Due
to some problems, I arrived at the Velvet Lounge late to walk (at
11:40pm) in on the DC Funk Squad doing their rendition of The Jackson 5 classic
"I Want You Back", featuring the cool saxophone melody of Megan
Nortrup. The last song performed by the quintet was the "Theme From
Suckaman Gonna Gitcha"...this was a masterpiece featuring the funky beats
of Jeremy Cutler on drums, the 70's guitar groove of Zach "Professor
Z-Love" Cutler, and the supersonic bass funk romp of the amazing kid
Dajando Smith!! The best
part of the song was the killer percussion soloing by Hodari Faraja Wali
Barazahi...this guy was literally knockin' congas over as he played with such
ferocity!!!! The DC
Funk Squad set ended at 11:50pm.
At
12:15am, RPM (Restoring Poetry in Music) started their soul/funk/hip-hop set
with the soulful "Poetry Bum", featuring Raw Poetic on raps and the
white guitar player (by the way...who played some good rhythm guitar) on the
chorus vocals! Personally, I thought that the addition of a horn player was a
nice touch. "Patsploitation" and "Soul Much to Say" were
very good songs, but the best song was the funky rock-tinged tune "Atlas".
The band's sound is a mixture of The Roots, N-E-R-D and Outkast. MAKE SURE THAT
YOU CHECK OUT "RPM" WHEREVER THEY ARE PLAYING!!! The RPM set was over
around 1:20am.
Submit suggestions or comments to [email protected]