Mykki Blanco at (The space formerly known as) The Autumn Bowl

Mykki Blanco

Last Thursday, in the space that once held the venerable Autumn Bowl, the incredible Mykki Blanco played a set as part of a seeming marathon of CMJ shows. If you aren't up to speed on Blanco, I highly recommended you educate yourself NOW and watch these: "Wavy" and "Haze Boogie Life"

I first met Mykki a couple of years ago when he was working at the aNYthing store and was publishing/performing poetry under his given name of Michael David Quattlebaum Jr. It's been incredible to watch the evolution of his work over the last couple of years, and it's great to see the world taking notice. Beyond the obvious cultural significance of Mykki Blanco from the academic perspectives of gender identity and sexuality politics, there is a musician and performer creating work that deserves attention on its own merits. The kid is making raw, intelligent, fun music with a feel all its own.

The show was great. He played a 5 or 6 tracks from his yet-to-be-released-but-a-lot-of-it-is-already-on-youtube debut. He woke up a crowd that had been listless for the majority of the night, performing with an energy somewhere between Iggy Pop and ODB. My favorite thing as a music fan is seeing reckless abandon on stage, and Mykki Blanco has it.

If you get a chance to see him, do it. Soon it won't be so easy. His unique perspective, work ethic, and smarts make him a can't-miss prospect. Blanco says it best himself on the intro to 'Wavy' -  "I'm the fuckin' Rookie of the Year."