Kyprios

So I just read a synopsis from November 2007 entitled “Word Is Bond” by Michael P. Northey. Northey and I have been friends since 02′ and collaborated with Greenthumb Theatre Company to produce a play called “Cranked” in around 2005 I believe. Cranked was an ambitious one man piece about the dangers of crystal meth and had a successful run across North America and Australia for youth audiences. Here is a NYC review… http://www.theatermania.com/off-broadway/reviews/01-2009/cranked_16877.html. Mike figured that infusing Hip Hop into the play could help take away some of the finger wagging and the “just say no to drugs” aspect of preaching a sermon as opposed to telling a true cautionary tale, with real life implications to kids. Greenthumb had the balls to back him and my services were called into give an auditory back drop from the character perspective of a talented battle MC who had signed a major label contract. I did some lyrics, wrote some tunes, helped Mike with some of his lyrics and Stylust provided the beats. I think it was 5 songs total, a day training the actor (Kyle Cameron) how to rap the tunes and watching a preview for final notes and comments. Not a ton of work and quite satisfying to see a piece of this nature have the run that it did. So when Mike forwarded me the synopsis of “Word Is Bond,” and thinking it would be a similar situation time commitment wise, I jumped on board for the ride. This one was to be a full fledged musical that I thought may take a couple weeks longer than Cranked so I wasn’t too worried about the process or commitment time wise. This was November 2007. As you can tell, I was a little bit off in my calculations…

“Word Is Bond” became “Slippin’” then “Halfway Crook” then “Sick Daze” and then a million other things before we settled on “Ash Rizin.” The basic story has stayed the same – a young influential Hip Hop kid who falls into the luster of gangsterism to the tune of a tragic fall from grace. As easy as that sounds, there has been countless manifestations of how this tale has unfolded. Characters changing or being added/withdrawn or possessing new or different humors, have all conspired to morph this story numerous times. I’ve never been so creatively frustrated, mainly because musicals are an ambitious, intimately collaborative process, such that I’ve never been part of before. Although I’ve been intimate with Michael P Northey several times on a personal level, it has never shaken down that way professionally… Jokes – of course it has. Seriously, I’m used to spending my creative time/energy in solitude trying to satisfy a theme or concept and when I have done that to my liking, my work is done. In a musical, story and character are the central nervous system and all forms of creation need to do them justice. Therefore, when a character or the story is changed, the musical narrative must follow suit and vice versa. Northey and I stepped into a beast of burden. Michael Northey IS a beast of burden, a highly sexual beast of burd… I’ll stop there.

The story initially was about Derrian (D-Skills) and Ash (Ash Rizin’) with a DJ named Jackie who didn’t speak. I think Mike kept it simple initially because it may have been another youth piece and the less hands on deck the easier to maneuver. It became evident that this was not just a youth piece and that Mike could open it up. The DJ Jackie became Clean which could make for a good triangle of sexual tension and another voice for music. We both thought Lauryn Hill and the Fugees dynamic with Clean being the missing element and possessing superior vocal/rapping/lyrical skills. I even wrote an audition piece for Clean called “Stereotypical.” That of course would change, as would the lyrics of the song but the song still stays in as a poignant part of our story. Mike then introduced Gat as the gangster counterpoint character to the now named “Sick Daze” rap group. “Sick Days” was actually a real alternative rock group and friends of mine, who are from my neighborhood and agreed to let us use their name. When I brought up the name to Mikey as a joke, he loved it and our rap group was born. Mike then brought in the character Angel to be the CEO of Gat’s gang to further flesh out this side of the story. Northey then created Dosha as a female counterpoint to Clean that would be Gat’s girlfriend. The cast of characters was born and (for now) Ash, D-Skills, Clean, Gat, Dosha and Angel are our Dramatis Personae. This could change though – my fingers are crossed.

I have written around 22 pieces of original music for this play. Some of my favorite shit is on the editing room floor but all of us have made sacrifices for the good of the overall production. I recorded 7 songs at Greenhouse with help from Doug Naugler (5 of those are still in use) and the rest were done with Stylust at All-In Studios. My brother Kevin has co-written nearly all of the material with me serving as musical accompaniment/melodic counterpoint to my lyrics and base melodic ideas. I’m particularly proud of his work on Loner and Moonshine, he is a beast in the lab. It’s been fun and less pressure writing with other people in mind as I’ve never written anything to be performed by anyone else except myself. Penning the lyrics for the forlorn female protagonist Clean on the track “Where Did You Go” was an interesting experience that came to life when Chantel Upshaw laid an immaculate vocal performance down. I had help laying down guides on these tracks from Dani Nelson (Dani and Lizzy) for Clean’s raps, Evil Ebenezer for Gat’s raps, Carly Campbell for everything sung by Clean aside from “Where Did You Go” and I handled Ash and Dee with different tones of voice.

