Posted by Colin McDowell on Monday, November 7, 2011,
In :
Music
Most sample based hip-hop producers discover a vast array of Jazz, Soul and Funk records by digging through their parents' dusty old collections. Born and raised just minutes from Philly in the borough of Haddon Heights, New Jersey (part of Camden County); a son of avid Rock, Psychedelic and Blues fans had a different deck to draw from, resulting in a unique blend of genres rarely sampled within the art form. Using an SP-404 (most of the time), Keswick (let's just call him Kez) keeps that g...
Posted by Colin McDowell on Sunday, October 23, 2011,
In :
Health/Lifestyle
Take a break from whatever it is you are doing (it will only take a moment), find a [secluded] spot for you to relax for a minute, and close your eyes... then inhale/exhale almost ferociously for about 1 minute... when it feels like you are approaching the final few seconds of your minute, exhale while opening your eyes to the world in which you were born.
It works...
See, most people whom smoke cigarettes claim to do so in efforts to better regulate their stress (or because they are addicted... Continue reading ...
Posted by Colin McDowell on Thursday, September 29, 2011,
In :
Music
You want some neo-soul-funky-hip-hop-ish? Huey Neutron, the combination of Bobby Blunt's suave vox over DJ Vex's crisp chops, is at it again with their new EP- Almosthere- coming out sometime within the next month. Here's a video for "Love Is", one of the many great tracks from the impending EP, starring Jocelyn Coleman and Bobby... not too bad for a Nikon d5000, though we do plan on upgrading pretty soon.
Posted by Colin McDowell on Tuesday, September 13, 2011,
In :
Music
The long awaited day as arrived, Keswick and I have finally released the 7 track EP that went to hell and back just to see the light of a final mixdown... we have released it through the medium, Bandcamp, and hope that the price of FREE will be good enough for the casual and avid listener. We hope you enjoy what you hear, and if you do/don't, do let us know by dropping a line [or hash tagging #WMIY] on Twitter (/ilooklikehim/KesWerd) or FB (/ilooklikehim)... we appreciate you taking time ou... Continue reading ...
Posted by Colin McDowell on Friday, August 19, 2011,
In :
Social Concern
Though I partially agree with the need for a tighter moral fiber, be it by means of ethical responsibility or religion, creationism cannot be a widespread belief in the times of the Information/Big Data Age. I say this because the Bible does not evolve (unless modern man edits it... but then it is no longer credible, right?), it can only be interpreted in more current contexts; where as in science is accustom to constantly evolving, meaning that the more we know... the more we will eventua...
Posted by Colin McDowell on Sunday, July 3, 2011,
In :
Social Concern
From left to right: Cristo del Pacifico (37 meters - Lima, Peru), Cristo Redentor (39.6 meters - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), Cristo de la Concordia (40.4 meters - Cochabamba, Bolivia), Christ the King (72.5 meters - Swiebodzin, Poland), Cristo Rey (45.5 meters - Cali, Colombia)
This one, Cristo de Copoya, is still being constructed in Tuxtla Gutíerrez, Mexico; it is expected to be 64 meters tall when finished.
Posted by Colin McDowell on Tuesday, June 14, 2011,
In :
Music
After months of having an empty account, FlyLo has gone on an uploading binge posting 13 tracks (including a beat for Elzhi, remixes of Massive Attack/Mr. Oizo/Bjork, a new one from Thundercat's upcoming Flying Lotus produced LP- The Golden Age of the Apocalypse, and many unreleased pieces) to Soundcloud in the past 48 hours. I'm hoping that he uses the Cloud as a medium for some of his more obscure tracks (streaming is fine!) from here on out. Anyhow, if you happen to be in NYC next Monday... Continue reading ...
Posted by Colin McDowell on Thursday, May 26, 2011,
In :
Change
I tried to express my concerns for the ever so fast devolution of love by explaining the perspective which I am looking from... I'm more so focusing on the results of actions and mindsets rather than the intentions and reasons behind them. Some of us think that we are doing the right thing; however, it feels to me that as the population grows (and the world shrinks) and morals/ethics change we inch closer towards losing a concept of the "right thing". Individualism and independence have ris... Continue reading ...
Posted by Colin McDowell on Sunday, May 8, 2011,
In :
Music
Pacquiao beats Mosley in a less than exhilarating fight... the Heat came back from 10+ deficit to beat the Celtics and capture a 2-1 playoff lead... and today is Mothers Day, a day of gratefulness and an excuse to show how much you appreciate your mama. I treat everyday as if it is Mothers Day, wish everybody else would do the same... this principle actually applies to just about every holiday or day of appreciation I happen to experience. So... everyday is Christmas, everyday is Valentines... Continue reading ...
