Here at Cafe Copasetic, the hope is to not only promote poetic and musical expression, but also to recognize various other types of artistic expression AND to showcase a smorgasbord of artists who truly represent what it is to be COPASETIC. Sit back and enjoy because It's All Good.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Joshua Bennett & Alyssa Harris
Poets Extraordinaire
Click picture to view Joshua performing "Tamara's Opus"
at the White House's Evening of Poetry, Music, & the Spoken Word.
Joshua Bennett is a servant of the Lord. He graduated with the distinctions of Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania in 2010, after double majoring in English and Africana Studies with minors in Spanish and History. He is a professional performance poet, and has recited his original work at events such as the Sundance Film Festival, The NAACP Image Awards, and
President Obama’s evening of poetry and music at the White House. In addition to being blessed with a Ford Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship, Joshua was also recently awarded a Marshall Scholarship to earn a Masters of Arts in Theatre and Performance Studies from the University of Warwick next year, and will pursue a PhD in English from Princeton University after his time abroad. His first book of poetry, Jesus Riding Shotgun, is currently available for sale through Penmanship Books. He hails from Yonkers, NY. Shout out to Brooklyn (pigeonsandplanes.com)(Feb. 2012)
|
Click picture to view Alysia performing "Cab Rides & the Morning After".
Alysia Harris is a wordsmith. Currently a graduate student at Yale University pursuing a PhD in linguistics , she busies herself theorizing about the internal workings of the grandfather clock we call the English language. Though she may approach the use of language from an analytical perspective as linguist, as a poet she does her best utilize language as a creative probe to explore the emotional, spiritual, and social realms of the human experience.
Alysia is a two-time national spoken word champion, being a member of the winning BNV 2007 and CUPSI 2007 teams. She also appeared on the HBO Documentary Russell Simmons Presents: Brave New Voices in 2009. She has performed with the likes of Saul Williams, Buddy Wakefield, Carlos Andres Gomez, Anis Mojgani, Rita Dove, and Elizabeth Alexander. Alysia is most passionate about God, love, and poetry. Her biggest loves in life are spontaneous group dance sessions, Hemingway, and clean endings. When not studying or writing, Alysia can be found dancing, Facebook stalking, crying over heartbreak, talking about theology and eating CLIF bars. She hopes in the future, after obtaining her PhD in linguistics, to get an MFA in creative writing and move to the Middle East to start a number creative writing programs in the region. (striversrow.com)(Feb. 2012) 
Click picture to view Alysia's hit poem "That Girl".
Alysia and her friends and fellow poets at Strivers Rows: Miles Hodges, Carvens Lissaint & Jasmine Mans |
Click this picture to be taken to the offical N'Dambi website.
~~~~~~~~ Soul Sista ~~~~~~~~
Music Video: "Nobody Jones" |
N'dambi (born on June 16, 1973) is a soul/jazz/blues/rock singer from Dallas, Texas. She was signed to the re-activated Stax Records (Concord Music Group) in 2007 and released Pink Elephant in 2009.
She also released 3 independent albums, Little Lost Girls Blues, Tunin' Up & Cosignin and A Weird Kinda Wonderful. (from soundunwound via amazon)(Feb. 2012) N'Dambi's interview with Music Addikts |
Click this picture to be taken Raya's myspace music page.
~~~~~~~~ Kaleidoscpoe Sounds ~~~~~~~~
|
Raya Yarbrough’s voice and music bridge jazz and eclectic pop, with a storyteller’s lyrical instinct.
She was only seven when her musician father, Martin Yarbrough, brought her into the nightclub scene, where she found herself performing Jazz for diverse and often difficult crowds. This experience shaped her ability to communicate musically, and later influenced her writing. Today, her style is a kaleidoscope of edgy, truthful songwriting which stems from her classic jazz roots. Raya received a Bachelor of Music degree from the Thornton School of Music at The University of Southern California. During her college years, she won The Quincy Jones Award and The Herb Alpert Scholarship. (concordmusicgroup.com)(Feb. 2012) Raya's interview with innerviewworldcom |
Click this picture to be taken to The Tones myspace music page.
