I Have a Weekly Radio Show Now
Plus some film development and other things I've been meaning to share
Thank you to everyone who has ever paid or still pays for this newsletter, especially during the drought, especially during hyperinflation and economic precarity, especially in an era of endless, shameless grift. In the spirit of transparency, here’s where those funds went: meals, coffee, books, subscriptions to other writers on this platform, subscriptions to tools that help me organize, write and share demos like Ulysses, Tick Tick and [untitled].
On that note I’m gonna be real with you on two fronts: 1. I’m grateful to even still be doing this (and for you still reading this). 2. my current financial situation is fucked up, has been for awhile now, probably the worst it’s ever been tbh. But I got stories to tell. So in this next phase of Brownouts, I will be more forthright with my aspirations to get more paid subscriptions as I expand the breadth of my writing topics and media content over here.
After 2 years and 2 weeks as a fill-in DJ at KEXP, I will be hosting my own weekly, an overnight Variety Mix show, on Fridays 1am-5am. Starting October 3, I’ll be stepping into a timeslot held down by Atticus for the last ten (!) years. In turn, he’ll be stepping into the Tuesday Late Night timeslot (10pm-1am) being vacated by DJ Michele Myers after over two decades and 1,500 shows with the station.
Respect to Michele! In 2010, she invited Blue Scholars to the studio for an extended interview as we were nearing completion of what would become Cinemetropolis. I snapped a single photo on that visit:
Oh, about Blue Scholars. I haven’t written much about it because, at some point, I convinced myself there wasn’t been much to write about. I was wrong. More on this later. Know what will get these stories out, though?
Long Live Assata Shakur. I learned of her passing as I wrote the paragraph above when my phone went off from multiple messages. My brother GT shared a gut-wrenching eulogy from Saul Williams, just minutes after we were coordinating meeting up to watch him perform later today for a Live on KEXP session.
I learned about Assata and her story through rap songs. Common’s A Song For Assata will rightfully get the plays, but my entry point was the 1992 song and video “Assata’s Song” by PARIS. He never mentions Assata directly in the lyrics, but it was the first time I remember learning her name, which led me to reading her book.
Here’s a photo I took of LaRussell rapping in the crowd at the Palestine Will Live Forever: All of Us, Or None of Us festival on September 13. I shared this photo and a handful of others, plus some reflections on the entire day, on a photoessay I wrote for the South Seattle Emerald. Meanwhile, the head of the rogue state of Israel has announced his intention to “finish the job” in Gaza. At the United Nations podium, no less, as delegates walked out mid-speech.
On October 24, I’m rapping alongside my friends Gabriel Teodros and Khingz (Abyssinian Creole) to celebrate the 20 year anniversary of their album Sexy Beast! Hit the flyer for tickets and info.
Speaking of photos, check this out 👆🏽. I’ve consolidated 6-7 years worth of undeveloped film and will be bringing a batch to the photo lab to be developed today. Might take awhile to get them all done, but know what would speed up that process? Some paid subs!
Lastly, thanks to everyone who tuned in last night as I filled in for my good friend Diana Ratsamee on her weekly show Eastern Echoes. Here’s an archived stream, good until October 8:
I played a segment of the show dedicated to legendary but under-appreciated keyboardist Philip Woo, a fifth generation Chinese American and Seattleite who’s credits include playing the main keys on Roy Ayers Ubiqity’s “Everybody Loves the Sunshine” and Frankie Beverly & Maze’s “Before I Let Go.” Producers, samplers, and liner-note nerds are familiar but more people need to know about bro. Which is why I’m excited for the documentary Play it in Woo, currently in production. Tonight is Seattle 7pm at SIFF Film Center, there’s a screening of a teaser cut with the director Philip himself and director Steve Mallorca in attendance. Tickets are sold out but I’m trying to finesse my way in right now.
Before I let this post go, as Summer 2025 becomes a memory, I wanted to leave you all with this excellent nostalgic post from my friend DJ Daps 1. He reflects on the Summer of 1995 with a sit-down interview with Seattle OG DJ E-Rok, with an uploaded stream (!!) of his Summer ‘95 mixtape, ripped straight off the cassette. The amount Seattle DJ history documented in this conversation is incredible:
