Hump Day

So, how was my Wednesday night you asked? Oh, it was just splendid. I got some late afternoon news that should prove to be extremely beneficial to my bottom line in the near future and I was elated! The Good Mr. Roberson happened to be in town at a revamped S.O.B.s for Sol Village. Sol Village is a monthly showcase of Funk, R&B and world music artist that haven't quite hit the big time. It's really interesting to me to see alot of these acts at this point in their respective careers. Many of these artist are still very hungry and that shows in their effort on stage, even if they have not quite mastered their stage pressence just yet. I'm always interested in what a new act can bring to the table. Most of the acts that I've seen at Sol Village don't come across like they aspire to be on TRL, or 106 and Park, thus they tend to be more creative than your average R&B artist. This can be a nuisance as well.

Since I am still experiencing the hangover from that good news I got yesterday, I will say that I just don't get some of the acts, or that I am not the target audience for a lot of these folks. One way or another, it is a great way to break the monotony of the week, especially during the summer!!! If you haven't heard of Eric Roberson, I promise you that you will. You are probably familiar with at least some of his work as he has written for act ranging from 112 and Carl Thomas to Dwele and Raheem DeVaughn. Roberson is a born entertainer and it shows. I have seen few people embrace the spotlight and make the stage their home the way that he does. For an Eric Roberson tutorial, I recommend picking up his new DVD entitled: Erro Live VOL: DC. It's a great showcase of his work and life and has a cameo appearance by an Extraflavory family member!

Now that the unpaid advertisements are out of the way, I'll share with you an experience that I had last night. I was watching a certain act (more on this in a minute), enjoying the show and the vibe. As I stated above, some nights, there are a few folks on stage that are a little too far left even for me. Tonight was different. Tonight was a good mix of styles. While I did not fall in love with every act that went on the stage, I did have at least some level of appreciation for them all. I got a reminder email from The Small Wonder that Sol Village was tonight (as opposed to a Wednesday more in the middle of the month as it usually is) and thought about it for a little bit. I was a little tired, but hadn't been out in a little while and needed something to stop the week from dragging. I checked the website and saw that Carol Riddick was performing which sealed the deal for me. If you are not familiar with Carol, you need to be. Trust me when I tell you that Carol has one of the great voices of this generation and NEEDS the publicity and attention that many of her less talented and less dressed "peers" get. Her subject matter goes beyond the typical "Men Ain't Shit" mantra that floods the airwaves, but is not as sappy as Jill Scott's last offering or as preachy as India.Aire (not that I think that preachy is a bad thing, shit, MOST people NEED preaching). If you don't know about Carol, GET FAMILIAR!

This story isn't all about Carol. I arrived at the venue before my companions for the evening and found myself next to this gorgeous cocoa goddess! Because I am The Champ, I was able to strike up a conversation with this beauty that I was trying to parlay into a total "Is It Possible" moment. Things looked like they were going in that direction until some dude walks up and she introduces him as her boyfriend. It's AG, I gotta keep the darts sharp, so I don't get consumed with it. I just start scoping the room for another prospect. There are a few, but I'm me, so I move in my own time. I made eye contact a few times with this one bunny, but she was obviously handling business so I decided to be patient, see what happens later. I'm watching the show near the bar when from behind me walks this chocolate bunny that stood about 5'8" and was of mild to moderate thickness. Her breast rubbed against my entire right arm and as I turned to see who dared to invade my personal space, she said "Did I do that? Did I just rub this 34B all up your arm?". For those of you that are wondering why, and if, I of all people had a problem, I didn't, per se. Since I was still in a pretty euphoric mood and she was obviously looking for attention, I was nice about it and was like "Yup, you sure did and you should be ashamed of yourself.". I was cautious since the probability was high that she was handing out flyers or selling something. She then said to me "I guess I gotta apologize huh?" to which I replied in the affirmative. She apologized and asked if i accepted her apology which I did and then she asked if she could get a hug. I acquiesced for the hell of it, still cautious since I could not ascertain her angle. She came in for the hug and then it all made sense. Apparently she and her friends attempted to drink Manhattan dry of all of it's alcohol. She went on about how the hug felt so good and that she loves a big man; how she had been watching me all night and like the way I moved. She then said "I better stop before your wife comes in here to get me." (People still do this corny, passive aggressive horseshit?) For the sake of being able to tell this story I tell her that I do not have a wife, and she ask for another hug and says "See this is what I need at home, I need me a big strong man in my life." At this point I'm thinking to myself WHOA NEGRO; WHOA!! As my DC brethren would say, she was wellin' like shit Joe! I reach to make sure that the content of my pockets are intact and this is where the fun part happened. She then told me that she had to "twinkle" (yes, she said twinkle and not tinkle. I only report the news, not make it) and that she would be right back. She followed that with "You stay right here okay, stay right here. 'Cause if I come back, and you are not here, I'm gonna pull out my .22 and shoot you!". WHAT PART OF THE GAME IS THAT???? I've smacked dudes on principle for much less ominous threats, but I let her slide. Not only because I did believe that she did have said gun in her possession or because her blood type was daiquiri, but because I was just so stunned. I was speechless, and we all know that doesn't happen very often. I might have even been turned on a bit, I'm still not sure. Actually, I'm sure. I was not turned on at all. That was some stupid shit.

Under "normal" circumstances, considering what happened earlier in the night with honey and her boyfriend, I might have thought to cut my losses and call it a night. I didn't quit for a number of reasons, mostly becasue I ain't no quitter. I also stayed because I had met the guitarist and bass player for Ab and the SoulJourners and liked the spark that these cats had. I was intrigued enough to stay around and see them, but not enough to sign up for their email list or by their cd without hearing them first. Let me say in all honesty to you all that I was impressed with these young cats. They've got a little ways to go, but hopefully for the sake of good music, they keep at it. I did end up buying their CD and sign up for the mailing list. I'd like to see these dudes give a full on performance.

In between checking for these cats and pollyin' with The Small Wonder, I saw that honey that I made eye contact with earlier in the night, and to not blow any spots, lets just says that she was in more of a mood to fraternize. I didn't jump right in because I'm cool like that, but I kept myself aware of where she was. The Small Wonder, ever ready to assist, opined "I think she was checking you out." to which I coyly replied, "I think she was too, and I'm about to eliminate the doubt!!!". I'm not sure how this part of the story ends just yet, but I will surely keep you posted.

So for those of you keeping score, that's 1 hell of a opportunity to get my cake up, 1 heartbreaking defeat, 1 bonafied psycho and 1 to be continued. It was probably the most exciting Wednesday I've had in a while. There was a great deal wrong with that previous statement and beleive you me I'm working on it. If things pan out the way I'd like, and you think see me on the streets and it looks like Da Grinch is holding a mirror while I check my goatee and eyebrows, you do see me, and I am getting my Morris Day on something fierce!

Think of it as Stuntin' Redefined!