My Favorite Things Right Now

an ink drawing of a tree's twisting branches

I have been talking about myself a LOT lately. So to balance the scales, I want to share some of my favorite things right now – movies, books, podcasts, music, anything that you should check out if you haven’t heard about it already!

First, Music.

Let’s get the “big names” out of the way: you should give the Sonic 3 and Knuckles soundtrack a listen. Yes, I sound like a weeb, but hear me out. Because the team who worked with Michael Jackson composed some of these tracks. Now, who EXACTLY composed what songs is a mystery that has confounded the Sonic fandom for 20+ years (apparently). But I cannot deny that the music theory behind Angel Island zone Acts 1 and 2 AND Marble Gardens is borderline genius. Also, Ice Cap Zone Act 1 is a bop and an earworm. That got stuck in my head for DAYS.

Maybe you need more hip hop though? Then check out this Native American hip-hop artist DJ Shub and his track featuring the Northern Cree singers, Indomitable. Also, the Mother’s Day song, I Hope You Know from Supaman and Ashley Hall is great, and the music video is sweet.

Or maybe you want something that will confuse your ear? I can’t recommend Caravan Palace enough. They do a little bit of everything, but all under the electro-jazz umbrella. If you want to start simple, try their singles Melancholia, Moonshine, and Rock It For Me. Also, each music video is gorgeously animated.

Second, Podcasts.

For a while, I listened to the Overly Sarcastic Podcast. In each episode, they talk about the behind-the-scenes work they did for particular episodes, answer listener questions, and goof around. It’s silly and fun.

Recently, I rediscovered my love for The Dollop, a history podcast where the host reads a story of American History out loud to an oblivious stand-up comedian. This podcast does GREAT live shows. I’ve been listening to episode 323, the 1908 New York to Paris Car Race. The event is an utter disaster and the riffs are hilarious. They even did an episode about the Stonewall Riots (which I still need to listen to).

Third, Books.

I have a low-key reading goal: read 60 books before the end of the year. Right now, I’m at 51 books completed. And, surprisingly, some of these books have been great!

The Mermaid, The Witch, and the Sea by Maggie Tokuda-Hall has a “meh” rating on Goodreads, which I kinda’ sorta’ get? This is the story of a genderqueer pirate and a court girl who fall in love, rescue a mermaid, learn magic, and take revenge against a notorious pirate captain and his crew. Apparently, Goodreads decided it’s not for everyone, but I argue otherwise. Also, READ ALL THE WAY TO THE END. It has a fake-out ending where it looks like the lesbian couple does not survive to the end, but READ IT because THEY DO.

Since I’ve read over 50 books so far this year, maybe I’ll write a separate post just for book recommendations. Otherwise, this post will last forever.

Need more? Check out my list of favorite black artists. This list touches on a diverse range of creators, from cosplayers to comic artists.

That’s all for now. Thank you for reading! Be sure to check out these very cool projects, and let me know in the comments what you thought of them!

You. Are. Awesome.

The Callback Kids – An Original Song

I was trimming my mini-comics and mini-sketchbooks the other day and had the idea to turn the camera on while I did that. That way you can see a time lapse of how I prepare my mini-comics AND listen to a song I made a while ago, called “The Callback Kids.”

I used to play Taiko when I was in college, as part of the on-campus group Hayabusa Taiko. I had taken music lessons before Taiko, like guitar, flute, and clarinet, but nothing stuck with me more than Taiko.

If you like what you hear, and want to hear more Taiko-inspired songs, please let me know in the comments below.

Thanks for watching!

You. Are. Awesome.

Black History Month: Nina Simone

black history month nina simone sketch

So I didn’t know about this figure in Black History until today – her name is Nina Simone, and she was a singer and piano player who worked in a variety of music styles, from classical to jazz to pop.

The first song of hers I heard was “To Love Somebody.” Here’s a video of it:

But she was most famous for her work in the Civil Rights Movement, especially her songs in that period of time. One of her most famous songs is “Mississippi Goddam,” which was made in response to a Birmingham, AL church bombing that killed four girls. Here’s that song:

Know any other black history figures? Share them in the comments below. I would love to draw them.

Thank you for reading and listening!

You. Are. Awesome.

As Time Passes With the Beat: An Original Song

Today’s video features not only two watercolor paintings and a Thoughtful Dinosaur comic strip I’m making, but it also features a song I made.

This is the first song I’ve ever composed and made using a program called LMMS. The program is free to download if you want to give it a try for yourself.

Keep in mind, my musical background is from my days playing Taiko. If you want an idea of the kinds of songs I performed, here’s an example from a troupe I was a part of. That’s why, for the first song, it’s pretty much exclusively drum sounds.

Why am I painting two watercolor paintings? Find out…NEXT TIME.

Thanks for listening.

You. Are. Awesome.