Celebrating the Life of Prince O(+> 2 Years Later – A Different Take – C Week Ƭ̵̬̊

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1958, 2011, 2016, actor, April, Arista, Atlanta, Atlanta Braves, Blue Hurt, Blue Lines, Blue Lines Blog, California, Chanhassan, Coachella, Coachella Festival, Coachella Valley, Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, college, Columbia, Death, EMI, Forum, Funk, Georgia, Girl, Girlfriend, Great Western Forum, Guns 'N Roses, Housequake, How can you just leave me standing?, If I Was Your Girlfriend, Indio, Jamie Starr, Joey Coco, Joy In Repetition, Key Yemaya Walker, Keypsiia, Keypsiia Walker, Keypsiia Yemaya Walker, LA Forum, Los Angeles, Los Angeles Dodgers, Love, March, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Mourn, MSG Entertainment, Myla Watson, NPG, Oakland, Oracle Arena, Paisley Park, pop, Prince, Prince Nelson, Prince Rogers Nelson, Producer, Purple Rain, R&B, record producer, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace sweet Prince, rock, Sacramento, Sign O The Times, Singer, Singer-songwriter, Sometimes it Snows in April, Take Me With U, The artist formerly known as Prince, The Fabulous Forum, The Fabulous Fox, The Forum, The Forum presented by Chase, The Madison Square Garden Company, Universal, Usher, Warner Bros., Warner Bros. Records

Instead of talking about that day, how I felt, or loss, this year I will be different and a celebration. The first year was shock, and Coachella tributes, last year (2017) was my tattoo and party on the anniversary.

In 2011, I made a last minute decision to travel to California…mind you, Los Angeles. In the process of that trip, a late decision was made to attend the Prince residency at the historic Fabulous Forum in Inglewood California on 4/21/11. The building had been recently returned to its venue status, after being a church since the teams had left years ago for Staples Center.

After an already full day, with a game of the Atlanta Braves beating the Los Angeles Dodgers, however losing the series, my iPhone died as we pulled into the Forum parking lot. Excited to see Prince, though the scalped price of $100 per ticket, for face value $25 tickets was not agreeable, especially through my nemesis StubHub, we arrived, and you could hear The Time performing through the paper-thin walls of the building.

Initially our tickets scanned as “already entered,” and I just shook my head on the money spent, knowing that I could’ve gotten legitimate tickets, though we later found out that the tickets were just printed multiple times. Upon entering, the set list was as follows:

Text Tuesdays – Why I Mourn Prince Rogers Nelson 1958-2016

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1958, 2016, actor, April, Arista, Atlanta, Blue Hurt, Blue Lines, Blue Lines Blog, California, Chanhassan, Coachella, Coachella Festival, Coachella Valley, Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, college, Columbia, Death, EMI, Funk, Georgia, Girl, Girlfriend, Guns 'N Roses, Housequake, How can you just leave me standing?, If I Was Your Girlfriend, Indio, Jamie Starr, Joey Coco, Joy In Repetition, Key Yemaya Walker, Keypsiia, Keypsiia Walker, Keypsiia Yemaya Walker, Los Angeles, Love, March, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Mourn, Myla Watson, NPG, Oakland, Oracle Arena, Paisley Park, pop, Prince, Prince Nelson, Prince Rogers Nelson, Producer, Purple Rain, R&B, record producer, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace sweet Prince, rock, Sacramento, Sign O The Times, Singer, Singer-songwriter, Sometimes it Snows in April, Take Me With U, The artist formerly known as Prince, The Fabulous Forum, The Fabulous Fox, Universal, Usher, Warner Bros.

“Sometimes it Snows in April”

Thursday evening I realized that you couldn’t sing at my wedding, and I didn’t think about whether I could afford it, and it was then, that I realized the finality in the terrible news that you were gone. Prince Rogers Nelson 1958 – 2016, gone way too soon, and well before your time.

