People, Places and Things

December 23, 2021

GWEN DERU

HAPPY HOLIDAYS …FROM ALL OF US …TO ALL OF YOU!!!

TODAY…

**READ THE BIRMINGHAM TIMES. Catch up on the news!
**EVERY THURSDAY HAPPY HOUR, 5:30 – 9 p.m. at the Kappa Komplex, 45 6th Avenue South.
**KARAOKE, 5-9 p.m. at Courtyard Alabaster Bar and Grill.
**TASTEMAKER THURSDAY – Every Thursday at Blaze Ultra Lounge, 228 Roebuck Plaza Drive, 8 p.m.- 12 a.m. with DJ Ace Twon (95.7 JAMZ) in the mix hosted by Audio Life and GMC Promo.
**THIRSTY THURSDAY at Hookah 114 17th Street No.
**THIRD THURSDAY BLUES JAM, 7 p.m. at True Story Brewing.

FRIDAY…

**QUE’S BAR & GRILL GROOVIN’ on 19th Street in Ensley.
**LIT FRIDAYS WITH RIPCORD, 8 p.m. – 2 a.m. at 4501 Gary Avenue in Fairfield.
**AFRO CARIBBEAN NIGHTS (Every Friday Night) at Ash’s on 2nd, 7 p.m. until with Reggae, Afrobeats, Dancehall and Top 40 Hits.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

SATURDAY…

**FEED THE FAMILY, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. at Sixth Avenue Baptist Church
**HARD CANDY CHRISTMAS AT SIDEWALK 4 p.m. FREE!
**SATURDAYS IN THE GARDENS at Birmingham Botanical Gardens.
**WINE DOWN HAPPY HOUR, 4-9 p.m. at Saferoom Lounge Bar.
**MS. JOHNNIE AND THE JAMMERS Live After Five, 7-10 p.m. at Bistro on 19th located at 109 19th St. N., Bessemer. EVERY 2nd and 4th SATURDAY!!
**CHRISTMAS NIGHT w/ THE DIRTY LUNGS, BEC & THE FRETS at The Nick – FREE, 9 p.m.

SUNDAY…

**WORSHIP AT THE SIXTH, 9:30 a.m. at Sixth Avenue Baptist Church.
**WOODLAWN STREET MARKET, 12 p.m. at Woodlawn Street Market.

**A CHRISTMAS AFTER PARTY WITH HENRY MIMS at Perfect Note.

MONDAY…

**REGGAE MUSIC EVERY MONDAY NIGHT with DJ DUSTY, 8 p.m. at Black Magic 2904 Lomb Avenue.
**EVERY MONDAY is MONSLAYYY – THE CARIBBEAN WAY, 8 p.m. at the Vault with TRINI and BRENT TRINI-FRESH PIERRE. FREE.
**BIRMINGHAM BANDSTAND (Open Mic) at The Nick.

TUESDAY…

**EVERY TUESDAY – TRUE STORY BREWING PRESENTS TUESDAY JAZZ SESSIONS, 7- 10 p.m., 5510 Crestwood Blvd.
**TASTY TUESDAYS at Platinum of Birmingham.
**EVERY TUESDAY LIT AND JAZZ with DAVID TALLEY AND FRIENDS, 7 p.m. at Lit on 8th, 518 Rev. Abraham Woods Blvd.

**BUGWHORE w/ TORCON VII at The Nick.

WEDNESDAY…

**INTERFAITH NOONDAY PRAYER SERVICES every Wednesday, Noon at Linn Park in Downtown Birmingham.
**WEDNESDAYS WEEKLY JAZZ JAM, 7- 10 p.m. at True Story Brewing Company, 5510 Crestwood Blvd. Food until 9 p.m. Music until 10 p.m. and Drink until 11 p.m.
**REGGAE WEDNESDAY NIGHTS, 8 p.m. at Blue Onyx.
**KARAOKE at The Nick. Free.

NEXT THURSDAY…

**READ THE BIRMINGHAM TIMES. Catch up on the news!

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2022!!!

NEXT FRIDAY…

**QUE’S BAR & GRILL GROOVIN’ on 19th Street in Ensley.
**LIT FRIDAYS WITH RIPCORD, 8 p.m. – 2 a.m. at 4501 Gary Avenue in Fairfield.
**NEW YEAR’S EVE WITH SAXOPHONIST MARCUS ANDERSON at the Perfect Note.

NEWS TO USE…

FOR THE COMMUNITY…

**BUYBLACKBHAM.COM – If you have not heard, this is the website for a new campaign with Mastercard and Urban Impact. Called #BuyBlackBham, it is to urge residents to shop at more than 400 Black-owned businesses listed on www.buyblackbham.com during the holiday shopping season. The campaign continues through Kwanzaa, January 1, 2022. The #BuyBlackBham platform, developed by an African-American owned development studio, JWEB Development, allows citizens to scan, upload and text receipts and invoices from business purchases. Those creating a profile to log their receipts from Black-owned businesses located in the City of Birmingham will qualify for a raffle of prizes and rewards. Log receipts at BuyBlackBham.com or text receipts to 205-900-4750. The first drawing will be Friday, December 17 and the second will occur Tuesday, January 4. If interested, then this is for you.

**JESSICA HUGHES BENNETT APPOINTED TO LAND BANK AUTHORITY – Mayor Randall Woodfin appointed Jessica Hughes Bennett to the Land Bank Authority. Hughes is filling a previously unexpired term and will serve effective immediately through August 19, 2022. Hughes currently serves as associate architect for Architecture Works where she is the day-to-day project manager for all phases from planning through construction. The Auburn University alumna is a member of Design Alabama as well as the American Institute of Architects. She has also served as a junior board member for the Railroad Park Foundation.

