The Writers Round-Up

This past week, I've had the pleasure of meeting 2 young female artists.

Robbi: Chicago's answer to South Asian American female hip hop. A student of old school rap (early Nas, KRS-One, etc.), Robbi mixes her personal experiences, afterthoughts, and brand of humor to deliver a chill flowing rhyme session. Her interview consisted of how she brings her art to the table, especially in an arena that's heavily dominated by males. Robbi's always ready to battle and even during her performance, she will dish it for the audience to become witnesses. Her fast pace delivery and clever humor makes it exciting to see where she takes her freestyle. However, when you take a step back and look at it from Robbi's p.o.v. - it's all business. She constantly goes out to promote her shows and one of the difficulties that she pointed out was people taking her seriously. Here you have not only an Indian female, but also someone who's shorter than 5 feet, and to add on - she's a rapper? But don't knock her till you check her out! Speaking of which - print this ticket for her next show to get $5 off:



Check her out on Friday Night, September 1st at Spot 6 (3343 N. Clark, Chicago).

Thanks Robbi for being completely down to earth, honest, and showin' "That Asian Thing" support during your show!

Continuing on....

Rupal Soni: a writer, teacher, and hopefully employed art director. Soni has worked closely with the Asian American community in Chicago. She just recently finished summer programming with Y.A.W.P.! (Young Asians With Power) as an instructor, which helps motivate her as an artists. One thing that Rupal emphasized on during our interview was the ground-breaking foundation that Asian American artists today (and before us, and before them, etc., etc.) are helping make the road easier for young Asian Americans in the future. Working off the "model minority" myth, parents always push for what is better for their child. This has led to a good majority of Asians partaking a role in the medical/science, accounting, engineering, and computer fields. But by more Asian American artists becoming apparent in the mediated eye, in can only help Asian parents realize that there can be a future for their child in that field.

Rupal also touched upon other topics that we fell unto through tangency. Such as the art of writing and expressing yourself. The need for support from the Asian American community as a whole - thereby all ethnicities working hand in hand to help move forward. And the pushing of the envelope in terms of comedy and performing stage sketches. AND AGAIN - speaking of which...please check out Rupal's upcoming show:


The Public Square at the Illinois Humanities Council presents:

The Exotic and Mysterious Other:

Orientalism, the Legacy of Colonialism and the Complexities of Desire and Interracial Dating

September 13th, 5:30-7:30 PM, dinner in included.

72 East Randolph

Co-sponsored by Applied Research Center, the Asian American Leadership council of the Chicago Foundation for Women, the Asian American Artists Collective, and the Center for Asian Arts and Media at Columbia College.

Please join us or an in depth exploration of the complex, personal and political topic of interracial dating. The event promises to be an engaging evening of intellectual and visual stimulation mixed with delectable food, drink, and empowerment. Guest Speakers will include, Rinku Sen and Mae Ngai. THere will also be a short performance by Rupal Soni and friends, and a short film by Kip Fulbeck.

Love may be blind, but can it be color-blind? The romantic vision of the Middle East and Asia held by the West has been defined by the activist & intellectual Edward Said as a mixture of racist assumptions, intertwined with and underpinned by colonialist desire to conquer the so-called "Other." The exotification of the mysterious Asia was a preface to conquering and dominating Eastern civilizations by the West.


Today in the U.S., statistics show that the largest group of interracial couples consists of white men and Asian women. How do representations of the East in popular culture and in the contemporary consciousness shape western male desire and inform our ideas of romance?


How are the historical and political reconciled within intimate relationships? How do we resist exotification, ensure equity and simultaneously demand legitimacy for interracial relationships?


This event is part of The Public Square at the IHC's series called Artists, Activists and Authors After Hours (AAAH). These events are intimate, informal discussions and meals that allow for meaningful exchanges among people who are engaged in similar projects and struggles. Since coalition building is one of the cornerstones of social change, AAAH programs are structured to give individuals a chance to meet one other and create intellectual community.
Reservations are necessary and required and places are limited. Please email info@thepublicsquare.org or call 312-422-5580 to make a reservation.


Thank you so much for your time and energy Rupal! I appreciate talking to you about all aspects of both of our projects. Hopefully it was as much of a learning experience for you as it was for me.

