“i and i” is the Rastafarian word for “we”. The word embodies the fact that you and I are the same and equal in the eyes of our Creator.
“I and I” in the capitalized form, means God is with me or I, with God, go forth.
I and I first put this studio together a few years ago, in my garage. Not long after, it outgrew the garage and, after some rearranging, found a home here in a half-buried concrete shop near the entrance to Boulder City, Nevada.
This small studio was born from the love of music.
Music is a language with which humans have communicated for millennia. The brain processes music just as it does a naturally spoken language: sending rhythm, tone, pitch, and beats to separate parts of the brain, communicating on multiple mental, physical, and emotional levels, and all separate from where we store our memories. Just as we can discern inflections, tones and hidden meanings in speech, the language of music triggers synapses in which we can feel what is being communicated. This neurological mapping of music, therefore, becomes part of who we are rather than something we just play or listen to; something to be lived rather than remembered. Artists who have Alzheimer’s, such as the late, great Glen Campbell, can forget memories, names, and even people, yet never forget their music. All at once, music can relive our first love, lay down and cry with us or lift us to see past our struggles. My father, a musician himself, and my hero, taught me that music is best used to inspire people, to lighten the heavy load of a person’s day, or to bring light where there is darkness and love where none exists. I invite you to find that here in our humble studio.
Likewise, podcasts invoke an array of emotions that span from critical thinking to laughter to guided meditations; all of which are necessary for getting the full human experience. Voice artists and vocalists draw from deep wells of emotion and talent to ease the minds of our daily burdens. More and more people are enjoying spoken-word content such as interviews, lectures, audiobooks, and podcasts during work and then discussing various opinions in free and open forums. I remember when our spoken-word options were sports radio and a few talk show hosts such as Dr. Laura, Art Bell, and Rush Limbaugh – all of which were on AM radio. Well, all except Howard Stern, of course. And if you wanted to share your opinions, you had to call in on a telephone line that was always busy! Podcasts and content-driven media platforms have provided instant lines of communication to everyone. They have quickly become the arenas in which we throw our best ideas to see which ones emerge victorious.
Whether you’re a musician, vocalist, voice artist, content creator, or podcaster, every artist is first: a great storyteller. We invite you to tell your story here. Life is fragile, and we’re only here for a short time, so be heard.
Thank you for sharing a part of your journey with us. God bless you on your way.
Don M. Rodriguez
Founder & Fellow Storyteller