the green room

New Location!

2006-08-20T12:20:00.000-05:00

Check us out at the new spot. Click on the banner below.

Movements of Jah People

2006-08-10T22:14:00.000-05:00

Well, after about a year of my going on and on about nothing. And your consistently returning to find nothing of any redeemable intellectual value whatsoever.... we must bid farewell to blogger.

Yes fight fans, the official blog of Spliffie Designs will now be posted on the maddeningly popular MySpace (www.myspace.com/spliffie). We already have a space there, so it was only natural that we start posting over there. C'mon, it's no biggie really.

Look at the bright side, now you'll be able to subscribe to the blog and get the updates without having to check the site.

...Did I say that was a good thing?

REMEMBER: www.myspace.com/spliffie

The Maroons & Emancipation

2006-08-02T08:28:00.000-05:00

One day after Emancipation Day 2006 – which, for some, signals the advent of Negril ATI weekend – I’d like to put down a few words about a community of heroes called the Maroons and the great warrior spirit called Nanny.

Che Guevara said that in guerilla warfare, the terrain is one’s greatest ally. In Jamaica’s hilly interior, an indomitable group of people have known this for centuries. Living close to the land and possessing no small amount of survival skills, the Maroons have managed to maintain a community with strong cultural traditions, derived largely from the Koromantin of Africa’s west coast.

Tagged ‘Maroon’ by the British who thought that their pesky habit of escaping was like the wild stallions they also kept as inventory, these people kept fleeing slavery for the hills. The horses were called Cimarron by the Spanish and seemed, in fact, to possess a similarly fierce love for freedom.

None personified the Maroon spirit more than Nanny of the Maroons, also called Grande Nanny of the Windward Maroons. A warrior priestess and a tiller of the soil, she was mother to a nation of thousands embroiled in a life and death struggle for freedom.

She kept the ancient traditions alive by singing the songs and telling the stories to her people. By farming, she fed her people, through her knowledge of herbs she was able to heal them, and with the aid of the ancestors, she was able to keep all her ‘yoyo’ safe.

The legendary guerilla fighter made her home high atop the Blue Mountains at Nanny Town, one of numerous Maroon settlements across the island. The Maroons held the high ground, driving terror and confusion into the world’s most formidable army at the time, keeping them at bay for half a century. Under the leadership of Nanny and Kojo, her brother and chief of the Leeward Maroons, the British were brought to a truce.

Nanny was a spiritual leader renowned for her ferocious fighting spirit and never-say-die philosophy. Kojo, the chief of operations, was the one who actually signed the treaty. Nanny wanted as little to do with the arrangement as possible and made it clear that her agreement was only with Kojo, who, in turn, signed the treaty on behalf of the Maroons. She also insisted the treaty be sworn in blood.

The community was at odds over the signing of the treaty. Kojo wanted peace with the British and a unified Maroon nation, Nanny wanted unity to fight the British. She was certain that a treaty would only mean slavery in a different form. She knew, however, that unification would give the Maroons the extra strength in numbers to drive the British soldiers back once and for all.

In the characteristic divide-and-conquer strategy of our colonial oppressors, the treaty gave the Maroons land and some degree of sovereignty while calling for the Maroons to crush any future slave uprisings in the island.

To this day, many Maroons still believe they could have got a better deal had they continued fighting – like maybe the entire island they had lived on without harassment for 100 years. There are also those who believe they sold out their brothers in melanin by standing against them. Notwithstanding, they became the first group in the ‘new world’ to gain their ‘independence’ from a European colonizer 66 years before their actions inspired the Haitian revolution.

The Haitian revolt was itself sparked in 1791 by Boukman, a Jamaican Maroon and high priest.

The above photo was taken in Moore Town at the burial site for Nanny’s earthly remains. If anyone out there knows the flower, give a holla. It has quite a regal quality to it. I took the photo and went back one week later to find no trace of the plant.

Coincidence…?
I think not!

Sorry for the xtra-long post. Feelin the spirit…

Check the site: http://www.spliffie.com/

So Much Things to Say

2006-07-30T01:22:00.000-05:00

miss lou is gone, and so too are all the tape recordings of her groundbreaking television show ring ding. yes the geniuses (or is that genii?) at what used to be jbc tv would apparently grab a ring ding tape or some other archival footage whenever they needed to tape over something. i guess buying a new tape would have been too easy…

eyewitnesses testify to this and another vile atrocity – a pile of tapes left outside to the elements. the element on the given day happened to be rain.

what is wrong with this picture?

we claim to be a ‘roots and culture’ society, but do we realize what is happening here? what is being passed on to our youth besides ‘how to clean a gun in three easy lessons’?

our ancestors lived and died so we could have liberties like voting and free speech and what have we done with them so far? we’ve become a barbarous society that dismembers children and hastens toward its own demise. we’ve used our freedom of speech to slander women and promote violence. good role models are on the ‘endangered species’ list.

louise bennett-coverley (pictured above), the mother of modern jamaican theatre, represents a time when good role models were more and plenty. a time when you could literally walk anywhere in jamaica at any time of the night or day and any adult could discipline a wayward youngster on the road. a time when people actually felt connected.

nowadays, we are witnessing a changing of the guard. the old networks that flourished in the 70s and 80s and stacked their pensions in the 90s are leaving town one way or the other. the young bucks, the entrepreneurs and the revolutionary thinkers have been assuming their positions of leadership. the time is now.

our youth are an untapped resource of bright, questioning and infinitely valuable minds. the new generation of leaders needs to be mindful of their role in the creation of jamaica’s future, particularly in these times of worldwide unrest.

did i mention there’s some new stuff on http://www.spliffie.com/? not that i’m trying to plug the site or anything, but we’re currently in the september issue of high times magazine (on newsstands now!!) and we’re always doing something new.

coming in august: stress relief mondays

walk good miss lou!

check it out: http://www.jis.gov.jm/special_sections/Independence/MissLouProfile.html

The weight of the world

2006-07-06T04:49:00.000-05:00

CHE GUEVARA: 1928 - INFINITY

What's it all about?

