Beatrock Music Anniversary Shows: Long Beach-12/10 & San Francisco-12/11

Beatrock Music is celebrating their one year anniversary this week with shows in Long Beach on 12/10 and San Francisco on 12/11. Big ups to Fatgums and Beatrock Music for dropping six projects in it's first year! Purchase your pre-sale tickets here.



These ill one-year commemorative New Era snap-backs will be available at the shows!

A Song For Ourselves available on Comcast's On Demand in December!

I'm excited to announce that A Song For Ourselves is now available to Comcast digital cable subscribers with On-Demand for $.99! Comcast just launched Cinema Asian America, a ground-breaking new video-on demand offering, which will feature Asian American films. It's a huge honor to have my film included in a list of Asian American Cinema heavy hitters like Saving Face, Treeless Mountain, and Planet B-Boy.



Cinema Asian America will offer a new curated line-up of films each month, which means A Song For Ourselves will only be available from Dec. 1 - Jan. 3. This is a really significant opportunity to show corporations like Comcast that there is indeed an audience for relevant Asian American film, so please order (it's only a buck!) and spread the word!
If you have Comcast this is what you do:

1) Click on the “On Demand” button
2) Look under the “Movies” folder
3) Select the “Movie Collections” folder
4) Select the “Cinema Asian America” folder to see the list of films

Netflix Worthy: When You're Strange: The Doors

I had heard nothing about the documentary When You're Strange: The Doors directed by Tom DiCillo. Honestly, my knowledge of The Doors stops after a handful of their hits songs and Jim Morrison's name (I didn't even know that Kanye sampled "Five to One" for Jay-Z's "Takeover"). I appreciated the film's different approach of not including any interviews and depending strictly on Johny Depp's narration. The archival footage was amazing, the jem being the use of footage from the independent film HWY - The American Pastoral (1969) in which Morrison stars in.

Youtube Video of the Week: Bob & Baby

Listen to Bob Marley:

Evil Monito feature by Terry Hwang

A couple months back my friend Terry Hwang was kind enough to write a feature on me for Evil Monito. It's one of the most insightful articles that have been written on me (like all three of them) and I know that Terry really spent a lot of time working on it. I went to school with her at UCLA and it's been inspiring to watch her chase her dreams as a writer. You can read the article here.

Full benefits for all Veterans

Today we celebrate Veteran's Day in a country that spends millions on TV commercials saluting veterans but denies most of them the health benefits that they need. Vets deserve better. Watch the congressional testimony by Sgt. Chuck Luther, wounded in Iraq and then tortured by his own until he signed paperwork saying his problems were caused by a personality disorder:

Inspiration of the Week: Jeff Chang

"Electoral politics is episodic, short-term, and transactional. Movement-building must be constant, long-term, and transformative. It is not a cyclical task. It is work that reaches toward the horizon."

I am on of the many young (well, not like young young) people that found themselves pretty uninvolved in Tuesdays elections but depressed by the results. As someone who feels pretty detached from state and national electoral politics, I'm always half concerned about election results because I know they will have direct impacts on me and people who I care about, and half indifferent because I feel I have no real control over their outcome. But reading Jeff Chang's recent interview in Colorlines really made me feel included in "the new cultural majority" and helped provide some location in the national progressive movement building process.

"Cultural change is often the dress-rehearsal for political change. Or put in another way, political change is the final manifestation of cultural shifts that have already occurred.

Sadly most progressives—whether they work in electoral politics or movement politics—have not yet figured culture into their theory of change. Unlike the right, they have no cultural strategy."

A Song For Ourselves at Minneapolis/St. Paul Asian Film Festival - 11/10

A Song For Ourselves is coming to the land of Purple Rain! The first annual Minneapolis/St. Paul Asian Film Festival kicks off on Nov. 3rd and runs until the 13th. Song will be playing in the "Asian American Shorts Program" on 11/10 at 7pm. Much respect to all the organizers of the festival for making Asian American cinema a little more accessible to their communities!

NPR - Prison Economics Help Drive Ariz. Immigration Law

Morning Edition on NPR recently produced a great piece uncovering the direct relationship between Arizona Senate Bill 1070 and the prison industry. They also explain the secretive group called the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and the power it holds on state and federal legislation.

Listen to the podcast or read the article here.

Inspiration of the Week: REDU's Re:form School in NYC

Here's Lupe at REDU’s Re:form School, three days of events in NYC to call for the reform of the American Public Education System. The project sounded amazing, I would really love to do something like this in LA someday.

