a bit funky, a bit minimal, a bit tribal...and a bit short at 30 minutes and change, but i've come to appreciate the time constraints of the podcast. it means that you can't mess around, that you ought to showcase the best and leave the rest for someone else. it's like a release on seven-inch vinyl: you only have so such surface area to play around with. seeing as how that's the case, YOU BETTA BRING IT.

now, i don't claim to be the house maestro, but here are some joints i strung together. as always, available to stream or download.

the first music podcast i listened to was a show called Accident Hash, hosted by C.C. Chapman. his show is based in Boston, featuring "podsafe" rock and roll (i.e., permission granted by the artists before playing). while the music might not be my cup of tea, i do like how the shows are structured, although depending upon which show you listen to, you could make a drinking game out of every time he says, "these guys ROCK."

it was through C.C. Chapman's show that i found out about another show called In Over Your Head. Julien Smith hosts this podcast comin' straight outta Canada - he's a crack-up. his music selection is somewhat reflective of my own tastes. he plays a lot of independent hip-hop - Anticon artists get love from him more often than not - but also dives into some indie rock and electronic stuff from time to time. that and i just like him as a host...Julien's a main part of why i'm drawn to the show. his ramblings don't feel aimless or over-the-top and i dig that about him. always funny, always observational. been taking some notes from this show, seeing as how i'm testing the waters with a podcast of my own. been listening to a number of different music podcasts to hear how the host and music flow. i keep coming back to Julien's, though: the combination of the music and the rants just feels right.

recently checked out the first edition of Podshow Music Rewind, a weekly show featuring the best moments from the Podshow music podcasts. out of all of the music podcasts getting larger exposure over at Podshow, i'm feelin' In Over Your Head the most. you can feel the difference when Julien's featured compared to the others, in my opinion, although i will say that it's good to experience all those different shows in one place - smart idea on Podshow's part. still i can't see myself putting on the "power radio" voice of the PMR host (check out the show, you'll see what i mean...). i hear that voice and i think to myself...i thought podcasts were supposed to offer an escape from all that. but hey, that's just me talkin'.

basically, i'm learning from others who have come before me...just like back in the day during my years at WCDB. if i remember the lessons from the past and stay open to what can happen with Radio BSOTS in the future (and keep at it), i think i'll do alright...

very few brothers tend to be on some ol' male feminist steez, but if you've ever read any books penned by Mark Anthony Neal, you know he specializes in thinking outside the box. but if you're still not hip to my man's brilliance, or if you're sitting there thinking, "what the hell is a male feminist?!?", check out this brief interview on NPR to hear it explained in the author's own words...

finally uploaded the second half of the September shows to the website. still bouncing around and it feels good. KRS-ONE tells it to you straight, Gold Chains got his baller game on, a techno cover of a Paul McCartney tune, and closing with a lil' somethin' for the wifey. check it out as a streaming webcast or direct download.

if you would like to subscribe to this podcast, simply copy and paste the following XML link into your iTunes or other podcatching software:
http://www.angelfire.com/electronic2/bsots/sound/radiobsots.rss

brother man's gonna need more webspace soon. ON THE CHEAP.

few black public intellectuals are in the public eye and are seen or heard through various media channels as much as Michael Eric Dyson. as an ordained Baptist minister, he is able to straddle the line that connects the halls of academia to the pulpit. many brothers and sisters of the mind have used Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath to hand out critical pimp slaps upside the heads of what they call "the New Black Church," specifically its focus on materialism and blessings in the form of bling. certainly this is something that needs to be addressed, what with Jesus being a champion of the poor and oppressed peoples of the earth.

and that's exactly what makes this article from Dyson so relevant. it explains the significance of the black church and spirituality to those outside of those experiences. at the same time, for all those who are familiar with and are a part of the Christian faith, it reinforces the stance that the church ought to have regarding social action within communities across this nation and the world. one hundred percent on-point.

so, how did our anniversary go this year? not the way we expected, but certainly memorable.

