SIAIRA SHAWN

Just recently got to sit down with one of my favorite artists Bay Area's own singer/songwriter/ herself. Its not everyday that someone can capture a crowd with purely acapella vocals .

SIAIRA SHAWN

WRENAGADE (WR): There is a lot going on in the Bay Area {from Prop 8 Protests, Oscar Grant Protests/Mehserle Trial,} as well as all over the world {Iran Democratic Election, too many injustices to name...}, As a song writer that is an activist, how do you take on the challenge of Speaking your Views, as well as keeping it Universal (so anyone can get down with your music and really hear it?

SIAIRA: The songs I write are what I am inspired and by my experience. I originally started writing songs on a certain topics, mostly very personal. As I've started to write more and become a better writer, I've learned how to frame very personal things into very universal themes. Also, because the big issues are our issues, my issues, the political is personal, so I write in a way that shows that I hope. Everything I try to do comes from a place of love, so that's how I write.

WR: Just listened to TOO MANY which is an amazing song, the lyrics the melody all of it. This is a dope song to me because it is expressing all the emotions that protesters have, of rage, sadness of seeing injustice, put into a song in such an eloquent and heART felt way. I get chills when I hear the part of the song “and I cant stomach another daughter or son on the ground…” Siaira has managed to capture so much in the beautiful song, from the pain of loosing a life, overall police brutality and transcend that with harmony and lyrical grace.

(to listen 'Too Many' click here )

WR: You bring such a refreshingly fly style to your music, is there anyone that influenced you growing up in the Bay Area?

SIAIRA: Thank you! Growing up in the Bay, San Francisco especially, there weren't too many people to look to,as far as being a soul/ r and b singer. I think that’s why you have to do your own thing. I can say in Oakland, all my homeys, who were involved in BUMP and other youth music programs, really gave me an outlet. And as far as my style; I wanted to do my own thing, and write from a different perspective that I feel is unique because its me, no manufacturing.

WR: If you could choose some artists out there that did/do really influence you as a singer and song writer who would they be and why?

Nina Simone-Crazy style, unique vocals, she blew my mind,and the subject matter she tackled in her songs and the emotion, I love her…
John Legend-When he came out there was no one like him in R&B, his song writing, making good quality songs. Also as he has matured in his career and his music and he has taken a great political stance.

WR: thats wassup...Whats your favorite quote?

SIAIRA:*Never settle for mediocrity
"I have come to believe over and over again that what is most important to me must be spoken, made verbal and shared, even at the risk of having it bruised or misunderstood." Audre Lorde

WR: What projects do you you have in the works?

SIAIRA: My e.p. "The Outsider Inside" is upcoming, doing a photoshoot, want to put some shirts out soon too , oh I'll also be on rapper Five-Eightys album and The League 510 album and video for the song "Friday". I am always working on music, I wanna put a mixtape and some themed projects out, and a full-length album of course, so just look out for me :)

WR: Words of advice to other singers out there?

SIAIRA: My advice is just to be true to yourself and strive for as close to perfection as you can get. Put out quality music, put your best self forward always. Don't conform.

* I have some shows end of July and August in oakland mostly, I believe, and wherever elso people will have me :) You can go reverbnation.com and lastfm.com to hear some older music,new stuff coming soon on those. And I'm on facebook, just type my name-Siaira Shawn in the search to get updates.


A big shout out to Siaira Shawn if ya dont know now ya know.

Heres a perfect Summer feel good Jam that im bumping ritnOW…

Pocket Mix 3 - Siaira Shawn

Look forward to many more collab projects with this Song Bird, dont sleep on OakTowns finest and Flyest from the Song Birds to the Emcees, we got Talent all over the Bay...

oh yeah...(dont mind the messy photography skills ill post better pics soon)

At INTERNATIONAL heART SHO (Katiana and myselfs first collab project) I did a set of portraits of the song bird SIAIRA SHAWN. This is a pic of one of them I will eventually share with you many more pictures of art flick so look out for more. I think I only captured about 1% of the dopeness in this piece, I do portraits of folks mostly music artists to pay homage...Look out for more posts soon.

Follow her on twitter @siairashawn and holla @ a @wrenagade ...

