About Me

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Poet, producer, spoken word and visual artist. Co-founded the lyrical music ensemble COPUS. My love of the sheer beauty of poetry took hold when I was in high school. Soon after I heard an album by the legendary "Last Poets". Later I Began writing and reciting poetry at cafes and upon various stages after taking a college course called "Poetry For The People". At a party one evening I did a spontaneous collaboration of one of my poems with a concert pianist named Michael Feinstein. The beauty of it put me on a quest to find a composer who would work together with me writing music for my words and my flow. Some six years later I met a most prolific composer and pianist, Wendy Loomis. COPUS is the result of our collaboration for over fifteen years now. COPUS is an acronym for 'Creation Of Peace Under Stars'. That's how we roll. Under the peace, love, harmony banner. I hope you'll take some of each with you on your journey and from this blog. Bless.

Monday, February 28, 2011

Bob Marley - Poet and Musical Messenger

In celebration of Bob Marley's birthday and his message, COPUS presents "Natty Dread". The photos seen in this video of Bob Marley and the Wailers are from my personal archive. I was on the scene and captured these previously unreleased images of BMW at Santa Barbara Bowl (July 1978) and their last performance in Oakland CA (1980) at the Coliseum shortly before the final concert in PA. I have always felt very blessed to have not only seen and heard Bob Marley & Wailers live in concert, but to have done so from the stage and to have communed with them off stage as well.  --Royal Kent

COPUS (Creation of Peace Under the Stars) was formed in 1998 when poet Royal Kent and composer Wendy Loomis met at a San Francisco open mic. Since then they have created a body of poetic & musical works that have been performed at festivals, colleges, theatres, art galleries, and clubs throughout the Bay Area, Nashville, Los Angeles, Boston, and the 1st Annual WordxWord Festival in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. The band additionally includes Monica Williams (flute), Patrick Mahon (bass) and Omar (percussion). “This music could become legendary if given the opportunity to thrive.” ~Michael Allison, MusicDish.com

"Rastaman Vibration, Positive"  --Bob Marley





infinite possibilities, mike dooley
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