FOR MUSIC, ENTERTAINMENT LOVERS…

AND MORE…

**CHRISTMAS NIGHT w/ THE DIRTY LUNGS, BEC & THE FRETS at The Nick – FREE, 9 p.m.

**A CHRISTMAS AFTER – PARTY WITH HENRY MIMS at the Perfect Note

**NEW’S YEARS EVE – THE ANNUAL ALL BLACK ATTIRE NYE 2022, 8 p.m. at UAB Hilton Hotel, with DRUMMER GIRL DEE, DJ MAVERICK, DJ NEW ERA, and DJ HURRICANE hosted by HOMIE J.

**NEW YEAR’S EVE with SAXOPHONIST MARCUS ANDERSON at Perfect Note.

**NEW YEAR’S EVE w/714’s, FALSE JASMINE, DUJOUR, MEL.CROZBY & more at the Nick.

AT THE ALABAMA THEATRE…

**ANDERSON EAST IN BIRMINGHAM – Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter and musician Anderson East will perform at the Alabama Theatre, Friday, December 31. The performance celebrates the release of East’s acclaimed new album, Maybe We Never Die. Produced by Grammy Award-winning producer Dave Cobb along with longtime bandleader and now co-producer Philip Towns, Maybe We Never Die finds East’s seductively vintage voice in a decidedly fresh direction.

AT VULCAN PARK AND MUSEUM…

**MAGICAL NIGHTS AT VULCAN – TODAY is the last day for the Vulcan’s Magical Nights, 6 to 8 p.m. Vulcan Park and Museum will be transformed into a delightful wonderland filled with lights, holiday music, special guest appearances, and Santa. The Anvil and Museum will have extended hours until 8 p.m. There will be food, hot chocolate, wine and beer available for additional purchase. The Pixel Room, Alabama’s first selfie museum, will take photos curated by Swanky D. For more, go to visitvulcan.com.

FOR OUTDOORS LOVERS…

**SUNDAY EASY DAYHIKE, THE DAY AFTER CHRISTMAS, Meet 1:45 p.m. for Southeastern Outings Easy Walk at Vulcan Trail inside the City Limits of Birmingham – DETAILS: Enjoy an easy walk in the woodlands overlooking Birmingham on the day after Christmas. The trail is level, as it is on an old mining railroad right of way just below the crest of Red Mountain. This walk is an ideal activity for those Christmas guests who have been in your house for several days and with whom you are looking for something to do to get them out of the house. Meet at 1:45 p.m. in the Vulcan Park and Museum Parking Lot where you park when visiting the statue and Vulcan Park. Depart at 2 p.m. Walk from the big parking lot a short distance down some new stairs to the trail head and then on the trail to Green Springs Highway and back. The formerly unpaved section of the Vulcan Trail has recently been widened and resurfaced. There is no charge to participate in this hike and there is no charge for admission to either Vulcan Park or the trail. Well-behaved, carefully supervised children age 7 and older able to walk four miles are welcome. After the walk is completed, there will be an optional dinner at Jim ‘N Nick’s 11th Avenue Grill at Five Points South. Share and bring a friend or friends to this walk. Info: Dan Frederick, seoutings@bellsouth.net or 205/631-4680.

FOR BOOK LOVERS…

There are so many good books to read. This is a good book from a local author written during COVID 19.

**BOOK – LET’S GO PLAY OUTSIDE – DURING AND AFTER COVID 19 – The book is written by author ANDREA BILLINGSLEY WHITFIELD. This children’s book is about friendships, safety precautions, physical activities and more through interactive playtime outdoors. Whitfield’s grandson, carefree Romanious Oliver Dennis loves playing outside and her great nephew, Caden Anthony Roseman who is afraid of COVID-19 and prefers to stay inside are the inspirations for the book. The boys go back and forth about what they prefer to do and enjoy or not. Whitfield says that these days everyone, especially children, are into talking and playing games on the phone, texting and sitting in front of the TV watching movies, laying around, etc., but missing exercise, fresh air and outdoor physical activities that are good for better breathing and a more healthy lifestyle. Whitfield believes more outdoor time should be included in each day. This would permit the time spent outdoors to assist with growth in many ways such as improving their attention span, languages and social skills as well as their development. It also gives them the opportunity to explore nature, feel the shining sun, see the blue sky and feel or hear the nice breeze. Outdoor playtime allows them to swing on the swings, slide on the slides, walk, run or even play in the pool while social distancing – moving the bodies. They can play in the grass, look for four-leaf clovers, feed the birds, roll down a hill, run a little, walk, hike, get some sun and fresh air, which expands their senses, while getting exercise and breathing more becoming more aware of their bodies. All of this helps with developing a healthy lifestyle and learning to take better care of their bodies while being active and involved in nature. The outdoors games such as dodge ball, hide and seek, basketball, golf, etc., contribute to getting fresh air and exercise. In the end, the boys enjoyed playing together, the very best part. It ends with the boys eating pizza, playing golf, basketball and getting to have fun playing together outside. As a retired educator, Billingsley Whitfield has 36 years of teaching after receiving her B.S. from Alabama A&M University and her M.A. from the University of Alabama Birmingham. One of her favorite quotes is ‘Life isn’t measured by how many breaths you take, but by how many moments that take your breath away.” For more information about Andrea and her books, go to: andrea_whitfield@bellsouth.net.

FOR ART LOVERS …

NEAR IN NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA…

AT THE HISTORIC NEW ORLEANS COLLECTION (THNOC)…

**CREOLE CHRISTMAS is December 28 – 29.

**SPRING 2022 TOUR OF SPAIN – Registration deadline is December 20 for persons that want to experience luxury accommodations, special access tours and fine dining for the 10 day outing March 28 – April 6.

