This week's question is 'What song did you first hear that made you fall in love with music?' I had a feeling this would be tricky, as there are many genres of music with soooo many songs. The Train of Thought experience had begun...buckle your seat belts folks!

"She made tsunamis crash into me...I used to eat her like candy...this is just a feeling I can't deny" ReVerse speaking of a girl he met named Molly. His song was 'End of the Road' by Boyz II Men, a classic R&B powerhouse.

Happy Ronezee remains the house 'Boy Toy'. That made him 'Terribly Happy' to announce 'The Monster Mash' was his love.

Suzette told us she tried to be a good poet and do the 30-day challenge but stopped at Day 7.

"...God doesn't make mistakes & that voice us saying I told you so..." It was a moving piece that was inspired by her niece Amani who is Autistic.

Raul, a fresh faced initiate who credited Naughty by Nature took the stage for some silly stand-up.

Parnia brought the theater to the Train with a musical number describing the struggle of Betsy Ross.

CJ reppin’ classified619.com named Sam Cooke’s ‘A Change Is Gonna Come ‘ his musical love before spittin’ verses he wrote years ago that are still relevant now.

‘Eddie the Blade’ cranked up the rock & roll before Gill decided it was time to ask the audience. One response was ‘Don’t Speak’ by No Doubt.

Back on the Train, fresh to the new spot was Community Bread who said he was feeling “beefy”.

“…Brown broccoli vs. Cauliflower zucchini Lamborghini gassed up for the escape…”

Our host with the most asked to do his thing on the mic, what are we going to say No! The good fellow shared a piece he wrote a long time ago.

Straight from Guam was our fam JR who told us his letter to ‘Mr. & Mrs. Facebook’ ,so if that was you don’t be offended.

This weeks Feature was Poet/ Singer Super B aka Brian Oliva who sang his answer playing his red guitar with , 'Too Close' by Next.
'Things I Want to do the day before I Die' a piece dedicated to his grandmother.

" I will see tomorrow, the day before I die....I want to die insanely beautiful..."

He said his little niece Brianna inspired a poem to his future son. "...God prays to bombs and bullets that they change their destination..."

Up next on this TRAIN was Cedrice who just recently tried out for The Voice and boy did they miss out by not putting her on. 'We Got You' girl!

Our nephew Victor Diaz sang a song I inspired by a homeless lady he met on the trolley who told of her pain with a smile.

Sliding through next was the Fam Anique who's song was "Look out weekend cuz here I come" ala Debbie Deb. Sherwin consigned that one. She let the audience have a say in poem choice & they chose what Anique said was a "message to the haters".

"Uncle" Kevin the engineer made a statement that he wasn't a poet , right before he read a lovely piece about his wife. You know us poets got jokes!

One of the TRAIN favorites Pocho Joe got down with his ode to wack rappers. Luckily he was still in town working in a production of Federal Jazz.

Next was DJ G who started off with some audio issues but then decided to bust it a cappella.

Rajiv cited Arrested Development's 'Tennessee' as his musical muse. His took it there with a piece about growing up as a minority child.

"...Where the sight of green turns our heart's black & grey...How you supposed to get in the game when you already out of bounds..."

Last but always a pleasure was our cousin Viet Mai who grabbed Victor's guitar and sang out Whitney's 'Greatest Love of All'. That was his song right there. He said he chose a love piece to ease the frustration from all the ugliness in the world.

Our host Gill Sotu started it off with a Hip-Hop classic “Engine, engine number nine on the Train of Thought transit line, if my Train falls of the track, pick it up , pick it up, pick it up…”
Ready and in a good mood with that, our host decided to dub our DJ…LL Red Lite.

This is just for tonight mind you. This week’s question was, “What has to happen for it to constitute the perfect day?”

Our co-host Konstant Be, who stepped out from behind the soundboard for a quick piece said it was hot cocoa that made his day; “I want to be close to you like the seasons in San Diego inseparable…want to be close to you like the tattoos in your skin”

Happy Ron said having a positive influence on someone through his music. That is a tough one to follow.

Gill introduced her as a San Diego poetry icon; already I was intrigued as Ms. Delores graced the stage with a delightful piece titled ‘Quilting’.

