Thomas Bess jr ~ Welcome to Goldwood

My brother, Thomas is getting ready to launch a new cd.  Here is the intro from YouTube.  Check it out.

Poetry: Thomas Bess Jr.

The Paper-cutter

By: Thomas Bess jr.

waiting in the blackness for my alarm clock to go off,

the screaming banshee opens my eyes to pierce the blackness of my four walls.

i see the ghost that is my work clothes resting lazily on my chair;

starched white shirt, black pants, black tie.

out of the apartment.

i wait for the bus.

i waited and cursed my local transit system.

late again

i was late yesterday

i left thirty minutes earlier than yesterday

and i was still late

later than the day before

i felt a cold numbness

i imagined the look on my boss’ face when i tell him the bus was late again

i smile an insane smile to myself

i held my gas station coffee -- sweating palm

the humid air clings to my business casual

gravel and dust make my dress shoes look lousy

i stand congregated with the other losers

waiting for the bus it comes.

no smiling faces

sleepy zombies

the bus stops

i'm here

quontavious, i don't think we’re in kirkwood anymore

store-brand coffee brewing in employee lounge

a can with a sign that says 25 cent donation

i put in nothing. i don't have it to give and i need the coffee.

a judging fat blob gauks as i stir in the sugar.

"fuck you", i think in my head.

Thomas on MySpace

Thomas on YouTube

Poetry: Thomas Bess Jr.

I wanted to leave you guys with a little poetry for the weekend. A couple of you have already seen this video, but I wanted to share it with the rest of the community. The artist is my younger brother Thomas. His music and life is based in Atlanta, GA. He is a spoken word artist, painter, brother, and friend. Thomas is featured on a few cd's in the business, but his latest solo effort is called Action Theory . This is Thomas' first solo cd and it is tight! The best has yet to come. For sentimental reasons, I'm still attached to his premiere cd as a member of the Atlanta based group, Jason Blackwell. the cd is titled, Urban Experimentalist. The featured video performance can not be heard on either cd, but it's definitely worth hearing. Keep in mind that some of the language may offend. Also, I did the camera work so forgive the bootleg quality of the video. *smile* Enjoy your weekend. Peace~

Peace for the New Year & Peace for Haiti

A Warning to Rebels by Toussaint Louverture 1795

Art by: Thomas Bess Jr.

Happy New Year!!

January 1st is also Independence Day for Haitians

Be Safe

Thomas Bess Jr....It's Your Birthday!!

Happy Birthday Thomas!!!! Well, my younger brother is just a little older today. I felt that an appropriate way to celebrate his birth is to honor him by featuring his artistry. It's different, huh? *Laughing* Yeah, I love it too. He's a writer, poet, painter, spoken word artist, son, and brother to many. I am in awe of his dedication and concentration when it comes to his craft. He is an inspiration to me. I love you, Thomas!

By the way, check out Thomas's latest cd, on CD Baby: ACTION THEORY: Action Theory. He also has a spot at: www.myspace.com/thomasbessjr.

Photography: Crayola Capital

Blue Dome: Angry Brother

Capital Reflection

Dem' Pink Tops

I hope that you enjoy my little display of the Capital here in Washington, D.C. These pictures were taken last Saturday afternoon. It was a quiet and cloudy day here in DC and my brother, Thomas was a willing participant as the "Angry Brother." Capital police guarding the Capital took necessary precautions and came around on their bikes and sort of looked us over. That's cool. Hooray for Homeland Security!

By the way, my brother will be heading back to Atlanta this weekend and he will definitely be missed. If you live in the DC area come check him out tonight during Open Mic at Busboys & Poets. It's located on 14th street. The time is from 9pm to 11pm, but the line is usually kind of long so a good time to arrive is around 6:30pm. Much thanks~

Photography: Chillin' In The District

Line at the club on U street

Open Mic at Mocha Hut

My brother, Thomas checking out the U street scene. He decided that he was not going to do open mic so we just did some people watching.

Game of chess outside of Mocha Hut

Two men talking in deli. I cannot remember the name of this place?

I hope that all will have a wonderful 4 day weekend if you are here in the United States. It's Labor Day ! This holiday is not connected to any battle. It was actually created to recognize the contributions of workers across America. It is on the first Monday of September. I also hope that all of my international friends have a great weekend as well. Peace~

Photography: Busboys, Poets, and Teeth

The line for open mic night at Busboys & Poets here in DC. It was packed with beautiful people.

My brother Thomas and cousin Gary in line. Thomas (far right) is waiting to put his name on the list for open mic.

I just thought that this was interesting and funny. This is located on U street in DC.

Weekend With Thomas And Darfur

This is the end of a great weekend hanging out with my younger brother, Thomas. We started on Thursday night and went full speed ahead until Sunday morning! Well, there was a break on Friday night. We stayed at home so that he can spend some time with the rest of the family. On Saturday we mostly played around the U St. corridor and 14th St. We hit the Mocha Hut and Cafe Nema. Our cousin, G Bess lives close by so we hung out a little at his place indulging in music and a few drinks. Overall, it was a great weekend. I haven't run that hard in a long time. Thanks bro, I had a great time! I love you man!