Posted by Colin McDowell on Saturday, May 7, 2011,
In :
Social Concern
Well, as a result of our recent accomplishment... finding and eliminating one of the worlds most sought after terrorist leaders (which in all actuality accomplished very little)... the U.S. government now has several of Osama's personal videos, 5 of which the Pentagon has elected to share with the public (I wonder what the others contain?). I found the vids online at ABC news but I'm sure they are circulating on just about every news gathering and broadcasting company on the web, TV, and pap... Continue reading ...
So I've been on a bestial procreation tear... exposing myself to the not so mainstream modes of internet pornography... voluntarily. It started shortly after getting off of the phone with Mr. McPhee and I have no idea what spurred me to go on such a strange research binge. I was greatly entertained and inspired (in a scholastic sense) by the number of bestially sexual videos that dedicated casual videographers have posted on Youtube, one leads to another like clockwork! So yeah, I plagued... Continue reading ...
Posted by Colin McDowell on Thursday, February 24, 2011,
In :
Change
You have done the Hip-Hop community a great deal of justice by utilizing your well adjusted scholarship to discuss in detail the intrinsic value pertaining to Rap and Hip-Hop... I cannot reiterate the importance of your decision to take on such a (generally) frowned upon subject matter... the manner in which you conveyed several Hip-Hop truths has communicated several essential concepts relative to understanding this street art form. Thanks again, you have impacted me greatly.
Posted by Colin McDowell on Tuesday, December 28, 2010,
In :
Holidays/Travel
... this year it's an igloo bar! Tommy (Take One) and I completed yet another snow challenge this year and I think this may become an annual ritual if it continues to snow 14 inches during Christmas.
Christmas has always been one of those holidays thats enjoyment and worthiness is based on how well your wish list was tended to. My wishlist was always a collection of extremely wishful desires (sometimes impossible ones), of which only about 40% became realities. Once I caught on to the fact that my ratio will forever be imbalanced because of my spacey ass imagination, Christmas started to become more like Easter... a holiday I am reluctant to celebrate. Strange enough, I didn'...
Posted by Colin McDowell on Thursday, December 16, 2010,
In :
Music
Well, I now present you with my first CD. I did it all using Garageband, an SM-57 microphone + SHURE interface, a shed, and all of my friends' support. It took me 3 months to complete and in doing so I faced a barrage of challenges pertinent to maintaining balance. My biggest challenge now and down the road is [going to be] upkeeping my relationship with Crista, and that is a problem I am currently brainstorming a resolution for. Anyhow, this was my first test, and now I know how much emo...
Posted by Colin McDowell on Friday, December 10, 2010,
In :
Epiphanies
Miracles [from a first person perspective] are a product of your subconscious decision making. I have always known that miracles, metaphysical forces, and so called phenomena can be associated with the world of pseudo psychology [and for the most part should be]; but I have never really understood then how the inexplicable events that do happen... happen. 2 days ago, I managed to conduct an unintentional empirical experiment involving a car, sleep, and CO (carbon monoxide). The point I lat... Continue reading ...
Posted by Colin McDowell on Wednesday, December 8, 2010,
In :
Music
As if I were sitting on the toilet for minutes on end, I've been sitting at a desk pushing to get this CD finalized and ready for distribution. I've put so much energy into this piece of art that in doing so I have become a zombie of some sort... anyhow, it'll be ready soon... very soon. I hope that it spreads, after all it will be 19 more free songs that I'll be giving the world... Continue reading ...
Posted by Colin McDowell on Wednesday, December 1, 2010,
In :
Thinking Out Loud
Luck is when preparation meets opportunity. Luck runs out. Preparation requires organization. Opportunities can be seized or passed on. I failed to recognize that when all of these truisms are incorporated into your daily life they can help you be the person you want to be.
I was presented with the opportunity to give my favorite artist, Flying Lotus, a gift of my appreciation for his musical production abilities. I failed to follow through with this plan, even after I had been ranting ... Continue reading ...
Posted by Colin McDowell on Friday, March 12, 2010,
In :
Holidays/Travel
(The Monarchs beat The Sharks 4-3 in OT)
Sorry for the delayed post, I'm a jackass sometimes. I get so caught up in vacations sometimes that any sign of work usually repulses me to the point of near regurgitation... and we all know that that is never good. What I did promise was to give you a look into the city of Winnipeg, Canada. I will now present you with the qualitative differences I noticed between us and our top hat (Canada).
1. Winnipegers seem to be kind and optimistic (maybe beca... Continue reading ...
Posted by Colin McDowell on Friday, March 5, 2010,
In :
Holidays/Travel
I usually forget the rest after that. I never really gave any attention to the full lyrics of a song I used to directly associate the country of Canada with every time I heard anything that had to do with Canada. Now that I am about to be in the country I might as well recite the full lyrics once to myself: "O Canada!
