Doin' mixes on Thursday's now...

Short and simple...I wanna get the blog going again. And I'm just getting back into my music on the regular! DJing on Soulful House Music Collage radio every Thursday with a live webcast and then MP3 the mix to post on FB & TWITTER. Back rocking with the band, an organ/sax/drum trio playing jazz, soul jazz and funk. LIke they did in the 50's and 60's! That's the sound! The latest mix is on the podomatic player, so hit that and go to my page to download it if you like! Be back soon with some real blogging, new photos etc.!

Saturday Night Live #10

This has been a busy few weeks because I have missed posting the video of my last two mixes! AYYY YAY YAY! So, I'm back but busier than ever. Work is great, lots of travel involved but luckily very close to home so I am always able to get back in good time. Some cities have no vibe, I guess unless you live there. Columbus, OH was BOOORING! Nothing to do after work hours and no jazz spots! Cleveland was BOOORING! Nothing to do afterwork hours and no jazz spots! So, it's good thing I bring my music to keep me company and I have FACEBOOK and IM to talk w/ friends! I did get a chance to meet an interesting bro this week though. Peter Shankman, founder of the HELP A REPORTER OUT website, a site that was founded by way of facebook, then went on to be it's own site connecting people to reporters all over the world. He also introduced me and others to an item called a POKEN. It's a small item that fits on your keychain that digitally carries around all of your social contact information! It fits right into your USB drive and if you meet someone who has a "poken", you hold yours and theirs together and your social "business cards" are exchanged digitally. It is a truly amazing little unit and worth checking out here at www.doyoupoken.com.

Well, on the music tip, I am attaching two video here because as thing always happen, my computer updated while I was spinning!!! So, it cut off for two minutes, so I have the first 30 minutes in one video and the rest of the show in the second. You can still enjoy the music as I am rocking some WBMX style house at the beginning, then I go into dropping the new deep house joints! Enjoy the music and I will be back to posting next week, so pass this blog along to other people you think would like the music! As always, please leave feedback and comments if you like!
JB

Saturday Night Live - Part I (the music starts at 1:11)


Saturday Night Live - Part II

Saturday Night Live #9

Chicago! It's my hometown and there is a certain part of it that I love. The memories of my childhood, I think of them often. I was sorry to see that the city did not get the 2016 Olympics, but I was even sadder to see video of a young boy beaten to death on the city streets! What are these young people doing to each other! It hurts to even talk about it. I grew up on those same streets and though I lost friends, it wasn't a regular occurrence. Now, you can almost set your clock by the number of incidents! I pray that my old hood and town will get it together before our total destruction!

Also, on a similar tip, I hope you will visit the following website:http://www.clicktoempower.org/
My employer, Allstate© Insurance, sponsors this site supporting victims of domestic violence. This is a subject I know of well and maybe someday I will write about the horror. But, for now I will ask that you please visit the site and become more informed and maybe you will be moved to help!

This week, the music is bangin' as usual. Starting with some NYC club bangers, some new house, then digging in the crates to drop some deep joints! I hope you enjoy! As always, please leave some comments and/or feedback! Next weeks mix will be a tribute to Osunlade!

Saturday Night Live #8

The LIONS won a game! yay. I'll take the win, even if it is against a team that HAS TO BE lowlier that my Lions...the Washington Redskins! All I can say is, that's what Washington gets for having a Native American bro on their helmets! Karma is a beeeyaaaa and I bet that franchise can prepare themselves for more misfortune. Anyway, uhhh....hmmm....MLB playoffs are coming up, let's hope the Detroit Tigers make it (mainly because I want to get to a game and see the Yankees set it off). I actually went and saw the play "Little Women" in Royal Oak, MI last Friday. One of my co-workers was in the production and did a fantastic job! Acting! Singing! Dancing! She had me thinking we were on Broadway!....well....at least OFF-Broadway! Celeste was dynamite though and it makes you wonder about all the people out there with these gigantic talents just waiting to bust out!!! I think she's gonna be in a movie someday or maybe even Broadway!....
MUSIC! Here is the video cast of the mix from the lab! I opened with old school WBMX classic joints, then went into some new deep house. Enjoy the tunes and as always, leave comments, feedback, etc! It just helps me keep the groove on lock for ya!