yesterday, Beth and i celebrated six years of marriage and 13 years of togetherness. we were making our way down to Williamsburg, Brooklyn on Saturday for this rooftop party. we were on the Grand Central Parkway en route to the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway when we hit a pothole and the left front tire blew out. Beth describes the GCP as the "Autobahn of New York" and rightly so: people fly like bats outta hell on that road. Beth pulled over to the few places where there actually was a shoulder on the side of the road and took a look at the tire. we were basically riding on the rim: we hit the pothole with such force that the valve popped right out of the tire. she tried to get us to the next exit but to no avail - the tire started smoking.

so we stopped (in the right lane, no shoulder), put the hazards on and start flagging people away from the car. it was the only dancing we were meant to do that day. (that and flinching when cars came too close to us). i can't tell you what it does to your morale to motion oncoming cars over to the next lane, only to have them honk at you and flip you the bird because you're in their way...AS IF YOU'RE DOING THIS TO THEM ON PURPOSE. i've gotta get out of this country, even if only for a two-week vacation. at any rate, this went on for the better portion of an hour. Beth called the cops, but they never came. (had she informed them that five black guys were assaulting a white woman, i guarantee you they would've fallen out of the sky and set up roadblocks.) she called her folks, she called Geico roadside assistance. two good Samaritans offered a push, but we couldn't go anywhere on that tire. we needed a tow.

somebody finally came and got us out of there, but they had no towing truck. their partner ended up driving our car to a service spot anyway. i don't even want to get into the money spent for a new tire and service and all that...just depressing. but if it were a choice between the money or our lives, i'll give up the cash. nobody hit us, nobody hit our car, and we lived to talk about it over pricey Thai food back home.

after our harrowing experience, we decided to exchange gifts a day early. perhaps better than that was hearing my brother-in-law, sister-in-law, and nine year-old niece sing "happy anniversary" to us over the phone...TO THE TUNE OF "THE WILLIAM TELL OVERTURE." i wish someone had a video camera recording that - supposedly, my niece was dancing frenetically the whole time.

we got out of the city on Saturday about 45 minutes before ominous clouds came through and a thunderstorm started. so as bad as things were that day, they could've been a whole lot worse. now, there's a story to tell our future children...

i tell ya, brothers and sisters living the life of the mind in our academies nationwide have been on their j-o-b regarding their individual takes on the Hurricane Katrina aftermath. this brief listing is only a sample of the articles and commentaries out now and ever increasing by the minute.

and then there's this MSNBC article. in light of the president's speech last night, this one is quite relevant as to whether or not Bush will really address the problem of this nation's poverty through action (particularly since the social programs he proposed last night are exactly the kind that conservatives cut first chance they get). the writer seems to think that Bush is up for the challenge. me...i'm not nearly that optimistic.

JOHN RIFLE - Fracas Nurture

to be frank, Kevin (the guy responsible for this) is REALLY SICK IN THE HEAD. and i love him for it. fans of sound collage crews like Negativland will be down with this one. melancholy piano work, complex song structures, and chock full of samples from movies, news broadcasts, music, comedy skits, and more. it's a concept album that my good buddy David (who's friends with Kevin) describes as "the rise and fall of an imaginary rock star..." but the album is so much more epic and nightmarish than that blurb suggests. honestly, if movie director Oliver Stone had decided to record an album during his Natural Born Killers period, it might have turned out something like this.

i consider myself a lifelong student of the sound collage, and i can honestly say that even during my finest hours splicing tape, making pause button mixes, or playing around with my four-track recorder, i can only aspire to the "straight outta Bellevue" moments alluded to in Fracas Nurture. this is next level insanity right here...

so, what else is there to say about the man behind this project? oh, yes...he's obsessed with bunnies (as his website proves beyond doubt) and the movie Donnie Darko, which is one of my personal favorites. beyond that, there is a small but rabid "strangecore" contigent within Albany, NY that worships the ground this man walks on.

this one ain't for everybody, but the sonically adventurous can check out his website for more info as well as click here for free and fully authorized downloads of album selections.

Mos Def - "Katrina Klap"

the protest songs look like they're pouring in. and i'm sure that this is only the beginning.

freedom ain't free, folks. this is america. act like you know.

(and even if it was free, it would cost you more for gas to get there...)

TV On The Radio - "Dry Drunk Emperor"

more musical voices of dissent. the natives are getting restless. hell, the natives have BEEN restless. nothing like a national tragedy to kick things into high gear. words fail me when it comes to this song. i imagine that they will be performing this one a lot at their live shows. i love this group.