Goapele Show is a Night of Hits and Many Misses

(In photo: Songstress Goapele performs at Liv Nightclub in Washington DC where a packed house enjoyed her classics and tunes from her upcoming CD "Milk & Honey". Photo by Khadijah Ali-Coleman.)

The line was long. The line was wayyyy long. On Dec. 27-- a Sunday, no doubt-- at about 6pm, folks with advanced tickets to Goapele's 7pm performance stood in line at Liv Nightclub on top of Bohemian Caverns to get in early to grab seats to watch the songstress perform her classics "Butterfly Kisses" and "Closer" with new tunes from her upcoming release "Milk and Honey".

Unfortunately, in this case of waiting in line early, the early bird DID NOT get the worm.

Those of us in line early, arriving at 6:30pm or earlier for the show waited for at least 45 minutes in the bitter cold as the Liv Nightclub staff kept us outside for what they said first was "technical difficulties" then, when one of our group went to inquire 20 minutes later, we were told they were moving tables and chairs. When we saw Goapele actually leave the building at about 6:55pm and jump in a red truck, we weren't feeling too encouraged that the show was going to take place. "She's just going to get something to eat," said one of her entourage members as the door closed, but, of course, we were not thrilled to hear this. It was cold.

(In photo: Goapele's opening act, DC native VRich. Photo by Khadijah Ali-Coleman)

After waiting in line for a good hour or so and enduring the neighborhood line heckler who had imaginary conversations with folks in line and loudly proclaimed victory over football teams while shouting praise to his religious deity while the infamous DC rats scurried to and fro, we were let in-- we being those with tickets purchased online. Those who had endured the cold in line with us and had expected to buy tickets were told they would not be let in any earlier than 8:30pm and only if space was allowed.

(In photo: Goapele warmed her audience up with some of her favorites, including a cover of Diana Ross' "Love Hangover" Photo by Khadijah Ali-Coleman)

So those of us with our tickets thawing in our hands walked upstairs to find that when they said earlier that they had moved the chairs and tables, they weren't kidding. They had moved them completely out of the room. There was only standing room. (There were three couches in a roped off area). So, those of us who had waited in line for over an hour to merely get inside had to then stand for the entire show which, at this point, was going to probably extend past 11pm and not start until 8pm. When going to the bar to get warm on liquor, to make matters worse, we were dismayed to find that there were limited selections of alcohol, with some choices just absent-- including Remy and Hennessey--which continued the tone of the evening.

The room quickly filled with folks and before long, we were standing shoulder to shoulder in the small area that contained the small stage, the bar and a roped off area for VIPs who were allowed to sit on a choice of two or three couches. We weren't VIPs on this night, so we continued to stand.

The energy slowly begin to thaw and circulate some positivity when the DJ began to play some music in the interim. He was fantastic. The growing crowd grooved to old school hip-hop and some classic R & B before Goapele's opening act VRich came on stage to perform, with local superstar Alison Carney on backing vocals.

(In photo: Liberated Muse member Hook of MYST studios and Liberated Muse co-founder Maceo Thomas. Photo by Khadijah Ali-Coleman)

The evening did get gradually better with the line-waiting fading into distant memory as VRich entertained, showcasing exceptional piano skills and Goapele finally emerging and coming onstage, garbed in a black dress and green stillettos.

"I love your shoes," yelled a gaggle of young women on the side of the stage and Goapele smiled as she warmly greeted her fans.

Her performance began in good humor despite terrible sound which buried her soft vocals underneath the pitchy strike of each note the keyboardist hit. The keyboards were up so high that there had to be dogs down the street that could communicate with each note played. This is not a diss on the keyboardist's skills-- on the contrary. Goapele's entire band of musicians were extremely gifted with her lead guitarist and drummer insanely dope. However, the sound settings were so erratic, and you heard so little of Goapele's voice, that the musical prowess of her musicians could not disrupt the growing frustration over not being able to hear the lyrics long enough to begin singing along with them. The spontaneous screech of the feedback in the speakers that pierced the eardrums of those of us standing closer to the front did not make well the night either.

