Hersi performing his poem ‘So What Do You Want Me To Say?’
‘Terrorism Is Not A Religion’ — Somali American Poet Speaks Out
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