Two years ago ATP agreed to partner with Greenthumb to develop our show. We went to Calgary with our draft and music last year, and had actors work on the material for a week. It became evident that our work wasn’t done and that the music and the book weren’t cross pollinating in an organic matter. Initially, Mike and I wanted this to be an ‘anti-musical musical.’ Translation: Characters don’t break into song on a whim to espouse their virtues of love on one another or asides to the audience. If Sick Daze was a rap group, we thought we would have plenty of natural settings for songs to break out in reality such as the studio, rehearsal space, the street, parties, parks etc. This of course changed and our music and story weren’t as seamless transitionally as we needed them to be. This was one of four key things evident in our readings with the actors in Calgary. The second detail was that our 2nd Act wasn’t moving with the same pace music/story as our first act. The third problem that was evident seemed to be the love story between Clean and Ash being thin. There didn’t seem to be any rational reasoning for her to stay with this guy. The other defining piece of evidence from this trip was the astonishing amount of professionalism, beauty, craftsmanship, and attention to detail the people at ATP provided. We were in good hands and the Martha Cohen Theatre was a monument to behold. We had our work cut out for us before the theatre presented anything mirroring it’s own prestige. Yes, I said it, Ash Rizin would become prestigious bitches…

On the music side of things, I set my course on blending scene dialogue with subversive musical interruption. I always wanted a scene in the studio illustrating the recording process and Mike always wanted a battle fortifying Ash’s superior rap prowess. I combined the two and solved a multitude of problems. The scene starts in the studio with Ash, Clean and Dee, after Dee Skillz has sought out Ash to join the group because of Ash’s profound literal graffiti content. Clean is laboring on laying down a tricky phrased verse when Ash offers help. Ash re-writes the verse quickly and spits it perfectly. Clean somewhat impressed and offended, challenges him to freestyle about the newspaper. Ash obliges, inadvertently offends Clean and a battle ensues with Ash mopping the floor with her in the end. Both Clean and Ash are upset, not thinking this collaboration will work when all of a sudden Dee Skillz presses play and shows them an edit of what they just performed, which he had been recording and mixing on the fly. This created sexual tension between the two characters, established Ash as an amazing MC, Clean as a great singer with things to learn, Dee as an enterprising producer capable of capitalizing on the moment, and all in the realm of a real studio setting that I so desperately wanted to capture. Mike had the brilliant idea of the newspaper that would have a gang related front page. Way to thread the needle Mikey!! This would lead nicely into our next dilemma of Clean and Ash.

I think that learning is an indescribable connection between people, especially when you are taught something that you are interested in. There is an inexplicable link between student/teacher and that bond is often breached romantically even in the classroom. We honor those who can do that which we cannot, ever more exceedingly if in a field that we respect. If Ash could teach Clean how to wield her artistry more effectively by giving insight into his own process, I felt we would be cooking with moonshine. He would show her how he views everything in terms of art/music. I felt his description could start a song organically with a beatbox that transformed into a song with the hook… I see the city in stories told, through cracks in the concrete and broken windows, lines in the road written down like it’s prose and I see the moonshine lighting it all. Here is a link to a video creating this piece of music… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wB4FK47CxE8

The second act began to take shape as we strengthened all of our key plot pieces with music. Mike truly drove the bus and I took nearly all of my cues from him conceptually. I never wanted to write anything without knowing the stakes, objectives, motivation or reasoning behind the tune. I tried to approach the music as scenes to help with Mike’s story. The finale was by far our biggest challenge because there was so much riding on how this play would end. This play has also ended in every imaginable tragic way possible. Mike finally settled, (with much protest from me initially) but as usual, his idea was drawn from experience not just whim and he was dead right with the conclusion. He wanted to re-visit some of the tunes from the entire play in a canon of sorts with a showcase by the group. For whatever reason, this took me forever to wrap my head around. He requested a piece of music where Ash is frantically trying to make it to the showcase and I just never got it right. My brother Kevin arranged and wrote a beautiful orchestral string section with thickened pace. It took Stylust and I a long time to gel this piece of music with our new showcase song and all of the throwbacks. I honestly hated what I wrote for Kev’s piece so I never got too attached. The string song has since been abandoned (thankfully) but in all honesty it took the most work. Very frustrating that I couldn’t get that one right but it all worked out in the end.