I am still not accepting this. Prince was never meant to be this world’s “weekend lover, (he was supposed to) be some kind of friend, it’s such a shame our friendship had to end.” “Times are (definitely) changing,” But I can’t reach for something new.Thursday evening I realized that you couldn’t sing at my wedding, and I didn’t think about whether I could afford it, and it was then, that I realized the finality in the terrible news that you were gone. Prince Rogers Nelson 1958 – 2016, gone way too soon, and well before your time.

Cover Sundays – Corey Taylor Of Slipnot – “Purple Rain” Prince Cover And Tribute – Blue Lines Coachella Week

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adidas, Atlanta, Blue Hurt, Blue Lines, Blue Lines Blog, Blue Lines Coachella Week, California, Coachella, Cover, Cover Song, Georgia, Key Yemaya Walker, Keypsiia, Keypsiia Walker, Keypsiia Yemaya Walker, Myla Watson, Prince, Prince Rogers Nelson, Sacramento

  
The manuscript Blue Lines is the fictional coming of age narrative of a young California woman Key Yemaya Walker, and her 2 year growing journey through school, love, and life period piece, written by Kenneth Suffern, Jr., taking place at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill between the years of 1997 – 1998. Loosely based on true events, and experiences during that time, told through the eyes and voice of the main female protagonist, a freshman first attending the school.

Foto Fridays – Best Of 2012 – Music Festivals

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405, 5, Aaron Bruno, adidas, Adidas Superstar, ALLEN STONE, Alternative, Amtrack, ANDREW BIRD, ANIMAL KINGDOM, Atlanta, Avcii, AWOLNATION, Azalea Banks, •ALABAMA SHAKES, •AMADOU & MARIAM, •ANTIBALAS, •BOMBA ESTEREO, •CITY AND COLOUR, •FUN., •JOVANOTTI, •MIMOSA, •OF MONSTERS AND MEN, •SHARON VAN ETTEN, •TAME IMPALA, •THE WALKMEN, •TRAMPLED BY TURTLES, •WASHED OUT, •WOLFGANG GARTNER, •YACHT, BART, Beats By Dre, BECK, Beer Lands, Big Boi, BIG GIGANTIC, BIRDYH, BLOC PARTY, Blue Hurt, Blue Lines, Blue Lines Blog, Blue Lines Coachella Weekend 2012, Bon Iver, Bromance, CA, California, CAVEMAN, Coachella, Coachella 2012, Coachella Valley, Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Comedy, concert, CORY CHISEL AND THE WANDERING SONS, Dabs Myla, David Grohl, DIE ANTWOORD, DIRTY DOZEN BRASS BAND, DISPATCH, Do Lab, DR. DOG, Dr. Dre, dubstep, Earth Day, ELECTRIC GUEST, Empire Polo Club, End, Explosions In The Sky, FATHER JOHN MISTY, Feist, Festival, FITZ AND THE TANTRUMS, Foo Fighters, Foto Fridays, FRANZ FERDINAND, FUTUREBIRDS, Gary Clark Jr., GEOGRAPHER, Golden Gate, Golden Gate park, GRANDADDY, gravel, Haight Ashbury, Hip-Hop, Hip-Hop Music, iMovie, Indio, INFANTREE, Instagram, Intel Outside, iPhone, iPhone 4S, iPhone Post, iPhone4s, iPhoneagraphy, iPhoneography, JACK WHITE, Jerseys, Jukebox the Ghost, JUSTICE, Key Yemaya Walker, Lands End Stage, Last Time, Little Dragon, Live Music, Los Angeles, Love, Marraige, Marta, Metallica, MICHAEL KIWANUKA, MSTRKRFT, Muni, music, Music Festival, MW, Myla, Myla Watson, National Basketball Association, NBA, NEIL YOUNG & CRAZY HORSE, Norah Jones, Norcal, Northern California, Occupy Coachella, ONE MusicFest, ONEY ISLAND SWAMP BAND, Outside Lambs, Panhandle Stage, PAPA, Park, PASSION PIT, Photography, Portugal. The Man, Proposal, Radiohead, Raise Your Weapon, REBELUTION, REGGIE WATTS, REGINA SPEKTOR, Richmond, Ricky Watts, Roadtrip, rock, Sacramento, San Francisco, San Francisco Outside Lands, San Francisco Outside Lands 2012, Santigold, SBTRKT, SEAN HAYES, Seek Bromance, Shutte, SIGUR ROS, Skrillex, Snoop Dogg, Snoop Doggy Dogg, Socal, Southern California, Stevie Wonder, Straits, Sutro Stage, TANLINES, Tennis, THE BE GOOD TANYAS, The Black Keys, The Grande Wheel, THE KILLS, THE M MACHINE, THEE OH SEES, Tim Berg, TOM MORELLO: THE NIGHTWATCHMAN, Train, Truth, Tupac, Tupac Hologram, Tupac Shakur, Twin Peaks Stage, TWO GALLANTS, UN Square, Vacation, WALLPAPER., Wedding, WHITE DENIM, Wine Lands, YELLOW OSTRICH, ZOLA JESUS

