After many hours of learning pains and frustration, offset by a good dose of  inspiration, we present an edited short film documenting the SOULAJU Youth Jam and Youth Climate Justice workshop, organized w/ Josh Watkins and Jennie Nevin in conjunction with Green Spaces Denver.  The event took place on January 15, 2010.  We look forward to hosting future green events in the mile high city, fusing art and music with conscious and sustainable living.  Enjoy!

For more info on the event, click here.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 20th, 2010

Peace to our fans, friends, and supporters.  We came to a difficult decision this week.  We will be pushing back the release date of SOULAJU with DJ Icewater until March 23, 2010. 

The album’s release date was set for next Tuesday, January 26th.  We planned a month-long series of events in Denver to celebrate this release with our friends and fam here.  Last week, we hosted an album listening party at the Gypsy House Cafe in Denver, giving several dozen people a sneak peak at the album.  We also co-hosted a successful SOULAJU Youth Jam and Climate Change workshop at Green Spaces Denver on January 15th.  We will move forward with the other events we have planned to celebrate the work that has been done, and the work that is to come.

DJ Icewater will be in town for pre-release events next week, including a free youth DJ Workshop at the Flobots Community Center and a pre-release party at the Walnut Room in Denver, CO on January 29th at 8:30PM.  Tix for the Walnut Room show are $8.  We are also excited to announce that the Secret Techniques B-Boy crew at the University of Wyoming will be hosting us for a show on January 28th.  The performance is free for UW students.  Doors open at 9PM in the Union Ballroom of the Student Union.  Crowds at both of these events will have the exclusive opportunity to see the SOULAJU set performed for the first time. 

We appreciate your continuing support in our decision to delay the release of SOULAJU.  Combined, we have released four solid projects in less than a year and a half, including Molina’s release of Up Before the Sunrise in August 2008 and the My America benefit cd for Papers the movie.  We have kept a hectic touring schedule and have spent a great deal of time working with youth in schools, community programs, detention centers, and group homes. 

We are confident in our decision to take a little more time with the release of SOULAJU, which we have been working on since the fall of 2008.  Several of the earliest tracks will be re-written, re-recorded, and re-mastered to better reflect the work we are doing now.  We want to give our best and most honest work to the fans and communities we represent. 

We have released a free download of “Like Magic” —the first international single off SOULAJU, which you can download at http://www.mediafire.com/?zoe4lmj5zyl.  We will continue to leak bits and pieces of the 15-track album to the broader public in February and early March.  

As for our most energetic fans who are really jones’n for the new tunes, we appreciate your patience.  Keep spreading the word. 

In solidarity,

Molina Soleil & Aju

SOULAJU

Filmed by Jai Harris & Ro1 Films in Arvada, CO, benefit show for Family Tree, November 2009. 

Music by Mannequin Rituals

Touted as the best small venue in Denver by Westword and the Denver Post, The Walnut Room will host the Soulaju release party on January 29th, 2010.  Bay-Area mixtape legend DJ Icewater produced the album and will be in town for the event.  The national street release date for Soulaju is January 26th, 2010. 

DJ Icewater is the tour DJ for The Pharcyde.  Highly respected for his support of independent artists, DJ Icewater has put out over 40 mixtapes.  Most recently, he has mixed albums for international phenom Shing02 and up-and-coming Bay Area artist Jern Eye.  More events are being planned in connection with Icewater’s visit to the Mile High City.  Stay tuned…

On July 4th, 2009 CHiTT Productions released My America—a benefit CD for Papers the movie.  Molina spent months compiling music for the project, which features artists from across the United States, including Denver, Albuquerque, Oakland, Harlem, and Minneapolis.  The CD is raising awareness about immigration and racial justice issues, and it is steadily bringing in funding to support the Papers movement.  Special shoutout to the Tru Ruts collective out of MN for contributing almost one half the music on the album.  WireTap Magazine recently wrote about My America.  The story ran Thanksgiving Day. 

Paper Chase: Hip-Hop for My America

By Geoffrey Dobbins, November 26, 2009

Read the article:  http://www.wiretapmag.org/arts/44697/ 

Purchase the cd: http://papersthemovie.com/myamerica.html

Molina Soleil & Aju are proud to have contributed to the making of Papers—a film by and about undocumented youth.  Papers is now screening nationally!  For more on Papers, including information on how to bring Papers to your community, visit http://www.papersthemovie.com.

Molina Soleil & Aju held it down this weekend at the 13th annual Children of Aztlan Sharing in Higher Education (CASHE) conference in Pullman, Washington.  We emceed Noche Cultural and presented five workshops. 

Molina Soleil & Aju rockin’ a packed auditorium    at Noche Cultural.	Aju holding it down during an Immigration reform workshop.
	(Left) Molina with the homey Margarita Esquivel, superwoman and youth advocate.  Maggie and her fellow comadres put together a dynamic 3-day conference for 250 Latino high school students from across the state of Washington.  Twenty-five seniors were accepted to WSU onsite at the closing banquet.

MORE PICS FROM CASHE:

Gettin’ things moving…

Gettin’ people on their feet…

The people movin’ to the music…

The following day, in the classroom, building…

Much respect to all the Mechistas de WSU and the whole CASHE conference staff.  Shout out tambien to all students who attended.  We had fun with you all!  Street smart and driven to succeed, you all took a serious step towards higher education this weekend.  Adelante jovenes!   

We are proud to announce our first show in Missouri.  We were booked this weekend to play at the Missouri University of Science & Technology in Rolla, Missouri.  The date is set for April 21st, 2010.  Big ups to the student programming council.  We’ll see you all next year! 

Molina Soleil & Aju will be throwing a free youth jam in Denver to celebrate the upcoming release of their full-length album with DJ Icewater.  Rumor has it that Icewater may be flying out from the Bay Area for the event.  Further rumors suggest that additional events may be in the works in Boulder, CO and Laramie, WY in conjunction with Icewater’s visit.  More to come soon…

DJ Icewater in Japan w/ The Pharcyde: