.. --> End BlogNetworks code -->The first audio clip is from the Voyage Band, an Indiana-based funk group I played with in the mid-'80s, featuring a song we recorded for a Live Aid-style charity record called Live From Bloomington. The second cut is also a Voyage song, an unreleased remix of the song which got us signed to Motown in the mid-'80s; a more basic version of the song was a hit on the very first Live From Bloomington record back in 1986, I think. The third cut is from singer/songwriter Fran Snyder, who I recorded with in Tampa in the late '90s.
The fourth song I just recorded last year with songwriter Shana Smith.
The first video clip is for a Times Web site called Politifact; I played drums in the on camera band for this 2007 video. The other clips are also of the Voyage Band; second video is a live performance of our hit Strange Situation, which got us signed to Motown in the mid '80s. The third is a cover of an old Gladys Knight tune Love Overboard.
Enjoy!
At times, it seems I juggle so many roles -- journalist, pundit, father, husband, musician and more -- that it feels as if I'm living many separate lives at once. The experiences are amazing -- from tossing down drinks with Martin Sheen in Los Angeles to taking drum lessons from Kenny Aaronoff in Indiana, watching my friend Shawn Pelton rock the groove in the Saturday Night Live band in New York and watching my baby daughter learn how to say her daddy's name in Florida. Other times, its just overwhelming. My day gig is media critic for the St. Petersburg Times newspaper in Florida, a job which allows me to write columns and news stories about everything from music to the Internet. I'm also an exeprienced drummer (more than 25 years), bassist and singer (15 years), who still does sessions and the occasional one-off gig. I've played everything with a backbeat, though these days i'm enjoying funk and the blues most. My dream is to find a great band of talented guys in the Tampa Bay area who would like to work three or four times a month playing music we love fora little cash. So far, the bands I've found here either want to work too muchor are l ittle too amateurish. My best gig so far has been the seven years I spent in a '80s-era funk group called The Voyage Band, recorded an album for Motown which was never released and put me through my last two years of college. Here's looking foward to many more great musical experiences to add to my list...*********************************************************************************
To see my work blog:
http://www.sptimes.com/blogs/media.r{}*****************************************************
To see my columns...
http://www.sptimes.com/columns/deggans.shtml**********************************************
See ya in cyberspace!*****************************************************************************
Here's a YouTube ode to my favorite percussion instrument -- the cowbell!
Hey Thanks for the friendship, I truly appreciate it! I just finished my debut album (see below), now I’m getting ready to play as much as possible in Europe and the US. Let’s stay in touch! Blessings, Vlada VLADA - ALL ABOUT YOU feat. Take 6, K. Whalum, A. Laboriel, V. Colaiuta, P. Jackson Jr. Release: January 26, 2010 Now available as a Limited Edition CD on http://www.vladamusic.com
What's crackin family? Be on the look out for my new single "HOT GIRL!" It's set to release May 12th, 2009! My birthday! Please stay tuned. The single is fire! In the mean time please get your copy of the my maxi single "Poppin My Colla! " Thank you for all your support!
Did you know that your civil rights are hanging by a thread? What can we do to protect ourselves and our freedoms? theN3TWORK would like to announce the completion of Constitutional Rights, the latest episode in the yourTruth series.
Watch our show to find out if you still have all the rights your mama gave you! A must-see for EVERY American citizen!
Eric, hi! Nice to meet you brother! Thanks for having me as a my space friend! I like your page! For a man that does so many different things, your music does not seem to suffer for it...sounds great man! God bless you. John
Hey Eric and friends thereof, Check the original tune "Journey To Freedom" On My Jukebox. It is a Cuban Songo/Funk-Fusion Thang. This is in pre-production with all computer instruments programmed by me with my live guitar track. More details are in the blog. There will be a full version forthcoming with some real humans playing the instruments. Just a preview/note-sketch for now.
the new issue of www. tampabaymuse. com is now online for you reading enjoyment. Our art profile this month is of Art27, screaming and suffering. We also debut our new feature "The A Word", featuring Florida poets and writers. Check it out and enjoy.
Hey, whats good?! I know I haven't been on here too much but as you know I recently ran into some issues with amazon for the hard copy release of my album so I was only able to put out the downloads. Sorry about that if you were trying to get the CD and not the mp3's. I right now have all of that straightened out and the album is finally out and available at Amazon. com. Click Below and order your copy!!
From the furor over Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s connection to presidential candidate Barack Obama to the controversy over the detention and prosecution of Muslim students from Tampa on charges of transporting explosives, issues of race and religion stand at the heart of the biggest media stories of this year.
So that people in the Tampa Bay area can speak out about the issue and directly address journalists who cover these issues, the Tampa Bay Association of Black Journalists has joined the Council on American Islamic Relations, the Tampa/Hillsborough Human Rights Council and the Hillsborough County branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People for a free public forum. Join us for discussion on:
RACE, RELIGION & MEDIA: ARE WE GETTING THE COVERAGE WE DESERVE?
The event will be held on Thursday May 29, 2008, 7 p.m. in the Student Services Auditorium at the Hillborough Community College’s Dale Mabry Campus, 4001 Tampa Bay Blvd., Tampa. Admission is free and all are invited to attend. Participants include:
*Arthur Jones, pastor, Bible Based Fellowship Church and friend of Rev. Wright *Ahmed Bedier, civil rights activist, president Tampa/Hillsborough HRC *Bill Keller, evangelist, LivePrayer. com *Michelle Bearden, religion reporter, Tampa Tribune/WFLA-Ch. 8/TBO. com *Otis Anthony, host, Sunday Forum, WMNF-FM *Ken Irby, Visual journalism Group Leader & diversity director, Poynter Institute
The event will feature a discussion among the panel, moderated by TBABJ President Eric Deggans, TV/Media Critic for the St. Petersburg Times. The panel will also take questions from the audience.
TBABJ, founded in 1990, is a non-profit affiliate of the National Association of Black Journalists, representing dozens of journalists of color throughout the Florida Suncoast.
Established in 1994, The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3), grassroots civil rights a
