new album DEADICATION available now!
DEADICATION PRE-ORDER MAILING LIST + NEW SONG "SUPERNOVA"
My new full-length album "DEADICATION"
is about to undergo the mastering process and be prepared for pressing.
13 brand new tracks I spilled my undead heart into.
Since my last record "Good Villain"
I have grown as a writer, performer and recording artist immensely.
Now is your chance to receive some awesome stuff
and really get behind as the supporting force to make this album a reality.
To the right and at the bottom of this post you will find a newsletter sign up form. Please fill it in to be added to my new mailing list and be the first to know about DEADICATION pre-orders which will start in the next few weeks. If you are on the mailing list you will be the first to receive an exclusive digital sampler with the lead singles from DEADICATION before anyone else hears them. You will also be the first to receive the DEADICATION short stories as I release them as well as other exclusive content that will only be available to my mailing list.
Criticizing my Criticism
Recently upon returning home from my tour with Awol One, Factor, Ceschi and Cars & Trains of Fake Four Inc, I happened to stumble across a couple of show reviews that broke down my set. I've decided to share them with you because they are completely contrasting points of view and I find it entertaining to see the differences in what people observe when watching the same set.
I'm not against negative criticism, in fact I find it inspiring. It always boggles my mind how a negative comment can effect you so much more than a positive comment, not that positive comments aren't nice, but the comments that stick out and really rattle people are always the negatives (which is really the only reason there are critics to begin with). I can get off of stage, sell a bunch of merchandise get a ton of "you are awesome!" 's high fives and all, but one person says you suck and it has suddenly cracked your ego and left it to bleed out in a sulky "what the fuck is wrong with me?!" manner.
But this is what makes an artist an artist...sensitivity to criticism.
THE BAD
Now the first review I will share with you is the negative one brought to you by MyBackPackIsBiggerThanYours.blogspot.com (already sounds pretentious) which covers my show in San Francisco, CA.
"Abadawn was the opener, with DJ Zone backing him up behind the boards. I hadn't heard any of Abadawn's music previously, but had heard from a friend that he put on a good show and knew of him through his Camobear Records affiliation. Well, I'm not sure if this was just an off-night for Abadawn, but to put it bluntly: I thought he sucked! It seemed like he was trying way too hard to impress the crowd with his rapping and stage antics, and didn't have the skills or originality necessary to make anyone care. To make matters worse, he seemed very indecisive about what tracks he wanted to play, and frequently performed only a minute of a song before deciding to switch into another one. It seems like Abadawn's crazy frat-boy personality is what draws people to his music, but yelling into a microphone and kicking your shoes off on stage shouldn't be the summation of your performance. Bad set."
I actually love this review, it's probably the worst/best review I've gotten. First off, to say "I thought he sucked" is just bad diction for any journalist, be more creative! The next best part is to say I was trying "too hard to impress the crowd with...rapping and stage antics" No shit, that's what rappers do, try to impress people with their rapping. It is also hillarious that he says I "didn't have the skills or originality to make anyone care", when in reality it was the very beginning of the night, I was first up and there was a total of probably 10-12 people in the crowd at the time, also the fact that anyone who has seen my set knows that people tend to want to just watch, it's not exactly music to dance to, maybe mosh to when it's the right crowd.Now for my favorite part!! "crazy frat-boy personality"...okay, anyone that knows me knows I am far from a "crazy frat-boy" nor do I convey that on-stage in person or at any other time. I just have a feeling dude really didn't "get" my set, and that's okay. I accept that not everybody gets it, what bothers me is that he is an underground hip hop head and out of anybody I would expect him to get it, but whatever. Good luck to you sir, perhaps I should send you a free CD for such a great write up. Maybe you should try making a living as a touring artist and have the guts to spill your face off every