**MAKING MARDI GRAS – Preparations are underway for the blockbuster exhibition on the creativity that fuels Carnival season. Making Mardi Gras opens January 6. Visit the exhibition webpage to read up on the history of Mardi Gras traditions.

IN FAIRFIELD, ALABAMA….

AT STEPHEN SMITH FINE ART GALLERY…

**WONDERS” – WONDERS GROUP EXHIBITION at Stephen Smith Fine Art, in Fairfield, 5104 Gary Avenue featuring nine nationally and internationally prominent, contemporary artists who create works that inspire a sense of calm and sublime. Artists include: Dan Addington, Chad Awalt, C. Dawn Davis, Margaret Dyer, Gerard Erley, Scott French, Susan Hall, R. John Ichter and Gwen Wong. This exhibition curated by Laura Nadell is through January 2. Call (205) 305-1451 for more or bhamfree@icloud.com.

AT BIRMINGHAM MUSEUM OF ART…

**VOICES SO TRUE: NEW NATIVE AMERICAN ART from the Clyde Oyster Bequest – This exhibition is now until January 30, 2022. OT features the work of seven contemporary Native American artists: NORMAN AKERS, SHAN GOSHOM, LARRY MCNEIL, KAY WALKING STICK, WENDY RED STAR, EUGENE TAPAHE and ZOE MARIEH URNESS. They are affiliated with different tribal nations including Crow, Eastern Band Cherokee, Mohawk, Navajo, Osage, Tlingit and more. The exhibition includes photographs, prints, paintings and basketry.

**LOST REALMS OF THE MOUNDBUILDERS OF THE SOUTH AND MIDWEST explores the archaeology and history of the Mississippi Moundbuilders. If you grew up in Alabama, you may be familiar with Moundville, located just south of Tuscaloosa. These ancient builders of North America, aka the Mississippians, were one of our country’s most important Native American Cultures. According to historians, the world they created was equal to that of the Aztec, Maya or Inca. The exhibition features objects from four major Moundbuilder sites: Spiro Mounds in Oklahoma, Moundville in Alabama, Etowah Mounds in Georgia and Cahoka Mounds in East Saint Louis, Illinois. This exhibition runs until February 6, 2022. Next stop Dallas. Curated by Dr. Emily G. Hanna, Senior Curator, Arts of Africa and the Americas and Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at the Birmingham Museum of Art.

AT THE BIRMINGHAM ZOO…

**GLOW WILD – Glow Wild: An Animal Lantern Celebration is on select nights now through January 2022. Perfect for the entire family, guests will be captivated by jaw-dropping lantern creations of wildlife and plants of all sizes soaring up to 30 feet high! The Zoo will brilliantly sparkle to light up the night and offer something for everyone to enjoy! Take a wild ride on the Red Diamond Radiant Express Train* or go for a spin on the Protective Life Jingle Bell Carousel* (additional cost). Glow Wild is a weather-dependent event with nights being subject to cancellation. Please be aware that as a night event, Zoo animals will not be viewable during the event.

**BE WILDLY SUPPORTIVE CAMPAIGN – YOU ARE INVITED!!! The Birmingham Zoo invites the public to “Be Wildly Supportive” during this holiday and giving season. The Zoo has set an ambitious fundraising goal to raise $50,000 by year-end during the “Be Wildly Supportive of Your Zoo” campaign. Operating costs for the Zoo amount to $30,000 a day to provide food and vital care for its 550+ animals, including many endangered species. All gifts made now through December 31 will support the Emergency Animal Fund, providing vital nutrition and health care. Please support!! See you at the Birmingham Zoo, this Holiday Season!

COMING SOON…

**JULY 7-17, 2022 – THE WORLD GAMES are coming. Look for more!

Well, that’s it. Tell you more ‘next’ time. People, Places and Things by Gwen DeRu is a weekly column. Send comments to my emails: gwenderu@yahoo.com and thelewisgroup@birminghamtimes.com.

Outlaw Ocean Journalist Hits Back Against A YouTube Attack

Birmingham Times

December 22, 2021

Award-winning reporter Ian Urbina (right) left the New York Times in 2019 to found The Outlaw Ocean Project. (Fabio Nascimento)

By Evan T. Henerson

Former New York Times reporter and Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Ian Urbina admits that his desire to explore and try things others might not has at times put him in danger, taking him from war zones to the high seas and most recently to a high-stakes publicity dust-up with musicians and a YouTube influencer.

For Urbina, the adventures began early. As a child, he was fascinated by Jane Goodall, the famous primatologist, whose adventures among the apes, who warred with and wooed each other in the treetops, transported him into a new world. Over the years, the adventures kept changing, but Urbina’s thirst for exploration was a constant.

This desire to tackle tough stories and go to difficult places led to some significant journalistic accomplishments at an early age, but it has also come with risks. More recently he faced a backlash from a collection of disgruntled musicians that he had recruited into an unusual collaboration melding art with journalism.

He had scholarly adventures too. He graduated from Georgetown University. He was a Fulbright Scholar in Havana. In between, Urbina studied history and anthropology as a doctoral student at the University of Chicago.

Straight out of graduate school, Urbina scored a job as a New York Times reporter in 2003, initially working on the Metro desk and working his way up to become the Mid-Atlantic Bureau chief. It wasn’t long before his award-winning work caught the eye of Hollywood — Urbina’s 2007 investigative report on troubled teenagers became the road trip drama film “American Honey,” starring actor Shia LeBeouf.

Next, Urbina was part of an investigative team that discovered New York governor Eliot Spitzer was paying prostitutes some $4,000 an hour. Soon the governor resigned and Urbina won a Pulitzer Prize in 2009.

Investigating lawless and outrageous behavior on the world’s oceans was his next adventure. He spent four years interviewing and understanding pirates, smugglers and stowaways. His series of reports for the New York Times soon became a book, “The Outlaw Ocean,” published in 2015. It was an instant bestseller.

