My brother, Tyler, has quite a talent for design. He's submitted a design to Threadless, a t-shirt design company operated via the internet. Designs are submitted and voted on by visitors to the site; the more votes a design gets the more likely it is to be printed and sold via the site. So help a brotha out and vote for his design by clicking HERE.

In this world success is measured by how popular you are or how much money you have. But what about how happy you are or how nice you are to other people, or how you feel about your life right now instead of worrying about how your life will be in the future...
I wrote that on the back of a parking stub (view) while I was driving down the freeway listening to that new Michelle Branch song. I wasn't thinking about the song, I was thinking about celebrity and how we put these people on a pedestal when they are really just like you and me. We are all people who fear and cry, who sit down on a toilet to take a shit, who run for cover in the rain. Michelle Branch is considered successful because she is a popular musician making a lot of money, but a musician can be just as successful by enjoying the music they play, whether they are playing at an airport lounge or selling out arenas. So the moral of this rambling is to access how we measure success within ourselves.

So my recent rant on Texas has had me thinking about the necessity of it all. And while I don't like Texas, it is the home of some very important people to me, my brothers and my dad. I guess Texas has something Michigan doesn't in that respect. And the bad things I said about Texas, while I believe them to be true, one can also say negative things of my community as well. West Bloomfield, MI is an affluent community, meaning we live in nice houses, drive nice cars, and are generally unfriendly to one another. But just as I don't like Texas, I don't like West Bloomfield either. So damnit Casey, what WILL make you happy? Well when I find out I'll let you know.

What would Soulsmiles be without the music? Soulless...without soul...lacking soul...catch my drift? So here are some artists I've been listening to A LOT lately.


The Black Eyed Peas - Elephunk - www.blackeyedpeas.com
This is the latest album from my all-time favorite musical group. The Peas have a new member on this go around by the name of Fergie. She adds some femininity to the group which is fantastic. In previous albums the Peas have gotten that energy from the likes of Esthero and Les Nubians. If I had to pick a favorite song on this album, and believe me it's difficult because they're all good, I would have to choose "The Boogie That Be." (right click song title to listen/dl) Other notable mentions are "Shutup" and "Labor Day (It's A Holiday)."

Maroon 5 - Songs About Jane - www.maroon5.com
I was reading an article about Justin Timberlakes "club" shows that he performs in local clubs after his big tada show with Christina Aquilera. The article was comparing him to Nikka Costa, who I love with a passion, and Maroon 5, who I had never heard of. I figured if Maroon 5 sounds like Nikka Costa then I'm bound to love them. So I checked them out on the net and fell instantly in love, bought the cd the next day, and the rest is history. Their music combines funk, rock, and some soul in which you can get down to. While all the songs are awesome I have to say that "Sunday Morning" is my favorite. (again, right click to listen) The song being pushed by their record company, J Records, is "Harder to Breathe," which is awesome. Another great track is "Shiver."