Freshlyground for Uganda concert

Yet another live concert in Uganda and this time it is one of my favourite African band, Freshlyground. Another African act from the South African band, Freshlyground. They will be performing on the Ugandan stage on 11th December 2010. The show comes just a week after the American Jazz saxophonist Bobby Ricketts performed in Uganda. Earlier the same organisers Bohemia Concerts brought West African music sensation Salif Keita to the Ugandan stage too.

Freshlyground has seven band members that are from around South Africa, Mozambique and Mozambique and are usually referred to as an afro-fusion band. My favourite album is Nomvula for mostly the songs: Do-be-do, buttercup and I am the man. Do-be-do is one song I keep singing along while stuck in traffic or in order to feel good. Once you listen to it, please let me know what you think.

They have worked under the Sony BMG Records which shows how good they can get but most of all is their performances with the now deceased Miriam Makeba. They have also worked with the “todi” song sensation Oliver Mutukdzi plus the famous Femi Kuti. Now for a band that started in the early 2000’s this surely shows how good they are.

Ma’cheri their 2007 album is also quite interesting with my favourite Arms of Steel, Baby Tonight, Pink Confetti and Fired Up. In 2010 they also released another album called Radio Africa and ofcourse not forgetting their very first album Jika Jika. They have done various tours around the world and coming to Uganda lets hope the show will be worth it.

The challenges have be limited (or no) publicity these Bohemia concerts have had over the months, the lighting for the concerts has also been a little poor and finally my hope is that the show doesn’t get postponed like the Bobby Rickets show.

“We chose this band because that is what the East African community want according to the research we did. We have opinion formers who we send questionnaires when determine who next to bring and 65% of them said they wanted to some of the songs off world cup records and Freshly Ground with their Waka Waka were on top of the request,” said Desire Julia K Barugahare from Full Circle the local organisers told me this week.

She also added that for the festive season, let East Africa region should be merry and end the year in good merry mood.

“It is going to be one of those shows that they will remember for life and a good cap on 2010,” Julia added.

Freshlyground will be performing alongside “Deodato Siquir from Mozambique” and tickets will be sold for Ushs 80,000 in advance, 100,000 at the gate, 150,000 VIP from Uchumi Supermarket (Garden City), Quality Supermarket (Ntinda), Victoria Supermarket (Bugolobi)Cafe Javas, Good African Coffee (Lugogo). So be at Theatre Labonita on 11th December for this concert that I am optimistic will be fantastic.

Dusting MJ’s Dashboard

Dusting the cobwebs off the audio tape. In 1995 (I think) I received a gift from my special auntie. It was an MJ audio tape. The only song I could sing was Bad. Honestly I enjoyed it. I have never seen my auntie since then. In the days of primary school I read all the stuff about MJ. I developed some admiration for the guy. He looked fine to me. In the chorus of Bad there is a “line” that says.

“Whose bad?”

I used to think it was

“Whose that?” And I would proudly sing along

Anyone who watched the “black or white” Video would actually agree with me on this one. At my young age I actually thought he was like some sort of magician who could change his face and become a woman. Around primary school and early days of secondary school we would be in small group and the one guy who enjoyed dominating conversations would insist that MJ would change faces. I must admit, I wasn’t sure if he would change or not. I however got confused. I had this MJ picture on my wall and he was black. Then he changed and I saw a different MJ. One who was light and had lost his blackness. Damn I started believing that guy in secondary school. MJ could change faces.

That eventually I got to found out. He was a normal guy who fancied shedding that black skin. Then the Thriller video. 14 minutes of a horror movie. Looked quite scaring. I would only watch it during the day. I got used to it. “All I wanna say is that they don’t really about us.” I enjoyed that Vid. Made alot of sense. There is this other Video where the animals die, trees fly around and blah blah about the nature destruction a great one two. Then “one more chance.” There is the other one where he is chasing this gal and she plays hard to get. Then the UNICEF song. Ok am done here. I watched these on the only TV station around then. Uganda Television.

