The Bistro – Saturday 05/30/15 – Hayward, CA
28May
Here it is. This Saturday, I join the band JJ Jamz in Hayward to sing some covers, play around with some new ideas, and to perform some tunes from my latest album Aspectz Of Me. I don’t know what I’m going to do yet, and it’s game time, but I will have fun, and so will you.
The Bistro is a cool corner bar and food joint in the heart of Hayward, and it is a fun time. Come out if you’re in the area. I’m also welcoming anyone to the stage who wants to collaborate in the freedom of live music.
Come out and just enjoy the vibez.
https://www.facebook.com/events/1585892811693934/
Felton Spotlight: Atiim Boykin, Lead Therapist Back on Track and Transitions SF
22May
I have decided to share another aspect of myself, one that is very closely aligned with my values, and character as a man. I was highlighted in my agency’s (Felton Institute) newsletter this month, after being interviewed by Janice Edwards of Bay Area Vista (http://www.bayareavista.com/). I am honored.
She wrote:
Atiim is focused, dedicated and passionate about helping those in the Back on Track and Transitions San Francisco programs stay on the pathway to a life of success, even when it is sometimes a rocky road. A Bay Area native of African-American and Filipino descent, Atiim earned his master’s degree at the University of San Francisco, and he brought his impressive arsenal of talents to Felton institute in 2012.
The Back on Track Program (BOT) was created by Kamala Harris during her tenure as District Attorney of San Francisco. It is a prosecutor-led re-entry model focused on preventing recidivism among non-violent first time offenders. The program requires a minimum 12 month commitment that provides therapy, educational, career, parenting, health and community goal training with each participant creating a personal responsibility plan with their case-managers and a (POC) plan of care with their Felton therapist to help achieve his or her goals.
This collaborative venture of the San Francisco District Attorney’s office, Goodwill and Felton means that successful graduates of the year long program will not go to prison or jail nor be placed on probation or parole, and that their cases will be dismissed. The participants pay restitution to society by completing 220 hours of community service with agencies like Glide Memorial Church and other non-profits in and around San Francisco and Alameda Counties.
Atiim has a warm yet firm demeanor; he listens and speaks with a discerning and compassionate spirit. When someone is referred to the Back on Track program, there is a six week suitability period; Boykin’s skills play a key role in assessing appropriate candidates.
“I support a clientele of individuals who are conditioned by community violence, aka trauma, grief, and loss. These individuals are primarily people of color from low-income and high-crime neighborhoods, as they unfortunately go hand and hand. For most of my clients, Felton is their first contact with a mental health clinician.
So, we are charged with the responsibility of gathering important bio-psycho-social information from a clientele whose level of trust for ‘outsiders’ is very minimal. This is because of distrust for authority figures, due to a history of real and perceived personal and community injustice.”
Atiim’s work in the BOT program of Restorative Justice is in alignment with his personal mission to improve every aspect of the world he touches.
“The grace of the BOT program builds a bit of trust with a community that needs to feel included, respected, and human in the eyes of their government, both local and national. BOT is a healing agent, and I am glad to be a member of the Back On Track team.”
As full as his plate is with his responsibilities as Lead Therapist for Back on Track and Transitions SF programs, Atiim also leads a band (FatheR BrotheR Sun), and has also established a loyal following as a recording artist. To learn more about the personal side of this multi-talented, multi-faceted member of the Felton family, visit www.atiimchenzira.com.
Written by Janice Edwards, 5/2015
To learn more about the Felton Institute, visit: www.Felton.org
More about Back On Track from Kamala Harris:
1. http://www.latimes.com/opinion/opinion-la/la-oew-harris26-2009jun26-story.html
2. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kamala-d-harris/finding-the-path-back-on_b_350679.html
Oaktown Indie Mayhem (OIM) & Awaken Cafe Present: 5/23/15 EMF 2015 After Party
12May
Hello, folks!
My band, FatheR BrotheR Sun, will be headlining at Awaken Cafe on Saturday May 23rd, 2015, and will be joined by an Emeryville funk band, Color TV.
Doors at 8 / $7 in Adv – $10 at Door
VENUE: THE AWAKEN CAFE
- FatheR BrotheR Sun: http://FatheRBrotheRSun.com/tour
- Color TV (opening band): https://soundcloud.com/colortvfunk
- Facebook Event Page: https://www.facebook.com/events/862425287149649/
- Awaken Cafe Website: http://www.awakencafe.com
- Address: 1429 Broadway (@ 15th Street)Oakland, CA 94612
- Purchase Tickets: https://squareup.com/market/awaken-cafe/father-brother-sun-color-tv
Awaken Cafe is an official Eastlake Music Fesitval (EMF) After Party Location. The festival is FREE, but the After Party is not, so come out and support great music, local musicians, and your local business’.