"We believe that by speaking the same language as the youth we teach, we can engage them in a discussion about sophisticated issues in their own communities and around the world. Through integrated technologies in the classroom, we’re able to do this in a more dynamic way than ever before."
- Re:Form School

Jake Shimabukuro - Blue Roses Falling

I really need to step my blog game up. I somehow for got to post this video I made in June of Jake Shimabukuro playing Blue Roses Falling in Hawai'i Kai.

I've been so inspired by the location musical performance videos on La Blogotheque that I've been wanting to try something like this for a while.

This particular performance was pretty spontaneous. We were shooting a recording session with Jake at this decked out studio in Hawai'i Kai, there were three huge fans (the kind that blow air) trying to get the weed smell out of the studio lounge that Kanye had supposedly left the night before. Anyway,there was this amazing private dock behind the studio and we asked Jake to play a song.

Blue Scholars - Lumiere

Blue Scholars inspired by The xx. Photographer John Coyne inspired by Blue Scholars. Keep that energy movin!

Last Minutes with ODEN

I'm not really a dog person but this film got me. Good film making all around. It invokes so much emotion and can trigger different memories for each person who watches it. And all in only 6 min.

Last Minutes with ODEN from phos pictures on Vimeo.

Youtube Video of the Week: Phoenix-Fly

Okay, so technically this is the Vimeo video of the week but who cares, these dudes can fly!!!

The Tillman Story

I'd been waiting to see this film ever since it was revealed that NFL player turned US soldier Pat Tillman had been killed by his own men in Afghanistan. The film exposes the US government's cold blooded cover-up of Tillman's death and the attempts to exploit the mourning felt by Tillman's family and others throughout the country to propagate patriotism and support for escalating the war in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The Tillman Story opened my eyes to the absolute control our government has over the military and media to propagate wars, manipulate it's citizens, then profit in the forms of billion dollar arms contracts, higher TV ratings, and launching political careers. This film has a lot of potential to expose the above realities to a much broader audience, including college and NFL football fans.

Bambu - Who's That?!

This is what happens when Bambu jacks Das Racist for their "Who's That? Brooown!" beat produced by Sabzi, then gets a big craving for some donuts...

Remembering Hank Gathers

Bo Kimble's left handed free throw has to be one of the best moments in college sports. I just got a little teary watching Guru of Go on ESPN's 30 for 30. I don't know how big of an impact Hank Gathers' death had in other parts of the country, but as a 10 year old in LA, it was one of the first times I was really saddened by the death of someone I didn't know personally.

Raider Hater

Ahh, beating the Chargers is the gift that keeps on giving! Niner fans, get your tissues ready!

A Song For Ourselves at the Pacific Rim Film Festival

A Song For Ourselves returns to Santa Cruz for the Pacific Rim Film Festival. Wish I could make it up for the screening. Fall in the Cruz is beautiful.

PACIFIC RIM FILM FESTIVAL
Sunday, Oct. 17th at 10p
Del Mar Theatre
Santa Cruz, CA.

Suicide September

The number of teen suicides in September caused by anti-gay bullying is up to 9. So many things need to change on an institutional and personal level. As a straight ally, the recent deaths are a wake-up call for me to speak-up and challenge the homophobia in my personal day to day.

Youtube Video of the Week: Worst Tattoo Customer

"don't get persnippity with me!"

Band of Horses at the Greek

My obsession with Seattle bands continue. Last Saturday I saw Band of Horses at the Greek Theater on a beautiful 70 degree September evening. It was the perfect night at the perfect venue. Lead singer Ben Bridwell was not at his best as he explained to the crowd that he “may have contacted SARS or something". Having followed Jake Shimabukuro earlier this month on tour, I have a better understanding of the grueling pace and physical toll life on the road can be for musicians. Even though Bridwell couldn't hit all his notes, he sang his heart out and we all appreciated the effort. Who wouldn't love a band who has a song titled "Detlef Schrempf"...did I mention they were from Seattle?

Here's an amazing bike video cut to their song "The Funeral"


The video for "No One's Gonna Love You"

Jake performing Bohemian Rhapsody in Hiroshima

I was in Japan for the first half of this month shooting Jake Shimabukuro on tour for the doc I'm doing on him. More details and photos from the trip to come. Here's some footage we shot of Jake in Hiroshima covering Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody which is featured on his upcoming album.



Jake is always on tour and will be performing in LA's Little Tokyo at the Asian American Music Festival on Oct. 16th.