Brooklyn born MC OHM-I was up next with more Nerdcore rap, this one was about a nerd trying to talk to a girl at a club. “Let me nerd you up girl & let me show you my world”

Sal, who put on the sign- up sheet it was his first time but turned out halfway through our “This is your 1st time song” it wasn’t when he stopped Gill mid song. Again, you had to be there. He played guitar and sang a song he wrote called ‘Signal Lights’.

Our host read us a piece that he said he wrote about 20 mins before the show titled ‘Where We Live’, “…Where’s the last place we look for the truth, who’s here looking for that lost moment in time…”

Geshalem our prima was back wearing her ToT shirt and said her day would be the best if she could go out in the water and catch a wave. G shared a piece that tells of her of how her family came up with her exceptional name.

Boarding next was Parnia whose perfect day would have to be laughing with her sister. Our homegirl takes me there with whatever she is performing. We need to see her in a play y’all!

1st timer Lizzy with her red guitar doing the Robot as her initiation dance had Gill almost hysterical. Her second song got me with its meaning and lyrics. Definitely need to hear her voice again.

Victor Diaz was looking official tonight with his own camera crew in tow. This half of People’s History said his day would be right if he was able to have a drink and talk with his Abuelita. He performed ‘Land of Gold’ an interlude from his upcoming album.

Out from behind the camera up next was our girl Anique who said no day would be perfect without her soul mate. Our photog expressed how one man is ‘All I Need’ and how she handled ‘Papyrus’.

Eddie “The Blade” came to bring the rock & roll and he did just that.

Oh, shit! We got Def Jam Poet Pocho Joe sliding through for a guest spot tonight. Joe will be our Feature performer for the May 1st show. You cannot miss that.

Nguyet, a timid 1st timer referenced the classics in an ode to her love; “…We got that shell toe love, that Hip-Hop love, you love Tupac, I bump biggie…”

Our Tickle Me Sylise told us that she has to observe beauty in everything in order for it to be a perfect day.

Last on stage but certainly not least was Viet, host of Elevated who said his day would be great if his puppy Yogi did not pee or poop in the house. And scene!

The fam bam Sherwin…Re-verse was 1st up this week. This week’s question was “Who is the most influential artist of all time?” Now of course you can't repeat someone else’s answer so pay attention. Sherwin’s answer was our host with the most Gill.

Sliding up next was Anique with “Stealth” her lady like diss to an ‘icky miraj’ and a the heartfelt “Tears of Joy”. She named Dr. Maya Angelou as her most influential.

Back with a vengeance to eat up more open mics was none other than our very own Happy Ronezee with his #1 hit “Terribly Happy”. The Beatles were influential to the comedy folk singer who always makes us laugh.

We love the 1st timers and we had one from North Country, Ms. Danielle Hastings was a quiet voice with powerful words.

Straight from the South we had Da Boy Brady from Alabama with some raw ish. His second verse was dedicated to all the wrestling fans, “got a toothpick on my mouth like Razor Ramon”.

Parnia wanted to play guess the musical and someone aboard the TRAIN got it right. It was a very mooo-ving rendition of a Rent number.

Next aboard the TRAIN was another 1st timer Mario whose bold words kept the audience silent “…I want to meet the Angel locked in your heart…”

Gill said J Solo is the nicest, most confident shy person he knows. Well one could not tell by his stage presence.

Tonight’s feature was Joe “Sauce” Limer, once a closet poet for many years before getting the courage to read his poetry. He is currently a professor at Palomar College and a member of the 2012 San Diego Slam Team and Glassless Minds in Oceanside.

“…Loving you too much has come to a contractual agreement… Siri I want you to know I’m breaking up with you!”

In between, he gave us some insight behind his poems and said he likes to write about the political and educational systems.

“…Ask me if I’m doing it to support the liberal agenda; I’m just trying to get students to think for themselves.”

His piece “5 Stages of Breakup” is an audience favorite and one of mine too.

Up next with some live guitar was Victor Diaz with a letter to himself after almost overdosing on cocaine. The emotion from that song was true and I could feel his anguish.
Roland of Glassless Minds stepped out for a quick piece.