All in all, some of us left early when photographers and others began to push their bodies forward to get to the front in the crowd that now had spilled out into the hallway and was now becoming a bit claustrophobic. As we left, we couldn't help but be a little disappointed that we forgot to purchase VRich's CD on our way out-- it was on sale that evening for only $5! As we paused on the steps, considering to get the CD now or order later online, the thought of wading through the crowed room flashed in our heads and we decided that heading home at that moment was in our best interest. At last check, we had been standing for over two hours straight and never in our lives had we longed for a chair so bad.

Congrats to Grammy Nominee Christylez & Seeking Partners for the 2010 Capital Hip Hop Soul Fest

Southeast DC native Christon "Christylez" Bacon is a progressive hip-hop artist who is a modern-day Bobby McFerrin with his mission towards cultural acceptance and unification through music and multiple musical abilities ranging from rapping, singing, beat-boxing, to playing numerous instruments, including the ukelele. His recent collaboration with Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer on a children's CD garnered him, Fink and Marxer a GRAMMY nomination, announced last night.

Christylez has had a phenomenal 2009, performing nationally and becoming the first hip-hop artist to be featured at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. Christylez was one of the first featured acts in the debut of the Capital Hip Hop Soul Fest in Washington DC in 2008.

Christylez is already poised to launch a new project in the early months of 2010. In partnership with stage director, Patrick Crowley, Christylez will produce an interdisciplinary concert which will use drama and dance to complement Christylez' musical work. During this production, the Christylez Bacon Orchestra and all new content will also be introduced. The production will result in a concert entitled; Christylez Bacon Theatricalized that will premier at Atlas Theater’s Intersections Festival late February of 2010 and will be comprised of two shows. The production will run until early March of 2010.

Visit Chrisylez' website at www.christylez.com for more information on his work.

Liberated Muse Productions Seeks Partners for 2010 Capital Hip Hop Soul Fest

Are you an arts organization or business in the Washington DC metro area seeking an opportunity to be part of one of the largest events that takes place east of the river in Washington DC? If so, we would love for you to become a partner of the 2010 Capital Hip Hop Soul Fest. For more information, please email us CapitalHipHopSoulFest@gmail.com expressing your interest and to receive an invite to our upcoming Partners Meeting to take place in January 2010. Visit www.CapitalHipHopSoulFest.com for more information on the festival.

H Street Main Street: From Vision to Reality

H Street Main Street From Vision to Reality Public History Project

H Street Northeast is one of the fastest developing commercialcorridors in the District of Columbia. An affiliate of the NationalTrust for Historic Preservation and a certified member of the NationalMain Street Program. We are built around the power of organizationsand volunteers working together.

A shopping hot spot for many of America’s working class for yearsbefore and after the 1968 riots. H Street Main Street seeks toacknowledge the legacy and heritage of a community undergoing urbanrenewal and capture the stories behind the cultural and historicalassets of the one-and-a-half mile commercial corridor, giving thestreet many of it’s unique character and traditions from the 1900’sand beyond.

Input from individuals in the communityis being sought to develop a time line and tapestry of influential people, places, businesses andevents in and around H Street Northeast. They are also in need ofvolunteers- writers, researchers, interviewers, photographers, and you!

Come out on Saturday, November 7 from 11:00 AM -12:30 PM at the MartinLuther King Jr. Library, 901 G Street NW, (Gallery Place Metro) RoomA-5 for an informational session about the project and how you can getinvolved.

For additional information about sponsorship and other details, please
contact T. Isler, Project Director at (202) 250-0466 orharvestpotluck@gmail.com.

This project is sponsored in part by H Street Main Street, the DC Humanities Council and the Capitol Hill Community Foundation.

Fly Gypsy Representing DC & Beyond

Gums are a-flapping about the hot new hip-hop duo of Kowboy Kom (aka Komplex) and Alexai Tendayi. Music critics are praising the Washington DC-based duo for their ability to attract commercial appeal without compromising musical quality or message. http://www.liberatedmuse.com/ first introduced members to the hip-hop duo Fly Gypsy last year when the duo released the single "The Ruler". The eclectic video, featuring DC's Kuku was an instant fave on the network and pretty soon, Fly Gypsy eclipsed local awareness, gathering a national and beyond following.

