Felicia Alima performed with her band on Friday, May 22, at the Frequency in downtown Madison in an event to raise awareness about the issue of human trafficking . The event, dubbed the Trade Show, marked the release of her single (of same name) which speaks about this oft-ignored issue. The night began with a poetry performance by Nigel Wade, Evy Gildrie-Voyles, and Caitlin McGahan. Immediately following the poets, several activists stepped-up to the microphone to share a message, and speak about the cause including Marianna Smirnova from Wisconsin Office of Justice Assistance (OJA), Darius Alemzadeh from Trafficking Ends With Action (TEA), and Lilada Gee from Women of Worth (WOW).

Felicia Alima

Upon entering the venue, it was immediately noticeable that Alima had done her marketing and merchandising homework.  There were posters on the outer windows as well as on the walls of the performance space, which displayed a color scheme and theme to attract the eyes of those in attendance.  “Trade”-themed wrist bands (tradebands), were distributed with admission to the show. With merchandise and ticketing proceeds going towards the Coalition Against Trafficking In Women (CATW), the cause of the evening was a worthy one, and Miss Alima did fine work in preparing to inform and involve all of the attendees of her event. The socially-conscious urban artist was flanked by a small team at an information table, a number of fellow artists (including a six-person band), and even several photographers and videographers who were capturing all the proceedings of the entire evening.

The Frequency’s concert room swelled to capacity as DJ Pain 1 energized the crowd with several grooving numbers on the turn-tables. Soon after, Alima and her band fired into a twelve-song set which featured a nice variety of up-tempo numbers, grooving rockers, and even a few softer tunes. 

Darius Alemzadeh from TEA

About midway through the set, Alima performed the signature song of the evening, “Trade”. The mellow music served to emphasise the lyrics, which speak of the epidemic that is plaguing an alarming number of women across the world. On this song, Alima’s voice and message were clear: Stay informed and help however you feel you can.

Among a set of original music, a few covers were included, and the vibe of the evening hovered around an up-beat, dancing atmosphere. Kudos go to Ms. Alima on making this event a win-win for everyone involved.

Felicia Alima w/ Vocalists

DJ Pain 1

Felicia Alima Band

Felicia Alima Drums

VARIOUS ARTISTS – Hearts and Minds (a compilation benefiting Madison’s Homeless Cooperative Newspaper)

(2006   Independent Release)

Madison’s Homeless Cooperative, a newspaper put out by the Madison Warming Center Campaign, just got a new name, Street Pulse, and a new office, the latter of which was one of the stated goals of this compilation. Plus, they’ve seen their circulation climb from 2000 to 3000 in their first four months of publication.  Efforts like Hearts and Minds have increased awareness of this project, which was founded by students and homeless people who sell the papers for $1 an issue.  Much the way that the anti-war No Camouflage compilation released last year used soldier testimonials to bring the message home, the CD uses statements from the homeless, along with a brief description of the inspiration from founding editor, UW student Mel Motel, to tell their stories.  Unlike that project, however, in which most artists used the platform to vent against the Iraq war and the government, few of the songs on this disc actually deal with the issue at hand.  Not that it’s a problem. While people will always disagree about politics, no one is in favor of homelessness.

The CD was produced by el guante and DJ Pain1, so it is no surprise that it contains a fair amount of hip-hop and rap.  Addressing the purpose directly, el guante’s “Never People” may be the stand-out track with its chorus of “Never ever seen so, seen so, so many never people people no.”  The line, “It won’t matter how many CDs you sold / It won’t matter if your song got played / What really matters is the people you helped along the way” succinctly states his mission.    Bass Is Loaded Coalition samples Bowie’s “Changes” on their contribution, the wordy “Committed.”  20 Reasons Taken blend rap and rock effectively on “Take on My World” while the Figureheads use electronic beats to back their vocals on “Yesterday’s Rain.”  Know Boundaries astutely dissects the way advertising determines our self-worth and self-image on “You Look Good (But You Could Always Look Better).”

The rest of the tracks run the gamut from the spoken-word pieces of David Hart and Eric Mata to the strangely affecting trip-hop of RKS’s “Jhoom Jhoom Dhalti Raat.”  Mata’s “V Train to Manhattan” which describes in uncomfortably vivid detail the plight of a homeless man sleeping on a subway platform is even more jarring following the sunny pop of the admittedly out-of-place German Art Students’ “Cruise Control Captain.”   Meanwhile, Cougar’s “Pulse Conditioner” from their John McEntire-mixed debut Law uses infectious steel drum percussion on their inspired instrumental.  The always-interesting Stonefloat contributes the echo-y “Gingersnapps > Dunskirk,” a surreal mix of music and voice.  For most this CD would be worth buying just for its worthy cause, but for fans of the local rap scene it’s even more essential.