<p>Ian Urbina's reporting on pirates and smugglers developed into a bestselling book and later led him to found the Outlaw Ocean Project. (Photo by Eric T White/Courtesy of Ian Urbina)</p> Ian Urbina’s reporting on pirates and smugglers developed into a bestselling book and later led him to found the Outlaw Ocean Project. (Photo by Eric T White/Courtesy of Ian Urbina)

“I was enamored with the notion of going to really distant places,” Urbina told Zenger. “The ocean emerged as space travel on earth. You get into this spaceship. It’s called a boat. And travel to this really foreign realm, and there are all of these fascinating people out. They are sort of this diaspora transient tribe of people that you rarely hear from. They have their own code of ethics and language and superstitions and crime.”

Some people would be content with a bestselling book and a pile of praise. Not Urbina. Instead, he quit the Times in 2019 to launch the Outlaw Ocean Project, through which he planned to produce investigative stories in partnership with news outlets around the world. Urbina envisioned bringing in new audiences by incorporating elements of the arts, including music, live performance and visual imagery. “These are things,” said Urbina, “I couldn’t have done at the Times.”

Controversy surfaces

Just last month, Urbina and his non-profit published a story that nearly got him killed as he was taken captive by a militia in Libya. He was severely beaten, his ribs broken, and held in a secret prison for a week during a reporting effort to land an investigation that was published by The New Yorker magazine.

On the Mediterranean, Urbina found that Arab and African migrants were turned back by European coast patrols and locked up in a ramshackle series of buildings on the Libyan coast. That facility was run by a local militia, notorious for its human rights abuses. Urbina’s story on the atrocities earned nationwide acclaim and is being translated into more than 20 languages.

During his five years of reporting, Urbina was constantly recording “rhythmic sounds like machine-gun fire off the coast of Somalia and chanting captive deckhands on the South China Sea.” He began wondering if he could work with musicians to create original music inspired by the sounds of danger on the seas. In time, he recruited almost 500 musicians to compose for his compilation album.

But he was about to learn that musicians can also be creative about complaints.

After Urbina’s many successful peaks are often deep valleys. The latest of these began with the release of a Dec. 2 YouTube video in which musician Benn Jordan accused Urbina of running a “scam” that cheated hundreds of artists who participated in the nonprofit’s companion effort, The Outlaw Ocean Music Project. Jordan was one of many musicians approached by Urbina since 2019 to contribute material to the project.

**Musician Benn Jordan posted a video accusing Ian Urbina of cheating hundreds of artists. A week later, Urbina issued an apology. (Courtesy Benn Jordan)**

Jordan’s YouTube accusations ranged widely: Urbina courted individual musicians without making it clear that the project was meant to expand and include hundreds of artists; that he used his New York Times email address after he left the news organization; and that the musicians did not end up making as much money as they should because Urbina allegedly took a portion of the royalties under his Synesthesia Media label.

At the end of his video, Jordan seeks an apology from Urbina and for musicians to be released from their contracts. Urbina has now done both of these things. Still, Jordan is not placated.

“The one thing that rings out to me more than anything is that he reached out to me and told me he was a big longtime fan of my music, and I would hedge my bets that he had never listened to it before. And he did that to thousands of artists,” Jordan told Zenger. “How could he possibly say, ‘I never intended to be misleading’ when he had done that? What you have at the end of the day is a con and, as many different ways as I try to look at it, I just can’t be convinced otherwise.”

Other musicians felt misled in other ways.

When Brian Trifon signed his band “Trifonic” to Urbina’s label in 2019, he was intrigued at the idea of possible exposure and recognition that could come from an “Outlaw Ocean” soundtrack album.

But Trifonic’s enthusiasm soon cooled.

“I don’t know that Ian set out to scam musicians — I think he was naive and careless, but in the end what he did very much had the appearance of a scam even if unintentional,” Trifon told Zenger.

On social media, the music community has been divided, with many saying that Urbina was up front in the way he did business and a smaller set accusing him of misleading them or attempting to profit from their work. Some journalists have leaped to Urbina’s defense, condemning Jordan and “YouTube journalism” for mistakes and omissions.

Among the mistakes, they allege, was claiming that Urbina’s nonprofit did not exist. The OO Project, Inc. is officially registered and produces reporting for major outlets, including the New Yorker magazine.

The video also alleges that Urbina hid the fact that he created the label behind the music project, and that the music project had not been clear about its ambitions to recruit many musicians. But on the music project’s website and in various public interviews Urbina has said openly that Synesthesia is a label he created to run the music project.

Urbina apologizes

Urbina issued an apology on Dec. 7 on The Outlaw Ocean Music Project website and acknowledged that mistakes were made in communication. He has restructured Synesthesia to allow all artists to receive 100 percent of any future earnings from their music and to allow them to leave the project with their music if they choose.

“You convince artists to invest their time, brand, effort, audience, trust and creativity into your project, it’s important to communicate with them fully, ensure they get royalty statements and paid on time, answer their questions quickly. I failed to do these things. The label I created to run the project and the subcontractor I hired to do these things surely could have done much better. I apologize unequivocally,” Urbina posted on his website.

“We have tried to be straight in handling this and not accusatory or defensive,” Urbina told Zenger. “You learn through this process. You try to be straight and open and learn where you made your mistakes and defend yourself when you don’t think you did.”

As part of that process, Urbina also shifted all revenue splits so that from now on any money earned by the music goes only to the musicians, and he allowed any musicians that want to republish their music elsewhere to do so.

Mixed reactions

Reactions have been divided in news outlets and on social media, where musicians and journalists have vented their anger at Urbina over his perceived slights of their work. Many musicians have also pointed at Jordan for what some say is an unfounded takedown of a journalist who, even Jordan acknowledges, is doing important work.

