Alex Fals, aka "Alf"

i have known alex since he was 11...or maybe 10. i can't remember. i was his camp counselor. then we worked together at that same camp. he is a great dude, always seeking, always searching, always growing. it has been a blessing to be his friend all this time. and now he's an amazing songwriter! that's so cool! i believe that all three of these songs are originals. they were all recorded really recently in columbia. he is there visiting his family.

it's really great to know so many incredible people.

in love,
ge

Fire Breathing Fish - Brandon Guy Smith

brandon smith is my brother. we've known each other since the fourth grade. no matter how much time might pass between conversations or visits, he's still my brother. and he blows glass! how cool is that!?! although this video is sped up a bit, it really only takes him about 15 minutes to make a glass fish like this one.

that's pretty awesome.

The Common Fire Foundation! and Climbing Poetree!

so, this is going to be a two part post. this part is about the common fire foundation, started by jeff and kavitha in the hudson valley! (i helped!) jeff and kavitha are really amazing people, and i've been bumming recently that i haven't seen or talked to them in a while. they work so hard to contribute to the world in radical, creative ways, and i am blessed to know them. this video was shot maybe three years ago now, and if you look close enough....you can see me in the background of some of the shots! the footage is primarily from the grand opening ceremony for their super-green co-op building. the event was really fun and joyful. and they got julia butterfly hill and climbing poetree! how cool is that?

i love you, jeff and kavitha. i hope you are well. samiha too!



so, the second part of this post is about climbing poetree. after watching the previous video, you're probably asking yourself, "oh my god, who is climbing poetree? they are amazing." and i am here to reply that they are in fact amazing. i actually found that common fire video looking for videos that featured them (teehee). my friend anna just saw them perform and was blown away by them, which reminded that they are incredible.

i think that what is particularly powerful about the previous common fire video and the following two videos featuring climbing poetree is that both are examples of what is possible. in jeff and kavitha, we have two people who created a non-profit and coordinated the creation of the greenest building in the east, an accomplishment so big that they constantly had to remind people of their long-term commitments to social justice, camps, retreats, etc. and in alixa and naima, we have two women who have decided to let their lives be their vision, who have decided to speak out for justice, who have decided to create radical, transformative art, and who have decided to be alive for the sake of awakening the consciousness and collective power of the masses. not to mention that all of them are so much more than the sum total of these words...

whoah...and can i just say how amazing the poem in the second video is? i just got chills...it reminds me that i gotta start doing some shit. seriously.

thank you. thank you. thank you.

as my mentor trayce says, "you're allowed to shine."

www.commonfire.org
www.climbingpoetree.com

"About the Dream" - Novice Theory on Jools Holland

so this post requires a little back story. Novice Theory is a band of one: Geo Wyeth. when i was twelve-years-old, i went to Quaker farm camp with Geo, and i had a HUGE crush on him. one time i visited him after camp, and he was the first person to introduce me to ani difranco.

he is so beautiful and brave and talented that it is shocking sometimes. going to a Novice Theory show is one of the most intimate musical experiences one could ever have. he doesn't just sing. he shouts. he yells. he swoops. he lifts. he sways. he saunters. he swaggers. he calls you out.

he sings from a place within himself that is almost indescribable.

and we kissed playing spin the bottle when i was 12...hee hee hee.

thank you for your gifts, geo. i hope you feel honored in your bravery.

Dave End has a big 'ole heart

this is a music video that was made for dave end's song, "and by queen," off of his first album, "how to hold your own hand." the director's name is catherine please.

dave's music is self-described "queer cupcake-loving honesty pop."

thanks for saying what you need to, dave. and thank you for letting us listen in. as the great glen marla once said, "to know dave end, is to love dave end."

clamation dance party? i am so there...

"in order to fly, you've gotta have something to rise above.
and is it ok that you have to have hate to have self-love?"

beautiful words from a beautiful man.

check out dave's myspace: myspace.com/daveend
and support his music!