2006-07-06T04:38:00.000-05:00

‘think you’re in heaven but you’re living in hell.’

sitting here, listening to the late great robert nesta marley and thinking about friends who have gone too soon. have they really gone too soon, or is it just too soon for us?

sometimes i wonder if we come here to achieve specific objectives. and once those objectives are achieved, we pass on to whatever else there is. those objectives could be internal or external. we could have come to figure out autism from the inside, for instance, or we could have come to try to heal our alcoholic father. or both.

and what’s the whole thing about anyway? why are we here and howcome we didn’t get an instruction manual? is this all somebody’s idea of entertainment? or, worse, a joke?

in the truman show, jim carrey plays a guy who’s being filmed 24 hours a day and has no idea. meanwhile, it’s being broadcast into the homes of millions of people worldwide. the show’s immense popularity makes it big business and truman is kept in the dark at all costs. reality tv at its best.

or maybe it’s a virtual game like the matrix. maybe we’ve all payed huge sums to be sent into this alternate virtual reality where we live an entire life with the one prerequisite that makes the game really interesting: we forget everything we know at the beginning.

in the end, as they say, nothing matters -- except those things we make matter.

so do like the cliche and live every day like it could be your last. because it really could. laugh hard, cry hard, love hard. so, get out there and breathe country air, go skydiving or just light up a big fattie -- whatever floats your boat. just make sure you enjoy the last ounce out of it. time is never promised, it is a gift.

what we do with our time could change the world.

light and love to family and friends of ian.

.

Jr. Gong and Monty the Python

2006-06-25T00:02:00.000-05:00

sorry for the delayed post, a lot has been going on. most pertinently, i had a virus which left me with a migraine for 3 days during the time in which i should have been posting a blog.

but i digress...

i assisted on a Martei Korley shoot last week. The subject was the empress of the dancehall -- Tanya Stephens.

Of course dat mean bere joke as usual.

Tanya was clearly in good health and good spirits as she posed and posed and posed for Martei. And she did it all with nary a complaint (well, maybe once... but those mosquitoes were vampires!) and efficiently done. a true professional.

it was a pleasure working with the lady as usual. Big up to man like Andrew and Monty the Python (shown above).

That same night, i made a small appearance on the set of Jr. Gong's new videos. That's right, they shot two of them simultaneously over a gruelling couple days right here in Kingston.

One video is for one of my favorite songs on the CD. a likkle chune titled 'Move', with a sample from the bigger Gong's 'Exodus'. Directed by Ras Kassa, and styled by Michelle Haynes (Third World Cop, Dancehall Queen), the videos look hot. One of the locations is an auto junkyard and the other is a place which shall go nameless on this here site. that other video is for 'All Night' -- keep an eye out in that one for Spliffie tees, found at Spliffie.com!

just in case u're wondering, i did indeed meet with the big man himself. Gong was gracious and cool, and we are apparently both men of few words. i would like to say this, we're proud of him and he and Stephen should keep up the excellent work.

been listening to the music since the first CD, 'Mr. Marley'. since then there's been growth and a maturity of work. also a refreshing dose of true creative energy in the writing and the arrangements.

and congratulations on the Grammy'S with a capital 's'. that's two this year, one about 3 years ago for those who didn't know.

Notes from the lab...

2006-06-11T09:26:00.000-05:00

A quick note to say the website we refuse to mention by name is up and running. feel free to check the link www.spliffie.com. this is still a transition phase for www.spliffie.com, and there is much more to come as we move toward our official SEPTEMBER 2006 SPLIFFIE.COM LAUNCH!!! Not that we're trying to promote it or anything, but between now and through September, there'll be Specials, Giveaways and All Sorts of Tomfoolery. So stay tuned...

A little hemp ed.

2006-06-09T23:08:00.000-05:00

I just wrote a whole highly informative piece about hemp and had it vanish into e-oblivion.

It's a good thing I'm a Buddhist. Actually I'm not a Buddhist, but I do admire their powerful yet non-violent approach to being. In the spirit of the Zen masters who create masterpieces in sand only to have it washed away, I shall proceed. for there is as much truth in the journey as in the destination.

Hemp and cannabis products range from fabric for clothing, sails and shoes to paper to medicines for various ailments, including glaucoma and asthma. Industrial hemp and ganja are the same plant. They’re only different because hemp has a lower THC content (usually less than two percent) and hemp is reaped before the flowering process, or budding, takes place, because the fibres start to deteriorate at that point. In marijuana, those 'buds' are what eventually get smoked, but hemp is grown for its fibrous properties.