Jon Kennedy, who contributed a 4-track EP “Hell or High Water” to the project, said his belief in the work did not change after watching the video. In fact, he signed on to a second Urbina-led project featuring recordings of linguist and philosopher Noam Chomsky.

“There was nothing in Benn’s video that wasn’t in plain sight in the contract, and the contract represents nothing unusual in the music business,” Kennedy told Zenger. “I am still baffled as to why this has all made such conversation! Benn’s argument falls on deaf ears to someone like me who has been in the industry long enough to know this is a completely normal way of musicians being treated and handled.”

Jordan remains skeptical about the project. “If anybody who watched my video and followed the situation took away that they should value themselves and their intellectual property more, that they should ask for upfront money and be paid not with promotion but with money crossing their palm, if anybody had that takeaway, then I’m happy,” Jordan said.

Urbina said that while 60 artists have left the project since the release of the YouTube video, about 440 have stayed, many of whom have cited their belief in the mission. As for the accusation that he is profiting from the musicians, bank statements supplied by Urbina and reviewed by Zenger show that $130,000 has gone into the project compared to $49,000 earned.

**Ian Urbina (left) climbs aboard a small fishing vessel. While 60 artists have left the Outlaw Ocean Project, about 440 have stayed, many of whom have cited their belief in the mission. (Hannah Reyes)**

“If it was a financial scam, it’s the worst one ever planned,” Urbina said. “I think we were very open with people about the mission and its size and our intention to get as big as possible.

“Maybe we should have been clearer, but I was sort of shocked that people were as frustrated as they were,” he said.

Now Urbina is on an adventure of self-criticism. “I should have communicated better and more clearly with artists, ensured that subcontractors were getting royalties and statements to musicians faster and more fully, and if at the outset I sensed that musicians were hesitant about signing on to the project, I likely should have discouraged them more firmly,” Urbina said.

The goal was and remains to try new, more collaborative and creative ways to get a younger and more global audience to consume journalism that we think is urgent and worthy, Urbina added.

“My hope is that only those who still believe in the mission of the reporting and try to amplify it will stay involved.”

Edited by Kristen Butler and Judith Isacoff

Recommended from our partners

The post Outlaw Ocean Journalist Hits Back Against A YouTube Attack appeared first on Zenger News.

Brody Mullikin Plans To Bring Back That Classic Rock Sound

Birmingham Times

December 22, 2021

Brody Mullikin is rarely seen without his guitar. (Courtesy of Brody Mullikin)

By Percy Lovell Crawford

Anyone with an ear for music can attest that the sound and delivery of songs is constantly changing from era to era and generation to generation. The evolution of music, along with ever-more-sophisticated recording technology, can enhance tunes and make creating them easier.

But some musicians feel that if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. So it is with 22-year-old Brody Mullikin, who gravitates more toward a more organic form of creating music. This involves writing, mixing and performing his own music, while playing multiple instruments — a true throwback approach to his craft.

Song covers have become popular over the years, with aspiring artists produces their own version of a hit originally done by of one of their favorite artists. Mullikin’s covers are getting more attention, which is also drawing fans to his original music. Mullikin’s covers range from Elton John, the Rolling Stones, Tom Petty, The Spinners, and several other legends of the ’70s.

The talented Mullikin opens up to Zenger about his passion for music, his dream to play in front of thousands, and the inspiration behind his sound.

Percy Crawford interviewed Brody Mullikin for Zenger.

Zenger: I love your sound, love your approach to music. To be such a young guy, you seem to really gravitate to several genres and music from several eras ago.

Mullikin: Definitely! The genres I listen to that influence me the most is from the ’70s. Anything from classic rock, soft rock, soul, even bluegrass. It all intertwines with each other, and out comes the music I make.

Zenger: Your group, “Strange Days,” is actually a one-man band. What was the thought process behind that?

Mullikin: Yes, I say it’s a band, but it’s really just me. No other members. It’s a pseudo-name that I post under just to give the illusion that it’s a band. Everything is done by me.

Zenger: It’s very impressive that you’re playing all those instruments. When did you start doing that?

Percy Crawford interviewed Brody Mullikin for Zenger. (Heidi Malone/Zenger)

Mullikin: I started playing guitar when I was about 6 years old. I would pick it up and put it down, throughout my whole life. About 5 years ago, I got this urge to pick it up again and keep doing it. That’s about the same time I picked up bass, keyboards, drums and a few other instruments. I’m still adding to my collection of instruments.

Zenger: You also mixed and produced all of your work. Is it important for you to learn every aspect of the game?

Mullikin: I want to learn all the sides of music. I feel like that’s the best approach if you want to get a grasp on everything, everyone’s role. I love knowledge.

Zenger: Does your family have a strong musical background?

Mullikin: My grandpa was a musician in the ’70s. He traveled from Ohio all the way down to Florida, and made the whole East Coast run in a band with his brothers. They were nothing big, but they played a lot and they loved it. I grew up listening to those stories. That’s my dad’s father. My dad himself does no music. My mom has the musical gene in her, but she doesn’t pursue it.

**Brody Mullikin created this computer-generated image of himself from a photo to accompany his new single, “Yes You Got (What It Takes).” (Courtesy of Brody Mullikin)**

Zenger: You take on some big time covers, guys like Elton John, Rolling Stones, The Spinners. The list is endless. Have any of those covers been intimidating to attempt?

Mullikin: Honestly, I never really thought about it. I guess it wouldn’t be. I pick songs that I really like and just do it. Usually, a lot of the songs that I do are ones that I have been doing for years now. I do a lot of live performances at restaurants and bars. Most of the time I do covers. When I see a song that I love, I have to get it in my catalog, doing it as a cover, and putting it up for everyone to see.

