RIP James Brown

When my parents first came to this country in 1972, before they were even married, they went straight to a James Brown concert. Literally. A friend of theirs picked them up from Dulles International Airport and took them directly to the show at Carter Barron Theater on 16th Street. It's amazing to think that it was their very first experience here in the US.

It hit home with my parents to realize how fast time flies, to be made aware when gathered with family on Christmas day after the passing of a musical legend.

He will be missed for sure.

Amerimacka

Last Wednesday evening I went to one of the best shows that I have ever been to at the infamous 9:30 Club - Thievery Corporation. It was the first of four consecutive sold-out shows spread over four nights. Mike managed to get a direct hookup for 3 tickets. After two different peeps bailed on us, we just hit the show and he managed to get rid ($) of the third ticket.

Their set started out with some mellow beats spewing from two different DJ's. It began to get heavier and heavier with more upbeat, fused sounds until at one point all of the core band members were on stage making the most amazing music. There were tons of songs that I've never heard before, but they also performed flawless versions of some of my favorites, including Sol Tapado and Amerimacka.

At one point, about a quarter of the way through the show, some band members disappeared backstage and all that were left were percussionists and the sitar player. What ensued was some music akin to traditional Middle Eastern music, and (lo and behold) out came a beautiful bellydancer who put on an amazing performance for two or three songs. Incredible! The rest of the show consisted of a fusion of reggae, dance, electronica, and samba.

If you've never heard of Thievery Corporation or don't know much of their music, just hit me up. I'll fix that in a hurry.

On the fly

It was two nights ago and Sparky was wearing the best t-shirt that I've seen in a really long time. It was Wednesday, right smack dab in the middle of the week and he was in DC. He lives 100 miles away or so, but of course I get a call from him and Mike for an impromptu night on the town. I have a lot of stuff to do, but fuck it, I'm always down to get a little bit of fresh air and anything that would put off the more important responsibilities that constitute my life.

And so down we go, me, MicMc, Spark, and CJ on a racing bike, skateboard, BMX, and mini-cruiser respectively, no plans and no destination. I was still getting over my horrible cold, but indeed it was somewhat of a remedy to feel the cold air rushing by as we rolled down Connecticut over what seemed like a myriad of potholes. We end up at the central fountain at the heart of Dupont Circle, our newly established time-wasting headquarters. I began to egg Spark-dogg on, I wanted to see some tricks on that white BMX he was riding, and thus I unleashed an undocumented extreme sports episode for the ages. A hop, skip, and a jump later it's my turn to impress the crowd and I try my best not to back down, so I get on this BMX and ride around the fountain to get a feel for the bike. I ride and I ride and and I hop off the top two ledges.

Going down is easy.

I ride around a quarter of the outer circle and make my way back in. The peer pressure challenge at this point is to hop the bottom two ledges and end up where I had come from. I make my way back going at about 85% speed and here comes the moment of truth - the people watching held their breath as I managed to lift the front of the bike a few millimeters. The curb I needed to clear was multiple times the said height, and our hero's BMX catapults me head first [equipped with helmet] over the handlebars as the front tire smashes into the step. My 165 pound frame slaps the pavement like a sack of rocks and I couldn't contain my uncontrollable laughter.

Going up is hard.

The crack dealer on a nearby bench gave me a solid "2" and we left for some late night eats. It was the most fun I've had in a while, and I realized long ago that the most memorable nights are the unplanned escapades.

And to think: I was gonna stay in and do laundry.