After 7 long years away from family, friends, and the world at large, John Forte' is home, writing, recording new music and embracing life again. Today marks the debut of his new bi-weekly column for
The Daily Beast, with his note “First Day Out of Prison.”
Accompanying the post is video footage of Forté’s first day home – “Morning One” – along with a new song, “Life Has Just Begun” which you can check out
here. Fans of Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter and producer John Forté, know him best for his work with the multi-platinum group “The Fugees” and for two solo albums, PolySci (Columbia; 1998) and I, John (Transparent; 2002), which featured guest appearances by Herbie Hancock, Esthero and Tricky, and included a duet with famed singer/songwriter Carly Simon on the song “Been There, Done That.” A classically-trained violinist and graduate of Phillips Exeter Academy, Forté recorded his last album while under house arrest awaiting trial; the album was released just as he was being sent to prison.
On November 24, 2008, Forté was granted a commutation by President George W. Bush after having served more than seven years of a fourteen-year federal prison sentence. Those who campaigned on his behalf include Carly Simon and Senator Orrin Hatch (R) of Utah.
On December 22, 2008, Forte walked out of Fort Dix Correctional Institution to resume his life and tell his story through music, film and prose. As noted in “First Day Out of Prison,” Forté wasted no time in returning to the studio – he was there by nightfall on his first day home, eager to begin recording the dozens of songs he’s written over the past few years, and being joined by many friends and fellow musicians. One of the first to drop in and drop guest vocals was Talib Kweli, who helped John celebrate his newfound freedom with
“Homecoming”, featuring Kanye West on the backing track.
Check out a
behind the scenes video of the recording of Homecoming, in which Talib discusses the borough from which he and his childhood friend, Forté, were raised, while Forté brings a broader frame of reference to the meaning of “home.” Bloggers and fans, we invite you to post and share the
MP3 and videos to help us celebrate John’s homecoming!
Forté’s column for The Daily Beast will cover everyday matters through the eyes of a man who has been removed from everyday matters for so long. While working on his album and other projects, Forté is also working with at-risk youth through organizations such as “In Arms’ Reach,” a community-based arts, counseling and mentoring program for the children of incarcerated parents.
**Fake Shark Real Zombie Download the Kevvy Mental (singer of FSRZ) remix of 16mm’s “SOS” here:The Vancouver-based rock act, FAKE SHARK REAL ZOMBIE, has been busy over the past few months. Not only have they recently released a new digital EP (Angel Lust, January 9th), but the band members have also found themselves promoting their careers outside of FSRZ.
The band is releasing remixed versions of three of the songs. Portishead has remixed their tune Sour Times, while Ghost Frequency has a remix of the single Angel Lust, and lead singer, Kevin James Maher, AKA Kevvy Mental remixed 16mm.
They may have cribbed their name from a 1891 Thomas Hardy novel, and Chart Attack might have called them “rock music for smart people,” but there’s nothing egghead-y about The D’Urbervilles, a couple of pals that started a band for drink tickets and rock shows then wound up winning over critics everywhere from New Brunswick to New York. Following a self-financed EP and tours with Canadian heavyweights like Malajube and You Say Party! We Say Die!, the band bowed with their debut full-length, We Are The Hunters, a post-punky slab of anthemic guitar revelry on the Out Of This Spark label in 2008.
Later this month the band will celebrate the Out Of This Spark Anniversary at the Tranazac in Toronto and the Albion Hotel in Guelph, along with Forest City Lovers, Timber Timbre and Jenny Omnichord. It’s a momentous start to a 2009 that’ll prove mighty eventful for the D’Urbs, currently hard at work on a follow up to We Are The Hunters.
Keep It Hid out February 10th on NonesuchOn his solo debut, Black Keys singer and guitarist Dan Auerbach takes a simple approach: “I just wanted to do the things I loved.” For Auerbach, that means combining elements of bluegrass a la the Stanley Brothers, mournful country balladry, Memphis-style R&B, fuzzed-out psychedelic rock and low-down blues on this collection of 14 original tunes, which Auerbach self produced and recorded with friends and family at his newly built studio,
Akron Analog. “It’s all just soul music,” he says, and Keep It Hid is soulful indeed.