(Disclaimer for anyone sipping some haterade: im in no way a professional journalist and mos. def. don't claim to be, I am a artivist, so just a fan of good music, in terms of lyrics, vocals, production, Good music, especially when its about real issues that effect our community, because that is when music is at its best. -wr)

Im leaving...

Im Leaving

Epiphany - Chrisette Michele

((This song may not lyrically be everything Im going thru in terms of my personal life but I am leaving a lot of wackness as I leave the place I currently reside. By the way im loving Chrisette Michele she has that classic swag that somehow seems new...))

As of June first I put in notice at the crib we moving. I have known I was going to be moving out of this particular apt for some time but its looking like I might be moving further then expected. I have been transforming in many ways over the past months(don't get it twisted I'm still the same Wren, just trying to evolve and do the experiences/blessings/hardships some justice and learn and change from em) and like my name I am a bird what ever adversity you throw at me I will spread my wings and fly to higher places. I am currently blasting some mixes of Old Skool and New School anything from MJ, Aretha, to Mystic, and Luniz and all that in between, while I put everything in boxes. I am sitting on lots of new posts, and if your new to reading this here blog or not be expecting a little more quality over quantity, meaning I will take a little more time with what I post, and share more exclusive art flicks, and interviews and things of this nature in future posts.




Packing up all my belongings, and possibly moving out of the LBC back to the Bay has me doing a little reflection not just on my time in this apartment but my growth and overall my life. Like the MJ song written by SIEDAH herself if my goal is to change the world i mos. def. have to start with myself. I am always trying to be a better person to better impact the world, to support the ones that I love. Re affirming my love for art, and music, and creating beautiful spaces (as i study interior architectural design and design in all its elements)...anyway I read a book about 6 years ago about making money as a money. But the message I took applies to everyone. In order to be happy, you must first asses what it is that you prioritize and invest there. At the time that I did that I was in high school with a job and side hustles and I had a room full over kicks and material things. I realized I was putting most of my money to something that was coolio, but not my priority. So I began to invest in my art (just buying basic art supplies usually the cheapest things i could find) and music. Its hard to stick to it, and there will be times, like myself, where you get lost and go astray, but I always come back to this, put ya money where ya heart is and you cant go wrong. So as I pack up my shoes, I am reminded of this, yeah kicks is cool, I'm not saying not to buy em, I'm just saying for me at the end of the day, I am fly no matter what I rawk and you could steal all my valuables and I would still be alright. With that said I recently "lost" some of my art work and that felt a little like someone ripped my heart out cause its irreplaceable, ya know.

Anyway the blogs may roll in slow but they coming I'm just hella busy making changes and tryna be grown ;) also enjoying what may be my last summertime in the LBC like the classic song that you can catch me sing on occasion...

Peace,
Wren

the homegirl KARA got a mixtape called DUB JUNGLE

SUPPORT OAKTOWNS FINEST AND GO COP THIS MIXTAPE HERE

Its good to see my homegirl Kara doing it, as long as I have known her she has been taking the stage and singing lovely harmonies to make ya weak in the kneees naw mean. The mixtape really shows how much she got her own unique style, theres FREESTYLES and reggae influence, with slappn beats, and much much more so go cop it.

Also to find out more about this talented young Song Bird click here

OAKTOWNS FINEST: NETTA BRIELLE

Go GET
ELECTRIK REBEL SOUNDS EP
@ Rasputins
LISTEN TO NETTA BRIELLE musica
((OAKTOWNS FINEST is how i introduce the homies in music that are ridiculously talented. We got talent in my homeland and I am on a mission to let folks know cause it seems like the world is sleepn on the most finest talented artists out there. From Jennifer Johns, Do Dat, Mystic, Siaira Shawn and Netta Brielle and hella
more we got hella talent in the BAY! It comes natural to promote the folks I am around or that are from the city I was raised in, and these are also all folks I would love to work with musically as well as artistically eventually))

NETTA REPS BERKELEY AND OAKLAND and she reps it well...