A “Best of… Foto Fridays” Essay of 2012’s Music Festival travels.
2012 Ranking:
1) Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (Empire Polo Club, Indio, CA)
2) Music Midtown (Piedmont Park, Atlanta, GA)
3) Outside Lands: Music, Food, Wine, Beer, Art (Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, CA)

A combination of Porta-Potties, Hot sun, VIP Showers, compressed hot bodies, cold, fog, band reunions, amazing covers, crowd surfing, 90’s classics, dirt, dubstep, car camping, road trips, bad artist scheduling, vacation, plane flights, MARTA, BART, gravel, fun!
A super-hot weekend in the California desert where NBA Basketball jerseys seemed to be the uniform, water was the best thing, and music was unbelievable. Enjoy.

Coachella Music And Arts Festival, Weekend 2 2012

Overhead view from “The Wheel.”

Alarm Clock…HOT!!!

The weekend’s boarding.

Foto Friday – San Francisco’s Outside Lands Music + Art Festival 2012 – Photo Essay

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adidas, Adidas Superstar, ALLEN STONE, Alternative, Amtrack, ANDREW BIRD, ANIMAL KINGDOM, Atlanta, •ALABAMA SHAKES, •AMADOU & MARIAM, •ANTIBALAS, •BOMBA ESTEREO, •CITY AND COLOUR, •FUN., •JOVANOTTI, •MIMOSA, •OF MONSTERS AND MEN, •SHARON VAN ETTEN, •TAME IMPALA, •THE WALKMEN, •TRAMPLED BY TURTLES, •WASHED OUT, •WOLFGANG GARTNER, •YACHT, BECK, Beer Lands, Big Boi, BIG GIGANTIC, BIRDYH, BLOC PARTY, Blue Hurt, Blue Lines, Blue Lines Blog, California, CAVEMAN, Comedy, CORY CHISEL AND THE WANDERING SONS, Dabs Myla, Dave Groh, DIE ANTWOORD, DIRTY DOZEN BRASS BAND, DISPATCH, DR. DOG, ELECTRIC GUEST, End, Explosions In The Sky, FATHER JOHN MISTY, FITZ AND THE TANTRUMS, Foo Fighters, Foto Fridays, FRANZ FERDINAND, FUTUREBIRDS, GEOGRAPHER, Golden Gate, Golden Gate park, GRANDADDY, Haight Ashbury, Hip-Hop, Indio, INFANTREE, Instagram, Intel Outside, iPhone, iPhone 4S, iPhone4s, iPhoneagraphy, iPhoneography, JACK WHITE, Jukebox the Ghost, JUSTICE, Key Yemaya Walker, Lands End Stage, Last Time, Live Music, Los Angeles, Love, Marraige, Metallica, MICHAEL KIWANUKA, MSTRKRFT, Muni, music, Music Festival, MW, Myla, Myla Watson, NEIL YOUNG & CRAZY HORSE, Norah Jones, Norcal, Northern California, ONE MusicFest, ONEY ISLAND SWAMP BAND, Outside Lambs, Panhandle Stage, PAPA, Park, PASSION PIT, Photography, Portugal. The Man, Proposal, REBELUTION, REGGIE WATTS, REGINA SPEKTOR, Richmond, Ricky Watts, rock, Sacramento, San Francisco, San Francisco Outside Lands, San Francisco Outside Lands 2012, Santigold, SEAN HAYES, Shutte, SIGUR ROS, Skrillex, Socal, Southern California, Stevie Wonder, Straits, Sutro Stage, TANLINES, Tennis, THE BE GOOD TANYAS, THE KILLS, THE M MACHINE, THEE OH SEES, TOM MORELLO: THE NIGHTWATCHMAN, Train, Truth, Twin Peaks Stage, TWO GALLANTS, UN Square, WALLPAPER., Wedding, WHITE DENIM, Wine Lands, YELLOW OSTRICH, ZOLA JESUS

