Author: Eason

I hear you, I see you, I stand by you.

 

Listen:

 

 

Educate yourself:

 

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If your feed looks anything like mine, social media has been a treasure trove lately of resources and tools for educating yourself on Antiracism. ⠀⠀ From the curated lists of books and documentaries to those little shareable sliders (seriously, some of those have been real good) we don’t have much of an excuse for ignorance. ⠀⠀ But, perhaps it feels like drinking from a fire hose. Where do you even get started? Not all these recommendations are made with the same audience in mind. And because racism poisons everything, there are so many different topics to cover. ⠀⠀ Others have done the work of putting out good, curated lists. I thought I would help by offering some flowcharts to help you find the right starting point for you. Plus, some of us learn best from books, while others through podcasts, documentaries, even fiction. Hopefully these can help! Here are a few things to know: ⠀⠀ ⚫️ I chose to sort these into the categories of race, privilege, and bias; faith (mostly Christian); American history; policing & mass incarceration; environment & housing; work & education; the current moment; & Black joy. Had the groups I interact with most on here in mind. ⠀⠀ 🔴 Black joy (along with Black love and Black excellence) is definitely a dimension of Antiracism. Obviously there’s a plethora of great Black art out there, and this is just a small sample. Even though there’s fun stuff on there like Into the Spiderverse, they’re there deliberately. Not to distract but to capture the imagination. . 🔵 If you see a book on here, you might as well check on the author on Twitter. I tried to condense this list, but some things take multiple forms; a podcast AND a newsletter. A book AND a documentary. And check the final slide to see where each film can be streamed.

A post shared by Philippe Lazaro (@philippelazaro) on Jun 17, 2020 at 8:47pm PDT

 

Do something:

 

https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/

https://www.pb-resources.com/

 

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I never know how to start these so let’s try with the day this song was born…

It was a weeknight about a year ago. My cuz Christian and I were hooping on the court across the street from my place. Light from the adjacent Coca-Cola factory barely illuminated the closest basket, but that didn’t stop us from playing 1-on-1. After being handed a fresh pair of broken ankles I tossed up a free throw. *brick*

Before we played we’d decided we wanted to make a song together but were having trouble coming up with a concept. The best idea we had was to shoot around basketballs instead of ideas. Thinking aloud I attempted another free throw. *brick jr.*

Nothing we shared seemed to land with each other and on top of that I was getting pissed that I couldn’t make a dang shot. I lined up for a final free throw attempt and as I released a subconscious thought slipped out of my head “why wasn’t Shaq good at free throws?” *swish*

I’ve always been a fan of the big man, both in the NBA and out. He played bully ball, he broke backboards and he had his own TV Game Show. He could do everything… except shoot, especially free throws. So back to the thought, “why wasn’t Shaq good at free throws?” I didn’t know at the moment, but I did know Christian and I HAD to build a song around “Shaq’s Free Throws” because why not?

So how? How could we turn this concept into something more meaningful? And meaningful in what way? These questions remained unanswered even after we had laid down some initial lyrics and melodies, so we let the song go for a bit. Maybe the idea would come to us…

So I spent some time looking into content covering Shaq and his free throw shooting ability… I even found an article where he comments on it himself. He credits the man upstairs for keeping him in check despite a good amount of work spent trying to improve himself. Although, I like that message, it wasn’t one that resonated too much with me, nor was it a message that was intended to have some existential meaning. So, like my brain does, it found not one, but two. Just two though, sorry LeBron.

1. Your weaknesses define you just as much as your strengths do.
2. Once you learn to embrace your weaknesses, you can teach yourself to wield them the same way you wield your strengths.

Simply put, you are good at some things and not so good at others. A weakness doesn’t make you less you nor does it make you more you. The same goes for strengths, and only you can decide whether or not to accept that.

If you choose to ignore your weaknesses, you don’t get to factor them into decision making. If you choose to accept and embrace them, you do get to factor them into the equation making those decisions objectively more informed.

Soooo yeah. Mix those themes with some reals and feels and you get a little ditty called “Shaq’s Free Throws.”

 

 

Special thanks to Christian Unlayao (thebandminsan) for helping me write and produce one of my favorite songs to date! Much love, cuz!

As always, thanks for reading my words.

