Sound Colour Vibration (Music | Art | Film | Technology | Science | Culture)

All photography courtesy of UC Riverside Associated Students Program Board (ASPB) | http://aspb.ucr.edu/

On the evening of November 7, 2012, The UCR Barn hosted Saul Williams’ “More than Spoken Word” event. The hip hop artist, singer, poet and actor performed a combination of his poetry and hip hop work. If you follow his work – from his albums and his books – you would have recognized a wide variety of pieces dating back as far as the late 90s. It was a real treat for the sold out crowd in attendance.

Williams was not the only artist this evening. The night opened up with a performance from the incredibly entertaining Baba the Storyteller. He is a famed practitioner of Jaliyaa, utilizing his Kora (a 21-string bridge harp, whose origins are found in West Africa) and unique brand of parable-like speech that makes his audience think, feel, and learn. Baba creates beautiful melodies with his Kora, and truly captivates all those who hear the songs and stories that he creates.

The next artist was Northern California native, Charlene Green aka Hustle Diva. The Diva is a dynamic poet, who has been writing since she was a child. She has many published works and has made a name for herself amongst the spoken word scene. She knows how to command a crowd; when she speaks, you listen. Whether she is talking about a love lost, as in the poem Misinformed, or giving us a little motivation that would could all use, Self-Construction; Green is a powerful performer who uses her beautiful words to convey the emotions that she felt when crafting these wonderful pieces.

At 10:00pm Saul Williams walks on stage to the applause of the crowd. He stands in front of the mic, waiting for his audience’s cheers to subside, then begins to speak. He recites an excerpt from his book Said the Shotgun to the Head. At a very early point during this reading he decides to disregard the mic, then proceeds to jump off the stage to stand in front of the crowd to continue. His voice carries with the same power without the mic. The words and their meanings are felt all the way to the very back of the room. I am convinced there are very few people who posses a cadence as incredible as his. Every word spoken is chosen with such care and deep thought; as to not waste a breath or a moment of his audience’s time.

After reading that rather large excerpt, roughly 10 minutes long, he calls out to someone in back stage, asking this person to come on the stage with him. A man walks on the stage with a cello. Williams introduces him as Keith. Keith states that they were talking outside of The Barn and Williams convinced him to accompany him on stage with his cello to do an impromptu collaboration. Keith has a seat on a chair and a mic is set-up for him. Saul commences his poetry again, reciting on the mic an expanded version of the poem NGH What? from the book The Dead Emcee Scrolls. The piece is a medley of songs and poems mostly from the album The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggy Tardust. At first the cello creates a lovely ambiance playing in the background to the words of Saul Williams. However, as the tempo and pattern of the poem changes; Keith grows more comfortable in this unrehearsed set and begins to take a more lively approach. Saul’s words and Keith’s music beautifully coalesce into something magical.

As that poem ends, Keith and Saul continue their set. Performing more works from Saul’s immense portfolio that make one think, feel, and see things that they probably never would. The imagery that he creates in a person’s mind is truly something spectacular. His words stick with you and become embedded into your memory vaults, lingering for some time to come. Messages like, “Why reality is bleeding fiction. We wonder why Syria is bleeding fiction.” and “The beliefs are the police of th mind. Fuck the beliefs“, are prime examples of the potent power that Saul can make us feel. While reading The Beliefs are the Police of the Mind, he laughs in the middle of it and stumbles a bit reminding us that he is indeed human and does make mistakes. He proceeds to perform one of his classic and most iconic poems, Ohm. It is an incredible piece that just amazes me no matter how many times I hear it.

Keith created some absolutely beautiful spur of the moment music to Saul’s poetry, and it was such a joy to witness. However, his true moment to shine was when they performed an expanded version of Tao of Now. He set down his bow then proceeded to use a plucking technique to compliment the song beautifully. The original recording of this song on the album Amethyst Rockstar actually does have a cello in the song, but this version was special and Keith’s take on it was spectacular.

Saul announces that this is his last poem and thanks Keith for performing with him. Keith thanks the audience and Saul, then walks of stage to cheers. He ends with another classic, Coded Language. A poem that he wrote about the deaths of Tupac and Notorious B.I.G. That is how he has described it in the past, but the meaning is so deep, it can truly mean any number of things to every person who hears it. A poem that beckons all who listen to get out there and change something in the world. To not stand idly by. He finishes the poem, thanks the audience in a gracious manner, seeming humbled by the cheers from the packed venue.

It was a wonderful night at the UCR Barn. All the artists were incredible. I must thank UCR for organizing such a fantastic event. It was a great experience to have witnessed such great talents share their art. And it was amazing to see how many people truly enjoy watching spoken word. I truly hope to see more spoken word events soon. It was a fantastic night and event.

- Peter Lechuga

All photography courtesy of UC Riverside Associated Students Program Board (ASPB) | http://aspb.ucr.edu/