Today Sucka Free Sunday Got Five On It would like to introduce ya'll to Brandon Jammal. Brandon is somewhat of a renaissance man in that he mostly does ALL The Things. He makes robots, builds furniture, dabbles in fashion design, mixed media art, photography and most recently automobile restoration. For his five-song playlist, we took the opportunity to discuss his latest restoration adventure, fatherhood, music, and creativity. As always you can peep the videos for each of these tracks by visiting our Youtube page. 

Stay Sucka Free!

Ronald Dzerigian is the author of Rough Fire (Finishing Line Press, 2018). His poems have appeared in the Australian Book Review, Comstock Review, Prairie Schooner, RHINO, Salamander, and others. Ronald is also the son of fine-art photographer Steve Dzerigian and a musician. He has played electric bass and sung with an assortment of amazing artists. He is related (a cousin) to guitarist John Dzerigian, who toured with 1970s-era rock bands and recorded with fellow guitarists Jerry Garcia and Link Wray. He resides in a small farming community, in California's San Joaquin Valley, with his wife and two daughters who all help in the execution of his latest personal project Skele Vader, which you all should check out post haste! 

Theme - Momentum/Change

Song 1: "Terminal Jape" by OSEES (2020)

Song 2: "Old Time" Nick Cave & Warren Ellis (2021)

Song 4: "Where Do We Go From Here???" Death (1975)

Song 4: "Don't Change For Me" INXS (1982)

Song 5: "Generator Larping" Wand (2014)

It's difficult to write a bio for someone you've known your entire life. How does one bottle up all the nuances that shape a friend into family and then share that with others properly? Joy Graves was the first person outside of family who I looked up to and admired. She lived next door to me as a child. Her mama and my mama were friends and spent many days and evenings in one another's company. Years later we became cousins by a process called, my mama had kids with her uncle. I was a tiny bit younger and envied the way in which she took care of her siblings and the other kids in the neighborhood. 

Joy let me join her clubs and activities and that remains my first memory of how to organize and gather folks, so when she put together a playlist on Self-Care I was honored to discuss it with her. She deserves all the kudos for caring for others, she's done this work all her life, so to finally indulge in that kind of care for herself is a thing of beauty to observe.

Click the link to hear more about Ms. Joy and her adventures in loving, learning, and sharing. Also, if you're interested you also help elevate her latest venture which includes a charity. Enjoy~

YouTube Playlist

Nikiko Masumoto (she/her) is an organic farmer, memory keeper, and artist. She is Yonsei, a fourth-generation Japanese American, and gets to touch the same soil her great-grandparents worked in California where Masumoto Family Farm grows organic nectarines, apricots, peaches, and grapes for raisins. She activates her facilitation, leadership, and creative skills as a performer and leader in the following organizations: co-founder of Yonsei Memory Project, team member of Center for Performance and Civic Practice re-imagining group, member of University Advisory Board (CSU Fresno) board of Trustees of Western States Arts Federation, board of directors of Art of the Rural, and perennial volunteer change-worker. In 2020, she was named one of the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts 100 and Creative 10. Her most cherished value is courage and most important practice is listening.

Youtube 5 Song Playlist

We decided to engage in a little cross-pollination today and share a conversation about the Stay Sucka Free w/ Dee Playlist. This playlist is a combination of thoughts, ideas, and uplifting sounds. Dana Clark of Soul Stretch Yoga took some time out of her practice to absorb the playlist and then ask Devoya about it in depth. No more asking questions to the wind, a real-life conversation took place y'all. At any rate, it's a collection of thoughts on spirituality, faith, change, and joy. We hope you listen and take from this what you need. We'll be back next week with our regular episodes and rest assured we've got some great guests lined up for September!

Tim Z. Hernandez is an award-winning writer, research scholar, and performer. The author of three collections of poetry, two novels, and a work of non-fiction, his work has been featured in the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, C-Span’s Book TV, and NPR’s All Things Considered. His most recent book, All They Will Call You, the first installment of “The Plane Crash Series,” was released in 2017, and received critical acclaim by the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, and other media outlets. Hernandez holds a B.A. from Naropa University and an M.F.A. from Bennington College. He is an Associate Professor at the University of Texas-El Paso’s Bilingual M.F.A. program in Creative Writing, and he divides his time between California and El Paso, Texas where he lives with his two children. You can find more info at www.timzhernandez.com

Five Song Playlist 

1. Michael Kiwanuka - Love & Hate (Live Session)

2. Allison Russell - Nightflyer (Official Music Video)

3. Benjamin Booker - Witness (Live at Columbus Theatre)

4. Phosphorescent - "My Beautiful Boy"

5. Jim James - Here in Spirit (Live at WFUV)

Today we share our time with Social Worker and friend Ms. Kris Clarke. in this session we happily discuss her life in Finland, land rights, decolonization, travel, friendship, family life, and of course her 5 Song Playlist. We hope you enjoy getting to know Kris and her worldview as much as we did extracting it all and sharing it here!

Five Song Playlist: Social Work is Social 

Decolonizing Pathways towards Integrative Healing in Social Work 1st Edition

by Kris Clarke (Author), Michael Yellow Bird (Author)

Today our good friend Mike Osegueda celebrates another revolution around the sun and we have the pleasure of celebrating this on Sucka Free Sunday! We open up today’s episode with his 5 Song Playlist on Vacations. Along our journey, we discuss his early days in journalism, radio, and music as well as the genre that initially brought us together HIP+HOP!

In this episode you get podcast tips, a peek into his latest career move organizing Fresno Street Eats, and a bunch of Fresno nostalgia and shout-outs to the movers and shakers you all love. That’s not usually how we speak, but it’s Sunday and the words take longer to flow.

We hope you enjoy this chat as much as we did. Happy Born Day Mike Oz!

Five Song Playlist:

1. Take You There- Pete Rock & CL Smooth

2. Elevation ( Free My Mind)- The B.U.M.S

3. Feva- Q-Tip

4. In da wind- Trick Daddy

5. One way flight- Benny The Buthcher ft. Freddie Gibbs

* Suggested Podcast via Mike: No Skips

It was a long week and both our featured guests were unable to join us for an interview, so we took the time to hang out with SFS team member Soreatha Franklin to chat about 5 things she and Devoya are currently obsessed with. It's short and sweet in our opinion as we find out one another's current vibes and why these things matter in the grand scheme of life. 

Soreatha Franklin's List:

Earrings

Candles

The Color Green

Aaron Frazer

Falling Down Rabbit Holes

Devoya Mayo's List:

The Evolution of Leon Bridges

Plants

Summer Fruit

Collage

Sending Snail Mail.

This week we transmit live (pre-recorded) from Gearlds Grotto as we enter into the studio of our special guest James Gearlds of the podcast Art & BS. James shared the format with us and then Jason edited (which feels like he didn’t omit one thing we discussed) so you get the full hour and 20 minutes of discussion.

You also get music which is first for us, but James assured us that his formula is tried and true and that the law won’t come after us. Jason is skeptical, which is why we make good partners, but we gone let this ride out and cross our fingers it’s received without removal from the powers that be. Last but not least this is such an enjoyable ride, James has such vibrant energy and is excitable which makes for a whole vibe. Holla if you hear me!

5 Song Playlist: Tenacity

1. God Level- Fred the Godson

2. STFU Part 2- Sean Price

3. Lame Saturated- Mac Dre

4. Monkey Suite- Madvillian

5. Lover’s Rock- Sade