welcome to the inaugural post on musings of a gemini! i turned 31 at 9:51am (savannah time), so i thought it only fitting to launch on this day. you’re welcome!*
i don’t have anything really deep to say here, but i think it’s kismet that the universe saw fit to bring me here during this month – 2 years & 3 days after president carter christened it (warning: autoplay – somebody please tell black enterprise to stop that.) it may be hard to tell sometimes, as of late (stupid school!), but i really do love music so very much. that said, i’m sharing my favorite sites for black music to help you gain insight into how my heart beats:
- soul sanctuary – “where the spirit dwells.”
- note: i’m a lil biased because my mentor/rock, stef renee, is the founder. but she
taughtteaches me most of what i know. stay close to stef; she’s always putting people on to great stuff with her weekly podcasts! plus, stef is always crafting some awesome “vidjo” focusing on an aspect of music, music history, concerts, etc. - this is real music – free. downloads.
- do i really need to say anything more? go on, get lost for a few weeks; i’ll still be here. (note: their listen, watch, & download pages do have autoplay, but it makes sense here.)
- soulbounce – never miss what you’re looking for. no, seriously.
- talk about getting put on to the best artists you never heard of! not to ignore mainstream folks, either, this crew is always on point with daily reviews, show updates (including ticket giveaways), hot downloads, and witty conversation.
- okayplayer – these are the folks who bring you events like the roots picnic, etc.
- i’ve been hooked in with them since i
punked out of applying for an internship while iwas in college. great reviews, latest info on your favorite artists, deets on upcoming shows, clues to the mystery that is d’angelo, & ?uestlove’s afro. - the foreign exchange music – music fo’ yo’ lahf. (english: music for your life.)
- yes, that’s what i said. this duo (and extended fam) gets a special mention on here because they have had the most drastic impact on my spirit. it was totally unexpected & i don’t joke about these things. yes, i’m playing all KINDS of favorites here. i admittedly just learned about them a couple of years ago, but it’s really that deep. buy direct from them (most often for less than traditional sites) & help these amazing artists get more of their earnings. and the site has select music available for free.
so, that’s my meager, introductory ode to black music month. i’m hoping to make it out to the eric roberson & lalah hathaway shows later in the month so that i can write some reviews. i’m a student without rent money for july, so sponsors are welcome & will definitely get much love here & on twitter. 🙂
*yes, i know there are previous posts on here; i decided to move my old wordpress.com blog to this site. and i rambled a bit pre-launch. i will discuss much more than music here; check out the menu for topics.