Our fave Nerdcore rapper MC Ohm-I said Eminem was his most influential and then shared why he does not care for V-day, “She stole my freaking laptop & sold it for some crack rocks and I hate Valentine’s Day”. This guys onto something here and were singing along with him.

Another newbie of the show was So Real and when she took her purse on stage with her, we knew she don’t play. Her most influential artists were Twist and Trina. Her song ‘Almond Joy’ took us through all the candies with a PG-13 version.

Robert Frost was the most influential to Rajiv who did a piece before we wrapped up the show.

Following him was Lyrical Exchange host R. Preston Clark, and then the last 1st timer Wes who said Joe “Sauce” was his most influential artist.

Last on the TRAIN was Nate with a piece on what happened to real Hip Hop.

Join us next time for the Tournament! “We Got You!”

The anticipation has been building at last we've arrived. A new location, new venue yet same ol' family. If you thought the other spot was cool ...Mosaic is dope!

It felt good walking in seeing familiar faces like coming home. We’re all here throughout the 4 years. DJ RedLite goes to work spinning the classics after sound check.
Host Gill thanks the audience for making Train of Thought what it is today.

'We Got You!'
Just like before, Gill has a burning question to ask those who dare step to the mic. This week’s was, "Who was your Childhood hero?" Our host found himself a comfy chair on stage,"my Oprah chair" he exclaimed with glee and took an interviewer stance.

First up was Joe Limer of Glassless Minds, who wanted to be Night Crawler as a kid. He began with a piece about Manti Te'o "...we scream in text with demon like fingers..." He will be featuring in ToT's next show on 3/20.

Next aboard was Gill's little bro J Solo, who wanted to be like Spiderman. And YES this was his first time; you just had to be there. He put some truth the mic, "...we've turned the words 'I Love you' into a game of freeze tag. We play Marco Polo with our emotions..."

The art coming through the mic was heavy and this TRAIN is picking up momentum quick. Now another new face aboard is Sylise who shared a poem to her 'future husband' of how ticklish she is, “I’m Tickle Me Elmo X 1,000".

Queen Elizabeth was up & when asked said she looked up to Big Daddy Kane. Her influences reflect in her tracks, she spit to a fresh old school jazz beat.

The “Blessed” Aaron Evans wanted to be like Michael Jordan and shared his introspection with us.

Our girl Parnia showcased her voice and love for musicals with an amazing rendition Before she made me feel like I was at an opera (that’s a good thing), she said she wanted to be like her sister…awww!

Now back to serious comedic business, another 1st timer Cody also wanted to “Be like Mike”. His jokes changed the pace and had some in the back laughing while others had that ‘hmmm’ face. You just don’t know what you’ll get on the TRAIN!

Looking like a sultry pixie, hair stylist Roxy read on the ToT stage for the 1st time so quick that when I turned back around to take a pic, she was walking off. Next time “I Got You”!

Dizzy Order came in for a fresh rhyme and was working the new stage. Spinning along with the next ToT 1st was Derrick Miller who wanted to be like “Bo Jackson because he did everything”.

Sherwin (ReVerse) delighted the audience with his ode to poop. Yes, like in crap…you missed it!

“Where else can you find a short black man wearing an NPR shirt” proudly spoke tonight’s Feature Comic Brian a.k.a. @shortwideneck had us going from the moment he got on stage. Laughing so hard I got a tear when he shared his new word “raspicious” and specs on a “Negro2Go app”.

It’s Tournament Time!

Here are the specs: Contestants are allowed 1 piece each

5 judges will be selected from the audience and scores based on a scale of 1-10
Audience can give feedback whether or not they agree with the judges’ score.

Co-Host Konstant Be was the ‘calibration poet’ to whom the judges would set the scoring bar.

1st up was Victor Diaz with a chill song called “San Diego” and yes he sings his own hooks too.

2nd was Cori from Mosaic with spoken word.

3rd up was Anique who shared her “Quest” for knowledge.

The scores were tallied and the winner of the 1st Train of Thought was Cori, 2nd Anique and Victor Diaz a close 3rd.

Join us next time and even if you been before, “We Got You!”

