Daily Archives: May 9, 2011

We Pray For You : YouTube Japan Tribute

We Pray For You : YouTube Japan Tribute

The YouTube community got together to help the victims of Japan’s Earthquake & Tsunami. Lending their voices to help Japan are 55 YouTubers (some are your favorite Asian American YouTubers) including Sem, Chris Cendana, Stacy Dudero, Buket Kocatas, Bruce and Daniel, AJ Rafael, Troye Sivan, Anhayla, Kevin Lien, Erin Rice, Mishal Moore, Lyne Sullivan, Laura Broad, The Shures, AHMIR, Nick Pitera, Brett McLaughlin, Justin “J Hype” Reinstein, Heidi Jutras, David Choi, Iann Guérin, Jason Chen, Lucas Teague, ILLumeci, Orlando Dixon, Shan Malaika, Anna Moya, Frank Bell, Julie Corrigan, Aaron Caras, Laura Zocca, Renee Thomas, J Rice, Lisa Lavie, Maria Zouroudis, Jon Molina, Jumoke Hill, Laurence Fishman, Jessica Sanchez, Sam Northwood, Amy Colalella, and Juliet Weybret. The project is the brainchild of J Rice. Here’s how he got everyone involved:

I sent out an email on April 1st to a lot of my youtube friends with a very rough mix of this song with only one verse and chorus. I had no idea if anyone would even be interested in singing it with me, but within 24 hours 90% had responded saying they were in. A week later I sent everyone their parts. Luckily I was familiar with each individual voice, so I tried to pick parts that would showcase their vocals and also be the perfect match for mood in the song. 3 weeks later, (50 hours of editing/mixing)… all the parts were in and the video was completed. This project has been an amazing experience and we all hope that a real difference can be made with it.

You can get the song on We Pray For You (Youtubers Edition) - We Pray For You (Youtubers Edition) - Single. Proceeds benefit disaster victims of Japan’s Earthquake/Tsunami and recent tornadoes in the southern United States.

Here’s a few more ways people have supported the cause:
Tsunami Relief: Download to Donate
Songs for Japan
2011 Japan Earthquake people finder
You can also click on the “donate to Japan” button on the toolbar at the footer of channelAPA.com. (Last month, channelAPA.com founder Kevin Hsieh donated his car to the Red Cross to support Japan. Hopefully, you can contribute in your own way.)

We Pray For You : YouTube Japan Tribute

Lyrics to We Pray For You – Japan Tribute
Music by J Rice
Words by J Rice & Brett McLaughlin

Verse 1:
If I could take
it away
the pain that you’re feeling
the nightmare you’re living…today
I wish that I
could make a change
but I’m only one person
I’ll take my share of the burden

pre-chorus:
I don’t have much to give
but hopefully the world, will all join in
and say with me…

chorus:
I pray for you
And If we stop for a moment
Imagine what we can
do
I know together
we’ll help you make it
through
we’ll help you make it through
we pray for you

Verse 2:
while we are safely
asleep
mothers are searching
lost and uncertain
in need

My heart won’t let
me believe
it’s ok doing nothing
when others are suffering

Pre-chorus:
even if we don’t have much to give
hopefully the world, will all join in
and say with me…

(Chorus)

Verse 3:
can’t fix it all
overnight
but we won’t stop trying
until everyone’s hands
unite

The future looks brighter
now
you may be knocked down
but you’ll be stronger somehow

Pre-chorus:
even if we don’t have much to give
hopefully the world, will all join in
and say with me…

Dark Star (Remix) by Hypnogaja x Slimkid3

Dark Star (Remix) by Hypnogaja x Slimkid3

Asian American dancers show their moves in the music video remix for Dark Star by Hypnogaja x Slimkid3. Dancers featured include Cindy Minowa (of ABDC’s Kaba Modern), Yuri Tag (of ABDC’s Kabba Modern), Geo Lee (of ABDC’s Instant Noodles), Himerria Wortham, Mikey Andaya, and Tony Tran with choreography by Yuri Tag. Breaking and tutting in effect with this piece directed by Chil Kong. You can get the song on Dark Star (Remix) [feat. SLIMKID3 of The Pharcyde] - Dark Star - EPor amazon.

Asian American dancers are staking their claim in the music video world. Recently, Quest Crew was in Might As Well Step Forward and Poreotics in The Lazy Song by Bruno Mars.

Dark Star (Remix) by Hypnogaja x Slimkid3

2011 Cleveland Asian Festival

2011 Cleveland Asian Festival
In celebrating Asian Pacific American Heritage Month in May, the Asian community in Northeast Ohio is putting together an extravaganza cultural experience that you can’t miss: the 2nd Annual Cleveland Asian Festival, a two days weekend of fun for the entire family, it is free and open to the public on May 21-22, 2011.

Cultural performances, martial arts demonstrations, children’s activities, merchandises and informational booths, authentic Asian cuisine, health pavilion with free screening, trolley tours and fun competitions. Cleveland Asian Festival has everything for everyone:

Two outdoor stages (CPP and PNC stages) will feature different performances taking you on a diverse journey across Asia: Lion and Dragon Dances, Martial Arts, Traditional Asian Fashions, Taiko Drums, Cleveland comedian Jaya Bidari – India’s Funniest Mom in America, Dancing, and many others. Headlining performances on stage is by NBC’s “Last Comic Standing” Original Winner, Vietnamese comedian Dat Phan, whom will be on stage to captivate the audience on Saturday!