Saturday Night Live #7

How about a little "documentary" recommendation first??? My girl Rachelle Salnave-Gardner put her heart and soul into a documentary about Harlem, N.Y.'s historic 125th st. mart. Here is the link to her FACEBOOK® page where you can get information about the film, Rachelle and how to support her efforts if you like:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Harlems-Mart-125-The-American-Dream/37414870928

Good Luck my sister!!! Now, here is the video webcast of me spinning last Saturday night. I dropped some new house, Chicago house and then ended on some Philly Soul cuts. I even dropped a few afrobeat grooves! I hope you listen/view and enjoy AND drop comments etc.!

Saturday Night Live #6

DOH! Serena Williams set it off! Kanye West pulled a b*tch move on the VMA's! Congressman Wilson disrespects President Obama! Man, people musta been on edge all week! WTF! Anyway, I wasn't! I've been reading "The Pleasures And Sorrows of Work by Alain DeBotton. Very interesting take on "work" and why we do it, what makes it pleasurable or downright sorrowful! Check it out, it's a very interesting read!

Here's the webcast of the mix from Saturday! Got some Chicago house, new deep house joints, then some club classic joints! Hope you enjoy the music and as always, drop feedback or comments!

Saturday Night Live #5

Welcome to my BLOG! Before I get to the music, I am looking forward to seeing the new Halloween II by Rob Zombie! I enjoyed his first take on Halloween. Though you can never top the original, I think ROb did a great job with the Michael Meyers backstory. The end of the first remake was a little too "busy" also, but it was entertaining! Halloween II, here I come. R.I.P. to Ted Kennedy, the Kennedy who actually got a chance to "do" something in politics. No slights to his brothers, but JFK and RFK never really got to fulfill the promise they could have brought. Senator Kennedy was a good man! OK, on to the music...this is SNL#5, house, disco, club classics and at the end, I play a few Blaxplotation soundtrack jams! I hope you listen and enjoy and as always, leave commentary and feedback!

Saturday Night Live - #4

Here is the latest mix webcast from SOULFUL HOUSE MUSIC COLLAGE and my Saturday Night Live show! It's in two parts because of a internet glitch, but hey...the music is bangin' still! Enjoy and drop comments & feedback!

Saturday Night Live - vol #3

DAMN! It's hot out! Finally! Why does it get 90º and above in Detroit August? We need the weather spread out from May - September! Mother Nature...I gotta call you! Anyway, here is the video from this past Saturday's show. It's house, it's disco, it's WBMX! Enjoy the music, drop some comments and feedback...maybe, you can drop a request for next weeks show!

Saturday Night Live

YO! Here's a videocast of my mix from last Saturday night! I hope you enjoy the tunes as I kind of laid it back from the start and made it mellow!

Vinyl Fantastic #2 - Listen Hear!

What's up peoples! Welcome back to the blog!

Here's a video webcast of a mix I did last Saturday. A few technical difficulties along the way, but it's jammin' anyhow!!! ENJOY!

My Laid Off Life and House Mix #2 - Feel My Vibe!

Interviews!  Finally I had interviews!  After 2 months of unemployment, I was finally called by two companies I was highly interested in.  The initial interviews went great and one company I even had the crucial 2nd interview with the hiring manager!  Both companies look like they would be great fits for me, but honestly I am just excited that I know I am n the right track...whether I get the jobs or not.  But, I hope I do because it is definitely time to go back to work somewhere!

As for the music, I am enjoying podcasting music and providing people with a glimpse of how I vibe when I'm listening to music.  That's why I do different genres, but try to keep it funky and grooving.  AfroBeat, Latin Funk & soul, Vinyl Fantastic and House are all on the podOmatic. This week, I wanted to do a full-on mix of "deep" and grooving house music.  I hope that you enjoy it! Just hit the FEEL MY VIBE mix on the podOmatic, sit back and soak in the grooves! The tracklist for the mix is below!

FEEL MY VIBE!

