I do realize its been almost a month since I've updated. I do apologize.
Just a quick happy fathers day to all fathers. Esp my father up in heaven and andrew garcia, one of my best friends. Well... what's been up w me lately? I started a disney series on youtube. Check those vids out. There's 4 of them so far. I also started up my choir MVCC again. Love them. Were rehearsing for a HUGE concert in august.
August 28 and 29: MUSIC SPEAKS.
Ft. The AJ RAFAEL BAND.
Yep I'm bringin em in from boston. Its gonna be epic! official lineup will be announced soon. Let's hype it up. Heritage forum in anaheim, ca.
Anyway, also been chillin w jenny suk, great singer from youtube, this whole past week. She's been chillin in socal when she was supposed to be in norcal. Thanks jenny for comin out and sharing ur talent with us. We miss u already.
I'm driving with my family right now (moms driving) to a lunch party. I sang "dance with my father" at church before mass started today. Its been 9 fathers day's without him. To think my little sister justine just had one fathers day with my dad is what really breaks my heart. I wish justine was old enough to get to know him. But I'm sure she knows how much of a legacy he left with all of us. I love that jasmine still has music in her life... writing songs and singing. Justine sings in my moms childrens choir (the same one my dad left behind, altho there r new kids obviously) and both my sisters dance at a studio and they both were blessed with a great gift to dance. My mom still leads choir at church while I help her out by playing. Its been like this for the last 10 years without him and I'm glad it hasn't changed. Life is too short. Don't take it for granted. Live life with no regrets. Live life to the fullest. Live life with the music blasting and the windows down. Life = love, love = music.
Aj
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
we've all got our junk...
and my junk is you.
-Spring Awakening
so my dog, kitchie (not the one who had the puppies), wakes me up every morning at 9am. regardless of how early or late i sleep; i wake up at 9 everyday and the day is forced upon me. so im starting this just like how i write most of my songs... without knowing where it's going. my sister, jasmine (killajamzz), is watching the Twilight bonus features on blu-ray right now and my other sister, justine, is at school at the moment. i just got my piano tuned by the way. expect more videos with just piano... that instrument is powerful, let me tell ya.
BAND[AID] was last friday. it was a benefit show featuring local talent. it was one crazy experience. the crowd was ridiculously supportive and it honestly was one of the best crowds i've played for. sold over 50 Peace, Love, and AJ shirts and received some pretty awesome gifts from some fans. from a stuffed koala bear to a batman easter egg. thank you to dusty and rb for always handling the merch so well. here's a video, i need to speak no longer about this show, the videos explain it all.
so im back in cali, and have seen pretty much everyone... although most people are still in school, we've all been chillin. got a gym pass, and am trying to look decent for the beach this summer haha. since i've been back, i watched kina live at UCLA, watched Star Trek with david choi and friends, said goodbye to a dear friend Randolph at the airport as he was leaving to the philippines, played piano for Lydia Paek again and it was so refreshing, and stayed up past 2am every single day. more to come. much love.
also spent this weekend with jesse barrera , gracienne, larry, and jamil, tin and alan from SD. heres a pic of my puppies jesse and grace took.
AJ
-Spring Awakening
so my dog, kitchie (not the one who had the puppies), wakes me up every morning at 9am. regardless of how early or late i sleep; i wake up at 9 everyday and the day is forced upon me. so im starting this just like how i write most of my songs... without knowing where it's going. my sister, jasmine (killajamzz), is watching the Twilight bonus features on blu-ray right now and my other sister, justine, is at school at the moment. i just got my piano tuned by the way. expect more videos with just piano... that instrument is powerful, let me tell ya.
BAND[AID] was last friday. it was a benefit show featuring local talent. it was one crazy experience. the crowd was ridiculously supportive and it honestly was one of the best crowds i've played for. sold over 50 Peace, Love, and AJ shirts and received some pretty awesome gifts from some fans. from a stuffed koala bear to a batman easter egg. thank you to dusty and rb for always handling the merch so well. here's a video, i need to speak no longer about this show, the videos explain it all.
so im back in cali, and have seen pretty much everyone... although most people are still in school, we've all been chillin. got a gym pass, and am trying to look decent for the beach this summer haha. since i've been back, i watched kina live at UCLA, watched Star Trek with david choi and friends, said goodbye to a dear friend Randolph at the airport as he was leaving to the philippines, played piano for Lydia Paek again and it was so refreshing, and stayed up past 2am every single day. more to come. much love.
also spent this weekend with jesse barrera , gracienne, larry, and jamil, tin and alan from SD. heres a pic of my puppies jesse and grace took.