Power Struggle - ArtOfficialFreedom music video

It's one thing to be part of a community of progressive artists, but it's a whole other thing when some of those people happen to be your favorite musicians period. That's how I feel about Nomi, front man of Power Struggle. Over the last couple of years I've gotten to know this brotha on a personal level but I am still just a huge fan of his music. His lyrics and delivery have this emotion and vulnerability that few emcees can capture.

Here's the video for "ArtOfficialFreedom", one of my favorite tracks off Power Struggle's latest album Remittances. I actually wanted to do the video for this song but director Jerome Palencia beat me to it.

Power Struggle "ArtOfficialFreedom" Music Video from Just Bombin Films on Vimeo.

ET on TV!

Still flying high off his recent live video remix/concert of his documentary Sounds of a New Hope, my old roommate Eric Tandoc has been getting some well deserved shine. Here he is on Kababayan LA with such articulate paraphrasing of Kiwi's empowering lyrics...

Nick Acosta at Oahu Ukulele Festival

Cecilio and Kapono was my favorite act at last months ukulele festival but this kid Nick Acosta was by far the most impressive...

Wu: The Story Of The Wu-Tang Clan

As misguided as it was, I confess that one of my first really empowering moments as an Asian American kid came when 36 Chambers dropped in middle school. Just like The Racial Draft I embraced Wu-Tang as they helped me define my own identity within hip hop at that time. C'mon dawg, Wu-Tang and Theo on The Beat? My teenage Asian masculinity had arrived!

Anyway, I just watched Wu: The Story Of The Wu-Tang Clan. Despite the low budget production, I thought the film was satisfying. The archival footage and interviews are classic, especially for a nostalgic Wu fan. My main critique is director Gerald Barclay's decision to put himself in the film, it just wasn't needed.

The Case for Community-Owned Bay Area Sports

"How much longer are we going to take being held hostage by shady, out of touch owners who don’t care about the communities where the teams reside? It’s time to take our teams back. It’s time to talk about municipalization."

The homie Kori Chen teamed up with his friend James Tracy to write a great article titled The Case for Community-Owned Bay Area Sports. Kori loves sports, loves The Town, and is a dedicated community organizer, all of which he exhibits in his article. On top of all that, the brotha gots vision. Hopefully we'll be reading more articles from him in the future.

Netflix Worthy: Facing Ali

Based on the book with the same name, Facing Ali is one of my favorite docs I've seen this year. I might be a little biased since I end up loving most films or books about Ali, but the fact that so much has been done on the legend over the years, makes this film even more impressive. We have heard all the soundbites and seen all the footage before, but it's the personality and vulnerability in the interviews that make this film. I'm convinced there are few things more entertaining than when old boxers talk story.



The use of text and the way the interviews were shot create a style that is both nostalgic and new. Hands down, the best interview in the film is with Leon Spinks. Dude is hilarious! When talking about Ali's politicization and name change he says:
"After Ali changed it from Cassius Clay to Muhammad Ali, everybody else started turning to Muslim. My name is Cooly Clala Cleely or Hooly Hooly or Walla Walla. I mean what the fuck is that? Well, my name's Leon and there ain't nothing white about that."

If your a fan of Ali I would highly suggest reading Redemption Song: Muhammad Ali and the Spirit of the Sixties and watching When We Were Kings. But you probably have already.

Netflix Worthy: The Two Escobars

ESPN Films' 30 for 30 series is one of my favorite programs on TV. What's even better is that most of the films are available on DVD as soon as they are aired so you can watch them without commercial breaks, the way that they were meant to be seen. I think The Two Escobars is the second best film in the series so far, Winning Time: Reggie Miller vs. the New York Knicks is still my favorite.



I loved director Jeff Zimbalist's previous film Favela Rising. Co-directed with his brother Michael, Zimbalist brings the same colorful visual style, drum beats, and social critique to the story of Colombian drug king Pablo Escobar and what is known as narco-fútbol. I still don't know what the hell I'm looking at when I watch a soccer game, but as the most popular international sport, especially in the third world, the political back stories of the game are fascinating.

If you don't have netflix you can watch the whole film on youtube.

Alto Arizona!

Rage Against SB 1070

Today the racist Arizona law SB1070 goes into law. Last Friday Rage Against the Machine performed at a benefit concert to raise money for two Arizona organizations fighting SB 1070; Puente, Arizona and The Florence Project. My old college roomie Jeff got me a ticket and needless to say, it was fucking amazing!

Here's an example how Rage front-man Zack de la Rocha was able to tie every song to the blatant racism that is going on in Arizona...