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT NETTA BRIELLE

Rather than give you my take on her I will let her tell you herself CHECK the video:

Netta Brielle is holding it down and repping for the Bay. She said it herself she is creating her own sound that is Urban Pop. This sound is one that even if you are not a fan of "pop" (which Im not usually) you can get down with her music. I am inspired by her speaking out, like all folks in Oakland who have lost friends and family members to violence and channel that into there art to keep on. It is our job as artists to paint peace (as told to me by Ms. Jen herself) there is already a lot of hate in music speaking on the way things are, so I mos. def. support any artist who takes that pain from experiences and created positive music.

and check her out on twitter
you know im on ther @wrenagade

and check her out LIVE July 4th @ PIER 23

and peep 'DIRTY BOYS' video shout out to George and Gina i see yall in the video...

SIEDAH GARRETT

RISE IN PEACE MJ-LEGENDS LIVE FOREVER!

Micheal Jackson lives on through his songs, and should be remembered for all the good he gave to this world. The first song I ever performed was "you are not alone." I find comfort in those lyrics. The most inspirational song that Micheal Jackson sang to me is Man in the Mirror. I love all MJ songs but that one holds a special place in my heart, because if you take the words in it is encouraging change in such a beautiful way.

The woman behind this amazing song is Siedah Garrett. Who I just had the honor of meeting and hearing her sing as well as speak about this song, and working with Micheal Jackson. She said that knowing that Micheal Jackson [because of his amazing talent] had and has a platform that the world can hear, she wanted to give him a song that really could change the world.

She is an amazing woman, I feel blessed to have met her. And Micheal lives on through his songs and all the artists that are so inspired by his songs, style and all that he did.

Man In The Mirror - Michael Jackson

Quit!

This is one of my favorite songs of Bambu's album EXACT CHANGE because I love when people call people out for being fake, and I love when people keep it real...

Bambu - "Quit" Produced by iLLMind from LightWork Media on Vimeo.

I AM inspired by...

Heres some visual artists I have come across recently (the past few years) who I LIKe. After having my first art sho (a collab project with the homegirl Katiana at theATTIKhouse) It feels good to hear that I have my own style. With that said the skys the limit in terms of how my own art will evolve, especially as I grow as a designer and a music artist...

Check there artists out...

via JUXTAPOZ:
John B








From graffiti on the streets to galleries to the School of Visual Arts, John Breiner has been around the block in the New York art scene. He's only been out of school for three years, but he's been studying art since way back. His more recent work is painted onto the end pages of old books, a way of spanning time by adding his modern expressions to a small part of history. Maybe the oddest thing about his work is that it doesn't feel particularly inspired by the city, which is unusual for graf artists who practically breathe asphalt. Color and negative space are the two main aspects of his work, and he executes both very well. His site is packed with work so visit www.johnbreiner.com and get yourself a dose.

Another artists that I like, that reps for the BAY, and his art can be found on t-shirts, shoes, wall art, and even shower curtains is Sam Flores.




And last but mos def not least Alfie, who I met last year at FPAC and I am a fan of her art ever since. She def. holds her own with style, and never ceases to amaze, and stays having her art featured @ shows aroung the LA area so Check her out...




From her website:
Alfie's style is best described as underground urban. Much of her influences come from the Los Angeles culture buzzing around her- the music in her Ipod, the Pilipino Family dynamics, graphic design, city life, the diverse multi-cultural population, 60's-70's cartoons, mythology, and Frida Kahlo. Alfie's current series focuses on keeping the belief of love alive, in all its forms, levels and complexities. For questions and inquiries, you may email her at iam@alfienumeric.com

There is no limit to what I am inspired by but these artists deserve props for holding there own and giving me hope that as an urban lover of hip hop sister song bird from the bay, I mite be able to see some of my dreams materialize...

These three artists are all very unique and have a piece of themselves in all their artwork, but do it in a fly way that speaks to like minded folks. Support artists foreal.

As a fellow lady artista I am escpecially inspired by Alfie for all she does check her out on the blog scroll ALFIE: I Bleed Words Till I am Read All Over... ONE LOVE

-Wren

a WRENAGADE take on CHARLES HAMILTON

First off this is in no way making excuses for a man that is acting out, and being disrespectful to women. I think that we hold women very accountable for there actions from the get, but when a man is young or has been through some struggles we are overly sympathetic. Either way it goes with music artists no matter how rude they are, there music is separate from them. So Yes I would rather that the man who made Brooklyn Girl was a loving gentleman down for his sisters, I am not surprised...



