Research suggests people who drink more than seven cups of instant coffee a day have an increased tendency to hallucinate.

High caffeine users may even think they sense non-existent people, according to researchers from the University of Durham. They studied 200 students who were asked about their typical intake of caffeine products. Those who had a high caffeine intake were three times more likely to have the heard voice of someone non-existent than “low” users who consumed less than one cup of instant coffee or its equivalent. Seeing things that were not there, hearing voices and sensing the presence of dead people were among the experiences reported.

Caffeine may stimulate cortisol

Besides coffee, caffeine can be obtained from sources such as tea, chocolate, “pep” pills and energy drinks. However, the hallucinations are not necessarily a sign of mental illness. Around 3% of people regularly hear voices, the research said. The ability of caffeine to exacerbate the effects of stress may be behind the study’s findings, scientists believe.

When under stress the body releases the hormone cortisol which is produced in greater quantities after consuming caffeine, possibly leading to hallucinations. Dr Charles Fernyhough, the co-author of the study, pointed out that the research only showed an association between caffeine intake and hallucination proneness, not a causal link. “One interpretation may be that those students who were more prone to hallucinations used caffeine to help cope with their experiences,” he said.

They say the best artists write about what they know. Perhaps that is why Triple Ave’s new album ‘True Working Class Heroes’ sounds so damn good. Because, what Triple Ave does not know about life, music and everything else in between is not really worth knowing. The three components that make up the group now known as Triple Ave come from as far-flung places as Boston, California and St Louis. And their backgrounds are even more diverse, encompassing Puerto Rico, Mexico, Creole and Cape Verde, West-Africa.

Maybe this mix is why the sound that Hyp, Gypsy Luv and Louie Da Saint make when they bring their heritages together is so fresh, so unique and so exciting. It is progressive hip-hop in that it still has the tightest, dopest beats you could hope for, but its content is significantly higher on the intelligence scale than your average MTV Bass bumper. This is unashamedly music by and for grown-ups. And may Triple Ave be praised for that!

The album was named not only for the group’s ancestral struggles against the powers that be, but also because the journey of the band and the construction of the album was in many ways “working class” too.

The record was made in an entirely self-sufficient way: programmed, produced, written and engineered by the members of the band, with zero compromise on quality or vision. And not many bands can say that.

Triple Ave blend elements of jazz, soul, world music via live instrumentation with turntablism and create the sort of head-nodding, intelligent and literal music that the hip-hop world has been crying out for far too long.

More than that, Triple Ave wants their music to be a vehicle for positive progress. Maybe it’s being descended from leaders of people such as the Cape Verdean revolutionary martyr Amilcar Cabral and the founder of Florida A&M University Nathan B Young but they see their art as a unifying force for people to who want to work out issues, exchange ideas and bring about change.

Triple Ave has so many influences, musically and culturally, that it is hard to contain them on one record. Being rooted in their urban upbringing and travelling throughout places in Europe, India, the Philippines and Mexico, only add to the groups diverse worldview. ‘True Working Class Heroes’ looks like it is going to be just the beginning for this band.

And if you don’t believe us, then they already have enough accolades from their peers to convince the harshest sceptic. No lesser light than A-Plus of the Hierogylyphics heard this album and immediately exclaimed: “This shit is hhhhhhhhella tight,” and who are we to disagree.

They have already picked up the prestigious “Best Band in the Bay Area” in the 2007 regional finals of the International Emergenza Battle of the Bands and now they are taking their unique talents on the road.

The mini tour takes in gigs on both coasts and you would be well advised to get yourself down and witness the world’s newest hip-hop heroes.

Triple Ave Mini Tour 2009
Jan 23, 2009 Friday 10:00 PM The Cellar – Long Beach, CA
Jan 31, 2009 Saturday 8:00 PM O.S. Art House @ The Rockit Room-San Francisco, CA
Feb 6, 2009 Friday 8:00 AM East Bay Liberation Radio 104.1 FM-West Oakland, CA
Feb 14, 2009 Saturday 6:00 PM Saturday Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists-Berkeley, CA
Feb 28, 2009 Saturday 8:00 PM O.S. Art House @ Blaggards-New York, NY – There will also be a video shoot for the song True Working Class Heroes at this performance.
Mar 7, 2009 Saturday 9:00 PM Christoff’s The Mix-Seattle, WA
Mar 8, 2009 Sunday 9:00 PM Mississippi Music Room Portland OR

John Travolta, and his wife, were asked to pay a $1 million extortion ransom to prevent a picture, of their son Jett Travolta as he lay dying in the back of an ambulance, from being sold to someone other than the Travolta family. The picture was allegedly taken with a mobile phone possibly by one of the paramedics. So wrong!

The alleged blackmailers are thought to have made contact with Travola and his Florida based lawyers Michael Ossi and Howard Butler. The blackmailers said they would sell the picture to the highest bidder if they didn’t get their $1 million ransom.

A local politician from the Bahamas is also said to be involved.

Donna Ulisse releases “Walk This Mountain Down” a new collection of self-penned tunes and follow-up to her 2007 release “When I Look Back” which was enthusiastically received by bluegrass radio and fans. “Walk This Mountain Down” finds Ulisse once again singing songs she has written or co-written about real people in real life situations and relationships and teaming up again with guitar virtuoso Keith Sewell on production with a stellar cast of musicians; Rob Ickes on dobro, Andy Leftwich on mandolin and fiddle, Byron House on upright bass, Scott Vestal on banjo and naturally, Sewell on acoustic guitar. She brought in friends Claire Lynch, Jerry Salley, Curtis Wright, Wendy Buckner Sewell and Keith Sewell as well as husband and co-writer Rick Stanley (cousin of Dr. Ralph Stanley) to help out on harmonies.

Ulisse’s second acoustic release can truly be termed “bluegrass without borders” as it ranges from traditional on some of the tunes (especially the gospel ones) to contemporary bluegrass with tinges of folk and country on other tunes, offering something for everyone who is a lover of high quality acoustic music.

Ulisse has had a busy life in Nashville as a respected vocalist behind the scenes with her first session as a background singer on a Jerry Reed album. It was a wonderfully unnerving experience for the young Ulisse who had never done backgrounds before. When renowned country songwriter and producer Glenn Sutton was inducted into the Nashville Songwriter’s Hall of Fame, it was Ulisse who was called upon to sing some of his hits recorded by Tammy Wynette and Lynn Anderson for the “who’s who” of the music industry and she brought the house down. Fans still remember her as an artist on Atlantic Records where she was signed and released the album “Trouble at the Door” in 1991. The album had three singles and two videos. During this time she appeared on the network TV show “Hot Country Nights”, “Hee Haw”, “Nashville Now” and “Crook and Chase.”

“Walk This Mountain Down” has entered the Americana Music chart after one week at radio and goes on sale at online stores on January 20, 2009.

For more information on Donna Ulisse go to:
www.donnaulisse.com
www.myspace.com/donnastanleyulisse