Pridefest Milwaukee 2010

The incredibly inspirational band, Lachi, and their phenomenal original music rocked our stage -Pridefest

On Saturday June 12 2010, the band and I opened up for Patti Labelle on the mainstage at Pridefest Milwaukee, the largest Pride music showcase in the U.S. Kathy Griffen and Jone Rivers also graced the stage that weekend. It was a great feel, great vibe, nice people and a massively large stage. Thanks Miller Lite!

We came with a message of acceptance, since we are also discriminated against as disabled individuals. We are seen as slow, retarded or some sort of sob story and just aren't going to allow it anymore. Now that we're entering the public eye, we would like to put our best foot forward and show the world not that we've overcome a bunch of sappy hardship (i mean we're still blind, aren't we?) but that we're just awesome people, and that our music is just really fricken good.

Andre, the guitar player, backup vocalist and assistant engineer, is extremely intelligent with a college degree, has studied classical guitar and is an awesome singer/songwriter. He's got a stable full time day job apart from being a full time musician, and has probably read more books than most of these so-called intellects.

Jimmy, the drummer, percussionist, backup vocalist, musical engineer, and assistant producer, has engineered grammy nominated albums, opened for Tito Puente and Eddie Palmeri, and got certified as an audio engineer by the Institue of Audio Research and has been dubbed "master percussionist" by industry peers AND is an Independent Music Awards winner of 2009!

Jaime, the bassist and backup vocalist, was born a musical child prodigy with a wider range than Mariah, got a certificate in Audio Engineering at the Center for Media Arts in NYC, and has played in and been the backbone of numerous successful bands.

Lachi, me, I have a Dean's list Bachelor's from UNC, a master's from NYU, am a published author (working on a second novel), am a published award winning poet, am an award nominated singer/songwriter who's written over 300 songs and performed at CMJ, SxSW, the National Indiegrrl Conference and many other fests with these guys, and have performed at Madison Square Garden and been on NPR in the past. I work full time during the day, and am a full time musician at night, have managed other bands, founded an A cappella group at UNC, have traveled to Africa and Europe on numerous ocassions, and love to read, write (music novels shorts plays scripts and songs), draw and play the piano.

Feel sorry for us now? Anyone who feels sorry for me, feels they are better than me, and anyone who feels they are better than me is morbidly insecure.

Me and my boys? None of us need help getting from point A to point B and in fact give better directions than most of these misguided pac-men; and honestly we have better and more fulfilled lives than most "sighties."

Oh yeah, and I don't do Gospel or RnB, so the next person who compares me to Ray Charles, or the band to The Blind Boys of Alabama is getting a finger in the face, and not the index finger. I'm not ashamed of my blindness at all, it's part of who I am, and I want other's like me to know that they can kickass too if they stop letting people's sappy perception of them get to them, if they stop allowing themselves to be treated like victims, if they step outside of their homes, apartments or safety zones and just kick some fricken ass.

"Oh, awww, she's overcome such harships," Yeah....right, I'm still blind, genius. Get over it. I'm a Blink, a blind-o, a VIP, a blindie, just like you're an asian, dyke, jew, shortie, fatty, college dropout, closet freak, single person, sales clerk, female, male, dog, cat whatever. It's idiots that say things like this that make me have to fight so fricken hard in the first place.

Next time I hear or see anyone speaking of me sappily, I will try my very best to physically kick their ass.

I sing rock, jazz and classically fused power alt rock, and I don't have time for anyone's sappy tears, because I can kick ANYBODY's ass. And don't give a shit.

Beautiful

I am not skinny, I am not tall, I am not light-skinned; I am not what society deems as beautiful.

Society as a whole is very shallow and rather naive, especially in the music industry, and the more commercial, the more shallow.

Just recently I found myself at one of those "industry events" where you are recognized if you look a certain way. But me, not being skinny, not being tall, not being light-skinned, not being what society deems as beautiful was ignored and passed over for those that "fit the part." And as much as I am supposed to say "well, their loss" or "I know I'm beautiful" it only renders itself to me as a haughty denial.

Then you have women like Star Jones magically losing a heck load of weight, or Lil Kim magically becoming five or six shades lighter...and the media jumps on them like they were wrong to have been pushed to a point of not accepting the way they look, when the very same media told them they were ugly.

