DMLH Lyrics - Bring Back The Basics

A few weeks ago I did a solo set at Hush with Inkre:mentals in memory of our dear friend Sokhak who passed on last October. It was a really special night. Red-E and E-magyn, the two guys who make up the core of inkre:mentals, put together a memorium dvd with clips of Sokhak doing live poetry as well as many of his friends discussing his inspirational presence in their lives. The DVD was sold to raise money for to purchase bikes for Cambodian children, a cause that Sokhak had wanted to achieve in his life. They are working closely with his family here in the US as well as in Cambodia to make this happen. The room was filled with Sokhaks family, friends new and old, and new faces who heard there was something cool going on. I rocked what was probably my tightest solo set since last June, possibly just because of the extremely awesome energy i felt in the whole room. I had the first set and the room went from sitting and listening to poetry to dancing in ecstatic joy. I was stoked right there, but then I had the treat of seeing Inkre:mentals rock out their set. I first met these guys at an Aftermath open mic (which was hosted and promoted by Sokhak for a good 2 years)and we all hit it off. We spent a few months getting together on mondays to freestyle and connect about art. Since then Red-E and E-magyn have been recording and practicing and their set is TYT. They incorporate costume changes and general goofiness to keep the energy light, while rapping about more serious themes like societal hypocrisy, building for peace and interpersonal issues, and their spiritual connection. These guys rip it up, with passionate presentation that had the whole crowd bouncing. Their set led into an hours long jam session that went deep into the night, with freestyles, live drumming, tap dancing and more, just freewheeling creative energy flowing between everyone who decided to stay. Overall the night was also a success, raising a good amount of money for the cause and bringing people from diverse parts of Sokhaks life together to celebrate his inspirational life.

I was hoping to post video from the show, but i have yet to get the footage, so for now i will post the newest version of Bring Back The Basics, which i premiered at this show and really was feeling the response from the crowd. Check it out:



Lyrics:

bring back the basics
food and water
shelter that's proper
health so we prosper

give back a day spent
what can you offer?
skill sets we trade
barter wealth from the larder

my money's worth less than it was
when i first spent it on dubs
before i put songs on your ipod
and rented out clubs
now the treasury's rescuing banks from all the lent out funds
so when the economy really tanks they'll have more room for their guns
its got me wondering why i would want to get more of their paper money stacks
face it buddy, we chase the bunny for the false safety of running in packs
i'm looking for a place to create things, whos coming? who wants to relax?
cooking up plates where the taste sings true love and the body reacts!
you know - a decent spot to watch the prophecy blast
cracking and offering pabst
macking on apocalypse ass
after all its probably the last time we'll get to party and laugh
after the fall its going to be a lot more of the yard work and trash
no one picks up at the curb, you can't afford to waste the scraps
so fill the compost and turn it, help some food replace the grass!
after the blast we'll be learning all the lessons we left in the past
actually i hope concerned individuals will get together and act!

bring back the basics
food and water
shelter that's proper
health so we prosper

give back a day spent
what can you offer?
skill sets we trade
barter wealth from the larder
(2x)

is it time versus money? well, my money is on time
as an actual resource that i can use to get mine
i'll spend it stacking more resources, we use what we find
in the trash and free boxes, re-using all kinds
of scrap wood, hardware, fresh foods and yard care
i'm mad good at scoping when i'm rolling in a car share
i'm a fool for good fabrics in day-glos and rainbows
to make clothes that match all the light that my brain glows
nurturing my heart, i'm watered when i hydrate
to bloom into the part that i play as a primate
so why wait to find out if we're too late to climb out
of the hole they've been digging since they sold us a living?
i'll take time out to chase my fate and wind down
to play the role being written in my notebook descriptions
of a future laid out with a co-creative vision
where a few of us will get together to keep living
shape rhythms and words, paint images of worth
and feed each other with a feast that was collected from the earth!

bring back the basics
food and water
shelter that's proper
health so we prosper

give back a day spent
what can you offer?
skill sets we trade
barter wealth from the larder

DMLH - Got My Taxes Done

Okay, so I did my taxes. Looks like I am not really getting much back. Which is good because it fosters independence from institutional monies. The goal here is to remember to have fun in the Great Depression, stay positive and use the creative energy to generate something greater than money. Right? I just keep reminding myself that its okay to be broke as fuck. Actually i keep getting reminders, when my friends in Portland and around the country respond and help me to build and keep working. Its all about mutual support. We all have our part to play.