After all of this time and work, the 12 show performance is finally upon us in the Martha Cohen Theatre at ATP, Calgary Alberta. From January 2nd -12th I had the honor of meeting and working with this tremendous cast and crew. I went to Calgary to offer my musical director version of Kyprios’ Hip Hop Bandcamp. The cast were given rhyme books and we started every day with a freestyle cipher. Rap, like many Italian conversations, is overtly physical and full of hand gestures. You can gain insight to a theme of a song just by watching an MC perform on mute. There is a physical narrative to this art form that compliments the aural form. My job was to help convince these actors that they were legitimate rappers. To rap is just slang for conversing so drawing on this fundamental aspect, we went to work at finding a natural conversational way of rhyming. I was devastated by the commitment this troupe showed and the immediate impact of their efforts. Luc Roderique (D Skills) had the only experience in performing live. He was the only actor that I had seen perform and his attention to detail is startling: RAP CAPTAIN. Allison Lynch blew me away with writing a double time rap on Day 2 and then writing/recording one of the best female rap songs that I have heard in Canada on Day 7 SONG BIRD CAPTAIN. Mike Wasco (Angel) will bring the fucking house down every time he performs “I Hate Hip Hop.” I relinquished all ownership of the song around Day 5 when I was getting goosebumps and feeling frightened. NAP CAPTAIN Kyle Jesperson (Gat) has emotional gears for days and watching him silently switch through them while executing faces of genocide, angst, power and an I don’t give a fuck attitude is awesome. SLAP CAPTAIN. Ksenia Thurgood is a bad ass. I never thought the version “Where Did You Go” would be touched but her levels of mourning and loss are shaded perfectly by her vocal performance. Rapping wise now she can only be explained through Top Gun. I am Ice Man and she is Maverick, now watch… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sz_EnEx9m5g . BACK BALL CAPTAIN. Double A Aaron Hursch (Ash) is a beast and our leader. Dood just has a nice touch on stage. Very instinctual, attached inherently to character at all times, never straying from the misguided solitude and confusion of our protagonist Ash Rizin ACT CAPTAIN. Let’s not forget about DJ Burner. Tobi Berner picked up Serrato and made it his bitch quickly. Having a DJ as an orchestra is the shit and I’m very happy that Tobi is killing it on the ones and twos BRRAP CAPTAIN…

The process is nearing completion. In the beginning it was Ivan, Patrick (Greenthumb) Mike and I. Now there are many hands on it holding it up to share with an audience. Seeing our director Patrick McDonald is an inspiration as he guides us through each moment of narrative. I feel that he is the final channel of our stories communication and I’m happy to hear his voice on the piece throughout. He puts lights on dialogue or lyrics that illuminate the story in ways that I never even imagined or saw myself.

I had worried for my reputation as the only person who lives in the world of Hip Hop and the guy who would return to this world and have to answer for anything that wasn’t handled according to the culture of this music. My co-sign and pride are put on this musical now and that is a tribute to the people who have picked it up and lifted it to levels I could never have achieved through my own machinations. Thank you to Ivan for his continual support, Patrick for his limitless energy and enthusiasm for this project (and sports), all of the staff from Greenthumb, thank you to Vanessa, Vicki, and Diane, Marcy, Quinn, Ashley, Strilla, Laurel, Aldona from ATP and everyone else who has helped this production.

Finally, a big shout out to Greenthumb for imagining that this could be anything. No one from our side of the country has tried to do this at such a high level. It started with a seed that has blossomed into a powerful piece of art with a message that needs to be heard by young audiences. As this goes against the demographic of a perceived theatre society, I am proud to have the dice rolled on our behalf knowing that this is a long shot and by no means a financial slam dunk in the black. It is my sincerest hope that this musical transcends all boundaries of age, gender, race, creed, stereotype or musical taste and that is seen entirely on the virtue for what it is… A great story. As much as Northey could be a pain in my ass to work with, I acknowledge that his vision and motivation were the fuel behind my efforts. I’m proud to have worked with my friend again and I think this is his strongest work to date.

I put my life and career on hold in an effort to immerse myself in this project, I used to refer to that as a sacrifice and now it has become a privilege.

Support original theatre.

*kyprios12*

Drove to Seattle after an amazing session with Ryan Guldemond and Warne Livesey. Literally left the studio after midnight, packed and then hit the road to fly out of Sea-Tac. Parked at my homey Phil Er Up’s place and he was kind enough to take us to the airport early Wednesday am. Exhausted, it may have been the first flight I have ever slept on.

Wednesday. Hit the Big Apple and took a train into Bushwick which was my old stomping ground. The homey Al Rodger hooked up his spot there and we stayed with his friend/all around amazing dood Luba. Had a beer with Luba, hit the bodega grabbed a few more brews with brown bags and took the L train into the LES. Smashed some Japanese food at Takahachi, some sake, some Kirin and then grabbed a couple more Brooklyn lagers in their lovely brown paper carrying cases and were off to the Nuyorican. Place hasn’t changed since when I first stepped in back in 1998 for a battle that Prevail entered and Pumpkin Head ended up winning. I age myself but fuck you for bringing age into the equation – JERK! Hahaha. I ended up battling, performing and entering slams there when I lived in NYC and it was amazing to see the place hasn’t changed. Cat named Gaston hosted with a live band and there were some nice performances. Grabbed one more Brooknam sans paper bag because I was drunk enough not to care and gangster enough to keep it on the low. Beautiful New York night.

Thursday. Woke up early with the bang bang head. Stupid move because this was going to be our biggest day as I had booked a gig and it was our friend Julie’s wedding, which was the entire reason for our trip. Did a little voiceover gig in the east village and made my way up to Central Park. NYC was breaking records for heat during the time we were there and the weather couldn’t have been better. Wedding was immaculate. Just in from 79th E in a little crook off of the lake right beside a small spring where you could hear the water running during the ceremony. I took some shots of the champagne that the groom had put inside the little creek to keep it cool. Really beautiful considering that no one at the wedding was from NYC besides the JP and the photographer. There was a 4.5 hour layover from the wedding to the reception so back to Bushwick.

We made it back to the block to catch a nap before the reception, all good. Laid down with Luba’s cat Benny and heard a commotion. Looked down from our window and there was a massive brawl in the middle of the street. People honking, doods on cel phones, chains, some ill street shit talking and a couple good tilts. No one got hurt, just a couple of good little gangsters figuring their shit out. Ahhh, Bushwick Brooklyn I still love you. Napperoni, back up and out DT by City Hall to hit the reception.

Wicked ass reception!!! Stunning speeches, magnificent food plus an open bar, go time – round two ding ding. We had until 11:30 to drink as much as possible and the 31 gathered for the wedding did little to disappoint. Good little dance party to boot and we had ourselves one hell of a wedding. Off to Greenwich Village for the after party with those that could still walk.

Dave Scatchard (former Vancouver Canuck) was a good friend of the groom (Jason) and thought that a limo would be a good idea to get us to the village. It was a good idea until Dan started dropping yoga poses in that shit and doing front flips. Shit was hilarious. We lit up a spot after deciding that Terra Blues wasn’t ready for us and continued the party there. Ordered a hookah and heard amazing stories from one of the nicest doods to lace up skates in Dave Scatchard. Good to hear some insight on the concussion debate and role of the enforcer from a guy who played 600 plus in the show. He also has an amazing wife that was also super down to earth and grounded. What a night.

Friday. Did some tour guide stuff and rolled up to Times Square to try and get cheap tix to a show named “The Book Of Mormon.” No dice on the cheap or on the tickets. Lines were crazy so we decided on getting tix to see Clooney’s new film “The Ides Of March.” Lunch in Soho, blah blah blah, bottle of Jack Daniels, my dill pickle popcorn salt and back up to hit the AMC 25 in Times Square. Really good flick, Ryan Gosling is on fire right now and the story is brilliantly crafted. Nominations for this film guaranteed, I’m thinking Clooney gets a nom for directing and the writer wins for the screenplay. Film Criticrios is the new name bitches. We headed back to the village for a comedy show, got destroyed by a female comic, laughed our asses off and headed back to Bushwick. The L train stopped running for the weekend so we had to walk an additional 8 blocks and I was hoping to not run into our fun hearted block gangsterino’s. All good, neighborhood was the shit and New Yorkers are amongst the best people on the planet.

Saturday. Occupy Wall Street. Wasn’t going to hit NYC and not be a part of this or at least go down to show support. It’s real. I was very inspired by people from all walks of life sacrificing time and potential charges against them for the greater good of us all. As a person carrying a great deal of debt and vulnerable to fraudulent banking practices, I appreciate the knowledge and stand with the movement. It’s coming to Vancouver on the 15th but I will be out on tour, if you’re around hit the art gallery and support the 99%. Big shout to the homey Syd Woodward doing an amazing job of coverage for us all. I missed him down there that day but I have been watching all of his videos. Wicked.

