Out of sight, out of Mindz.

Ok ya'll. I know it's been a while since I've posted on here, but starting TODAY I'm back on the grind. As I wrote earlier, Like Mindz had its swan song at Penn's Spring Fling last weekend. Alum Legion the Shiva came all the way out from Cali to make a surprise cameo during the show, and overall it was definitely a success. The pics (the most recent ones, courtesy of my main man Dan Schwartz) say it all. Without further ado:
Like Mindz - A Retrospective.



I'll be updating more often, and pleezbeleev I'll have some goodies on here real soon. Stay posted.

It's Been A Long Time

I shouldn't have left you... yea, ya'll know the rest. It's been a hectic month between traveling, interviews, recording, rehearsals... and oh yea- junior year of college.  Anyway, big news...

That's right, ladies and gents. Like Mindz will be playing our biggest show of the year on... (gulp) Easter Sunday. The odds are against us, but since it's the only date we could book the Rotunda venue all semester, we had to roll with it. Obviously, this means we NEED our people in the house to represent!

In addition to yours truly, Neez Buck, Kris, JD, and Spanky, we'll be featuring members of the Like Mindz extended fam, along with some up-and-coming Philly artists making moves like B.Dot and former Like Mindz songstress Melissa Providence. Besides the hip-hop, R&B and soul performers, we'll be featuring the first BlackMindz show since the release of our last album, with me and my partner in crime OHBoi.  Also, Osonice (my former roommate) will be blessing the mic and we'll be displaying visual art from Abdi Farah (my current roommate, and creator of the Two Shades Deep cover art.) I've lived with some talented dude's huh?

So I'll see you there, right? If you're around Philly, here are the directions to the Rotunda, located on 40th and Walnut.

Like Mindz, ya'll.

Movin' On Up!

An upgrade from the basement venue, no? Saturday night was the Bryn Mawr/Swarthmore/Haverford Black Love Formal (held @ Haverford this year.) When I say we were TIGHT, I mean it. Somehow, things really clicked and we came back with a vengeance after an admittedly so-so Friday performance. By the end of the night, we played two sets and grand total of 21 (!!) songs. Somehow, we made it through the epic show fumble-free and on top of the world.

The ladies came through dressed in their best, and the fellas in the house weren't playing games, either. (Shout out to my man with the white blazer with matching gaiters!!) Of course, the LM crew knows how to clean up when it's time to get down, too. The setting was dope, and I have to say the stage was probably the nicest and most spacious I've played on.

This was my second show double stacking (playing two keyboards and once), and I also had to coordinate with two sustain pedals, two amplifiers, and my PowerBook laptop. (This was after I had to disconnect the malfunctioning wah pedal from the first keyboard.) Yea... it was as confusing as it sounds. Somehow, I didn't get any wires crossed and got the hang of the complex setup on the fly. In addition to the keys, everyone else brought they're A game, and Spanky, JD, Kris & Neez all held it down in a BIG way. I won't hype it up too much and let the music speak for itself. Well, I will later this week once Mr. Drummerman posts the video. 'Til then, check out some pics from both gigs here.

As always,
Like Mindz, ya'll.

Oh, and you KNOW I had to rock the mic too, right?

It's good to be back.

The Next Movement

We opened the latest chapter of the Like Mindz journey last night at Haverford College's hip-hop event. As usual, the show wasn't without it's last minute drama. After a frantic call to the King of Prussia's Sam Ash music store, I was able to cop a new keyboard stand minutes before sound check. That, and a long walk to JD's dorm for some missing cables made the preparation half the battle. I don't even want to talk about the absentee promoter...

Anywho, after the 30 minute drive out of Philly and the randomness that preceded sound check, things slowly fell into place. We did our thing, and despite a few noticeable fumbles on our part, no one offstage seemed to notice the slight missteps. After an encore call ("ONE MORE SONG!! ONE MORE SONG!!) We busted into BBD's "Poison" to hold the crowd over until tonight's show. Later this evening, we're hitting up Haverford for their "Black Love Formal" held in conjunction with Bryn Mawr College. I'm sure I'll have more wild tales to share after tonight's gig, so I'll keep ya posted.

Vocab Unplugged

Saturday, the 26th was day two of another back-to-back practice schedule. This video below is an adaptation of "Welcome to New Roc City," a track I produced from my Audiolinguistix album (which you can still order here online.)

Anyway, here's the original track, featuring fellow New Ro MC's B-Good & Buttaz:

And this is our take on it, Like Mindz style. I arranged it differently for the band and transposed it into another key to make it easier for playing the live bass. Shout out to my homie Max Nwaru (fellow New Rochelle High School alum!) who held things down on the tenor sax while he was in town for the weekend.

Like Mindz, ya'll.

Next stop, West Philly.

It's been about three weeks back in New Rochelle, and like it or not, winter break is winding down. I've been in talks with my bandmates from Like Mindz ("Penn's ONLY and HOTTEST hip-hop band") and it looks as if we're back in business this semester. MC Legion's graduation along with Dan "the Bass Man" Caroff's medical school commitments may mean a change in the lineup, but the show MUST go on, ya'll. It looks like our boy John Daise from Haverford College will be joining us to fill out the bottom, and Kris, Spanky, Neez, and myself are back in full effect. For those unfamiliar, here's your chance to meet the fam:



See ya'll in Philly!