Summer Jam for the Summer that Never Was

Hello, a lot has happened in a few short months, but time has simultaneously dragged on and flew. After pulling myself out of a funk and some uncertainty at work and at home, I finally finished a track or two on the computer at home, and posted one I’ve been working on this summer in stops and starts.

Lagrimas Negras is a son-bolero (cuban-style song) that originated in the Dominican Republic by the Trio Matamoros in 1931. It has become a classic standard, covered by the likes of Buena Vista Social Club and Celia Cruz.

I wanted to do a banger, something you’d hear in a block party or blasting out of a car in the summertime. Some joyful noise in the midst of so much pain and confusion, as a tribute to my brothers and sisters who are marching against a system that has never worked for them. Black people have had to endure every type of indignity, yet still can sing and dance and celebrate life on a level that is admired and emulated. And in the Caribbean, the African influence has been strong and set the roots of Latin music, so I thought doing something raucous and driven with an army of voices to echo what is happening. So R&B/hiphop and reggaetón in equal measures, side by side.

Anyway, I will be better about making tracks, and hope to drop some breadcrumbs leading up to the record release. Stay tuned to the usual outlets for more music soon.

Peace and love.

Dance like no one’s watching

Today I’m dropping the third installment in a series of videos I’m making of my past tunes. This week it’s one of my favorite songs, “Last Night”.

This song was inspired by a visit to Kilmainham Gaol in Ireland and is about a prisoner’s conjugal visit the night before execution.

Dancing lends such kinetic energy to a song, but I was never one to work with a choreographer and backup dancers. So for this video, I grabbed all the stock footage on dancing and threw it together, and – surprise! – it actually worked. More vogueing than you can shake a stick at, and my favorite one so far.

Here are affiliate links where you can get this song:

Apple Music

Amazon

Ebay – out of print Japanese CD

Another video…

I am working on dropping a video or some archival footage weekly, so you can enjoy something from the catalog, while I am working on next steps.

This week, I took a stab at a lyric video using the Rotor online software. They are just developing their text overlay, so transitions weren’t available, like they would be in FinalCut. Still, it was good challenge to make something not too clunky using only timing.

And here’s where I post affiliate links to my music:

Apple Music

Amazon

Ebay – out of print CD

Hasta el proximo video!

Hello Everybody!

I am starting to work more on my content while the record has been delayed for a moment. So, what better way than revisiting the archives and compiling songs from my previous records?

I have started to make videos using Rotor and FinalCut. So here is the first one:

You can download this song on Apple Music and Amazon.  Or you can get a collector’s out-of-print CD on Ebay here.

By the way, these are affiliate links to the above websites, so I can earn commission on any resulting sales.   It does help, while I’m in between things. : )