LISTEN TO "MY LAST MISTAKE" FROM KEEP IT HID As a songwriter, Auerbach likes to prowl the dark end of the street; his gritty, impassioned vocals lend dramatic heft to these tales of romantic betrayal and suspicious minds. For this Akron, Ohio native, his state has always been blue.
Auerbach, like a more roots-oriented version of Tom Waits, mixes black humor with genuine poignancy in his lyrics and concocts some artfully oddball arrangements. He likes to crank it up on tracks like “I Want Some More” and the Bo Diddley beat-driven “Street Walkin’.”
But he isn’t afraid to keep things gentler, more intimate on songs like the aching, acoustic-blues opener, “Trouble Weighs A Ton,” and the unabashedly sweet “When the Night Comes,” a duet with protégé Jessica Lea Mayfield, possessed of a voice as full of character as Auerbach’s own (and a fellow Ohioan whose abum was recorded in Aerbach's studio). “My Last Mistake,” despite its morose words, has the happy pop swing of a classic Sir Douglas Quintet track, with just the rollicking organ missing.
The Black Keys are revered for their “two-man stomp,” as Auerbach calls it.
On his solo disc, though, Auerbach goes in a more expansive direction, working with a full band and tackling a wide variety of instruments himself. With engineer Mark Neill, he employed analog gear to record and mix. In fact, “Whispered Words,” which Auerbach co-wrote with his dad, was cut in mono. Vintage effects, however, are a means, not an end, helping Auerbach get down on tape the remarkable sounds mixing it up in his head 24/7. He’s planning to get those tunes on the road, too, embarking on his first solo national tour this February, backed by Hacienda, an Austin band he’s long admired, who will also serve as support act, along with Those Darlins.
2008 was a busy year for And Then There Were None. After a line up change, the addition of new members and a new sound, ATTWN is back and better than ever. Once known for boasting metal riffs and killer breakdowns, ATTWN has been reinvented, mixing euro-dance beats with a punk-rock backbone and ethic. Frontman Matt Rhoades comments, "Eventually I ran out of ideas for writing metal music and began to write what came more naturally. To me, dance music is positive, and still incredibly emotionally based. There are no rules or norms and this allowed me more creative freedom in the writing process. I finally feel as though ATTWN has found its own unique sound."
What separates ATTWN from its peers is the passion and moral behind the music. Unafraid to bring ethics and a message back into the music world, And Then There Were None has made it a mission to be heard. Not only is every member a vegetarian, but ATTWN has partnered up with Peta2 to educate and enlighten fans. "When I was growing up in the music scene, bands were passionate and had a message. You couldn't go to a show without being handed a pamphlet, or exposed to some sort of leftist activism. I feel like that 'punk' ethic has been absent over the years, and it only seems natural to stand for a cause. Furthermore, the unnecessary killing of animals for food is not only disgusting, but wrong. We all strongly believe in speaking out for animals, and refuse to be silenced to please the general public," says Rhoades. Bringing back the punk moral, ATTWN proudly sets up a table of Peta pamphlets and booklets, as well as stickers and promotional materials to inform fans. The band believes education is the first step to change, and is doing all they can to make a difference.
So what's next for ATTWN? Fans can expect a full-length album full-length record, "Who Speaks for Planet Earth?" available EVERYWHERE on February 24th 2009. The record contains 11 tracks produced by Matt Rhoades / Sean Sweeney and mixed by J.R. McNeely and David Bendeth. "I believe our inexperience brought an angelic quality to the record," says Matt. The result is a full-length full of passion, and sincerity, masked by fun, uplifting dance beats, sure to please.
For More ATTWN
Hidden Ghost Balloon Ship