Honestly this video made both Charles Hamilton and the Lady look hella dumb.

So without showing you too much more of this dude acting out i Give you IllDoctrines -Operation Ignore CHARLES HAMILTON

INTERNATIONAL (he)ART Sho

First off a big THANK YOU goes to the lovely folks that stay at the ATTIK house for letting myself and Katiana host our art sho and basically take over the space for the past week, yall are fam but it has to be said that I feel honored and very appreciative!!!! Here some flicks to get my small piece of the magic that occured this past SATURDAY at my first Art Sho ever. almost everything that consider my art is inspired by music and the ones that I LOVE some portraits of Oaktowns finest, RIP my heart out collection, some political, some honoring those who are no longer with us, an expression of I and all i have experiencedl, the (he)ART comes through me it is not fully mine to claim (although it takes up hella my time and I am perfecting my skills) i give credit to the beauty around me and I, all that I am inspired by...all photography in this sho is Katiana from her travels to Cuba as we celebrate her bday and her send off back to the island... All art is Wren aka WRENAGADE...dont ever think this is all we got this is just the beginning from the art to the singing and theres so much more to come Ya heard!!! THANKS to SIAIRA SHAWN for blessing us with her voice as well as all the folks that shared at the OPEN MIC!














(more flicks n thangs coming soon...check BACK)

lovely day in the town

TODAY!

its short notice but if your in the TOWN get down with the GET DOWN!!!! TODAY! MALCOLM X JAZZ FESTIVAL SAN ANTONIO PARK

Im out the door...

Mama said!

via 38th notes bumping this in the design studio...Yeee! this goes out to the name droppers that talk shit bout folks they went to high school with cause they mad that folks like Fabby is doing it and they aint doing shit! shout out to the Mamas!




also some talented Oaklanders (honored to call em Homies) mr Do DAT and Jennifer Johns on this one: THE LADY NEXT DOOR---->

(click the pic)

7 days till im Free

things to check for this SUMMER

ALBUM COVERS of the DOPEST ARTISTS TO BE REVEALED
ART SHO JUNE 13th
(FLYER COMING SOON)
NEW MUSIC
NEW POSTS AND INTERVIEWS
NEW ART
NEW PORTFOLIO

check back in a few ITS A NEW DAY!
a new life...
AND IM FEELING GOOD
(no sleep for me till nxt Friday!)

CHECK OUT NEW ADDITIONS TO THE BLOGLIST
frm www.38thnotes.com to http://www.thr333sixphive.com/ to zackpiano.blogspot.com, www.offthebooks.org ...

CHECK BACK SOON. PEEEEACE!

There goes Wren aka Wrenagade with a tool box back pack and a portfolio on the bicycleta probably rushing to class, or to work, for the 3 people that may happen to read this (smile) Ima post more soon but i been to busy to remember to breath. I got three more weeks of school and then Im working on other design projects and an art gallery show on June 13th, all of which i will post images, stories, and flix of soon. Sending love out there to all the creative people of the world that don't sleep, to my godson who is getting sweeter and more amazing on the daily my god daughter, my fam who continues to hold me down even though I haven't been around. 2009 has tried to knock me down and I am stronger because of it, forever growing, and questioning, listening to the wisdom and working to create perfection (i believe what you create is perfect when it is truly you and rises above limitation, as well as an art that comes thru you on a spiritual tip).

While I work on a graphic design project that's due at 9:00 am tomorrow i bump this song...I am really feeling----> ((JADAKISS FEATURING JAZMIN SULLIVAN (wow this is beautiful lyricism and melody I will probably write another post on this when I get the tick tocks)

Smoking Gun feat. Jazmine Sullivan - Jadakiss

if your in LA come thru!!!!!

OFF THE BOOKS------>>> MYSTIC (oooweee im excited) I am very inspired by this fellow Towny songstress as you might be able to tell from some previous posts, so come thru and check it out.

go green everyday, its happy mama earth day!

