lullaby- a soothing song, usually sung to someone before they go to sleep, with the intention of speeding that process.
His kiss lullabied my broken
Pushed me through my process
With speed so I could fly past
My ancient decayed grief
He songbird my freedom
Into weapons marked dangerous
I watched him catch my heart
Rebound over stars and cross-fireworks
He cradle rocked on my harmonies
Lifting me till i rediscovered the true composer
Of the sweet music spinning over the
Broken record of my heart
The Movement of Magic
READ this, then LISTEN to the song. This may provide some insight on why my road continues to lead me back to this island. I admit that magic happens all the time in my world. But there seems to be elements in a magic moment that stand out from others I have experienced. I am discovering that the key to a movement of magic is the ability for the people who created the magic to somehow find new ways to allow the movement to last longer than the moment lasted. Because of our movement, I will never forget this moment.
live-ktuh-honolulu-the-alley
Iyeoka – vocals
B Cap – vocals
Joel Spiral – beatbox/vocals/ukulele
David Mergens – Pahu (tahitian bass drum)
Slo – ‘yea’
SMILE
I imagine that I learned at a very young age that people respond well to me when i smile.
So i smile everywhere…in pictures, in the supermarket, walking down the street, in front of my mirror, EVERYWHERE.
Especially in places where i know i will encounter new people who do not know me yet.
I smile in places where there are people who know me but i may not know them yet.
My favorite two moments to smile are anywhere I am presenting a performance and during a yoga class.
Yoga class yields one of my favorite gratifications of the smile because spiritually, it gives me a noticeable uplift that i assume it gives to other people who receive the smile. Smiling through the poses makes me feel like the struggle is in the opposite side of difficult, and it puts my eyes at ease. Sometimes when I smile, I feel the instructor notice me. Now I can’t be sure of this, because at the same time, I am usually within my own moment. But I feel the instructor recognize my smile. And then the instructor says to the class, “Smile everyone”! It’s almost like through my actions I have inspired the instructor to remind people to include what looks so effortless to produce. After all, we are striking all these physically challenging poses yet the easiest pose of all we sometimes forget to exercise. Yes, smiling through yoga class comes natural to me.
However, I must admit that I am still just a smile master in training. My greatest teachers of this ancient practice consist of all the beautiful responders of the smile who have stopped me in my moment to acknowledge it. These people would say, “I like your smile”, or “wow, you look happy today” or “do you know you have a presence about you”, or “you really know how to light up a room”. They might not know exactly why that is and again, I can’t be sure either. But I know that it begins with a simple smile.
All of these comments come from my teachers of all ages–from my 4 year old niece to the 86 year old man who used to bring me yams at the Grove Hall pharmacy that he grew in his garden. I envision their words as lessons in life that contribute to shaping my future experiences and routines. These are simple lessons in understanding how the world will translate our unique body language. My smile is natural and consistent to my body language. But I sometimes smile when I am in turmoil. Like right before I slam my poetry on a really big stage—I am smiling but at the same time I am terrified.
The smile always helps me push past my emotionally charged fears. Being terrified is exhausting, but smiling seems to help—much like it helps me through my yoga practice.
In fact, I am so advanced at smiling through difficult times that often I must tell people who are very close to me that although I am smiling right now, I am not very happy. I had to learn to do this particularly with people who I spend most of my time with so I can effectively ask for help when I need it. Because sometimes, it does not occur to these people that I am in distress unless I tell them what I am experiencing.
In some ways, this is why my poetry is so important to my well being as I continue through my process of becoming. The act of sharing my poetry supplies me with an efficient balance of combining all the linguistic and expressive tools that I need to capably address moments that at some point warranted the creation of the poem. A poem that I felt was important enough to write down, edit, and eventually memorize. Poetry continuously helps me exercise the activity of expressing myself with words. Because in most cases, words are easier for the world to understand than actions. Even actions that appear as effortless as a smile.
“just because we’re in the bathroom and need to pee doesn’t mean that we GOTTA STOP DANCING!!!”
Last night at Uhuru Afrika, I felt like I was in an underground club in Lagos with all of my friends who happened to be visiting me in Nigeria from the US. Yup, i felt like I was home. I met some incredible women in the bathroom. Everyone was making eye contact and sometimes we hugged and sometimes we danced chanting “just because we’re in the bathroom and need to pee doesn’t mean that we GOTTA STOP DANCING!!!”. This was a pretty awesome revelation–for all of us I think.