Website: http://eastlakemusicfestival.org/
ODB & ATW – May 9th Show!
4May
Here we go again, folks! Oakland Drops Beats: Music Crawl is happening this Saturday!
May 9th, 2015 @ The Spice Monkey
The Spice Monkey is located at 1628 Webster, corner of 17th St at the border of Oakland’s Uptown and Downtown districts in an architecturally delightful former 1930’s art deco tile showroom.
CLICK THIS G-MAPS LINK
Oakland Drops Beats & A Thousand WordZ Present:
Doors @ 6pm:
Suggested Donation of $10 –
Sliding scale (no one turned away).
Art Exhibit
by Project Elefont Artist, Lorenzo Vasquez
Music Line-up:
- 6:00p – 7:30p DJ Hotwire
- 7:30p – 8:00p Blackulah (Spoken Word)
- 8:00p – 8:30p Soul from the O (Hip Hop)
- 9:00p – 10:00p Ali Hammad & FatheR BrotheR Sun (Soul, R&B, Hip Hop, Live Band)
- 10pm – 11pm DJ Hotwire
For More Information:
Jack Eastgate = Artist & Designer
3May
I met Jack Eastgate 5 years ago while booking artists and musicians for a Haiti relief show I organized in West Oakland at the Oakland Noodle Factory in 2010.
A good friend and colleague Amber McZeal reached out to me and asked if I needed any more artists, explaining that her friend Jack wished to be included in the show. Well, I didn’t really need anymore artists, because between both Project Elefont & Local 365, two Bay Area Artist Collectives, there were already well over 30 artists filling two levels of wall space. Also, I had recruited a few photographers and artists on my own, so I didn’t know how I could fit one more into the gig. Unless… I decided I could use a live artist to top things off and entertain guests above the second story where the bands would play. So, I asked Amber, “Does he do live artwork?”. She promised to find out, and have Jack give me a call. And so, Jack called me the following day explaining that he had done live artwork before and that he would show up with a large canvas and paint in the space I designated for him, above the live performance space on the second floor.
We were set! However, I didn’t know until a few years later that Jack had never done live artwork and that he was doing it for the first time!
Jack, nonetheless, took a chance and made a leap into being the center of attention for the entire evening, as people were in awe of his work.
(below is a photo of Jack’s finished work on 2/27/10)
Since 2010, Jack has continued to support my projects with his artistic consultation and design. He’s been instrumental in my branding for my 2014 album release, Aspectz Of Me (http://R3NP.bancamp.com), and with my newest band project FatheR BrotheR Sun‘s branding and logo design for our web-presence and promotions. Besides supporting my organization A Thousand WordZ, he’s been my ‘go to’ art designer for all of my marketing collateral needs.
Check out his portfolio, and newest website, which features some of the work he’s recently done for me:
http://www.jackeastgate.com/atiim
It’s been an absolute pleasure working with Jack. Since his marriage to the beautiful and equally talented Alise Rand Eastgate, the two have teamed up to both own and opperate EastRand Studios (http://EastRandStudios.com). Since our first meeting, I’ve purchased at least two of Jack’s original pieces, which I proudly hang in my office and in my home. I am consistently seeking ways to involve EastRand Studios in supporting my creative endeavors, besides stopping by to have Kava and an old fashioned home cooked meal (vegan island style) from time to time.
(The above photo of Jack painting is from the A Thousand WordZ May 1st, 2010 benefit for China, compliments of Ploom)
Here are a couple of links to the bios for Jack:
1. (2010 ATW): http://interviewz.blogspot.com/2010/02/artist-bio-jack-eastgate.html
2. (2014 ATW): http://interviewz.blogspot.com/2014/03/oakland-drops-beats-jack-alise-eastgate.html
My newest project, FRBRS aka FatheR BrotheR Sun.
1May
Related show
The mixes for our album ‘The Dawn’ are done. We have spent quite a bit of time recording at Skyline Studios in Oakland, CA., and then mixing at Whoville Studios in Berkeley, CA. with the legendary JasWho? Now, the mixes are off to the Master himself, Pierre Allard in San Mateo, CA. We can’t wait to share our polished versions of the music we’re allowing you to listen to early.
In the meantime, stop by our website and take a look around:
Upcoming Shows: Calendar
We are scheduled to play in Oakland on 5/23/2015 at Awaken Cafe, so come out and be ready to dance!
Soundcloud:
Oakland Neighborhood Project
6Jun
A Photo Project To Bring Out Oakland’s Voice
Steve Texeria is a photographer with Oakland roots, who has set off to bring a different kind of attention to Oakland, an attention only natives, and people who know her can. With his camera, he is inspired to share a thousand words with one image, and another.