Zenger: You said you want to bring the classic rock sound back. What do you feel like is missing in that particular genre that you can add to it?

Mullikin: What I see it lacking is in the mixing side. I’ve noticed a lot of the classic rock sound comes from the mixing itself. I think it’s lacking there, and I definitely feel that I can fill that void.

Zenger: Who are some of your musical influences?

Mullikin: David Gilmour of Pink Floyd, that’s my number-one band. The Moody Blues, The Eagles, the list goes on and on. Supertramp, honestly, everything from the ‘60s, ’70s and ‘80s. I do love some modern stuff too. I do have a large catalog of songs I love from the 2000s. But I just keep going back to the’’70s.

Zenger: You are what we call an old soul. There is nothing wrong with that at all.

Mullikin: (Laughing). I have heard that term many times.

**Live performances and song covers are becoming Brody Mullikin’s bread and butter. (Courtesy of Brody Mullikin)**

Zenger: Your new single is “Yes You Got (What It Takes).” Love the song. How involved were you with this song start to finish?

Mullikin: Thank you so much. I’m glad you love the song. Everything on that was all written by me. That song itself started with the piano riff. And I said, “That sounds pretty good.” It’s just adding layers on to that.

Zenger: As you’re a one-man-band, I have to ask: do you prefer being secluded when you create, or is that one of the occasions where you enjoy an audience?

Mullikin: I think it’s a little bit of both. The way I write songs is, it just pops up in my head. I’ll hear this riff or cord melody, or vocal melody in my head, and I’ll stop what I’m doing and record it real quick. Many times I’m doing the best that I can with the voice recorder on my iPhone. I’ve noticed that [inspiration] comes whenever it wants. Whether I’m in my room by myself, on stage playing to an audience. Even if I’m out with my friends or my girlfriend, it just pops up, and I’m like, “Hold on one second, let me record this.” It’s really random. I still can’t wrap my head around it (laughing).

Zenger: Where would you like to be musically, say… this time next year?

Mullikin: I would say, just playing in front of thousands of people. Right now, I’m far from that, but I think if I keep pushing, I will get there. I believe in myself. Just getting as many people as I can to follow me. I’ve been pushing my covers out. I’ve noticed that that attracts a lot of people, and then they find my music. I think that’s the way. That’s what I am trying to do right now, get as many followers as I can, and eventually convert the followers to a community.

Zenger: I really enjoy your sound. Keep believing in yourself and your music, and you will reach your goals. Is there anything else you would like to add?

Mullikin: Thank you so much for interviewing me. I really appreciate it.

Edited by Matthew B. Hall and Judith Isacoff

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The Startup Giving The Ancient Carob Tree A Tech Makeover

Birmingham Times

December 22, 2021

Carobway founder and CEO Udi Alroy. (Photo by Gilad Artzie/CarobWay)

By Naama Barak

Should you ever come across a foil-wrapped, umbrella-shaped confection at an Israeli store, we recommend that you stay away. Despite generations of Israeli parents trying to convince their kids otherwise, this is not in fact chocolate, but rather a pale imitation of it made from carobs.

Yes, the ancient biblical fruit with a somewhat acquired taste.

Even Udi Alroy, the founder and CEO of a startup out to utilize carob trees for a wide range of nutritional products, is not a fan of the flavor.

But that’s not stopping him from encouraging farmers to plant thousands of carob trees across the country and setting up a factory to utilize the fruit to its core.

A veteran of the natural food industry, Alroy founded CarobWay following a request from a former army buddy.

“He’s managing all the agriculture innovation plantations in the northern part of the Hula Valley, near the eastern Upper Galilee,” Alroy explains. “He asked me to look into what they can have as a sustainable and commercially viable crop in Israel.”

His research pointed to the carob. The only issue: Alroy had little to no knowledge on the topic. “Besides carob chocolates, I had no idea about carobs,” he jokes.

Alroy soon learned that carobs are in fact in high demand, particularly their seeds. These are used to produce locust bean gum, a natural thickening agent often used in the dairy industry. But the supply is generally much shorter than the demand.

Bulletproof for climate change

Carob trees, Alroy notes, are highly acclimatized in Israel and have been growing there for thousands of years.

To ensure the sustainability of CarobWay’s solution, the company partnered with Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF) to research the carob trees growing in local forests and how climate change was affecting them.

**Israeli startup CarobWay is utilizing the benefits of the ancient carob trees in completely modern ways. (Gilad Artzie/CarobWay)**

“We saw that carob is bulletproof for climate change in Israel. It grows in the desert, in the valleys, in the mountains. All the forests that we have do not consume any agriculture labor, but you see that without doing anything the forest does very well,” he notes.

“We created a huge data bank of thousands of trees and from those we chose to take the top 10 and those are the basis for the cultivation.”

CarobWay brought the seedlings to farmers.

“We interested them in growing our carobs in a very unique growers’ agreement – they invest and they grow and we buy the whole yield, the whole fruit, for 10 years. It created for them a hugely stable environment in a very new industry,” Alroy tells ISRAEL21c.

**CarobWay partner farmers meeting in the orchids. (Gilad Artzie/CarobWay)**

Zero-waste policy

Last year, 70 hectares (173 acres) of carob trees were planted in the Hula Valley.

At the same time, CarobWay signed a deal with a European manufacturer of locust bean gum to buy all the seeds produced in its orchards for 10 years.

“Our business model is a long-term supply agreement. We’re looking to enter a very stable supply chain for the long-term. The industry loves it because they don’t have anywhere else to go,” Alroy explains.

Until the freshly planted carob trees begin to bear fruit — in about three or four years — CarobWay is developing its products.

“We have a zero-waste policy. We really use 100 percent of the fruit,” Alroy emphasizes.

With all future seeds already being sold to Europe, CarobWay is focusing on the pulp side of the carob fruit, which is comprised of sugars, fibers and polyphenols.

