A while back I wrote a post about how I imagined Creative Commons might play a role in our project over the long haul, particularly in regards to how we might contribute to building community. As I often tend to do, I imagined on a grand scale, outwardly hoping that people, both locally and around the world, would find our media useful and merge it into their own works of art.
Well, I’ve yet to hear back about anything as grand as a French mashup, but on the local front, I do get calls, quite often, regarding the use of DMP media from the artists themselves. Can we send a photo to a newspaper to run in an article about the band? Can I use this image on our upcoming album? My answer is simple: give attribution back to our independent photographers and you’re good to go.
Earlier today, I stopped by The Green Bean to get my mid-afternoon drink of choice and I caught the following on the upcoming events wall:
This was the first time I caught one of our shots being used in a local show poster. Check out the solid attribution for Kevin Belton, added as an element of the poster design itself.
No calls to me, no direction needed.
It doesn’t hurt that Dan Bayer (of The Raving Knaves) is part of DMP’s core team, I’m sure he influenced the process, but how about that CC license love?
We’re still wheeling about, doing shows when we can, figuring this all out as we go, but it’s nice to see part of the plan of local artists cross-promoting local artists coming together here and there.
Sin Tax is comprised of founding member Dr. Nancy McCurry, on bass and vocals, Doug Baker, with guitar and vocals, Moxie Campbell, on drums, Dave McLean, on guitar and vocals and Marilyn Wolf doing vocals and percussion.
In August of ‘09, Neill Clegg Jr. joined Sin Tax on the ol’ DMP stage, tooting his horn alongside these crazy kids. It was a powerpop, rockabilly, glam-rock kinda night, with a distinctly punk edge. Sin Tax brought the spice!
Was it the pretty instruments that helped them rock so hard that night? Maybe it had something to do with the three flights of stairs up which they hauled their equipment. Maybe it was the pretty outfits that made them shine. Or maybe, just maybe, they were showing off a little.
You can come up with your own conclusion. To hear what I’m talking about, check out their album on Amiestreet or Last.fm. For the newbies, here’s our promo entrance page to sign up for an account with Amiestreet and receive free money to support our local artists.
ALBUM CREDITS
Recording Engineers: Don Ravon, Dan Bayer
Mixing Engineer: Dan Bayer
Cover Design: Sean Coon
Cover Photograph: Alex Maness
Everything in the world can be broken down into three nouns. Negativity, positivity, and neutrality.
Now imagine looking up and seeing an atomic bomb being dropped straight onto your brain. Now imagine that, while most atomic bombs are composed of negativity, this one is of a very unique composition. Imagine that this bomb is composed of pure positivity.
Now imagine that this bomb is actually the imprint left on you by one, Clement Mallory, aka Universal Mathematics.
An infinite number of varying descriptions could be used to characterize a performance by this man. Perhaps one in several thousand would even begin to come close to completely accurate.
MUSIC VIDEO CREDITS
Editor: Ioannis Batsios
Camera: Ioannis Batsios, Matt Williams, David Bradley
Sound: Danny Bayer, Don Ravon
Universal Mathematics is more than music, more than poetry, and more than performance. It is a full-blown inspirational experience. When Clement Mallory picks up the microphone, you are intrigued. When he performs, you are entranced. When he puts down the microphone, you are left feeling better about yourself and about life in general. While Mallory seems to identify more as a poet than a musician, and while a good half of his DMP set is spoken word, his performance is less poetry reading and more interactive motivational theater. He makes smiling your only option.
The message throughout this distinct and almost unclassifiable performance is one of love and appreciation. Backed by the immaculate DJ skills of L in Japanese, Clement Mallory seems almost unaware of his audience much of the time. It is almost as if the words flowing from his mouth come forth from a deep well of honesty and compassion. His words seem inspired from his personal experiences, yet, the selflessness of his delivery leaves one with the impression that, more than self-expression, this performance is designed to help us, to make us feel better about who we are. A good example of this can be found in the track, My Love, wherein he states:
Loving you increases my love for me, so I’m going to love you more ’cause I have to love myself.
He seems to do what he does strictly out of a genuine desire to make us all feel happier and more comfortable about who we are.
During the tenure of the performance, Mallory deals with issues ranging from creation, self-reflection, acceptance of our fellow human beings, the importance of teaching ourselves and our children, and the very nature of existence.