WRITING:

It was wonderful to hear how strong these two artists were in terms of writing. They talked about how it was a form of expression and getting your thoughts out. Right now, I'm working on the voice-over narrative for the film. This will take its toll on me as I've worked on screenplays before. However, this is different - I'm taking a more general issue that hits home for so many people already. This isn't a story where I can make up situations for a main character. The main character is a race and how it's "been invisible for so long" (pls. see Laura Kina in our teaser). Therefore, interviews may be on the low, but work on the film will still be at a high. Take care people!

up & coming

Since coming off the high of "That Asian Thing" Showcase, I didn't want to lose the focus of completing the documentary. It can be easy to lay off and become inactive after finishing up a big project as the concert. We don't want to lose that forward momentum, so it's time to get back to scheduling interviews and attending events around the Chicagoland area. I'd like to thank everyone that sends info our way - I appreciate it as doing research can be very time consuming.

And here we go:

THE MERCHANDISE:

Please check out all our products that display different graphics used in our documentary. After the Showcase, many kids came up to me and asked to take "That Asian Thing" posters that we had on stage. Check out our online shop by clicking on my doctored up J (boy) Crew catalog picture:



THE INTERVIEWS:

I currently have 2 interivews in the mix:

-Robbi. She's an East-Indian American born rapper/songwriter. Doing live shows for awhile now, she's been in the thick of the Asian-American movement and she'll also be performing at the Elastic Arts Foundation (2830 N. Milwaukee) THIS THURSDAY starting at 9:30 pm. Make it out and support the cause!



--I'm also working on an interview with Alex Selma. Alex is currently part of the crew at the broadway show, Wicked, in Chicago. He actually contacted me through the help of the Angry Asian Man's website.

SO - this is what we currently have on the dashboard. Other things are still in the works as I'm trying to bring taping to a close by the end of the year. Thanks everyone!

“The party’s just beginning!”

That’s what Jonathan of vocal group I.B.U. (Inspired By U) said 4 songs before closing off “That Asian Thing” Showcase. The same can be said of the completion of “That Asian Thing” Documentary. Although “That Asian Thing” Showcase was deemed as the grand finale to the documentary, gaining footage is actually far from complete. So yes – “the party’s just beginning!”

THE GIG:

Let’s take this to the beginning:

Sometime in the middle of May, I approached Mr. Glenn Bermejo on the concept of “That Asian Thing” Showcase. At that time, it was an idea – something that I wasn’t too sure about but knew that with a little guidance I could make it happen. With Glenn to answer my questions, I felt confident to take on this project. Think of it this way: you’re watching this documentary and seeing all these artists ‘talk’ about their art (in this case, music), BUT you don’t see them perform until the end. It made sense to throw this big concert as a way to end the film AND to provide live experience to the young Asian Americans in which most of this film is geared for. We want them to see talented Asian Americans and feel a stronger sense of pride in their race, especially in the arts. This Showcase was where it was at.

So now what? First – get a venue! From our past posts you can see the number of places that were prematurely stated as the location of the Showcase. Something that is indicative of gaining a good turn out is location. Therefore, I called, emailed, and talked to MANY people concerning venue locations. This went 2 ways because some of the suggestions were bars and some were college auditoriums. The bars were immediately eliminated because this would defeat my purpose of underage viewing. Thus I emailed and called almost ALL college/university auditoriums in the Chicagoland area. However, my criteria held me back from getting a place so easily. This criteria consisted of one main word – CHEAP! That’s a big problem. Sponsorships and donations were limiting and venues needed money down a.s.a.p. since this event was in August and here I am in June. Time to venture to new terrain – this led to the Chicago Park District. This was like working with any Chicago governmental department (DMV, paying tickets, jury duty, etc., etc.) – response time was terrible! I couldn’t get a hold of confirmation on any place. Now July is rolling around. I HAD a collegiate place in grasp but fell through due to lack of workers at hand (or so they say). And I also HAD a Chicago park venue in hand but that fell through due to no or overwhelmingly minimal responses to my calls.





Then we had Palatine Park – thanks to Mr. Jeff Greene! This was not verified and signed off until the last couple of days in July. August 12th was practically a sneeze away. How many people can you get out there in about 2 weeks?

