Confessions of a collector

Voodoo was released 10 years ago –TEN!! Now we all know the demons that D’angelo has gone through, word has it that he is still coming out (when remains a mystery like how many licks does it take to get to the –oh hell you know the rest )All that to say that even the hilariously funny, uber talented, potty mouthed singer/songwriter John Mayer knows that its time for D’angelo’s return –so much so that he wrote an open letter to him on www.esquire.com

the letter:

DEAR D’ANGELO, My name is John Mayer. You might know me from that “Your Body Is a Wonderland” song, or perhaps our mutual friend, Roots drummer? uestlove, mentioned me to you. I’m writing to ask you to put out a follow-up to one of the few records to change my life forever, Voodoo.

When Voodoo came out in 2000, I stood in line at Tower Records in Atlanta at midnight to get it. Turns out, it set the gold standard for modern “neo” soul music. It’s 2004, and I’m no less excited by it today than I was when I played it full blast in my mother’s Plymouth Voyager on the way to my bullshit job. I drive a nicer car now, but I still listen to Voodoo and wonder what my albums would sound like if I took a bite off your style and what R&B would be like if you came back.

In contrast to the present age of gunmetal-gray hip-hop, with perfectly aligned beats and blips, Voodoo throbs. It’s skin in the place of plastic. Questlove’s drums serve as an atomic clock, while Pino Palladino’s bass playing taunts the drums by showing the bar line just how late it can wake up and still arrive to work on time. I’m not even going to detail your impeccable vocal layering. You know what you did.

Yes, Voodoo isn’t laced with perfect pop hooks, but then again it’s so devoid of them that I never assumed you were worried about appeasing radio anyway. Its beauty is simplicity, a Japanese rock garden of hip-hop and R&B, and it’s because of the negative space that I can still listen to it. There’s nothing frivolous to get stuck in your head, so there’s nothing to want out.

If you haven’t recently committed any of yourself to tape, I’m begging you to put your suit and cape back on. Your contemporaries aren’t going to ask you to come back; they’re scared of having to be perched next to you. Only a lanky white boy like me can call you out of hiding. And if you need any help with those tunes, you know who to call. Questlove’s got my number.

I decided to head up to NYC to catch Eric Roberson’s ‘Sol Village’ show at S.O.B’s for the Men Loves Mary Tribute Concert. My good friend Butta from Soulbounce invited me, and you know I can’t turn down Good Music, good times and NYC!!! This was my first time hearing most of the guys who performed but they did a real bang up job!! Jesse Boykins III (yo..watch out for this boy!!!!), Bradd Marquis, D Maurice Macklin aka DMo,  Darien and a few others.  I didn’t get to take as many photos as I wanted to…I forgot to charge the camera battery –INSTANT FAIL!!!

Eric Roberson is a true HAM!!! straight comedy –if you haven’t checked him out yet, you are really losing out…really!

Most of the photos you’ll see here are of Butta, she is the social butterfly!!! And a totally awesome woman, she rocks!

The lovely person in the photo is my friend and new roommate, Kimberly.  She is a visual creater, music lover, photographer, uber goddess…..and most of all a GEEK!!

Check out her out at: www.twitter.com/sondaixpression |www.sondaiexpressions.com

Support holla at them boys!! POPEYES!!!…nuff said

The final “Soul Overdose’” for 2009 will highlight the end of what has been a spectacular series of live music events sponsored by Smirnoff and produced by LiL SoSo Productions. For this final event, soul resident N’digo Rose and DJ Jahsonic will be joined by special guest Phonte of Little Brother and Foreign Exchange will be on hand with The Els to bring the series to a close and celebrate LSP founder, Kat’s birthday. Get your tickets today, or hear about it later…

Liv |2oo1 11th st NW, Washington DC| Doors at 9pm | Show starts at 10pm

Purchase tickets

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INAS Season Finale!: In the Artist’s Studio feat. Res

Thursday, December 3rd

DC’s only party celebrating classic Hip Hop returns to the Black Cat this Friday, November 20th. No frills, just all the music you love from the golden era of Hip Hop. Joining DJ Dredd will be special guest DJ Stylus (Soul Controllers/Poem-Cees/WPFW 89.3) so make sure you are in the building for this one. So if you’re a fan of Big Daddy Kane, Biz Markie, Special Ed, De La Soul, MC Lyte, Heavy D, Pete Rock, Queen Latifah, Red Man, EPMD, Wu Tang Clan, Gangstar, Public Enemy, and all of the other pioneers of the genre, make sure to come out.

Don’t push me cause I’m……… Close 2 the Edge

11/20 Doors at 9pm

Music by Dredd & DJ Stylus

Dress Code: B-boy/B-girl

Black Cat is located at 1811 14th Street NW

facebook.com/djdredd

twitter.com/djdredd

twitter.com/djstylus

worldsflyest.com

Click photo to purchase tickets

The lovely Teedra Moses returns to DC, and if you’ve ever seen this woman, you know she puts it down! A gifted songwriter with a sweet and sultry voice, Moses has also She was featured on and co-wrote two songs from Raphael Saadiq’s 2004 album Ray Ray, “Chic”, and “I Want You Back”. Come out to hear the self proclaimed ‘Young Lioness’…

Here’s the when where whats:

Teedra Moses

Friday, Nov 13th | Liv | 2001 11th St NW, WDC 20001| Doors @ 7:30pm | Tickets: $18 in adv/$22 at the door