Girl with the beautiful auburn hair, girl with the fabulous pumps who admitted the fab was hurting her feet but SO WORTH IT–and of course I understood because they were indeed awesome, girl who’s gonna be traveling to Nigeria around the same time I will be there, amazing girls who saw me as an artistic spiritual connection with their incredible sister they recently lost who no doubt was in the room with us that night, girl who helped me remember why she seemed so familiar to me–we talked about how horrible it would be to have Alzheimer’s and what a gift it is to remember anything–especially good memories and beautiful coincidences, girl who went after the boy and realized immediately that he wasn’t worth her time–BIG VICTORY, told her it’s better to know now so you don’t waste your time daydreaming about someone not ready or worthy of the full potential of the manifest, girl who smiled when she saw me, guy who took a picture of me when i was having my moment then showed me my moment, guy who remembered me from back in the day at the Lizard and invited me to have coffee at his coffee shop he now runs in town, seeing dope dj guy who i’ve always seen spinning, out with the people enjoying the moment too–he even said he’d try and make my rescheduled video shoot, girl who dances, girl who I’ve know for years who I haven’t seen in years, even strange man with the strange energy who walked around firmly bumping into people in attempts to project his power—he failed miserably in my opinion—. Watching people be good to each other was really refreshing. Usually, I am surrounded by that–but usually I put alot of effort in making that kind of environment happen. This night was different—this night it would have been there whether I was there or not and that made me happy.
I have no clear ranking of all of these moments I had but here are some really great ones…
I heard my name in a song. LITERALLY. I hear the voice in the music chant—EEEYOOO–KA–eeeVeeA–Ooh-KWA-WOOh—-over and over again. Now that’s my FULL name Iyeoka Ivie Okoawo phonetically And I was looking around like—what the F! is this a joke or am I hallucinating for no reason. In fact I hadn’t even had 2 sips of my Magners–and I ask Jill and she seemed to kinda hear it too therefore confirming it. So I think I’m pretty sure I heard what I think I heard and THAT WAS AMAZING. Talk about the Universe telling you that you are supposed to be somewhere.
Last honorable mention was a healer I met readjusting her beautiful head-wrap named Christy who ended up busting out two poems for me in the bathroom after telling me she is a closet slam poet. I Never even thought that combination still truly existed—so I was intrigued. In fact, in hindsight, I doubt that she really sees herself that way.
I’d imagine she was simply looking for the right moment to shine. And last night she did. IN THE BATHROOM!!! This girl busted a poem in the bathroom. That’s the kind of magic that happens at National Poetry Slam competitions. I NEVER really expected to experience that kind of uplift of the spontaneous moment for poetry from a stranger outside of my extraordinary experiences at NPS—honestly 10 years competing at NPS gives me the vision to recognize what I am in when I am in it regarding the spirit and faith to POET freely to a stranger—and we were in it. Needless to say—i spent alot of time in the bathroom. About the same amount of the time dancing and walking through the energy in the crowd. After a number of other really incredible experiences with a number of different people at this club night I remember thinking to myself–wow–outside of when I am performing or out exploring a new city–i REALLY don’t get out that much anymore since I’ve been performing full time and touring. It felt good to be in that spirit, in that experience, in this skin, right at home here in Boston.
Listen to The Yellow Brick Road song by Iyeoka
IYEOKA MUSIC ON JANGO
PRESS RELEASE OF “HOW TO MAKE IT” & IYEOKA
PRESS RELEASE
GET TO KNOW IYEOKA
IYEOKA is a lover of the usual–anything in full bloom, crescent moons, summer rain, miracles, most fellas named David, lazy days in June, ALL usages of the smiley face emoticon, good movies, beagles in need of a little love and a lot of exercise, soulful melodies, skinny dippers, electric blankets in the winter, happily ever after endings, watching a beautiful woman dive into an ocean and a truly brave man dive after her, poems that begin at the end, poems with clever beginnings, subliminal morals in a story, and catching side glances of thunder and rainbows in waterfalls;
IYEOKA is the sworn enemy of the ugly side of beauty, dirty underwear, MTV’s Real World except for the very first one that was the one and only REAL real world, permanent frowns–although she believes she can turn them upside down with her don’t worry be happy songs, general mud throwers and stereotypes that all Nigerians are 419 scam cons.
