| | A WATERLOGGED SOUL KITCHEN
UPCOMING ALBUM RELEASE
Taj Weekes and Adowa continue to work in the studio recording their upcoming release, A Waterlogged Soul Kitchen, an acoustic album that is an amalgam of roots style reggae with a hint of afro folk and jazz.
Several of the songs were written by Taj Weekes as a tribute to the victims of Hurricane Katrina and a percentage of the proceeds will be donated through They Often Cry Outreach (TOCO) to charitable children's organizations in New Orleans. The album is scheduled for release this summer through Jatta Records.
| BROWN LAWNS - POETRY BOOK BY TAJ WEEKES
POETRY BOOK
Taj Weekes offers a call to action with his latest endeavor - a poetry book entitled “Brown Lawns,” which will be released this fall by ZiltaMac Books, the publishing division of Jatta Entertainment, in conjunction with a single of the same name from the band’s upcoming release, A Waterlogged Soul Kitchen. Poems are juxtaposed with sepia images of the artist... stark, contemplative and sometimes urgent, yet always an unbreakable thread of hope. A preview of images from the book are featured throughout the new TajWeekes.com website.
AUDIO BOOK CD
Veteran journalist and XM Satellite Radio Program Director, Dermot Hussey, will provide a written introduction to the book, which features forty poems by Taj Weekes. The book will include a CD featuring poetry readings by Dermot Hussey, noted British journalist Vivien Goldman, WBAI radio news reporter Rebecca Myles as well as actor, author, radio host and reggae archivist, Roger Steffens. Acoustic guitar renditions of poems sung by Taj Weekes will be interspersed throughout. The audio book CD will include the single Brown Lawns from A Waterlogged Soul Kitchen and will also be available for purchase as an Internet download.
| THEY OFTEN CRY OUTREACH (TOCO)
TOCO
Taj's children’s charity, They Often Cry Outreach (TOCO), will officially launch in St. Lucia on May 29th when the TOCO team delivers hundreds of balls, uniforms, gear and footwear to schools across the island. TOCO is collaborating with RISE (St. Lucia) Inc. for this event and is honored to have the support of Dr. Jacqueline Bird and Dr. Stephen King, the latter whom will be addressing the group at the press conference. RISE shares TOCO's common goal of supporting and engaging youth so that they may take the lead in their own development and contribute something of value to the community as well.
Filmmaker Freeman Stevens will be on hand to capture footage of the event for an ongoing documentary on TOCO. Look for short segments to come in the next few months. Freeman will also be shooting footage for an upcoming music video for "Kink and Crinkle". Check out his website at www.FreemanStevens.com.
TOCO's heartfelt thanks go to: Martin Rojas, of shipping company, CaribTrans, www.CaribTrans.com, for transporting the eleven donation boxes to St. Lucia; and Trevor Philips of Trevor Philips Agencies, Ltd., the broker who is managing clearance of the donation boxes through customs. Taj is shown at right at the CaribTrans dock loading up the TOCO donation boxes with a worker.
TOCO is still in need of donations to make this trip a success. Make a donation to purchase specific items below or make a general donation in the amount of your choice to help the children of St. Lucia. Any amount is gratefully accepted… from $5 to $5000!
CLICK ON LINKS BELOW TO MAKE A DONATION
DONATE SOCCER BALL - $15
DONATE UNIFORM KIT (Uniform, socks, guards) - $25
DONATE SOCCER BALL & UNIFORM KIT - $40
MAKE A GENERAL DONATION - Any Amount
DONATE SOCCER BALLS, UNIFORMS, CLEATS & OTHER EQUIPMENT
If you would like to donate actual equipment for a future shipment, please EMAIL TOCO with a description of items you would like to donate and we will make arrangements directly with you based on the size and bulk of the donation. We will gladly accept new, outdated, “seconds” and sometimes "gently used" merchandise. Thank you!