Kowboy Kom, the group’s vocalist, moved from Montego Bay, Jamaica to Brooklyn, New York with his family when he was still a child. Growing up in New York during the golden era of Hip-Hop, Kom was inspired by hip-hop artists of West Indian descent coming up in Brooklyn, such as Wyclef Jean, Busta Rhymes, and Notorious B.I.G. When he was in the seventh grade, Kom began to write poetry and rhyme. By his early twenties, Kom rose to become one of the nation’s best recognized spoken word artists and emcees, praised for his clever storytelling, signature style, and natural swagger. He has headlined numerous college tours, appeared on BET J, and opened for artists such as Jill Scott, Dwele, and Doug E. Fresh.

Kom stands apart from other emcees in his preference for performing with a live band, rather than just a DJ. A true musician, who himself plays guitar and dabbles in piano, Kom has an intimate understanding of music and infuses his flow with musicality seldom seen in modern hip-hop.

Alexei, the duo’s producer and its one-man band, grew up on stage, dancing and performing music. Born and raised in Russia during the tumultuous years of the Soviet Union’s collapse, Alexei began playing piano and dancing when he was only six. When he was eight, his parents bought the family’s first double-deck boombox and within a few weeks, Alexei was selling mixtapes in his elementary school.

In his teens, Alexei came to the United States as an exchange student and later returned to attend college. He became known in the DC area with his affiliation with folk soul singer Kuku, collaborating on Kuku's projects and performing in various venues with him, including in Kennedy Center appearances born from an initial meeting at the famous Bar Nun open mic.

Kom and Alexei first met in a freestyle cipher at Bar Nun, as well, the legendary D.C. open mic spot where Raheem DeVaughn cut his teeth. Alexei was playing guitar, and Kom stopped by and dropped some verses. The two exchanged verses and guitar riffs much to the delight of the crowd that gathered around them. They then went on to focus on their individual projects until two years later, when Alexei invited Kom to feature on a hip-hop record that Alexei was working on. Fly Gypsy was born soon after. In a few short months, Kom and Alexei created an impressive collection of music, grown its worldwide fan base and attracted significant interest from the industry. Check out their spot HERE and catch their latest interview on WHUR 96.3 HERE

Liberated Muse Brings Another Celebration of Freedom

This Friday, September 11 @ 7pm, Liberated Muse Productions brings another Celebration of Freedom to the Potter's House in Adams Morgan in Washington DC. The live music extravaganza will feature artists Colie Williams, Ozara Ode, Craig Von, Quineice Clarkson and Gary Young and spoken word artistry from Jade Andwele and Margaux Delotte-Bennett of the Saartjie Project. Andwele and Delotte-Bennett are featured writers in the book Liberated Muse Volume I: How I Freed My Soul, the first volume in the Liberated Muse anthology series.

This performance event is part of the book tour for Liberated Muse Volume I: How I Freed my Soul. Tour stops have included this past summer's Artomatic, the Capital Hip Hop Soul Fest and a previous appearance at the Potter's House during the Friday Sound of Hope benefit concert series produced by Mary Shapiro in June. Proceeds from the June showcase went to students from DC's east of the river area who were beginning college this Fall as part of the DC College Success Foundation program. Proceeds helped the students pay for entrance fees, including housing deposits.

This Friday, Sept. 11, a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Saartjie Project's outreach work with young people. The Saartjie Project is an artist collaborative that performs work inspired by the life of Saartjie Baartman, the woman known as the Hottentot Venus.

New Photos From OFFICIAL CHHSF Photographer & Fun Coverage From the Event

So, the 2009 Capital Hip Hop Soul Fest is now history, taking place on Saturday, July 25 in Marvin Gaye Park in Washington DC...can we say SUCCESS!? The second annual event boasted high attendance, two stages, freebies and vendors galore on one of the hottest days of the summer despite construction debris and untidy renovation taking place in the park.