Well – “That Asian Thing” Showcase performed in front of a crowd of approximately 75-100 people (in and out). And many people were very generous with their donations, to which I personally (me – Jonald Reyes) want to thank. THANK YOU! THANK YOU!





As for our performances and the feedback from people after the show – it was good. Not over the top spectacular and not terrible, but “good.” And I’ll take that because we didn’t have enough time to prepare and had a lack of funds to make it an even better show. So for what it was worth and how it was compiled in the last possible minute – I’ll take that compliment of goodness.

THE REVOLUTION & D.J. BATMAN:





So much energy and a breath of fresh air to watch! Their breakdancing styles were amazing to watch and a good start to the Showcase. D.J. Batman made the night flow well with his musical improvisation and mix of beats for people to stay attune to. I like these kids cause they use their skills in dancing as their artistic outlet and you can’t get lazy with that or else you’ll lose a step. You need to stay physically fit and agile to move the way they moved and I applaud that. Personal thanks to my cousin, “the incredible, edible Niko,” for hooking up his crew and D.J. Batman. Thanks guys! You were awesome!

JARGON:





This rapper pronounced, “I roll wit Jin!” and that caught my attention as Jin, a.k.a. the Emcee, was the poster boy of this website in its earlier phases. Jargon had a presence about him and had the kids rolling over each other to grab the cd’s he was throwing out to them. His lyrics were pretty tight and crowd participation was adequate. He kept it real and flowed well after the Revolution. It stayed in the vibe of hip hop & rap. Thanks Jargon for your last minute appearance.

STEPHEN MUNOZ:





From the responses of people that have come up to me after the show or from post production emails – Mr. Munoz, I believe you were voted as the fan favorite. As Jargon had left the stage, Steve came up to set up shop to which I tried to kill as much time as I could…and then it happened – he kicked it immediately into high gear with a guitar instrumental that wow’ed the audience. Then he continued on with a song that we had captured from our personal interview for the documentary. The highlight for me was when he asked, “Jonald – how we lookin at time?” I said from behind D.J. Batman’s table, “7 minutes.” Then Steve gets into his ever evolving instrumental entitled “Canonball.” And when he strommed the last chord of his guitar, as I kept an eye on the clock on my cell phone, he hit 7 minutes exactly! Unreal!

Thanks Steve – good luck in Japan buddy!

SONS OF THE ORIENT (SOTO):





A blast from the past for these 4 men. When they hit the stage, it was like reliving old times and being in a world that they knew far too well. Now it was a reunion of harmony and to many people, it seemed like they never stopped performing from the way they sounded. Luke, Gary, Tobey, and Jesch still flowed to their vocal blends with no sounds of missing a beat. They also performed a couple of a capella tunes to show people their roots of performing. I can still see the old tapes of their performances in my head of just pure a capella. They still got it and I’m happy that they were able to fly in to not only hang out with my cousin, Jesch, but to also do what they had a passion for 24 hours a day at one time. Thank you guys and please come back anytime!

INSPIRED BY U (I.B.U.):





The headliner and long awaited performance of the night. Tommy, Jonathan, and Mikey held down the fort and brought it home with a 45 minute performance. They varied it up with ballads and upbeat tunes. What I personally appreciate of the guys from IBU is that they have the ability to write their own songs. They also perform their vocal talents with choreography. IBU, like Jargon, had a presence on stage, as they talked to the crowd in between tracks. They gave insight on history of the song, after party plug, and the project at hand (thanks for the props guys!). Also having the crowd rolling around to grab some free cd’s, they still looked out for the next generation by handing one to a father and his young baby. Good looking out guys. Thank you to IBU and Glenn Bermejo!

AFTERTHOUGHT:

I was completely done when the show was done. Being stressed for the past 2 weeks beforehand and carrying as much weight on my shoulders as I possible could made me irritable and consistently moving. I’d like to thank everyone who supported me and helped me along the way.

VOLUNTEERS:

Lia and Renee – thank you girls so much for walking around during the show and gaining fundage. I owe you a meal! Trust me – I’ll get your backs soon! Don’t hesitate to pop “That Asian Thing” Showcase on your resume as volunteer work. It’s considered canning and gaining funds for the Asian American arts!