San Francisco’s Outside Lands Festival is one that combines music, food and arts into a weekend playing out at Golden Gate Park.

Based on last year’s lineup, it was virtually a no brainer. This year’s lineup, though, included headliners who were more established and had decades of success. Stevie Wonder rounded out a group including Metallica, and Neil Young. The major highlight was Foo Fighters Friday performance on the Land’s End stage, where they performed Aurora, from the 1999 album There Is Nothing To Lose. Dave Grohl stated that they performed it especially for Outside Lands, and it was speculated that they added it to their setlist due to the recent tragedy in Aurora, Colorado. Again, Foo Fighters were the shining star of the weekend, spending time listening to my favorite band for the first time, with a fave.

Using Coachella as a measuring stick, the pros were definitely the cooler weather, though by Sunday night the fog easily made one glad that the event was ending. The app was definitely better, and the spacing of the stages was tremendously better than Coachella, where I remember rocking to The Black Keys on the Coachella Stage, and during breaks in play, I heard Explosions In The Sky (who I got to see at OLF) playing on the Outdoor Theatre which was steps away. Only two stages (Twin Peaks Stage and the Panhandle Stage) closely bordered each other at OLF. However, the sets that neatly fit between the hours of 12 noon until 10 left you wanting for more, and the commute back and forth was taxing, as opposed to walking back to your tent and crashing.

Coachella’s car camping, and sets that ran well into the wee hours of the night, morning…take your pick, were a definite added bonus. Also, the diversity of Coachella’s acts compared to Outside Lands 2012 were a bonus that ranked Coachella higher. Other than a sprinkling of Atlanta’s (yeah) Big Boi (likely making up his set from 2011) and a lack luster Santigold set (she killed her set at Coachella in the heat with her energy, but she has me NOT anticipating her Atlanta debut next month), most other acts were similar in genre and nothing really separated the acts.

Listening to people I ran into after the festival, who had been to Coachella, Outside Lands, Bonaroo, and some others, they were not as high on this year’s OLF, due to the lineup, length of show, and the crowds (that they said were the biggest they had seen) though reports said after a certain point fans rushed the entrances and jumped the gates (which would explain why people were running/pushing there way through the crowds.

I cannot rate the festival, simply because on this level, I have been to two, and with the exception of the Foo Fighters, I had seen Neil Young, Stevie Wonder, and Metallica in their own shows prior to this festival.

I am glad that I was able to enjoy the festival. Would I go again, and go without knowing the lineup, yeah, I’d do it, hopefully it will mirror 2011 more than 2012. Just change some of the particulars to better fit the fun.

Outside Lands Music Festival

The walk to Golden Gate Park through Haight Ashbury.

New 30 Day Song Challenge – Day 29 – Artist You Wish Were Still Alive – The Notorious B.I.G. – “Sky’s The Limit”

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Blue Lines, Blue Lines Blog, Brooklyn, C. Wallace, Christopher, Christopher George Latore Wallace, Christopher Wallace, college, Day 29, Grandfather, Key Yemaya Walker, Life After Death, music, MW, Myla, Myla Watson, Myla Wyndham, New 30 Day Song Challenge, New York, Sky's The Limit, The Notorious B.I.G., Tower Records

The manuscript Blue Lines is the fictional coming of age narrative of a young California woman Key Yemaya Walker, and her 2 year growing journey through school, love, and life period piece, written by Kenneth Suffern, Jr., taking place at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill between the years of 1997 – 1998. Loosely based on true events, and experiences during that time, told through the eyes and voice of the main female protagonist, a freshman first attending the school.

