Got to cast my vote in favor of Prop 203 in Arizona. Remember to sign your ballot so your vote gets counted. Just heard back from The Green Brothers and here’s the results from our Q&A:
TWB: What’s your guys website?
C.9. : We’ve been using social networks & our blog www.thegreenbrothers.blogspot.com and I’m pretty happy with how thats worked out. I do graphic design but I’m not proficient with web programing so this allows us to have more control on a day to day basis and keep people in the loop. Technology is wild in 2010 with Facebook, Twitter, Bandcamp, Reverb Nation & Smart Phones, promotion has really changed since I started my label Dove Ink 9 years ago. We’ve always been Indy/D.I.Y. and I think all these sites have their ups and downs from that perspective… On one hand it totally over saturates the market with artists that just aren’t ready to be heard yet but on the other hand I can reach fans across the globe with the click of a mouse…
Ohh and I still don’t get twitter… we have an account but I don’t get it… I don’t live life 140 characters at a time…or maybe I’m just to long winded… but I don’t get it…. lol
Into the future we’re talking to a few people about some really exciting ideas. I’ve had a web page in the past for Dove Ink but this time around I’d like to have something broader and more interactive as a tool for musicians, artists and activists alike… I’m trying to help build the community..
TWB: I’m sure everyone asks so I’ll put it out there, how long have you been growing your dreads Claude 9?
C.9. : I started growing my hair out when I was 14 and let it lock up when I was 17 so overall it’s been 16 years now. I started them for spiritual reasons but I’m not Rastafarian and I’ve never been one to subscribe to religious boxes. I think overall religions have beautiful ideas but I also believe universal truth is far beyond us as human beings and any person or organization claiming to own that knowledge is a little off base. I like to think that we all have our own individual connection to “God” or whatever tittle serves you best. My locks keep me grounded & are my roots connecting me back to the earth which to me is the closest thing to knowing “God” that we’ll ever have. The Green in Green Brothers stands for far more than just smoking weed and my locks like my music are simply a manifestation of who I am and the energy I carry with me on this crazy journey.
TWB: What brought you guys from Ohio to California? How long have you been in Cali ?
Bern : I’m still livin in Ohio slaving for the corporate money machine….I don’t work that hard though. I’m actually writing this right now, while I’m at work. When I’m done with this, I’m gonna watch The Simpsons. I’m quitting my job and moving to Cali soon though, I promise.
C.9. : I’ve wanted to move to Cali since I was 16 & came to S.D. on my way to Mexico to build houses for the homeless (which was the time in my life I decided I wanted to be active in helping change the world). San Diego is simply heaven on earth and I fell in love the moment I laid my eyes on La Jolla Cove. The weather’s always perfect, people are happier and more active, not to mention 215’s and how progressive the green culture is. Don’t get me wrong I love Ohio but it’s just a different way of life more suited for my taste out here, plus I’ve always been drawn to the ocean and that laid back vibe.
Anyway in 2007 I toured though here with The Everybody’s Green Tour and had a great show in O.B. at Winston’s… After that it was just a matter of saying good bye to all my wonderful friends and family back home and making a leap of faith. Things seem to be moving forward as I had hoped and I’m just getting ready to have Bern out here and have the Brothers back together again working full steam..
TWB: How long have you guys been doing music together? Did Bern One compose the track for “I Get Lifted”?
Bern : uh…yes. I actually made the beat 3 times, due to different computer crashing issues and whatnot. I lost original versions of I
Get Lifted and 2 Funky (another track off the album) when my computer went out, and even though I had already sent those beats to Claude, he lost them as well due to a synchronistic crash with his computer. So maybe somebody with a greater control of our reality didn’t want us to put those songs out, who knows? Either way, we thwarted them by me remaking the beats, which was a pain in the ass, but totally worth it.
C.9. : We’ve both made music for about 15 years but only teamed up a few years back. The Green Brothers were originally me and another artist but we had to walk our own ways. Still I had worked too hard building the Green Brothers name to let it die so we just flipped the formula and kept it moving… Now I emcee, mix, master and do the designs and Bern handles the tracks and cuts… It seems to be a perfect balance thus far…
TWB: Who would you consider your biggest inspiration?
Bern : I try to take inspiration from everything around me. I think everybody’s worldview is completely subjective and different, meaning we all perceive the world in our own unique way, and so from that we can all find something to be inspired by, in anyone, at any time. If our eyes are open. It can sometimes be challenging, but I try to keep my eyes open as much as possible. Specifically for music, I look for stuff I can find a common bond with, and identify with emotionally.
As I’ve grown I’ve figured out that, as far as I am concerned, as long as it possesses creative energy there is something to be learned from
it. So I try to keep my ears open. Despite my best intentions, I do occasionally find myself hating on music I consider “wack.” Hate is
not healthy, but a healthy (informed) dislike of aurally unhealthy music is exceedingly healthy. Right?
