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Ingredients

1 bunch fresh spinach, chopped
2 oz spiced lamb or goat, chopped
8 oz coconut milk
5 cups water
1 lg. onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
8 oz chopped okra
2 cloves garlic
scotch bonnet to taste
salt, pepper to taste

Directions

1. Place ingredients in a large stew pot except okra spices.

2. Simmer until the spiced lamb or goat is tender then add the okra.

3. Simmer for 5 minutes and season with salt, pepper, and scotch bonnet

Cooking time: 35 min
Serves: 6
 

Brought to you by Jamaicans.com.
 
 
 

Looking for band members is never an easy task. You may first want to ask yourself what exactly you're looking for - whether it is to join an existing band or find individual members to start your own band. Obviously, both have their differences and this should be answered first before you start your grueling search.

Join an existing band.

This is a great way for enthusiastic musicians to gain some playing experience right away, although it is sometimes harder to find these kinds of opportunities. These are established bands that are looking for single or multiple members for various reasons (their guitarist overdosed on cocaine, bass player got fired for drinking problems, etc). This might go without saying, but make sure you really do like the type of music a band plays before deciding to join their group! There are many musicians I know that play in a band where they don't even like the music they play, all just to "gain experience" to get their foot in the door and hopefully move on to greener pastures. It can't be stressed enough that if you don't like the music you play, you're going to do a half-assed job at it, so why bother?

Also, know your playing experience and limits. For example, if you've only started playing guitar learning all Green Day songs for a few months, don't expect to join a thrash metal band that requires you to do sweep-picking, fast arpeggios, or any other insane guitar techniques. Make sure you choose a band where the technicality of the music they play is comfortable with your own skill level as a musician.

A huge advantage for joining an established band (maybe) is that most of the back-end stuff is already taken care of. This includes tasks such as finding an agent/manager to book your gigs, song development, contracts with music labels, etc. All you have to do is show up for rehearsals and play shows as scheduled.

A good resource to start finding these bands in need is going to your local rehearsal studios where most of them lurk. These are places where any musician can pay for a room to rehearse. Best of all, all the musicians you find there are often in your local area. Check out the bulletin boards where frequent bands post up classified ads that may go something like:

"Looking to join a band that rocks?! We are in need of a guitar player with lots of experience! Our influences include: Megadeth, In Flames, Black Sabbath, and many more! If interested, please contact Todd at xxxxxxxxxx."

Or even better yet, post up your own classified ad on the bulletin board so bands can contact you instead. Local, independent music stores often have a bulletin board for classified ads as well. These are some of the best free ways to find band members in your area.

Disadvantages of joining an existing band.

First and foremost, you have to learn all their songs usually in a limited period of time. The band might have a show coming up and you have to be able to play all their songs flawlessly note-for-note. Needless to say, this might be stressful for some musicians (except if their music is very straight forward and easy with pure 3 note power chords).

Another disadvantage is often your own music creativity is limited. Most bands prefer their original tunes to be played and carried on without any radical change. For example, if you just joined a band and replaced their old guitarist, the way the former guitarist played a particular solo, is the way the band wants it to be played by you. Often you must follow the same note structure of a music piece composed by another musician.

Organizing your own band.

This is where you try to find individual musicians to start a new band, usually with similar music skills and backgrounds. Thinking of starting a band is the easy part, but the actual process of searching for the right people is harder than most people think. There are tons of musicians out there in the world but only a small percentage of those you may be compatible with. In addition, ask yourself: are you going to play in a band just for fun, or are you trying to make a living out of it? This will influence where you are going to start looking.

The internet is becoming a popular method for musicians to find other musicians. If you search "looking for musicians" in Google, you will easily find over 12,400,000 results - so how do you find what you're looking for? Many ads posted in classifieds sections and on popular music forums will vaguely have descriptions such as this: "Guitar player looking to form a band." Well, that's just great.