Blue Lines Blog – Best Of 2011 – Words Poem Project – “Automatic Devotion Redemption Masterpiece”

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3 Libras, A Perfect Circle, Automatic, Blue Lines, Blue Lines Blog, Brooklyn, California, Chicago, Devotion, Free write, Giants, Japan, Julia Nichole McGinnis, Key Yemaya Walker, Lake Lucerne, LES, Lower East Side, Mi Alma, MW, Myla Watson, N Lake Shore Drive, New York, New York Giants, NY Giants, Part 2, Poem, Prose, Redemption, The Smith, Tickets, Timothy O'Tooles Pub, W Lakeshore Hotel Chicago, Word Story Part 2, Word Story Part 4, Words, Words Story, Yo Luz Ro-De

“…he smiled at how two reckless kids whose paths kept crashing into each other, and other things after that too, had put together something beautiful…”

I was able to write more material than I had in quite some years during 2011. Though the focus is Blue Lines, it was a welcome and needed break from the editing process. I period that mixed both muse inspired writing and free writing on subjects that ranged from the past, to myself.
“Automatic, Devotion, Redemption, Masterpiece,” is a work that over four parts utilized the short story, and different types of poetry, to tell the story of young couple in works that are based on words supplied by friends on facebook. I wrote each piece of the story serial style that describes the evolution of their relationship over time, and during different periods.
“Automatic” is the first piece that begins with a change in their relationship, written as a simple straight forward short story.
“Devotion” is my favorite piece. This piece of prose written to sound as if it begins directly after “Automatic,” utilizing elements that are meant sound similar to the opening story. It is two poems weaved around each other to tell the story through two different voices, to culminate to a story eventually answers questions left in “Automatic.”
“Redemption,” continues their story utilizing a fragmented short story initially told from their different vantage points. It occurs much closer in time to “Devotion,” than the first two pieces. It answers some questions that the poem “Devotion,” could not explain.
“Masterpiece,” is a story, that I feel the picture in my head was not fully realized in the end result. It maintains the essential elements that I wanted to convey. Again, a short story that tricks the reader in to believing they are witnessing an event, that is actually something much different. In “Masterpiece,” the names of the characters are revealed.

“Automatic”

Walking through the threshold, he vaguely remembered the house. Something had led him to board the flight and fly to his hometown, and aimlessly return to his childhood home. The woman allowed him into her home, though slightly wary of this stranger. Gone were the trees hiding the house from the street. The kitchen had been renovated, and the wall that separated it from the dining room that ran the expanse on the entry floor, was removed to allow for a modern update with stainless steel appliances and tile walls. Wood floors replaced the linoleum that greeted at the entrance, during his childhood.
“You used to live here son,” she asked trying to look into his weary eyes. A slight pain was evident in his eyes, yet she noticed a calm that settled him.
“Yes,” he answered. “The kitchen was half this size,” he admitted as he waved off her offer of a drink. He did not know what brought him back to this house that he had not visited in over the 20 years since they had moved away. Glancing toward the den, he recognized the floor to ceiling windows as they still looked out to familiar trees and Lake Lucerne. He grimaced remembering the adventure he and his friends would have running through the woods surrounding his home. He remembered the cold winter day that they took old wood planks that they had found and wrapping them with grocery bags thought they could create a floating raft. Within seconds the sinking at the crest of the lake proved them wrong.