The hemp plant itself has great benefits and would help Jamaica -- any agricultural society -- a great deal toward becoming a self-sustaining country. The plant can be used to create plastics and fuels. Henry Ford created a car from hemp-based plastics that ran on fuels extracted from the plant.

The root system of the hemp plant is so large and complex that it can be used to prevent landslides and soil erosion. It is also good for land reclamation. The seeds are edible and can produce oil. Just some of the many many uses…

The 1937 Marijuana Tax Act created the criminalization of the plant in the western hemisphere that persists today. The act was introduced to the United States Congress by then Commissioner of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, Harry Anslinger, a man actually quoted as saying, "Marijuana makes darkies think they're as good as white men."

The act was also presented to Congress under false pretences. The following was quoted from the hearing:

(From the Floor): "Did anyone consult with the AMA and get their opinion?"

(Representative): "Yes, we have … and they are in complete agreement."

This statement was incorrect since the American Medical Association (AMA) had only become aware that the ‘marijuana’ referred to in the bill was actually the cannabis that had been prescribed for the last 100 years just two days before their evidence.

I’m not kidding. Feel free to check out the links below or look it up yourself if you’d like. Be sure to e-mail me anything interesting: spliffie@cwjamaica.com.

Oh, did I mention above t-shirt modeled by Melissa and designed by Spliffie Designs. For those just joining us, the website http://www.spliffie.com/ is going through a relocation and renovation period, but we’ll be up and blazing within the next 3-5 days. Meanwhile, catch a peek at our new designs.

I shall leave you with a biblical quote:
Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth, and every tree that has fruit in it.” Genesis 1: 29-30

Reference sites:
http://www.geocities.com/medicalmarijuana2003/fact26.htm
http://www.reference.com/browse/wiki/1937_Marijuana_Tax_Act
http://www.jackherer.com/index.html

While you're waiting...

2006-06-07T04:25:00.000-05:00

Spliffie.com is using this downtime as a transition phase. A chance for a new beginning if you will. The young lady pictured above is Melissa. We recently wrapped the shoot for a print ad (more on that later). Ras Martei Korley, photographer extraordinaire, was on point as usual. Martei is growing from strength to strength and Melissa did an excellent job. We're excited about it. But you'll see...

The Case of The Missing Website

2006-06-07T03:47:00.000-05:00

It has come to our attention that the website, which we have faithfully refused to mention by name, www.spliffie.com, is down for unspecified reasons. There is a clue on the site however: 'Please contact the billing/support department ASAP' it says. In other words 'pay your bill Spliffie.'

Now that's interesting, considering that a certain unnamed internet service provider (Anngel!!!) hasn't sent us a single bill in 11 months. Anyway, stay tuned as we continue to bring you the saga of spliffie.com...

Just kidding, we wouldn't bore you with that senseless drama. But on a serious note, what is the deal with the poor customer service in Jamaica? It's become a culture. Instead of 'the customer is always right, it's more like 'the customer is always wrong and he needs to get the hell out after giving up his cash anyway.'

I hate to point out the obvious, but that same customer is the only reason you collect a paycheck at the end of the month, week or hour -- whatever floats your boat.

Good customer service is not just a pretty smile and a cloying dose of courtesy. It's a way of thinking. It starts with the perspective that the customer is the point of focus. It involves a solution-oriented approach to all problem solving and a neighbourly approach to all interactions.

It also involves a certain level of trust. People aren't always trying to rip each other off. Some of us are perfectly willing to spend our hard-earned money as long as yuh naw try dig out wi eye. A happy customer means repeat business which means sustainability. A happy customer also means positive word-of-mouth, the most powerful marketing tool bar none.

I also happen to think we could use the positivity. Sometimes positivity is a choice. Choosing to do the neighbourly thing or the random act of kindness may seem scary at first, but just try it. It feeds on itself. It is usually immediately repaid in some form.

And it would just make Jamaica a nicer place to live in dammit.

Anyway, let me not bore you to tears. Yet. Just wanted to say we've spotted the glitch on the site and as soon as we remove our shoe from Anngel's ass tomorrow, we're changing ISPs. And Spliffie will ride again.

We'll be in touch...

AIRPLANES AND SPLIFFIE® TEES!

2006-05-24T03:22:00.000-05:00

Greetings faithful Greenies!
I come to you fresh from George Bush's front lawn. I had cause to visit the Washington DC/Virginia/Maryland tri-state area (Big up UMCP!). Saw the Pentagon not looking all the worse for wear. Just a word on those tiny little things which we trust our bodies to across great bodies of open water -- airplanes.

I never used to think I had a fear of flying...

Anyway, the trip was refreshing and was a chance for us to make some overseas links and renew some strong bonds (Love and light to Danny and Mel in VA!). But enough about me, the trip also allowed me to see what business can be like when small entrepreneurs aren't being taxicated to death and when systems are in place that work.

As a result, Spliffie tees will now be available for purchase online at www.spliffie.com.

Depending on your choice of shipping options, your Spliffie should get to you within 2 weeks -- in some cases as little as 3 days. For yardies (do we still say that?) we ship by TARA -- nice and affordable. And for everybody else we'll be shipping out of the USA.

Right now there are only four designs available. But fret not, we'll be introducing more designs next month and that's right around the corner. We've got quite a bit up our sleeve (or is that sleeves?) so stay tuned...