JUST A QUOTE (Native American Proverb which i was reminded of by Mystic "We do not inherit the earth from our parents, we borrow it from our children."
WE GO GREEN IN THE GHETTO FROM OAKLAND TO THE SRILANKA MAYNE!

my schoolios take on Gender Roles in HIP HOP

From the Daily 49er

Gender roles in hip hop music

 Monday, April 20, 2009 Updated: Monday, April 20, 2009 Masculinity in hip hop music was discussed April 16 to raise awareness during Sexual Assault Awareness month.The event began at 7:30 p.m. in the University Student Union Ballrooms and was co-sponsored by Sigma Lambda Beta International Fraternity, Incorporated, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Cal State Long Beach and the Women’s Studies Student Association.   A documentary film by Byron Hurt, an anti-sexist activist, called “Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes,” spearheaded the event. Jose Sanchez, a graduate student in sports medicine and a grad member of Sigma Lambda Beta, reminisced about the original days of hip hop when he would carry around a boom box, a cassette player with headphones or listened to the radio for the music he once loved. “Back then hip hop was just called hip hop,” Sanchez said. “Now we have East Coast, West Coast, Bay Area, South, Midwest … [wherein] hip hop has been dismembered.”Hurt’s film, which premiered in 2006 at the Sundance Film Festival, touched on the dismemberment of hip hop as well as examined images of gender roles in hip hop and rap music. The discussion following the film focused on how masculinity is projected for Black and Latino males and its influence on gender roles throughout these communities. Ebony A. Utley, an assistant professor in communication studies and author of the forthcoming book, “The Gangsta’s God: The Quest for Respectability in Hip Hop,” was one of the keynote speakers, along with MG Hardie, author of “EveryDay Life,” and Christopher Eclipse, choreographer and dancer for musicians like Beyonce and recently Flo Rida. Utley questioned how representations of masculinity in hip hop shapes the way they represent their respective creative areas of dance and writing. Hardie said he realized that focusing on the individual rather than the community is an effect of hip hop on African American men.“I was very selfish,” Hardie said. “I know a lot rappers are interested in the individual … when they rap about guns and stuff [without] thinking about the broader picture.”Hardie said that when he became a father he started to think about how things would affect his daughter and he had to think outside of himself for once. Eclipse said that he believes there is a line of masculinity and persona one has to keep even in the dance side of hip hop. “For instance when I’m talking to Flo Rida I have to speak his language because I can’t talk to him the way I would take with [a group like this],” Eclipse said.Dignity and integrity are traits that Eclipse believes as a man he should always maintain regardless of the language he has to speak between the different artists he works with. “[However,] when I’m talking to Kanye [West] … it is a little more sensitive than with Flo Rida, or 50 Cent,” Eclipse added.A question surrounding instances of domestic violence such as in that in the Chris Brown and Robyn Fenty, known as Rihanna situation was brought asked by senior psychology major Chiamaka Okwu. She questioned whether gender is secondary in situations like that of Brown and Rihanna.“Even though [Brown’s] lyrics aren’t implicitly about violence…if I say I am against domestic violence … or violence period [it makes] me as Black woman seem like I’m not protecting the black man,” Okwu said. The speakers all agreed that both artists need help to regain their mental and emotional stability.“[Some] Caucasians do all different kinds of things [like drugs] in front of their kids, inject themselves, get caught in bathrooms with [drugs] and [society] turns around and says give them a chance … but as soon as [African Americans] do something it’s over,” Hardie said.Utley said she believes the situation between Brown and Rihanna happened because of patterns of domination and submission. “Violence is the end result but domination and submission start very early in subtle ways,” Utley said.“Chris Brown does all the leading when he dances … [his lyrics] like ‘girl I want to be with you [and] I want you to be with me’ [embody] domination and submission because his desires are primary and [the girl] is supposed to follow,” Utley said.She pointed out that domination and submission are learned in environments where a person does the early stages of learning. “In their relationships with their parents … [Brown and Rihanna] got used to those patterns at home and they play out in their careers, professional life and in relationships,” Utley said.Natalie Torres, CSULB alumni, raised another question on whether or not hip hop will return to way it was before the male dominance and masculinity images. Torres wonders if she will ever love hip hop again or be able to hear it the way it used to be.“It’s almost like I’ve learned to hate [hip hop] because those who are about hip hop [and] talk about hip hop have taken the good parts of hip hop and changed it into this mass media thing,” Torres said.Eclipse believes that hip hop will reemerge, in the future, the way it originally began only it will have a different name; no longer known as “hip hop.” “I … don’t believe hip hop is dead because I’m around enough people and artists who are generating work that focuses on positive life issues,” Eclipse said.“The labels are waiting for artists to bring back [positive messages] and more artists are writing their own music, becoming producers and CEOs [so that they can produce these messages],” Eclipse said.He believes it is the artists’ job to make sure these types of movements are activated. Hip-hop artist Lauryn Hill’s last major record, “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill,” emphasizes the approach Eclipse outlined.Hill’s 1998 solo album featured a song called “Superstar” that fits the message the speakers and Hurt’s documentary touched on. “Hip hop started out in the heart, now everybody trying to chart,” Hill rhymes at the beginning of the track.Overall, the student organizers felt the event was a good stepping stone.  Audrey Silvestre (cant find), a junior women’s studies major and a member of WSSA, was pleased with the dialogue at the event.“People had stuff to say and talk about [on the issue] because the conversation wasn’t stopping,” Silvestre said.Trevon Williams, president of the NAACP-CSULB and senior Africana studies and Chicano and Latino studies double major, closed the event with his thoughts on how to change the negative effects hip hop has on masculinity and the community.“If you don’t like what you saw [in the documentary] and want to change it, then don’t buy [the music],” Williams said. “You are the consumer with the cash [who] is making [this music] high on the charts [while still] complaining about it degrading women and consuming our culture.”Utley was thrilled that the issue was brought up at CSULB with a mixed audience. “College is about getting these experiences, learning from other people and not just the textbook stuff but more about open exchange and feedback,