Our home and native land! True patriot love in all they sons command.
With glowing heart we see thee rise, The True North strong and free!
Posted by Colin McDowell on Monday, February 22, 2010,
In :
Thinking Out Loud
As a hip-hop song writer and vocal operationalist, I demand that I know how my words affect the ears... simple as that.
But the difficulty of assessing how your voice/word play/word choice/rhythm affects the ears of other human beings is almost cynically detrimental to one's continuance of pursuing a dream or passion in singing/song-writing. In my case, the statement made in the previous sentence does not hold entirely true. I am an excellent self-critic and generally know what sounds pleasu... Continue reading ...
Posted by Colin McDowell on Tuesday, February 9, 2010,
In :
Social Concern
Sunny day in Sun Life Stadium, gloomy day for the Colts, bonerific day for the Saints, and a glorious day for the city of New Orleans (this Superbowl win has all of a sudden fixed all of New Orleans problems, what a blessing). The fate of the game was said to be decided by the performance of the Saints, and it turned out to be true. It all boiled down to Indianapolis not being able to contain the Saints' multiple offensive threats in the most important moments (due to zone coverage and dou...
Posted by Colin McDowell on Tuesday, January 26, 2010,
In :
Holidays/Travel
So this weekend was ill, add some more experiences to my never ending list of sensual encounters. I arrived in Manahttan on Friday morning at about 7 am on the Sprinter Bus (Destiny) line, which I must say is a significant upgrade from the last bus line I was taking (refer to document titled Customer Service vs. None). I got in on 34th Street (but there was no miracle) and headed over to my buddy Sam's humble abode, the 3rd floor of an NYU dormitory in Union Square... also home to Ross Bra...
Posted by Colin McDowell on Sunday, December 20, 2009,
In :
Thinking Out Loud
So last night I arrived at the bus stop at around 11:30 knowing that the bus would be a tad bit late due to the inclement weather... I didn't know it would be 4 hours late though. I made the decision to head back home instead of waiting in a room full of people for 4 hours after telling the lady working at the front desk to give me a ring when the bus arrived (she said OK). So I gave her my number and left thinking that I was going to get a phone call. I napped for a bit and woke up to my ... Continue reading ...
Posted by Colin McDowell on Thursday, December 17, 2009,
In :
Extraterrestrial
Alas, we are progressively finding more and more "Super-Earth" (a term coined by Harvard University Astronomy Prof. Dimitar Sasselov to describe Earth-like planets- we have currently found 28) planets with our "super-advanced" telescopes. Our ability to detect low mass planets in orbit around "super-shiny" stars gives us to the tools necessary to conduct further research on other "super-habitable" planets searching for "super-alternative" life forms. We have found planets that have atmosphe... Continue reading ...
Posted by Colin McDowell on Sunday, December 13, 2009,
In :
Thinking Out Loud
Recap:
Wednesday (Dec. 9th)- Had a yoga class exam in the morning which consisted of exam review being due and tests waiting to be taken. At the end of the exam she told us she had exploited her psychological side and that the real exam was coming in for the test being mentally prepared... interesting. Caught a flight right after it finished, landed in Boston at 3:30. Walked around looking for Crista and making sure I was in the right place for approximately 35 minutes. Found Crista, took ... Continue reading ...
Posted by Colin McDowell on Tuesday, December 8, 2009,
In :
Health/Lifestyle
I've just now discovered a perfect breakfast combo for every type (functioning/recreational/lazy) of stoner... some of you may already be on the morning cannabis diet, but I am new to this. So it all started when I stopped by Trader Joe's about 2 weeks ago and came across Nature's Path Organic Hemp Granola cereal, which is derived from the hemp plant (male cannabis plant). I wanted to experiment with something new, plus I did a bit of research and found that this hemp based cereal contains:... Continue reading ...
Posted by Colin McDowell on Monday, December 7, 2009,
In :
Social Concern
Oh great... my second blog of the day. I know I may be overloading whoever reads this with what can be rendered as "useless" information, but I just have to express myself right now, I guess you can say that I am a bit antsy to get this itching thought off my mind. FWI- I do not mean to insult anybody of African American descent when I say "nigger"... I'm using the term to explain why the term is used. My good friend Josh Smith (J.Smith) actually brought the fact that I may be a racist (su... Continue reading ...
Posted by Colin McDowell on Saturday, December 5, 2009,
In :
Thinking Out Loud
Coooooool man, always nice to hear threats from a bi-polar boss (who I once heard say that he doesn't really care about my "late to work" habits). Seriously man, I must have punctualiphobia or something because I NEVER show up to work on time. I know, I know...one of the most important traits to hone is punctuality, it can never be a bad thing (exempting late night parties and such). Punctualiphobia doesn't exist but I think it should be looked at as a label for those who fear being on time... Continue reading ...