**Young carob trees being planted in the Hula Valley in northern Israel. (Gilad Artzie/CarobWay)**

Carob honey

“The sugar is kind of a natural fruit sugar that’s low GI [glycemic index]. It’s mainly used today for honey that looks like silan [date honey] but it’s highly nutritious,” Alroy explains.

The fibers of the fruit are both soluble and insoluble, and the polyphenols are known for providing a feeling of satiety.

“We have 15 products — three from the seeds and 12 from the fruit. We’re not in the business of carob powder, but of clinically supported products,” Alroy adds.

“We’re doing extensive R&D now. We are looking to be the king of knowhow within the carob business.”

The company – which Alroy officially established with two other cofounders in mid-2020 – employs a team of researchers, a clinical physician, an analytical team, plant protection specialists and product developers for the food industry.

What can carobs contribute to health?

“We’re based in Ness Ziona, and my office is in the car because I travel quite a lot. Most of the operation today is outsourced,” Alroy says, adding that the startup already has sales and customers.

In the meantime, the company has received a pre-seed investment and is looking for further funding to build its industrial plant.

Alroy plans on turning CarobWay into an Israel-based global company in the next 10 years, planting thousands more hectares of carob trees, building a highly efficient industrial operation and launching new products.

These products won’t be anything like those faux chocolate umbrellas, Alroy says.

“We’ll do studies to show what carobs can contribute to health. We are looking to produce products with a scientific value, for example to serve the needs of food and beverage companies seeking viable sugar alternatives,” he concludes. “I’m not sure that chocolate is the right application.”

For more information, click here

Produced in association with Israel21C.

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Imagine A City Without Parking Tickets

Birmingham Times

December 22, 2021

Parking tickets are a headache for those who park in city spaces. One startup aims to help reduce parking tickets for drivers. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

By Abigail Klein Leichman

Parking on city streets can be a nightmare. According to the latest statistics, driving around and around in search of a spot takes an average of 26 minutes and accounts for one-third of urban traffic congestion.

When you finally find that parking space, if you neglect to activate your payment app you can be slapped with a hefty fine.

Jerusalem based startup Wisesight was created to ease those parking pain points and many more.

Leveraging the power of big data, the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence, this multipurpose solution benefits both motorists and municipalities.

**Akiva Armon, CEO of Wisesight. (Courtesy of Wisesight)**

Wisesight CEO Akiva Armon said that the idea took root as he watched a driver circling his sister-in-law’s narrow block in Tel Aviv in search of parking.

From his vantage point at a window above the street, Armon saw a spot available at the next corner. If only he could have conveyed that information.

He wasn’t the first to think of this. Indeed, there are apps that direct motorists to vacant parking spaces using the wisdom of the crowd. And there are apps that handle parking payment.

Wisesight bundled those services, and a whole lot more, into its app-free solution for a frictionless park-and-pay experience.

“We’re the Israeli lunatics who tried to figure out how to do it all,” jokes Armon.

Wisesight has raised $7.5 million and operates in eight Israeli cities so far. Pilot projects have begun in the Jerusalem, Pittsburgh and Dubai municipalities, and at major carparks in Los Angeles International Airport, Hoover Dam, London and Ukraine.

Everything’s automated

Working cooperatively with the client municipality or carpark operator, Wisesight uses connected sensors and live video feed to map the vehicles parked on the street and in lots.

The captured data can be used to analyze traffic and parking patterns, guide motorists to vacant spots, categorize parking spots (for example hourly, daily, subscription, disabled), monitor reserved spots, and enhance security due to the video component.

Parking lot operators can keep track of occupied and vacant spaces and set differential prices to incentivize distribution of vehicles more evenly. Wisesight could, in the future, even help car owners find their parked car with the help of GPS and real-time video.

For now, payment is the main use case. Studies show that half the time people step away from their cars without activating their parking apps, whether willfully or accidentally. This translates to a lot of parking fines and a lot of lost revenue.

Wisesight is embedded in the payment apps used in its partner cities (in Israel, that’s Pango and Cellopark) and can send the vehicle owner a text message reminder, generate an invoice, or alert city parking inspectors if necessary.

Establishing a US subsidiary

“In the US we’re working with four of the six biggest parking industry integrators,” says Armon, an electrooptical engineer formerly involved in developing military projects including the Arrow 3 antiballistic missile system.

He and four other engineers from a similar defense-industry background – Reem Rokach, Itai Kadosh, Eliran Cohen and Erez Rokach — brought their accumulated knowledge to Wisesight.

**Wisesight founders, from left, Reem Rokach, Eliran Cohen, Akiva Armon, Erez Rokach and Itai Kadosh. (Courtesy of Wisesight)**

“We wanted to have a positive influence on as many people as we can. That’s why we came to the parking sector. It affects so many people every day, multiple times a day,” says Armon.

“With our IoT system to manage and monitor parking spaces fully automatically, our vision is to get rid of parking fines and enable frictionless payment.”

Municipalities that have integrated Wisesight technology into their smart-cities services reap benefits including higher revenues and less traffic caused by people trying to park their cars, Armon notes.

“And drivers are happier because no one is trying to screw them with parking fines and confusing parking regulations,” he says.

The startup has 20 employees and is establishing a U.S. subsidiary, Wisesight USA, in Phoenix.

For more information, click here

Produced in association with Israel21C.

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Central (American) Heating: Scientists Find Subterranean Volcanic Duct From Galapagos To Panama

Birmingham Times

December 22, 2021

Central Panama's landscape helped an interdisciplinary team, led by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute researchers, analyze how geochemically enriched material travels laterally through Earth’s mantle, similar to wind blowing at the surface. (Peter Barry, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution/Zenger)

By Joseph Golder

Scientists have discovered a 900-mile-long conduit in the Earth’s mantle, below the crust, that transports volcanic material from the Galápagos Islands to Panama in Central America.