1. Kiss Kiss Kiss - Ananda Project
   
2. Not Far Away(Roots Ext Mix) - Blaze
   
3. Into My Life - EOL
   
4. Tarzan - AME Mix - Roy Ayers
   
5. I Came From A Long Way - Cid & Niota (Nomumbah Mix)
   
6. Word Love (Jay's Mix) - Rhianna
   
7. Hiya Love - Kenny Bobien
   
8. Back Together - Hardsoul f/Ron Carroll
   
9. Dirty Drums - Christian Prommer
   
10. Can't Do Without - Peven Everett
    
11. Maracatueira - Sabrina Malheiros (Incognito Main Mix)
    

Vinyl Fantastics: Snap, Crackle & Pops!

Say it with me ya'll...VINYL!  Say it again!  And again!  I could never tire of music on vinyl!  The warmth of the sound, the album cover art, that black(or some other color) record spinning around on the platter like a baby on a sit n' spin, the weed seeds in the album jacket of the lost gem you found at RECORD ARCHIVE in Rochester, NY! 

The stories are endless, the experiences all similar and the need is all the same.  To hear your favorite or long forgotten or highly sought after record in the format to which it was originally intended to be listened...VINYL!  I love it and that's why this week I thought I would drop a podcast of some of my favorite jams on vinyl.  I could do a mix, but I think that many people like me wouldn't mind hearing some of these cuts in full length mode.  

So, here we go.  I hope you will enjoy this hour plus foray into my vinyl collection.  I hope that some of these records will make you reminisce, discover something new or just have you nodding, bouncing, grooving to my vibe.  The playlist is below, now...on to the music!

Click VINYL FANTASTIC on the podOmatic

Vinyl Fantastic #1

1. Davina - So Good
   
2. Victor Davies - Sound Of The Samba
   
3. Da King & I - Krak Da Weazel
   
4. Donald Byrd & Booker Little - Wee Tina
   
5. Natalie Cole - Annie Mae
   
6. Steve(Spacek) & I - Comeandgetme
   
7. M - Pop Muzik
   
8. United Future Organization - Vinyl Junkie
   
9. Kasso - One More Round
   
10. Jill Scott - Long Walk (Touch Of Jazz Remix)
    
11. Ebbo - The Way (Osunlade remix)
    
12. Brother 2 Brother - Chance With You
    
13. Urban Thermo Dynamic f/Mos Def - Manifest Destiny
    
14. Manu Dibango - Oboso
    
15. Brand new Heavies w/Syedah Garrett - Sometimes (The Ummah Remix)
    

My Laid Off Life: The Job (un)Fair!

Another week without a job!  DAMN!  I can hear the tumbleweeds rolling down the corridor of joblessness!  Now, it's been since January 15th.  And I have to say that I am NOT in a negative space at all.  As a matter of fact, I decided, on January 15th, that I am NOT going to let any of this get me down.  Shit, it ain't no sense in me getting in a rut because I happened to be on the conveyer belt of S*NY's "magna carta" of bad decisions(ringles included)!   Maybe the couple of leads I have will pan out.  One is with JVS Detroit helping other people less fortunate than I am prepare themselves for the job market.  Another is with a wireless provider that a friend is trying to at least get my resumé to the top of the pile.  So, keep ya fingers crossed for me that something will pan out this week.

Working with the career transition company this week was pretty cool.  I had a class on interviewing this week that was very interesting.  I could go on and on and on about the multitude of questions answers, possible questions and possible answers, facial expressions, handshakes, backslaps, cheek pinches, butt touches, handsignals that you should or should not give while you are in an interview.  I could do that!  But instead, I will just say this. If you ain't getting SOMEONE to help you with this part of the job search???  Then job search be DAMNED!  You won't be in the interview 5 minutes before you will be shown the door!  I'm going to have to go into that a little more in another post!  

But, I have to report on the latest job search "flim flam"!  WTF, JOB FAIRS!  Here's my advice on the so called "job fairs"...fuck a job fair!  We all know that every time there is a crisis, the scams begin making their presence known.  They come out like project roaches trying to get a scrap off a piece of fat back!  So, now that there's a job crisis...here come the job fairs, or un-fairs as I say!  In a nut shell, here's who's at the job fairs:

1)Companies with big names...hiring for internships.

