What’s up Truth Seekers?

I have worked with Musicians and artists for several years, and to be honest, my opinion of them is not very high. Musicians tend to be arrogant, over confident, narcissistic, and selfish people.

So last weekend when I had the opportunity to travel to Tulsa, OK for the highly anticipated album release by P.D.A. – Act III – Wasted Talent, I jumped right on it. To be perfectly honest, prior to my arrival I had sparsely listened to Act III Wasted Talent and it initially came off as poppy, hip-hop, with a touch of Jazz. Well my experience in Tulsa, OK has changed the way I see P.D.A. and his music.

My second day in Tulsa I was invited by P.D.A to attend a live taping where he was performing a song from Act III – Wasted Talent – “His Shoes” for a segment on Oklatravelnet.com which aired locally on Cox 3 in Tulsa, called “Storytellers”. When I arrived to the set, there were several people there who all seemed to know one another, and there was a strong feeling of good people all around. This is where I really started to see P.D.A. in a deeper light. His younger sister, who is around 3 or 4 years old, was in attendance and with all the chaos of people and cameras, P.D.A. took special attention to her in a very warm and caring manner. Picking her up when she came near him, paying close attention to her when she was speaking, and even held her while posing for a few photos with the contest winners from Oklatravelnet.

After the taping we met up at a local CiCi’s Pizza and had some pizza and relaxed. I couldn’t help but notice P.D.A. casually reading the local independent newspapers, scanning the articles about him. Besides one small statement, he never mentioned to anyone what he was doing. He said “They didn’t say if the album was good or bad”. It was never said out loud, but I could almost sense that P.D.A. wanted to hear some criticism from the general public. This could be because he enjoys the extra push to do better next time or even just to hear what the other naysayers have to say. My personal opinion is that P.D.A. is well aware that not everyone will like his sound, and he has a strong desire to reach them on the next album.

Later on that evening, I was invited to come to his rehearsal for the CD release party for Wasted Talent. I arrived around 9 pm, and was introduced to Cramberg, P.D.A.’s Drummer, and became formally introduced to P.D.A. known as Anthony Jenkins to his close friends and family. For a few hours I watched as P.D.A. and Cramberg went over the 70 minute set. They systematically went over the set, fine tuning the multiple transitions, creating the amazing show I was set to see the next evening. Around midnight, P.D.A. said something that was quite interesting. He stated that he needed to get home to sleep because he had a long day tomorrow. I know this doesn’t sound like a lot to most people, but from my experience working with musicians, this is an extremely rare event. To me it really showed dedication, commitment, responsibility, and integrity that many independent musicians fail to have. But this wasn’t the end of it. Just prior to leaving, his girlfriend’s friend, who was also in from out of town, mentioned that she was hungry; immediately P.D.A. said that he would cook something for her when they got back to the house. So, although P.D.A. knew that he had a 7am radio interview, he was still willing to put others before himself.

Friday was the day of the CD Release for P.D.A.’s Act III – Wasted talent. The show started at around 9 pm with a performance by Big Red Rooster, and other opening acts XV and C02. Around 10:30 pm it was time for the long awaited set by P.D.A. He was joined on stage by his drummer, and another talented musician that he works with often named Kawnar. P.D.A.’s set was 70 minutes of nonstop music. Throughout the 70 minutes, there was one brief break of 120 seconds mid way through the set. P.D.A. rocked the stage like no other independent artist I have seen before. I watched him repeatedly make eye contact with his fans in the audience and I could sense a feeling of temporary intimacy between them.

P.D.A. may come off “Hollywood” to many people, but the truth is, P.D.A. is probably one of the most humble, giving, dedicated, compassionate, and integrity filled artists I have had the pleasure of watching and speaking to. It is very apparent why so many artists of all genres want to work with him.

When I listened to P.D.A.’s album, Act III – Wasted Talent, again on the flight home, it made much more sense to me. There is a strong message throughout the entire album. Several of the songs have specific messages spoken by P.D.A. in the final seconds of the track; all of which truly show how much integrity and humility he has.

Below is a quote from the song “It’s Ok (I Think) Ft. Brandon Davis” on Act III – Wasted Talent:

Yeah I complain a lot and as much as things suck sometimes, my life is pretty awesome. I’ve done some amazing things and met some amazing people in my life, and I’m thankful for everybody and everything that I have. I want to thank you for taking this journey with me; if there is one thing you take out of listening to this, I want you to please know that you are unique and special; there is no body in this world like you.

So use your originality to do something great in this world and always remember to stay happy; life is too short for drama and sadness.

Live life to its greatest potential

Yours truly ,
P.D.A.

My message to you P.D.A. is that it’s humbling for me to know there are still individuals out there who understand that life is not given, that everything we have can be taken away in a flash. And for that, I appreciate you. Regarding your album, it is sincerely a masterpiece production with an deeper message and I look forward to hearing more music from you.

Word on the street is that P.D.A. may be on the West Coast next year, and I can only hope I have the opportunity to work with him while he is here. More of P.D.A. @ www.myspace.com/pdaonline – www.facebook.com/pdaonline – follow him on Twitter @PDAonline – or download a free copy of A Hard Weeks Night at www.AHardWeeksNight.com

OSnaps

Other notable people from the trip:

Jeremy Charles – A Tulsa photographer who worked P.D.A.’s event and shot for his album cover
An amazing photographer. You can find more of his work at www.JeremyCharles.com

Kawnar – played Guitar for P.D.A. during the second half of his set.
Played an amazing part in motivating the crowd. I would love to hear and see more of his solo projects. More from Kawnar can be found at: www.myspace.com/kawnar

Brandon Davis– Lead singer from My Solstice.
This guy has an amazing voice and a very calm demeanor. It was a pleasure meeting him. More from My Solstice here www.myspace.com/mysolsticeband

Last but not Least my Twitter people

Without these people, my trip would not have happened. Thank you again for your hospitality.

@HeCrazyXcal @Muffclassic @Bosscampbell @Crazyness

All photographs courtesy of O-Snaps