news
No Turn Unstoned is taking a Summer Hiatus
NO TURN UNSTONED is taking a Summer hiatus due to family / personal events!
We will be back in full effect in late August or the 1st week of September. Hope you’ll tune in then when we go back to our regularly scheduled time of 4pm EST on Sundays @ http://mixlr.com/djpolishedsolid
Never fear, in the meantime, check out some of our archives.
No Turn Unstoned News
Jan 22, 2012
Happy New Year! I’m excited!
I finally made featured broadcaster on Mixlr.com. My mom will discover a secret that I’ve kept from her all of these years, and my uncles, Carl and Charles, are mentioned in the article, too!
In addition, my first, published writing about one of my favorite albums of all time, Madhouse 8, co-written with one of my Prince friends, Ricky Wyatt has been published on music blog, Grown Folks Music .
Madhouse 8: A retrospective
http://grownfolksmusic.com/blog/madhouse-8-retrospective-ricker-deangela-duff
No Turn Unstoned is taking a 3-week summer hiatus :(
No Turn Unstoned is taking a 3-week Hiatus due to family gatherings and events!
However, we will be back in full effect on Sunday, July 17th. Hope you’ll tune in at 4pm EST @ http://mixlr.com/djpolishedsolid/live
In the meantime, check out some of our archives.
June 2011 No Turn Unstoned News
PLAY.FM NEWS
On play.fm on June 11, 2011, I charted #1, but, more crazily, higher than Benga in dubstep due to my radio show, WTF?*&^%$#@! I had to commemorate this.
Of course, this is insanity. I took a screenshot because I know that it won’t last, but I am beyond tickled pink.
I ADORE Benga. A girl can dream that I’m in the same league, but alas we know that I am not. For those of you who don’t know who Benga is… He is THE MAN as far as the musical genre dubstep is concerned. He’s massive and insanely talented. I just play the tunes; he makes ‘em. I’m humbled.
Here’s the live chart on the left side of the page when you scroll. http://www.play.fm/style/dubstep
SUMMER HIATUS
I may or may not be taking a summer hiatus this summer. I usually do, but I’m going to try not to, but we’ll see…
March 2011 No Turn Unstoned News
UPDATE April 4, 2011: A little press for my Luke Vibert Mega Mix from one of my favorite blogs, The Unheard Music.
I’m currently participating in 3 different remix competitions. I would love your support for all of them. Please play the remixes, and spread the word on your blogs, facebook, and twitter feeds, if you like them. I’d really appreciate it.
AMALIA – ALL THE FUNK I NEED (POLISHED SOLID’S OH, HOW I MISS REMIX)
I am a huge fan of Tokyo Dawn Records. It would be very exciting to be selected for this competition. You should definitely check out all of the label’s releases; They are all good. This remix project is in support of their latest release, Amalia’s Art Slave.
Amalia – All The Funk I Need (Polished Solid’s Oh, How I Miss Remix) by polished solid
The original in case you’re curious:
Amalia – All The Funk I Need by Tokyo Dawn Records
DRUM AND BASS REMIX COMPETITION FOR CHASE AND STATUS’ TIME feat. DELILAH
UPDATE March 31, 2011
My remix did not make the cut. However, I had a lot of fun creating it and really appreciated the positive response that I got for the remix. If you are curious, here is the competition winner’s remix. The competition was fierce as there were over 1,000 entries.
Chase & Status ft. Delilah – Time (Polished Solid’s I’ll Wait For You Remix) by polished solid
The original in case you’re curious:
‘Time’ ft Delilah by Chase & Status
BILAL ROBOTS REMIX COMPETITION STATUS
Thank you so much for your support for my entry into the Bilal’s Robots Remix Competition. You really came through for me, helping me reach 250 plays.
Bilal has it down to 7 finalists; I pray to God (literally) that I am one of them. I haven’t given up hope. Please keep your fingers crossed. This would be huge for me because I am such a Bilal fan;) With the exception of Prince, he is my favorite male vocalist who is still recording (Ahem! Lewis Taylor).