Born and raised in the heart of Boston by two very deep rooted Nigerian parents, Iyeoka learned from an early age the value of education and the poison of poverty, the meaning of words like hope and change and the power we have to manifest the change you were hoping for.
Now on her third installment to her life’s work, she writes deep, lyrical, catchy, soul-baring music that has drawn comparisons to the timbre of Sade and the thirst of a young undiscovered Nina Simone. She has two independent releases under her belt, 2004’s LP “Black and Blues”; 2008’s LP “Hum the Bass Line”, both produced by Francis Phan; and Fall 2009 releases of 2 of 3 EP’s leading to her third full length project, a self-titled debut album with independent label Underground Sun Records.
On the eve of mainstream recognition, Iyeoka’s newest single “The Yellow Brick Road Song”, produced by composer David Franz and recently placed in the third episode of HBO’s newest series “How To Make It In America”, embodies the raw philosophies of a hopeless optimist highlighting messages to the world that “…I know just how possible we are, we can follow our own yellow brick road. And there’s no tornado that can stop us now!”
Iyeoka is currently recording songs between Boston and LA while traveling to distances near and far offering her music and poetry for a living.
The Yellow Brick Road song by Iyeoka
more music here:
http://www.jango.com/music/IYEOKA
Nneka comes to Boston
On 2/4/10, Iyeoka was invited to meet Nneka and Bojah at their sound check in the Middle East an hour before their SOLD OUT show in Boston.
Iyeoka posts on Facebook on 2/5/2010, “Iyeoka Ivie Okoawo Is Heading home after a productively amazing rehearsal…finally a little rest for this Nigerian girl 
Still powered up from watching Nneka and her band last night masterfully hypnotiZe me in the front row. She made me excited to keep working hard.”
Until i overflow: (a song)
i feel closer to you now
and i know how far away you really are
like the moon that hangs down tonight so low
no one knows why you appear to rain down until i overflow
inside me like the light that dances around my soul
i hear music now in ever room you used to be
city lights chase the sun ray you gave me on our last days
everything we were
i still believe we could be
and no one has to know
no one has to know
no one has to know
no, no no—
until i overflow
no one has to know
no one has to know
no, no, no
until i overflow
ooh…
how long you have loved me
how long it will take you to let me go
how long it will take for me to find you again
somewhere far from this place we used to know
until autumn traces these tears falling on Beacon Hill cobble stones
until we remember how softly winter comes and goes
until i can breath as freely as the sweet spring that carries on
until a summer rain sings a song to cool me down
until i overflow
ooh…
the wind will follow me now
take the break to glide on your own
remember me being somewhere believing in you
somewhere closer to god
i will send you a prayer to find your way
cut up the moon and replay every moment of our yesterdays
this time i will let you sail away to that place you will soon call home
and no one has to know
no one has to know
no, no, no…no one has to know
no one has to know
no one has to know
no one has to know
until i overflow
ooh…
until i overflow
ooh…
IYEOKA LIVE Archives:This Is LIFE medley:Hit the GROUND Running/SHOUT
This is one of Iyeoka’s favorite anonymously captured moments of her journey…
Watch as Iyeoka transforms her audience into an orchestra. Featured in this video is Bryonn Bain, Safari, and Crystal Johnson. This is the first time she performed her song eventually produced by Francis Phan, THIS IS LIFE featuring The Foundation Movement. Phan uses an excerpt from this LIVE audio to compose the track. circa 2005
**my 2 cents** Response to a post on Musformation
I am a recording artist currently working with David Franz (Underground Sun) on a record scheduled to be released in September and I must chime in with the —So TRUE! I’m glad you posted this note that seems so obvious but really isn’t. Sometimes when recording artists and producers are “on the go with a moment” you let things slide and figure you’ll get it later. However, the more efficient way to work is to try and catch the snags before they catch up with you and your project. At the end of a work day in the studio the artist gets to walk away with at least a best case scenario recording and the producer has that much less to worry about when the time comes to further evolve the track. Even when I’m recording a “scratch vocal” my goal is always to try and offer the performance as the keeper. In the long run it ends up saving a ton of time for everyone involved.