Here are what some folks are saying in the press*...

"There was a fair amount going on here – good rotation of musicians on the main stage, vendors hawking their wares, a fashion show, indoor performance space, delicious crabcakes, sunshine, cool breezes, and at one point, people randomly walking around and giving out Blue Bunny frozen yogurt bars (side note: try this stuff, particularly white chocolate raspberry). Pretty fantastic. Tough to beat free fro-yo, greasy carnival food, and live hiphop on a warm July afternoon." -Chris Svetlik, BrightYoungThings.com

"...a great festival last Saturday called Capitol Hip Hop Soul Festival at Marvin Gaye park in Northeast and had a blast, lots of local hip hop and soul artists who really poured their hearts out with their music.” -photographer Néstor Sánchez Cordero, quoted on blog Prince of Petworth

"Many view this festival as a testament to dedication in establishing a strong hip-hop scene."- Ra-Jah Kelly, The Washington Informer

We would like publicly thank the following members of Liberated Muse.com who had a role in the success of the event:

Turtel Onli, GeminiVisions, Sankofa Doll Artistry, Shan'ta Monroe, Choke, Vernessa Blackwell, Mary Gaskins, MYST Studios, all of the performing artists featured, Kevin Sabio, Mary-Frances of Capital Community News, Ron Johnson, and anyone else we may not have mentioned who spread the word, attended, vended, sent well-wishes or referred someone our way who was able to help out. The Liberated Muse network has demonstrated its community and committment to promoting the arts and we are so happy to be in community with you!

Visit our site www.LiberatedMuse.com or our Facebook fan page at http://www.new.facebook.com/inbox/?ref=mb#/pages/Liberated-Muse/21953095543 to view new photos from the event. There are over 500 photos from this great day!!!! If you are on Facebook, make sure you tag yourself in the photos of yourself you see!


*we didn't post the link to the Washington Informer because there was inaccurate information regarding the number of folks who attended and an incomplete listing of who performed and other inaccuracies."


All photos above by Shan'ta Monroe of Eyewurks

DC's Head-Roc Tells It Like It Is

If you haven’t heard of DC hip-hop lyricist Head-Roc before, chances are that that won’t be for long. Head-Roc, a DC native and long-time performer in DC and in the tri-state area, recently began touring with his new afro funk band, GODISHEUS and has been headlining such noted events as the recent FUNK FENTY protest held outside of the administration building last month to performances throughout the DC area promoting his “Tip the Band” performance series. Head-Roc is unabashedly honest with his outlook on everything from music to the political scene in DC and here you will read a Q & A that will be sure to answer you want to know about this irreplaceable DC icon.

Liberated Muse: Head-Roc, you are known for both your high-energy shows, classic music and love of DC, most notably your political stance in many of your songs. How do you view the connection between music and politics in general, and specifically when it relates to Chocolate City?

Head-Roc: "For me, music is synonymous with life expression. It’s the nature of the spirit to produce sounds and to me all sounds are musical.

Now politics, in my view and very broadly, is whatever the set of factors are that determine how one behaves and decides to interact with other persons. the politics of a person or group of people can beneficially or adversely affect the life and livelihood of another person or group of people. They in turn have set of politics that will determine who they respond when acted upon. Our politics are born and shaped out of our life experiences which of course can be expressed musically.

So, it is quite a natural thing in my opinion that the expression of my political views come out in my music - as is the case when Robert Nestor Marly, Paul Robeson, Nina Simone, and all the other great soul expressionists made their wonderful rhythmic compositions. Unfortunately, there are groups of people on the planet who have disconnected from certain aspects of their music expression and they have organized themselves to promote a culture that actually devalues the importance and relevance of people doing so freely and uninhibited.

Particularly where playing percussion instruments are involved they have organized, apparently being so unnerved by the awesome and humbling effects of rhythmic human expression, to legislate when and where it is appropriate to express one’s self in such manner. So, we have to get permission from the institutions created by these groups of people to ‘redress our grievances’ as to their political decisions – which overwhelming disenfranchise our needs and favor their cultural desires.