Robots (Polished Solid’s Are You Programmed? Mix)
Robots (Polished Solid’s Are You Programmed? Mix) by polished solid
Here are the other submissions:
http://soundcloud.com/groups/bilal-robots-remix-submissions
And the original in case you are curious:
I ♥ SAMURAI.FM
My samurai.fm listeners continue to astound me. At samurai.fm/polishedsolid, my best songs of 2010 mix has received over 1,000 plays, and several others over 500 plays. Pretty darn exciting for me.
No Turn Unstoned is taking a 2-week hiatus :(
No Turn Unstoned is taking a 2-week Hiatus due to family gatherings and events!
However, we will be back in full effect on Sunday, March 13th, with a listener-requested set based around the theme of Rhythm. Hope you’ll tune in at 4pm EST @ http://mixlr.com/djpolishedsolid/live
In the meantime, check out some of our archives.
Hopefully, we will be able to catch up with posting some of the missing archives during our hiatus.
February 2011 No Turn Unstoned News
BLEEP’S “TOP TRACKS OF 2010″ DJ COMPETITION ON MIXCLOUD
If you have been enjoying the Best of 2010 mixes, please vote for my entry for Bleep’s “Top Tracks of 2010″ DJ Competition on Mixcloud which is an edited version of the Best 2010 songs set:
I do NOT get a lot of LOVE on Mixcloud, so I really need your support.
POLISHED SOLID SUBMITS REMIX TO BILAL ROBOTS REMIX COMPETITION
Thank you so much for your support, for my entry into the Bilal’s Robots Remix Competition. I’ve gotten up to 220 plays. However, right now, my number of plays have stalled 
I really need your help to have a chance at winning. So, If you like it, please tell your family and friends to take a listen, too, and listen to it again! Perhaps, the number of plays will influence the judges’ decisions.
Robots (Polished Solid’s Are You Programmed? Mix)
http://bit.ly/edGs1U
Here are the other submissions:
http://soundcloud.com/groups/bilal-robots-remix-submissions
And the original in case you are curious:
As you may or may not know, I’m crazy over Mr. Bilal (Oliver, I need to add his last name for my family sakes); he is my favorite singer. (Prince is in a class by himself 
It would be absolutely amazing if my remix could get officially released on his next single. There is some pretty stiff competition, but with your support hopefully I may have a chance.
If you like either, please do spread the word on your twitter and facebook profiles. I’d truly appreciate your support.
January 2011 No Turn Unstoned News
First of all, Happy New Year, to all No Turn Unstoned listeners!
XMAS SONGS FOR FOLKS WHO CAN’T STAND XMAS MUSIC! (NO TURN UNSTONED #133) WAS THE SET OF THE DAY @ PLAY.FM on DECEMBER 24th!
This is beyond cool!! The play.fm community is MASSIVE!!!!! We’re talking about hundreds of DJs. I’m honored.
NO TURN UNSTONED IS NOW ON samurai.fm
What a welcome by samurai.fm listeners! I’m totally blown away. I uploaded my Best of 2010 Songs show, only yesterday! Since then, I have received over 213 plays so far for my first show of 2011. That is pretty darn extraordinary for one day.
POLISHED SOLID SUBMITS REMIX TO BILAL ROBOTS REMIX COMPETITION
Please support my entry into the Bilal’s Robots Remix Competition. If you like it, please tell your family and friends to take a listen, too! Perhaps, the number of plays will influence the judges’ decisions.
Robots (Polished Solid’s Are You Programmed? Mix)
http://soundcloud.com/polishedsolid/robots-polished-solids-are-you-programmed-mix
Here are the other submissions:
http://soundcloud.com/groups/bilal-robots-remix-submissions
And the original in case you are curious:
As you may or may not know, I’m crazy over Mr. Bilal (Oliver, I need to add his last name for my family sakes); he is my favorite singer. (Prince is in a class by himself It would be absolutely amazing if my remix could get officially released on his next single. There is some pretty stiff competition, but with your support hopefully I may have a chance.
