Trinidad in the hills.

All ah dis come eeen like is a dream!

Summer soon reach.

We have gotten to a point in the Caribbean where the less clothes the better, well perhaps some like to be more covered but undoubtedly everyone is reaching for their lightest cottons right about now. I welcome this Summer with a Open Heart and great excitement because I am taking a few leaps of faith and I am trusting implicitly that I am being guided and all will continue to unfold just the way it will. For anyone reading this and who knows anything about my music =) I am finally creating an album.. albeit a short one…I really want to take a moment out to finally get my sound down onto some tracks that my band will be playing. My band consists of  a group of musicians who I have played with at some point of my career, to play in a band with me I have 6 requirements 1) An open Ear 2) Good encouraging communication skills 3) Discipline 4) A sense of humor 5) A good human “bean”…o.k. maybe I have only 5 =) I will soon be introducing them with some pics so you can put faces to instruments to names =) They are a lovely group of people and I Thank God that I found them and that they’ve stuck with me and my musical journey. I’ve had to let go of  a lot since I’ve last written a blog …and I’ve made room for some much more to come in..and it’s coming… how bout that =) walk my feet…

Manifesto Jamaica.

We can’t take any credit 4 our talents..only how we use them.

This Sunday needed some creative outpouring of energy and my blog came jumping into my mind saying….”me me please give me some time! “=) So here I am =) A few messages have come to me recently…I listen in the stillness less often than I should, but each time I do there are words waiting for me…. sometimes not words…. just feelings… visions …. but something always comes up, and they aren’t all rose colored and happy; although I do spend more time focusing on the ones that are. I’ve been traveling for a few weeks and greatly welcome this new perspective on many areas in my life (getting away from your everyday environment is an amazing way to clear your head. )I have proved to myself once again that reacting to a situation can also mean sitting in observation. From this pause I get many tear jerking, inspiring, joyful, painful, funny, confusing (and the list goes on) moments which manifest themselves…. and pass through me …and I am back to just peace… then passion creeps in…and I go again, not sure where the steps will take me sometimes I LiVe it standing in observance, dancing the night away, laughing my head off, crying crossed legged on the floor.. palms up, falling down, standing back up, being utterly confused, impossibly insecure, very fragile and as strong as an ox. And I am GrAteFul for it all….afterall this is LiFe!!!

Now for the music.. here are a few songs that jumped into my mind when i decided to blog so check them out ..give ears some LoVe….

 

This is my SuNday Morning Anthem, the instruments in this song make me wanna dance around and feel good…and the vocals… the lyrics… simple abundance.. Thank You Mr. Winston McAnuff for your incredible music  =)

 

I have always LoVed vocalists, songwriters from Sweden and low and behold here is another Swedish chick that I dig. This song has  interesting sounds and I LoVe Fallulah’s lyrics and harmonies…her delivery is pretty effortless, something I’m realizing more and more that I LoVe and want to work with more…”GiVe us a LittLe LoVe…=)”

 

And finally…if you’d like to hear a Bob Marley cover I did at my show “Floating”…I worked with a group of musicians who just make me wanna smile…amazing people…all a little touched in their own special way =) Thank you Wayne (Guitar) Kamla (Keyboards) Obed (Drums) Craig (Bass) Cecile (Vocals) and Jason (Guitar)…and ThANk U Redbones and ThaNk You all who came…and ofcourse Thanks Sir Bob =) RaT RaCE….

 

 

You are only as strong as your weakest link.

After  observation of some feelings that were coming up in my mind based on my experiences over the last few days I got this message: You are only responsible for how you act not every thought or feeling that comes into your brain…so let them come, don’t resist them…even if they are dark and shameful…sit with it, let it have a space so that it can then dissipate and leave room for more creative, forward thoughts. Not every feeling you have you need to expound on or share for they are just feelings and they come and go. I guess really your actions are the only thing that can be proper cause for your pleasure or shame…Don’t be focused on your weaknesses, as these too exist, focus on your strength and the strengths of others, and on the future. And for this reminder to myself that I share, I hope it brings Peace just as it brought me.

