New Songs: "Worms" & "Love/Hate"

This one of the the first tracks from Heritage Afterschool Music Production.
The assignment was to create a New York City anthem.
Students Alan Martinez and Kindu Baker took it to the next level.

After considering the metaphor of New York as the "Big Apple," Alan posed the question, "What about the worms?'
This inquiry spawned the creation of a song bearing the title "Worms."

Click on the Flash Player below to listen to the track in its entirety!

Credits:
Written by K. Baker, A. Martinez, S. Sellers
Co-Produced by A. Martinez and S. Sellers



Another group of songwriters took a different approach to this task. Marlene Miles, Raquel Nunez, Jamie Rivera and Lanier Robinson each wrote a poetic stanza around the assignment. Then, over a beat produced by Marlene, they recorded their verses.
Here is the product, entitled "Love/Hate." Below the Flash Player you will find the lyrics to the piece.

Credits:
Written by L. Robinson, J. Rivera, M. Miles, R. Nunez
Produced by M. Miles



Love/Hate

The place of all the dark and lonely paths
to your
most greatest desires.

Where there is preaching of criticism in the same scripture where it states
God loves everybody.

The appreciation of God giving the life of another and putting them in your life
instead of the appreciation of your existence alone.

When you have to be brave enough to leave your house but lazy enough to just stay inside and let the world of mystery pass you by.

When beauty is based on how much you
paid for it.

In homes you hear
‘LOST WITHOUT YOU’
and
‘THIS IS WHY IM HOTT’
but you never hear
‘WAITING ON THE WORLD TO CHANGE’

Hypocrisy
Insomniac
Chocolaty
Love/Hate

Let it enfold you, suck you in.
The anger and love, joy and hate.
We have it all in the Big Rotten Apple.
You will never find a better place to live
or a worse place to die.
While the city sleeps, we rule the Underground
While crawling toward the light.
Sink or swim,
fly or die,
but never quit.
Never let them see you cry.
Pain for pleasure,
pleasure for pain.
We roam the streets as zombies,
desperate for contact and desire.



Here in the city that never sleeps
People from everywhere come to see the lights
shine bright in the night sky
Little do they know
What lurks in the dark?

We are not alone

Tuck your kids in tight
and don’t let the bedbugs bite
They walk beyond the shadows
Roaming insomniacs that look like the dead feeding us a beautiful lie
Into our hearts
Into our mindless souls
Drain everything we believe in
You heart beats faster
Deeper and deeper
You fall into this ditch

Hypocrisy
Insomniac
Chocolaty
Love/Hate

I want to take you into my world.
The world of the New York City
Where dreamers dream big and the imagination is vicious

We’re so young inside
We never know what we want
Confused foolish hearts wandering
Bumping into one each other
C olliding with oneself
Loving and believing anything that seems real

Everyone is striving for their personal gain
You could feel the connection
You’re never alone
But not everyone is nice
Hundreds of eyes on you
Just watching your every move
They’ll tear you apart if you’re in the way

Hypocrisy
Insomniac
Chocolaty
Love/Hate

Welcome to one of Working Playground's Network Artspace blogs!

"Dedication" by JHS Afterschool, 2007




This blog is part of an afterschool Music Production My New York model program at Heritage High School. We meet twice a week on Mondays and Fridays in the heart of El Barrio. The class is guided by a Foundation Statement, which seeks to explore an essential question that grounds our artistic work;

"(Not) My New York" -
Music Production with Sam Sellers

Uptown/Downtown. Mets/Yankees.
Tenements/Condominiums. Cabs/Trains.
Briefcases/Brooms. Grafitti/Guggeneheim.
Grannies/Nannies.

How many opposing forces can you think of on the planet NYC?

The basic question might revolve around "my New York." But a large part of self-realization is found in gaining insight into the world of "others." Our goal will be locate our cultural, political and social positions and juxtapose them with what we're not. Through the craft of Spoken Word we will write and perform poetry, take it to the stage and the streets, become notetakers on life and visit the disparate worlds that co-exist in this city. We will also be responsible for organizing, promoting and producing all of this year's New Design Poetry Slams.

Find out where "Your NY" fits into the jigsaw puzzle of cityscape.