I got a call from Jeff the next day that started with "Dude, my neck is sore".

Free outdoor screening of Timeless feat. live video mix by J.Rocc

I'm organizing another outdoor screening in Little Tokyo next week. This one's for all music lovers...



FREE OUTDOOR SCREENING!
Friday, August 6th 2010, 7-10pm - JACCC Plaza

JACCC Plaza
244 S. San Pedro St.
Little Tokyo, Downtown LA
Map

TIMELESS is a series of three concert films featuring the music of composers/arrangers that have influenced hip-hop in the most profound ways; J DILLA (Suite for Ma Dukes), MULATU ASTATKE, and ARTHUR VEROCAI. J.ROCC of the World Famous Beat Junkies will be mixing all three films live for this special outdoor screening!http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=8602776546176291471&postID=4107454026863255897

Dublab will also be screening the best videos from their Vision Version film project.

The following food trucks will be serving up their best:
Lomo Arigato
Mandoline Grill
Tropical Shave Ice

Visit the Facebook event page
For more info please go to: http://www.jaccc.org/movieplaza2.php

Bambu - "Old Man Raps" Video

Kid Heroes, Xylophone and Bambu do it again...



Behind-the-scenes...

Jeremy Lin getting more than just looks.

I'm officially on the Jeremy Lin bandwagon! I had read a lot about the brotha before, but really, I wasn't about to watch a Harvard basketball game. After Lin's performance at the NBA summer league (especially against John Wall) it looks like he's gonna get picked up by the Warriors. As much as I would love for him to be in LA, I would rather see him get more money and the opportunity to play near his hometown in the bay, plus we all know what happens when an Asian brotha gets picked up by the Lakers.



I know the current NBA is a much different league than it was in the 1940's but the JA in me would like to take this opportunity to remind folks about Wat Misaka. Not only was Misaka the Knicks' first round pick in 1947 but he was the FIRST PERSON OF COLOR TO PLAY IN THE NBA!

Handcuffs by Native Guns

Download: “Handcuffs” - Native Guns(produced by Six Fingers)

“The message is threefold: to validate the community’s anger around the blatant murder of this young man (Oscar Grant), to spark a discussion and deeper analysis of what police are there to do beyond just enforcing the law, and to get folks to think strategically about how they want to react to this verdict, whatever it ends up being.”
-Kiwi of Native Guns

Download and listen to the No Justice Remix of Handcuffs produced by ET

Big Bang Big Boom by BLU

Favorite parts are the plastic bag at 3:15 and the use of building at 8:18.



Direction and animation by BLU
Production by ARTSH.it

Netflix Worthy: It Might Get Loud

Wish I would have caught It Might Get Loud (Dir. Davis Guggenheim, 2008) in a theater with a big sound system. I recommend it to any guitar nut, especially if you're a fan of Led Zeppelin, U2 or The White Stripes. The film does a really nice job of creating nostalgic scenes with all three artist as they literally walk you through significant locations in their careers. My favorite scene is when they tell the stories behind their first guitars. Jimmy Page is ice cold!

CNN Article on the Effects of Gulf Spill on Vietnamese Community

"About 80 percent of Vietnamese-Americans in the Gulf region are connected to the seafood industry..."
Read article here: Vietnamese fishermen in Gulf fight to not get lost in translation

Visual Acoustics

Just watched Visual Acoustics: The Modernism of Julius Shulman and was pretty disappointed. Julius Shulman's photographs are amazing and so are the houses and buildings he shot, but the film didn't do the work justice in the way it was presented. Kinda like a gallery with bad walls, frames, placement and light. The film did introduce me to the history and founders of LA's modern architectural movement. The opening photo montage was dope though.

500 Days of Summer Trailer Recut

Oh the power of editing and musical score...

Recut by ilikescott.com

This reminded me of how much I liked 500 Days of Summer. I could justify it by highlighting the dapper wardrobe, overall great art design, and my city as the backdrop...but that would just be to cover-up the fact that I just fell for the emo-cheese and like most films with Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

Kenny Endo, Kaoru Watanabe & Abe Lagrimas Jr. at JACCC

Here's some footage that I shot of Kenny Endo, Kaoru Watanabe & Abe Lagrimas Jr. drumming at the JACCC 30th Anniversary concert. Growing up JA in LA it's easy to get taiko'd-out, but these dudes bring a level of craft and energy that really separates them from the rest.

Ill Doctrine: T-Pain and the Know Nothing Know-It-Alls

(Via Jay Smooth) Just when I thought I couldn't lose any more respect for T-Painful:

Yo Mina Mina!