Octobersveryown blog is a blog that Drake and his people do, it’s a perfect example of how coming together with like minded people to make progress and inspire and share that inspiration works.  Featured this week on the blog was the Jamican film Better Mus Come. Watch this space –>

http://octobersveryown.blogspot.com/

Also saw this artist on the blog. His name is Kendrick Lamar. Love this music production, love his lyrical content …love his message. ——>

*warning there are quite a few f*uck, b*tch and other types of colorful language usage in this song…if this will upset you please don’t listen =)*

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~LOVE AND LIGHT~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Not all that glitters is gold.

Been Busy. Making it all happen and trying to understand what’s actually happening all at the same time! =) Tonight I do an acoustic set with Wayne @ Wickie Wackie. I’m excited . =) Hope you are all well and being grateful for it all.  Here’s some things I wanted to share:

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Saw this a few weeks ago and last night a friend of mine reminded me of this lady Lissie. She has a wicked voice, stage presence and the band is on point. “everything that shines ain’t always gonna be gold.” This is a King Kudi original and my next post is a song off his new album. Thank you Nile for always bringing  good music into my life.

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Kid Cudi I love you. I’ve been listening to his new album “Man on the Moon 2” and I really love it. Who woulda thought Cudi fancied himself such a rock n roller! =)

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I feel in love with this song about 2 years ago. The thing with songs you fall for is even if you don’t hear them for a while, when u do… it’s love all over  again! =) You should check out Lykke Li. She has a lovely sound and an interesting way of presenting it.

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Island Girl.

Today started off as a 5…dipped to a 3 and has made a major turn around to a 10. Niceness. I am no longer a sucker for roller coaster emotions and frankly if it was up to me and not my hormones; I wouldn’t play into one bad day. Ha! Thank goodness for  friends and avatars and blogs and cookies and tea…oh and Photo Booth on my Mac. I hope if you are reading this and having a moment of being on the platform aka. mini meltdown moment ..that you soon board the happy train again..ask and you shall receive.. open wide and let the good energy flow in your direction. Here’s the youtube loving from my heart to yours ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++>

This one is simply called the Hot Gyal Antem….Tell dem Tami Chynn #island girl

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Really loving this Rihanna song I found on @Boomshots Blog   #island girl  *u have to cut and paste this in ur web browser  =)*

http://bit.ly/d2SeYt

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And last but not least me doing my thing a few Fridays ago in Kingston. This was such an enjoyable night for me ..and I am so Grateful =) #islandgirl

Flashlights, Nightmares and sudden explosions.

Things have been so busy, so grateful for it all. And right now I’m being really grateful for the Live Music being played every weekend and all the energy that I get from sitting and watching a really wonderful performance…I will also be performing on Friday 5th November @ Red Bones @ 9 ish ++++> I’m opening for Crimson Heart Replica and Jovi Rockwell ++++++> =D Come! Come! Come! xxx

I love this girl’s voice…I’ve posted stuff from her before…I find her fascinating..I find this video pretty clever as well …..

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A twitterific tweeter Rosina posted this on her twitter a few weeks ago and it made me smile…actually laugh out loud…. from beginning to end…. I’ve been described as child like… different to childish….=) I just love Marcel the shell…”im afraid to drink soda cuz im afraid the bubbles will make me float to the ceiling” Marcel the shell….Check this piece of cuteness out..

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My Ifficial new crush is Dubstep and this song kinda explains why…it just makes me feel something and feel something and feel something:

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And Lastly….I’ve been meaning to post this live recording forever…the band is BlackDub and this singer Trixie Whitely I think she has a really beautiful and powerful voice…Daniel Lanois is the mind behind this bands music and if you don’t know his stuff it’s worth a google.

LoVe I send from my heart to yours….x

What we think, we live.

It’s been a bit since I’ve Blogged =) I hope this little post meets you well….if under the weather, mending, if tired, resting…if empty, close to filling up. I’ve been going non stop for a while now and although weary, I’m super Grateful. Feels good to know that I am participating in my life to such an extent . I’m tired but inspired at the end of the day. I bought a new plant this week, I wanted to buy something that produced flowers, so I got a Desert Rose …it’s a beauty! Buy a plant, it is bound to make your home happier! =) Thanks for all those who’ve come to my sidewalk shows recently at Jojo’s and Susie’s… ‘preciate it! =) Enough of me…here’s a BiG thanks to all the artists, writers & people who inspire me! Here we gooo…….