And big-up Spirit Air for allowing a brotha to catch a flight.

Hip Hop and Spliffie®

2006-05-02T01:23:00.000-05:00

Speaking of
HipHop and Spliffie Designs....
This tribute to da boom bap
is also one of the new
Spliffie Designs collection.
The new stuff just landed and is
coming off the presses as we speak.
Look out for pics right here --
and the soon-to-be-reloaded website
which we will never ever
mention by name on this blog:
www.spliffie.com.
Stay tuned.

hip hop: the jamaican link

2006-03-19T23:45:00.000-05:00

i'm listening to a tune called 'everlasting bass' from 1988 by rodney-o and joe cooley. and if you actually remember that tune, look into yourself coz you've been listening to too much hip hop.

yes folks, it's ole school hip hop nite at spliffie's vegan bar and grill. queen pen and the lost boys and a tune called 'a party ain't a party (til i run through...)'.

for those of you who might not know, hip hop was started in 1979 by (among others) a jamaican going by the name: cool herc. he used to dj at parties, 'toasting' between songs and during the instrumental breaks. he also got two MCs to work the M.I.C. (Cool Herc & The Herculoids) while he extended those instrumental breaks using 2 records and scratching and mixing. herc used to spin dancehall but soon moved to using funk and then disco records because the dancehall music wasn't a big thing with the americans. his herculean sound system was legendary -- a true jaycan soundman.

funny to see how we've all come full circle. after a bit of estrangement in the eighties, while jamaicans listened to air supply, we're chums again! hip hop and dancehall are tighter than ever with some american artists coming here so often they might as well live here. meanwhile some jamaican artistes (who the cap fit...) unofficially migrate. and the music has certainly been benefitting from the exchange. purists, beg pardon.

big up cool herc -- innovator and sound destroyer.

above is one of the new designs from that t-shirt designer who shall remain unmentioned, but whose website is http://www.spliffie.com/. stay tuned amid the construction, there are interesting e-times ahead. particularly for those of you in the US of A.

and lastly, i would like it noted that this update is one jamaican week after the last one -- as promised. i told you i was serious.

General Penitentiary -- Kingston, Jamaica

2006-03-08T01:40:00.000-05:00

In keeping with the tradition of incongruous photos, here is a shot of Kingston's very own General Penitentiary.
Thought the shot might be interesting.

Then the funniest thing happened, the guard waved and kept waving until we got the shot.
I think we even got a smile (see closeup).

Welcome to Jamrock.

By the way, I'll be updating the blog on a weekly basis from now on. Through rain and sleet and hail and snow. I need your help to pick a day to post new bloggings. So click on the comments link and give me a day of the week.

TOTAL Customer Service

2006-03-08T01:29:00.000-05:00

I had the most remarkable experience the other day.

I went to the Total gas station by Stanton Terrace with my wife and two toddlers in tow. As soon as I finished paying for my gas and was pulling out of the bay, my 3-year-old uttered the seven words that always seem to come at the wrong time.

“Papa,” she says, “I need to use the bathroom.”

I pulled over at the nearest spot, no time for parking spaces. We’re in an emergency situation here! We got directions to the restroom and headed straight for it. Of course it needed a key. So we ended up asking the same attendant who pumped our petrol if we could borrow the key.

I remember her asking me if my daughter was the one who needed to use the facility. I said yes, but thought it was a strange question at the time. A little forward even.

Then I noticed she was following us. To make sure we got in and maybe make sure the place wasn’t flooded, I thought.

But as we got to the restroom, the attendant stepped ahead of us and into the tight squeeze of a room. She took some hand towels, squirted soap on them and proceeded to clean the toilet. She even lifted the ring and cleaned the rim of the bowl.

Time stood still for me.

I stood there and thought about how I’d been mildly annoyed at her just moments earlier, so intent on getting my daughter to the bathroom before catastrophe could rear its ugly head. She was only thinking about my little sleepyhead in pajama pants. I watched her do this thing for a perfect stranger without a second thought.

Suddenly a lot of things didn’t matter and a lot of other things did. It felt good to be a human being.

Then she just washed her hands and left.

So I just wanted to big her up. Even though I never got her name, I hope she knows who she is. She touched me and showed me hope for a place that seems so hateful sometimes. I want to tell her she is a very special person and to keep shining.

And my ‘thank you’ wasn’t nearly enough.

COMINATCHYA!

2006-02-02T23:49:00.000-05:00

www.myspace.com/mizrimusic

The many faces of MIZRI

2006-02-02T23:02:00.000-05:00

Well, the search for the now infamous Rootz Underground picture continues. I thought I had my hands on it the other day, then I rearranged my office...

That aside, this post is a special shout out to the man of steel holding it down in Colorady, USA. Mizri, aka Wayne Rodney, an honest-to-goodness Kingstonian who made the northern move last year, has been making music for the last fifteen years. Time and experience -- and a music fairy that dropped some seriously high-tech equipment on his hands -- have given depth to Mizri's sound and a swagger to his rhymes.

An eclectic set of influences give way to a passion for experimentation. His sound can be described as a fusion of dancehall, hiphop, kung fu, or anything else you might think you hear. I've seen live footage of a jazz-lounge-unplugged version of my personal fave: 'flies'. Nice. The sometimes-recluse seems comfortable enough on stage -- maybe even loving it a little...

