One of the places that I’ve always wanted to go to was Hawaii. I think it is the most popular place on earth. I’m yet to hear someone talk negative about it. My sister Cindy and her husband Al go all the time, so much that they considered buying a time share there. My wife (OCG) has been talking about it since we got together, The Cover Girls were huge in Hawaii. She always talks about the smell of fruit when you get off the plane, the beautiful beaches and of course the Volcanos, well at least that’s what I want to see, hey, what can I say, I’m a boy! Well thanks to James Coles, we are going to Hawaii! We leave Friday morning Jan 25th ’08 and returning the following Monday evening. Seems like a nice extended trip, but the fact is, most of that time will be spent traveling. We are doing a show at The Pipe Line Cafe along with Stevie B and Atlantic Starr. We’ll meet up with them at the halfway point of our 12 hour flight, my back hurts just thinking of it.
My wife’s a bit pissed at me, because while she’s packing the SunTan lotion and Bathing Suits, I’m anticipating our return home so I could get back to work. I’m swamped right now. I have been traveling the country for many years, first with Lil’ Suzy for over 20 years, then with Angel, and while still traveling with Suzy and Angel individually, in 2004 I began traveling with S.A.L. which includes Lisette Melendez.
To have visited practically every state in the country, with the West Coast being almost like a second home, you would be surprised to know that I haven’t had a chance to see much. I love History and am fascinated by landmarks, but for some reason it is so hard for me to seperate my work and play, not that my work isn’t pleasurable, I love what I do, it’s just hard for me to take a show trip and turn it into any kind of vacation.
I don’t want to come across unappreciative, I have been blessed and I thank God for it everyday. I don’t want to wake up one day an Old man saying, “Hey, what happened?” Eventhough I’m not looking forward to the trip, I am looking forward to going to Hawaii. I hope it moves me the way it has moved so many others I know, because if it does… I’ll be back!
Anyhow, my true point to this blog is the simple fact that “Freestyle” is going to Hawaii! It was there back in the day, dropped out as it did else where, but now it’s going back. Where as many might see it as a great experience, I see it has a great breakthrough for Freestyle.
The response to the event has been over whelming and the promoter is very excited. While so many other forms of music has regressed over years, Freestyle is amazingly progressing and expanding beyound the point it was when it first came into the scene. What’s next? Japan? Angel was huge in Japan, so was Lisette and many others. How about Germany, Johnny O is king there and Stevie B is basically a household name in Brazil.
Building Freestyle in the United States is a wonderful thing, and it will keep us working. But building Freestyle around the world will keep us living. Living lovely. When I heard that promoters in Hawaii were interested in bring in Freestyle acts, I immediately saw the big piture. I contacted a couple of people that I knew were in touch with the promoters out there so as to get connected, not to just throw my girls up in there, but more importantly, to throw Freestyle up in there and to make sure tha promoters are well advised as to how the market is now.
A few of the people I asked to connect me, never connected me. They didn’t want to share, and that has been one of Freestyle’s biggest downfalls. If just one Freestyle artist exist in a market, it is only a matter of time before Freestyle is totally dried up in that market. We need to show that there is a variety of acts still performing and recording, that eventhough there are some classic acts in this genrea, Freestyle itself shouldn’t be catagorized as Old School. There are alot of new songs being recorded and alot of new artist recording them. Just listen to La’ Radio Live and you’ll see what I’m talking about. So off I am to Hawaii, I will let you know how it goes.