joni hearts club
May 26, 2017
It was 50 years ago today, Sgt Pepper taught the band to play!
But wait... who is this Sergeant? What did he teach us? Who are we trusting to teach us how to play?
Summer of 1967, Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band came out, and the Summer of Love happened. That makes this the Summer of Love reincarnated, 50 years later... and this time it's time to talk about CONSENTUAL LOVE. It's 2017, and we've got a lot of work to do.
SOMEBODY GRABBED ME BY THE PUSSY
In the middle of the Dance Parade New York.
You can not make this shit up.
It's been a week, and it's time for me to share this with you.
I had spent the beginning of the parade inside the JunXion BluByrd bus feeling rather inward. I had my eyes closed, inhaling my luscious flower Michelle's Peony, meditating, giving the occasional head poke and wave out the window.
I finally emerged and started grooving quietly down the street, keeping rather to myself, the last act in the parade, pulling up the caboose, my big ball gown flowing, Heather Mo'Witz shakin it to my left.
And suddenly, I felt a firm hand on my crotch.
Before I even processed it enough to break my dance, swing my head around to the shrimpy man to my right and say EXCUSE ME??... PUSSY GRABBED BACK. Heather, who had opted to NOT play her Madame Ovarycharacter that day, immediately pushed him off of me, slammed the little twit to the side of the road, and knocked him down to the ground, yelling Get the FUCK off my friend! MY HEROINE. I could hardly believe what was happening.
A bunch of women stayed behind, and we called the cops over.
And suddenly, we began the process of prosecuting a man for an age-old, newly-refurbished act of presidential oppression for women.
Now, I have done my fair share of street merrymaking and engagement for years, I am very confident in energetically expressing my boundaries, and never before has anybody actually crossed a physical boundary like that. My first feeling and reaction was actually that I'm glad it was me and not another woman who would be left damaged for years. I've always considered myself lucky to have not endured any serious sexual trauma and have been able to hold a lot of space for men.
Well, it wasn't until I got into the studio with Robin Hood Thursday night to remake a version of Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (happy Worldwide Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Filled Week, y'all!!!) that I realized just how affected I am.
Why the F was I wearing jeans and a sweatshirt and a hat and no makeup for the first time in years?
Why does this person keep coming up in my freestyle?
And what was this unfamiliar feeling coming through my flow? FUCKING FIERY RAGE that is, against the bullshit of men. For all the women who endure the weight of this disgusting patriarchy paradigm. For our fucking president who very likely made this guy think of my pussy as his prize.
As my friends have reminded me to let myself feel my own feelings, I realized that not only was I angry for other women who have it worse.... I was angry for ME. Why would it be okay if it's ME? What is okay about that? EW.
And then a whole can of wiggly ugly worms opened up. Here I am thinking I'm immune to the system, that I've found a power niche within it, but yo I've been duped! That shit has sideswiped me and fucked me up. I've been shimmying in a man's world and surviving with my blinders on, voice on mute, and hard edge up. It's what I've known deep down. And I am soooooo done. I'm a woman. Give me soft sweet vulnerable open raging raw. And hear me fucking ROAR.
This album is raw. Straight unedited freestyle that I broke down into 21 songs to tell the story, and I WANT YOU TO HEAR NOW, fresh and juicy out the souls of my lips. These tracks haven't been touched, which means they are primed and ready to build on, remix and re-master. Sans mister plz.
Last night I taught myself how to use basic Garageband - cutting clips and exporting them - and I feel empowered to not wait for another man to handle my musical vision and output.
Like the male producer who I gave a generous massage to, and then acted all surprised and upset that my massage didn't include his dick.
Like the male producer who tells me of my heart song, "maybe this is just for you to hear."
NO. I will not be silenced, I will not beg for any man's approval ever. And I am DONE sucking your dick.
This music is dedicated to all the womyn who have been abused. Those who are suffering in silence. Those who don’t even realize that what they’re sitting in is patterns of male domination abomination.
This music is also dedicated to men. I'm not a manhater. I have a whole lot of love and compassion for men, slimy ones included. I see you. And now, I see you even more clearly. I want you to have a breakthrough. We need you to be responsible for your impact. We need you to man up.
There are a lot of lonely hearts to heal, and now is the time.
THIS ALBUM IS FREE TO DOWNLOAD.
Please share it far and wide.
Anything you wi$h to contribute will go towards
++ COUNSELING, SUPPORT AND SEXUAL EMPOWERMENT PROGRAMS FOR WOMEN
++ GUIDANCE, CONSENT EMPOWERMENT AND D-VELOPMENT PROGRAMS FOR MEN
{both working with existing programs and developing my own. yep, time to take it off the backburner.}
This is only the beginning. Your ideas and help please. THIS COURT CASE WILL ESCALATE as I dig deep to finally unpack, speak - and sing! - out what I've been carrying for a lifetime.
Let me introduce to you:
Sgt Pepper's Joni Hearts Club Band {RAW}
I hope you will enjoy the show.... because this is real life.
Dance Parade NYC, May 20 2017, I was boogying down the middle of the Fifth Avenue in a ball gown in broad daylight, streets lined with people, carrying up the tail end of the parade. And suddenly I felt a firm grab on my hoo ha. A man had decided he could hop into the parade, reach his hand over and grab my pussy.
But oooh, PUSSY GRABBED BACK. My friend Heather Mo'Witz caught him before I could even process this enough to react, and knocked the lil twit to the ground. What was he trying to do!? Why? What is this world we live in?
A bunch of women lingered back as the parade floated on, and we called the cops over. We are moving forward with pressing charges, and court proceedings have begun as this guy is held behind bars.
But I'm not just tryna send this guy to jail and counseling. I have love for this lonely guy as a human who is finding is way. I want him - and the thousands of men who are doing shit like this and getting away with it - to STOP, to learn a better way. As somebody who holds space for a lot of men lusting for me, who has extended her boundaries to envelop the fantasies of others, and who works with men in my coaching business, this was a big wakeup call to finally speak out about it. Or, in this case, sing.
I had never been physically violated before. My first thought was that I was glad it was ME and not somebody who's going to be traumatized over it forever.
Yet I didn't realize how much it affected me.... until I got into the studio with Robin Hood to remake Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. I did not intend for it to be about this at all - yet THIS is what came out.
Realizing my own deep systematic oppression as a woman, mixed with my faith in the human spirit, and the flavor of this Lonely Hearts anthem exactly 50 years later, well... I have nothing more to explain; thankfully my freestyle flow carried that weight --- it's all in the music.
This album is completely raw, and consists of 2 straight takes. There have been no edits or sound adjustments made from the original tracking - except that I broke it up into 21 pieces to tell the story.
Since these tracks are raw - it puts them in the perfect place to develop them.
LET'S ROCK n ROLL.
WOMYN - who wants to work together one of of these songs?
DL a song and remix it with your own verses!
Share your heart's story
Add piano, drums, ukulele
Steal my essence and remix it into a club banger.
Freeeeee STYLE with me.
THIS ALBUM IS FREE TO DOWNLOAD.
Please spread it far and wide.
Anything you wish to contribute will go towards
++ COUNSELING, SUPPORT AND SEXUAL EMPOWERMENT PROGRAMS FOR WOMEN
++ GUIDANCE, CONSENT EMPOWERMENT AND D-VELOPMENT PROGRAMS FOR MEN
Here we go. Thank you for listening, thank your for your support. Please contact me with ideas and to be part of this journey.
I will update about court dates and other news as it unfolds.
Deep bow to John, Paul, George and Ringo for planting the roots of my musical memoir.
credits
RAW ALBUM
robin hood / instrument + sound production