A perfect song for the "Aliens" in Arizona

This song is so appropriate for the situation in Arizona that I could not resist stepping up to my virtual podium.

Asa- Jailer


This song is from the perspective of a poor unfortunate soul who is at the mercy of a jailer very similar to the author.. after all a jailer wears a uniform just like the prisoner. All the lyricist wants is a little bit of respect- to be treated with common decency. To her, this is not so much to ask- and as the listener, I cannot help but empathize with Asa's request for dignity.

I can understand why border states are especially concerned with protecting the United States boundaries, but the law that Gov. Jan Brewer signed today in Arizona effectively legalizes discrimination based on appearing "foreign", or "alien" (in Arizona this is largely Mexican people). Obviously there are a lot of people who are very alarmed by this- individual rights and equality are very important in the USA, and this bill absolutely separates anybody looking "foreign" from the general population. One of the most alarming aspects of this is that the task of regulating these individuals for proper documentation goes to the Arizona police.

Here is a link to the CNN website discussing details of the Arizona Immigration Bill
Here is a link to Asa's song lyrics.

I hope you enjoy the song!
(here is a link to Arizona's Governor, Hon. Jan Brewer's website if you would like to express your opinion, and I encourage you to do so.)

The Colbert Report hit the nail on the head so I am going to include a link to the video.

Grey Boy All Stars- The Fillmore

A friend of mine was kind enough to get comp tickets to see the Grey Boy All Stars at the Fillmore. I've been a fan of Karl Denson for quite some time (The Bridge is a great record if you're curious). My sources tell me that Mr. Denson is partially responsible for Lenny Kravitz's make a great hook and exploit the hell out it songwriting style. (They toured together in the 90s)



The area around the Fillmore has changed quite a bit in the three years since I was there... it's an amazing venue! The room has about 1200 capacity that sounds and feels like a renovated movie theater. I guess the show only sold about 800 tickets- but the room felt full of energy and there was plenty of room for dancing hippies.

Grey Boy All Stars consist of professional musicians (I knew about the Grey Kid and Karl D before going to the show) who write funky jazz-influenced grooves. I was particularly fond of the version of 'How Glad I Am' which was totally different from what I'm familiar with on their CD.

Many thanks to my friend for getting me on the list- I would have paid the ticket price just to see this show! Judging by the crowd, it could have been publicized better on jambase (or, perhaps there were other shows of a similar genre playing in SF that night)

Karl Denson
Grey Boy All Stars
How Glad I Am
Jam Base
The Fillmore