The heartbreaking part is how this all relates to Chocolate City where the residents are majority descendants of enslaved Africans and this continent’s native peoples. The governing body, some members, share many of the same descendant characteristics with the majority of Chocolate City’s residents, but are, seemingly in full force, disciples of Western politics, ideals, and philosophies – which has been nothing but a triumvirate of oppression for us. So, now we are in a very dangerous situation where we are being oppressed by those who look like us, and because they do they are given a ‘pass’ for continuing disenfranchisement political practices. Our so called consciousness as a people erroneously have expectations and assume that our brothers and sister in political office actually will advocate on our behalf towards attaining long overdue fairness in this political process for us very special Americans, of which I am one. So, I try to write songs of empowerment in an effort to counter these complacencies. "

Liberated Muse: What is your opinion on the current state of music in DC and how can it change for the better?

Head-Roc: "I think there are many different aspects of DC music. I’ll answer this as a big fan of those who choose to trail blaze and stand firm in the creation and presentation of original works. that said, DC music is phenomenal! The diversity and level of proficiency in song writing, recording, and performing is second to none in the country I think. The Package, Krayola, Kokayi, Poemcees, Noon:30, Trophy Wife, Cornel West Theory, N’digo Rose, Elikeh, Chopteeth, See-I, Sitali, Asheru, W. Ellington Felton, Nea Posey, Ellisha “Teapot” McKinney, Deborah Bond, Mustafa Akbar, are a few notables who come to mind immediately. There are so many more… young bucks Lyraciss and ProVerb are my favorites from the next generation right now too.

how things can change for the better is simply that people need to play their parts and support one another. For instance, the best event planners/promoters need to connect with the best local stars for their events. at least for some of their shows, maybe instead of spending money to bring indie cats from outta town of comparable name recognition (and draw) to get people at their shows, they can put that money into popularizing the reasons why our local music lovers need to support the professional local indie acts - just like they do for out of town acts. Or, go ahead and bring those acts here to chocolate city but also include the best local talent as part of the event. Most of the local established artists have networks set up themselves, so a coordinated approach to promoting the event is mandatory.

Or, there can be more instances like when my man Nas Jota, who won the DMV EMA Best Video award, shot and produced for the “Warning” video featuring Enoch the 7th Prophet, The Package, Kokayi and produced by Suroc. I believe they all worked together in a wonderful agreement to create a product representing DC Hip-Hop to the fullest with high quality product. Not sure, but I don’t think any money was exchanged and everyone came to the table with their parts ready to be woven into one. The result is one of the hottest singles and video to ever come out the DC music scene. I am so very proud of them for making that happen. It was incredible to be in the video and part of that moment where a good many of the DC Hip-Hop movers and shakers were present for the shoot.

Liberated Muse: You are known as being a hip-hop icon in the DC area, however, your new sound with your band GODISHEUS is very rock-oriented. What are the influences behind this new sound?

Head-Roc:Funk, Funk, funk is the influence behind the new sound. Though I’ve been continuously active as an artist, I haven’t dropped and album since 2005 and part of the reason is that I’ve been searching for the right production. I like to be challenged musically and eventually I was able to convince Dwayne “Super Bad III” Lee, who I know is one of the baddest musicians in Chocolate City, to undertake being music director for what is now known as the GODISHEUS International Funk Train aka The GIFT, or simply GODISHEUS (gotta-see-us) – a 21st Century Funk, Rock, and Soul, Hip-Hop “People of Culture” empowerment band. It is the best thing musically I’ve been blessed to be a part of hand’s down! Keith “Blizzard the Bass Lizard” Snowden and Kenny “Kwick” Gross round out the group so well that as just a four piece unit of Drums, Bass, Guitar, and Lead Vocals, GODISHEUS is turning heads all over the city, and in every genre of music appreciated. We do hope to become your favorite band, DC!