Anyway, the pics are from a 2005 photo shoot with yours truly as the triggerman. The smaller pic is from his latest promo CD (graphics by Mizri himself).

But don't just take my word for it, check out his stuff, and memba mi tole ya -- watch de ride: www.myspace.com/mizrimusic

Peace.

ROOT CANALS!

2006-02-02T12:30:00.000-05:00

So I went to the dentist today for my five-year checkup and, just as i suspected -- cavity.
Of course, having waited 5 years to pop in, i have allowed my cavity to become a chasm inside my own tooth (see x-ray).
I had already developed my own suspicions though, particularly when tap water was suddenly too cold for my teeth. And sure enough, eventually she said the two words nobody wants to hear: 'root canal'.
The look on my face must have been priceless, because she laughed and said not all of the things I'd heard about root canals were true. I think that was meant to be reassuring, but in light of the fact that she refused to tell me which ones were true, the last thing I felt was reassured.
Two x-rays and almost six thousand jamaican dolleros later, I feel like the bottom left side of my face no longer exists and nobody told my tongue. No, I didn't get the ROOT CANAL today, I have to go to a specialist for that. Today I had to get an old filling patched.
Those dentists sure have nice drugs...
I found it amusing that the dentist should speak of the specialist in hushed tones like he's expensive. I mean if she thinks the specialist is pricey and I think she's pricey then what the hell am I in for?!!
Troublesome thing with these ROOT CANALS is the sooner the better.
So look out the for the Root Canal Post coming soon to a green room near you.
And check out the still-under-construction website, we've started uploading the new stuff: www.spliffie.com

ps. for all those people (and you know who u are) who have pointed out that i'm not updating this blog regularly enough, it would help if you leave comments so i know you're listening.

Happy New Year of the Fire Dog!

2006-01-19T22:03:00.000-05:00

Happy new year !
Welcome to the Year of the Fire Dog. It's supposed to be a lucky year as long as we don't undermine it with negative energy. It's also supposed be a year to get in touch with our creative side. For some of us that means getting reacquainted with the artist in us.
In light of this, I'm attaching a picture of a sculpture I did shortly after I dropped out of art school (I hope that's not a revelation for too many of you).
It was made from bones, and was part of a body of work that represented my first real mature expression of honest exploration. It also marked the rift between myself and the school. My tutors wanted me to go in their direction(s) at a time when i was only beginning to understand what my own voice sounded like.
It was intensely frustrating and I got to a point where I couldn't even draw a stick man. I had lost so much confidence in myself that I could no longer create.
But then I came to a place where it didn't matter whether I got a grade, or what grade it was. I started to do whatever I had a natural affinity for. I just started making the art I wanted to make. It looked a little weird to me when I started the first few pieces, okay, the first two or three dozen pieces. But I was always mystified by the end product. That was a first for me.
For the first time I truly felt a close connection with the source of all creativity.
I also realise there is an interconnectedness of ideas. All creativity comes from the same place. It's the reason why two people on opposite sides of the world can come up with the same idea at the same time. It's the same energy that creates anything and everything (and the nothing too).
I knew I had to leave school.
Since then I've won national awards for writing, sculpture, drawing, painting, photography and I can actually say I'm now a professional artist and I also write for the island's largest newspaper.
So you see kids, eat your green leafy veggies.
And always follow your gut.

ps. I am not encouraging school-leaving (to stem the debate), but I am encouraging the following of one's own intuition at all times, that small voice that always answers first and clearly.

pss. I know this stuff is a little heavy for a saturday morning (we roll moody here in the green room), so I'm sending out another post for all you hiphop lovers out there.
Actually it's more like a fusion...

pss. The name of the piece (for those of you who have actually read this far) is Icarus' Dream

BATTLE OF THE BANDS!

2005-11-16T23:13:00.000-05:00

so i went to 'battle of the bands' at kingston's backyaad last sunday. sixteen bands, eight minutes each -- which for most meant two songs. i think a couple of them slipped an extra tune or two in there but i can't be sure. did i mention backyaad has a bar? -- just kidding, i stopped drinking... seriously.
anyway, did i also mention that i did a mural at backyaad? if you ever happen to go, check out the pool room. it was a collaboration with Natalie Barnes, who has a solo exhibition (her first i think) coming up, as well as a book and a couple other projects i'm not sure i can mention yet.
but back to the battle.
the bands were good listening for the most part. but in light of the fact that this was just the jamaican leg of a global competition, the grading could have gone a little differently.
hats off to Downstairs (big up man like Bas!), No Credit and eventual third place winners, Rootz Underground. these bands gave a professional display with good music, a strong charismatic stage presence and even a maturity beyond their years. case in point, Rootz front man, Stevie G's handling of a stage crasher with the finesse of a veteran to a roar of applause.
the judges eventually bestowed first and second places on Live Wyre and C-Sharp respectively. both bands have tour experience on their resumes and are in a kind of semi-professional grey area i suppose. but it certainly didn't seem to me like Ibo Cooper and another judge should have been coaching Live Wyre's lead singer on mic handling during the performance.
what ever happened to unbiased judging?
I guess it fell on the floor when Ibo threw his grading sheets up in the air while openly rejoicing at Live Wyre's entrance.
what did you say happened to unbiased judging?
so anyway, to the victor, the spoils. Live Wyre goes on to to vie for the hundred grand US and world tour. the world finals are going to be in hong kong on november 26th.
if you happen to be there you should pass through...
oh yeh, the above pic is Rootz Underground at weekenz a few months ago.
and thanks and a big choops to Connie for encouraging the i to write this posting (putting it mildly). walk good and keep holding it down over there in the UK luv!
Blessings!

