Electric Relaxation: Incubus "Warning"

This is a case where you love a song the minute you hear it and then discover years later that it speaks to you differently and more powerfully. "Warning" might be my favorite single off Morning View even more after this.

First time I heard this was on KROQ out here in LA in 2002. I was driving and my ears said "What is this??" "Was this some old Incubus song I never heard before?" I kept listening til the end and when the DJ said this was a brand new song off Morning View, I said "WHOA!" I think that was the thing that finally pushed me to buy the album.

There's a sound effect at the intro and in the breakdown that just sounded all kinds of epic. DJ Kilmore must've scratched it in and it sounds so cool yet fit the musical vibe. Throw in the fact that it was just a straight-forward rock song that just builds to an overwhelming sound at the end where Brandon sings "Don't ever let life you pass by" and the rhythm repeats even longer than it does on the radio.

The words seemed so cryptic to me back then. "I suggest we learn to love ourselves before it's made illegal"? "Floating in this cosmic jacuzzi, we are like frogs oblivious, to the water starting to boil"? It just seemed to add to this spacey vibe that reminded of me why I loved "Stellar" and "Pardon Me."

Flash forward to today. I'm at a personal crossroads wanting to fully take control of my life, which I shared on here. I want to take advantage of what I have in my mid-20's and not sit back and watch life pass me by. One night, this song came on and something told me to listen closer. The words suddenly made sense and spoke to me right now.

"Those left standing will make millions writing books on the way it should've been" - I mean that's just great writing. Too many people talk about how you should live life and they end up rich instead of gaining the value of tasting that life they sing about.

Now I got what the warning was about. "Dont ever let life pass you by." Yes! This was what I needed to hear. Don't be the lady in the song who wakes up old and realizes life's gone, only left to warn those not to follow her.

The intro is almost a challenge to do something you've never done or always wanted to do. The 2nd verse - suggesting for selflove - now means we gotta do it before we can't. Before we end up telling folks how to live because we failed. It's the flipside to Switchfoot's "Meant to Live", a song that challenged us to live for more than what we're seeing.

Floating in the jacuzzi means you're sitting there being comfortable, unaware that you're dying in your comfort and never moving on. Well-written with vivid imagery, this song now became my anthem of what not to become.

I wonder how they came up with this song. Sitting in Malibu off Pacific Coast Highway , watching one of the most beautiful beaches in the country. It's almost like they were relaxed, yet found a way to send out a message of urgency and living life to the max.

I was sleeping on this message for almost 8 years. Now as I'm waking up and rediscovering what I want, this song is another part of the fuel. Just one more reason why I love this album. Be encouraged from it.

What Inspires Me? (Music)

"Music is the air I breathe, the prayer I leave" - Talib Kweli said one of the best lyrics describing how people love music. Good music sticks to your rib and reminds you of the moment when you heard it.

But before this goes into a deep love affair, let's get to Part 3 of my inspirations. These are the artists that have inspired me the most because they resonate with me and speak to me.

(Note: These aren't all my favorite artists and I left some out intentionally. These are just the ones who left a mark on me in the most way)

(A Tribe Called Quest - A reminder to be yourself and "never follow someone else because opinions are like voices we all have a different kind")

(Little Brother - No group impacted me more this decade. "Dope rhymes, dope beats, what more could they want?" Saw them twice and were reminded why I love hip-hop.)

(Public Enemy - Thanks for teaching me to fight the power and not believe the hype. )

(Red Hot Chili Peppers - Thanks for reppin the City I live in, The City of Angels. )

(Prince - doing it all and doing it oh so well. A creative genius who remains a purist)

(Nas - "It aint hard to tell, I excel and prevail." Simple reason why he's the best.)

(Rage Against the Machine - They remind me never to be comfortable and always fight for my beliefs along with injustice.)

(Kirk Franklin - For updating gospel music in my era without watering down its message, he's a reason I believe gospel music will always stays fresh musically. )

(Jimi Hendrix - A reminder that creativity knows no bounds)

(Incubus - Lyrically beautiful/thought provoking, musically challenging. California goodness)

(Ice Cube - You Know How He Does It. One of the best writers/storytellers in hip-hop and a reminder that being real means speaking your mind. Favorite album of his.)

(dc Talk - Showed me Christian music isn't soft and poppy as well never being afraid to evolve without compromise. Christian music needs to challenge its audience while uplifting them.)

(Kanye West - I hate what he's become but every now and then, he reminds me why his songs relate to me like they did on this album.)

(The Clash - Working Class Heroes who inspire me to stay vigilant)

(OutKast - Thank you for reminding me that the South always has something to say)

Next up: Places.

Guitar Heroes of the 90's and Beyond

I really hate sometimes how people look down on music since 1980. Every great music poll is heavy on music from the 60's and 70's and sometimes I feel like the last 30 years isn't getting its due.