There was a free show in Bud Stuy called Restoration Rocks that featured Mos Def with the Brooklyn Philharmonic, Pharoahe Monch and Homeboy Sandman. Wicked vibe as everything was green friendly, positive enforcement of an amazing Brooklyn neighborhood and good, healthy food. Sound was shit but the show was wicked. Paharoahe has long since been one of my favorite MC’s and he was gnarly.

Hit up GoBo for dins with Luba later on, dope little vegetarian spot that I once saw Erykah Badu and M-1 at. Don’t know why I just dropped that fact there, like that gives credence to a vegetarian spot but fuck it, I’m a name dropper (see Dave Scatchard above for further proof). Gelato on a stick, off of Bleeker after for dessert? Yes please and that shit was amazing. Coffee gelato on a stick dipped in white chocolate with milk chocolate sprinkles and nuts in my mouth. I said it, nuts in my mouth. You’re nuts if you think there is anything gay about that deliciousness. Up to Luba’s club in Midtown and that was pretty much a wrap for that night except for losing the keys to the apt and fucking around trying to get home for 3 hours… that was fun. Lost Luke’s keys in Paris and now this? I’m officially a loser.

Sunday. Lolita, Tribeca, ChinaTown and caught a little bit of football to check in on how my fantasy squad was doing. Squad held me down as did the city that showered sun and awesomeness on us for our entire stay.

Great little trip to NYC and reminded me why I have such an affinity for the place. Met amazing people everywhere, on the train, at the wedding, in the park, on the streets… everywhere. What’s a city without good people? Shit. New York City re-affirms to me the bravado of the New York state of mind and it’s civic pride even though the Yankees lost. Always thankful for the time I have spent in that city and the lessons that I have learned there which I carry with me to this day.

Bushwickrios

No Chevy Chase but still fun never the less. Honeymoon in Europa was the shit! Started in Amsterdam and water infused cities became a theme that we hadn’t planed on yet re-occurred in every spot we hit. Amsterdam was sick, super organized infrastructure with friendly hospitable people throughout. More bikes than people, makes sense to me, cyclists rule the roads there and are treated with respect. As much as the new imposed cycle lanes suck balls for drivers in Vancouver, I hope that we are able to utilize the opportunity and create a culture around them.

So I partook in the greenery offered in the cafes along the canals to receive a creative outburst after a torturous bout of self doubt and self questioning (weed hasn’t agreed with me in 10 years). I snuck off to the bathroom to record an infectious melody I couldn’t get out of my head. Thought the drug thing that worked so well for the Beatles had worked it’s magic on me. Nope. Didn’t sleep that night thinking of what a mess I’ve made of myself and when I put on my melody from the night before it was to the tune of “All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth” with a shitty beatbox… haha, no more smokey for me. Off to Bruges.

Bruges was kind of a mini model of Amsterdam. Medieval town that has been around forever. Based around canals again (see the film “In Bruges” if you want to peep the aesthetics). There was a bar called “Beer Wall” and that spot is sooo much trouble. Belgian beer is number one, all day everyday and I will fight you if say any different. Literally bite your face off and speed bag punch your yarbles. I couldn’t sleep one night, wandered down the road and had an amazing sing along with a Kuba Ohms look -a-like from Casablanca in front of a small Turkish restaurant. The owner gave us free beer to keep playing. We sang drunken songs until the neighbors complained. Beer, chocolate, and beauty – I will be back Bruges, I will be back for all of that.

Nice, France. Nice is ridiculous. One main strip and there were wedding parties in cars going up and down the drag honking and carrying on. Tons of weddings as it was a beautiful Saturday in Nice. Wicked. We paid to hit the private beach and it was worth it. Felt foreign having to pay for a chez lounge and a towel but it was sweet to lay in the blazing sun of the Cote d’Azur in front of the Mediterranean. We took the train through Monaco and made it to Italy for our exercise regiment of the trip as suggested by Craig Northey – amazing advice Craig, thank you.

Cinque Terra Italy is the truth. It’s like a winding horizontal version of the Grouse grind atop paradise. It’s a 10 km hike above the Italian Riviera amongst 5 rustic towns and has yet to be touched by McDonald’s, Starbucks or a strip mall. I believe it’s one of the last places to have five towns without a Wal Mart. Go there. Shit is unreal, wish we would have stayed another night.

Venice. Venice is as beautiful as any picture ever taken of it can attest to. It’s that beautiful person who can’t take one bad photo. Super wasted, puking with hair in the toilet? Still charming with bravado as the porcelain reflects it’s astonishingly encapsulating perfect high cheek bones… but the tourists ruined that spot for me. It’s the hot broad who photos well that just wants your money if she doesn’t know you or you don’t know her. We didn’t really know where to go or what to do to escape the claustrophobia and ended up feeling hustled all over the place. One really good dood from a gelato spot that kind of made it all make sense for me and some pink grapefruit champagne drink with cold fruit cups were also the jump off.