Nice post Jesse!
Iyeoka
Poet, Recording Artist
By Jesse Cannon on February 5, 2010 12:51 PM |
About a decade ago I can remember reading an interview with god of recording Steve Albini, in which he dispensed the advice “fix it now, not later”, when making a record. Ten years or more later I think of that saying on a nearly daily basis. With years of thought I realize this may be one of the most important philosophies in making a good record and the more I get better with it, the better my records become.
In time I have realized when I haven’t followed this mantra there has been times when I have thought about the mistake I heard in a song for more time then it takes to fix it. Not good. As an added need to fix it as soon as possible, is it is usually easier to fix any mistake right when it happens, rather than later on. We all know that the idea of fixing things in the mix is the saying of an amateur, but the real reality is the faster you fix every flaw the easier it is to work and the happier you are with each and every record you make. Isn’t that what it’s all about?
original post found here
http://musformation.com/2010/02/recording-tip—fix-it-now-not-later.html
poem after breaking down again
part of me missed it
the intensity of the sleepless
the 4 hours or less
the getting up to the daily
the drive that gives everything
the unfamiliar
the insomnia
the exhausting fear of anything heavy lasting longer than I can carry
the solitude
the missing something that wasn’t happening
the missing someone who wasn’t here
the breaking
the breath that shapes the smoky cold wind
i feel myself overcoming
sometimes not too often
then returning to the birth of believing
that part of me misses this
letting go
letting my words
change me
taking you there
taking me there
taking us anywhere
that lifts us beyond this
i’m so ready
for the melody
for the spell to be broken
for the next time
the next song
the next reason to collapse on stage
to be real and vulnerable
and embarrassed that i’m doing it again
the letting go
the breaking
the breath that shapes the smoky cold wind
the poem that turns it all back into sunshine
I Fasted today for Gabrielle.
The Life Sentence of Gabrielle Bouliane
I fasted till sundown today and cried alot. I thought about all of our adventures together. I can’t write them down write now. I guess I’m not ready for that yet. I’m going to try my best to celebrate life tonight. It’s my great friend Angela’s birthday fiesta! My sundown fasting for Gabby is technically over. And Because I cant write details about us yet–i went on Gabby FB page for solace and found some lovely moments to bend me back to a version of balance i need to get out of my bed and eat something.
So here my friend Ekabumi put it quite nicely—i decided to cut and paste it here so all my good friends who might not know her too well can have a glimpse at least:
Charles Ekabhumi Ellik writes:
It was a very auspicious time to depart, under a full moon, the brightest moon of the year, and while the moon was Swa in the 1st house of virtue, dignity and fame. Well done, old friend!
Last night I went to a puja and prayed for Gabrielle at the feet of the Goddess. I imagined her bright and glowing, with a brilliant smile, dancing off with the enlightened Dakinis to her next adventure. I have no doubt she is in a joyful place.
Gabrielle was a great friend to many, many people. I and dozens other poets crashed at her spot while on tour. Her apartment in Seattle was tiny, but cozy. Folks liked her so much we stayed at her place even when bigger spots were offered. I and the entire San Francisco slam team once hijacked her place for almost a week! I slept on the floor with her cats. She love the poetry community, and proudly dedicated an entire wall of her living room dedicated to poetry slam memorabilia, posters, and staff badges. There was a story for every artifact. She filmed, edited, and publicized hundreds of poets for little or no pay. She was the hostest with the mostest at the annual Erotic Open Mic, where signature ensemble was a sequined dress that showed off her curves, and a pair of bunny ears. This is why so many of her poet friends have bunnies, or bunny ears on their Faceboook profile icons. She was one of those folks you could always count on to volunteer and exceed expectations. She was fun!
Her dying was and is a great gift to our community, in that she was so graceful in her departure, so generous in sharing the experience with so many, so compassionate in asking her friends to look deeply at their own feelings about this important moment when we part from the physical body.