Guitar gods are only 60-70's legends. Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Ritchie Blackmore, Eddie Van Halen, Jimmy Page, etc...well I say you better add these geniuses from the 1990's and beyond carrying on tradition. I might do one for the 80's too just to include Stevie Ray, Slash, Kendall from Fishbone, Vernon Reid, etc...

Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine) - SOUL Power with the fury of activism in each note. Some of the most inventive guitar playing I've ever heard. - see "Bulls on Parade" "Know Your Enemy" "Guerilla Radio"

Jerry Cantrell (Alice in Chains) - an underrated harmonizing vocalist and just plays with a dark, beautiful angst. See "Man in a Box" "Them Bones" "Would"

Dimebag Darrell (Pantera/Damageplan) - Rest in Peace to a metal legend. I'm glad I got turned on to Pantera late last year and moreso this year. See "Cemetery Gates" "Floods" and "Walk"

Kim Thayil (Soundgarden) - "Rusty Cage" "Jesus Christ Pose" "Black Hole Sun"....if this guy isnt the most underrated guitarist of the decade, I dare you to school me. MIA since the band broke up.

Jonny Greenwood (Radiohead) - I've said for years that I can't get into Radiohead but this year might change. Listen to "Paranoid Android" and that stormtrooper noise on "Creep" and realize that dude is a genius. Should've won an Oscar for There Will Be Blood's score but rules kept him from it.

Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins/Zwan) - Yeah he's a better songwriter/vocalist than actual instrumentalist. But listen to "Geek USA", "Cherub Rock" "Zero" and tell me he's not a decent shredder too.

Jack White (White Stripes/Raconteurs) - A combo of Detroit fury, Southern blues and old-fashioned rock makes all that WS sound. Rolling Stone ranked him too high in their poll but he's a guitar genius in training. "Seven Nation Army," "Icky Thump" prove it to me.

Mike Einziger (Incubus) - He's underrated as well because Incubus got a few female fans off Brandon's looks. But his guitar playing is creative and can cross genres, giving Incubus a diverse sound that makes them one of the most unique bands of the late 90's-early 00's.

Mike McCready (Pearl Jam) - In the mold of hard rock legends before, McCready gives that 70's arena rock flair to a great band. The whole 10 album says he's a great player (Black and Alive) and he's still killin it on songs.

John Frusicante (Red Hot Chili Peppers) - The last guy I'm mentioning. My 2nd favorite guitarist of all time - Melody, psychedelia, hard rock, Hendrix-like. Too many solos to name, too many great songs to peep. A teen prodigy who blossomed into one of the most technically sound guitarists of my lifetime.

So I lied...one more to name. Actually I'll just show his pic and let y'all bug out

WTF???? Have I lost my Black mind calling this pretty boy a guitar hero. Heck yeah I did and for good reason.

John Mayer deserves to be on this list. Don't let the small voice and simple lyrics fool you, he can PLAY. After watching "Human Nature" at Michael Jackson's funeral and seeing him perform live, dude is bringing the blues alive in that soul of his.

I'm not putting him in Stevie Ray Vaughan's shoes. But I am saying that his skill is underrated and he surprises people with the soul and richness he brings to his craft.

25 Laps In A Stream of Consciousness

I’m sitting in my room listening to Incubus’ Morning View. I’m letting the sounds of one of my favorite albums surround me as I realize I’m finally here.

I’m finally turning 25 and it couldn’t come any sooner. In a year that was more up and down than any I expected being back home, it’s time to reach this silver number but all I could do was think about something I’ve thought for a few years.

I’ve reached the age that most of favorite rappers wrote some of their best work. Five years ago, I realized I was the same age Nas was when he wrote Illmatic, his masterpiece and when I listened to his verse on “Life’s a B---h”, it spoke to me as a young man waking up on his birthday making the most of his life and environment.

"I woke up early on my born day, I'm twenty years of blessing. The essence of adolescent leaves my body now I'm fresh in. My physical frame is celebrated cause I made it. One quarter through life some God-ly like thing created" - Irony cause i was born at 6.a.m.

Now I’m the same age as Tupac when he was murdered 13 years ago and just passed the age of Notorious B.I.G. before he died. Just thinking about what they accomplished in their short lives is impressive and although there was far more they could have done, they still made a great impact we feel today.

I’m looking at my life lately and I realize that I feel very blessed to have experienced what I have so far. It’s funny how mature I thought I was at 18 and thanks to my time with Saint Diego, I realized I had a lot to learn and lot of growing to do with different personalities.

I feel like I’ve come a long way and there’s still so far to go. There’s still more to accomplish and there’s still challenges that await me (none greater than finding my own place and perhaps explore other job options).

The plan is still the same. Make a difference in this life, never stop challenging myself and don’t settle for the bare minimum or anything less than my best. But I am so excited to see what happens in the next year, the next decade.

