Michael A. Gonzales's Page

 

Summer 2011. One More Robot Magazine featuring “Black Polaroids on Planet Pop” written by Michael A. Gonzales; Art by  Jean, Michel Basquiat,…

Continue

With the power of funky pop being as addictive as religion, one of the musical prophets responsible for many a musical conversion is the aural superman Sly Stone. Before being schooled to Stone’s politics of artistic integration—that included the race of his band members as well as multihued influences heard in his music—the only thing that mattered to me was the electrifying mojo of his grooves. Jamming to the hypnotic tracks like “Everyday People,” “Dance to the Music” and the seminal… Continue

Even before the release of her first record Baduizm in the winter of 1997, Erykah Badu was considered something special. Signed by Kedar Massenburg, who two years prior had a hand in presenting

D’Angelo’s groundbreaking Brown Sugar to an appreciative public, Erykah was introduced as the second coming of Billie Holiday.

While that kind of hyperbole might be impossible for even the most seasoned singers to live up to, Badu was ready to tackle the record…

Continue

Contrary to popular belief, Singer/songwriter Bill Withers is not dead. So take heart, fans who never stopped bumping his laidback 70s soul classics “Ain’t No Sunshine” and “Lean On Me”—the man is still alive and writing music. “Jesse Jackson recently called me to find out if I was still alive,” Withers told a reporter in 2006. “He said his wife was walking around the house upset because she heard that I had died. We get a lot of those calls from foreign countries and everything. I’m used to it… Continue