New CD

MM

Catzie and I will be recording a new CD in the next couple of months. Our CD release party is scheduled for May 19 and 20 at the Asian Arts Initiative in Philadelphia, PA: http://www.asianartsinitiative.org/ Please check back to our website or AAI's for more info as the dates approach.

We are very excited about this CD and the work we're creating. BLACK HAIR, BROWN EYES, YELLOW RAGE, VOLUME TWO will demonstrate how our concerns about issues pertaining to the APIA community have grown in very significant ways. In terms of solo pieces, many of my spoken word poems will address anti-Asian violence and human trafficking/sexual slavery—two social problems which affect a vast array of Asian people and cross class, gender, cultural, inter/national, generational, and religious borders. I have also composed poems about domestic violence and the Tsunami tragedy. Catzie’s solo pieces have grown in their expressiveness: experimenting with subject matter and performance styles, Catzie pushes boundaries through her absurdist humor and sardonic observations. Whether commenting on karaoke bar culture or demanding poetry fans, she is able to spotlight the unique yet familiar aspects of these encounters which make them unforgettably funny. Finally, the group pieces we intend to write for the new CD will focus on cross-cultural outreach and understanding as well as intra-/Pan Asian American solidarity. From answering criticism that we are trying to be too black or too white to emphasizing the importance for Asian American unity, our group pieces seek to educate, enlighten, and entertain our audience. Utilizing eclectic writing and performance styles, we will develop a body of work that will draw from hip hop, narrative, theatrical, and musical influences, and we hope this variety will appeal to people of any racial, cultural, economic, religious, or political backgrounds.

We’re excited to announce that—

The CD will be recorded and digitally mixed by DJ Phillee Blunt of Ill Vibe Collective: http://www.illvibe.net/index2.html

Cover art will be designed by Rodney Camarce: http://www.rodneycamarce.com/

Penn State-Behrend

MM
On February 11, Catzie and I performed at Penn State-Behrend. We want to specially thank the Asian Student Organization on campus for their support of us over the years--this year marks our 4th performance on the campus in the last five years. Thank you Johnny, Kevin, Ying Ang, Kat, Todd, Ezgi, Michael, and everyone else in ASO and at Penn State-Behrend we've met and hung-out with. Words cannot express the appreciation we have for you guys. Peace and Blessings.

Welcome

MM

Yellow Rage is going into our sixth year, and I guess this blog has been a long time coming. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about our journey as spoken word artists, and it’s funny b/c I think now more than ever, I wonder at how I’ve come to occupy this space within Yellow Rage, within spoken word, within the APIA arts community, within Asian America at-large. Catzie and I as Yellow Rage was an accident—but I’ve started reading Buddhism again and what keeps coming up is that existence is no accident. So now I wonder what responsibility I/we have b/c I for sure don’t know if we’ve accomplished anything in the six years we’ve been yelling, cursing, crying, and laughing onstage. And though we were on a bit of a hiatus for the past 2 years or so, it seems we get more hate directed at us than ever. It’s made me weary under my skin—but it hasn’t made me bone-tired yet.

So although we are an accident, we’ve decided to stay—for a little while. Welcome friends, supporters, fans, haters, and enemies: we couldn’t be on this path without you all.