Human was voted by the members and visitors of Universe Spirit as our July/August Musical Artist of the month.
Human has been playing and performing music most of his life. Born in Utica, NY on April 19, 1980, he knew by age three that music was his calling. He started playing the saxophone in grade school in Ohio, then guitar and hand percussion after moving to Nashville, TN. In 1996 his family moved back to Ohio where he finished high school and attended the controversial Kent State University. It was there that he learned to blend his unique mix of suburban-acoustic-funky-folk-skank-grass which he calls "cultural fusion fo' yo' soul". Bringing people together through dance and music has always been his number one cause. "I realized early on that I found my center, connected with my highest self, when I finally let all my inhibitions go and just danced. In that space, the lyrics reached me on an almost cellular level. Music, to me, is the modern day church where ideas are shared and people can recharge their spirits."
In college, Human studied music and Anthropology, and worked as a hemp and peace activist as well as a festival promoter for the University. His song "Rainshadow," describing the implications of living in a culture that is out of touch with their government and its military, proved to be hauntingly accurate. Just a few days after writing Rainshadow, the bombing of the World Trade Center in NYC on September 11, 2001 changed the way Americans saw themselves in the world. After forming the group Peace Now, later to become the Kent State Anti-War Committee, with only a year left before graduation he dropped out of the University and traveled around the East with a rag-tag bunch preaching his message of peace and justice on street corners, outside grocery stores, malls, churches, farmer's markets, cafes and open mics, living off of occasional labor jobs and the tips and food people would throw into his guitar case. Their travels took them to the mountains, the hills, and the plains of the East and Midwestern United States, garnering standing ovations wherever they went. The next summer, Human packed up the hatchback and relocated to the coastal village of Mendocino, CA.
In his short time living on the Mendocino Coast, Human has become a local celebrity, championing progressive causes and working on campaigns promoting renewable energy and alternative fuels, as well as confronting the corporate takeover of the local economy. In 2004, Mendocino became the first county in the U.S. to organize and confront the agri-biz giants Croplife America and Monsanto Corp, making it illegal to grow their genetically modified plants and animals in the county. Human is a member of the "Pioneers of the New Dawn" musicians collective, as well as a regular open stage host at the world famous Caspar Inn. He has opened for and performed with various groups including: Tre' Hardson (Pharcyde), Radioactive (Spearhead), Joules Graves, Bill Bottrell, Johnny Liberty, Flowmotion, Blue Turtle Seduction, the Uprite Dub Orchestra, Clan Dyken, Baga Bae, Shimshai and the Natural MysticEnsemble, Jah Levi and others.
In 2004, Human finished recording his second album "Naked" including the hits "Soul Revival" and "Don't Blame Me I Voted For Willie Nelson" which have recieved major airlplay on the Mendocino Coast and in Humboldt County. Three other songs from the Naked album will be featured in an upcoming documentary by filmmakers Laurie York and Carmen Goodyear (Freedom to Marry) about the accomplishments of community organizing on the Mendocino Coast entitled "The Power of Protest". Human is now performing with his new band the Evolution.
To find out more about Human, visit http://www.thehumanrevolution.org