Also a big part of influencing the new sound im rocking with is while out touring and running our Green Party President Campaign in California with my man Dr. Jared Ball (aka The Funkinest Journalist of FreeMix Radio/Voxunion.com and host of WPFW 89.3FM Monday’s “Jazz and Justice” radio show), he turned me on to a book called “Funk” by Ricky Vincent, and reading it has changed my life forever. It’s now my bible as it really gives insight to why I feel the way I do about music expression as a descendant of enslaved Africans living in the Nation’s Capitol, and all the challenges of doing so as a means to earn a living. It showed me that the Funk was the music expression of our people as descendants of enslaved Africans evolved from centuries of survival, and created by Soul Brother Number One: James Brown. It showed me that the substance of Funk is spiritual and otherworldly even allowing one to transcend the confines of this world’s imposed “Law and Order”. It helped me see that Rock is from Funk and only the Funk can hold Rock in place to fulfill a mission of creating music fellowship that brings people of varying interests together achieving the realization that we can do things differently on this planet, than what has been done."

Liberated Muse: You are a headliner in the upcoming Capital Hip Hop Soul Fest in Marvin Gaye Park. What led you to an event east of the river?

Head-Roc: "I am very much interested in doing events east of the river and even more so into being part of a movement that creates sustainable enterprises for hosting and nurturing dc music culture. The CHHSF is a wonderful investment and contribution and I am very honored to be a part of it, and psyched to be rocking it with GODISHEUS! I am actually currently looking to identify just what existing establishments can support live music concerts. As soon as possible I’d like to produce an event east of the river for the very good folks on that side of town. They deserve quality, responsible, and energetic entertainment just like the folks west of the river get on the regular, you know?

Liberated Muse: What advice would you give to a struggling performing artist in DC who wants to have his music heard?

Head-Roc: Plain simple, get organized. You have to organize your support base into a moving force that will follow you around to the different venues you rock. Keep creating, practicing and performing fresh material so as to give your supporters a reason to come and check you out each and every time you rock. Record and release in conjunction with organizing your fan base and your sustainability factor as in independent artist will increase.

Register for Artomatic TODAY Before It's TOO LATE

Artomatic 2009 will be held May 29 to July 5 in Washington DC. Admission to Artomatic is always free for visitors.

Have you registered to be part of it yet? If you are a visual artist, there is a waitlist to be part of Artomatic. However, there still are slots available for performing artists.

Last year and before, Liberated Muse members have been featured in the nationally recognized Artomatic arts festival. Some of the members featured include, Mama Moon and her band Uninterrupted, visual artist GeminiVisions, Camille Mosley-Pasley, Afi Soul, and visual artist Amber Robles-Gordon.

Make sure you register to be featured in Artomatic ASAP! Click here for details and requirements to be part of this annual event.

Binahkaye Joy & Friends @ the Potter's House this Month

Dancer, writer, actress and humanitarian Binahkaye Joy is a spirit who you get a chance to meet every once in a while. Her persona is as endearing as her name and stage characters she presents whether she is dancing, acting, performing spoken word or facilitating workshops. A member of our Liberated Muse network, Binahkaye blogs about her work as an OSA dancer and her work with different populations as she uses dancing as a healing agent. According to Binahkaye, OSA "Open Space Activation" Dance is a transformative, organic-art experience that evolves as movement in public spaces. "Activation" is a dance process that transforms idle, static spaces into active, creative laboratories and initiates awakenings inside everyone in the space. Visit her wonderful blog HERE.

Binahkaye will be performing this month at the Potter's House in Washington DC doing a performance she titles "Joyism". The performance is hosted by Sounds of Music and will be a fusion of dance, words, sounds, and fun, inviting everyone to participate in the dance that, she says, "belongs to all of us". She will be accompanied by the cosmic melodies of Manatho "Moonhead" Masani on mbira, (the thumb piano). Sounds of Hope is a benefit concert series that happens EVERY FRIDAY NIGHT from 7pm to 10:30pm at The Potter’s House, 1658 Columbia Road NW in Washington DC.

