Music Monday - Peter Gabriel, Genki Sudo and Hedwig and the Angry Inch

Get ready to dance and sing... it's another Music Monday!

My niece likes to play a game in the car called "Favorites." Someone choses a category and everyone says what their favorite is. Favorite song came up this week. This was my pick.

Genki Sudo was originally a talented and entertaining mixed martial artist. I became a fan, not only of his creative fighting style but because, at the end of each match he won, he would hold up a banner that read "We Are All One." The banner also had flags from scores of countries around the world.

After retiring, Sudo took to the world of music and dance, continuing his message of world peace. With a dance group he named after his first single, this is the first release, "World Order." (I particularly like the kids that show up toward the end.)

You couldn't have told me before seeing it but "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" is an incredibly good movie. It's about a transgender rock singer who is following her former lover, a hugely successful rock star, around the country to confront him about stealing songs she wrote. The music runs a gamut of styles. I can only say, if you haven't seen this, treat yourself to a night of good music and a moving story.

Music Monday Begins!

Often, I'm not sure what to write for my blog so I'm trying to add more content by having themed days during the week. I'm starting with the new institution of Music Mondays - featuring one current, one classic and one conceptual or crazy release.

To start off, an incredible album I picked up recently after seeing this group on the Grammys: 'The Cave' from Mumford & Sons' "Sigh No More."

Josh Charles - actor from "Dead Poets Society," "Sports Night" and "The Good Wife" - tweeted this link yesterday. It reminded me how much I enjoy the blues when I get a chance to hear them: Legendary blues artist Skip James singing 'Crow Jane' from 1967. (via @BaltimoreJosh)

I've followed Genki Sudo since his time as a MMA fighter because of his unique combat style, creativity in the ring and positive message as a human being. (When he won a fight, he would hold up a flag with the words "We Are All One.") After his retirement, I was looking up some of his older fights on YouTube when I found a music video with a group called World Order. The group brought the same positive message that Sudo had as a fighter. Here's his latest video for the song 'Machine Civilization' (with subtitles.)

Sudo also placed this message with the video. While the translation may be slightly broken English, the message remains:

Many disasters are ongoing in Japan; earthquakes, Tsunami, and nuclear accidents. These unprecedented things may be able to change however from now. That's why I expressed through World Order to convey some message to you on my own way. I see these accidents will become a turning point of civilization. I think the time of revolution is coming, where people in the world coexist with this planet against the system of modern society, economy and politics.
Any accident is neutral. Although we are straying around this deep darkness, I believe we can get through anything when each of us can let go of our fear and face things positively.
The world won't change on its own. We do change one by one. That makes the world change. The darkness just before the dawn is deepest. So, we do rise up together to greet the brilliant morning truly coming for the human beings.
WE ARE ALL ONE

Genki Sudo

Hope you enjoyed this first edition of Music Mondays. If you have any suggestions for entries, let me know in the comments section.

Until next time, remember: We Are All One!