BILLY DREASE IN TRAFFIC

At the Top of the Year, kicking it off with me being a featured artist in the first 2011 issue of the sleek, opulent and upscale magazine, “Traffic.” Check it out at Talking Leaves, Borders and/or Premiere Gourmet. Read HERE.

Through the years, I’ve heard many people refer to me as a Renaissance Man; one of many trades, roles and talents and interestingly enough I’m multi-tasking as I write this post. I’m in the kitchen with the laptop sitting on the counter aside bowls, knives and fruit ready to be chopped for the first breakfast of 2011. Being a dad and husband has always come first and it’s the job that I love most above any of the art, music and entertainment things that I’m involved in, so cooking and preparing food is my pleasure. My wife and I have also taken on our first major remodeling project of the year as I’m wearing dusty clothes from the demolition in our bathroom which has been underway for the past few days. So, in typical BDW fashion, the number of irons in the fire hasn’t decreased in the least bit.

Last year was a blast, given the back to back successes of “Shut the Gate,” “Just Doin’ It” and “Run” plus the “Run – Remix,” cumulatively boosting the Youtube stats to more than 1.6 million views of my top videos combined. Many thanks in part to the DTR45 staff, Tone X, Kate and Dom and friends.

TRAILER FOR NEW VIDEO: RUN

It’s truly taken a very long time for me to recharge and refocus my efforts. Although many people have championed behind GMA and myself and shown a great deal of support and push, it has still remained a pretty lonely walk. The best analogy is how it’s said, “If you have a workout partner, your chances of holding fast to your workout goals and regimen are higher.” So basically, I’ve been really exhausting myself trying to stay SELF-Motivated. Leading up to this very moment, I’ve been going through a transformation and true realization of facts and concerns that needed addressing, which truly lends to the authenticity of this NEW video, RUN. Dig It.

from email blast:

Nearly one year ago to date, I was on a magical, vibrant and expansive equestrian farm shooting the video for “Shut the Gate,” the leading single off Good Morning Amy. In May, Director Dominic Luongo and I collaborated on the simple, sleek and special-effects driven “Just Doin’ It” video, which is climbing to 500k views on YouTube. Over the last few weeks we’ve been workin’ hard to bring you what we’ve dubbed a Long Form Video for the album’s third single, “Run.” The visual treatment for “Run” is unlike any we’ve done thus far. Characters, sub-plots and time sequences develop organically in this video, which features many new talents, faces and locations both in and outside of Buffalo. It explores the deeper, darker side of Billy Drease as he goes through a physical transformation, experiencing love, pain, loss, recovery and renewal. “Run,” produced by long-time friend and collaborator Trevor “TrevThorne” Drayton, is available oniTunes today. Check out a sneak peak of the video now and look for the extended feature to drop soon. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-cuxOVmSPk

THE RACE OF HER LIFE

My man Uncle Lee put me on to this news, which will be the first and certainly not the last post of its kind, because generally I like to keep it pretty mellow, fresh, funny, etc. But I am a thinker and I like to provoke thought into the minds of the educated and uneducated alike.

So, basically, this young lady, Juashaunna Kelly, a gifted track star in the District of Columbia at Theodore Roosevelt High School, is the center of attention in light of her recent disqualification at a meet due to her modified Muslim wardrobe.
She actually may be only the center of MY attention, which is why I’m writing this.

The parties responsible for her disqualification claim the outfit was against policy (code) and basically was not a standard issued uniform, so on that technicality, she was not allowed to run the race WHICH, could have positively influenced her track career and college selection, as this race was attended by top college officials/recruiters. Keep in mind she had worn the same modified outfit that covers her entire body, in respects to her Muslim faith, during each of the previous seasons. But this year its a problem?

(read below for a detail from the article or click the link for the entire read)

Kelly was wearing the same uniform she has worn for three seasons while running for Theodore Roosevelt’s cross-country and track teams. The custom-made, one-piece blue and orange unitard covers her head, arms, torso and legs. Over the unitard, she wears the same orange and blue T-shirt and shorts as her teammates.

STATS:
√ She is a FEMALE
√ She is obviously ethnic, whether African American or other
√ She is Muslim

Clearly those facts won’t stack in anyones favor whether work related, sports or otherwise.
So, basically my thought is this…
Is this racism? Is this sexist? Is this infringing on her right as a citizen to freely practice her religion? I can’t quite figure out how to look at this.

I’m wondering how long before Al Sharpton comes along to kick up some dust on her behalf, but then I think to myself, will it be in his interest to defend her as an African American or defend her as a Muslim.