More to the point, with my blog Boldaslove.us, I'm getting back to something I've always cared about.  Namely, black rock, Afro-punk and black alternative music, and how all of this is moving away from the fringes of American (and international!) culture and towards the mainstream.

Over at Boldaslove.us, get started by checking out some music.  If you like that, then download the FREE compilation "Boldaslove.us presents Fire In The Dark" from Amazon.  After that, you might like to check out some key posts:

• The post that started it all
• Connecting black rock to larger trends the culture
• What is black rock?
• Do we have to call it "black" rock?
• Other spots on the Web where black rock is growing

Thanks again for supporting this blog.  Come visit me at Boldaslove.us and find out what's next on the cultural horizon.

And the euphoria of those who helped make it real. . .

Leave it to director Charles Stone to update the iconic "Wassup" commercial for 2008. 

Hat tip to both Sharon Pendana and Howard Duffy for sending this to me.

Enjoy!

Why does it seem like liberals and conservatives never seem to agree?  Is it simplistic to say that they just see the world differently?  Maybe not.  Check out this fascinating talk given at the 2008 TED conference by University of Virginia psychologist Jonathan Haidt, who studies the cultural context for morality and emotion.  In this talk, he discusses the five moral values that are valued most by people who fall into either the conservative or liberal camp.  Perhaps it will help you have more empathy for our countrymen and women in those other-colored states.

I'm really glad Christopher Chambers pinged me about the release today of a new collection of stories he co-edited with Gary Phillips.  Those of you who know me know that I've been a longtime lover and reader of comics.  I'm currently really feeling Marvel's X-Force limited series, although Todd Kelley tells me I'm missing the boat by not checking out Ed Brubaker's work in Captain America.  And I'll pretty much buy anything that Jim Lee draws.

But enough about me.

It's great to see the idea of the super hero expanded and evolved.  And what a perspective!  In the intro, the editors provide context for the collection by placing it on a continuum of storytelling that dates back to prehistoric campfires.  Check this out

The heroes in those first stories weren't Clark Kents or Bruce Waynes or Sue Richards, with her blond extensions and perfect C-cups.  They were plain old us--flawed and scared.  Blind and groping.  Striving not to save the world, but to save one life or to right one wrong.  In the process, they save something of themselves as well.

And this, too:

Be advised, these ain't your mama's and daddy's super heroes.  These protagonists, for the most part, are products of, and grounded in, the world we butt heads against every damn day--and they hvae the means to bite back.  But isn't that what we gathered abournd the fire to hear?

In addition to Christopher, I'm looking forward to tucking into stories by Walter Mosely, Tananarive Due, the late Jerry Rodriguez, and my man Michael Gonzales.  Just got the review copy via messenger today, so I can't make a judgment on the collection right now.  But, for you fans of the genre, it looks like something worth checking out.

Additional link:

• The Darker Mask: Heroes from the Shadows, edited by Gary Phillips and Christopher Chambers

The book--the first of a two-volume set-- is presented as "the most up to date "How To" resource in music composition for the advertising industry, featuring commentary and interviews from many of the leading names  in the ad game such as Vito Desario, Josh Rabinowitz, Bob Schriber, Karl Westman, Joel Simon, Robert Miller, Bob Nelson, Barry Walsh, Michael Montes, Roberta Griefer, and Michelle Curran as well as celebrity figures like Russell Simmons, Oleta Adams, Little X, and Wynton Marsalis."

Scoring techniques, music house profiles, musician residuals, beating deadlines, interviews with top ad agency creatives, mixing secrets are covered as well.

Hue-Man Bookstore
2319 Frederick Douglass Blvd
Between 124th and 125th Streets
New York, NY 10027
Tel: 212-665-7400
4:00PM

Additional links:

• Volition Sound Branding
• The 3030 Career book
• The 3030 Career official site

"Gen Xers use technology when it supports a lifestyle need," said Charles Golvin, an analyst at Forrester, "while technology is so deeply embedded into everything Gen Yers do that they are truly the first native online population."

Gen Xers--born between 1966 and 1979--numbers about 63 million, while Gen Y--those born between 1980 and 1990--number about 38 million

Read the full article here.

My friends Boston and Shena just concluded three nights of amazing (yes, it was that good) music this past Saturday with the third installment of the URB Alt Festival.  Check out my posts here and here.

But no sooner is that done than the 2008 Afropunk Festival starts.  40 bands, 15 films and 5 days of pro BMX bikers and pro skaters converge on Fort Greene in planet Brooklyn.  Ah, it's such a great time for Black rock!

Check the cross-post at Bold As Love.