AJ
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
so let me say before we part...
but because i knew you, i have been changed...
for good.
-stephen schwartz
i will never forget walking down from 85 park drive-- my first apartment-- and up boylston st back to berklee, my random adventures to the prudential center to kill time in between classes, the inspiration i gained watching awesome shows at the BPC, trotting down newbury street shopping without checking my balance in my account beforehand, bringing people to bodega (thinking its a convenience store) and johnny cupcakes (thinking its a bakery) for their first time, band rehearsals with my very own "band", going to domino's at 2:45AM just before it closes at 3, knowing when the Red Sox lost because of the expression on everyone's face as they walk in crowds going opposite of fenway, taking the T (subway/train) and holding in laughter as i see someone who's about to throw up on the stranger next to them because they're so wasted, falling and tripping in the T as i try to play it off even though everyone saw me while they don't offer to help me up, the first college dance i've been to-- "Snowball" (crazy times), donna's background vocals class, staying in classrooms jammin till 1:30AM or until the security kicks us out, eating at mcdonalds or wendys for days at a time because they're the only cheap food places around berklee, playing piano at st cecilia's and feeling the music in a totally different way than normal, being in the Bob Marley Ensemble with one of my best friends carly, waking up and looking at my phone seeing that i've missed my hip hop writing and production class for the 3rd time in a row, walking around in a LA Lakers hat and hearing a random voice say "F*** LA!", getting my haircut at Floyd's Barbershop next to the nasty chinese food place Nan Ling that everyone only eats at cuz its open till 3AM, going to Shaw's in the middle of the night, bugging andrew to sleepover at his place cuz me, kris, and angel are too lazy to walk home, making my first snow angels in my first northeastern winter, singing backups for singers night, trying out and getting called back and learning from failure, my teachers, blogTV sessions from berklee classrooms and/or andrew's apt, walking around northeastern's campus wishing that berklee had one, dance parties in the berklee classrooms (CLUB 208!), the library that had every music book ever printed, the heartwarming welcome cecily and jess gave me when i didn't have a place to stay, my roomates dwight/kels and pablo and our interesting and random moments, the musicians that have made me wanna practice the minute i was out of their presence, going outside during a full moon eating a banana for good luck, crossing the street that seemed to always have cars on it therefore having to run every single time, visitors who i brought around Boston to explore as i was doing as well, being with my family in a hotel all weekend, helping people with their MUSIC homework opposed to math and science and things like this, the first trip i made in boston to the aquarium, my last jam session with Ahmir at BU in the stairwell, seeing john mayer on the streets of boston-- and i will never forget the people that i have met during my stay here that will hold places in my heart until the end of time.
you kicked snow in my hi-tops, you blasted rain in my face at 20mph, you caught me outside without a jacket during a storm, you made me look at nature differently, you gave me fresh air and endless sky, you gave me the freedom to walk your streets with nothing but music on my mind, and you have made me a better person. i will miss you, Boston.
plane leaves at 6:40PM from Logan Airport. oh how i hate goodbyes. lets make this "goodbye" a "see ya later" k?
goin' home.
AJ
for good.
-stephen schwartz
i will never forget walking down from 85 park drive-- my first apartment-- and up boylston st back to berklee, my random adventures to the prudential center to kill time in between classes, the inspiration i gained watching awesome shows at the BPC, trotting down newbury street shopping without checking my balance in my account beforehand, bringing people to bodega (thinking its a convenience store) and johnny cupcakes (thinking its a bakery) for their first time, band rehearsals with my very own "band", going to domino's at 2:45AM just before it closes at 3, knowing when the Red Sox lost because of the expression on everyone's face as they walk in crowds going opposite of fenway, taking the T (subway/train) and holding in laughter as i see someone who's about to throw up on the stranger next to them because they're so wasted, falling and tripping in the T as i try to play it off even though everyone saw me while they don't offer to help me up, the first college dance i've been to-- "Snowball" (crazy times), donna's background vocals class, staying in classrooms jammin till 1:30AM or until the security kicks us out, eating at mcdonalds or wendys for days at a time because they're the only cheap food places around berklee, playing piano at st cecilia's and feeling the music in a totally different way than normal, being in the Bob Marley Ensemble with one of my best friends carly, waking up and looking at my phone seeing that i've missed my hip hop writing and production class for the 3rd time in a row, walking around in a LA Lakers hat and hearing a random voice say "F*** LA!", getting my haircut at Floyd's Barbershop next to the nasty chinese food place Nan Ling that everyone only eats at cuz its open till 3AM, going to Shaw's in the middle of the night, bugging andrew to sleepover at his place cuz me, kris, and angel are too lazy to walk home, making my first snow angels in my first northeastern winter, singing backups for singers night, trying out and getting called back and learning from failure, my teachers, blogTV sessions from berklee classrooms and/or andrew's apt, walking around northeastern's campus wishing that berklee had one, dance parties in the berklee classrooms (CLUB 208!), the library that had every music book ever printed, the heartwarming welcome cecily and jess gave me when i didn't have a place to stay, my roomates dwight/kels and pablo and our interesting and random moments, the musicians that have made me wanna practice the minute i was out of their presence, going outside during a full moon eating a banana for good luck, crossing the street that seemed to always have cars on it therefore having to run every single time, visitors who i brought around Boston to explore as i was doing as well, being with my family in a hotel all weekend, helping people with their MUSIC homework opposed to math and science and things like this, the first trip i made in boston to the aquarium, my last jam session with Ahmir at BU in the stairwell, seeing john mayer on the streets of boston-- and i will never forget the people that i have met during my stay here that will hold places in my heart until the end of time.