(still searching for the Rootz pic...)

Ms. Stephens

2005-11-05T21:35:00.000-05:00

Hello Faithful Bloggers,

Did i mention that i write for the Sunday Gleaner Arts section, and that you can catch the articles online too. my most recent story was about a Brazilian Painter http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20051030/arts/arts1.html who visited Jamaica and had an exhibit here of paintings done since his arrival. Carlos Bracher, real nice guy.

Did i mention also this is the official unofficial blog of Spliffie Designs but we have sworn never to mention the website www.spliffie.com even though it is currently under reconstruction and the brand new (two years in the making!) collection, titled 'Message' is in production as we e-.

Anyway, having said and not said that, i am attaching a pic of Tanya Stephens to this short-but-sweet blog posting. Took the pic while assisting ace photographer Ras Martei Korley on a shoot. Martei, we have a free Selassie t-shirt for you. If you actually read this far you'll know to come collect it when you hit de Rock.

The shoot was a lot of fun coz Tanya is supercool and hilarious to boot. Not surprising though, her music is intelligent and well done. Bless up Tanya! We won't tell anybody that the vodka-cranberries weren't just a prop...

Rita and Bogle

2005-09-24T00:37:00.000-05:00

hello green roomers,

long time no e-. i must apologise for being off the radar for the last month or so, i was particularly busy and i thought no one was really reading this stuff anyway. however, after being bombarded with two requests, i thought it was time to restart the blogging.

at this posting, hurricane rita (category 3 and massively big) is rapping at the u.s. gulf coast's proverbial door.

sending all my positive energy out to my cousins jj and chris richards in houston, texas! at least, they were in houston at last report. hoping they got out ahead of all the stationary traffic and that all is -- and will be -- well.

if you guys read this, please drop a negro a line so i can pass the word on to the rest of the fam.

anyway, in keeping with the green room tradition, i'm including a picture of the late great mr. wacky, otherwise known as bogle. the man who gave us our first real dancehall dance with a name, precipitating the deluge of dances that are now a staple of the dancehall scene worldwide. i met the man himself less than a year before his unfortunate run-in with a hail of bullets outside a constant spring road gas station in kingston. he was the same in person if a little less flamboyant, and boy did he love the camera. safe travels bogle. hope the journey was a learning experience.

this entry is really just a check-in, so folks can know i'm alive and not kidnapped. take a gander at my first published editorial piece below. the piece was published in the gleaner a couple weeks ago and proves that i can not only form complete sentences, but that i actually have a social conscience.

to be continued (soon)...

Politics as usual

2005-09-24T00:35:00.000-05:00

Here is a column I wrote after the recent islandwide demonstrations...

Politics as usual
Michael Robinson
Gleaner Writer

Well, the sun has set on another day of politics as usual in our fair isle – a day of scheduled ‘peaceful demonstrations’ ostensibly to highlight the poor job our government has been doing for almost two decades. Organised by the opposition Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), members of which are hailing the day as a success, the demonstrations caused the shutdown of our public transportation system as well as countless schools and businesses. One day’s worth of productivity down the drain for an economy that is already dangerously close to recession.

The protests got off to an early start, with notices of closure riddling the morning airwaves. The usual festival of finger-pointing between the two major parties began almost immediately. It seems that having mobilised their supporters to participate in the perfectly legal activity of peacefully demonstrating, the JLP leadership was caught unawares when their supporters decided to block the country’s roads.

What a surprise.

Our government, for its part, spent the day condemning the protests and claiming the JLP had lost control over its supporters. Dr. Peter Phillips, minister of national security, seemed content to write the whole thing off as a JLP-led demonstration with some PNP supporters involved. When asked if the government was going to do anything differently in the short term, information minister, Burchell Whiteman said they have already been doing things differently. In other words, the demonstrations will have absolutely no effect on policy. No rollbacks, no reconsiderations, no changes.

What a surprise.

The only real surprise is that this country’s politicians are still doing things the same way. When are we going to have an opposition that actually offers solutions instead of merely pointing out the government’s failings? When are we going to have a government that comes up with economic solutions other than taxation and running up debt?

At a time when our economy should be fed the nutrients necessary for growth and sustainability, government policy seems to be doing the opposite. Small businesses are one solution to the problem of job creation, yet they are being taxed out of existence. Education is another way forward which has traditionally received less than stellar treatment in Jamaica. Countries with higher literacy rates have less crime.

But then, maybe things are the way they are for a reason. It may suit our nation’s ‘leaders’ to maintain the status quo. If a man is kept uneducated and hungry, he will always be vulnerable to manipulation. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for life, but give a man a fish and he has to keep coming back. He becomes dependent.

Jamaica’s history is rife with ‘leaders’ who have used this tactic to their advantage.

It is interesting to note that while the demonstrations seemed timed to coincide with the Petro Caribe conference in Montego Bay, they also happened at the start of the school year. School-aged children, probably more than happy for the surprise vacation, were in attendance at several protest points. Which is more important, making a political point or educating our future businessmen, doctors and teachers?