Ibiza Spain. Didn’t go there to party, really just to chill by the beach and catch the R and R. Looked into the clubs and they were 60 Euros to get in plus 15 a pop for drinks. We decided to spend that money on co-ed strippers we ordered up to our room to dance for us and do our laundry instead. Jokes. We did go all inclusive and Evil Kyp did make an appearance. Why must the evil one always try to prove to vendors that unlimited alcohol is a bad move? He literally wants to drink so much that his entire trip feels vindicated through the amount of money he would have paid to drink all of that sauce. It doesn’t work that way Evil Kyp!! Good Kyp played water polo and lit up the competition with 11 goals and 8 assists in a game to 21. There was a pool boy at our hotel who looked like Roberto Luongo so I got him to take a picture with me and we posted it on FaceBook. People nibbled on it hook, line and sinker. Dood loved it and tried to steal my wife from me. He came close until Evil Kyp almost drown in the pool so he had to save my life and forget about Ingrid for a second… Evil Kyp, so smart with the fake drowning move, so smart.

Gay Paris. Paris is the best place ever… EVER. Here’s your map of the city, there are districts that wind around like a snail, ride bikes to your destination, drop them off and pick more bikes at your next destination – WHAT!!?? The best. Awesome way to get initiated into a city by riding around it seeing everything. So much fun. Unreal cuisine, best architecture and everyone we talked to was super helpful. Stayed with our good friends Luke and Lucy which made our trip so much better because they are the two coolest people in France. Literally. Both young fashion designers killing it out there with such wonderful attitudes and outlooks on life. I lived with Luke in NYC and he was in my wedding party so we caught some good jokes and had some good talks. We want Luke and Lucy to adopt us. Our homey Taylor is running a cake shop out there, so you know we needed to sample the wares and I wanted to add to my little pot belly like the chick in Pulp Fiction liked so much. We also had a Royal with Cheese. You can get them in combo’s with 1664. U kidding me? Beer at McD’s!!? Last stop, the motherland, jolly old Londontown.

We stayed with Luke’s sister Colleen who is this funky personal trainer/ physiotherapist running the neighborhood of Shoreditch. They took us to a radical karaoke joint that was a cross from neighborhood old schoolers and the new hipsters on this up and coming trendy little area. EPIC!!! Some priest came in, got wasted and tore the fucker up! Another old dood did Afroman “Because I Got High” and destroyed it as well. I did something Foxxy and something gay. Kanye’s “Gold Digger” and George Michaels “Faith.” So much fun. Did a Bealtes walk, crushed some of the best curry and wished I could have stayed longer. Best honeymoon ever. Back to realty and back to work.

Big up to all of our friends and family who contributed to our vacation. Couldn’t have done it without the generosity. Best experience of our lives, thank you all so much.

- Newlywedrios

Happy Holidays my friends!!!

Take a 15 year old kid and plant a dream in his head. Watch him nurture those images and project them into the thing that he wants to be. He learns slowly but is unwavering in his dedication. He gets a little bit better. Meets a bunch of people doing what he wants to do and they teach him what they can. He gains confidence in himself amidst the self doubt and insecurity. Links with like minded people and starts doing something and sharing it with whomever will listen. He gets hot and meets the industry. Industry burns him and it’s back to the jagged yellow line that he’s been following for his income. Add weight. See the kid perform at places with 5 people there and get stiffed by promoters. Add weight. Watch him and his crew sleep in motel rooms with no heat or clean sheets. Add weight. Check the condition of a body fueled by fast food food, liquor, sleeplessness and a mind beginning to question the dream. Add weight. Put the financial burden of reality on his shoulders and watch the boy scramble to satiate his creditors. Add weight. Put a mark bearing the back hand of Father Time on the man’s face trying to play a child’s game for good measure. Look up the word pride. Add weight. Now, place the unconditional love of family and friends in that man’s periphery encouraging him to continue carrying that weight. Subtract weight. Witness as a friend holds his belief in that man at a zenith above what the man could ever see for himself. Give that kid a chance. Allow him into a competition that will educate him and nurture the dream he held for so long. Peep the love he is given by a field far more talented than he is. Check the phones being answered by a fucking epic live band. Watch that kid win one hundred thousand dollars in a competition he had no business in being in, but was given an opportunity based on his infinite love of a dream. Take that weight off of his shoulders and look at that face relieved. The man hasn’t even moved but knows his next step will be feather light. Hasn’t taken a single step but knows he’s going to be able to run in whatever direction he chooses. Weightlessness, anti-gravital. That’s it. His dream continues as he begins living it. November 18th 2010. Thank you.