Last weekend my niece Mina Loy turned 3-years-grown! Since my nephew Gus had turned 1 a month ago, my family decided to have one big party for the both of them. Mina was born with paralyzed vocal cords and spent the first months of her life with a hole in her throat and was constantly in and out of the hospital. Now at 3, her vocal cords work 100% and she is constantly singing and won't shut-up!

I also just dove into the geeky world of DSLR video and got a Canon T2i. The party was a perfect time to give it a test run.



Hours after I got home from the birthday party I found out that a friend had lost her life earlier that day. The combination of both events reinforced the need to cherish the loved ones in your life and each day you have with them.

bikos - You Want It

First music video by the hometown homies bikos!

Bambu - "The Queen Is Dead" Music Video

Produced by Chicharon Adventures and Oishi Media.

Remittances in Stores Now!

"Remittances balances between subtle social commentary, to outright blood knuckle rage."



Listen for yourself and you'll understand why I've been so amped about this album. Favorite tracks so far: "Mr. Sagittarius", "Blood of my Heart" and "Artofficialfreedom".


A limited edition CD/t-shirt package is available at Beatrock Music. The album release party is going down on June 4 in San Francisco.

In Memory of Tam Tran and Cinthya Felix

Before she was taken away from us, Tam Tran left an imprint on this earth, leaving cracks in this broken-ass US immigration system. Tonight at the packed memorial for Tam and Cinthya Felix, we collectively realized that those cracks will continue to grow and widen as the organized fire that Tam and Cinthya sparked will burn in all of us until the DREAM act is passed and undocumented workers and students receive the full rights and protection of citizenship. Loteria Chicana provides a detailed account of the memorial.



I met Tam when she was a students in the EthnoCommunications program at UCLA. Through the process of making her film Seattle Underground Railroad, I got schooled on the experience of the undocumented student, as well as, Tam's own dedication as leader and filmmaker within the AB540 student community.

Here's a video that features both Tam and Cinthya:


Tam and Cinthya, thank you for all the work and leadership you provided us in such a short amount of time. Rest In Power!

Let's Go Los Suns! Yeah, I said it!

For me, the most interesting events are when the world of sports and issues of social justice collide. For this reason, Dave Zirin is by far my favorite sports journalist. So when Arizona signed SB1070 into law during the NBA playoffs, I knew Dave would not disappoint me.

I've hated the Phoenix Suns for so long that when I heard they were going to wear their "Los Suns" jerseys in protest of SB1070 I thought it was just a PR gimmick since they had already planned to wear the same jerseys because of Cinco de Mayo. But after reading Dave's article A New Era: Here Come The Suns, I gained much more respect for the whole organization, from management to the players.

"I think the law is very misguided. I think it is unfortunately to the detriment to our society and our civil liberties and I think it is very important for us to stand up for things we believe in. I think the law obviously can target opportunities for racial profiling. Things we don't want to see and don't need to see in 2010." - Los Suns' Steve Nash

In his follow-up article Los Suns Also Rise, Dave explains the significance of Phoenix's win over San Antonio and the larger meaning it had for the sports world. Now as a Laker fan, I compare Nash's quote above to what Phil had to say on the racist bill...

"If I heard it right the American people are really for stronger immigration laws.... I don't think teams should get involved in the political stuff." - Laker Coach Phil Jackson

The Lakers are still my team, but that doesn't mean I can't criticize them. Phil's conservative statements on SB1070 was the deal breaker for me. I'm not turning my back on my team forever, but in support of Phoenix's actions and in disappointment for Phil's blatant criticism of that action, for the 2010 Western Conference Finals only, I will be rooting for Los Sun!

Mass Movement TV - Nomi Talking About New Power Struggle Album

Here's a section from an interview that Eric and I did with Nomi (MC of Power Struggle) describing the evolution of Remittances. Shot and cut by Eric Tandoc:


Power Struggle is rapper Nomi accompanied by producers Mister Rey and Fatgums. Remittances will be released by Beatrock Music on May 18th.

Power Struggle Leak - "What Goes Up"

Here's the second leak off the upcoming Power Struggle album Remittances:

POWER STRUGGLE - What Goes Up DOWNLOAD

bikos - "Videogame Sandwich Diamonds" Acoustic Performance

A couple of years ago a group of friends that I grew up with formed a band called bikos. In a short amount of time they've already performed at some of LA's hottest (did I just say hottest?) music venues including the Hotel Cafe, Spaceland and the legendary Cinema Bar. They were recently featured in this Gorilla Acoustic video performing "Videogame Sandwich Diamonds".

