Why I vote

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This was originally going to be one of those bullet-point lists like “five reasons why voting matters” or whatever, particularly geared toward those of us at the more radical end of the progressive spectrum. Because there’s definitely a lot to talk about. My own views continue to evolve and become more nuanced as I get older, talk to more people, and expand my perspective. What I’ve landed on is this: Continue Reading

Bar Louie, dress codes, aversive racism, and searching for the forest amidst all these damn trees

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Some people will look at a Van Gogh and just see a bunch of stupid dots. And no matter how passionately or rationally you argue about the importance of stepping back to see the larger image that all those dots create, they will insist on pressing their faces as close to the painting as possible, inspecting each dot, one by one, convinced that all those stupid little dots aren’t really “art.” Continue Reading

Even more new Twin Cities music: Chantz Erolin, deM atlaS, Bomba de Luz

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I’ve been challenging myself to write more about the local music I’ve been listening to, mostly because I want to model how we can serve as our own media. I’d love to see a world where artists are always talking about one another’s work, thinking critically about it, signal-boosting each other, etc. Last time, I talked about K.Raydio & Psymun, Manny Phesto, Medium Zach, and The Lioness. A few more here. I don’t want to just write about people I know or work with, but this batch happens to be that: Continue Reading

New local music: Manny Phesto, K.Raydio & Psymun, Medium Zach, The Lioness and more

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I won’t belabor this point, but a quick intro: As much as we need to be able to navigate established media structures, I think we should also be recognizing our own power as media. Tweets, Facebook posts, blog posts, etc.; these are all forms of media, capable of spreading the word about work we value and enjoy. And as a musician, I think reviews or pull-quotes from other musicians I respect are just as valuable as quotes from music writers, if not moreso. So in that spirit, I want to highlight a few recent local releases: Continue Reading

A few “next steps” regarding local hip hop and media

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Last night’s “State of Hip Hop” preview panel sponsored by the Current was a lot of fun. Hip hop panels are always messy, especially when it’s a packed house (as it was last night), but while there are bound to be tangents and nonsense, I think some really good stuff was said. Thanks to Andrea Swensson, Kevin Beacham, the Lioness, Desdamona, Toki Wright and Slug, who were all on the panel with me, as well as everyone who spoke from the audience (including a number of bonafide legends, plus up-and-comers, plus youth, plus more) and continued the conversation after. Continue Reading