Binahkaye is a member of the artist collective The Saartjie Project who she has invited to do excerpts from the show during her performance set. Doors open @ 7:30pm and the suggested donation is $15 All tickets sold at the door! The Facebook invite is HERE.

Host: Sounds of Hope @ The Potter's House
Date: Friday, March 20, 2009
Time: 8:00pm - 11:00pm
Location: The Potter's House
Street: 1658 Columbia Rd NW
City/Town: Washington, DC

The Potter's House is a restaurant, a bookstore, a gift shop, a concert venue, a theatre, and an art gallery. The Potter's House is maintained by the Potter's House church of Washington DC. For more information, call (202) 232-5483

Toni Morrison Tonight in Washington DC

"Those millions of readers familiar with Toni Morrison’s work, in particular her novel Beloved, won’t be surprised at the numerous instances of brutality and deprivation in her new book, A Mercy, the Nobel Prize winner’s ninth novel and her first since Beloved to depict American slavery—albeit in a very early, seventeenth-century form. What may well throw them for a loop is the redemptive tone: a pristine landscape, a compassionate white Northern farmer, and a notable absence of racial animosity—felt even more keenly in an election year with a full deck of race cards. In A Mercy, Jacob Vaark’s collection of laborer-charges (a Native American, a black child, an orphan, and two indentured servants) are united by and against a spreading culture of servitude that has little to do with skin color." New York Times

Morrison will be in Washington DC tonight to discuss this new book and all of the themes addressed.

“I really wanted to get to a place before slavery was equated with race,” Morrison told New York Times reporter Boris Kachka. “Whether they were black or white was less important than what they owned and what their power was.”

Today's Event:

Title: Toni Morrison: A Mercy

Date: Thursday December 4, 2008

Time: 7:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Location: Politics & ProseStreet: 5015 Connecticut Ave Nw

City State Zip: Washington, District of Columbia 20008

See http://upcoming.yahoo.com/event/1319401/ for all the details!

Thanks to poet Dehija Maat for the heads-up!

TODAY: The Bootleg Festival in Washington DC

The Bootleg Festival
When: November 13 : 5 p.m.November 15 : 2 p.m.November 16 : 4 p.m.
Price: Free

More Info at:
http://www.wblinc.org/

Where: Neighborhood: Northwest
1525 Newton St.
Washington, DC 20010

Words, Beats and Life, INC is hosting The Bootleg Festival, a three day underground hip hop and media event. The all-day festival brings the best of independent hip hop media to the forefront with lively discussions and screenings of documentaries and short films on the subject of hip hop on a worldwide level. Admission is free, but donations are suggested. All proceeds from the festival will go to the D.C. Urban Arts Academy

Liberated Muse Productions Co-Founder Maceo Thomas Publicly Endorses Mark Long

Liberated Muse Productions co-founder Maceo Thomas is a Washington DC resident who announces today his support of DC at-large councilman candidate Mark Long.

"I think he's one of the best choices for the job," says Thomas.

Thomas has helped Long's campaign by sending e-mail blasts, facebook posts and helping with campaign events throughout the city. He will be assisting with the event below:

Come and Meet Mark Long, Candidate for City Council At-Large! Learn about Mark's vision for the District of Columbia and consider joining his team.Please visit www.voteforlong.com to learn more.Mark is #2 on the ballot. Vote for Mark on Nov. 4th!

Ward 4

Event: Meet and Greet

Date: Friday, October 24, 2008, 7:00pm

Hosts: Charles and Megan Gaither

1422 Van Buren Street, NW

Washington, DC 20012

202-257-6557,

charlesgaither@gmail.com

Ward 6 Event:

Date: Monday, October 27th, 6:00pm

Place: Pap N Petey's Bar, 421 H Street, NE

Hosts: Rebecca Renard, Thomas Bowen, Alexis Greeves, & Amber Palmer
RSVPs preferred: MeetMarkLong@gmail.com

If you have general questions about Meet and Greets, please call 202-486-0690.
We hope you will join us on the 24th or 27th...and invite a friend!