In the track, Who am I?, he asks:
Being human, am I characterized differently from any other human being? Do we not all have one head, two eyes, two ears, one nose, one mouth, one neck, two shoulders, two arms, two hands, one chest, one stomach, one gender, defined with private section, two legs and feet?
The answer to the title of this piece comes near the end of the track, right before a moment of too-perfect-to-have-been-planned feedback where he boldly states:
I am God.
It’s a concept piece full of imagery so heavy that it seems to overwhelm even the PA. This track is definitely a highlight of the set.
Placing Universal Mathematics into a musical category is a nearly impossible task.
Clement Mallory is a writer, an MC, a teacher, an outlandish angel. His performance is poetry, it’s hip-hop, it’s motivational speech, it’s emotional release, it’s nearly theatrical in it’s execution. His message is uplifting, it’s inspiring, it’s fun, it’s… dare I say… universal. This man puts on a performance that is more than a performance. It is an intricate spiderweb of imagery and sound that leaves one with a feeling of happiness and well-being.
For the love of love, check out Universal Mathematics at c37words.
Recording Engineer: Don Ravon
Mixing Engineers: Dan Bayer, Don Ravon
Cover Design: Sean Coon
Cover Photograph: Kevin Belton
I tried to make this post brief. For a more detailed account of the night’s performances, check out Nash Roberts’s take on the evening. Also, for the newbies, here’s our promo entrance page to sign up for an account with Amiestreet and receive free money to support our local artists.
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April 2009 marked the thirteenth show in the series and the one year anniversary of the dotmatrix project. This show was truly special. We had two exceptional performances that evening. Each expressing it’s own unique sound. Each featuring an incredibly talented female vocalist/pianist.
Renee Mendoza (with vocals and on keyboard) and Brian Haran (on electric guitar) got married a while back and their band took a little hiatus. We were very proud to have gotten the chance to welcome them back to the stage in Greensboro, NC. Shawn Smith (on drums) and Mike Duehring (on bass) fill out out the other half of Filthybird.
Filthybird has been described as “loud, yet subtle and distinctly joyful rock.” They are, for all intents and purposes, a Psychedelic Folk Rock band. Their music is simultaneously mental and emotional. Their performance, I think, can best be described as “unfettered and electrifying.”
Albina Savoy is a three-piece collaboration with Crystal Bright (primarily on keys), Barry Cantrell (on guitar), and Jon McLean (on double bass). The group also utilizes accordion, cello and the saw to create sweetly layered compositions. They opened the April DMP show with their sweet, soothing and dramatic style.
As Nash Roberts eloquently describes, much of their set included songs demonstrating “not only attention to melody, but striking lyricism.” A perfect example is Emeline, a song featuring Barry Cantrell on lead vocals. It whispers at the soul of the philosopher left to reflect on love and loss and the human experience.
Unfortunately, their performance that evening was one of the last opportunities to hear Albina Savoy live. The three-piece is no longer performing together. However, as is the case with most musicians I know, that doesn’t mean Barry, Jon or Crystal won’t be making a splash elsewhere on the music scene. Be on the lookout for future projects. For now, you can enjoy some of their work together by checking out their live album on AmieStreet or Last.Fm.
Blackbeard the Voyager, a truly hip poet, has been throwing it down for NC Hip Hop for a hot minute. He’s got a presence and a style that’s difficult to duplicate. His performance is always full of energy and always something special.
For his DMP performance, Mr. Rozzi brought along an entourage. They weren’t just there to pump up the crowd. One person or another shared the stage with Rozzi for at least half of his set.
Jeremy Johnson also offered up backing vocals as well as belting out one of his R&B jams during the set.
I know what you’re wondering. With all these performers, who was the DJ for this whole affair? We had none other than L in Japanese holding it down all night long.
You like Hip Hop, right? Well then, in the words of Jeremy Johnson, “Get the album. Get the album. Get the album!” To pick up – or rather download – the album, you can check out Amiestreet and Last.fm. For the newbies, here’s our promo entrance page to sign up for an account with Amiestreet and receive free money to support our local artists.
ALBUM CREDITS
Recording Engineers: Don Ravon, Dan Bayer
Mixing Engineers: Don Ravon
Cover Design: Sean Coon
Cover Photograph: Kevin Belton
As far as the exhibit goes, we have 29 large format photographs on display, shot by 9 local photographers across 8 monthly shows, which will stay on the walls until September 27th.
Friday night, the entire month… it’s our way of both celebrating and promoting the talent found within our own community.
