A young girl’s arm was suddenly in the clutches of a strange man. “You’re not my dad!” she screamed. It was an apparent abduction in the middle of the day on a busy suburban New York sidewalk.
“Help me!” the girl cried. People looked back after they hurriedly walked past the scene, which was repeated several times for the reality television show “What Would You Do?” The answer, for most, was nothing.
The scene was created again. Two tall black men with sagging pants took notice. They simultaneously dropped what they were carrying and sprinted to the male actor, who in an instant let them know it was a simulated situation.
Stone Mecca, a musician and producer, reacted to the episode.
“Two brothers who people might least expect in their minds,” he said. “They were the ones going to go get this guy. It inspired me. It gave me goose bumps.”
Stone Mecca wrote a song about it, “Boogeyman,” which appears on his debut solo album “Alienman.”
Having worked with acclaimed artist RZA on soundtracks for “Django Unchained,” “Blade,” “Soul Plane” and “Afro Samuari,” Stone Mecca used his poignant song about racism and hypocrisy to make a powerful video, which has gone viral.
“I grew up around all kinds of different brothers and sisters, black folks,” he said. “One thing that they all had in common was a sense of compassion and righteousness. It was good for people to see that because in this society a lot of people see us and they have this thing of fearing the black man when in actuality it’s the other way around.
“In the video, I wanted to bring that point across that we’re not all boogeymen. We’ve contributed so much to this world. Don’t believe everything you read. The media don’t get who we are. Get to know us. Meet us. Get to know what’s going on.”
During this Martin Luther King holiday weekend, people from across California are getting the chance to meet Stone Mecca, who is playing a string of shows with Lantz Lazwell and The Vibe Tribe. The bands performed in San Diego on Thursday, Placerville on Friday and tonight will be in Nevada City.
On Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., both bands will perform on the plaza at Kirkwood Mountain Resort before doing a private show. On MLK Day, Stone Mecca will appear at Spirithaus Gallery in Oakland for an 8 p.m. show.
A native of Southern California, Stone Mecca has lived in Dallas for four years. He’s a self-taught guitar player.
“I rocked out, did the rock and the funk,” he said. “I never planned on being a producer.”
But people recognized his talent, and opportunities arose in the studio, often with hip-hop projects. However, with November’s release of “Alienman,” Stone Mecca is on the move again performing live.
What people might first notice about the onstage performance is Stone Mecca’s B.C. Rich guitar, which he calls “Eloise.”
“There were only a few with that headstock,” he said. “I found it at a pawn shop and it needed work. We redid the whole thing and she became my favorite.”
With a sound that has been compared to Jimi Hendrix’s, Stone Mecca is on the road sending a message of love.
“I know how powerful music is,” he said. “I know how strong it is, so I never take it for granted. I know what our job is as artists and musicians. Our job is to use those gifts we’ve been given to inspire, make change and say things that need to be said.”
— Tim Parsons