In secondary school I was interested in dancing. Don’t want to get so deep. I really danced. The entertainment club in my school had no MJ and by 2003 I had taken over the club. I become the entertainment prefect in tightly contested election. Crap crap crap. Lets dust the dashboard. “U rock my world,” the video. This is probably the best video I have watched (Subject to debate). I danced this song with an old friend “Kalenzi” (Haven’t seen him since 2004). Wow we were good. On stage the audience (the girls especially) watched, screamed and cheered. In same year, my last performance we did Smooth Criminal. Boooom !!! stuff was real. Ok I’d proudly thank my choreographer “Owen.” He had taught me the moves in 2002 and he however left the school. Where he moved to he became Omarion in another school . He was a B2k guy.

After that last performance I got back complications. Lost my touch. It was over. MJ lived on. Had his troubles. Developed cult status and I guess he considered himself a demi-god. He went from go-to-going and then gone. His critics will rant but the guy was good. He was an entertainer. A great dancer. Broke Chart records and made millions that he spent. People around him preferred to get his money. He had no-one to talk to. He rose to stardom and disappeared in it. Invincible he thought he was. There is a song by the killers “human.” I love the chorus.

Are we human or are we dancers?

My sign is vital, my hands are cold

And am on my knees looking for the answer

Are we human or are we dancers.

Then the 2^nd stanza goes on to say

Pay my regards to grace and virtue

Send my condolences to good

Give my regards to soul and romance

They always did the best they could.

I could go on but anyway. The guy is dead. He is human (I hope he knew that). Whoever questions the hype then he/she should know this guy was a star. He probably had impact on many or none but he deserves to rest. Rest in peace it is. On Sunday I watched CNN’s Daily Edition and there was a clip from an NBC journalist who said something like this:

“Here is something you will never hear again. MJ has died.”

Invincibility is to no human, we are no dancers। MJ was still finding the answer. At 50 it came and he went. So long and farewell MJ.

Playlist:

Human – The Killers

Broadway – Goo Goo Dolls

Flying so low – Chris Brown

Held – Natalie Grant

What’s my age again – Blink 182.

The little things give you away – Linkin Park

Breakfast – Newsboys.

Embrace thy musical creativity

Relaxing while eating my blue pen cover, Earphones plugged in my ears. My Nokia 6030 has a radio function. I proudly want to listen to music. I have quite a number of radio stations saved. So I start tuning.

93.3 KFM... the song playing: “Oli mugatti gwa batta, bread and batta.”
I don’t know the exact title but the song is about this girl who is batter/margarine for the bread.

91.3 Capital.... “Boomshackatack” the song title I also find complicated. But well i have no idea what it means. It sounds like: Boom shark attack.

90.0 Radio one. Not a local song this time. “Big in Japan tonight, big in japan all night...” The title of this one is “Big in Japan.”

100 Hot 100... “Lollipop”... Lilwayne’s with a song about a lollipop. I must admit this song sells like hot candy (is there any?)

95.9 Touch FM... “White Shadows.” This Coldplay tune is all about chasing white shadows. Kinda funny huh!! I’ve never seen a white shadow.

99.0 East Africa radio..... “All the single ladies, all the single ladies” Beyonce keeps on repeating those words. I love the way she repeats the words... It’s all I hear.

94.8 Vision Voice... “If we’re a boy” Ok now Beyonce is making my day. From single ladies then to being a boy.... wow that’s something now.

My rest is over and need to get back to work. I must admit the creativity of musicians. It is just the killer. Oh there other radio station like cbs,akabozi,simba, super etc..... The creativity is just something.....
I need to unplug these earphones...duty calls...

My “Viewer discretion fantasy”

So they say there is a fantasy world out there....? Actually am not sure if it is a question because I know I have my own fantasies...

So u had better make up your mind... Is anyone getting' my point or you probably thinking this guy is insane... Can I get 2 the point... In my fantasy world (I call it my fantasy world coz it is not like yo's) I had a pretty decent thought of me being in a music video. Now the fantasy is not doing' the break-dance or being with a large chain wit' the inscription MC. Are u still wit me or u r getting bored...please type your comment below this page..

Hey I wasn’t concluding my fantasy. I have watched the latest 'porn'(now you thinking the guy is immoral)... If you have noticed our music videos are not music videos they in fact have no people singing but they get great gals en make them strip..... Instead of one seeing a great video all u see is a bunch of beautiful ladies shaking their (censored by management) en waging in front of 50coins,kanye,snoop double g en others I cannot mention for purposes of loyalty... The missing word after those names is 'faces'.