We do hope you can come out and enjoy it with us.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t introduce our featured photographers, so here they are:
Kevin Belton flickr account Email | Voice: 336.816.8571
Kevin is a professional product photographer for the High Point furniture industry, second camera for John Leonard Photography for weddings and special events. He has been shooting themed based ideas in the last year or so featuring addiction, fashion, and music. Art is his passion and the camera is his medium.
Stephen Charles CharlesMedia Photography Email | Voice: 336.682.9517
Stephen Charles began taking photographs in 1983 with a 35mm Canon Sure Shot. With the advent of Digital SLRs he has pursued photography as a growing passion, with a desire for letting candid captured moments tell the story.
Jessi Hagood Jessi Hagood Photography Email
Jessi Hagood is a native of Eden, NC and works primarily in the Greensboro area as a Wedding and Portrait Photographer. Recently her work has involved photographing Bodybuilding and Figure Competitions, soon to be featured in Muscle and Fitness Magazine and in an upcoming episode of MTV Made.
Doug Klesch Doug Klesch Photography Email | Voice: 336.542.3071
Doug is a refugee from the cubicle farms of corporate America. Failing to have sapped all creative energy from him over more than a decade, his overlords released him back to the world. He gratefully returns wielding a camera.
Elizabeth Lemon Elizabeth Lemon Photography Email | Voice: 719.244.3518
A recent graduate from the photography program at Randolph Community College, Elizabeth is adjusting to life outside a classroom. She is pursuing fine art and documentary photography with rediscovered inspiration and a tool box of new knowledge.
Alex Maness Alex Maness Photography Email | Voice: 336.707.6121
Alex Maness, local boy done good, likes to travel and explore, but keeps Greensboro, NC as his center of gravity. He runs a photography business shooting for magazines and advertisers, as well as his own documentary projects.
Mark Smith flickr account Email | Voice: 336.414.4721
Mark’s first inkling that photography could be fun was when his parents brought out the dreaded slides of their jaunts overseas. Once Mark could afford it, he bought a Pentax ME Super and “that was that.” These days, Mark happily takes sports and beach pictures as well as the live music events at DMP.
COMMUNITY PHOTOGRAPHERS
(Talented, local photogs who came out to shows and documented the evening)
Carolyn de Berry Carolyn de Berry Photography | Email Monkeywhale Productions | Email
A Connecticut native and graduate of Guilford College and the Commercial Photography Program at Randolph Community College, Carolyn is a freelance photographer and assistant living in Greensboro, NC. She is also the production photographer and studio manager for Monkeywhale Productions.
Allen Martin MartiniVision Email | Voice: 917.687.1912
Greensboro native Allen Martin is a photographer and designer who has recently relocated back to his home town after 18 years in NYC. A camera owner since adolescence, for the last several years Allen has focused on fashion, fine art and entertainment photography.
SPECIAL THANKS TO:
Katie Southard, Owner of The Green Bean
Elizabeth Lemon, for matting, framing and curating the show
Laurelyn Dossett, Mr. Rozzi and Eating The Invaders, for generously donating their talent at the exhibit opening
Don Ravon for running sound at the exhibit opening
Don Ravon & Dan Bayer for mixing the music video tracks
Ioannis Batsios, Blake Faucette, Michael McQueen and Bret Jones for scrambling to produce their music videos on time
Andy Coon for helping prep the music video DVD
Allen Martin for the beautiful show poster
All of our talented photographers, many of whom aren’t represented in this show. You can see their all of their work at our flickr spot
In December of 2008, we put on the ninth DMP show. That evening, two local punk bands set the DMP “stage” on fire! The evening started with The Leeves.
With a little help from their friends, they put on a fantastic performance! You can listen to (and buy) a copy of that performance at Amie Street, or Last.FM.*
ALBUM CREDITS
Recording Engineers: Don Ravon, Dan Bayer
Mixing Engineers: Don Ravon
Cover Design: Sean Coon
Cover Photograph: Kevin Belton
After their fellow rockers finished warming it up, and Doug Pike got a chance to rest his limbs, Queen Anne’s Revenge claimed the stage to finish off a great evening of Punk for the dotmatrix project!
ALBUM CREDITS
Recording Engineers: Don Ravon, Dan Bayer
Mixing Engineers: Dan Bayer
Cover Design: Sean Coon
Cover Photograph: Eric Velarde
*To make the whole process a whole lot easier for you on Amie Street, here’s our promo entrance page to sign up for an account and receive free money to support our local artists by putting coin directly in their pockets . My advice…USE IT!