✌️‘n Carrots,

 

eace

Oooohweee! This is a new song blog! Goodbye! – Mr. Meeseeks

Hmm, guess I wasn’t specific enough… anyways, hey there, I’m pressing buttons again. It’s super late rn so best to keep this one short.

“Look at Me” was creatively inspired by two of my favorite things:

1. Rick and Morty – inspired atmosphere
2. “Pyramids” by Frank Ocean – inspired structure

If you’re at all familiar with these two masterworks, the references should be clear, to those who aren’t familiar with them… uh, bye. Go watch / listen.

Rick and Morty on Adult Swim

Geez, I’m so relieved to have finally pushed this one to the finish line because it’s been sitting for months and has gone through at least 4 different versions. When you only have 15 days to complete a track, resurrecting old ideas with a fresh mind is key.

Bump and groove to this one. “Look at Me” stands alone in its unorthodox state. If you guys like it enough, maybe I’ll make a B-Track called “Existence is Pain” lol.

Please make an extra effort to love thy neighbor right now in any way you can. Much love to you all.

✌️‘n Carrots,

eace

P.S. Special thanks to Jace and EJ for those early production ideas!

Hey guys!

This one’s special to me.

When I initially wrote “Search You,” I didn’t believe I was any good at this music thing (still don’t really think so haha)… but I was beginning to embrace the fact that songwriting and producing was my version of journaling. My version of mentally and emotionally dumping out the darkness that floods my mind every chance it gets.

When I initially wrote “Search You,” it wasn’t titled “Search You”… it was named “Soliloquy.”

When I initially wrote “Search You,” it wasn’t a song. It was just a little ditty I could play on the ukulele whenever I needed to comfort myself.

Enter David, stage Portland.

Gosh, I could go on and on about this guy (and his bro!), but to keep things focused on this subject, you should know three things:

1. He has vocal cords strung by angels.
2. The melodies he comes up with never fail to achieve “wait, sing/play that again” status.
3. Technically, he’s my first cuzzo, but he’s more of a brother.

That means whenever I think I have something musical that has even the slightest bit of potential, I always run it by him. So I sent him a voice memo of a mistimed ukulele and pitchy voice. Lol, bless his ears.

At first, I thought he was just being nice, but his response was somewhere along the lines of “this is the best I think you’ve ever written.” Along with making my day he asked to help me flesh it out both lyrically and melodically and let me tell you, writing a few words that rhyme and actually sound pretty good together got me more hype than any math or science problem I’ve ever solved. I was bouncing off the walls so much we had to go on a walk and get some ice cream to cool me down.

A little time passes and he asks if he can share the song with his main songwriting partner and Nashville mentor, Ron. Another guy I’d love to talk about but just know you can physically feel calmed by this man’s aura when you’re in his presence. Long story short, Ron wanted in and within the week we were at his place having a conversation about this random, little ditty. Idk that’s just not a place I ever expected myself to be, yet it was a place that felt like I should be…

Anyway, Ron asks me, “what do you want for this song?” Not really understanding what he meant, I answered “for it to be better!” Lol, bless his ears… but what he was really asking was if I wanted this to be a passion project. Was it something meant solely for me or was it something that could mean something to others too?

So we finished the song, David recorded a demo on his phone and we went about our business as usual for weeks.

Later that summer, David invited me out to Nashville to hang for a few days after his songwriter’s workshop (shoutout Barbara Cloyd and friends!) and we had a crazy time. Writing songs with strangers (at the time), exploring the city, but the pinnacle of the trip was getting David in as a performer at The Bluebird Cafe! Just to mention a few names that were “discovered” (loose-term) at The Bluebird – Taylor Swift, Garth Brooks and Keith Urban – I wasn’t there so don’t hold me to it; however, the reputation precedes itself.

The morning of, David, his good friend Scotty and I each called almost a hundred times just to try to squeeze David in as a performer and after what seemed like hours, we were able to get him in! That entire day after the calls, David kept asking me what he thinks he should perform and I simply kept steering him to stick to his guns and play his heart out.