This Movie has been the seed that Storm Saulter has been watering for 3 1/2 years now. I met Storm a few months before he started writing the script. This movie is a perfect example of one manifesting their dreams into realities. I heard him on a talk show this week and he spoke about us being encouraged to be  consumers, good citizens but never really encouraged to manifest  our thoughts into reality. A saying I remember from my early teens was my Aunt Joysie telling me, “just when you think you should give up on a dream is exactly when the dream needs you to push on forward” Not everything will come out exactly the way we plan it in our heads. But, be careful what you do think about, as it bears a striking resemblance. This movie will be showing in cinemas on October 13th!

I always believed the urban legend that this speech was once a commencement speech written for a  Graduating class. But on posting this blog I used the trusty service of Wikipedia and discovered this: “Mary Shmich’s “Advice, like youth, probably just wasted on the young” was published in the Chicago Tribune as a column on June 1, 1997. In her introduction to the column, she described it as the commencement speech she would give if she were asked to give one. The column soon became the subject of an urban legend, in which it was alleged to be an MIT commencement speech given by author Kurt Vonnegut in that same year (in truth, MIT’s commencement speaker that year was Kofi Annan). Despite a follow-up article by Schmich on August 3, 1997, in which she referred to the “lawless swamp of cyberspace” that had made her and Kurt Vonnegut “one”, by 1999 the falsely attributed story was widespread.” …Well, thanks Mary for writing this awesome speech that you never made and giving permission to Baz Luhrmann to recording it as a speech to music!! On those mornings I feel like I’ve lost the plot …I listen to these beautiful words!! If you havent already you should DeFiNitElY check out the DESIDERATA for more inspiring words!!!

My LoVe for musicals is HUGE!!!!! I have seen quite a few and look forward to seeing a good dozen more… you should check out a musical at least once in your life time! I bet you you’d enjoy it , well maybe you would! =) This is one of my favorite songs from Les Miserable….an awesome lil musical!!! The video clip isn’t exactly how you’d see it… a musical is a play told through music… this clip is just the characters singing into the mic, so you miss out on seeing the set design etc. Nonetheless.. here is “Castle on  a cloud” one of my favorite from this musical!!!

youtube.com/watch?v=ndaZVSWMFwY

Crazy LoVeLy Good Goodness!!!

So this week has been super duper…I performed twice..Cheetah got out of the house once and I was able to get this Blog done before the official new “work week” begins! =) I am so grateful to have the opportunity to explore and express myself through music…Live Music is AlivE and we are GrAtEfUl!! Thanks to all who came out to support NoMaddz- The Trod!! =) This week I have had the pleasure of meeting and spending time with some lovely people… and without naming them all (too be honest some of them are strangers) I would like to thank each and every person who has been a part of my trod =) since my  last blog =) I read a daily meditation book everyday and today the quote in my “Simple Abundance” lil book was this ==========>

“Love is the spirit that motivates the artist’s journey. The  love may be sublime, raw, obsessive, passionate, awful, or thrilling, but whatever its quality, it’s a powerful motive in the artist’s life” – Eric Maisel

aint this the truth….=)

St. Francis of Assisi said “The woman who works with her hands is only a laborer. The woman who works with her hands and her head is a craftswoman. The woman who works with her hands , her head and her heart is an artist.” So, with that in mind… we are all creators of whatever we choose to create. (sorry to be so gender specific here gents….but same can be said for the menfolk)

This week some of my inspiration goes something like this =========>

This is a video that I saw years ago. I do find Bjork very authentic and love her etherial sound. The lyrics of this song get me EVERY TIME!!! A fellow blogger/ crazy photographer  reminded me of Bjork today and this video woke up in my memory!

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This artist is Ayo. She is a Nigerian-German singer-songwriter. She is really a wonderful spirit and brings much light to my world through her music…This song also has the kinda lyrics that every time I listen to it… I listen well! Thanks Sir Protoje for re-introducing me to Ayo’s music!

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And last but not least a little clip of an interview I did for a J Ink clothing. The art work you see hanging behind me is by an artist named Leesho, he is a Jamaican artist doing his thing..and he does it very well. Just FYI Cheetah is also Jamaica made =)

WALK GOOD.