Gabe rockin the ill Culver City High Centaurs warm-up jacket:


bikos' first music video is slated to drop soon. It's amazing to watch the kids you used to listen to over YMCA campfires evolve into rockstars!

TONIGHT! EthnoCommunications Retrospecitve at Hammer Museum

UCLA's Center for EthnoCommunications is where it all started for me. I speak on behalf of so many others when I say that the EthnoComm. program inspired, trained and grounded me in both theory and practice of utilizing video to serve and document our communities. Tonight (5/10) the Hammer Museum will be screening a retrospective of films produced by the students of EthnoCommunications over the last 14 years:

Watch a preview of the films that will be shown:

Sade - Babyfather

Hiii Ms. Paaarkeeer!

Youtube Video of the Week: My Playa Adventure - Burning Man 2009

During their post-Coachella LA trip, I got to catch up with my ole college buddy Bryant and his talented partner Nick. Their stories of the festival made me wish I could still party like it was 2001 but watching Nick's video from last years Burning Man really made me want to dust off the vick's inhaler and come out or retirement!



Nick recently has become a full-time filmmaker in the bay area, check out more of his work here.

A Song For Ourselves Wins at RiverRun!

A Song For Ourselves was awarded both Best Documentary Short and Best Student Documentary Short at last week's RiverRun Film Festival!

The Boondocks Final Season Premieres This Sunday

Set your DVRs, the third and final season of The Boondocks starts this Sunday (5/2) at 11:30p on Cartoon Network. Just like Chappelle's Show and The Wire, a show this good will never happen again.

MIA - Born Free

Out of all the films that have used this concept, I think this one is done the best...or I just love this woman! All my JA's out there, you recognize the mountains in the desert backdrop?

Repeal SB 1070!

Due to the passing of SB 1070 in Arizona:
*Criminalization of all undocumented immigrants as "trespassers" in the state of Arizona. All undocumented workers and their families are subjected to arrest and conviction for misdemeanors, and in some cases felony charges for the new crime of "trespass".

*Legalization of unchecked racial profiling by police of anyone they "suspect" is undocumented.

*Police now have the authority to enforce federal immigration law and arrest people who cannot produce identification proving their legal residency in the U.S.

*Makes seeking work illegal for day laborers and forces all individuals, regardless of immigration status or citizenship, to carry identification papers or be subjected to detention and even deportation.

The Losers Opens Today!

My brova-in-law David Checel's new movie The Losers opens today nation wide!


Comic heads already know what's up and The Wire fans know Stringer Bell is in the film. Roger Ebert gives it two thumbs up (his review gives away the whole movie) and Newsarama gives a shout to David's editing:

"Director of photography Scott Kevan’s sharp camera work and David Checel’s stylish editing provide The Losers with a certain rhythm throughout"

An Earth Day Message by Captain Planet (and Hari Kondabolu)

For all my fellow 80's babies...

A Song For Ourselves at RiverRun Film Festival - April 23, 24,25

A Song For Ourselves will be playing at the RiverRun Film Festival in Winston-Salem, NC this weekend. It will be playing in the Documentary Shorts #1 program on the following days:

April 23rd @ 5p at Aperture Cinema 2
April 24th @ 2p at UNCSA Campus - Gold Theater
April 25th @ 11:30a at Aperture Cinema 2

Rest In Power Guru

I have no shame in saying that Guru's passing hit me much more than MJ's.

24KMilkCrate X Blue Scholars

More footage from last weeks show at the Viper Room via 24KMilkCrateTV.

Inspiration of the Week: Ramen & Rappers

The Blue Scholars X Bambu tour came thru LA last friday and packed the Viper Room in Hollywood. These brothas have been on their grind for the last two months, selling out venues up and down the west cost. The Scholars premiered some new tracks off their upcoming album and Bam premiered a new "look" with the v-neck and cardigan.

Grynch and Bam jumped on stage to close out the show. Footage by the homie JayTan.


I got a chance to build with Sabzi and Geo while they were in town. We talked about everything from new projects to NBA playoffs. I'm always impressed with how thorough and conceptualized their vision is of where they want to go as a group. And even more impressive is their ability to execute and materialize that vision.

DJ Phatrick claimed to know the best ramen joint in LA, so we all had to try it.


The soon to be Mr. & Mrs. Steph Cariaga.


