Good people of Art Star!

Gotta give it up, this young brother has talent.

I saw this video in October and have wanted to blog about it since then but hadn't gotten a chance. (Y'all know I was too hype about the election to talk about anything else)

southern religion: it's in your face take it or leave it and accept your decision once you've hit the gates of the afterlife.  christianity is what i know best. it makes sense but doesn't fully complete me.  coexist.  it's a beautiful movement.  their insignia makes me smile every time I pass it on the highway.

but this my friends is not a religion post, per se.  it is a post in my memoirs of an incredible 4 days of music.  religion happened to strike me during this particular 9pm show.  matisyahu has emerged within the last 5 years as an incredible touring machine and more importantly a touring machine with a message.  as a follower of hasidic judaism, he was not able to perform on the sabbath but was around for an autograph sessions.  as his website indicates "matisyahu simply seeks to serve as a conduit for the messages of peace and unity that flow through him, to improve the world the world by sharing his music, and without letting ego or worldly desires interfere in that communication." 

his performances are anchored in the reggae themes still prevailing from the bob marley days but small differences in personality reveal themselves in comparison to my experiences with other reggae artists.  as much he enjoys sending his message, matisyahu appreciates the skill  of each member of his backup band.  in the instrumentals of each of the songs, he can usually be found arms crossed engrossed in the certain highlighted solo.  as he is giving thanks to the individual performer, the audience realizes that his performance is greater than the sound that the guitar makes, greater than the 10,000 people there singing along, and much greater than themselves.  it is about a joining of everyone for the greater beauty of society.  cheesy, yes.  i apologize for the vague description of grandeur but it is an experience that is felt seldom, if ever at a concert. 

the concert finished out with a brand new song with a guest singer (the name completely slipping me). the final song gloriously faded out to a message of peace, love, peace, love.   i don't thing there's anything else that needed to be said.

The following day the three amigos met matisyahu, his brother, and his son (about a year old).  we were all thoroughly impressed with his genuine smile and gracious time he spent with us.  cheers to another great performer and performance.

One of my favorite recurring moments in life is when a song that I heard when I was growing up reenters my life. Often this happens because of a popular rap song's sampling (i.e T.I's usage of that Crystal Waters track a couple years ago) but I want to go back to the spring semester of 2007, when one of my friends brought me a reggae mixtape she bought while in Queens. We listened to it together, reminescing on the first time we heard many of the classics the mixtape contained. When it got to the final two tracks, I froze. I fervently searched for the cd's tracklisting to confirm what I heard. It had been so long since I heard that wondrous voice remind me that "love and hate can never be friends." Admittedly, this is a simple observation, yet it serves as iconic lyric from the Crown Prince of Reggae, Dennis Brown. 

in what seems to be a reprise of the goodbye song from the carnival, one of the musical legacies that bob marley blessed the world with revisits the theme and finds a beautiful blend of classic reggae and soul.

i'm not sure if it was my intention to continue on this them but marley's song revisits the concept of maturation and a man on a journey. the rastafari culture encourages understanding or "overstanding" which is comparable to a more worldly enlightenment. the more songs i hear with personal growth as the theme, i realize that there is a natural desire to achieve a better understanding of your world and who you are. as a confession, my understanding of the rasta religion is limited to listening to music, reading articles, and going to concerts, hearing the performers speak their interpretation of their religion.

at a small stephen marley show following the release of his debut solo album, mind control, stephen performed with the passion and conviction of a evangelical preacher but the insight and clarity of a monk. as he performed the presence of his father came out through not only doing intense covers but also through his gratitude he showed his creator.

his career may follow that of his brothers', not to extend past the reggae followers and bob marley fans (there is a difference), but he has the talent and the zeal to be as musically moving as bob but to step out of his father's shadow is probably not what stephen wants nor is it possible.