peace- just a brief note on 2003. meshell will spend the first 5 months or so of the year recording. our hope is to release 2 albums this year. the music is all here, its just a question of navigating the politics/contracts etc that make the music business what it is. but the good news is that there won't be a long wait for the next release... meshell is in a super prolific phase. this also means very few live appearances between now and june. there may be a spot date or two, but nothing big until june/july (likely europe) and aug/sept (u.s.).
stay tuned, i'll drop in some updates once i get these various deals solidified.
peace & blessings in the new year... kt
p.s. don't forget to check out the tune "liliqoi moon" in biker boyz. meshell says, "the song sounds like she looks!"
awww, hellllll yeah ... scooped my promo copy of the biker boyz sndtrk last night, and I've been on 'liliquoi' ever since ... that shit is tender and just...so sweet. aint no english for the girls work , dammitt.
and thanks for the 411, kt... its encouraging to know that shes been able to maintain her energy and creative fire throughout the whole cookie / maverick fiasco...that girls an inspiration, a testament to 'spirit'. And the farther away we get from that period when she was contemplatin quitting , the better....
So... can we expect a rootsy studio verz of 'fellowship' ? Maybe some 'forgiveness and love', or bless the rest of us with 'the story of "O"..?
Man-oh-man , kt & bashir (if you're listening) , greenlight all that good stuff, ya.
Posts: 19 | Location: Los Angeles , Ca. | Registered: 01-07-03
Thanks kt, i'm excited to know that she is hard at work. trust me, we are all looking forward to this work. ill be sure to be on the lookout for the song you mention on biker boys. i just want it known that i totally respect meshell and her work. its refreshing to be able to listen to someones work and feel that they really have something with meaning to say. Thanks for that!!!
Posts: 61 | Location: long beach, ca | Registered: 01-05-03
kt said 'our hope is to release 2 albums this year...'
therefore, while it's exciting, that means it's out of kt's & b's hands (aka, up to maverick/wbr)...
so i'm pretending that for now all we're getting is what we usually get in a non-album year... and that her next album isn't coming out until the same year that d'angelo is finally putting out his 3rd album... 2005.
of course, i hope to be wrong... and that b plays in mpls & seattle this year (and that d'angelo doesn't wait until 2005 to release his 3rd album
aah.. but of course.. i just found out that lisa bonet is in the movie biker boyz.. that explains everything! i can't wait to see her in a movie after so long!
Posts: 107 | Location: chicago, il | Registered: 01-03-03
I just finished listening to the song, and it's beautiful--just like the muse herself. Thanks Matthew and I will be definately purchasing the soundtrack.
Posts: 13 | Location: Chicago, IL, USA | Registered: 01-07-03
How is it that Meshells stuff INSTANTLY sets in your soul like it's been there forever, yet seems as new and fresh as the first spring morning? I don't know, and you know what...I don't care...I just don't question it anymore. The lady just has an inspired gift, piled on top of a world of talent and fearlessness and mixed with the most amazing 'in-touch' group of fellow musicians I've ever heard. We are indeed lucky to be around to experience them explore.
Thanks for the update kt, looking forward to the new stuff whenever it happens. And thanks m for the advance listen to Liliquoi. Made my day. That song alone is worth the price of the soundtrack.
been in and out of town for the last few weeks so I'v missed a lot...very nice to come back to this though
Posts: 506 | Location: Richmond, VA, USA | Registered: 12-28-02
... now my tongue hurts. So, kt, is the plan for two albums an attempt to fulfill contract obligations? If so, can we hope that the wonderful quality we've come to love isn't sacrificed for the sake of quantity (ala what's-his-name)? As much as we'd all love to see a steady flow a Bashir's talents, please don't rush at the cost of quality. Especially if it's just going to be disrespected by the powers-that-be.
-K'Trazz
Posts: 192 | Location: Ann Arbor, MI USA | Registered: 01-01-03
greetings- despite the june 2002 release, meshell finished recording "cookie" in may 2001. since then, she's written over 80 new tunes (that i know of...could be more). so we are not talking about a rush job. the next album is already written and i am confident that folks will love the tunes. a couple appeared in her live sets over 2002; all are a different direction or an extension. as many of you know, she's been exploring reggae rhythms and structures but through her own distinct style.
what we plan for 2003 has little to do with fulfilling contracts. one of the projects is the kind of album you are used to hearing from meshell; the other is more of a jazz project (though don't think straight ahead, light fm or completely instrumental). at this time, i can't disclose the terms of the deal for the latter project, but when the time is right, i will.
so in answer to the question, whether folks dig or don't dig the new music will have to do with musical taste, not the the things the music business forces people to do. meshell will make these tunes with all of her customary sincerity and perfectionism.
Thanx kt. I appreciate your response. I'm confident you guys won't let us down. I hate to be so demanding of an artist. I do understand that it is ART afterall. It's just that we've been spoiled shitless.
I've been thinking a lot about the promotion and sales puzzle lately. I just wrote a long passage on what's been troubling me and deleted it because I got stuck trying to express the point I was trying to make. Damn this industry is frustrating. Without going into details, and considering the state of today's music industry, do you think you've achieved (or come halfway to achieving) your goals for Cookie's sales.
quote:Originally posted by kt: so in answer to the question, whether folks dig or don't dig the new music will have to do with musical taste, not the the things the music business forces people to do. meshell will make these tunes with all of her customary sincerity and perfectionism.
peace,kt
Posts: 192 | Location: Ann Arbor, MI USA | Registered: 01-01-03
greetings: cookie is obviously a huge disappointment... well, not the album, but its handling. there were at least 4 "tools" that could have been worked over a year to minimally break 500k units. instead, all funds were pulled after working the "pocket book remix" at radio for 6 weeks. when you don't control your own destiny, these are the types of decisions that are made despite your best efforts (or the best efforts of the staff at the label, like julie or holly)--if we had 150k of our own money to invest in the project, the outcome would have been different. at some later date, i'll tell y'all the whole sad story. peace, kt
hey y'all - haven't posted in a while ... seems like one sad story after the other ... being in this business for a while , and working closely with great signed and unsigned talent in the last 2 years here in New York , i understand kt cannot lay it all down for all of us here on this board , who obviously loves me'shell's work - the question is , then , how long before me'shell can break loose and do her thing and control somewhat the destiny of her commercial success ???
just in the last 6 months I have personally submitted 3 projects to record labels ( i won't mention names , but I'll say it's the big ones ) of remixes that they , the label , have specificlly requested! only to find out that either the person in charge of the project was laid off , or some other shit like that ... i stopped counting how many times I've heard " u know the bizness is going thru a difficult time right now etc ..." in the last 2 months alone ...
peace . honestnotes
Posts: 96 | Location: new york city | Registered: 12-27-02
I'm right with you on hoping that d'angelo drops one soon, got live at the jazz cafe for christmas and it's got me feenin!! pvt.joy
quote:Originally posted by matthew: kt said 'our hope is to release 2 albums this year...'
therefore, while it's exciting, that means it's out of kt's & b's hands (aka, up to maverick/wbr)...
so i'm pretending that for now all we're getting is what we usually get in a non-album year... and that her next album isn't coming out until the same year that d'angelo is finally putting out his 3rd album... 2005.
of course, i hope to be wrong... and that b plays in mpls & seattle this year (and that d'angelo doesn't wait until 2005 to release his 3rd album
(and that d'angelo doesn't wait until 2005 to release his 3rd album 