"cheers to my folks"


ass Movement X assline

And You Say Chi City

The Chicago trip was too quick, didn't get to see or taste much of the city but I did kick it with good folks and saw some old friends. The Nakamura Trifecta event went well, Goh is always great to see/hear live and Eric schooled me on the hu$tle game and called me a leach during the panel.

Before I got there, Eric, Goh and Tim were guests on a local radio station (listen to the show here).

Before our presentation at Columbia College, Tim found himself surrounded by Nakamuras and a whole lot of aaaaaahhyeaaaaaahh!


First thing I had to do in Chicago was get a hot dog, and it lived up to all the hype. As much as I love LA dirty dogs, I would rather have one of these any day.


Giant Robot X FAAIM


Two groups that made the Nakamura Trifecta possible was the Columbia College Office of Asian-American Cultural Affairs and the Multi-Cultural Youth Project (MCYP). I met a lot of dope students who are already making an impact in their area.


Before jumping on the plane home I caught up with the good homie Steve from MCYP over some Italian beef sandwiches. We talked about The Chi's fading connection to it's local Asian American history, hip hop, weddings, and he hipped me to the amazing things his youth are doing.


Check out Eric's report back here which includes photos of some of the best sushi I've ever had.

The Nakamura Trifecta in Chicago 4/13

Last year in San Francisco I met Tim Hugh, the mastermind behind the Chicago Asian American Showcase. We were hanging out with some folks for a private hotel room performance by Goh Nakamura. Tim told me that Eric Nakamura (Giant Robot) was on his way over and was wondering what would happen when three Nakamura's were in the same room. I eventually had to leave before Eric got there and the trifecta never happened. A year later, Tim worked his magic and got us all out here in Chicago for a panel titled "Byte This: Surviving the Digital Age".

Trilogy Screening in Austin

All three of my films will be screened together for the first time at the Association for Asian American Studies Conference tomorrow in Austin, TX! It'll be my first time in Texas, so of course I'm going to surround myself with a hotel full of Asians.

Goh Nakamura and Youtube

There was a article last Friday in the East Bay Express about Youtube's new "Musicians Wanted" project. The new project allows musicians to partner up with Youtube and actually share some of the revenue generated by their videos based on the number of views they get. The homie Goh Nakamura was featured in the article as one of the musicians who've partnered up with Youtube.

While I was at the Google compound last month I got a chance to talk to Michele Flannery, one of the people behind the Musicians Wanted project. We talked about how many of the young artists who've really been able to take advantage of Youtube are Asian American. She also talked about how many young musicians might be able to identify more with the lo-fi, singing-in-your-bedroom videos verses a full-blown concert on TV. Michele definitely knows what's up with the Asian American music scene, which is a good thing for all of us.

Go here to download Goh's latest album for free. Here's one of his music videos that has over a million views!

RIP Jaime Escalante

I still can't forgive Jaime Escalante for his public support of Prop 227, the bill that tired to eliminate bilingual education and played a huge role in denying immigrant communities in California basic rights and services. But he was an amazing teacher and inspired many students in LA to shatter the limits of academic achievement that were placed on them. His teaching career inspired the film Stand and Deliver, one of my favorite films growing up.

This scene ends with Lou Diamond Phillips' classic line:


True story, in high school I used to watch The Program before my football games and Stand and Deliver before my AP exams. That film had a lot to do with my decision to work hard in the classroom, and rock dickies...

Youtube Video of the Week: Scarface!

I thought my parents were pretty liberal for letting me and my friends watch Revenge of the Nerds during my second grade sleep-over party but parents and teachers of these kids are way cooler! Fudge the Little Mermaid, we gonna do Scarface in this Son-of-a-bee!

John Wall & Derrick Rose Beasting in High School

Since Kentucky got bounced I've had to get my John Wall fix through these High School highlight tapes. It's reasons like this that I LOVE youtube!



Derrick Rose in High School ain't too bad either...

Erykah Badu - "Window Seat" Video

Badass Erykah!!!!! Here's the first video off Ms. E. Badu's New Amerykah Part Two (Return Of The Ankh) due to drop on March 30th.



The "Inspired by Matt and Kim" credit in the opening of the video is in reference to the "Lessons Learned" video by Matt and Kim. At least Badu didn't try to hide the fact that the idea is off the bit. As much as I would rather watch Erykah over and over again, the filmmaker inside of me can't help but admit that the concept and execution is done better in this one...


*pause* Maaan, what the hell am I talking about! I'm bout to watch Erykah again!