Come to think of it, the youngsters did learn how to mount a protest and block a road. So maybe the day wasn’t a total waste.

hurricanes & hiphop

2005-07-07T01:55:00.000-05:00

hi folks, it's wednesday night and the pen's on fire.

sittin here listening to the fugees and waiting for the wrath of god to hit (supposed to be a hurricane at 11 in the am -- we think it's just going to be rain. stay tuned.). their first album was very good by the way. and i still think lauryn owes the world a bonafide rap album!

that album was intelligent and dope as hell -- to use an american phrasing. kinda made me sad to see them split. lauren's solo effort was strong. and i'd just like to weigh in on her break with pop culture.

for those of you who'd like to think she's lost it, keep in mind we're only watching another human walk her path. she is just like us and needs to go through learning experiences and spiritual growth just like everybody else. where do you think the music comes from?

anyway, i'd just like to confess to a real lack of preparation for this hurricane dennis -- if that is his real name.... i just think it's going to turn out to be a lot of rain. so do most people. nevertheless, they were out in panic-stricken droves today.

nature is interesting. to know that no matter what, a completely unforeseen circumstance could take you out at any minute... scary. a meteor, a tsunami or an aneurysm could take us out in the blink of an eye.

i'm not saying this to be all gloom and doomy, but i think we need to be aware of our mortality. it puts things in perspective. if anyone can die at any minute, every moment is precious. so go out and do something you normally wouldn't today.

hug somebody. run through the rain. say what you feel. be you.
just do it. get out there and share life and live life.
it's the only way to be truly happy.

these ramblings were originally intended to be a quick hello from the land of the professionally focused, but i lost myself for a second there. i find i think more and more of mortality the older and the less elastic i get.

and the more i realise how much we're all connected.

do you see a pic of the fugees? i'm testing out this new picture post tool.

2005-05-25T04:04:00.000-05:00

ras dizzy contemplating other realms.
Posted by Hello

chillin with ras dizzy!

2005-05-25T02:55:00.000-05:00

meet ras dizzy. the one and only, irrepressible, inimitable, unconquerable, unstoppable ras dizzy.

i had opportunity to spend some time with the man himself yesterday through a chance meeting (although there are no coincidences!) at the framers. i was picking out a frame for a drawing of mine when herman (best framer in town btw -- big up herman & amaicraft!) introduces me to ras dizzy who's just come in with a bundle of his paintings wrapped in plastic.

imagine my surprise when someone bumps into me and i turn around in the tight space in front of the desk only to be shaking hands with this figure i had heard and read about over the years. dizzy has been painting since the 1950s and has been living rasta for just as long. along the way, he has been a journalist, a poet and a jockey just to name a few. horseracing is one of the perennial themes that have dominated the man's work for decades.

in person, he is self effacing, gracious and unapologetic. he is also a staunch garveyite, like many elders, since rasta is the indigenous child of garveyism. many of these men were here for the birth of rasta as a concept and as a way of life.

needless to say i spent the day not knowing what to say. but doing a lot of listening. for the most part he was quiet, but there were instances where that old fire resurfaced. that fire was responsible for two books (documented) and two shiploads of emigrants to the continent (haven't verified).

at the end of our time together, i dropped the international artist and decorated rastaman in front of coke methodist church. he raised a hand and wished us a safe drive and he was off to catch a bus to st. ann, his current parish of abode.

hail ras dizzy, original thinker and indefatigable soldier!

"the world is large, but the streets are small"
-- ras dizzy

2005-05-21T10:52:00.000-05:00

Faster than a speeding mule cart!!
Posted by Hello

2005-05-21T10:33:00.000-05:00

de big man himself! he was quite gracious actually, gave me a few poses (can't expect me to post everything -- pirates!)

a thousand miles from tuesday

2005-05-19T22:29:00.000-05:00

well, here we are again. thursday and i have nothing to write about.
i'm including a picture of elephant man this week, largely because we could use the extra star power. i mean i'm a star, but am i star enough...?
by the way folks, i know it's my blog, but feel free to voice your own thoughts. what is life about if not the exchange of ideas. come on, write in and let's hear it! let's hear about your joys and fears and all the reasons you love life and have big plans for the rest of it!
or you could just sit there and have me babble.
or you could check out www.spliffie.com.
actually that last one might not be a bad idea. it would give us something to talk about. maybe we should open a chat room. oh yes, i'm reposting Trevor Davis -- Jamaican Superhero. back by popular demand!!! please take a little time to let me know what you think of the strip. i'll be posting more strips in the future with different characters and stuff. stay tuned...
for now, lemme know what you think about trevor. whather it makes you laugh or even if you think it stinks. the more popular strips and characters will be the ones that return. unless of course, for reasons of artistic integrity we decide it's run it's course.
i like the idea of the interactivity.
and yes, there is a spliffie strip in the works. so, like i said, stay tuned...
oh yeh, in case you're wondering, the ellie pic was from a puma advertisement shoot. yours truly was the wardrobe assistant. one of my many highly important tasks was to take photos of all the talent (that's what they call anybody 'acting' in the advert) before and after they got dressed for filming. so i have pictures of the whole scare dem crew, the inimitable l.a. lewis (if you don't know you bedda ask somebody), and the late great 'mr. wacky' himself. was going to run the pic of bogle but i need to make a search.
well, enjoy my pic of ellie, and remember if you use it, just tell folks where you got it from. we'd like a couple hits on our site too. you may not be able to tell from said photo, but the man's pendant depicted an all out battle between an angel and a demon -- both winged and armed with swords. now that is a pendant! will try to include a close-up.
peace & love

