What I'm Watching: Melissa Czarnik "Rummy"

Melissa Czarnik drops of the visuals to Rummy from her upcoming project NON MERCI, due out September 25th. Enjoy.

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What I'm Watching: Melissa Czarnik "Stay High" feat. Patrice Downey

Last week Milwaukee's Melissa Czarnik reached a fundraising goal that will allow her to head out to France to record her next album. To celebrate, she released the Dylan Thomas produced Stay High, which features Patrice Downey. The video is directed by long time collaborator Eric Mire and Melissa herself. Enjoy. And good luck and congrats Melissa!

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Support Melissa Czarnik's next Album "Non Merci"

 

I have long been a fan of Melissa Czarnik. And for a while now, a friend of the Milwaukee emcee/poet. In the world of the Internets and just online communications, Melissa is one of those rare folks that I know off line. She's a great person too. We had a discussion last year about the possibility of an artist residency. I'm happy that panned out for her. Now she's asking for your support to help make her next album, Non Merci, while in France. It's a huge opportunity for her to focus solely on the creation of new music. I believe in supporting good people. So, support if you can too. And with that, I'll let her take it from here.

I wanted to let you know about this crowd funding campaign to help make my next album, Non Merci in France. Yes, France!  I have been accepted into an artist residency at the Camac Centre D'Art in Marnay-sur-Seine (about an hour from Paris).  With help from individuals like you I'll have the opportunity to spend two months (April & May) at the residency focusing solely on creation.  As an artist, this is the kind of thing one only dreams about! And here we are!

Each level of support ranging from $10-$500 will guarantee a pre-release copy of the album (for you), due to be released summer 2012!  Plus, you can go to sleep at night knowing that you made a friend, fellow woman, artist, AmeriCorps Alumna and poet's dream come true!

PEACE
Melissa

Contribute today (click here) 

UPCOMING SHOWS
1/31: WUWM 89.7FM Lake Effect Taping - Talking about Non Merci, (Air Date TBA)  FREE
2/15: 116, 116 MacDougal Street, New York City - Inspired Word, 7pm $10
2/23: WMSE 91.7FM The Girlina Show - Interview with Dori Zori (Talking about Non Merci), 1pm FREE
3/14: UW-Milwaukee Union - Lyrical Sanctuary, 8pm FREE
3/24: Art Bar, 722 E. Burleigh Street, Milwaukee - Beat Music Series, 9pm FREE

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What I'm Watching ... Melissa Czarnik "Love Train"

Melissa Czarnik "Love Train" from Hyperdrive Motivator Productions on Vimeo.


Melissa Czarnik returns with "Love Train" produced by Eric Mire, in this self directed video. "Love Train" is one of my favorite tracks on Czarnik's Raspberry Jesus, which was released last year. I definitely dig the old school black and white feel of the video. Enjoy.

www.melissaczarnik.com

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What I'm Watching ... Melissa Czarnik "Hand Me the Mic"

From producer to director, Eric Mire jumps behind the lens in the new Melissa Czarnik video, "Hand Me the Mic." It's a pretty fresh video for a pretty fresh track. The Czarnik / Mire duo continue to create great music, with some dope visuals to match. Check it out.

www.melissaczarnik.com

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Melissa Czarnik "Love Train" (Live)

Melissa Czarnik is good peoples and "Love Train" is one of my favorite cuts on her new album, Raspberry Jesus. She sent me the link to a live performance of the song with backing by the Eric Mire Band and Eric Mire on vocals. Check it out.



melissaczarnik.com

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Check It ... Melissa Czarnik "Anattitude"

Melissa Czarnik is back. She returns with "Raspberry Jesus" available for pre-order and out officially on July 31. Her first single, "Anattitude," is really fresh and shows that the Milwaukee based emcee hasn't been just chilling since her last album. Yeah, between shows overseas, locally and working on this new album, the last thing Czarnik has been doing is chilling. You should be excited about this new project. Melissa Czarnik isn't a joke musically and always delivers. I'm excited for her. And I'm excited for you to discover "Raspberry Jesus" and Melissa Czarnik.

(Milwaukee,WI) On Saturday, July 31st, 10pm Milwaukee based poet-emcee, Melissa Czarnik will release her long awaited sophomore album, Raspberry Jesus (Hyperdrive Motivator Productions, 2010) at Stonefly Brewery, 735 E. Center Street, Milwaukee, WI. Czarnik will be backed by the Eric Mire Band, a five-piece hip hop/jazz/soul band made up of bandleader, Eric Mire (guitar), Chip Baily (drums), Maurice Cotton (keys), Brad Bloom (sax) and Don Bradshaw (congas). Other acts include the DJ duo, Him & Her (Milwaukee); the Eric Mire Band will also open the night playing a selection of instrumentals from Czarnik’s 1st album, Strawberry Cadillac, as well as the Eric Mire Band’s 2009 release, Spooky Love. There will be a collection of Midwestern themed drawings and photographs on display from the brother-sister duo, Dominic and Erica Heisdorf. The evenings happenings will be photographed by the Milwaukee based photographers, Shaku & Mindy Mays.

From the depths of her soul, Melissa Czarnik delivers audiences an album strapped with power, love, and struggle. With bolder lyrics, bigger beats, and more collaborations, Czarnik has proven yet again, that hip-hop is not dead, but indeed, underground. Her first album, “Strawberry Cadillac” was released in July, 2008 and since then she has gained recognition in notable publications such as Bitch Magazine (USA) and Anattitude Magazine (Europe). She has toured increasingly throughout the Midwest and has gone as far as Brussels, Belgium to rock the Supafly Women in Hip Hop Series in June 2010.

With a blend of hip hop, poetry and jazz, Czarnik’s Raspberry Jesus offers up yet again, a bigger and better sound that is organic in feel, original in sound, and intimate in content. Working side by side with producer and composer, Eric Mire, the album features a wide range of collaborations from musicians like Aaron Gardner and Eric Jacobson of Kings Go Forth; gospel music director, Maurice Cotton produced and composed a full-length gospel track; and members of the Eric Mire Band can be found sprinkled throughout several tracks on the album. Czarnik also worked with hip-hop producer, Dylan Thomas on a track that features, R&B singer Patrice Downey.

Czarnik’s diversity on Raspberry Jesus is exemplified in her musical flow and hard punchy lyrics that are layered with the same musicality as that of an instrument. Czarnik can go from bold and boastful on one song to soft and romantic on another with the same ease as artists such as Lauryn Hill or Ani Difranco. Growing up on Milwaukee’s working-class North Side, she is street wise, compassionate and community aware. She completed two years of service in AmeriCorps and has spent the past 3 years working at Woodland Pattern, a non-profit literary arts center. Together, Czarnik and her label mate Eric Mire founded Hyperdrive Motivator Productions, a label that prides itself on DIY artistry and has brought audiences albums such as Strawberry Cadillac (HMP, 2008), the Eric Mire Band’s Spooky Love (HMP, 2009), and most recently Melissa Czarnik with the Eric Mire Band, Local Live EP (HMP, 2009). Raspberry Jesus is now available for pre-order sale at www.melissaczarnik.com.

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Check It ... @MelissaCzarnik Raspberry Jesus Release Party + Pre-Order

Melissa is like family. I'm excited about her new project. I had intended on attending this release party but because of politics at the 9-5 that wasn't possible. I'm wishing her well and will be bringing you music from the upcoming project.

Pre-Order Raspberry Jesus

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TMB's Track of the Week 6/8/10 "Thunder Summer Storm" @MelissaCzarnik

Melissa Czarnik has been featured on the blog a few times. I dig her music. Every time I write about her sound, I throw the words "unique", "different" and "alternative" around. Indeed it is all of those things. "Thunder Summer Storm" (produced by Eric Mire) is one of my favorite tracks off of Melissa's "Strawberry Cadillac". It's a very chill track with depth in it's lyrics. Melissa is wrapping up work on her upcoming project due out late July. I'm excited to hear the new work. In the meantime, enjoy "Thunder Summer Storm", the track of the week.



melissaczarnik.com

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"Saturday" @EricMire Band feat. @MelissaCzarnik

Check out the new video from the Milwaukee based Eric Mire Band featuring Melissa Czarnik. The video was directed by my favorite MKE filmaker, Darren Cole. Enjoy.



www.cdbaby.com/cd/ericmire2
www.cdbaby.com/cd/melissaczarnik

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Happy Happy Joy JOY ... @EricMire and @MelissaCzarnik "Oh Come All Ye Faithful" [LIVE]

I caught this joint in an email from Melissa Czarnik (one of the coolest people I've ever met that I never met in person). Czarnik performed "Oh Come All Ye Faithful" with the Eric Mire Band down at WMSE 91.7 FM (Milwaukee) as part of a 12 song Christmas album sponsored by ThirdCoast Digest and WMSE.

"Poet/emcee Melissa Czarnik often performs live with the Eric Mire Band, a jazz-hip hop group, to blend Czarnik’s heartfelt and punchy lyrics with the bands funky and soulful rhythms. They were partners in our holiday song project, and the result is “O Come All Ye Faithful” as it’s never been heard before. The band comprises guitarist Eric Mire on guitar, Chip Baily (drums), Brad Bloom (sax), Don Bradshaw (Latin percussion) and Maurice Cotton (keys/vocals)."

You can view more videos from the project here:
thirdcoastdigest.com/2009/12/12-songs-holiday-project

Melissa Czarnik, "Strawberry Cadillac" - www.cdbaby.com/melissaczarnik ($7.99)
Eric Mire Band, "Spooky Love" - www.cdbaby.com/ericmire2 ($7.99)
Eric Mire, "eric mire" - www.cdbaby.com/ericmire ($7.99)


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Download ... Melissa Czarnik "Local Live"

Free download of Melissa Czarnik's latest release "Local Live". The project is a collection of four songs she performed live on 91.7 WMSE-FM with the Eric Mire Band. Download and enjoy some good music.


Local Live (Click to Download)

Melissa Czarnik Live on 91.7 WMSE-FM

We've said it before but Melissa Czarnik is one of our favorite underground female artist. Recently we included an audio link of her on-air performance on 91.7 WMSE-FM out of Milwaukee. Now she has video of the same event. You know we had to post up at least one and send you to the site for more. We really appreciate her style and we think she is a very talented emcee. Check it!

Check more video from performance on 91.7 WMSE-FM

www.myspace.com/melissaczarnik

CD available at iTunes and CD Baby
www.cdbaby.com/cd/melissaczarnik

Check The Mad Bloggers Interview w/Melissa Czarnik

Melissa Czarnik "Thunder Summer Storm" Live

Melissa Czarnik is one of our favorite underground female artist. She's also one of our earliest supporter when we revamped the blog and we appreciate her for that. After recently returning from an overseas trip, she was in studio with 91.7 WMSE-FM out of Milwaukee on June 2, where she performed live on air with the Eric Mire Band. We really appreciate her style and Thunder Summer Storm is one of the amazing tracks she performed on-air. Check it out.



www.myspace.com/melissaczarnik

CD available at iTunes and CD Baby
www.cdbaby.com/cd/melissaczarnik

Check The Mad Bloggers Interview w/Melissa Czarnik


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Q&A with Melissa Czarnik

Three years ago we launched The Mad Bloggers as a way to vent about the way we saw thing in the world. Then we began to morph and push music. Twenty-four days ago, we re-launched The Mad Bloggers, with a bit of our old sarcastic edge coupled with a desire to share real music and talented artists.

It’s because of commercial radio, MTV, BET and other commercial outlets that our site and other sites like ours can exist. I turned off the radio a few months ago because every time it was on, there was some new instructional dance garbage passing itself off as real music. Because of our discontent with mainstream music, we constantly comb the Internet for good, unheard of and mostly underground music. We then share it here with you.

Melissa Czarnik is one of those finds. She is one of the first heads that we spotlighted on our revamped blog in early April. I was immediately impressed with the emcee out of Milwaukee. To me, she has content and a lyrical delivery to back it up. Her music has something a lot of music on the radio is missing – passion. I’m happy to support real music. Melissa has an album out, Strawberry Cadillac, which is available on iTunes. Get that! Only $9.99.

Like I said, we’ve featured her music in the past but wanted to take an opportunity to do a Q&A and hear from the woman behind the music. Check out what she had to say.

The Mad Bloggers: How do you describe what you do? Like, would you consider yourself an emcee, poet, etc?

Melissa Czarnik: I consider myself a poet/emcee. I read a lot of poetry. I work at a destination poetry bookstore, Woodland Pattern Book Center, which brings in poets from across the nation and so I’m constantly surrounded by inspiring wordsmiths. I also grew up on hip-hop. Some of my favorites are Talib Kweli and right now I’m bumping that Diamond District like crazy. I mix the two together sort of naturally. I think the one thing that defines me, as poet/emcee, is that I don’t pay any attention to the rules of hip-hop (per say). That whole verse, chorus, verse, chorus thing ain’t really my thing. If I want to have a 24 bar poem that leads into a 16 bar verse that exits back into a 24 bar poem then that’s what I’ll do.