you kicked snow in my hi-tops, you blasted rain in my face at 20mph, you caught me outside without a jacket during a storm, you made me look at nature differently, you gave me fresh air and endless sky, you gave me the freedom to walk your streets with nothing but music on my mind, and you have made me a better person. i will miss you, Boston.
plane leaves at 6:40PM from Logan Airport. oh how i hate goodbyes. lets make this "goodbye" a "see ya later" k?
goin' home.
AJ
Saturday, May 9, 2009
so this is it...
the final curtain call. my time here is over.
-jesse barrera
well in 4 days. i'm almost outta here. and one thing that has been on my mind for a while is staying here at Berklee. it's so hard to think that i won't be around next fall, or spring, and i'm not sure how long it will take for me to come back, it could be never. but right now, i hope you guys understand that some places are not for everyone. as much as i enjoyed Berklee College of Music, i must bid my goodbye. for now at least. right now, what's important to me is being with my family and focusing solely on my career as an artist. it's almost been 5 years since i've written my first song, and since then i have worked so hard on songwriting, singing, and performing. i'm not saying i deserve anything because everything i have is a blessing and i wouldn't mind if this was as far as i got, but i long to spread my music to as many people possible, and i think right now the ball is rolling for me and it's all about timing. i hope you all support my decision, and know that i have had plenty of fights with my family about my decision. as far as my mom goes, she supports me 100% and i am very blessed to have her support because i know its hard to support someone trying to make a living off of music. while i'm out in California, i'll be taking a few classes at RCC (since i'm already enrolled and was attending a year prior) and just taking it slow for now. hope you guys know that i have thought long and hard about this, and right now i think i need to be in California. believe it or not, jam sessions till 4am happen more on the west coast. i love you guys. and i'll keep you guys posted with everything.
people at Berklee (and the rest of Boston); thank you for your friendship, and teachers too-- all of you are inspiring. i wish you all the best of luck. and for those i shared close friendships with; i will miss getting classrooms with you all and staying until security kicked us out at 1AM. thank you for believing in me, and for the good times. i will never forget them.
but im not gone yet, i got 4 more days. and my family is here with me until monday, but wednesday i go back to the west coast, stay at my house for a day, then fly up to Canada for a show in Winnipeg on the 15th (more info on my myspace), and im back home for good.
ps sorry its been a while, i was waiting for the right time to write about this. take care ya'll
AJ
-jesse barrera
well in 4 days. i'm almost outta here. and one thing that has been on my mind for a while is staying here at Berklee. it's so hard to think that i won't be around next fall, or spring, and i'm not sure how long it will take for me to come back, it could be never. but right now, i hope you guys understand that some places are not for everyone. as much as i enjoyed Berklee College of Music, i must bid my goodbye. for now at least. right now, what's important to me is being with my family and focusing solely on my career as an artist. it's almost been 5 years since i've written my first song, and since then i have worked so hard on songwriting, singing, and performing. i'm not saying i deserve anything because everything i have is a blessing and i wouldn't mind if this was as far as i got, but i long to spread my music to as many people possible, and i think right now the ball is rolling for me and it's all about timing. i hope you all support my decision, and know that i have had plenty of fights with my family about my decision. as far as my mom goes, she supports me 100% and i am very blessed to have her support because i know its hard to support someone trying to make a living off of music. while i'm out in California, i'll be taking a few classes at RCC (since i'm already enrolled and was attending a year prior) and just taking it slow for now. hope you guys know that i have thought long and hard about this, and right now i think i need to be in California. believe it or not, jam sessions till 4am happen more on the west coast. i love you guys. and i'll keep you guys posted with everything.
