CDs and a book from Mendi+Keith Obadike

Artists Mendi+Keith Obadike announce the release of three new works - The Sour Thunder, Armor and Flesh, and SOFTSHELL.

*The Sour Thunder*
Mendi+Keith’s CD "The Sour Thunder, an internet opera" was just released on Bridge Records. It can be ordered directly from Bridge or through Amazon.com. <http://bridgerecords.com> <http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0006A05OU/ref=cm\_ea\_pl\_prod\_6/002-4997818-1604865>

"The Sour Thunder" blends science fiction and autobiography with hip-hop, new music, and a theatrical bi-lingual text (English and Spanish), creating a personal and surreal tale of cultural and racial identity. Musically, "The Sour Thunder" is told through a series of 23 sound-text pieces and songs. The textures that make up "The Sour Thunder" were created using digitally treated hollow body guitars, Nigerian mbiras, field recordings of environmental sounds, and electronically processed vocals.

*Armor and Flesh*
Armor and Flesh is a new book by Mendi Obadike. It is available directly from the publisher, Lotus Press, and from Amazon.com.

<http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0916418936/qid89192625/sr=8-1/ref=sr\_8\_xs\_ap\_i1\_xgl14/002-4997818-1604865?v=glance&s=books&nP7846>
<http://www.lotuspress.org>

The poems in this collection explore protective gestures (physical and emotional hardness) and vulnerability. Armor and Flesh received the Naomi Long Madgett Poetry Prize.

*SOFTSHELL*
Keith Obadike composed a companion soundscape for Armor and Flesh entitled SOFTSHELL. This composition, built from metallic abstractions and synthesized sinews, functions as a micro score to the book. It is available on a special edition transparent CD from http://Hellomachine.com.

More information can be found at http://www.blacknetart.com. For more information regarding Mendi + Keith’s readings, exhibitions, or performances contact Evelyn McGhee at [email protected].