"I want to see miracles, see the world change. Wrestled the angel, for more than a name. For more than a feeling. For more than a cause. I'm singing Spirit take me up in arms with You. And You're raising the dead in me." - Switchfoot

"Life is not what I thought it was 24 hours ago....and I'm not who I thought I was 24 hours ago."

I didn’t understand why Switchfoot called that song “24” after lead singer Jon Foreman was about to turn 25. I heard it and felt like it spoke to me turning 24 last year. But now I hear it and it speaks loudly to me about wondering on my place in this world.

I want to keep finding my voice. I want to discover new things. I want to keep inspiring people. I want to keep searching…and I won’t stop believing until I find it.

25. Wow. I know that sounded really deep and you probably wanted some wit and funny stuff about what I remember. Maybe later…right now I want to reflect and give this moment it’s due. Are these tears coming down? Why? I wish I could honestly say.

In a perfect world, I wouldn’t be celebrating this in a hotel, going to the DMV tomorrow to renew my license and hoping that nothing bad happens at my job. But if anything is the story of my life, it’s been getting used to the unexpected and embracing it instead of running from it.

So here I come - get ready for another year of progress, change and personal development.

Electric Relaxation Vol. 3: 2001-03 Edition

Looking back on it, most of the music that was released 2001-2003 still resonates with me in a real way. Maybe that's because I finally listened to more stuff and got exposed to a wider variety of things. Throw in that I transitioned from high school to college and you have music that fits a the mood I was in - reflective, optimistic, anxious for a new beginning.



Now when I listen to those songs or those albums - it gives me that good feeling that good music is supposed to do when you connect with it emotionally. Here's some of the albums/songs I still love.






Incubus - Morning View: More than anything, this album was bought for the sole purpose of me attending Pepperdine. The band made it in Malibu and I imagined listening to it on the shores of class. Alas, I ended up doing it in San Diego but it had the same effect.




It's probably the band's softest album but it's so peaceful that I would sit down and write some poetry to it. You can imagine the shores of Malibu in the background to "Just A Phase" and just zone out.



Switchfoot - Beautiful Letdown: I had heard of Switchfoot but this album felt like a challenge to me. A challenge to the world around me and the minute I heard "Meant To Live," I felt inspired. Lyrically, it touched on searching for something more than the simple thrills and living with a purpose and for teens, the message resonated.



They may be a Christian band, but they touch on universal themes that people can relate to. Plus they make great music and coming from San Diego, they connected with many at my school.




The Ataris - So Long, Astoria: The minute I heard "In This Diary" and heard that line "Being grown up, isnt half as fun as growing up" I was hooked on this album. When I heard "Boys of Summer" in my friend's room, I knew it'd be a hit once summer came around.


But this album was about being reflective (named after the town the "Goonies" lived in) and looking back on the younger days. It was the perfect summer album back in 2003 but now, it's an album that reminds me of being young and the fun I had back then.

Eminem - The Eminem Show: To this day, I'll tell anyone this is Shady's most personal album and maybe it's not better than Marshall Mathers LP, but its darker and realer.

Red Hot Chili Peppers - By The Way: I remember buying this the week before I left for college and I imagined listening to it in San Diego for the same reason I loved Morning View. It felt dreamlike and a good mood for being by the ocean.

It's a shame that I found out the band kinda feels ambivalent about it because it was mostly John Frusciante's input. But I love this album. I did drive down to San Diego once listening to this - PERFECT background music for the coast.

Zwan - Mary Star of the Sea - Billy Corgan's side band disintegrated soon afterwards but I really enjoy the album because lyrically Corgan was influenced by his faith.

Jurassic 5 - Power In Numbers : I really hoped J5 would've blown up from this album. Radio hits and quality music haven't sounded this good from the L.A. underground.

The Roots - Phrenology : Hard to follow up a classic but they did. The first album I bought from the crew and I loved every listen of it.

Musiq - Juslisen: This was the last thing I listened to when I had my final moments when my Dad. And aside from that, it's a dope R&B album from one of my favorite singers.

Coldplay - A Rush of Blood to the Head : One of the best albums of the decade. I remember DLing it before I left for the summer and I listened to it right before I left. Phenomenal album from start to finish. I love Amsterdam, Politik, and of course "The Scientist."

Justin Timberlake - Justified: Don't Laugh - this album is probably one of the better R&B joints of the decade. He reminded me of Michael, George Michael that is. I heard the album the same night I heard Coldplay and loved it right away.

Sugar Ray - Sugar Ray: Don't Laugh Pt. 2 - this was their last hurrah and the boys of summer made a great album I enjoyed in 2001. "Satellites" still takes me to a special place, this album is great driving music.