Anyway I did my taxes with a certain online prep tool (and by hand of course, to double check) and it brings me back two years, when my good friend and owner of the dopest movie theater in Portland came to me with a proposal: write a song about taxes to win ten grand in an online video contest. He had just won another chunk of money from another random corporation, so I thought it was a pretty good idea. I sat down and wrote some funny lyrics, and we spent a day shooting scenes around Portland with a bunch of crazy cars a friend of ours had at the time. It turned out to be a pretty good video, really one of the better quality entries, but we did not win. I think it was rigged. Anyway now instead of 10 gs we have a silly video that has probably gotten some 3000 views. This is probably the ONLY time you will ever catch me shilling for corporate scum, and though embarrassed by that I still think its a funny little story and worth looking back on. Big ups to Kendall for rockin the boardslide.


Oh yeah, if any independent businesses need a dope jingle, holla @ me.

DMLH - Jam Session Freestyle at Cantino Castle

We were invited over for a potluck and eventually made our way down into the basement.

YARO!

DMLH stars in anti-smoking commercial? No lie!

I found a dvd of this ad while cleaning out my room to sublet for tour. Yes I am the model for the animated smoker. My buddy Matt the Robot made this commercial in 2006, and we shot the photos that most of it is drawn from at the Clinton St. Theater in Portland. Matt is a way talented animator, and this is really more of a quick and janky project compared to the stuff he does now. He is currently working on an animated series with Ben Joseph and David Arquette called "Motha Truckas" - check out the trailer for it below, and then check out his other work at manbaby.com if you want to see more.

"Smoke Buddies"

"smoke buddies" anti-smoking PSA from Manbaby on Vimeo.

"Motha Truckas"

Mutha Truckas from Manbaby on Vimeo.

more at manbaby.com

DMLH Videos from 2013

For a year beginning in August 2007 I was part of a collective effort to curate a store for progressive, visionary and local culture. We painted murals on all the walls and the outside, built out counters and shelves and networked like crazy with local artists and crafters to stock the best in local goods. We were open seven days a week for the whole year and we had shows there at least once a month. It was an awesome undertaking and a great learning expereince, and ultimately fell victim to the crumbling economy (thanks america!). Anyway, like I said we had a few great shows there and this little video player collects a night of my performance there. This night was funny because I got to the show after working an 8 hour day with a catering company on the 35th floor of a hospital. Regardless, I was amped to see the big group of people there for our re-modelling party, and brought the good energy out to share.

DMLH Lyrics - Things Tend To Happen

I wrote this song during this past summer while going through a number of beats that Alex had produced in 2004. This one caught me because it was so subtle, yet when you hear it through some badass subs it overpowers most clubs. Anyway, at first I thought that the chorus concept was a little too vague, but after a year of total absurdity and probably the most self growth I have experienced yet, I think there is probably no other way to describe this wild ride.





THINGS TEND TO HAPPEN:

if we don't notice
then maybe we might act in
our best interest and ask man
we're at half mast with our heads in the past
while my heart is in the present
tearing the strings from the mask

akin to wearing things received
as a true gift from the trash
faces grin: i can bear that
with the strength of my laugh
i chase the wind to find my spirit
sitting steady like a statue
ask, you may receive
what you need
or perceive to lack
i hope you will succeed in that
i believe in the maps
of the stars
and the hands that clap
in the back of these bars
while we stand there and stare
as the bands get prepared
i believe in the traps
for the scared
so i'm facing my fears
i want to chase em with beers
but that's complacent and geared
to making me forget the reason
i'm so blatantly weird
what i create is the mirror
to see my fate through the years
when i can't see it clear
i wonder where I'm looking from
here, hear the kicking drums
cheer when the weekend comes NEAR
we cycle through the seasons
keep our vital signs breathing
see with sight: the signs meaning
is the right to reason:
its alike to the timed
flash sequence of the lights
its the sight in the mind
as the image reunites
its the memories we make
with all the message we're given
our energy at stake
that feeds our enemies within
you can catch me at the gate
watching with empathy and vision
will it ever be different?
will i only be the witness?

as things tend to happen,
if we don't notice
then maybe we might act in
our best interest and ask man
we're at half mast with our heads in the past
while my heart is in the present
tearing the strings from the mask

This is the moment that we're sharing
hold our stories in a basket
all we ever wanted
was our future tied fast with
the strands that extend throughout
the passage of time
what we choose is our path
which every action refines
when i sing its for the sensual
impact on my mind
ring with vibration in my breath to match
the earth and the sky
I am a person alive
i learn how people survive
I earn my place out in this process
of rebirth and design

i'm searching for the signs
that have been placed for my eyes
so i can learn how my perception
keeps my whole world aligned
its worth the time to turn my mind
into a beacon that shines
to build my heart into the rhythm
that can move us through the lines
fill my voice with all the wisdom i can find in the clutter
let the noise turn into symphonies all timed with each other
or allow myself to learn as it occurs while i stare
without a doubt as to the purpose myself when i'm there


as things tend to happen,
if we don't notice
then maybe we might act in
our best interest and ask man
we're at half mast with our heads in the past
while my heart is in the present
tearing the strings from the mask