May we all serve our fellow beings with such generosity. May we all shine so brightly! May we all go with such elegance! Thank you for the inspiration, Gabrielle!
it could look like a moment like this one
too many hours crowd surfing
remembering teachings from Uncle my lomi teacher i met in hawaii last spring
he scolded me for coming to see him without a good breakfast
i told him i had a banana and he said it wasnt enough
the advice was like being born
he said more
he said cut down on the computer use
visit the ocean every chance you get
get ready for the unexpected resurfacing
this is not a poem
just punctuation on hiatus
with a few limited subliminal messages
i wrote them for myself
and on days like today i say
yes iyeoka, i know—i’m listening.
i’m finding my way
the point is, she’s my hero.
i’m thinking about my mother as I’m writing this. last poem i wrote for my mother was over 10 years ago. I spoke about her hands. she loved that poem. Now that I know her so much better—I can smile at memories that I used to remember differently. i see you now mommy.
___________________________________________________________
i’m a traveler
i travel for love
to love
in search of–
pulled by it
i make it
with moments
i inherited my spirit
from my mother Aminetu.
She journeyed to the US
from Nigeria for love.
she claims for education
i say she did it for love
she loves him
Daddy needed to be challenged by an educated woman
So she gave birth to 4 children–this self made woman
She managed to achieve the highest degree in her field of education.
I call her Doctor Mommy sometimes. She loves that. My mom is just like me—
full of passion, chases rainbows like it’s her undercover mission.
She taught me how to survive everything.
She prays for me often.
I love that.
She makes me feel like
I
am
in good
hands
newsletter sent to my peeps
|
SPECIAL
Song Dedication “I am Descending” 
Descending by Iyeoka This song is another single off the full length album due in March 2010 with Underground Sun. I wrote the song about 8/9 years ago and used to perform a basic version of this at the Lizard Lounge on most sunday nights. If u remember this holla! I’ve written a ton of songs these past 10 years but “Descending” was special to me in many ways. For one thing…it was the first song that Jerome Deupree (drummer/Morphine) ever commented to me he would love to produce. I don’t even think i knew what that meant at the time. I’m hoping you will listen and think of someone you love. Let me know what YOU think. REAL TALK–I’ll be traveling back out to LA to record more songs for the album in the new year and I must admit that the experience puts me in a bit of a bubble. It can be very isolating for someone like me who feeds off of eye contact, whiskey and heart beats. I need you. happy new year ps–i’m blogging my journey here. send me a shout out on my website and i’ll hit you back with something top secret. Quick links to follow me on TOO if u choose to dance in my TRiBE
like a pretty little unbridled butterfly: TWITTER FaCEBOOK TUMBLR SONICBIDS LALA ILIKE |
I think I farmed seven harmonies today.
One of the benefits of working occasionally at a pharmacy these days is the absence of pressure to create a daily masterpiece. I use masterpiece casually because one never really knows WHEN and “in what form” a masterpiece will manifest. But one of the challenges of mastering my sparks of creativity is that it is so difficult for me to just sit down and write sometimes. I get so distracted by my fascination with productive productivity and my intense intentions of trying to implement ideas that will lead me to the next idea.
Blocking out the right moment to write is always rewarding but draining. When I’m working as a pharmacist—yes I get drained sometimes too–but I experience No guilt RESIDUALS from choosing to binge on TV instead of write —sleep endlessly instead of write— go shopping instead of write—-vacuum instead of write—color coordinate my hat and scarf collection instead of write— I could go on forever with this. When I’m an Rph I have the guarantee that my time at work will be productive. Meaning– prescriptions will be quality checked, sometimes a life saved and I will receive a fat quality check for my services at the end of the week.
BONUS—is that I know my job. These days I like my job. So I can permit my subconscious to continue practicing the art of compartmentalizing all the words and emotions and the countless incredible images and memories of the past and future that SWIM through my head constantly. All the melodies that pop in and out of my moments I’m able to stamp it with a manifest later label and instantly my 8-10 hours working at a pharmacy becomes the distance between dreaming of harvesting music and literally farming harmonies subconsciously. I think I farmed seven harmonies today. I’m assuming the universe is telling me that I have settled into some level of balance that is attached to my current collection of circumstances. Honestly, I have no idea how much longer pharmacy will continue to be a part of the combination that complete me. But it’s pretty funny for me to find myself admitting that right now, it kinda does.
Damien Rice, wild rice, and Iyeoka reunite over lunch.