Try refining your search to keywords such as the area you are in, what position you are looking for, etc. Example: "Looking for bass players in Toronto". The first search result is an ad posted on www.craigslist.org, which by the way is an excellent place to get started. Try to only focus your attention on well-written ads that describe the musician, which includes how much playing experience he/she has, the types of music they are willing to play, and the intention of playing in a band. Or you may also want to post your own ad in music community forums and add a link to your audio/video samples that will likely interest more candidates. Audio/video samples that show off your best work are often the most influential factor of candidates contacting you back.

Be consistent with this. Chances are you won't find someone right away on your first few posts, so try to refresh your ads on a weekly basis (but don't spam!).

The internet is a large resource but don't just rely solely on it. You may find you have better luck looking in local magazine's classifieds ads section where it's more direct. Also, because musicians have to pay to get their ads published in magazines, it shows that they are more serious about organizing a band.

Don't limit yourself in a location.

If you are serious about starting a career as a musician, you don't just search for bands or members only in your local area. Living in smaller towns and cities won't give you very many options in choosing the right band or member for you. Expand yourself to larger urban cities where the potential to find band members is greater. Finding band members is like finding a good job. Know exactly what you want before searching, always have a good portfolio ready, and be consistent in your pursue. Goodluck!
 

Kenny Auyoung, Webmaster http://www.getmeaband.com Looking for a band? Search through our directory of musicians to find band members in your local area. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com

Tuesday, January 31, 2006 may be a day we look back upon in the future as ironic and significant. As one American female spokesperson of social justice and equality passes, another courageous woman emerges in the new millennium. But, will we recognize her as a pioneer of change?

Coretta Scott King passed this week after a long battle with cancer. The wife of Reverend Martin Luther King and mother of four, she became one of the most influential women leaders of social justice and peace in our time. Her support of equal rights for all people, religious freedom, feeding the poor and a voice for the elderly, will stand as a testament of her courage and faith. She will be sorely missed.

On Tuesday the 31st, President George Bush gave his annual "State of the Union Address". While the speech was filled with the usual political rhetoric, the most significant event may have happened fifteen minutes before the speech. Secret Service Police removed Cindy Sheehan from the event. Apparently, she violated the dress code by wearing a tee-shirt that stated, "2245 Dead, how many more?" California Representative, Lynn Woolsey personally invited her to the State of the Union Address. Sheehan had come to our attention after her son Casey was killed during the Iraqi War in 2004. She began holding vigils around the country and asking President Bush, "What noble cause did my son die for?" A question Bush has yet to answer adequately.

Now, the irony begins... President Bush opened his speech by commending the life's work of Mrs. Coretta Scott King. In 1955, King's views were not readily accepted. Many assassination attempts were made on King's family. Over time and through struggle, it became self-evident that everyone deserved to be treated equally and with dignity. Mrs. King stood for ideas that were ahead of her time.

Both King and Sheehan have refused to accept the status quo. While one is rightfully honored the other is wrongfully denied.

A half century ago, Rosa Parks changed the nation as she refused racial segregation on a bus. Will Cindy be considered a pioneer in the future? These incredible women may just be the first of many to stand and question the powers that be.

Was it not Benjamin Franklin that said, "The first responsibility of Democracy is to question authority"?

Please join me in praying for Cindy as she continues to question authority.

Passionate for human rights and politics, bourgeoning writer James Curt Byrum keeps his readers abreast of current news events. In addition to being a writer, he is a Respiratory Therapist residing in California. James also has a passion for music of all genres, writes experimental music and is a poet/lyricist. Reach James at oroborussbcglobal.net. Website: www.jamescurtbyrum.com.

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For years, the Reggae Festival Guide magazine received numerous requests for updates on festivals via email, and on May 2, 2004, we published the first emailed issue of the Reggae E-Guide ezine. Within a few months, we had 2500 subscribers - a testament to huge family of reggae fans! A year later, we upgraded our ezine to display full color and images as you see in this issue. The E-Guide is a wonderful resource for promoters, reggae artists, small reggae business owners and of course reggae fans! You can expect to see the E-Guide in your inbox weekly through the summer months and monthly during winter. All issues are archived at www.reggaefestivaleguide.com/archives.html. The E-Guide is officially logged as a publication at the Library of Congress (ISSN # 1551-6121). Please email the publisher with any questions at festivalsreggaefestivalguide.com.

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