people at Berklee (and the rest of Boston); thank you for your friendship, and teachers too-- all of you are inspiring. i wish you all the best of luck. and for those i shared close friendships with; i will miss getting classrooms with you all and staying until security kicked us out at 1AM. thank you for believing in me, and for the good times. i will never forget them.
but im not gone yet, i got 4 more days. and my family is here with me until monday, but wednesday i go back to the west coast, stay at my house for a day, then fly up to Canada for a show in Winnipeg on the 15th (more info on my myspace), and im back home for good.
ps sorry its been a while, i was waiting for the right time to write about this. take care ya'll
AJ
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
great weekend...
had so much fun this weekend. landed in Virginia on friday morning, and met Suzanne who is one of my really good friends now. Vince Lacsamana got me out for this show (check him out on youtube!) Jeremy (aka Passion) landed like 30 mins after me and we went to the house we stayed at. there were 4 mattresses set up for JR Aquino, me, Gabe Bondoc, and Jeremy. it was awesome. we had FIVE GUYS burger and fries which was freakin BOMB with JR after we picked him up from the bus station. we met plenty of people that night, jammed out till late in the morning with disney songs and old school R&B and boy band songs, and Gabe and Christina Luna arrived late at night, and we CONTINUED our jam session.
saturday was the conference and we had all woken up very early to attend. the first workshop was the asian american music industry workshop led by Christina Luna. she is the head of LunaCo and is an amazing business person and manages the likes of Gabe, Leejay, Legaci, and more. the conference was awesome because we all got to speak (the artists) on our views about the industry, our internet marketing, and music in general. i believe it was a successful workshop with all the students who attended learning something new. we went to georgetown later that night and ate at chipotle, and walked around and took pictures at these very nice fountains.
the show on sunday was definitely one of the most awesome experiences out-of-state i've ever had. ill literacy was there, a hip hop spoken word group, rick cordero was also there, a director and founder of 3/21 media, who has directed the likes of snoop dogg, nas, the roots, and many more. there were many great performances that day, and the show lasted 5 and a half hours!!! sounds long, but every act was good. i know you've probably been to those shows that were that long, waiting for your friend to go up or your favorite artist but inbetween were some really long and lame performances, just being honest. hahah. anyway this show was full of awesome talent and entertainment. jr went on and killed it, and later on gabe went on (whose guitar skills amaze me even more each time i see him perform, then jeremy (passion) went on and called me jr and gabe up to the stage to sing "something special" by usher with him. epic moment, def something i'll never forget. i went on last and played showstopper, starlit nights with turn your lights down low in place of the bridge, a disney medley, my soldier, she was mine ft jr aquino on the chorus hahah, and i just want you. i asked everyone to come to the front to come sing along right before the bridge, and it was so awesome. i didnt realize how many fans i had in this area they call the DMV. i was humbled.
pictures, signings, and cd sellings went great and lasted for an hour or more, then we all ate at honey pig (this bomb korean bbq place, SO BOMB) and said our goodbyes, went back to the house, said more goodbyes, slept very late in the morning, and was dropped off by timi, alan, and suzanne, and said my last goodbyes, while everyone was still sleeping at the house (jr, gabe and jeremy). i was pretty sad on the plane ride back to boston, but everyone's gotta go back to reality sometime.
i came home to a very stressful day to be honest, but that can come later.
heres a video i did with gabe at vince lacsamana's house.
love yall so much
AJ
ps "I JUST WANT YOU" the techno version is up for download for FREE on my myspace. read profile for details
saturday was the conference and we had all woken up very early to attend. the first workshop was the asian american music industry workshop led by Christina Luna. she is the head of LunaCo and is an amazing business person and manages the likes of Gabe, Leejay, Legaci, and more. the conference was awesome because we all got to speak (the artists) on our views about the industry, our internet marketing, and music in general. i believe it was a successful workshop with all the students who attended learning something new. we went to georgetown later that night and ate at chipotle, and walked around and took pictures at these very nice fountains.
the show on sunday was definitely one of the most awesome experiences out-of-state i've ever had. ill literacy was there, a hip hop spoken word group, rick cordero was also there, a director and founder of 3/21 media, who has directed the likes of snoop dogg, nas, the roots, and many more. there were many great performances that day, and the show lasted 5 and a half hours!!! sounds long, but every act was good. i know you've probably been to those shows that were that long, waiting for your friend to go up or your favorite artist but inbetween were some really long and lame performances, just being honest. hahah. anyway this show was full of awesome talent and entertainment. jr went on and killed it, and later on gabe went on (whose guitar skills amaze me even more each time i see him perform, then jeremy (passion) went on and called me jr and gabe up to the stage to sing "something special" by usher with him. epic moment, def something i'll never forget. i went on last and played showstopper, starlit nights with turn your lights down low in place of the bridge, a disney medley, my soldier, she was mine ft jr aquino on the chorus hahah, and i just want you. i asked everyone to come to the front to come sing along right before the bridge, and it was so awesome. i didnt realize how many fans i had in this area they call the DMV. i was humbled.
