JasonUnbound

Hamsa Lila...and Mumia

I took Jiny to the Fillmore to see Hamsa Lila on Friday night, and I was not particularly impressed with them. They were good, but nowhere near great. (And just as you were beginning to think I never took off my rose-colored glasses!) I've seen them a couple of times at festivals, usually late at night, and I'll still lend them my ears in that context — unless someone better's playing. Maybe they were having an off night, but they just weren't tight, and it wasn't working for me.

And if you'll permit me a brief rant, I have to say that I did not appreciate Nikila Badua's mid-set Ode to Mumia. I spend a lot of my time learning and thinking about politics, but I go to concerts to take a BREAK from that. And as a practical matter, I think the left's championing of Mumia Abu-Jamal is a terrible idea, and I'm not willing to expend any precious political capital to advocate for him. To put it bluntly, there are just too many things that are more important, and just because you like his politics doesn't mean he didn't murder a police officer. And if one's real intention is to hold up a mirror to the death penalty in the US, there are much more effective ways to do this.