The Starting Line - Say It Like You Mean It/Home Grown - Kings of Pop: I gotta put these two together because I saw them both in concert at my school and hearing both albums remind me of that show. My first punk show, my first mosh pit, raw energy that I still draw back to.

Nappy Roots - Watermelon, Chicken and Gritz: This is an album you don't hear too often on a mainstream level period, regardless of region. A song about being poor being a hit? Ballin on a Budget? This was some feel good hip-hop made the summer of 02 easy, breezy and manageable.

These down-home brothas made one of the last great Southern albums before the shift of crunk/trappin/club music that the South is more known for now.

Maybe I'll do a post on some of the singles from that era that stuck with me but you can probably imagine the singles from these albums had a big effect on me.

Flashback Friday: 1999 Albums

It's hard to believe that these albums are 10 years old. But more importantly, it's crazy how many these albums sold. This was the beginning of the end for albums consistently selling like crazy because Napster was looming and completely changed the music game.

To me, the biggest surprise of the 2000's was when Usher, Outkast and Norah Jones sold over 10 million copies of their albums. All it did was remind me of how our favorite (and not so favorite) artists used to do it in 1999-2000. You could pretty much go platinum easily if you had a monster hit like "Mambo No. 5."

It was the year of pop success that wouldn’t stop til 2001. Shania Twain, Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, Limp Bizkit and Kid Rock were the faces of music. Again it boggles my mind that this year was 10 years ago. A lifetime ago when the record industry was in the middle of making its last stand and pop stars were seemingly made overnight.

It was the perfect storm of MTV’s “Total Request Live” blowing up and a year where people wanted to party. It was like everybody wanted to end the 20^th century on top and pretty much, nearly everybody did.

Favorite 5 Albums of 1999

1. red hot chili peppers – californication

2. rage against the machine - battle of los angeles

3. mos def – black on both sides (Black Dante's Illmatic)

4. moby – play (changed the game with marketing despite no hit single until summer 2001)

5. the roots – things fall apart

* right at No. 6 - Dr. Dre 2001

Top Comebacks

1. Santana

2. TLC/RHCP

3. Dr. Dre

4. Slick Rick (Street Talkin was the joint)

5. Jordan Knight/Joey McIntyre (tie - all the New Kids fans came out the wood work for these two. Top 10 hits for both)

6. Stone Temple Pilots (“Sour Girl” is still one of my Top 5 STP joints)

Top debuts (besides the Mighty Mos Def)

1. Ja Rule (hip hop’s next big superstar)/Britney Spears (Queen of Pop til 2004)

2. Christina Aguilera (pop’s greatest voice since then)

3. Eminem

4. Dixie Chicks (country wouldn’t be the same)

5. Slipknot (brought some much needed edge to rock)

6. Ricky Martin (everyone was “Livin La Vida Loca” that summer)

*other notable debuts – Pharoahe Monch, Staind, Lil’ Wayne, Jessica Simpson, Q-Tip

Career-making Albums

1. Creed – Human Clay (hailed as the kings of rock before the backlash started)

2. DMX – And Then There Was X (the last No. 1 album of the century and believe it or not, the 2nd biggest 1st-week sales of the year behind the Backstreet Boys...just a reminder how HUGE this guy was and how far he's fallen.)

3. Limp Bizkit - Significant Other

4. Backstreet Boys – Millenium (hate to put a pop joint on here, but it signified the rise of pop taking over the radio and the biggest artists selling a million in their 1^st week - everyone who sold a mil)

5. Blink 182 – Enema of the State (hello Travis Barker, hello pop charts, hello plenty of imitators)

6. Hot Boys – Guerrila Warfare (another key cog in Cash Money’s takeover)

7. Incubus – Make Yourself (possibly their best album and just like Moby, another 2-year build to greatness)

Great Albums that came through

Method Man & Redman “Blackout” (“Da RockWilder” is one of the best beats of the last 10 years)

Kurupt – Streetz is a Mutha (West Coast Classic)

Jimmy Eat World – Clarity

Jennifer Lopez – On the 6 (more on this in Flashback on Latin Pop)

Eve – Ruff Ryders 1^st Lady (the last female rapper to debut with an impactful career – sorry Remy Ma, Scenario 2000 smashes most posse cuts since then)

ODB – N***a Please

Nine Inch Nails – The Fragile

311 – Soundsystem

Foo Fighters - There is Nothing Left to Lose

Metallica – S&M

Biggest American Flop: Robbie Williams. The biggest pop star in England tried to make a splash over here and after being signed to Capitol Records, he only went gold. Consider him the music version of soccer, everyone else loves him, we don’t (“Millenium” is a great pop song though)

* Of course that doesn’t includes Memphis Bleek, whose debut flopped in 1999 and he’d keep trying to make hits to no avail. If you couldn't sell during THIS time, is it any surprise he didn't sell this decade?

That's Flashback Friday, hope y'all enjoyed it!