When I look in the mirror, I peronally don't believe I look that bad. But as a not that skinny, not that tall, not that light, not that beautiful black woman...I've decided that I will never step into another shallow "industry event" (that it appears all entertainers must eventually take part in) without having my self professionally made up and/or dressed. As much as I want to fight the "love me" fight, I have to accept my insecurities, and work with them.

Me

It started with live-journal, then moved to tumblr, now it's blogger!

I have a great team of people, a talented hardworking band, and a wonderful dedicated management team in Inherent Artists Management. As of current, I have completed a new album "Lachi" due out at the end of July. Though there are many musicians backing me on the album, the songs are very real and very me (whoever that is). For every human being on the earth that has come in contact with me, there is a different answer as to who I am. I believe a person is the gross sum of their lessons learned times two, and their regrets and insecurities times ten all divided by their innate qualities and talents. I am a meat machine...that can learn.

Person = ( 2(lessons learned) + 10(regrets + insecurities) ) / innate(qualities + talents)

Most of the songs on the album “Lachi” stem from personal experiences and beliefs I’ve picked up along this journey called life, and hope to spread the message that we must embrace our inner “real” and that we must accept our ever-present insecurities and empower ourselves.

The Good Person Test

(Written January 2010)



I wondered today if I am a good person. I would like to think I am but fall short sometimes. Several incidents occurred in a row where people and organizations for which I have suffered a lot (asking for nothing in return), have turned around and very forwardly spat in my face.

Did they do this because I am not a good person, or is it just that human nature makes the majority of mankind selfish only out to serve himself.

I took the “Good Person Test” above, and the result pretty much reaffirms a belief I’m starting to hold strong. That no matter how good you are to anyone else, whether it be a so-called friend, an organization, a child, or a deity of choice, your efforts will never be mirrored to you in kind. Ever. One must be honest with one’s self and measure their current self worth and self respect against that of past self-measures, and truthfully assess whether they themselves have become a better person, regardless of the fact that society will continue to show a darkness within you that only you can determine is not actually so dark.

Triangle People Philosophy

(Written October 2009)

People are complex polynomials, a product simplifiable into very telling reduced factors. A 3 x 6 x 9 cube holds the same properties as that of 300 x 600 x 900. Though the scale is different, a small triange versus a larger, the ratios are the same.

If one has an inability to admit defeat or wrongness in one simple situation, then another, then another, chances are that their life’s inevitable debacle (which would surely ensue if they are not already in the midst or mental midst of it) is at least an indirect result of their encompassing inability to admit or come to terms with defeat. Though the scale is different, a small situation versus a life, the ratios are the same.

It seems very simple rules of physics (such as what goes up must come down, or if you touch fire your finger will burn) appear to apply quite unchangingly to the complex realm of life and human interaction. Try it out. First touch fire and see if your finger burns. Then try galvanizing the nerves of a volatile situation or irate lover and see if your finger burns.

Perhaps the complex problems set forth in our society or the unsure questions we deal with in life, can be solved applying theories of physics, or better yet, simple geometry.

George Sodini

(Written: August 2009)

In light of George Sodini’s blogging efforts, I’ve decided I would like to start a blog. Or restart I suppose (I once had a livejournal). I’ve been wanting to start a blog for a while, and Sodini set me over the edge to finally begin.

In no way do I condone his murders or injurings (if that’s a word), but I can relate to most of his blog concerning life, control, loneliness and happiness. I also found some of hiis racially charged rants entertaining as well. It goes without say that he was disturbed for actually getting up and shooting and killing people. But once the murders are extracted from the equation, his internal monologue is probably that of a good lot of people. Again, i for one could relate.


I feel like all if not most aspects of life have something to do with an innate snese or want of control. Control over one’s self, one’s surroundings one’s life, and the lives of others. It’s innate, territorial. A top-of-the-food-chain animal claims his land, protects his herd and hunts and kills those he feels are no threat. I feel like people tend to test others in order to validate some innate need for territorial control.

There are the good forms of control. like cleanliness, consideration, honing of talents. ANd I suppose a good form of loss of control would be healthy laughter. The only control I would want to strive for would be control over myself and my immediate universe, aka my life, without exuding control over the lives of others for some sadistic form of validation. I think the first step is self-discipline. Not being who I feel others should see me as, no longer ‘playing to the masses,’ but just being genuine in every situation.

“No evil propensity of the human heart is so powerful that it may not be subdued by discipline.” ~ - Seneca