TMB: I know you're pushing the Spooky Love project right now for Eric Mire but what's the next project coming up for just you? How much time do you spend per week dedicated to music?

MC: I am working on my next album right now. I’m setting a deadline for late 2009, but I don’t want to rush it if it’s not ready but that’s what I’m aiming for. In terms of time spent working on music, I feel like all my free time goes towards working on music. Because when I’m reading, I’m furthering my vocabulary and my knowledge, which eventually ends up in my rhymes. When I’m listening to music, I’m constantly analyzing, “OK, what did I like about this, what can I borrow from to make my music better.” And in terms of writing, I’m always writing. Now whether it ends up in a song or not is one thing but like I always say a “line of rhyme a day, keeps the haters at bay!”

TMB: Shows, events that are upcoming and exciting?

MC: Actually yes! I have very exciting news, The Eric Mire Band, a jazzy, hip-hop, folk group that backs me up at my live show is releasing their first group album, “Spooky Love” on May 9th. I’m featured on a couple of the tracks so I’m extra hype on that. And Eric Mire, who is also my producer and guitar player, is coming with me to Europe at the end of May for about 10 days to try and do some international promotion and performing.

TMB: You're a female ... how does that play in hip-hop for you? (Woman in mainstream music often had to come off more sexual than talented for example) Do you see it as an issue in presenting who you are?

MC: I see it as an issue for women in general, more than just for me. I mean women in music often use their bodies to sell themselves. The problem starts with mainstream record labels putting a pretty face before talent. The next thing you know you got little girls growing up thinking all I got to do is look sexy, play dumb and I’ll get ahead in life. I think that’s why I look up to women like Ani Difranco, india.arie, and Lauryn Hill. Cause these are women who are talented, intelligent, and naturally sexy. I mean Lauryn Hill could rock a mini-skirt and some combat boots and be sexy as all hell, and yet kill whatever Pras or Clef were spittin next to her. Which actually brings me to your first question about being a female in hip-hop. I feel that I constantly have to watch my back cause it’s a male dominated game. I want to be strong, taken seriously, but at the same time I don’t want to hide my sexiness. I also want to make sure people like me for my talent and not for my body. So at one show I might be rocking a dress and the next show I’m in dickies, timbs, and a hoodie. But, I usually always got some sneakers on or some boots, cause you never know when you’re gonna have to take off running!

TMB: If there was one thing you could change about that state of hip-hop right now, what would it be?

MC: I would like to change the fact that most of the hip-hop you hear on the radio today is garbage, degrading, and mindless. I would like to make it so that in order to get on the radio, young emcees had to aspire to be uplifting and have heart.


Check it out:
Rue Lafeyette is one of my favorite joints. It’s a love song about Paris (not Hilton). It’s inspired by a trip Melissa took to Paris in 2004.



More on Melissa Czarnik, www.myspace.com/melissaczarnik

Check out Eric Mire

Dope intro by Melissa Czarnik (What I'm Listening to, A Second Listen), vocals by Eric Mire and watch out for that sax at the end! Yes, that's a band on the track (The Eric Mire Band is out of Milwaukee). Something caught me when I heard it. It's kind of spoken word like. Listen to Loose Ends (Click to Listen), a poetic track off Eric Mire's upcoming release "Spooky Love" out May 5, 2009. More info: www.myspace.com/ericmire

A Second Listen

I hit folks with a post yesterday about Melissa Czarnik (check it here). She's a dope female emcee out of Milwaukee. Came across this track earlier today. I thought I would share it too. Enjoy.

What I'm Listening to Right Now... Melissa Czarnik

Surfing the internet, doing that YouTube thing as per usual, and came across Melissa Czarnik and felt the need to share. Czarnik is a poet and emcee hailing from Milwaukee, WI. Her vibe is pretty dope (yeah, I used the word "dope" to describe her music). Apparently she's working on a project now due out this summer. Her last full project, Strawberry Cadilliac is available on iTunes or you can check her myspace page (www.myspace.com/melissaczarnik). Sit back and mellow out.

Rue Lafayette (Click to Listen)
Rain (Click to Listen)