C.9. : I completely agree with Bern until the last sentence where he went straight over my head…I’m kicking back in the studio right now smoking Tahoe O.G. out of “The Truth” my sherlock you see in the I Get Lifted video so I’m way too high to dissect all that… lol
But yeah out side of that I’d say my biggest inspirations are my friends and family. Plus I have this unexplained insanity that I can affect change with my passion and drive…. I believe art is one of the highest forms of activism and I try to honor that position with the upmost respect. More or less I just try and write songs the common man can relate to and be uplifted by because thats what I feel my musical heroes where trying to do. We’re ALL the common everyday man at the end of the day and if it makes me feel good inside I can only hope it does the same for others….
It might sound vein but I’m trying to be my own hero ya know… I’m sick of living in a world where people are waiting for someone else to change course and right the ship… I figure if I work hard enough I wont have to look up to my heroes, just stand beside them and play my part.
TWB: Your music video “I Get Lifted” everything comes together perfectly themusic, the rap, and the video clips. How long did it take for you guys topiece together the song?
Bern : This song was the culmination of 14 months of deep soul searching undertaken by Claude 9 and myself independently without either one of us knowing. It struck like a bolt of lightning one day while I was playing in a community whiffleball game to benefit injured, abandoned, helpless puppies, and since that moment we’ve
never looked back.
C.9. : LOL… I hope you brought your wading boots, the shits getting deep…(gotta love him…)
We really are like brothers, we never pass up a chance to bust each others balls….But on the real it was a little bit of a process… like Bern said before he had to remake it a few times and with the video shoot and editing it was about 8 months from start till it hit Youtube. But it just crossed 5000 plays and people seem to love it so its been more than worth all the hard work..
TWB: I never saw anyone smoke just the bud as a joint before, do you have a name for that technique? Have you or do you know of anyone that has tried smoking the super joint in Pineapple Express?
C.9. : I called it the NUG trick, but I’ve also heard it called spiking a bud. I don’t claim to have invented it, just proud to be the one sharing it with the world… Every smoker has to try it at least once. Its by far the best way to get lifted I’ve come across thus far….
It’s funny you bring up the cross joint cuz I just saw a video at a friends house the other day with it… so I can tell you that YES it is a real thing and as soon as I learn it I will pass it on..
TWB: Do remember the name of the strain you were smoking in the video? Do you have a favorite strain?
C.9. : It was Blue Dream for the outside shots and Nepalese Kush for the inside shots. I think they where around 6g each. I took the Blue Dream to the head in about 5min. and woke up still high the next day..lol
Personally I’m a heavy indica patient so I like as pure an O.G. or Kush as I can find…
People like to give things fancy names and that’s cool and all but at the end of the day it comes down to the grower and batch… I have some serious pains both mentally and physically on a day to day basis and I need it to help me live a more norml life (pun intended).
I also love a good batch of Northern Lights or Jack on the sativa side; back home we have a strain called Bubble Gum that I miss a lot. I have all the strains I’ve smoked since moving to Cali cataloged and I plan to post the “What I smoked while making I Get Lifted list” some time soon.
TWB: I think California has a good chance of passing Prop. 19, what kind of awareness is going on to educate non-smokers in Cali?
C.9. : I do too!!!
It’s all over the place at this point…. man it’s so exciting…. I mean you’re seeing all the traditional avenues being taking care of by the Prop 19 campaign out of the Bay Area. So things such as phone banking, tabling at events and going door to door are being handled by them…which is a first for the weed movement. I’ve lead rallies, made flyers for all over the state, even tabled at a few bigger show just to hit the streets and talk to the people about it. But they/we still need more help, it’s going to be a fight till the end and you could be the one to put us over the top so if you’ve been thinking about lending a hand please do there’s still time to help make a change….Even if you live out side of Cali you can still phone bank and if we can tip the first domino we can change the world so EVERYONE should get involved today!!!
(I should stress I’m not an official voice for the campaign…more a renegade that lends a hand in many ways… )
Out side of that I’ve been able to get involved with tons of other great opportunities… Like teaming up with NUG Magazine to shoot the cover shot at the last rally and having a tear out poster promoting 19 & giving I Get Lifted away till the big vote Nov. 2nd as a way to say thanks for saying YES. Local news & papers are calling all the time and the issue is being talked about at dinner tables and water coolers.. Plus some friends of mine at The Green Zone are working on a documentary that’s going to air state wide right before the vote & i just did a interview for that…I could go on for days but for more info visit https://yeson19.com/
I just looked at a poll that showed 80% of voters know about Prop 19 so that’s a good sign. We have a few days left to get people registered then it’s all about the final push and the massive green culture representing hard in the booth November 2nd.
In closing We’ed just like to ask everyone to give I Get Lifted a spin. We’ve put our heart and soul into every song and we’re proud to be able to share our voice and thoughts with the world. We thought the concept of “Getting Lifted” would be a good base to work off of in the future and hope you have as much fun listening to it as we had fun making it…. Call your local radio station, alternative paper, etc. and ask them to cover I Get Lifted” if you dig it…
Stop by www.thegreenbrothers.blogspot.com for updates and show schedules…
Thanks
The Green Brothers.
Check them on Myspace to.
