August 2nd, 2008
one day in about the year 2004 or 2005 shane asked me, have you ever listened to betty davis? and i was like, the old actress? he was like no, she was this hot chick married to miles davis. he lent me the self titled album that has this model/funk diva posing on the cover in over the knee silver platform boots, itty bitty denim shorts and a properly gigantic afro. i was like, who dis?
it’s funny now, thinking about how hesitant he was on what i’d think of it. he was like, i thiiiiiink you might like it. you’ll appreciate it. tell me what you think. my taste at the time was definitely more conservative. shane was just managing to warm me up to pre-war blues and country, which i initially found very depressing. it took time for me to understand that for it’s time, it was party music. my opinions about blues have been upended even further, in reading Escaping the Delta, about the invention of the ragged blues player image that record companies pushed for years in order to sell to white audiences, after black folks were totally over it and on to other things. i wish shane and i would have gotten to discuss that book more. again, at the time i was just warming up to music journalism and he just threw it out there, saying basically that the book was upending his perceptions. and for him to learn so much new info about a subject and genre he studied so diligently, well, it would have been some great conversation.
i listened to this funky sexy nasty betty davis album while working in a cold, sterile and oppresive government job environment. the music was popping in my ears. it was in such opposition to what i was looking at and doing with my hands. he was right- i did appreciate it. it made me laugh out loud even. i think it was too funky for me at the time to listen to it more than a few times over, but i think i had planned to revisit it. weird, since now i’ve got to find that shit and put it on heavy rotation.
the reason i got to thinking about betty davis today is because she came into my work today. when i heard she was in i skipped through the kitchen, fluffed up my fro and popped into the juice bar to “check on something”. actually i just wanted to see her. she was so cute! tiny and bright faced. i couldn’t help but beam at her, and she looked at me and smiled right back. in retrospect (pun haha) i would have liked to speak with her and shake her hand, but i may have another chance. i guess she frequents the juice bar, and eats really healthy and does juice fasts and such. she was carrying a big bunch of flowers.
anyways, here’s links to a few articles. although, i had to write to the first source and set them right on a few facts. they said she’s “dead broke, living the the pittsburgh getto”. naybe they thought that would boost sales.
http://www.lightintheattic.net/releases/bettydavis/
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=765
today, i’ve got betty davis eyes.
July 24th, 2008
July 1st, 2008
go to http://cdbaby.com/cd/alishawesterman to listen, purchase, and write a review!
June 7th, 2008
March 10th, 2008
robots are the turn on of the century
doesn’t change what gemini meant to me
in the tropical heat each day’s valentine’s
in the frozen degrees we can slow stuff down
slow down our breath like yogis and ninjas
and fake our death
wouldn’t that be a neat trick?
slippin off just to give your heart a break from the beat
*
i don’t want to hurt no one, i cried
don’t know- maybe i’ve got the evil eye
like midas’s touch, ’stead of turning gold
seems i’m kissing goodbye whomever i’m kissing hello
everyday monsters rear fierce gods
i’m the monster and they’re the gods
they rise up and pull me out of a cave to the light
*
arrested was the heart of my dear old dad
he sat up in bed, said i’m not dead yet
and you can tell that to all of the worried ears
i’m stickin it out for a star-studded grip of years
so let the magnificent squalls come
where’s my compass and where’s my rum
weigh the anchor let’s take her out for a moonlit run
February 6th, 2008
practice with Misha is going well. having fun with the songs. i myself am just finishing a new song yet to be titled, and John Chao from Misha is playing keys on it. He and I have formed a duo called ISH, which is an abbreviation of Misha and Alisha. in preparing for our Misha show at the Annex, we played as ISH at Sidewalk Cafe to see how well we could hold it down. we did a fair job, for three days of practice. and it was fun and people came. also, i have the honor of playing at Sidewalk Cafe’s Fortified Winter Antifolk Fest. thanks to ninah for the sweet flier. i also have a show leap year day, which isn’t on this flyer. see info in shOws section.
January 17th, 2008
the last show was fun, and a taste of things to come. Jim Schwartz of Innaway and Gang Violets was awesome on accompaniment. he and a few others have agreed to be my “band.” no more solo shows for me, at this point. i wanna be LOUDer.
i have been asked and consented to join the band Misha, who are signed with Tomlab records. we have a show coming up in february, we’re going to SXSW in march, and there’s a possibility of touring in europe. wooohoooo! i’ll be singing, playing various instruments and quite likely dancing. their songs are 100% pure fun. we have a show february 27th at the annex. see shOws page for more info on this and other yet-to-be-booked shows in february.
December 18th, 2007
November 15th, 2007
say I’m good
say I’m too stiff
say it’s cute that I talk with a lisp
bury my chest
holding my breath
ain’t gonna fake it, still gonna make it
stillgonna stillgonna
gonna make it
califia and me
a girl and a tree
salty blue fruit and cobras to boot
my best friend lives
when I finger the strings
in the heart, in the hole, fish him up, pluck him out
fishhimup fishhimup
pluck him out
I’m an ice queen
I’m a nice clean girl
could use s’more verbs
I could give ‘em a whirl
lone in a crowd
beaming out loud
thinking like Whitman but bashfully proud
we’ve all got the time
we’ve all got the lips
let’s pause and French kiss on the Williamsburg bridge
pauseonthe pauseonthe
on the bridge
I’m an ice queen
I’m a nice clean girl
i could use s’more verbs
I could give ‘em a whirl
October 25th, 2007
Definition of Shiva
1. Noun. (Judaism) a period of seven days of mourning after the death of close relative. “The family is sitting shiva.”
2. Noun. The destroyer; one of the three major divinities in the later Hindu pantheon.
left hand cradled in my lap
right palm out to the world i sat
shiva like She in the Himalayas
tigers follow me i could seek a mantra from the Tiger Swami
snakes show up too
i could study spells under Doktor Snake
but who needs voodoo when you have
the evil eye? i cried
i don’t want to hurt no one
i want to be a sweetie pie
beside me on my pallet Califia lies
at night it’s hard to put her down
i don’t sleep until i pluck eternity
(ee, ay, dee, gee, bee, ee)
from her wooden body
i know he’s in there
living in her dark, round heart
the more i play, the more
i pick him out