Future States at SFIAAFF

While I was in the bay last week the homie Kori (the Cheddar Path) asked if I wanted to hit up the "Future States" short program at the San Francisco Int'l Film Fest. Not being a sci-fi dude at all and remembering that the last time Kori talked me into going to something I ended up wasting a day in NYC looking at unicorns and dragons in a museum, I was skeptical. But unlike the Mythical Creatures exhibit, I dug it.

ITVS got 11 youngish filmmakers and asked them "to take the current state of affairs in the United States, and extrapolate them into stories of the nation in the not-so-distant future." These three were my favorite...

PIA by Tanuj Chopra


Mister Green by Greg Pak


Silver Sling by Tze Chun

Otayo Dubb - So Opinionated Mixtape

Beatrock Music just released this free mixtape by Otayo Dubb titled So Opinionated.

-CLICK COVER ART TO DOWNLOAD-

-CLICK COVER ART TO DOWNLOAD-

Paul Valery Music Video by Blue Scholars

Fresh off their recent shows at SXSW, Blue Scholars just put out a video for "Paul Valery", a track they dropped last week. You can download the track here.

AOKI at SFIAAFF

The homie Ben Wang and co-director Mike Cheng's film AOKI is screening this week at the San Francisco Int'l Asian American Film Fest. The documentary is about Richard Aoki, a Japanese American who was one of the founding members of The Black Panther Party. Much respect to Ben and Mike for telling such an important story, staying true to the movement and their city, and pulling off a feature length doc as their first film.

Watch Ben and Mike talk about the making of AOKI:

Thanks Dave

Less than half way into this month and it's already been a crazy one. I entered my 30's, got rejected for the second time by the school I was raised to love, got accepted by the school that I was born to hate, and was presented with a possible opportunity that could shape the next 2 years of my life. I definitely feel like I'm at some kind of crossroad in my career path and it's been met by more anxiety than excitement.

Even though I heard about how amazing Dave Chappelle was as a guest on Inside the Actor's Studio back in '06, I never got around to watching it. Kinda like The Wire, I had slept on one of the most phenomenal things to happen to TV in a long time. But in a way, I'm glad I hadn't seen it until last night because I doubt the impact and inspiration that I got from Dave's words would have been as high if I wasn't at this crossroad.

If you've never seen this before or haven't since it came out, do yourself a favor and watch it:



Thanks Dave!

Offical Video for "Slow Down"

Here's the final cut of Bam's video that I did a behind-the-scenes piece for a while back. Props to Cinematographer Anthony Ignacio for making this video look so clean. Too bad all the homies who thought they were gonna make their video hoe debut got left on the cutting room floor.

National Day of Action to Defend Public Education

Here's a couple of photos from the March 4th National Day of Action to Defend Public Education:

Rallies, marches and building takeovers popped off in cities and campuses all over the country. I took a long lunch break and hit the streets of Downtown LA:


Met up with director Eric Tandoc and the Shining Sons, a rap duo (and twin brothers) who attend Long Beach Poly HS.


As always, the homie Bev and the rest of the AnakBayan LA crew were holing it down:

Thanks For The Love Claremont!

I've presented at the Claremont Colleges three times now and each trip has been worth that long ass drive. Last week I presented a workshop on "API Youth Cultures and Empowerment" at their Asian American Students Spring Conference. I got to build with a room full of students as we watched and listened to the evolution of API cultural workers from Chris Iijima to Faith Santilla to Hari Kondabolu. After the conference we all met up at Bambu's album release party.

The homies from the Claremont Colleges (and a couple of alumni who still think they are students):

Rest In Power Loni Ding

Last week we lost a true legend when pioneering filmmaker, teacher and mentor Loni Ding passed away at age 78. Asian American Cinema would simply not exist if it were not for Loni and the handful of filmmakers of her generation. As an Asian American documentary filmmaker I can only hope to influence and inspire a portion of the people she was able touch. Please learn more about Loni here and here.

Bambu on Soul Assasins Radio

Bam doing his thang thang with DJ Muggs and Mr. Choc on Soul Assasins Radio, make sure and peep his freestyle at the end..

Bambu's New EP "Paper Cuts" Drops Today

Beatrock Music just released Bambu's new EP "Paper Cuts". The EP is packed with guest features including Geo from Blue Scholars, Thurzday of U-N-I, and Malcolm & Martin. Go here for details on all the tracks. Cop it now at Beatrock Music or download it on itunes.

Here's my favorite joint off the EP produced by my JA brethren Fatgums:

The Queen is Dead - Bambu

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