Tag: Terrace Martin

black. lives. matter.

As a music and media publication dedicated to supporting marginalized communities, we’re using our platform to fight against racial injustice, particularly at the hands of the police. On Blackout Tuesday, an initiative was created by Atlantic Records exec Jamila Thomas and Platoon’s Brianna Agyemang, we dedicated the entire site to resources for justice, and we’ve compiled those materials here on a post that will remain on Audiofemme’s homepage as long as necessary and will be updated on an ongoing basis.

VOICES



“Here is the call…. Break out of the tendency to spin in your own guilt, ignorance, shame, resistance, or whatever is preventing you from living into a life of anti-racism and love for the humanity of Black, Indigenous and people of color. Break through the hardness of white supremacy so you can see every single way you uphold it. Break free… and step into a place that may be the only way out of this disastrous mess: a scrupulous interrogation of your complicity.”

– Melia LaCour for South Seattle Emerald

PLAYLIST







DONATE

Rachel Cargle’s Loveland Foundation provides financial assistance to BIWOC seeking therapy.

Black Visions Collective seeks to expand the power of Black people across the Twin Cities metro area and Minnesota.

Pimento Relief Fund helps Black-owned businesses rebuilding in Minnesota; look for other orgs in your city.

Reclaim the Block organizes Minneapolis community and city council members to move money from the police department into other areas of the city’s budget that truly promote community health and safety. You can also find petitions and orgs that seek to do the same in your city, like Communities United for Police Reform in NYC. Campaign Zero provides more resources for getting involved.

On a national level, Communities Against Police Brutality (CUAPB) provides assistance to individuals and families dealing with the effects of police brutality.

Donate directly to the families of victims lost to police brutality and other hate crimes.

National Police Accountability Project (NPAP) is a project of the National Lawyers Guild that works to hold police accountable for civil rights violations.

Unicorn Riot, a decentralized media organization, has been live-streaming uprisings.

Black Table Arts gathers Black communities through the arts, towards better black futures.

Southern Poverty Law Center monitors hate groups throughout the US.

Showing Up For Racial Justice (SURJ) moves white folks into accountable action as part of a multi-racial movement through community organizing, mobilizing, and education.

The National Bail Fund Network lists organizations by state that share the goal of freeing people by paying bails and bonds and while fighting to abolish the money bail system and pretrial detention. Donate now on behalf of protesters arrested in demonstrations; donate often as this is an ongoing and systemic issue.

VOTE

Campaign for political candidates who model racial justice and fight for progressive policy change, ESPECIALLY DOWN BALLOT. Send money to finance progressive campaigns in states outside of the ones you live in. Research candidates’ platforms and voting records, as all too many proclaimed “liberal” candidates aren’t radical enough to effect real change. Vote for (and donate to) the ones who will push moderates to the left! American politics is flawed, but remember what’s at stake when you refuse to participate at all.

– Terence Floyd, at a vigil for his slain brother in Minneapolis 6/1/2020

SHARE

The hand-drawn graphics (black background with white-script text) used in our posts were created by Tessa El Maleh and are available for use on social media (right click to save). We ask that you do not use the #BlackLivesMatter hash tag on your posts unless sharing resources or information for those on the ground. We do recommend that you make your post more meaningful than performative by sharing alongside general resources and wider calls to action.








Dedicated to George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and all victims of police brutality and race-based violence.


Before his death at the hands of Minneapolis police, George Floyd was part of Houston’s rap scene, appearing on mixtapes with DJ Screw and Presidential Playas, as Stereogum reports.



“I want justice for her. I want them to say her name. There’s no reason Breonna should be dead at all.”

– Tamika Palmer, mother of Breonna Taylor, in an interview with Errin Haines for The Washington Post that shed light on the 26-year old essential worker’s death at the hands of Louisville police

“Arbery was enjoying a nice run on a beautiful day when he began to be stalked by armed men.

What must that have felt like?

What must he have felt when he approached the truck and saw that one of the stalkers was brandishing a shotgun?

What must he have thought when he fought for the gun?

What must he have thought when he took the first bullet?

Or the second?

What must he have thought as he collapsed to the ground and could feel the life leaving his body?”

– The Killing of Ahmaud Arbery by Charles M. Blow for the New York Times

New Releases from Melkbelly, Hitter, Floating Gardens & More Showcase Chicago Talent

Photo Credit: Ariella Miller

When I’m sitting with an album, I’m listening for something a live performance can’t give me. I have an anxiety disorder that limits how much live music I consume, so recordings have always felt precious for the way they let me feel connected to a larger audio community. More than an escape from my unease, my ears like an energy or polish that helps me justify consuming information alone with my headphones instead of with people at a show. That’s changed since COVID-19. As quarantine stretches on, not even having the option to go out has me prioritizing music that transports me places I can’t go.

At the earliest, Chicago’s shelter-in-place orders won’t relax until June, but it’s unclear when live music will be possible here without a vaccine. Being forced to stay home hasn’t been much of an adjustment – hello, total hermit here! – but now I’m living in memories of moments like being jostled by bodies, sweat gleaming on my skin and feeling satisfied not knowing if it’s mine. With that said, here are some Chicago releases that have been getting me through lockdown. They speak to the diversity of musical styles that thrive in Chicago’s eclectic scene, which I’ll be covering in a new column for Audiofemme: Playing Chicago.

CB Radio Gorgeous EP

This band has an unparalleled stage chemistry no record will capture, but since all its members are Chicago punk veterans, no surprise CB Radio Gorgeous’s four-song debut still delivers something exciting for the at-home experience. Frenzied and fun, they’re X-Ray Spex meets Wire, and provide the perfect soundtrack for donning neon turquoise sunglasses and day-drinking Schlitz on rusted lawn chairs with friends.

Melkbelly – PITH

PITH features Sonic Youth-style guitar, Lemuria-like vocals, and atmospheric chaos that distantly echoes the complexity of Lightning Bolt. Both spritely and dark, playful and moody, it’s what I imagine playing outside the bathroom at the Empty Bottle while I’m smirking knowingly at a Sharpie-scrawled warning on the wall. Another woman catches my gaze in the reflection and says, “Right?” and I feel like we’re now bonded by a bathroom secret only select women will even register. Then we emerge, and everything’s casual.

Ric Wilson and Terrace Martin – They Call Me Disco

I love the retro vibe of this, and it’s equal parts fun and soulful. My favorite track is “Chicago Bae,” which celebrates what low-stakes, long-distance love with a Windy City sweetheart could be. The line, “Let me show you all the city the commercials never see” hits hard – a universal sentiment of anyone who’s lived in a tourist-heavy city that still feels personal to each listener’s understanding of their town. They Call Me Disco features six tracks perfect for that wait for the 49 bus on Western Avenue, sun heavy in the sky, running late to meet a friend but feeling right on time.

Hitter – Hard Enough

 If Donita Sparks fronted Motörhead, you might get something that sounds like hard rock quartet Hitter. Their debut full-length introduces a sound that’s vintage but not dated, owing in large part to the gravelly voice of singer Hanna “Hazard” Johnson, who howls and wails with a rock ‘n’ roll confidence that feels liberating just to bask in. Music for shoving assholes who spill beer on your leather vest.

Floating Gardens – Ephemerals

Fans of Mort Garson’s Plantasia will be drawn in by the familiar, lofty synth of Ephemerals’ opening track, but it descends into something that combines new age vibes and nature sounds – hard to do without getting corny, but somehow, Floating Gardens strikes the right balance. From experimental electronic label Chicago Research, Ephemerals is apt and meditative reminder of the mysteries and beauties of the natural world at a time when many of us can’t access them.