I could NOT be at this point without all of my listener’s continued support. I truly do appreciate it.
No Turn Unstoned on Holiday Hiatus until Sunday, Jan. 9th!
No Turn Unstoned is taking a Holiday Hiatus!
However, we will be back in full effect on Sunday, January 9th, with our annual top 10 album show. Hope you’ll tune in at 4pm EST @ http://mixlr.com/djpolishedsolid/live
In the meantime, check out some of our archives. We will also be getting all of our most recent, missing archives posted before the next show.
Happy Holidays!
No Turn Unstoned #117 voted one of the 5 best broadcasts in August on Mixlr!
I’m super excited to share that No Turn Unstoned #117 (There’s Only One!) was voted as one of the 5 best broadcasts from August on Mixlr:
http://blog.mixlr.com/mixlr-t-shirt-competition-winners
I’m personally elated about the simplicity and reliability of Mixlr.com‘s live streaming platform, and that you can listen to the live stream on a smart phone is really icing on the cake. Being recognized by them is an honor for me.
I would like to thank all of my listeners for your continued support! I really do appreciate it. I really do
(play streaming mp3 archive if you can’t access the play.fm widget)
Thunder Soul Documentary
I can not put into words how awesome and powerful this documentary is. This is NOT just an ordinary music documentary, but I would have to write an entire essay to try to convince you otherwise. To attempt to sum up the essence of this film: It shows how teaching and mentorship can truly have a lasting impact on a person’s life. It sounds so generic, but you have to watch the film to even begin to understand how deep that generic statement is. This story is such a palpable testament of the importance of music and arts education in K-12.
Essentially, this is the story:
In the late 60s & 70s, Conrad “Prof” Johnson turns Kashmere High School’s mediocre jazz band out of Houston, Texas, into an unbelievably, tight, funk unit that begin to compete in an all-white, traditional jazz, high school, festival circuit. They eventually start getting gigs in Europe and Japan, but when the administration at Kashmere begin to get jealous of Prof’s success, they pull the funding from his program, and he ends up retiring. 35 years later, in 2008, his students pay tribute to the then 92-year-old Prof. A lot of them hadn’t played their instruments, since graduating, but due to their love of Prof, they were determined to show him that what he had taught them was still within all of them.
There are a few past members of the Kashmere Stage Band who still make their living through music. The bassist, Gerald L. Calhoun, in particular, is jaw-droppingly, extraordinary. He came all the way from Portugal, Spain, to participate in the reunion. However, what stood out to me, personally, the most, was the integrity and passion that Prof embodies.
Luckily, Eothen Alapatt, aka Egon, from Stones Throw is reissuing “lost” funk through his own label, Now Again, and put out a compilation of the band’s recordings. To his credit, Prof had the vision to record his students. He did an annual sound yearbook in a professional recording studio for 8 years straight. So, there is a great deal of audio documentation.
You can hear audio samples @ amazon.com, but the live versions are where it’s at. However, listening to the recorded versions do not even begin to light a candle to the live video footage that was featured in the documentary. The Kashmere Stage Band put on shows. They weren’t just playing their instruments. The movement of their steps and instruments were choreographed tighter than a synchronized swimming crew or military unit.
I saw it last night at The International House in Philly, and it is still with me. The screening was organized by the Scribe Video Center. Many props to Scribe for bringing it here. It was the first east coast screening, and the only screening in Philly. The director, Mark Landsman, did a Q&A afterwards, and you could tell he really cared about these people. You will, too, after you see it.
The Thunder Soul Documentary team is currently trying to secure theatrical distribution. If you are a distributor, make this happen! If you get the opportunity to see this film, don’t miss it for anything!
Here’s the original Aug, 4, 2006 NPR interview with “Prof” that the filmmaker heard that inspired him to make the film:
Here’s a short interview with the director at SXSW 2010 that provides more info about Thunder Soul:
No Turn Unstoned on Summer Hiatus
No Turn Unstoned is on Summer Hiatus until Sunday, July 18th! In the meantime, check out the archives!!