Tubby Haze

Nate, Let me start off by saying that I have always been a fan of the LP. Even after CD's came out I was still a fan of the LP in large part because of the time limit on a piece of vinyl (unless of course you put out a double record). In turn, I became a fan of the "short" CD. I don't want to get myself in any trouble here, so let me just say that I am generally not a a fan of the 65-74 minute CD. Also, I put out this record so I expect to be judged and criticized by people, especially critics. But I think critics often times scrutinize too hard and don't fully contemplate the external factors that might apply when an artist is creating a work. As I also said in the liner notes, "Breeding Resistance" is not meant to be some musical masterpiece that is going to ignite revolutions the world over, but more like a couple of shots in the battle against reactionaries. In order to create my masterpiece I would have needed 1) more time to create it 2) a budget to sustain the endeavor 3) more time in the studio 4) complete artistic freedom 5) a Nanny. These are the things I can think of off the top of my head. The reality is I had none of these things. I found out that I would be making a record for Delmark in mid-August. Before that I wasn't prepared to make a CD. That gave me just a little over a month to come up with a concept, write new music, solicit new material from the bandmembers and rehearse and prepare the band for the recording. All of this has to be done while trying to make steady gigs that pay my rent, teach, and take care of my family. If I had a major label budget and backing I believe I could have made something much closer to my ideal record... but of course I didn't. Also, although I am the leader of the band, I run the band in a democratic fashion -or more like democratic centralism. Everybody has a say, but I have the right to make the final decisions because in the end it's my band. However, I do my best to let the other musicians express themselves and flourish through their own music. I could have written every song on the record and it probably would have been a more cohesive record, but I decided against that. The band members knew what the theme of the record would be and they responded to that to varying degrees. I didn't tell people what to name their songs, or what to write about specifically, nor did I reject what they brought to the table because I liked the music. I think the theme was tied together overall by the more overtly (politically) titled tracks. Jeff Parker called his track "For Martyrs". I didn't tell him to rename it because some critics might think that's vague! C'mon Nate, that track is preceded by tracks dedicated to Ken Saro-Wiwa and Fred Hampton. You can't figure out that I'm not talking about Mohammed Atta? The "ruthless rulers" quote is followed by the explanation that real change happens when the PEOPLE fight back against reactionaries, not when reactionaries invade and conquer other sovereign nations. It's incredibly obvious that the kind of oppression that I'm talking about is the kind that is dished out by G.W Bush, Rumsfeld, Cheney etc. I CALL THEM OUT BY NAME! "The invasion of Iraq was of course against "oppression" in the US adminstration's version of events" you say, but so what?! It couldn't be more obvious that I'm speaking from the opposite viewpoint. I think you are really nitpicking here. Your argument against my record could be made even more easily against the "classic" protest records that you mentioned. Here is the list of songs on Sonny Rollins "Freedom Suite" 1. The Freedom Suite (Rollins) - 19:17 2. Someday I'll Find You (Coward) - 4:35 3. Will You Still Be Mine? (Adair/Dennis) - 2:54 4. Till There Was You [Take 4] (Willson) - 4:54 5. Till There Was You [*] (Willson) - 4:55 6. Shadow Waltz (Dubin/Warren) - 4:08 This is a cohesive record politically by your logic, and mine isn't???????? Unlike you, I understand what Sonny was going for and I accept it. I understand the different pressures that he might have faced when making the record and I accept and appreciate what he put forward as an artist. Another example you give... Coltrane's "Live At Birdland" 1. Afro Blue (Santamaria) - 8:07 2. I Want to Talk About You (Eckstine) - 8:11 3. The Promise (Coltrane) - 8:06 4. Alabama (Coltrane) - 5:08 5. Your Lady (Coltrane) - 6:39 6. Vilia [*] (Lehar) - 4:36 The civil rights movement had all sorts of different lines within it. You had MLK and Bobby Kennedy and then you had H. Rap Brown and Stokely Carmichael. That is NOT one unified movement. That is many different movements joining together in a united front. That united front eventually splintered more and more as the struggles sharpened up. My record is NOT a "grab-bag". The theme is resisting oppression. This oppression manifests itself in many different ways. From the racist death penalty, to the murdering of revolutionaries, to imperialist wars, to the oppression of women, to the censorship of art. Much of this is coming down from a pack of Christian Facists that have their hands on the levers of power here in the U.S. That's like saying you can't follow baseball because in the Eastern Division the teams are all in different cities! "Well, we've got the Montreal Expos in this city, and the New York Mets in this city, and the Phillies in this city...it's just a mess - it's a grab bag!" Look man, they're all in the same league and they all play baseball. Most of the tunes on my record have to do with the same theme and those that don't are because I didn't censor the other people in my band because they didn't go along with my line completely. Also, you're saying