night for strangers some of which could give a fuck less what you are actually saying. It's not the easiest gig, but I'm not quitting anytime soon.THE GOODAnd now, for my own bragging rights let's take a look at a positive review from my Seattle, WA show on the same tour courtesy of ThisIsChris.comanother excellent act that we got to see was Abadawn, a rapper with an extremely young countenance (he looked like he was 15) and a fascinating style. He had two vocalizations: a hip-hop voice that had inflections and flow that reminded me somewhat of Eminem, and a full-on death-metal screech/growl voice. He switched freely between them. Also, his songs were short, which I really appreciated (a couple were only like 45 seconds long, I swear). They were like a little nugget burst of energy, like a hip-hop haiku of rage.I find the contrasts between these two hillarious, unlike MyBackPackIsBigger; ThisIsChris appreciates the fact that I perform short songs and am not actually indecisive about what to play but like to take a punk approach to performing and only give the crowd small doses of my music. Also, ThisIsChris recognized my high energy and rage, which MyBackPackIsBigger for some reason found as trying too hard. As they say, ya win some ya lose some.In fact I will take into account everything the negative and positive blog said and keep doing what I do, nobody can stop that.I guess the real reason I wanted to write this blog was to tell all of you to see the movie "Heckler". A brilliant documentary on hecklers and criticism in the entertainment industry. Anytime I'm faced with a heckler or a negative critic I always think back to various scenes in this movie that remind me I'm on the right path. Thanks to both Blog writers for even caring enough to mention me.
I'd like to share with everyone the new Pharoahe Monch video "Clap" this is the extended version that plays out as a short film that reminded me strongly of the police raid May of last year where a 7 year old girl was shot and killed while filming the A&E police reality show "The First 48". This video moved me intensely and resulted in a reflection of the current state of music.
In a world where Dr. Dre's new video of Eminem rapping him back to life has over 17 million views, Kanye West trying to cause seizures and dancing on a cop car has over 17 million views, and Tyler The Creator of Odd Future eating a cockroach and hanging himself has over 3 million views, I ask how can a video like this go unnoticed and unrepresented by major networks such as MTV and BET? Answer = money. The entire music industry is indeed on "that Donald Trump" shit like the homie Sole speaks on in his new video that can be seen HERE.
In this video we have Pharoahe speaking on a very real subject and providing us with the complete visual to see how real this situation is. So go ahead and blog about the Odd Future kids jumping off of speakers and roofs at SXSW into a sudden cult-following that resembles a juggalo audience without the face paint, but there's real shit going on in the world. Japan is in crisis, the US Westcoast faces a fatal earthquake, we are now at war with Libya, and that's only the tip of the iceberg in world events.
Watch the video, fuck the police. Swag.
I made this song a year ago, I guess I really am ahead of my time.
written and performed by ABADAWN (BMI)
produced and mixed by Elwood for Portland Underground Recordings (Portland, OR)
it's a dollar through bandcamp or if you'd like to get it for free it's also on tweet for a track - http://trkurl.com/4b0E5r
ANNOUNCEMENT:
I am honored to have been called in as a last minute addition to Fake Four Inc's The Landmark Tour
featuring AWOL ONE & FACTOR, CESCHI, CARS & TRAINS + special guests along the way.
scroll down past the flyer or visit my TOUR page for the full schedule.
February 17, 2011
Chop Suey | Seattle, WA
February 19, 2011
Backspace | Portland, OR
February 20, 2011
Visual Arts Collective | Boise, ID
February 21, 2011
Se7ens West | Reno, NV
February 22, 2011
Elbo Room | San Francisco, CA
February 24, 2011
Echoplex (Fake Four Fest) | Los Angeles, CA
February 26, 2011
Soda Bar | San Diego, CA
February 27, 2011
Daddy Mac's | Las Vegas, NV
February 28, 2011
910 Live | Tempe, AZ
Wow, it's been a busy new year already. Tons of new updates and exciting things coming up. I just updated the clothing page with three new shirts! Including a classy pink one for the ladies! Check out the "clothing" tab above for the other colors and to order yours today!
STEAL GAS BUY MUSIC - PINK
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