Alex, Claudette, Yimin, and Wayne – of course! The support of all 4 of you with your insight and helping hand made this flow smoother and easier for me. Thank you….aw, you know what I mean!

And here are your quick shout-outs & props:

--Jeff Greene & the Palatine Park District (B.J. & Crash rule!)

--Jim Purrazzo Insurance Agency

--Bruce from Dance All Night, Inc. for the wireless mics

--D.J. Batman for getting my back when I had nothing to say on the mic

--Lou Malnati’s for feeding my volunteers and performers

--Dollar Tree for having cheap snacks, drinks, and tableware

--Michaels, Office Max, Kinkos, and Blick Arts for our marketing, promotional, decorative, and staffing needs

--to anyone and everyone that made it that night! Thank you – I can’t stop saying it because without you people, this idea would have been a waste of a nervous system. Take care all and interviews are on their way….WE’RE NOT DONE YET!!

P.S. You can get "That Asian Thing" T-shirts and other stuff at our online store:
http://www.cafepress.com/asianthing

Good looking out!

In less than 5 days, "That Asian Thing" Showcase WILL BE HERE! Grab your picnic baskets, good times, friends and family, as you make your way to Palatine, IL, and view musically talented Asian American artists. Just as a reminder - here's your web flyer once again:

A unified voice.

A unified race.

A one night show.

Be part of the concert event to be featured in "That Asian Thing" documentary. Live and experience the talent of Asian American artists!

"That Asian Thing Showcase"
Saturday, August 12, 2006
7 pm - 9 pm



Fred P. Hall Amphitheater - Palatine Park District
262 E. Palatine Road
Palatine, IL 60067

Cost: FREE!
There will be a sliding scale donation of $5-$15 to help fund the completion of "That Asian Thing" Documentary.

NOTE: This will be an outdoor event. Please bring a lawn chair, blanket, or just yourselves and enjoy the music!

More info @ http://www.thatasianthing.com

http://www.palatineparkdistrict.com/amphitheater.html



The Press:

As a result of non-stop marketing and help from Mr. Glenn Bermejo of IBU, we have found our way to the front page of the Philippine Weekly Newspaper in the Chicago area.



We are also on multiple websites and newsletters that I've enclosed links to for your viewing pleasure:

Mia Park's Kick-Ass Newsletter

Desiclub.com's Event Calendar

Bubble Tea's Group Email Digest

Chicago ABC News' Online Calendar

Don't hesitate to join these newletters and website subscriptions for your own use. If you really want to be up on Asian American events and happenings, I advise that you sign-up. It doesn't really hurt and it's all a matter of filtering. These are just a few of a listserves, groups, and websites that I frequent to be on top of info per this documentary. And what's even more cool is that you can venture to these events if you have nothing to do. This way - you're at least in the "I know..." list of people. Now you know....

The Interview:

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of having breakfast with Mr. Larry Lee - an educator, an artist, and in the words of Chien Yuan of Actually, Records, "an Asian American institute." As a walking institute, you may think it to be intimidating due to an overwhelming vault of knowledge but on the contrary, Larry was very down to earth. His lax attitude and delightful demeanor made for great conversation and fruitful feedback. He helped state definitions for basic terms as Asian American, model minority, and stereotypes. With these terms broken down, we were able to extrapolate unto thoughts about culture, activism, and the traditional vs. the current. Lee was also very insighful on the artists located in the Chicago area. He gave thought on the organization and roles of Asian American artists. What can tend to happen to many organizations and what I've learned from my own experiences are that many people want to do what is best but tend to overlook the power of support. When there are too many chiefs and not enough indians, a well empowered group with good intentions can easily fall to the demise of lost focus. Like I've learned from Sesame Street - Cooperation is good! And thus we continued to speak on other avenues such as the economy/business, identity, and the evolution of the Asian American in the last 30 years.

I'd like to personally thank Larry for all of his time, great feedback, and kind support for my project.

The Other Stuff:

As we're concentrating on the Showcase right now, nothing is too near. All I can say is spread the word on the concert and hope to see many of you there! One last shout-out goes to Quartermile for mentioning "That Asian Thing" on their blog. Check it out:

http://www.xanga.com/quartermiletheband

Take care everyone! See you THIS SATURDAY!!