TOCO EMAIL: info@theyoftencryoutreach.org
TOCO WEBSITE: www.theyoftencryoutreach.org
| NEWS BITES
NEW TAJ WEEKES MERCHANDISE
Check out the new Taj Weekes and Adowa merchandise on Spreadshirt. New designs include an A Waterlogged Soul Kitchen image taken from the upcoming album release and a Taj Weekes Block Print image (shown at right). Be sure to check out prior designs including Classic Deidem featuring the album logo, Since Cain featuring an excerpt of the song lyrics and a cool yellow and blue graphic design and Taj Weekes Sepia Signature, featuring a sepia image of Taj Weekes performing on stage.
Support Taj Weekes and Adowa by sharing your purchases with friends by clicking on your favorite networking site buttons (MySpace, Facebook, etc.) shown at checkout.
Visit Store Now!
FACEBOOK, TWITTER & YOUTUBE
For those of you on Facebook, send Taj Weekes a friend request and join the Taj Weekes & Adowa Fan group:
Visit Taj Weekes' Facebook Page Visit Taj Weekes and Adowa's Fan Group Page
Stay up to date by following Taj on Twitter:
Visit Taj Weekes' Twitter Page
Check out the new Taj Weekes channel on Youtube:
Visit Taj Weekes' Youtube Channel
WRITERS AND ARTIST COOPERATIVE
Jatta Entertainment has entered into a deal with the Writers & Artist Cooperative (WACBIZ) to serve as music supervisor of the company’s current catalog of music. Suzanne Hillery, the company’s president and founder, will be responsible for placing Taj Weekes’ music in film and television. She states, "Not since working with the Walier's own Elan Atias has WACBIZ felt so excited about such a reggae artist. Taj is the real deal... traditional and talented... a world artist. We hope that the film and TV world sees what we see in Taj Weekes and Adowa."
SUMMER TOUR
Taj Weekes & Adowa are hitting the road again for a Summer Tour with dates along the East Coast. The band will be in Wisconsin for the Marquette Waterfront Festival on June 13th with an after party at the High Noon Saloon that evening. Next, the band will be at the Kalamazoo Island Festival in Michigan on June 20th and then the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago in July. One of the highlights of the tour will be the Reggae Woodstock festival on August 8th, celebrating the 40th anniversary of the historic Woodstock festival. On September 12, the band plays at Spectra Records' RockStock '09 festival in Simpsonville, NC. Additional dates are being added soon, so check back on the “Tour” pages at www.tajweekes.com or www.tajandadowa.com for the latest information.
|
|
TAJ WEEKES & ADOWA FEATURED SONG
LITTLE FIRE
Hoping hope against all hope
row and bail to keep afloat
though the winds grow higher
we light a fire
the winds grow higher, be brave lil fire
Easy squeeze brings no unrest
remember too far East is West
the winds grow higher
we light a fire
the winds grow higher, be brave don’t tire
They say we whispered now we scream
the once polite are now obscene
so a conflict they’ll pursue
we no longer dance on cue
the winds grow higher
we light our fire
the winds grow higher
fight truth to power
They say we whispered now we scream
once polite are now obscene
so a conflict will ensue
we won’t see your point of view
the winds grow higher
we blaze a fire
their winds grow higher
fight truth to power
force rules with wrong
'til right grows strong
LYRIC INSPIRATION
"'Little Fire' is about the 'little man'... all of us that toil day in and day out... surviving no matter what happens. We still do our own thing in the face of great odds... keeping faith and hope alive," explains Taj.
NEW MUSIC VIDEO
A video for "Little Fire" from Deidem is currently being filmed in New York City and is set for release in late June. Look out for it on www.TajWeekes.com, www.TajandAdowa.com, YouTube, Vimeo, Myspace and a music channel near you.
PURCHASE LITTLE FIRE
Purchase Little Fire from the following links:
iTunes Amazon Taj Weekes & Adowa Website - Deidem CD
| THANK YOU!
Special thanks go to our new interns who are helping with promotional efforts for Taj Weekes and Adowa: Kelvin, Eduardo, Johnny, Megan, Alicia, Epiphany, Tyrone, Brian, Nicole, Sylvia, Kathryn, Rebecca and Bobby. | |
NEW TAJ WEEKES WEBSITE!