After a hot, sweaty wait outside with some of the other performers, we were able to get in and get the show rolling. I don’t remember what number David was given but eventually that number was called and he got to go up to a stage of his dreams. The supportive cousin I am, I get set up at a good angle to broadcast him live on IG. I noticed that he was warming up a little differently than I expected but didn’t put two and two until he struck that first chord. The intro to “Search You” began to reverberate around The Bluebird Cafe as every muscle in my entire body seized up like I had just been dunked in an ice bath. I felt like I was crying but nothing was coming out. I felt like I was shaking but somehow the video came out just fine…

He used his first song on a stage of his dreams to play a little ditty-diary entry born in the mind of the weirdo typing this. Yeah, I know he has more chances to play there. Yeah, I know this one event probably won’t lead to any sort of professional opportunity. Yeah, I know these are just words. But damn. I knew instantly this was something I would cherish for the rest of my life. What a freakin’ day. What a freakin’ special day… I’ve said it a million times, but thanks, DJ. I really needed that.

So yeah, the answer to Ron’s question about what I wanted for the song? It was that.

This song is meant to be a hug for those that need it. This song is meant to be a reminder that you have the ability to ease yourself towards less self-deprecating and less self-destructive mindset. And of course, this song is meant to be a BOP lol. Go dance that pain away!

So without further ado… for those that need it:

“Search You” feat. David Unlayao

 

 

Special thanks to: David (Writer, Vocals, Rhythm Guitar), Ron (Writer), Holly (Flute), Christian, and countless other friends and family who’ve lent an ear to help this song grow.

 

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This one’s special to me See bio @_eace for the song link See bio @perfrecto for the story feat. @davidunlayao

A post shared by eace the creative (@_eace) on May 15, 2020 at 9:15am PDT

 

✌️‘n Carrots,

 

eace

Yo yo!

Where have you been, Eason? To be dramatic, still trying to figure out this life thing… I’m getting there by getting nowhere if you catch my drift. Anyways, for those of you that don’t know I make music, I’ve been doing that. For those of you that do know, I’ve been doing the same thing…just…harder. So without further ado, I’d like to introduce you all to… me, sometimes.

His name is eace
and he likes to keep the peace
but please, don’t ** mess with him
he’ll bring you down with ease.
You see, at 10 he was a black belt
not the kind you want to spar,
‘Cause you’ll wish that he initially
put you in the ER.
He’d beat the * outta Frieza,
out-conquer Caesar,
get more fans obsessed with him than Bieber.
But he doesn’t ’cause he knows the rows and columns pay the bills.
Until the day his work and play are one he won’t sit still.

The plan:

• Release 2 demos per month on SoundCloud + any extra fun songs that develop.
• Front-to-back solo projects will be released on the 1st of every month. That means writing, producing, mixing, mastering and releasing are all on me.
• Collabs (of any degree) will be released on the 15th.

I can’t express in words my excitement for this project so I’ll leave that to the music.

Much love,

eace

❤️

Not much to say here, simply sharing the love…

 

 

For a bit more insight, this Genius analysis is a great resource:

 

 

I love how he meant for the albums to pair up and contrast with each other. “Swimming” in “Circles”. What a genius.

Enjoy the rest of the album…and really dig into it. You might just learn a little bit about yourself or at least gain a valuable perspective:

 

 

✌️‘n Carrots,

eace

Yeah, no. I had no idea what Vapor Soul was when my friend mentioned it to me…but let me tell you, it’s been one of my favorite genres since freshman year of college, and I had no clue it had a name.

*Also, I’m assuming the reason I’m being asked this is because someone learned Vapor Soul is the “genre” they listen to the most – according to our beloved Spotify Wrapped.

~Vapor Soul~

So what is it exactly? Urban Dictionary associates Vapor Soul with the likes of EDM, Indie Pop and Lofi (which I discuss previously, here). Another site (see playlist description) mentions Vapor Soul with similar sub-genres adding in electropop, chillwave and indie poptimism (did my sister play that game?). Though related in many ways, that’s still a very broad range when it comes to genre; however, these days, it seems like the only way to describe your taste in music is to either:

1. Recite a variety of genres incorporated most commonly amongst those you listen to.
2. State the artists you listen to the most at the time.
3. Combine 1 or 2 with a very sense-y kind of word i.e. misty, shadow, stank.
4. Combine 1, 2 and 3 or come up with your own Mountain Dew flavor (no, not these ones). Sweet Lightning, Mountain Fever, Poolside Soda Pop, Prince Punk, Giggle Grunge…you get the idea. Let me know if you have any good ones in the comments.

*Gosh, is it just me, or was it easier to describe your taste in music 10 years ago? Might be an age thing, but even so, it’s still weird.