Imagine me in such a music 'porn' video... So you probably think this guy is totally immoral, a psychopath en whatever u can think about... But in my fantasy I actually get fired. Why did I get fired? I just couldn’t keep my head straight. What the 'eeeeeeh' is this guy talking about what some of u r thinking. You want 2 know? Ok what’s the fuss about sex? En getting ladies 2 undress 4 the cameras.

Think I should have remembered the word sexy in this. When am watching t.v with my parents and young sis or brother, they always want to change the channel. Ohh my!!! It can be annoying. Music videos should get something like this before they are aired.
“The video you are about to watch contains mature situations. Viewer discretion is advised.”
My pleasure to host you...

idle notes (continued):the oscars and nobel peace prize

I was talking about songs of love to have us change the language because despite the way people have sung about love there is beef everywhere i had an idea that probably shakespears language wld be of an advantage to the spreading of love across the airwaves........

Now as i was thinking of the next 20 years (i will be 40 i guess) something like a shooting star ******* crossed my mind and i was like.......hey get back here and i write you down.................!!!!! should i write it down ummmmmmm yes.....okDont you think that the above idea could get me an oscar... besides i think i have the qualities. Having a documentary done is the only thing remaining.......and then......THE OSCAR GOES TO (then the drums, the anxiety, the cameras,the eyes) MARK KEITH..........................immediately i stand up and recieve the oscar probably from NICOLE SW(cant realy spell it but shes from the pussycat dolls) or even SHAKESPEAR(since we have poeple who think they can become a shakespear..........

What follows then is my speach which of course will be captivating with lots of HERE DOTH I WISH TO ABSTENTIASLY THANK THEE FOR THY SUPPORT..........blabla(then hand claps, the cameras..ohhhh autographs)And then we head of to the after party......................gosh thats what had come to my mind.....but what was i thinking before this came.................ok ................think i remember.......yeah "THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE FOR PEACE..............goes to ME.........and this is because of his effort to make the world understand wht love is all about" Sec.gen of the UN Ban KI Moon (Koffi Annan just settling down in Ghana) And then my Shakespean speech is unlished like a rocketI THANK ALL YEE FOR THY PRIZE....HOPE THE LOVETH THAT DOTH TRANSENDS THY UNIVERSE BE UNTO YOU.............blablablaOfcourse not 4getting the heroic welcome in uganda..........Limos...people..state house invitation and loads of friends

do we still have song writers(its not a question)

You know it is so suprising that now days i can also be a song writer. Why? The answer is so simple. We are singing about love everyday and hey for the producers its just the sae beat for one artist. Do we still have song writers. well i believe we have just a pinch of them compared to the number of artists. These days less thinking is needed. so i will just sit down and begin.....
stanza 1
this will include how i was walking accross the street and then met this girl and we fell in love head over heals. (i wonder what that love is called) by the way in the video i would have this very beautiful gal dressed to kill...... ohoh no to fall in love
the words to use are.....
as i was walking accross the street, entering a club blabla.
and hey dont 4 get for the songs of betrayal we can say the gal was cheating on me, loved my money and also how the girl failed to cook 4 me

Chorus
perfect then in the chorus you find words... like
i love you, i will never leave you, you are my reason for breathing, i saw you in the many and and i saw you.
those could make a perfect chorus..of course the flattery has got to be owesome e.g the moment you leave me i will just be so incomplete blablabla

stanza 2
in this stanza its the perfect time to tell the gal what am going to do for her, love her and care for her. tell her that a going to spend the rest of the time with her and all the cliches of love you can think about.

stanza 3
this is where i bring in a rapper.
heyo... .. am goona give you all the money.............
the rapper has to have a deep voice ad with kind of like a dry throat

and tht would be the end of my song.


What am trying to show is that we are singing only one thing and sounds so bad that even some of the singers use almost the same beat for every song.....
we can be unique, lets take our time and write songs lets not rush into making a song boring. you listen to a song and the next day you hear the same words in the same song.