Starting summer off right with the night’s question, "What's the greatest summer anthem ever?" Cueball replied with "California Love" then unleashed an ill freestyle that got me wanting to flow. True Maine gave us a few laughs before Host Gill shared his version of "Redemption Song" with us. Oh no it was time for the funk to be pumped into Queen Bee's. Drum & Bass duo D said their summer anthem is the Marley Classic “Three Little Birds".

They graciously thanked the host calling him a "genius" and said they were happy to be here at Train of Thought. With that the funk commenced with a snazzy tune called "Everybody Wants to Take you Home". After blending into "You Dropped the Bomb on Me", I was waiting for the disco ball to drop down. They are as they call themselves, New Alternative Funk and it showed. Guess the guy next to me wasn't feeling it because he straight dozed off in the middle of the feature. YES, brotha I'm talking to you, waking up after you got caught then pretend like you jamming. Not in my house no sir! They ended with a request by the host and the audience was impressed.

Meeka said her summer anthem was 'Holiday' by Madonna then serenaded us with an A’cappella of 'Lovely' - “I am lovely the way that I am". Next on board was 1st timer Martin who gave us some acoustic love with a soft voice while telling us to "Hold on to me". Still a bit nervous Jo graced the stage with a song she wrote on deployment in Kuwait, "Back to You". 1st Timer Sara read a piece about her 'beauty-full' self. Friends of the fam Bosen & Suede came from the gym once they heard D was the feature and still had energy to close & show ToT how 'I'm less than perfect but more than willing to learn'.



Join us... all you need is an open mind!

Konstant Be was up first with a freestyle poem, “…in the beginning there were words.” 1st timer Isaiah did his initiation dance with a stool, extra credit for that and then gave us some simple R&B. This week’s theme was, “Your life as a bumper sticker”. Another newcomer Emma who strummed her guitar while sitting down on the stage told us her bumper sticker would read ‘Life is garden, dig it’.

Comic Tyrhee brought the funny again that had the audience rolling. Ms. Peach was up next on the keyboard and hit us with a funky cover of “Destiny” along with her Supertasty band member Paul Allen.

The night’s feature was D.C. songstress Green Tea who stopped by while on tour promoting her new album Dosage III. Her songs tell the story of giving up her job to pursue music, “Should I Leave”. Her mission is to help others grow and heal through music. Her bumper sticker would read “I’m a beautiful weirdo”. She sings ‘time for you to wake up…this is your alarm’, a theme song she said is for anyone that’s laughed at you.

Kevin Eagan hit us with a few smooth covers on his guitar. Joshua played a cover by The Strokes on his little red ukulele. To finish off the night a friend of the family Marcee blessed us with an amazing Italian aria after sharing that her bumper sticker would read, “Emotions are never right or wrong just real”.




Keep checking the train, maybe your favorite artist will be pulling into the station.

Host Gill was in LA for a show so co-host extraordinaire Konstant Be took the reigns and started us off with this week's theme ~ What's your most memorable time on the job? You had to be there to hear the juciness that went down...Next time!

Ronezee showed us he's no "Boy Toy" and we were diggin it. We had a 1st timer on guitar, a young lad from Liverpool, England whose father went to school with Beatles great George Harrison. He took us "Flying" with his holiday (vacation) song. See you never know what you're going to get at Train of Thought.

Dressed the part with multiple wardrobe changes Lando, another 1st timer this Micheal Jackson inspired act had us grooving with their calibrated dance moves. Poet Carson let us know " it's not as hard as they make it out to seem". ToT fam Re-Verse told us his "This is not a love poem". After Konstant flipped a coin he called Miranda to the stage where she belted an acapella version of Christina Aguilera's "You Lost Me".

Duff E. gave us a hip-hop remix of "Somebody I Used To Know" with live mixing from DJ Redlite. Another 1st timer Trillianne admitted her nerves yet was calm while reading " Vibrations". Sliding up next was 1st timer Mario who read "Psychofanatic Politics". Konstant read us the crowd fave "American Girl". While our Granny D tought us a lesson and brought a positive message. Animator Steven made us laugh with a funny poem and story.

Every time it's a different experience so don't say we didn't warn you! ~ "We got you!"