Anyways, back to Vapor Soul. What do all of these genres/sub-genres/styles or whatever you want call them have in common? And why does that result in “vapor soul”? Well let’s break down the words and blend in a little Eason brain ’til we get some happy little conclusions.

va·por

/ˈvāpər/

noun

1. a substance diffused or suspended in the air, especially one normally liquid or solid.

   “dense clouds of smoke and toxic vapor”

verb

Ps, there may be articles or examples of vapor soul music out there, but I didn’t want to dig through all of the vape websites to find them lol.

If you can’t tell, I’m a Spotify user. I have playlists dating back to high school and high school dating. I’m committed…not in a relationship though. Anyways, I’d like to formally announce my allegiance to a playlist known as Lorem. Now, I could easily fill the rest of this page with Lorem Ipsum placeholder text, link the playlist and go play with my legos but then how would you know where to start? Where would the excitement come from? Fear not, I am here…virtually…but physically on a couch…staring at a slowly oranging screen…in my present…in your past…to generate excitement. Good.

For those who are general musical explorers, who want to hear something relatively different from most popular music or who simply like my taste in music (should be all of you *flips hair*); Lorem consistently provides incredible tunes that you will find yourself adding to your favorites time and time again. The collection describes itself as “music that breaks the rules, just a little bit” which to me, means “music that everyone’s going to be listening to reallyyy soon”. So get in on the action. A lot of these artists land on the small to mid-level ranges of the popularity spectrum and have heartwarmingly devoted followings. To maintain such followings (yes, these are also younger and sometimes more experimental artists, which gather a similar crowd) they tend to be fairly open and justt accessible enough to allow you to relate, but also feel the need to become friends with them just to learn a little more. Pretty effective. A few I’ve fallen for (with a song rec!):

mxmtoon (“prom dress”)

 

Tessa Violet (“Crush”)

 

Conan Gray (“Checkmate”)

 

beabadoobee (“She Plays Bass”)

 

Alexander 23 (“Sad”)

 

BENEE (“Evil Spider”)

 

And so many more. You’ll also find a nice mixture of past and present popular songs that still fit in with the vibes Lorem generates. Some examples:

Childish Gambino (“Sober”)

 

Post Malone (“Circles”)

 

Rex Orange County (“Face to Face”)

 

The 1975 (“Frail State of Mind”)

 

I can listen to these songs all day (and frequently do). You’ll see them on my What I Listen to These Days monthly playlists and may find me digging further into a few of them here. Anyways, I hope you find something you like. And if you do, let me know which song, even if it’s not in this article!

✌️‘n Carrots,

eace

“Dear Eason,

The domain name registration for fzsblog.space expires in 29 days.”

…HEY welcome back, it’s your boy Eason, otherwise known as eace, sometimes Santi, Big E in my hey-day and most recently MVPeason. It’s been awhile. Sorry. Lots has happened in the past few months andd I’ve spread myself thin…again. There’s working a day job, co-coordinating multiple music community meet-ups, playing on a couple of ultimate frisbee teams, progressing on my own personal projects (aside from this one haha) and falling into the general time sucks of everyday life for a 23-year-old (social media, you devil, you beautiful devil).

As you can see from the intro, I’m at a bit of a crossroads. Keep the website (and pay $), or don’t. Long story short, I want to keep it and I want to write more. Though, I don’t mean writing big, in-depth case-studies like I started out with and consequently intimidated myself with/burned myself out on (E, it was 2 articles…). Yes, but it took a good amount of research to create (mmhmm…), the graphics took a lot of time (right…) and making “Phases” this whole artsy thing required lots of backend planning (oh yeah, totally… *rolls eyes*). Fine. Though I know I can write the big articles, do the research and know they require the mental investment in delayed gratification; at the moment, I’m more motivated by creating smaller, less intense and exploratory posts. This is the brain I have and I’m embracing it. This is also my website and I can do whateveR i wan.t (except break the law, hurt people or engage in other ill-advised behavior, obv). Sooo, I’m going to write smaller, hopefully more frequent posts. I’m going to set the expectation now that they’re generally going to be about the thing I title them, but there’s a 99% chance I’ll get in an increasingly tangential conversation with myself. Sorry in advance. *Wow, I just realized it happened in the middle of this paragraph. Spot on.*

Look out for new posts and as always, thanks for looking at my words!

✌️‘n Carrots,

eace