Taína Asili carries on the tradition of her ancestors, fusing present
and past struggles into one poetic song-voice. She is a puertorriqueña
poet, vocalist, visual artist, mother, teacher and activist, currently
living, teaching and performing in Albany, NY. Her newest artistic work
is with her live band, Taína Asili y La Banda Rebelde, soulful vocals
laid over an infusion of hip hop and Afro-Caribbean sounds. Taína Asili
carries a fire breathing voice of rage and resistance to venues, festivals, conferences and political events across the country. She weaves resistance, anti-colonialist struggle, love, identity, reclamation of the body, ancestral remembrance, and more into a unique vocalization style melding poetry and song.
And I also find this song which makes me think of Zoological Relations...
Their Eyes (feat. Taina Asili)
written by evan greer
evan - guitar, vocals
taina asili - vocals (www.tainaasili.com)
ben lucal - drums
jory leanza-carey - bass (www.broadcastlive.org)
there are animals in cages with no room to turn around
being sent off to the slaughter and sold off by the pound
and there are people locked in prisons
where the outcome's much the same
they get death for their convictions
they get numbers for a name
there are women kept in houses
full of mirrors and TV
forced to fear their drunken fathers
and throw up the things they eat
and the same men who grab them
while they're walking down the street
rip their profits and their pleasure
from the earth beneath our feet
have you ever seen the eyes
of a soul that's occupied?
have you ever had to face
a creature living in a cage?
have you tasted their flesh
or drank their fear?
have you ever seen their eyes?
there are fences high in belfast
where the working class divides
the priests play with politicians
while the poor folks fight and die
and the lower twenty-six you know
are also occupied
by sexism and heroin and neoliberal lies
there are children born at checkpoints
who throw stones against the tanks
they play games amongst the rubble
till the glass in their eyes breaks
and with this concrete wall between them
there's no human face at all
another bus is blown to pieces
as the martyr heeds the call
have you ever seen the eyes
of a soul that's occupied?
do you know what has to die
just to make the things we buy?
do you reap the products of their lives?
have you ever seen their eyes?
can't you see it's all the same?
making profit out of pain
rape and torture are the norm
in prison and factory farms
occupation genocide
out of sight and out of mind
would you still live this life of lies
if you had to look them in the eyes?
have you ever seen their eyes?
Other info:
Award winning vocalist Taina Asili sings the spirit of social change using soulful vocals laid over a unique infusion of Afro-Caribbean, reggae, rock, and hip hop. The band's eclectic style represents the diversity of its band members, who have origins in Puerto Rico, Sicily, Greece, Brazil, Ghana and Spain. Taina has shared the stage with artist such as Ursula Rucker, Sonia Sanchez, Pamela Means, Talib Kweli, and Tyrone Hill of the Sun Ra Arkestra.
info@tainaasili.com
518.817.8617
www.TainaAsili.com
www.Myspace.com/TainaPoet
www.tainaasili.com/Facebook
www.Sonicbids.com/TainaAsili
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