the midnight sun

Well what do ya know? The kid has made it to the top 3 in the Peak Performance Project! Undeniably the best thing that has ever happened in my career and a tremendous affirmation in the continuing down this artistic path. Waiting for my name called on Monday November 1st was unbearable. I didn’t want to be with or see anybody. My brother Kevin was with me and even that was nerve wracking because my family and friends were all too well aware of the effort I had put forth and how important this was to me. I was relieved when my name was called, I was happy that I didn’t have to go burn down the Peak’s radio station or Music BC’s office. Those are really good people that work there and it would have been a shame to have been forced to subject so many into unemployment through arson and heartbreak… hahaha.
My first thought honestly went out to the top 20 and a kind of embarrassment at being separated from them. There is no feeling of competitive satisfaction in being “in the money.” In sport for me there has always been pride in the wake of victory but music, like poetry, or any other artistic endeavor is not quantifiable through it’s completion. I am by far the worst musician in this competition hands down. I would be remiss if I didn’t praise the people, who going forward, will always have an intrinsic and inextricable link to me. I hope to work with everyone in this group in some machination.
I busted my ass, I called in as much help as I could, I didn’t say no to any opportunity and I risked my reputation in doing so. That in and of itself was the best lesson and highest reward in restoring some semblance of faith back into myself. For however long this lasts, I am eternally grateful to those who gave me this chance and the many that helped me to do as much as I could with it…
I haven’t been sleeping well. I can’t stop thinking about the Commodore show, my phone hasn’t stopped ringing for tickets and my email/FB/Twitter is full of people reaching out. The moment looms large, the future breeds strength and my present cradles hope beyond 2morrow. Win or lose, I can’t pay for experience or knowledge, I can’t buy artistic satisfaction, pay to have people love or care for me, or attach a number to who I am, what I do and what, God willing, I will continue to love to do. These are the inalienable gifts that I have been awarded through my time in this “competition.” Humbly, thankfully, blessed, honored, scared, sacred empowerment.

the midnight sun

It’s all over but the celebrating or the crying, who’s to know how the PPP will turn out? It’s out of my hands and all I have now is the effort I put in to rest my hat on. Couple things to mention. The song I did with the kids from the Burnaby Youth Detention Centre is available for purchase here…

http://kypriosandtheydcallstars.bandcamp.com/

All funds will go to the charity PLEA to help at risk youth. This was just an amazingly focussed outpouring of creativity by these kids and I’m tremendously proud of what they achieved in such a limited amount of time. Imagine what they are capable of with even more help…

BreakOut West was an absolute blink of an eye and I wish I had more time to bask in the festivities. The brief time I had was potent and highlighted by jamming with Kuba, Siggy (Ben Sigston with an unreal freestyle!), Nathan (hilarious freestyle), Jillian, Adaline, Bodhi, and Lochlan, Thom Kolb and “The Jackhammer.” I had to drive back to Vancouver after the show and didn’t make it home until 7 am so that I could get ready for my show on Friday at The Vogue opening for Big Boi of Outkast. Well worth the pain as I nearly passed out from exhaustion post show, but managed to watch an absolute legend tear through a power house set. Pretty torturous to see the Twitter feeds of the BreakOut West shenanigans and not be a part of the fun. Couldn’t even have a drink after the showcase which was just offensive!
I decided to finish my set at BreakOut West with a spoken word piece called “Hate” that I wrote 10 years ago while living in NYC. The basic principle of the piece is a personification of racism and hatred with a quotient of love to overpower the negative emotion. I haven’t done the piece in 5 years except for a drunken effort in Jasper by a very pushy friend, due to the nature of language and emotion the poem conjures. The week leading up to BOW was difficult for me on many levels – at the forefront was my mother being assaulted by a homeless person near her work in Vancouver. I saw the man and my gut reaction was to inflict pain. The police had him and I was honestly thinking about this competition when the fury was running through me. Some time has elapsed, I now feel that the man is in desperate need of help and that the store housing the parking lot where this happened in mid day should claim some responsibility. The exercise of performing “Hate” was cathartic and I’m happy to have exorcised the internal beasts plaguing my well being by getting a little closer to my roots in spoken word. Good finishing note for me to hear Johnny sing “All You Need Is Love” to comfort a angered soul.
In the end, this has been great, the curtains have been opened on a future brightened by an amazing experience. From day one with Tom Jackson on the first beautiful day of the year to bootcamp to the Red Room performance to BreakOut West, it’s all been a pleasure. Maybe I’ll get a Peak tattoo on my chest too Matty… Hahahahaha, nah too much fur on me ole nips.