that you're concerned about a politcal record having a sense of hope, but it sounds like you have no hope in the masses of people. I think the music on my record is uplifiting. I think the message is uplifting. I'm saying look, don't be so depressed and freaked out by these global gangsters running the U.S. right now - the more they oppress the people the more the people will resist that oppression and fight back. That's uplifting. The harder they come the harder they fall. I'm not dealing with revolutionary tactics in this record. First things first - let's resist their oppression and fight back in all kinds of ways. Millions upon millions of people out in the streets, risking arrest or even just disrupting their daily routine - yes that is resistance! Me & my children were out with thousands of other people in Chicago yesterday in the streets resisting and saying NO to the global agenda of the U.S. Imperialists. Yes, things need to be taken to a much higher level in order for real change to occur, but this IS resistance. Get your cynical ass out in the streets and see what's going on. Get your head out of the sand Nate! Go out into the ghettos and barrios and speak with the people and hear what they have to say. Hear what they have to say about police brutality, racial profiling, job opportunities, la migra, health care, education, housing. These are the people that are going to be the backbone of a movement that makes real change. Finally, you're missing the group sound, the spirit, the soulfulness, and the musicality of the band that ties our music together. I'm happy to say that you are one of the few people that doesn't get it. Who feels it knows it my brother, and you're not feeling it. However, I still think you're a good guy and when we're in Toronto I'll buy you a beer & put you on the guest list. Holy shit was this long! -Ted

Greetings, My beloved Mother was scouring the Internet, in between games of online Blackjack, and turned me onto this message board. Nate - I appreciate your enthusiasm regarding "Rule of Three". Although I didn't write any of the tunes on the CD, I was an equal contributor to the music, I facilitated the recording, and financed the release along with Geof. Mark Corrotto also wrote a very nice review of the CD, if I'm not mistaken, and Thom Jurek has praised it as well. Guess he didn't cry wolf on that one! Naim had an opportunity to release that CD but decided against it. However, I'd like to respond to the more personal aspects of your post. Of course I don't expect everybody to love my music, or my politics, but I am certainly not living in a "time warp". If you recall, the protests that took place around the globe about a year ago were the biggest and broadest that the world has seen in about 30 years. I believe, along with a lot of other people these days, that the time for a radical change is even more pressing now than it was in the 60's. The stakes are getting higher- and voting Bush out ain't gonna do it. The oppression and living conditions for the masses of Black & Latino people here in the U.S. has only worsened since the 60's. I don't "idolize" Mao, but I am inspired by him as a revolutionary leader and I've read much of his writings. I only included one short, famous Mao quote in my liner notes, I'm not sure how you're twisting that into an "idolization". I don't "idolize" anybody. I also am very much inspired by many of the former Black Panthers, especially Fred Hampton and Mumia Abu-Jamal, but also Huey P. Newton, Bobby Hutton, Bobby Seale, Geronimo Pratt and others. On my previous records I've written and recorded songs dedicated to Mumia and Geronimo. There's nothing "chic" about this to me, especially in the current Ashcroft era. I've put my body on the line on numerous occasions to back up my convictions. I've been jailed and I've faced serious charges that added up to years in prison for peaceful protests. I've been beat up by police and kicked in the ass by skin heads. I'm not that young. In fact I might be older than you. I'm 35 years old and I have two children (ages 10 & 5) to take care of. I don't take any of this stuff lightly. This is as "serious as my life" brother. Also, I wasn't trying to "impress" anyone - only trying to express myself as an artist and human being, and possibly inspire those who have been thinking along the same lines. Of course there's only so much space on a CD for liner notes, so I had to narrow my thoughts down, but I don't think they are vague at all. I'm curious what you think is self-contradictory about them? Of course I'm a musician, not a writer, so I could definitely see a writer having some issues with my writing skills. But without knowing me personally how would you know if I'm contradicting myself? I agree that a lot of Delmark CD's would be better over all if they were shorter, but you should understand that this is out of the control of the artist and should consider refraining from criticizing the recording artist for this in the future. Ah yes, and an "attempt at reggae"? Ouch! I have to take issue with you on that my brother. You must not know reggae that well. I wasn't known as the "best white reggae drummer in Boston" for no reason! I think Jeff Parker would take issue with you as well on this one. You don't dig what he plays on that track? That shit is killin'! I appreciate that you're a critic who is actually critical and speaks his mind - nothing wrong with that (!)- and thanks for the kind words in the past. Of course I disagree with you about "Breeding Resistance", but I always like a good debate. It's all in good fun. Just don't talk about my Mama. Kind Regards, Ted Sirota