2)Multi-level financial companies like Primerica.

3)Low paying, hard ass work jobs like Quicken loans.

4)Military, Corrections officers, Security Guards.

5)Technical/vocational schools, Community colleges, Universities looking to get you to "strengthen your skills" by taking classes.

6)Companies looking for cold calling sales reps.

There's your job fair.  Basically, these companies are promoting...their company!   How is Atlanta having a job fair and Coca Cola, the largest employer in Atlanta, ain't at the job fair?  How is a job fair in Detroit going on and the largest employers, the car companies, ain't there because they are too buys trying to get bailout money? AND all of their suppliers are going out of business!!!  So, here is what you do about the job fairs.  Get a list of what companies are going to be there.  Choose the ones you are interested in and go to their web sites and see what jobs they have open in the area you are looking in. If they do, print it out and take it with you to the job fair and discuss it with the people there representing the company.  OR, you can put it in your own hands and find a way to contact the company hiring manager for those jobs and get your info in their hands if you can.  So, please!  PLEASE!  If you're searching for a job, be very wary and careful of the "job fairs"!  As I leave you and close out this edition of "My Laid Off Life", remember that networking is the #1 way one will get their next job.  80% of people!  the job fair is probably...2-3%.  Which odds do you want to take?  Until next time, let me know what you think.  Ask me any questions. And enjoy the music podcasts over on the podomatic player.  HOLLA LATER!

Super Latin Funk #1

Welcome! Thank you for checking out this blog, which at the current moment is serving a dual purpose. Its initial focus was primarily music. A portal for my internet show on WKCRonline.com, which featured neo-soul, house, rare grooves, afrobeat and other assorted gems. If you check the archive, you will see the playlists of the many shows I had done in 2008. In 2009 it has become a headquarters not only for my music interests, but also for another project about my life as a person who has been laid off and the experiences I am going through job searching. You can read "my laid off life" stories here also. With that said, This weeks music feature is in respect to one of my favorite genres, Latin Funk! This show is going to feature a host of tunes that really burn! From the barrios of Spanish Harlem to the scenic shores of Brazil to the cultural epicenters of Puerto Rico and Cuba, Latino artists have taken the soul and funk of Black American soul music and infused it the the native rhythms and ideas from their own lands and come up with a music so hot when it's played, that I swear you can smell the grooves pulsating from the speakers! MAN! This first installment is going to include some of the most dynamic and fantastic grooves ever laid down! Funk, Soul, Salsa! Enjoy this first installment of Super Latin Funk and don't forget to check out the AfroBeat show and the house mix. Come back next week for more of "my laid off life" and more music! Here's the Play List:

http://www.zshare.net/audio/56906025e6275ef5/

Boogaloo Combo - "Boogaloo"
Cafe - "Si Paro Tu Amor"
Joe Bataan - "Shaft"
Toni Tornado - "Me Libertai"
Hélio Matheus - "Mais Kriola"
Willie Bobo - "Soul Foo Young"
Ocho - "Hot Pants Road"
The Latin Blues Band - "I'll Be A Happy Man"
Joe Cuba Sextet - "So What"
Quetcy Alma - "Deep"
Mongo Santamaria - "Lady Marmalade"
Tony Middleton & Bobby Matos - "Return To Spanish Harlem"
Bronx River Parkway - "Deixa Pra La"
The Spanish harlem Orchestra - "Llega La Banda"
Joey Pastrana - "King Of Latin Music"
An Caré - "Identify Yourself"
Roberto Roena Y Su Apollo Sound - "Sing A Simple Song"

My Laid Off Life #2

Holá people. I did a lot of stuff this week relating to the job search, but not a PEEP! NOTHIN'! NIL! NADA! I would have thought that at least one interview would have come from all of my e-mails, phone calls, networking, linked in-ing, but....I feel like and ugly duckling around prom time! Who's going to ask me to the dance and realize that they have actually landed a SWAN! Well, anyway, here's what's happened. I had a "negotiating the offer" teleconference class and a "market research" teleconference, then I had a networking class with the career consultants. Now maybe you know this, or maybe not, but stats show that up to 80% of job searchers will find their new job through NETWORKING! Either someone you know or through someone you know, you will get a job. So, that's my focus going forward since I am VERY good with people and getting to know people. The six other job search methods which make up the remaining 20% are, in order: Headhunters, Ads & Internet search, Job Fairs, Direct Mail, Cold Calling and, finally, Walk In. Ironically, this is the same mathematic ratio that cost me my job in the first place!!! 80%(probably more now) of all physical music sales came from the top 10 accounts! That left 20% of the pie to be divided up among 100+ other accounts! And guess what group I sold to??? That's right...."other accounts"! So, as you can see, networking is most likely the way I will get my next job. I also realized in the class that a lot of people have no idea how to network. Most people didn't have the social/lifestyle type job that I had. I mean, you could hardly compare the social skills I gained working the music industry glad-handing and convention scene vs. the guy at Visteon who was a wiring router technician. See what I mean? Well, here's what's next. I have the interviewing class next week and more teleconferencing. I have my eye on a couple of jobs, one in particular is a perfect fit! It a position with Red Bull©. I got friends in the Red Bull© organization and luckily I am able to use them as referrals on the web site application. Maybe that will get me through the filters that weeds out people! However, if I can get to the hiring manager, I am sure I can talk my way into an interview and those that know me know that once I get in there to interview and they meet me, I will get the job!!! I am keeping positive no matter what this next week brings! I will be posting a video portion of these blogs so be on the look out for that! I am looking at podcasting some job search stories and information in the upcoming weeks, so keep an ear out for that! Enjoy the music on the pod-o-matic player on my page here and if you feel like, it leave me a message! I appreciate you reading and more to come next week.....until then....HOLLA!

NO JOB NO MO'!

WOW! After 17yrs...a tap on the shoulder and a YOU'RE DONE! Although I knew it was eventually coming because of the downturn in sales in the music business, I thought I would at least have until March, the end of our fiscal year. But nope! January 15th ended an illustrious, fun, vibrant, loooooooong career in the music business. With the same company at that!!! When I started at BMG in Atlanta as an intern in 1991, I NEVER thought it would end with technology taking us down. I mean, in 1991 computers were supposed to help! Fast forward to 1999 and along comes the popularity of NAPSTER and BAM! The beginning of the end! Well, enough about that! This blog is not going to be about the good old days or even the bad recent days! This is about the place I'm in right now...the in between....the time in the middle of your old job and your next job...the time known as.....MY LAID OFF LIFE!
I have been laid off since Thursday, January 15th, 1:22pm. Over the phone, Bob(last name withheld) and Nancy(last name withheld) called me to break the "news". Ironically, they were in a more somber mood than I was because not only was I OK with it, as I knew it was eventually coming, but they had the unenviable task being the bearers of bad tidings the whole day. In person visits and phone calls. By the way, the phone is a hella way to tell someone your taking their means of monetary survival away. But, for me, it was all good. I had been disenchanted with the job, the company, the business overall anyway! So, actually it was a relief! A part of my separation package would be a 3-6 month service with a career consulting company(Who will remain nameless..no free advertising!). This experience has been a most interesting part of my work sabbatical. Job hunting has changed in the years since I first went to work with BMG. And remember, when you are a part of a certain industry, your rules of hiring, interviewing, resume submitting is usually tailored for THAT industry based on the fact that your are either 1)being promoted within your own company 2)Going to a competitive company where they know your industry 3)Getting a job in a third party company that you have done business with or where you know someone. So your job search abilities, resume format, knowledge of the job market isn't going to be as strong as you think! I found that out quick! It's not that I didn't have the skills and all that, it's just that for 16 years, I hadn't had to really "job search" like I am doing now. Now, this is quite a bit to take in so here is what I'll do. In the next few days, I will post again. I will talk about what it's like to be in the house all day, what I'm doing and working with the career transition company. Until then.....