The festival will include games, inflatable Sumo Wrestling, an inflatable bounce house and giant slide, Asian crafts, Dance Dance Revolutions, and prizes for parents looking for activities for the children will all be part of the festival. While in the area, give Caf the panda a big hug! Panda’s are shy, and Caf is especially elusive. Caf the panda will interact with visitors giving the children a weekend they can’t forget!

At the food court, visitors will have the opportunity to experience authentic Asian cuisine in one location at the festival’s food court, sample food from over a dozen of style such as Japanese, Thai, Korean, Chinese, Himalayan/Nepalese , Cambodian, Philippines, Northern India, and many other countries. A delightful cultural tour through ethnic food and drinks within one location. Stroll through over 100+ booths with of merchandises, informational or cultural displays at the World Market, exhibitors which includes include Asian clothing, jewelry, handbags and other accessories, souvenirs, social service agencies and exhibitors throughout.

Meet and Greet with actress Yin Chang at The Event booth! She plays “Mei Kwan” in Walt Disney’s movie PROM. Ms. Chang is most recognized for her role as ‘Nelly Yuki’ on CW’s Gossip Girl. Chang has also appeared on NBC’s Law & Order: SVU and Law & Order: Criminal Intent and ABC’s Six Degrees. Also at the Japanese Association of Northeast Ohio (JANO) booth booth, they will be support their effort in raising funds for Japan Disaster Relief., so head over there and give in to a good cause.

The Health Pavilion will be back this year but at a new location inside the Asia Plaza with physicians readily to assist. They will provide free screenings such as children’s blood lead levels, bone density, cholesterol, and glucose. Additionally, free health talks are scheduled with bilingual interpreters available to assist in translations. For females, there will also be mammograms by appointment only.

The Eating competitions are also back! Join the Samosa Eating Competition on Saturday at 5pm and the Egg Roll eating competition on Sunday at 5pm. Looks for the stage located in the food court. Festival attendees are encouraged to cheer and rally for the winner, a fun activity for those craving for some good eating challenge!

One new addition this year is the free Lolly the Trolley tour around the AsiaTown neighborhood. Hop onto the Trolley to discover local secrets in AsiaTown with a tour guide providing brief history of the area. The Trolly will also make stops during its route allowing passengers the opportunity to experience additional exhibitions at Ariel International Center, Tyler Village and Asian Town Center.

With something for everyone for the whole family, there are endless activities at the 2011 Cleveland Asian Festival. Festival goers can also take advantages of several free parking in the AsiaTown neighborhood and Cleveland State University lots S1, Y1, Y2 with free shuttle service.

The Cleveland Asian Festival is a free event happening on May 21st and May 22nd at Asia Plaza located on the corner of Payne Avenue and East 30th Street. The festival this year will run 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM both days. Check out the detailed scheduled performances, directions, parking information, or list of exhibitors here

Date and Time: May 21st-May 22nd from 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM (both days). Rain or shine.
Location: 2999 Payne Avenue, Cleveland OH, 44114

2010 Cleveland Asian Festival Promo

Cold teaser by Aziatix

Cold teaser by Aziatix

Aziaddicts, are you ready for another original song from Aziatix? The group just released a teaser for their song “Cold”. In the latest music video teaser, they continue to deliver high quality productions influenced by their time in Asia with green screen environments and dancers. Eddie Shin, Flowsik, and Nicky Lee could be the first to make that crossover from Asia. Cold and Go are leading up to the Aziatix EP dropping soon.

Cold teaser by Aziatix

cellist Yo-Yo Ma: CBS PSA

cellist Yo-Yo Ma: CBS PSA

Musician Yo-Yo Ma is the next Asian American to be featured in the CBS PSAs for APA Heritage Month. He was born in 1955 to Chinese parents living in Paris. He began to study the cello with his father at age four and soon came with his family to New York, where he spent most of his formative years. He played for President Kennedy at the age of 7 and went on to be a world renowned cellist. He sought out a traditional liberal arts education to expand upon his conservatory training, graduating from Harvard University in 1976. Celebrating his 30th anniversary with Sony Classical and Sony Masterworks, Yo-Yo Ma is an exclusive Sony Classical artist, and his discography of over 75 albums (including 15 Grammy Award winners) reflects his wide-ranging interests. Across this full range of releases, Yo-Yo Ma remains one of the best-selling recording artists in the classical field. In 2006, He was named a U.N. Messenger of Peace.

Previous CBS PSAs
Olympic diver Sammy Lee
Senator Daniel Inouye
Congressman Dalip Singh Saund
Dr. David Ho

Actor Tim Kang from The Mentalist on cellist Yo-Yo Ma


Get Up And Go by Shin-B

Get Up And Go by Shin-B

Rapper Shin-B dropped her music video for “Get Up And Go”. With the help of director DuNo Tran, they fuse music with mobile technology. The two cleverly incorporate QR codes in various spots in the video. (The codes are scannable using any free smart phone app barcode reader/scanner.) QR codes are plastered on the TV, T-shirts, art, the sky, and more. The multiple QR codes contain Easter eggs that will lead you to websites, phrases, and other videos. See what you can find with your smartphone.

Get Up And Go by Shin-B