I was one of his latest participants, and though I grew up in the Allendale district, in 1994 I moved away from the Bay Area for school, and for love, and Oakland has re-opened her arms to me after those two had ended. Since my return in 2003, the Golden Gate district has claimed me as her own. And, this is where Steve and I meet. I read and article in the SF Chronicle one Sunday morning, while having coffee, and decided to find him on Facebook. I wanted to be a part of his project, his documentation of my city, our city, and his vision, which I share; to give Oakland back her name, reputation, and smile.
It is all too often that I hear the negatives of what Oakland has to offer, even from those San Franciscans who have come to her because of cheaper housing, and access to more space, but she isn’t all bad. Nothing truly is all bad or good, but what is more commonly spoken of Oakland, or, at least, has lingered since the days of the War on Drugs, is what is remembered.
I, in no way, am saying that Oakland doesn’t have its horrors, traumas, blues, and unbelievable stories, she does, AND… And, Oakland has a great deal more too. Steve Texeria is on a journey to share the other side, the kindred heart of Oakland, not just to Oaklanders, but to the world. I am grateful to be a part of his journey.
Steve Texeria’s Oakland Neighborhood Project:
“The Oakland Neighborhood Project is designed to let the people in Oakland’s neighborhoods tell their stories in their own words. Over a period of 12-18 months, I will identify and photograph one person, family, or group in each of Oakland’s neighborhoods. Each photo session will take place in that person’s neighborhood and will feature that person or persons holding a sign with their message to the rest of the world written on it.”
<–Photo by Steve Texeira, 2014
Steve says, “I am actively recruiting for this project! So, if you are interested, if you want to represent your neighborhood, if you feel you have something to say that might improve people’s understanding of what and who Oakland truly is, let me know! But don’t wait, there are only so many neighborhoods to go around.”
For more information about Steve Texeria’s Oakland Neighborhood Project, go here: http://onep.squarespace.com/
Finally Here!
5Jun
Aspectz Of Me
Volume Atiim & Volume Bomani
Online Music Release TBA
2 volumes of music
11 tracks each
v. Atiim
v. Bomani
Artwork & Design:
The Grammy Award Winning Company, EastRand Studios.
A Photo-documentary of Oakland, by Stephen Texeira
16May
Hello, ladies and gentlemen.
I was chosen to participate in a photo-documentary of Oakland, by photographer, Stephen Texeira, who’s started a movement to document the REAL faces of Oakland. After reading an article this last Sunday (5/11/14), at my best friend’s house, while sipping coffee, she showed me an article from the San Francisco Chronicle and SFGate.com; a publishing from Sunday April 27th, 2014. I was intrigued by the article, written by Chip Johnson, which stated,”Texeira wants to capture Oakland’s good side, but not like in one of his modeling shoots. – He’s not looking for the prettiest, most alluring face he can find. Instead, he wants to capture the essence of Oakland neighborhoods in faces that tell the story of a city with vast and diverse immigrant population; a long, proud history of African American residents; and a city of triumph and tragedy…” (http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Stephen-Texeira-gets-Oakland-picture-perfect-5393789.php)
I thought to myself, “Well, I am from Oakland, and I care for the health of Oakland, and… I’m going to call him, and see if he is interested in interviewing me, an activist, organizer, entertainer, educator, and marriage and family therapist…” I thanked my best friend, found Stephen on Facebook, and emailed him my thoughts. Twenty minutes later, Stephen responded, and from there we set a date for a shoot. I am now one of the documented photo-stories of Oakland, and, because I now have lived and have worked in my studio in the Golden Gate District of Oakland for ten years, my story will too be told, as one of the “good” sides of Oakland’s history.
He isn’t done yet, as there are 150 different and unique neighborhoods in Oakland. I have also asked if I can help him find other stories to tell, as in, other individuals, families, and couples, and he agreed to utilize my support. His project is projected to take 12-18 months to complete, and after his story in the paper/website of SFGate.com, he is now becoming overwhelmed with responses.
He and I chit chatted about Oakland, took pictures, and shared our perspectives and history on and in Oakland, and I have to say, he is a very humble, intelligent, and personable gentleman. After reading many articles on Oakland, especially from the New York Times, about Oakland being the new Brooklyn, I think, instead of likening Oakland to other cities in preparation for more gentrification, or for trying to find ways to articulate what it actually is, Stephen is setting out on a journey that documents what Oakland was, is, and will be. One thing Stephen said, while we chatted, was, “Photography = Light Writing, so I am, essentially writing a story using light, about Oakland.”
Here is my Instagram photo of Chip Johnson & the San Francisco Chronicle’s April 27th, 2014 article: http://instagram.com/p/oCrKYAt8Ky/
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Ridah Ridah Ent. / R2E
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