I dropped Thomas off at the airport around 8 am, went home and decided that I was going to attend the Save Darfur rally on the National Mall. It was really inspiring. For me, the highlight of the day is when a small group of Africans (They seem to be from the Darfur Region?) led a rallying chant through the crowd. I smiled and cheered them on wishing that I could join in. I didn't know what they were chanting because it was in their tongue. However, I was surprised at the reaction of the other supporters attending the rally (mostly Jewish). They became quiet during the chants as they glanced around at each other standing in the vicinity.

My thoughts on that moment:
Sometimes I think that blacks chanting in defiance can make some people really nervous. We're often viewed as militant when our voices are lifted in protest to something. This is why most of America preferred Martin Luther King, Jr.'s method of singing and quiet protest. Although effective, it didn't make the rest of America too too nervous. Oh, they were nervous, but they were absolutely frantic when it came to other groups that took a more heated approach in the fight for change.

Otherwise, I was happy to see the support no matter the color. I am convinced that most of the black community at large didn't know about the rally until they saw the evening news. There were posters up around town, but not many (if any) on the southside of town where most of the disenfranchised reside. Perhaps most would've still chosen to stay home, but I'm certain that some would have attended if they had knowledge of it. As for the rest of the community, churches should have adjusted their morning schedule and colleges should have showed up in astounding numbers. There were some black and brown faces at the rally, but the African/Africa American/Caribbean community should have showed more support. We have to stop thinking of ourselves as so different from our brothers and sisters in Sudan! If we would just take the time to look at the big picture we would find that we share in the same struggle.

We just chant in different tongues.

UPDATE: The refreshing thing about all of this is that the Reverend Gloria White Hammond, MD, an African American woman and Chairwoman of Million Voices is doing all that she can to get the word out about Darfur. She will be here in Washington D.C. this week. Click her name and learn more about this remarkable woman and her mission.

("...What we need is awareness, we can't get careless" --Public Enemy)
Click on the title of this post to find out how you can help. You can help even if you just buy a $10 tee shirt. It's worth it. Peace~

I'll post a few pictures of the rally when I get a moment.

Hanging Out With Lil Bro

Ahhhh....Friday is here and I am so glad! My brother Thomas is here visiting from Atlanta. Our weekend started last night with some dinner at busboys and poets. We also hung out in and around Adams Morgan. I'll tell you the rest on Monday. :) Have a great weekend!

Me And Baby Brother

I am so happy that it's Friday! I have no plans yet, but sometimes that's a good thing. I have to clear out of my place by the end of the month so I'll be wrapping things up on that end in DC. I've had to make a lot of adjustments for the last couple of months, but things are running smoothly. I've made some important decisions lately conerning my career and school. I've decided that I am definitely going back into the classroom to teach. I was teaching high school English before I started working at my current job (I currently work in publishing and it has reminded me of why I left a corporate setting in the first damn place! What in the hell am I doing here?) Anyway, it is definitely time to get back to what I need to be doing...teaching. I feel that I definitely needed this break though. I've accomplished many of my personal goals while working in publishing. I've also made a solid decision to pursue my writing as more than just a hobby! So, I am looking into applying for a couple of writing programs in the DC metro area. I only pray for the wisdom, strength, discipline and patience to accomplish all that I am meant to do. Anyway, I hope that you have a great weekend and that you are either working on or accomplishing all that your heart is made of. Peace~

Honorable Mention: (Speaking of accomplishments) My younger brother has a spot on MySpace now. He is just doing his thing and promoting his recent cd. He has a different way of expressing himself that I think most of you would enjoy. I love it!

ACTION THEORY

This is a review of Thomas Bess Jr.'s cd, Action Theory. I had a chance to really listen to it over the Thanksgiving break and I feel it is definitely worth checking out. Yes, I would say this even if he wasn't my brother. **smile**

Atlanta's underground music scene has just enlisted another soldier into its ranks. Actually, he has always been a soldier in this revolution of music, but now Thomas Bess, Jr. has been promoted and is swiftly moving up in rank with his debut CD, ACTION THEORY. Thomas Bess Jr., formerly of the Atlanta based underground group, JJason Blackwell, has just released his very first solo project and he has the underground Atlanta music scene teaming and percolating. This acoustically laced creation is pumped and politically charged as Thomas takes the listener on an ontological journey through music and spoken word. Thomas is accompanied with acoustic guitar on many of the tracks by upcoming artist, Donnie "Adonis" Cantly.
Thomas has an eclectic approach which makes it difficult to box his style of music into one particular category. The CD ranges from Hip-Hop to Acoustic Soul and everything in between. “Planet Rock” has a Dirty South appeal while “Jodi” is reminiscent of 80’s style Rock-Funk. The cd begins with the track, “Happy Little Sheep” that sounds like something out of a poetry slam. There’s something for everyone on this CD! Thomas Bess Jr. is no stranger to the Atlanta underground music scene. He first got its start at clubs like The Apache Café (Formerly The Ying-Yang) performing spoken word with Jjason Blackwell. At that time, the Ying Yang was the starting point and fertile ground for talented artist like India Arie and Donnie who performed at the club quite often. JB was a popular group on the ATL club circuit through the mid to late 90’s. The group released a cd in 2000 titled, Urban Experimentalist. The group never really achieved national success, but they were a favorite on the underground Atlanta music scene up until just a couple of years ago. The year is now 2005 and Thomas Bess, Jr. is moving forward with his own urban experiment. I have a feeling that the results will have listeners chanting “Yeah, Yeah.”

If you want to find out more about the new cd, Action Theory just click on the title for more information and reviews.