~~~~~~~~ Hip Hop Groove ~~~~~~~~
|
The Tones are progressive masters in the creation of soulful and honest hip hop in its most appealing form. Being compared to the likes of Common, Kanye West, Blackstar, Tribe Called Quest, Slum Village, and Little Brother, many
might wonder how such a sound can be derived from the California Bay Area. This versatile duo consists of rapper-producer, Retro, and rapper-singer, Suhn, who can sing anything from soul music to opera. ‘Dreamtalk’ is an album about pursuing dreams and living through the struggles and pleasures encountered on the way. ‘Dreamtalk’ also gives motivation to others in pursuit of their dreams. Mixing together a collection of bouncy party tracks, laid back soul grooves and vintage beats, The Tones hope to deliver a classic album. Since the group first formed in 2001, The Tones have toured with the likes of Common, Slum Village, Little Brother, Roots’ drummer QuestLove, and Dr. Cornell West to name a few. Within the same period of time, Suhn and Retro have developed great musical chemistry along with friendship. Together, they have grown from amateurs to professionals, from brothers to fathers, and, from dreamers to conquerors. Still they never stop dreaming. The Tones have ambitions and aspirations to create multi-platinum selling albums and, eventually, become CEOs of their own respective companies. (This biography was provided by the artist or their representative, via amazon.com)(Feb. 2012) No More by the TonesFly Angel by the Tones |
Click on this picture to be taken to the Plug Label website.
~~~~~~~~The Pursuit of "Rap"piness ~~~~~~~~
|
Kero One -- Former web designer by day and rapper/producer/DJ by night, Kero One, stands as a true testament to the do-it-yourself success story. His early career was marked by endless hours of researching, cold calling, and networking to gain exposure for his debut, self produced hiphop project "Windmills of the Soul."
Persistence paid off with a little help from fate when one album of the 50 copies available worldwide was picked up in a tiny record store in Tokyo, Japan. Success was immediate, as "Windmills of the Soul" and the lead single "In all the Wrong Places" became a hit overnight, which opened the floodgates for international touring and performance opportunities. Three years later, after a "Best Hip Hop Album of 2006" award from Remix Magazine, collabo with Talib Kweli and support from super producer Will.i.am, Kero One independently released his official sophomore album "Early Believers" in 2009. Bouncing between soulful jazz tinged tracks to upbeat synth-driven party bangers, Early Believers showcases Kero One’s growth and maturity as a writer, composer, vocalist and arranger. Recently, Kero One has returned from the worldwide Mapthesoul tour during which he performed in sold-out venues such as the renowned House of Blues in Hollywood, Irving Plaza in New York, and the Masonic Center in San Francisco. So far this year, Kero One has also wrapped up three music videos and is currently working on his record label and new music projects. (This biography was provided by the artist or their representative, via amazon.com)(Feb. 2012) 
|
Click on this picture to be taken to Aloe Blacc's last.fm page.
~~~~~~~~ Music for Change ~~~~~~~~
Click on this picture to view the video "Femme Fatale"
Video: "I Need A Dollar"
|
Aloe Blacc is an Orange County, California native who says,“My purpose for music is positive social change, even if the music itself does not explicitly express anything that may signify positive social change, the product of the
music will.” He is speaking in general terms regarding his career, but more specifically about the circumstances surrounding his upcoming album, Good Things, co-written by the versatile vocalist and songwriter in conjunction with the in-house production team at Truth & Soul Records. Song titles such as “You Make Me Smile” and “Miss Fortune,” coupled with airy, ethereal production from Truth & Soul’s Leon Michels and Jeff Silverman mask a foreboding undercurrent in which Aloe crafts lyrics both thoughtful and thought-provoking. Nowhere is this more evident than on lead single, “I Need a Dollar”,commissioned by HBO as the theme music for the series How to Make It in America—because ultimately, that is how to make it in America. The first-generation American offspring of Panamanian parents, Aloe has become what writer and activist Amiri Baraka (nee Leroi Jones) once said of John Coltrane. He is a singular “scope of feeling…a more fixed traveler” who has found cohesion in art and life. A 2001 graduate of the University of Southern California, Aloe credits a myriad of influences—transcendentalist scholars Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson, French existentialism, Oprah Winfrey, Tavis Smiley, Cornel West—with leading him from the inner streams of consciousness he possessed as an MC early in his career, to a more disciplined approach to songwriting, and now, the desire to affect change and induce compassion by way of his own success. – Ronnie Reese (This biography was provided by the artist or their representative, via amazon.com. This biography has been abridged.)(Feb. 2012) Aloe's interview with Soundwaves KPFK |