pictures, signings, and cd sellings went great and lasted for an hour or more, then we all ate at honey pig (this bomb korean bbq place, SO BOMB) and said our goodbyes, went back to the house, said more goodbyes, slept very late in the morning, and was dropped off by timi, alan, and suzanne, and said my last goodbyes, while everyone was still sleeping at the house (jr, gabe and jeremy). i was pretty sad on the plane ride back to boston, but everyone's gotta go back to reality sometime.
i came home to a very stressful day to be honest, but that can come later.
heres a video i did with gabe at vince lacsamana's house.
love yall so much
AJ
ps "I JUST WANT YOU" the techno version is up for download for FREE on my myspace. read profile for details
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
the latest... my sincere apologies...
wow its been a while. im so sorry. i owe you guys an update. to everyone who's been trying to contact me via internet, cell phone, whatever, im sorry its been so hard to contact me lately. i have been struggling with so much: music, love, family, and everything else.
since the last blog, you've probably been wondering about Dustin's status. his operation went well, but the after results are not the best news. his heart was transplanted correctly, but the heart doesn't pump blood fast enough, so complications will slowly start happening. the doctor told him that he only has 13 months to live.
this is the most tragic news anyone can get, especially for the fact that he is a 15-year-old kid who loves music and his family. please pray for him, and i hope the doctors are wrong. i pray to God that he gets better.
(read the previous blogpost and watch the video if you don't know what i am talking about)
anyway last weekend, i dedicated all my songs to him and shared his story with everyone back in california. everyone was touched by his story and his strength and the way that music has touched his soul. please continue to pray.
i have been talking to my friends and we are all discussing a possible fundraiser to get him and his mom out here in the US for a big show this summer. anyone down to help out for that?
anyway, my most recent video has been featured on YOUTUBE.COM on the main page and it's an awesome feeling, it almost feels like ur at the top of the world for a second. "Those Lips". this is all because of all of your support and love. you all deserve some cupcakes. LOVE YOU ALL!!! thank you for being my motivation to keep going and to keep playing. music is the only thing in this world right now that makes sense. keep it alive, and keep it in your life.
-aj
Thursday, April 9, 2009
such great heights..
this blog is overdue. and im sorry about that. i just wanted to take this time to tell you about whats goin on in my life.
just hit 6MILLION plays on my myspace. what the freak. #48 top unsigned artist on MYSPACE. #65 most subscribed all time musicians on youtube. thank you from the bottom of my heart.
but other than cyberspace, ive been chillin w good friends and awesome musicians lately. actually not chillin, but doin work, as in music and writing and practicing. sometimes i feel as if ive put too much on my plate. but i know God won't give me more than i can handle.
just hit 6MILLION plays on my myspace. what the freak. #48 top unsigned artist on MYSPACE. #65 most subscribed all time musicians on youtube. thank you from the bottom of my heart.
but other than cyberspace, ive been chillin w good friends and awesome musicians lately. actually not chillin, but doin work, as in music and writing and practicing. sometimes i feel as if ive put too much on my plate. but i know God won't give me more than i can handle.
ive got a couple of shows coming up. tomorrow (friday) in UMass Boston at 6PM and the rest are on my calendar on my MYSPACE. PLEASE PLEASE check it out i might be going to a town near you.
anyway, this pretty much explains what ive been going through.
meet Jess Delgado (http://youtube.com/jessddelgado, http://myspace.com/jddelgado), & my amazing musician friends Andrew Rhim (http://youtube.com/sorreymusic, http://myspace.com/sorrey, http://twitter.com/andrewrhim) & Kris Collins (http://youtube.com/skuby08, http://twitter.com/kriswak)
anyway, this pretty much explains what ive been going through.
meet Jess Delgado (http://youtube.com/jessddelgado, http://myspace.com/jddelgado), & my amazing musician friends Andrew Rhim (http://youtube.com/sorreymusic, http://myspace.com/sorrey, http://twitter.com/andrewrhim) & Kris Collins (http://youtube.com/skuby08, http://twitter.com/kriswak)
i love you all as much as i love music. well, almost.
hehe jk.