What I Learned Sundays (Mondays) – Quantity vs Quality

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2011, Atlanta, Blue Hurt, Blue Lines, Blue Lines Blog, California, Friend, Friendship, Georgia, Key Yemaya Walker, Keypsiia, Keypsiia Walker, Keypsiia Yemaya Walker, Los Angeles, Love, MW, Myla, Myla Watson, Relationship, Sacramento, San Francisco, travel, What I Learned Sundays, writing

Oddly, this idea entered my mind, and changed my simplistic plan for this week’s WILS. In prepping a post that I’m working on to wrap up the year, I thought of a friend, and the work that she gave me that is the blueprint of what I’m working on in many ways.

I also thought of another friend, and the dynamic of the relationship as it relates to both of these two. One is a longtime friend, easily one of my best friends, that we hit it off from the beginning, yet the time of our friendship has easily helped further develop the quality of said relationship. This relationship, easily would follow the standard progression of the time and quality strengthening over the years. We can speak about anything, and she easily knows everything about me.

In thinking of my aforementioned friend, I can say that we have known each other for some time, yet the quality of said relationship, is amazingly unrelated to the time we’ve known each other. Though strong, the relationship is diametrically different, where we would seek each other out, and offer support, advice, and ideas to each other. Amazingly, this year, our paths have crossed each other on the extreme sides of this country, both in person and in communication. But more importantly, they crossed when they needed too. Sharing messages, when they were needed, even stories, or parables even, making us take a look at our decisions, and deciding whether the paths in our respective lives truly matched up to our wants and needs, rather than settling for something that may be before us. A poignant post we discussed while I sat happy and weary in Sacramento, and she, based in Los Angeles, was on the line with me in Atlanta.

Shell Toe Thursdays – Modeling My Red Suede (R5) x Blue Stripe Adicolor W’bbed Out from iPhone

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adicolor, adidas, Birthday, Blue Lines, California, Denim Adicolor Shell Toes, K-Swiss, Kenneth A Suffern Jr, Key Yemaya Walker, Modeled, MW, Myla, Myla Watson, R5, Sacramento

The manuscript Blue Lines is the fictional coming of age narrative of a young California woman Key Yemaya Walker, and her 2 year growing journey through school, love, and life period piece, written by Kenneth Suffern, Jr., taking place at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill between the years of 1997 – 1998. Loosely based on true events, and experiences during that time, told through the eyes and voice of the main female protagonist, a freshman first attending the school.

Blue Lines Blog – Part 4 – Word Provided By Myla W. – “Masterpiece”

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Automatic, Blue Lines, Blue Lines Blog, Brooklyn, California, Chicago, Devotion, Free write, Japan, Julia Nichole McGinnis, Key Yemaya Walker, Lake Lucerne, LES, Lower East Side, Mi Alma, MW, Myla Watson, N Lake Shore Drive, New York, Part 2, Poem, Prose, Redemption, The Smith, Timothy O'Tooles Pub, W Lakeshore Hotel Chicago, Word Story Part 2, Word Story Part 4, Words, Words Story, Yo Luz Ro-De

Part 4 of 4 you can read Parts 1 here, 2 here, and 3 here.

Thanks again to Yo, Julia, and Myla for providing the words, I just hope that I did them justice.
“Masterpiece”
Lynn reset herself, she had been around this before, and knew to let the experts do their jobs. The planner had everything set. The flowers were fine, the timeline was moving along, she had no worries. She glanced over as the photographers snapped away with impunity, a laugh settled in her stomach, but she chose not to voice it.
“Tonight will be everything we planned for,” she smiled widely.
“Are you okay,” Rosa burst into the room, baby in arms, surprised at Lynn’s calm demeanor.
“I’m perfect,” she responded holding Rosa’s hand in hers. “So is Elena, I’m just going to need you to be calm,” she smiled taking the child from her arms. “Maybe you need a glass of wine.”
Lynn, smiled, while thinking back those few years, reminiscing on the happy moments, the breakups, the arguments, her slight proposal, and his real proposal some time after. She marveled at New York, and their favorite haunt The Smith, and now the realization of everything they had wanted materialized before them. She sat back amazed. She and Anthony had succeeded she smiled again knowing that today was evidence of that.