better late than never

here is the set list and some notes from the words: hip-hop & poetry showcase at the nuyorican from a few weeks back.

with only a day and a hlf till worcester the set list is coming along nicely. it will be a combo of the january louderMONDAYS feature, the set i busted out at spoken words cafe and this set. i have a theme in mind but need one more poem to really flesh that out. more on the theme in the after-worcester rap up.

SET LIST: NUYORICAN POETS CAFÉ 04.16.05
Mercy on the Battlefield
-not only is it the old standby but it was SPECIFICALLY requested by rocky, the dj at the nuyo/curator for Words. this piece was getting rehearsed and thrown around before there was a synonymUS. no real need to rehash it.
urban air guitar
-a newer piece that appears in my chapbook which is partially based on peeking in at jai & elana eating together. we used a combo of the 505 and electric guitar to bring it to life. the guitar chords gave me some nice space to let the poem rest at certain spots. my voice also got a chance to break out of its normal rhythms. we must have practiced this piece about 5 times before we got it down.
Capicú
-i asked ray for only electric guitar on this. actually, i would have preferred to go with acoustic guitar and bongos but i can only ask him to bring so much equipment. after doing it a few times, rich suggested omitting a line from the poem- a wise edit that will stick around. prior to this rehearsal, i’ve only nailed the final CAPICU! once, the night the poem debuted at 13. this time around i think i have found a consistent trigger to get that part down.
Sorta Rican
-we start with the 505 “haulting that jibaro tongue” in a way i never knew it could. we went straight for the sound of the busy bodega and nailed it. part 2 has us back in electric guitar land and me finding a sadness in my voice that was always there but never came out right. part 3 brings us back to the block party but some funky D-Beam action implodes la musica just as my vew of the world shifts and then finds clarity in the strings of a Fender.

okey doke. thats that. still want to get out ONE more new poem for tony brown and the java hut. wish me luck.

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