An interdisciplinary team led by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution discovered “anomalous geochemical compositions beneath Panama” that can be traced back to the Galápagos plume, a column of molten rock that rises from deep in the Earth.

The team used helium isotopes and other data from fluids and rocks that showed that volcanic material present in Panama comes from the Galápagos Islands, which lie over 900 miles away off the coast of Ecuador.

Another unusual formation in Central Panama’s landscape that helped scientists detect the presence of geochemically enriched material traveling laterally through Earth’s mantle. (Peter Barry, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution/Zenger)

“The lateral transport of plume material represents an understudied mechanism that scatters enriched geochemical signatures in mantle domains far from plumes,” said David Bekaert, a postdoctoral scholar at the institute and a lead author on the study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

“We can compare volcanic systems to the body of a living organism; when the organism bleeds, it’s kind of like magma bleeding out of the Earth. And you can measure the composition of that magma, just like you can measure a blood type.

“In this study, we measured an unexpected volcanic gas composition, sort of like when a human has a rare blood type. In the case of the Earth, we then try to explain where it came from in terms of deep geological processes.”

A small pool of water sourced from a deep spring in Panama. Researchers discovered “abnormal geochemical compounds” beneath this region, which they sourced to the Galápagos Islands more than 900 miles away. (Peter Barry, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution/Zenger)

The team of experts demonstrated that hot elements from the Earth’s deep interior travel “laterally through the shallow mantle, similar to wind blowing at the Earth’s surface.”

In addition to chemical observations, the researchers used geophysical imaging of the Earth’s deep interior to determine the source and direction of what they dubbed the “mantle wind.”

(L to R) Donato Giovannelli (University of Naples), Patrick Beaudry (MIT) and Maarten de Moor (National University of Costa Rica), all part of an interdisciplinary team of researchers, use a YSI Multimeter in central Panama to measure water chemistry. (Peter Barry, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution/Zenger)

It is typically not easy for mantle material to pass through subduction zones because the edge of the tectonic plate, which is called a “slab,” acts as a barrier. But the area beneath Panama is unusual in this respect, as it appears to have a “slab window” that allows this mantle wind to blow through, the scientists said.

“Exotic volcanic chemical features have previously been documented in Central America,” Bekaert said. “We use these chemical characteristics as indicators for large geological processes. In this case, our findings help explain why plume-derived volcanic material shows up in central Panama, even though there are no active volcanoes there.”

“Overall, this study tells us that, even after billions of years of evolution, our planet remains a dynamic system marked by large-scale movements of solid material, miles beneath our feet,” the report concludes.

Edited by Matthew B. Hall and Kristen Butler

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Omicron, For Better Or Worse, Is Bringing Gasoline Prices Lower

Birmingham Times

December 22, 2021

Lower gas prices are somewhat bittersweet given the renewed concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic and new mask and vaccine mandates. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

By Daniel James Graeber

Continued strains from the pandemic are weighing on commodity prices to the point that some states are posting steep declines in the retail price for gasoline, analysts told Zenger.

Travel club AAA reported a national average retail price for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline of $3.30, down 2 cents from one week ago and 10 cents lower than this time last month. Gasoline prices are still at multiyear highs for this time of year, though relief finally seems to be coming for consumers just in time for the holiday travel season.

Tom Kloza, the global head of energy analysis at the Oil Price Information Service, said that, discounting the state average of $4.66 per gallon in California, the national average would be closer to $3.20 per gallon.

**Retail gasoline prices, while still at multiyear highs, are on the decline. (U.S. Energy Information Administration)**

Lower prices, however, are somewhat bittersweet given the renewed concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic. Major cities will impose new mask and vaccine mandates in January in an effort to control the spread of the highly contagious Omicron variant of the virus that causes COVID-19.

“You might even hope for $4 gallon gasoline as it will mean that we’re on the other side of COVID,” Kloza said. “There could be a very brisk rally coming in March-to-May, unless the slight demand destruction we are seeing tied to Omicron continues into the middle of the first quarter.

High prices at the pump don’t seem to be crimping demand too much. Federal data last week showed the total volume of refined petroleum products supplied to the market, a loose proxy for demand, continues to hold at or near pre-pandemic levels.

But commodity prices and broader markets are on the decline amid concerns about the pandemic. Crude oil prices, which account for the bulk of what consumers see at the pump, are a good 10 percent lower than they were at the start of November.

**Gasoline prices are still at multiyear highs for this time of year, though relief finally seems to be coming for consumers just in time for the holiday travel season. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)**

Patrick DeHaan, the senior petroleum analyst at GasBuddy, told Zenger that this marks the sixth week in a row where the national average has dipped lower.

“The biggest drops in retail gasoline prices have come in the Great Lakes, where Michigan, Indiana and Ohio all have several cities in the top 25 with the largest monthly declines in the nation,” he said. “On the extreme side, some stations in Michigan have fallen over 50 cents, with one station I verified having fallen 74 cents per gallon from its posted price in early November.”

If airport clearance numbers are any indication, it could be a relatively busy holiday travel season despite concerns about the Omicron variant. The U.S. Transportation Security Administration reported an average of 1.98 million passengers moving through security checkpoints for a seven-day period ending Dec. 20, compared with 885,800 on average over the same period last year. This year’s average is below pre-pandemic levels, however.

Matthew Kohlman, an associate director for refined products pricing at S&P Global Platts, said there’s still room for improvement with supply not yet matching demand, but this holiday travel season could still be a busy one.

“People are keeping busy for the holidays and gassing up their tanks to do so,” he said.

Edited by Kristen Butler and Bryan Wilkes