2005-05-17T04:46:00.000-05:00

welcome to jamrock!

biggie and stuff

2005-05-17T04:00:00.000-05:00

my best work will never be seen.
i just finished pouring my heart out in a post about mortality and all these gone-too-soon artistes. after proofing it i promptly sent it into that bermuda triangle called cyberspace.
oh well, everything happens for a reason. the piece was probably a little too dark anyway and i'd like you guys to keep coming back.
funny enough, i ended with a quote by biggie smalls and it was still on the clipboard, so i'll include it again. but now it has a different meaning since the blog is more positive. coincidentally (although there are no coincidences) biggie is on the radio right now, "i love it when you call me big poppa." actually this dj seems to be a fan, he's playing a string of biggie. a man after my own heart.
i think people of a certain generation feel closely connected to hiphop and dancehall because we're old enough to have watched them grow from birth to a certain level of maturity. and then of course there's the fact that they both came from the same roots. yes, for those of you who still don't know, hiphop was started by a jamaican -- cool herc. and it was a direct offshoot of what was happening here in the dancehall.
i'd like to say here (having shaken a bout of melancholy) that all our dreams are possible and are happening as we speak. sometimes things just take some time to happen because we live in a reality where things have to happen in linear fashion. one thing has to follow another. so sometimes, we have to wait for the cogs of the universe to turn. our world is a web of happenings destined for one place or the next.
sometimes, we just have to wait. always at the ready.
as usual, i won't mention the website www.spliffie.com, because there's nothing new on it yet. and once again (for the second time) i leave you with the words of the late great christopher wallace, aka frank white, aka biggie smalls, aka the notorious b.i.g. (who by the way is still on the radio)
If the game shakes me or breaks me
I hope it makes me a better man
Take a better stand
Put money in my mom's hand
Get my daughter this college plan, so she don't need no man
Stay far from timid
Only make moves when ya heart's in it
And live the phrase
'Sky's The Limit'
Motherf**ker... see you chumps on top

2005-05-17T03:19:00.000-05:00

does this guy really need a caption?

rain & strange cars

2005-05-16T05:09:00.000-05:00

so i'm hustling and bustling through new kingston the other day (for those of you who've never been here, new kingston is jamaica's hippest happening commercial centre -- for better or worse). and this car appears in my rear view mirror... for no reason. happened to have the cam and had the wife do a dukes-of-hazzard (howd'you spell that?) type photo shoot. welcome to jamrock.
got a good dose of rain this weekend -- good news for the farmers (most of them anyway). hope they got some rain in st. elizabeth (big ups to the fam in newell!).
hope the rain gives us a little cleansing too. this island needs some Love.
this post is going to be short, work beckons at 5:56 am. i wake up like a cow these days... i don't get it.
congratulations to clavia and richie on the birth of their beautiful daughter alexandra!
more congratulations to dave ghatt, who recently passed the bar up north 'with flying colours'. dave is currenly recouping in the sunny republic of trinidad & tobago.
for those of you who are interested in the clothes we refuse to plug shamelessy at www.spliffie.com, please refer to our website.
big things in store for spliffie
spliffie will be popping up around town this summer in a sneak-previewish kind of way. that's right, you'll be able to spot bits and pieces of the 2005 fall collection which launches in september (date to be announced). so look out -- and i'm not just saying that because i'm spliffie...

life in the tropics!

2005-05-11T23:48:00.000-05:00

so i'm driving home today and i spot these cows (and about eight more) just chilling by the side of the road. roaming suburbia's streets gets tiring i suppose. thought i'd drop that in there since 1. it's a strange fact of life in jamaica's urban centres that cows are a part of one's existence, and (b) it's a weird pic and i started this blog off with an incongruous pic so i thought i'd keep it up. i told you, if you want to see clothes, you have to check www.spliffie.com and if you want to see the new collections, you have to stay tuned over the days and weeks to come.

anyway, in light of the fact that this blog is not just about clothes or cows, there will also be a comic strip posted here every now and then. i'd really appreciate some feedback on them -- and honesty always works. "the truth is an offense but not a sin" - bob marley.

seriously, i'm using the feedback to develop some ideas so the more popular characters will be sure to return. feel free to speak yo mind, i'm very thick-skinned. well i'm probably thin-skinned, but what do you care, you don't have to tell me to my face.

the cows, by the way, warmed to me after a while. after some initial squirming, because they were probably wondering if i was coming to chase them off the sidewalk, they relaxed and actually gave me a couple nice poses.

and yes i did think about the horns for a split sec, but then i think they realised they were smarter than me.

but i'd generally advise regular visits to this here blog. you never know what might pop up around here.

trying to get this thing up!

2005-05-10T21:38:00.000-05:00

this is our second blog in as many days. for some reason, the old one seems like it no longer exists, so here is our second attempt. if this works, more is on the way.

check us out at www.spliffie.com

peace.