Damien Rice’s Eskimo. period. That album in genius. GENIUS. This guy basically recorded the whole thing with his Eskimo friends in his basement studio i think i heard. I’m telling you;;;you never know when masterpieces are going to evolve. I can recall years ago my buddy Liz M. put me on to him and I would seriously BINGE on some Eskimo Friends action. So pulling it out today was a big reunion. I haven’t played him in a while and he has no idea all the new cool songs I’ve been writing.
So as I’m breaking down trying to figure out how Damien Rice has effected my inspiration of beauty trigger, I’m cooking myself lunch. Catfish, onions, peppers, eggplant, carrots, shrimp and my newest favorite ingredient, KILBASA—all over white rice (ha ha Damien white Rice). I’m listening to the album while I’m cooking. I’m also reflecting on the song on my current album–to be released in march–I think we’re calling it TESTIFY–but containing a bunch of songs from our two EP’s This Time Around and Run Into the Rain. I become instantly aware of how grateful I am to be working with two of the best paired producers of ALL TIME. Completely undiscovered gem of talent those two. I guess you never know what kind of magic can manifest when two people who have similar knowledge and diverse paths to manifesting it get together. The impact can be extremely ATOMIC though. Atomic in a good way of course. Anyway, I settled on the thought that I recognized how lucky I was and how lucky Damien Rice must have felt when he was creating his dream project. This nuclear thought came to me and I (ew, my dog just sniffed my other dogs ass–am I the only one who thinks that’s gross—especially when I’m eating)—ANYWAY, that nuclear thought came to me and that’s when I began to visualize the parallels of potential. I see images of me in the studio recording a song in the Slingshot Studio in Boston, then I see myself in Underground Studios in Venice. CA (home of CALIFORNICATION Showtime show with David Dachoveney–i loved that show even before I ever journeyed to Venice btw)–
Then I imagine Damian Rice in his basement. The basement actually looked like Franz’s old studio when he lived in Boston–I guess the mind tries to make images feel comfortable even if their out of place— easy pulling from a familar roladex if the mind can’t place the spot somewhere accurate. (aww my dogs are playing. This is so cute. Especially since one is a mut and really old and one is a young plumpy beagle) ANYWAY –i imagine both of us like split screen creating our personal masterpieces.
I hope my project is received as well–that would be a great part of that image.
Is catfish fattening? It feels kinda fatty. My food tastes good by the way. Except that its cold now because I keep putting my plate of food down to type this post.
alright, Iyeoka out.
ps. come out to Tommy Doyle’s Saturday Night if ur in Boston. My band is dope–AND we’re playing some new songs from the new EP’s aforementioned.
“Really OKODUWA?!? REALLY are you going to play that SONG AGAIN?!? “
So I was thinking today on how listeners will choose to categorize my new music. Then I moved on to imagining people listening to my music in their cars, on their headphones, in the bedrooms and it hit me—that once we release this new music the definition of what it is and what category it fits is irrelevant if the music and the lyrics and everything that makes it a song—IS GOOD. This new music is no more mine than it is David Franz and Francis Phan, my producers in this project, no more mine than the people that are listening— that will listen.
THIS music we are creating may or may not be for the average people. The point was NOT to smooth out the edges of music and let us twist it into what we think mainstream will run towards. Mass marketing is the strategy of making average products for average people but I believe as artists we have a responsibility to the art we take so much time and heart to create to tag the level of ABOVE average and search for the fruit in a melody that grips the inspiration of exceptional. I want to listen to a song 5 times in a row if i want to and not feel like it doesn’t speak to me any less the first time or the last.
I remember growing up in a small apartment in Mission Hill, a neighborhood in Boston. I remember my brother Okoduwa falling in love with a song pressing rewind on the tape deck and playing it over and over and over again. After about the 100th time my other brother Omoizele who shared the same room with him would scream something in the likes of “Really OKODUWA?!? REALLY are you going to play that SONG AGAIN?!? Of course for me it was quite entertaining to watch this exchange go down— but what it also did besides entertain me was to help me understand early on in my life the power music had to move you to do impractical things—- like listen to something 100 times in a row.
i can proudly testify that I do the same. I can’t help but love what I love when it comes to music and if I DON’T play my favorite song mainstream radio may not either. So play that song 100 times a day if you dig it. I am likely going to do the same.
Also, I’d like to report the song my big brother Okoduwa currently has on repeat on his ipod is This Time Around (From the This Time Around EP). Yup, I’m keeping track
-iyeoka