AJ
Monday, March 30, 2009
crazy long weekend/adventures in FL & NY
so thursday morning my band and i were off to florida. we took northwest airlines and it was hella early in the morning. 6am was our flight, so we had to be there by 5. noah, andrew, and i were at andrew's and shiori (shorty) met us there. the plane ride there was not too bad, we stopped in memphis, and once we got in florida, it was raining cats and dogs. first thing shorty said was, "the weather sucks". we were like damn. we got to the hotel cuz ian and nikki (asian american student union board members) picked us up. again, shorty had the first words when we got to the hotel room. seeing two queen-size beds, she quickly said "so hows this gonna work?" we briefly explained that we (as guys) talked about the bed placement and of course decided she was gonna have her own bed, so thats how it was. jr aquino arrived around the same time so we all went together from the airport to the hotel where we all stayed.
the show was later canceled and rescheduled till friday, the next day, which turned out to be the better choice because we hadn't had gotten a drumset yet. later this night, thursday, we all attended an open mic night called "black on black poetry". it was a mostly african-american based poetry night, but me, noah, and jr had enough guts to get up on stage and sing some tunes. instead of clapping, they gave out shakers and it was the most supportive audience ever. noah played for the first time in front of people, and me and andrew played "little piece of home", while jr aquino sang "oh mama" by justin nozuka. when we got home, me noah andrew and jr played bananagrams, while shorty was deep asleep after a long-ass day. me and jr took the floor, and noah and andrew had the bed for the night.
friday was awesome, we rented drums, and shorty chose the best set available (pearl exports) and it was 100 dollars to rent.. for the whole month! so our new friend Vu rented it for his apartment. the show was after a cooking workshop, and it included an awesome poet/spoken word artist by the name of Asia. he was on def jam poetry hosted by mos def on TV and has had many appearances everywhere. he was really inspiring. after him, my band and i played our first show. and it was freakin dope! everyone loved it, and of course i was feelin it. i could play with this band forever. the vibe is just there. after what, FOUR rehearsals altogether?! mannn i couldnt believe how powerful the connection felt that night.
me and jr played the 4 chord tribute at comedy zone later that night, and jr departed from us after that night so he could get some rest. shouts to jon cardona real fast! so jr played a show the net day at FSU while the band and i were OFF to NEW YORK in the AM!
this day was nuts. long story short- got on the plane to atlanta, a mechanic didn't come through till an hour later, so we had to get off the plane. this meant we missed our connecting flight to NY, so we had to reschedule. it changed airports on us, so our baggage wasn't at the new airport even tho it was supposed to be "re-checked". we waited an hour to see if it would come on the next flight from atlanta, but the baggage office guy (he was filipino) told us it was at JFK airport not Laguardia where we were at. we took a taxi to JFK ($35). got dropped off in the wrong place. had to walk up a long ass hill to the right terminal to get our baggage. took another taxi to the venue ($55) and didn't get to sound check because we arrived right at 6PM. which was when the meet&greet started for the show.
WOW.
the fans and the show made up for all that though. i didn't expect to see more than 10 people who knew who i was, but there we were overwhelmed by the love and support. i felt like i was at home. the show was unbelievable. all this talent. check out Stone Forest Ensemble & Magnetic North & Jay Legaspi by the way!!! shorty was feeling sick so she went back to boston on the Chinatown bus right after we played. me andrew and noah were sad, but we made the most of our time in new york, with angel and kris, and ryan bandong & crew. met a lot of new friends and fans, and now im just glad to be back in Boston.
"I Just Want You" - AJ Rafael Band
ps watch in High Quality (HQ) and listen to that MEAN hi-hat that shiori's playin. DAYUMM.
love yall so much. so tired now. gnite.
AJ
the show was later canceled and rescheduled till friday, the next day, which turned out to be the better choice because we hadn't had gotten a drumset yet. later this night, thursday, we all attended an open mic night called "black on black poetry". it was a mostly african-american based poetry night, but me, noah, and jr had enough guts to get up on stage and sing some tunes. instead of clapping, they gave out shakers and it was the most supportive audience ever. noah played for the first time in front of people, and me and andrew played "little piece of home", while jr aquino sang "oh mama" by justin nozuka. when we got home, me noah andrew and jr played bananagrams, while shorty was deep asleep after a long-ass day. me and jr took the floor, and noah and andrew had the bed for the night.
friday was awesome, we rented drums, and shorty chose the best set available (pearl exports) and it was 100 dollars to rent.. for the whole month! so our new friend Vu rented it for his apartment. the show was after a cooking workshop, and it included an awesome poet/spoken word artist by the name of Asia. he was on def jam poetry hosted by mos def on TV and has had many appearances everywhere. he was really inspiring. after him, my band and i played our first show. and it was freakin dope! everyone loved it, and of course i was feelin it. i could play with this band forever. the vibe is just there. after what, FOUR rehearsals altogether?! mannn i couldnt believe how powerful the connection felt that night.
