Luv Phenomena

Shuly Shul!! I’ll never forget coming to Dave Shul and Jski’s studio in San Francisco and both of them intently working on “Kiss Goodbye”. I had just been on the road doing my cable guy job in Houston and Dave put me on the list to see Spearhead. I needed the break from doing door to door sales in the hot Houston sun. That was a good day. Shul had just left the group and was on to the next and I knew he had FIRE bottled up and was ready to explode. He and Jski working on jams is a treat. I was like, “gimme dat” ha ha ha , and the next one, and the next one, and the next one. “I am because We are” as they say. Pretty soon we had a nice collection of tracks. Jay lit up “Studio One” and I was transported to my days of Jimi. Jimi was my everything. I just couldn’t play guitar, so I discovered a different gift. Merging these 2 vibes is what Electric Black Hippie is all about. Being yourself, expressing the fears, the beauty, the appreciation, the love. Ayumi Perry, Sanara Pippins, and Lady Chi blessed the vocals. Angeline with some magnifecent fretless Bass soloing, Cam with the tasty spranklins, Josh and Blake with solid backup vox. Thank you to Bob Crawford for the keys on “Hand in Mine”, a love song for all hearts that sometimes feel alone, “Sometimes it takes two to stand”. Damion Gallegos absolutely wrecked “Electric Black Hippie”, and a chance encounter with B-Town legend, Jude Gold, at Jupiter in Berkeley, brought about some serious genius on “Made Of”. That track was the last one added to the album. He took a break from Jefferson Starship to channel some serious business. Been dippin in the writings of Chris Hedges and he really inspired this track. Right on time too. In this life right now, every single choice means so much. Either We are based in service to community and those that don’t got, or we are out for self. Which side are you on? Some time back we were with Jski and Mike McGinn in Jerry’s room at Hyde St. in S.F. “I Am Joe” was the result. I am so inspired by the unsung heroes of live music. I wrote this song for Mike McGinn. So often the crowd gives love and adulation to the artist, but seldom do the ones that make the machine sound so good, get the props. This track is for every individual working behind the scenes, no benefits, no 401K, no fans, all sacrifice, just for the love. On February 28th, 2025 I walked out on Linden and 18th in West Oakland, right in front of my crib, looked up to the sky and wrote “Earthen Vessel” in about 10 minutes. Kenny Brooks all day. This song is so special to me. Kenny continues to lift my soul. It should be amplified that the production/engineering work of Dave Shul, Damion Gallegos, and as always, Cam Perridge, is a true blessing. They “do the work in the sun and when the lights low”, masterful and vital as always fellers, thank YOU🙏🏽. Props to Josh Lubensky for continuing to be the loving glue of the organic compound. “Electric Black Hippie” is the first volume from the Luv Phenomena EBH series,and we are already working on number 2. But more from other angles first….I love you all as always…You are loved, We are 1💜

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The mission of law & disorder is to expose, agitate and build a new world where all of us can thrive. But how do we get there? How do we build a world many of us have only seen in our dreams? That’s where we believe the artists come in. So, each week we feature an artist, holding down a weekly residency with us, helping us to imagine a different, more liberated world.

This week’s Resistance in Residence artist is MC, lyricist, producer, community educator and lifelong student, Chris Burger.

Find out more about Chris Burger here: https://www.luvphenomena.com/

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Thoughts that inspire me to speak on the birthing of Volume 2. During Covid, you could say Kenny Brooks saved my life. Normally he might drop 3-5 tracks from the East Coast. But this time he dropped 100. I pretty much wrote them all, or at least had sketches of many, and wrote the rest. One after the other, and kept going. Kenny produced “Good Heat” & “New Sunday" .I always talk about grabbing the inspiration from the ancestors and dipping in the ether to have the words drip down. The sound, the chants, the inspiration. All of it melding into a Roux, just waiting for Sanara or Zoe to bless it.  Many times, I’d say, “Zachariah Mose, can I walk with you?” I’d hold my hand out and just walk and write. Usually ending up in the Port of West Oakland or on the bridge walkway. The hand of Zachariah is always with our production. He taught me so many things and I cherish his spirit within the Luv Phenomena catalog.  Josh, well Josh is the straw that stirs the Luv P. He does it all. Hopefully everyone has a friend like Josh. Always positive, smiling, loving, really gets the essence of a fulfilled life. Family, Friends, Music, Community, all the important things, not solely driven by financial considerations. This brings me to one of my favorite individuals on this earth. Cam!!!! Thank you Zoe for introducing us. And thank you Cam for introducing us to Sanara. All of the tracks go through Cam. He is not a mixer. He is our guitar player, producer, mixer, masterer, and most importantly, a beautiful homie. He used to see the Soup back in the day, I think at the Up and Down Club, so this was way back in the day. So he knows our sound and what we’re looking for. His “Spranklins” are always so special and full of soul. We are so grateful for his  professionalism, timeliness, dedication and belief in the mission of Luv Phenomena. Thank you Cam. Volume 2 invites the listener to break through the barriers, both of self and our environment, by utilizing the toolbox at our disposal. Meditations, movement, prayer, song, community. To be one in service of family and  community is all that I could hope for. And this is the soundtrack. I love you all. Always.

My default is to be positive, smile, and spread love. Authenticity is the whole pie. So I tell my story how it really is. This is the CB origin story. The Hero’s journey. There is no shame in your truth. “Healed people heal people”, and if one individual feels they can relate to me as a spiritual being having a human experience, then they can start the healing and then spread it to the next. Music is so powerful and I humbly accept the gift. I’m just grateful to be alive and immersed in this light.

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We are grateful for this breath. We are thankful for the opportunity to share the lessons that our ancestors have passed down. This album, “3rd Set”, is the result of communion of thought and spirit between two coasts. Kenny Brooks in the East expressed his everyday through beats and melodies, many musicians joined in and added their perspective and after long walks, meditations, and communion with the ancestors, the Emcee put into sight and rhythm the word power sound that we felt fit. Everyday is a struggle just to survive. This is why each day is a celebration of life and love. Pain, depression, inequality and the fight for justice and self determination  for all is our common bond. We know that true wealth is in how we treat our loved ones, known and unknown. We are all one family. For the live musicians, the 3rd set represented the time of the night, usually after midnight when everything got loose and truth reigned. The solos were epic, the lyrics raw and unapologetic, the crowd open with appreciation.

Luv Phenomena presents Alphabet Soup’s 3rd Set, is our take on what an hour Soup Experience could be at this moment in time. 2023 will bring a new Soup album. This was written for all to feel the power, joy, vulnerability, and appreciation of love and life. 

Breathe…