Love,

kyprios (the midnight sun)

This is it!!!

Please vote for the kid if you haven’t already. Completely under the gun here and trying to make sure I get everything in. Tough with an amazing weekend with Moka Only, Jeff Spec, Matt Brevner and my man Alex in Castlegar and Lethbridge. But here I am. Please check my challenge video that was issued by Bif Naked here..

http://www.kyprios.com/videos/

Big ups to all of my people who helped me out huge. Rick Baker, Doug Naugler, Jim Vanderhorst, James Roxby, Chris Norwood, Ronnie Mejia, Cam Rainey, Brian Fredericks, my amazing band “The Chaperones” Tim Proznick, Mario Vaira, Scott Tucker, Doug Naugler, DJ Abel, Rick Baker, Alex Maher, Malcolm Aiken, and the lovely Sadie and Carly Campbell!!! Thanks to Kevin Durand, Prevail, Cabbie, Chris Harrison, Geoff Clements, PJ Worsfold from Crux Strategies (BAM!!!), Itchyron, Urban Rush, Maestro, the Burnaby Youth Detention Centre, and Bif Naked. Of course all love to my precious Ingrid who gets to have a boyfriend again!!!

PS I will be posting “Change Man” on Bandcamp and all proceeds will go to charity. Please support Plea

Finishrios

5 years ago at Christmas I spoke at the juvenile detention centre across from BCIT. I’ve wanted to make it back and I had an opportunity on Monday October 11th. I couldn’t help to think that the majority of kids that I had talked to were victims of circumstance when I was last there, they are kids – generally with poor parenting and few positive role models. The jail has moved and now it’s called the Burnaby Youth Detention Centre. I got in touch with Paul Tiffin, pitched him my idea and he let me come in on Thanksgiving to work with the kids. My idea was to impart some of the emotional benefits that music has had on my life to these kids. I also wanted to get them to feel the rush of writing, recording and listening to the finished product of a song so I brought in a studio with a rough idea for a beat and concept and got to work. These kids opened up and were amazing!!! I had them all sign their first record contract stating that we would sell the finished product online and all the proceeds would go to plea.ca (a charity benefitting youth at risk). Some kids didnt want to get on the mic but still wrote so i performed those verses… They love rap but many think it’s only a genre for gang related material so it was great to get them to rap about trying to get their lives together and try to make a positive change. Go to my player and hear the song “Change Man” for free this weekend and please help me raise some money for plea.ca when I get it approved and purchase it off Itunes. The kids surprised me in an absolutely amazing display of focus by writing and recording in less than an hour and a half. A truly remarkable experience and I can’t wait to get back and see what happens next time. Big shout outs to Paul Tiffin, Rhys Campbell (The Perfect Storm), Andrew Cronkhite and especially Tracey Walker for looking after us all day. Please help the charity and support our youth…

It’s official, the best show ever has gone down for me. No way for me to dream of a better pairing between concept and musical execution. An 11 piece band rolling down the highway in the same busted ass vehicle, all headed in the same direction at 1212 km/hr and my drunk ass at the wheel… welcome to the show!!! Timmy Boom Bap Proznick started in on the toms and it sounded like elephants busting through a jungle heading after a pack of wild rhino’s. DJ Abel threatened the vinyl with the needle just enough to taunt the wax into a dizzying back and forth display of musical godliness. Rick “the face man” Baker balanced this out delicately finger tapping a Fred Astaire dance number on the ebonies and ivories. Tucks took that big ass upright for a walk with spiders running up and down the neck of that bitch to stick honey in the depths of an ill, boombastic groove. The beautiful Campbell sisters flapped in harmonic unison, vocally spray painting melodic class in every corner of the room. Malcolm Aiken and Alex Maher blew up the spot like the saints of New Orleans might lead a march around the dance floor to pay reverence to these beasts of wind. When Mario wrapped his hands around the guitar during Feelin’ Alright, she screeched in pain and knew that this solo was just the slightest look into her master’s craft, she would sing her Italian ass off to try to keep him pleased and the beatings to a minimum. By the time Doug left stage he had touched it all: guitar, keys, percussion, glock, vocals and let the room know what all around/utility meant. The group breathed as a unit, moved as one, stretched the imagination of the crowd, and kept a tired room full of beautifully wandering minds focussed. Yeah, I rocked a suit, but what a fucking occasion…

Peace to the gods,

Showrios