me and jr played the 4 chord tribute at comedy zone later that night, and jr departed from us after that night so he could get some rest. shouts to jon cardona real fast! so jr played a show the net day at FSU while the band and i were OFF to NEW YORK in the AM!
this day was nuts. long story short- got on the plane to atlanta, a mechanic didn't come through till an hour later, so we had to get off the plane. this meant we missed our connecting flight to NY, so we had to reschedule. it changed airports on us, so our baggage wasn't at the new airport even tho it was supposed to be "re-checked". we waited an hour to see if it would come on the next flight from atlanta, but the baggage office guy (he was filipino) told us it was at JFK airport not Laguardia where we were at. we took a taxi to JFK ($35). got dropped off in the wrong place. had to walk up a long ass hill to the right terminal to get our baggage. took another taxi to the venue ($55) and didn't get to sound check because we arrived right at 6PM. which was when the meet&greet started for the show.
WOW.
the fans and the show made up for all that though. i didn't expect to see more than 10 people who knew who i was, but there we were overwhelmed by the love and support. i felt like i was at home. the show was unbelievable. all this talent. check out Stone Forest Ensemble & Magnetic North & Jay Legaspi by the way!!! shorty was feeling sick so she went back to boston on the Chinatown bus right after we played. me andrew and noah were sad, but we made the most of our time in new york, with angel and kris, and ryan bandong & crew. met a lot of new friends and fans, and now im just glad to be back in Boston.
"I Just Want You" - AJ Rafael Band
ps watch in High Quality (HQ) and listen to that MEAN hi-hat that shiori's playin. DAYUMM.
love yall so much. so tired now. gnite.
AJ
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
apologize...
it's too late.
sorry i haven't been on this blogspot. after my birthday things got crazy a little bit. celebrated it 3 times. twice here in Boston, and once in California. Larry & Jesse from My American Heart came to my house so everyone felt "cool" and we made the most of the night on saturday. they stayed over and we all chilled on Sunday. the start of spring break was awesome. MUSIC.
it was so nice being home, almost too nice. no cold-ax wind, no below freezing weather, no walking around the whole dang town, and no school. i wanted to stay forever. andrew rhim (my guitarist) came down on wednesday, and we played a show at Diamond Bar HS which went better than i expected. we played a show the next day at my old middle school Vista Heights. Friday was the big show in San Diego at "It's Yogurt Time" and everyone loved andrew which was dope becuz i've never really had another guitarist play with me at a show, besides Steven Cole whom some of you probably remember.
me, dusty, and rb spent a lot of time in Chino (dustynaka and rbizzzle on twitter) during spring break. it was awesome. i chilled with a lot of old friends back home, but not everyone, which was kinda sad because i had a whole week opposed to just the weekend and i still didn't have time for everyone. next time for sure.
tomorrow i'm practicing with my band one last time before the shows this weekend. thursday at Florida State University @ the Union Green at 6PM and friday at Comedian Zone at FSU as well. JR Aquino is also performing. saturday is a show in NEW YORK at the American Red Cross Headquarters in New York on 49th St. show starts at 6 and Magnetic North is playing. can't wait.
this weekend is gonna be awesome with my band. we've named ourselves (after weeks and weeks of hard pondering) the AJ Rafael Band. short and sweet. we did have a couple of names in line. AJ Rafael and the: Loveless, Hi-Tops, Infinite Playlist, Nine Lives, just to name a few. glad we came to this decision tho. more profiles on them later. they are the dopest people.
school's getting better, but Boston's not. i realized how much of my heart i left in Cali this time around. Boston got nothin on the west coast. no offense.
to see videos from last weeks shows search "aj rafael yogurt time" "aj rafael diamond bar" on YOUTUBE.COM and you will find them.
love you all and sorry for the lag.
my newest video. don't forget to follow me on twitter.com. ya'll should all get one!!! aj rafael's twitter profile
AJ
sorry i haven't been on this blogspot. after my birthday things got crazy a little bit. celebrated it 3 times. twice here in Boston, and once in California. Larry & Jesse from My American Heart came to my house so everyone felt "cool" and we made the most of the night on saturday. they stayed over and we all chilled on Sunday. the start of spring break was awesome. MUSIC.
