New Music: “Adagio” featuring Lily Bee
Adagio
Hello friends. I’m back, coming out of the woodwork once again to share some new music with you all =). This one is called “Adagio” and is another song off my future mixtape, GT & Friends. So of course, this includes another collaboration – the wonderfully talented Lily Bee. If you don’t know who she is, then you should! If you mix the warm voice of Norah Jones with the SoCal charm of Colbie Caillat, then you might be able to imagine what Lily Bee might sound like. I had the awesome opportunity to work with the artist during her short stint here on the East Coast, and made sure I didn’t let her return to sunny California without blessing me with a track.
So there you go. Some might call this one soft, or a little sappy, but who hasn’t felt like that once in a while? Maybe this one will keep you just a little bit warmer this winter. Otherwise, stay tuned for next time. I’ll be sure to bring you a headbanger – keeping it real, fo shiggity, fo jinjja my ninja. Word is bond, to the break of dawn. Peace outside.
Below you’ll find the lyrics video, a little kinetic typography courtesy of YMG (Yo Media Group).
Aaaaaand, if you’re so inclined, feel free to DL the track, as a freebie of course via Bandcamp. Enjoy!
I want to be a Ninja.
This was too cool not to share. Courtesy of Gizmodo.
Shot with the Canon 60D. Edited in Premiere.
Post production done in After Effects with Twixtor.Directed by Rishi Kaneria.
Starring Dante Ha, a professional stunt man whose work includes Dark Knight Rises, Contagion, X-Men:First Class, Walking Dead, Teen Wolf and more.
imdb.com/name/nm4010586/Music by Clint Mansell.
New Music: DCho – “Free” Featuring J. Choi & Yours Truly
Though the title of this post says “New Music” it’s a bit of a misnomer as this song was originally conceived last summer. Due to a number of reasons it wasn’t actually completed until about a month ago but I think it may have been for the better. DCho & J. Choi are two of my oldest friends that I’ve grown up with so it was a blessing to work on this project together with them.
I recall when DC approached me about this track, saying that he had the perfect idea for B.o.B.’s “Airplanes” instrumental and we got to working on it. At the time, the original song still had a ton of airplay and so we decided to take our time completing it – waiting for the saturation to die down a little and here we are a year later.
The song should be self explanatory based on the title. DCho, a pastor, wanted to really convey the empowering Freedom of God – something that I think was accomplished quite well with this track. The chorus is just a repetition of the line “I’m Free!” (in great melodic form thanks to J. Choi) and really drives the point home that “Where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom“. I hope those listening are able to experience & relate the same. Big ups to DCho for having me and J. Choi jump on the track.
You can DL the song for free via his bandcamp page.
Wooo… where to start with this track? This song had it’s beginnings back in 2009, when I approached a number of talented friends about having them put their reflections of their Faith into song format, knowing fully well we were all in different places. Johnnyphlo, J. Han (of AMP), and Jae Jin all graciously accepted and so the idea of “Speaking Up” was born, at least conceptually. The bulk of the song was written and recorded shortly thereafter, but due to a number of reasons, it was never given the final polish and sheen it deserved for a final release.
That changed early this year, when the finishing touches were at last put on the track – only for me to keep it in the vault until I felt the time was right. Although certainly not completely ideal, I still find an upside to sharing this song with you now – even if it’s not my most absolute recent work. It offers a snapshot in time of each artist’s personal experience and interaction with God. It was an opportunity for us to speak up and share our hearts, and speak upwards as a form of prayer.
Much love to the homies for blessing the track. Their honesty made it what it is, and I think it turned out amazingly. This is the first single off my upcoming mixtape GT & Friends, due later this year. If you like what you hear, you can download the track via the widget below or by hitting up the bandcamp page. You can also find the lyrics after the break if you want to read along. Thanks and enjoy!
PS, It’s Johnnyphlo’s birthday today, wish the dude a happy one!
PPS, fun fact: the song uses the instrumental from Bone Thugs-N-Harmony’s “I Tried”.
Love & Marriage, Horse & Carriage
Nevermind the title of this blog post. It’s just what gets stuck in my head when I think of the word “marriage” and am reminded of the silly old sitcom Married with Children that uses the famous Sinatra song; but I digress.
It’s officially the 4th of June, 2011 where I am. This marks the day one of my oldest friends (perhaps the oldest that I am still in contact with) gets married. In 15 hours and change he will be walking down the aisle, in front of friends, family, and God to officially proclaim and dedicate his love for another human being, till death do they part. On one hand it’s a frightening proposition; to declare that they will do all they can to actively experience love as a verb and not passively as a noun. On the other hand it’s a beautifully innate desire that seems to run deep within the vast majority of us, that we could someday experience something so Divinely inspired and humanly powerful.
Image courtesy of Photoria Media
People have given me bewildered looks, like those deserved by a lunatic, when I explain that I’m OK with never getting married. You see, it’s not that I wouldn’t ideally like to be married some day and to take part in the amazing covenant known as marriage, rather it’s just the pragmatic and cautious side of me recognizes that very few of us know how to truly Love some of the time – much less all the time. It’s not that I expect perfection of myself and my potential future wife, but I think we would both deserve an ever seeking desire to Love perfectly, albeit with the expectation that we will fall short at times.