...Never Been a...

MARSHMELLOW


just peeped the video I'm loving it. EyeASage is officially my favorite Emcee coming out of the ity bity city of SAN FRANCISCO and thats saying a lot cuz the city got talent (notice i said favorite-not fav. female she holds her own wit the boys mayne) Anyway this is the perfect joint (the soundtrack joint while you burn one) for today, its a jam that should be knocking in everyone's speaker boxes all summer long. im loving the flavor of the video. Shout out to her crew of fly sisters I see ms.NinaParks . I am always inspired by women like this. Where my ladies @ ? Look out for ROCKY RIVERA coming soon....

Holla at MS. KRISH aka EYEASAGE herself @ www.guerillabusfare.com

MISTAH FABby Himself

The more I learn about Mistah FAB the more I like. He is mos def. under-rated and over looked but the people that know him well know that he is real, thought provoking, and coming from the heart. Anyone that hates on him really doesn't know him at all. In the past months since Dec. 31st I have been bumping his music in steady rotation, from the 'Oscar Grant tribute song' which features Jennifer Johns to 'Teenage Thug', to 'My City', to the new joint No 420. The songs are all refreshingly original, true to his Townish roots, and they GO!

Not only is Mistah FAB doing it in the HIP HOP world because of the songs he creates and his ridiculous freestyle capabilities, but he is also using his platform to speak on issues in the Oakland Community, and anything from AIDS/HIV awareness to Sustainability and Poverty. I will continue to post more on Mistah Fabby Davis as he continues to inspire and do what he does. I also want to shout him out for being a DOPE DAD and taking care of his daughter, as well as always sharing with his tweets (twitter) his love and respect for his mamma! Check out his NO 420 it mos def helped me get thru 2day in one piece! Mad Love.


PLEASE REQUEST THIS SILLY SONG CAUSE LAUGHTER IS A POWERFUL THANG NO?



follow MISTAHFAB himself
one of the realest people i ever met all good things coming his way are well deserved!

The beat goooo's...

(just a quick) Shout out to the homie CARLOS aka DJ C LOS for making the beat that ima songbird tweet to, I am writing to tell you that I plan on writing more, we got thangs in the works we making moves... but for now check this talented producer out (click the pic)