it was so nice being home, almost too nice. no cold-ax wind, no below freezing weather, no walking around the whole dang town, and no school. i wanted to stay forever. andrew rhim (my guitarist) came down on wednesday, and we played a show at Diamond Bar HS which went better than i expected. we played a show the next day at my old middle school Vista Heights. Friday was the big show in San Diego at "It's Yogurt Time" and everyone loved andrew which was dope becuz i've never really had another guitarist play with me at a show, besides Steven Cole whom some of you probably remember.
me, dusty, and rb spent a lot of time in Chino (dustynaka and rbizzzle on twitter) during spring break. it was awesome. i chilled with a lot of old friends back home, but not everyone, which was kinda sad because i had a whole week opposed to just the weekend and i still didn't have time for everyone. next time for sure.
tomorrow i'm practicing with my band one last time before the shows this weekend. thursday at Florida State University @ the Union Green at 6PM and friday at Comedian Zone at FSU as well. JR Aquino is also performing. saturday is a show in NEW YORK at the American Red Cross Headquarters in New York on 49th St. show starts at 6 and Magnetic North is playing. can't wait.
this weekend is gonna be awesome with my band. we've named ourselves (after weeks and weeks of hard pondering) the AJ Rafael Band. short and sweet. we did have a couple of names in line. AJ Rafael and the: Loveless, Hi-Tops, Infinite Playlist, Nine Lives, just to name a few. glad we came to this decision tho. more profiles on them later. they are the dopest people.
school's getting better, but Boston's not. i realized how much of my heart i left in Cali this time around. Boston got nothin on the west coast. no offense.
to see videos from last weeks shows search "aj rafael yogurt time" "aj rafael diamond bar" on YOUTUBE.COM and you will find them.
love you all and sorry for the lag.
my newest video. don't forget to follow me on twitter.com. ya'll should all get one!!! aj rafael's twitter profile
AJ
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
the big 2-0
sorry guys its been so long. a week and a day. its my birthday tomorrow. well in about 2 hours it will be. i am watching Hercules right now for the 5th time cuz i just got it on my computer. "go the distance" is one of my favorite songs. so i've been really busy lately, rehearsing with my band, getting ready for midterms, and this weekend i played scrabble till the middle of the morning with angel, kris collins, andrew rhim, and ryan bandong (visited from new york). im gonna have dinner with a couple of friends tomorrow and friday to celebrate my birthday =] tomorrow theres a concert in the Berklee Performance Center and my drummer, Shiori, is gonna play in it so im gonna watch that. also... PAUL SIMON will be at Berklee teaching a clinic tomorrow!!! i'm going!!!!! =]
if ya'll are wondering how my schooling is doing, its going well. i didnt really choose hard classes this semester, mostly labs. so our assignment every week is pretty much just to learn a song. i have 11 classes. hahaha.
if ya'll are wondering how my schooling is doing, its going well. i didnt really choose hard classes this semester, mostly labs. so our assignment every week is pretty much just to learn a song. i have 11 classes. hahaha.
Monday
4-6: adv. Vocal Techniques (with an awesome teacher; Donna McElroy)
Tuesday
10-12: Great American Songbook Lab
2-4: Stage Performance with Livingston Taylor (James Taylor's brother!)
Wednesday
9-11: Hip Hop Production & Writing
2-3: Vocal Skills for the Self-Accompanying Singer
3:30-4: Private Lesson
4-6: Flo-ology
6-8: Contemporary Christian Ensemble
Thursday
2-4: Lyric Writing
4-5: Vocal Styles Lab-Jazz/Blues
Friday
NO CLASS!!!
it is midterm week this week, and so far all my classes are worth going to. as you see i'm not taking Harmony and Ear Training (which is required to graduate) but for now im just trying to make the most of what i can while im here at Berklee. im trying to learn as much as possible, so with Harmony and Ear Training, i'm just pretty much reading the books and hoping to take those finals and get credit for the classes if i choose to continue here at Berklee.
turning 20 means i am no longer a teenager. which means i must start thinking about where my life is headed. as of right now-- i am going to be a professional musician. and i am going to spread my music to as many people possible. and i'm going to make it. i know i say that every time, but i mustn't give up, right?
love you all, and i just recently hit 5MILLION plays on myspace, thats just ridiculous. thanks to all of YOU.
please view my interview on YOUTRAX.TV, a nice guy by the name of michael boyce interviewed me for his show and did some awesome editing. thanks for checking it out if you have already!
upcoming shows: March 20th, in Chula Vista-San Diego at a yogurt place called "It's Yogurt Time". 6PM.
March 26th & 27th at Florida State University (more details TBA)
March 28th in New York at American Red Cross in Greater New York.
find all the addresses on my myspace! at http://myspace.com/ajrafael
thanks for everything. heres my favorite song by the man himself, Gabe Bondoc. "Gentlemen Don't"
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